Christmas is for Sharing!

I believe this will be one of my first posts to go without illustrations, BUT it was such a funny little story I had to tell you.
I don't know how harmonious some of you are able to make your households, but my boys seem to wake up fighting with each other. Literally, that is how I know they are awake is screams, crying or yelling from their room; and then it continues on and off throughout the day. Most times we have to 'let it go' so that they can learn to problem solve and survive w/out us around. Yesterday 12/27 was no exception to the fighting, and one began to ensue between Sterling and Ryland. I saw Sterling get a book off of the shelf that Ryland had gotten for x-mas but had no interest in UNTIL he saw Sterling looking at it---then it was allot of crying and chasing to get it back. I sat and listened and their conversation went something like this:
S-You have to share!
R-No I not!
S-Yes you do, it is Christmas~That is what Christmas is all about is sharing (I smiled at this--he is pretty smart on his feet I thought)
R- No I not!! AAAAAAHHHHHH!
S-Giggle giggle- Yes, it is! (I hear them running around their room to the limited "get away from each other" destinations, one being on one of the two top bunks)
R-AAAAAHHHH! With big crocodile tears and renting his clothes
S-Christmas is for sharing we have to share our toys
R-NOOOOOO!!!!!
Then I hear a loud sickening thud and blood curdling scream from Ryland. I knew he had fallen off of the bunk while chasing his brother (actually it was the top rung of the ladder). I found him laying on his back without much wind!
So the situation went from humorous to NOT HUMOROUS and mean momma mode kicked in, and the fight was abolished quickly!
i LOVE it- It is just another day in paradise (MY THEME country SONG)!!!!!!!!

A Perfect Ending...to a Perfect Day

We decided to make a day of it and end our Christmas evening making gingerbread houses! We were going to go to a resort in Sedona to see the light festival they have, BUT it was daddy's last day home with us before returning to work AND he would prefer to stay warm, and cozy in our home (so we have a date with the lights on Friday evening). Here is our creations!Ryland (left) & Daddy's (right)
Mommy (left) & Sterling's (right)
Colton's (does R2D2 give that one away?!)

(Dacie ate the candy)

AND one more picture of mommy's (note the bonfire, and grove of trees out front) I won..so I was pretty proud of my color coded, cookie cutter house (which Dan called it ,along with that I cheated since I ended up glue gunning it together~ he was jealous) ha ha ha! It was a perfect ending to a Wonderful Day!

FaCeS of X-MaS!!!

Playing with some of our new toys!!! Daddy and the boys playing a good game of Mouse Trap! (while mommy was making Christmas dinner)
Ryland celebrating His victory in Mouse Trap (These are the same clothes he played in the new clubhouse outside for a majority of the day~ and I wonder why my kids are sick all the time!)
Colton going undercover as a spy-with his new spy kit! ha ha ha

We loved a simple x-mas as a little family just being together in pj's all day, playing with toys and eating big meals. We were so touched by Dan's family all coming up to our home; every single one-Gma/Gpa/Clint/Kerri/Scott/Russ (some have never seen our home!) it was only a few minutes to open some gifts, deliver our NEW kitchen table, and hug, BUT in those few minutes our hearts were melted and we did not feel so far away from family!

CHrIsTmaS Is HeRe!

Our Dacie posing one more time in our favorite candy cane dress outfit! (I particularly love the leg bend pose...aaah she's a girl!)
Santa Came!!!! Our tree before the 'storm' blew in!
The boys coming out at 6:30am (not bad for x-mas morning!) reading Santa's note w/ the eaten milk and cookies!

Cute Story: On Christmas Eve we went and delivered muffins and carols to neighbors-since it was still early in the evening after we were done, we decided to kill some time (since the kids would just be home going nuts)~ before going home to read x-mas stories and tucking them in for a LONG winters nap (with the help of some Benadryl). We thought we would go and look at our favorite x-mas house lights. Colton was frothing at the mouth to " go to bed" so Santa could come and started wailing in protest about the x-mas light adventure. He wailed so much we tried a little reverse psychology and told him we would take him home to go to bed BUT the rest of the family was going to see lights. He was ecstatic. Our plan had backfired, and we had to drop him off at home alone to get ready for bed. He JUMPED out of the car and off we went down the street to the lighted house. I was a bit nervous about leaving him alone wondering what a 6-year old could get himself in trouble with while we were gone. We returned home to find him in his pj's (clothes folded and put away), teeth brushed, and him sitting on the table with a plate of cookies for Santa and chocolate milk he had made himself (the chocolate milk that is). He also had a post-it list for every person in our family telling Santa what we each wanted (he had kept pretty good inventory). My heart was so soft, I had forgotten how exciting a child's Christmas is! After the bedtime stories he was asleep pretty quick- Here is Dacie AFTER all the presents were gone! We thought we had been smarter than the babies by getting a tree that was higher off the ground BUT she managed to find the lights! Here is her "I am doing something naughty are you going to catch me" smile~ Little Stinker! She got caught red-handed on film!

