Easter

Easter is one holiday you never know if it is going to be cold and miserable or nice. Well, this year we got lucky and it was a very beautiful day just a bit windy.

During the morning, Jeannie and the kids came over and they colored eggs. Jeannie's husband James had painted a basket for each kid.

They turned out really cute and the kids loved them. This was Melody's first real Easter and she loved it. She totally understood that she need to find the eggs, put them in her basket, open them, and eat the yummies inside.
James also made an egg for each kid. He painted a face and their name. I thought they were really cute.

Can you tell it is windy, very windy.

Melody's egg was of her crying and she was crying for the picture, so it matched perfect.

The kids had a great day and found lots of fun toys and treats. In this picture Melody is wanting to attack every one's basket and she can figure out why they wont let her.

Merry Christmas

For a few days, we had been telling the kids Santa was going to bring their gifts from Grandma Dorine,who lives way up in Idaho, for them to open on Christmas Eve. They were really excited about this, but started to get worried when it was almost their bedtime and still no Santa. He did show up just in time to give them their gifts. Santa was actually Isaiah's brother Gideon, who did an awesome job.Their presents were a pair of pajamas and a fishing game.

Amita loved the fishing game, but figured out using her finger to catch the fish was easy then the fishing poles.

Here are the boys in their p.j.s.

Once the older kids were in bed, we got the stockings filled with Melody's help.

On Christmas morning, the kids got up and opened their stocking presents. Then, we made breakfast and waited for Jeannie's family to come over and open presents with us. It always makes Christmas so much fun to have them over.

Here is James and Jeannie waiting for presents.

Melody loved playing with all the wrapping paper and packaging.

Carter with is star wars lightsaber.

Benjamin with star wars legos. Both boys totally into star wars.

Michael opening his presents.

Isaiah opening his present with Amita's help. She was the official present opening helper. She would go around to each person when it was their turn to open and help rip paper. Sometimes it was hard to get her to slow down and let us enjoy the last present before she starting opening the next.

Me helping Melody open on of her presents.

My mom got the girls matching dressing. They looked so cute in them. That is one fun thing about having kids so close together is getting to dress them up a like.

Rachael coloring a bag she opened earlier in the morning.

And me wearing a beautiful shirt Isaiah got me.

We had a wonderful Christmas and got way to much stuff.

Trimming the Tree

The kids have been begging for weeks to put up the Christmas tree. They each get to buy a new ornament for the tree every year. We had bought the new ornaments a few weeks ago and the kids wanted so bad to put them up. Every evening when Isaiah gets done with work they ask about it. So, Saturday we decided to put it up.

Here is Isaiah and the kids figuring out what pieces go where.

Isaiah and Benjamin getting the star on top. Carter calls it the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

The whole family in front of the tree before we put ornaments on. We took this with the timer on the camera, and I can hardly believe we got everyone (except Melody) to be looking and smiling.

Amita helping hang ornaments.

Isaiah bought a Santa suit a few years ago to surprise the kids. Well, they always knew it was him. Here is him and Melody having fun with it.

Here is my little village going up. I use to trying and get everything arranged just right, but now Benjamin has so much fun placing everything, that I just let him do it.

It was a really fun evening. The kids had a blast. Melody loved trying to get all the new "toys." The bottom two feet of the tree is bare just to keep her family eating any of the decorations.

Easter

This year for Easter we decorated eggs Friday night. Jeannie and the kids came over and we had a fun time. Jeannie had bought an egg spinner that the kids loved using to dye the eggs.

We decided to have an egg hunt and BBQ on Saturday because it was suppose to rain on Sunday. My sister Diane and her whole family came and we had a fun time.Here is the boys doing their eggs.
And the girls coloring their eggs.

Melody on her first Easter.

Amita and Charlie finding eggs.

Carter finding only plastic eggs and leaving all the real ones behind.

The older kids finding eggs.