Ho ho HO!

Who says BaThTImE can't be festive?!!!! The budget has always been a little tight around these parts...so DaCiE took matters into her own hands and got a job as SaNtA at a local bath and body-retail store for a little extra spending money in her pocket-Ha hA ha
A little left over dinner saved for later on your chest can't hurt either! ha ha ha
Thanks to GrAnDmA/GrAnDpA HuTcHinGs (AtChinGs)-we have this fun x-mas confetti that turns into soap-We went BuCk WiLd!!!
Until, we realized that after we FinAllY got the pictures taken, the confetti had turned into soap and melted onto their hair and skin-so we had to scrub off the "Chicken Pox" and Green Hair -we were a Wild, Wet MessaY BunCh! I'm DrEaMin' of a WeT ChRistMaS!
TWINS!!! I have never had a baby that I could mix up baby pictures w/ other siblings....until I had Dacie (her and Sterling are pretty close)

FA La La La LA La La La LA!

What would x-mas be without SaNtA!! He made a grand appearance today (12/19) at Playgroup! SaNtA was the ReAl DeAl-and was so kind and gentle with the children! Ryland told him he wanted a dog and skateboard for x-mas. Last time he visited Santa it was a penguin! ha ha ha Dacie enjoyed the attention so she loved him, and Ryland was worried about where his juice box was!
What would ChRisTmAs be without our X-mas concerts!! Here is Sterling performing with his preschool on Monday evening (12/17)! ( he is the farthest on the right-as if he does not stand out!)
Dan told me he knew I had said that Sterling was the tallest in his class (not the oldest either...mind you) BUT he did not realize I meant 7 inches taller!! His huge hands made for big antlers to HELP with the height issue-ha ha ha ha ha ha
Colton had his choir concert the following night (Tuesday 12/18)- we had some quick dinner nights! He is on the top row second in on the left (he WAS the tallest until his friend moved in and is less than a half an inch shorter)
Colton posing in front of the snowman decor at his concert!

DaCiE and her friend AvEry showing off their matching holiday BoWs (that mommy had made) at the concert!



On BaHumBug note: We were a little jealous of all the grandparents at the concerts-we do wish we lived closer to family during the holidays!!! Also, Sterling started screaming after his bath saying he could not be brave anymore (I guess he had been experiencing pain he did not tell us about) on Sat. 12/15-so we took him into the urgent care and found that he had two severe ear infections. He stayed awake for most the evening until the antibiotics kicked in. We checked with the doc yesterday and they are still flaming! Dacie has had two restless nights and then spiked a 102 fever yesterday. She is now on antibiotics as well--and mommy rocked with her for a good portion of the early evening last night! Here is to hEaltH and sLeEp for the New YEaR! (or I may sit on Santa's lap and ask him myself). Tissues anyone? Does anyone know a for sure way to dry up those runny noses?!!!!! Ba HUmBug!

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like ChRisTmAs!!

I had MY MAN home this weekend so...we got our outside lights up!!! Yahoo~getting into the whole lighting spirit we drove around Sunday eve to find all the Cool lighted houses in Cottonwood, while listening to Mannheim Steamrollers! I do love this time of the year! A front porch view-I spent a day outside as well putting up the last touches of X-mas! Sorry -had to take it in the dark so you could see all his hard work!
We also got to go to Dan's work Christmas party at the Blazin' M Ranch here in town on Saturday eve (12/15). It's a dinner cowboy show (it is GOOD, and I have a seen a few in my day). It gets funnier (is that a word?) every time!!! I wish I had brought my camera because the entire office staff got a 'old time' photo taken saloon style. I am not gonna lie, Dan looked the best- He looks FINE in a cowboy hat!!! We had a babysitter, so it was a fun date night for us. I finished the great night off by finishing Dacie's holiday clip/bows, and a few extra to give away as gifts!! I am addicted.

Oh Little town of BeThLeHem!

This year for our Ward Christmas Party (Friday 12/14) we were served a decree by Caesar Augustus that we were to be taxed and were to report to Bethlehem with a blanket to sit on, dressed in proper attire. Here is our sweet Bethlehem Babes-Dacie, Colton (one of the 3 wise men), Ryland, & Sterling (one of the shepherds) all ready to go!
The primary children were asked to put on the Nativity at the function- You can see Sterling kneeling on the stage (the only one with a staff) in the background behind the coat of many colors boy center stage!
Colton practiced hard to remember his gift, find the star, and kneel before the Christ child. He is the one kneeling closest to us on the left w/ a shimmery red cloak and king hat (in front of the angels)
Colton playing with his crown~now that his part is over.The pictures were compliments of daddy since I was leading the music (the primary sang two songs and the audience sang four) He did it with Dacie and Ryland running around too-what a MAN!
The cultural hall looked AmAziNg! They had put some serious work into it. They totally transformed the place with cobblestone streets, a well to get our water, open market, starry sky, bonfire that worked...and so on. These pictures hardly do it justice. It was dark and I was trying to avoid the tax collectors, get the food at each market with the three boys, and be with our non-member neighbor who came with us! Sorry
You signed a census when you entered the door and were handed a bag of money that you took to each booth to receive part of your meal, that is, if the roman soldiers did not find you and tax you, taking your money!

All I want for Christmas is my Two FRONT TEETH!

Colton lost his 'other' front tooth today (Sunday 12/16)! He is so excited-and is anxiously awaiting the tooth fairy wide-eyed and bushy-tailed in his bed right now (along with his 2 other brothers-three boys in a room CAN be a challenge sometimes). He wanted to call Grandma Sorensen to tell her the special news (since she works for his dentist). He looks funny with a big gap-and sang All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth-the whole time we were out driving around looking at Christmas lights tonight. Can you tell what he ate for dinner? ((look around his mouth). He is showing off his gap and tooth (in the plastic bag).

The Things I Have Learned This Week

This week I learned that you DoN't give a bag of un-opened M&M's to a 10-month old in their car seat-to keep them from screaming. They are StROnG enough to open it ~AND are not HaPpy about it getting taken away!!!!
I also learned that when you say YeS to helping out-to remember that I have four children alone most of the day! ha ha ha AND that garage's make wonderful make-shift painting studios! I AgReed to make HeBrEw signs for our ward x-mas party and it ended up taking many extra hours to do with kiddos running around-Thank HeAveNs for NAPS!

I Have learned that Dan is right when he says" Leave something alone if it is working!" After pleading with him for the new entertainment center- I got it and is sat in our garage. I FiNallY sold the other one-so we could move in the new one. It was a bit chaotic amidst x-mas decorations and four kids! (above) The old one is gone!
Then when we brought in the new entertainment center-It is a BEAST! and does not match our other shades of wood. It is a NiCe piece of furniture- in fact, it is MaGniFiCenT! BUt our Great Room can't Hold magnificent pieces- We have to incorporate the computer, kids toys room, my elliptical, couches, side tables, etc. into one room-not allot of wall space! I am Getting use to it being in the room-BUT it took two days of measuring and trying 10 different places for it, and decor changes-What a PaIn! I know, I know-He tOLd me so!
I have also learned that 1st grade is not too young to have an alarm clock. After getting Colton to school just in the nick of time, since I am trying to get Sterling to preschool, Colton to elem. school, and the a.m. is the ONLY nursing Dacie does for the whole day-there is allot of threats and rushing. It has helped TONS to have him wake up, get dressed, and eat breakfast on his own (I am sure laying out the clothes, making the lunch, and laying out breakfast helps the whole affair too). The alarm clock is FuN for him right now-so we'll keep it that way!

I have learned that there is no use trying to keep up on the kitchen floor, besides Dacie will clean up what she tossed on the floor earlier as she scavenges around the house w/ her new mode of transportation-her knees!

I have learned that Craigslist is a wonderful resource! I have posted these items (above) since October and sold all of them within the last two weeks, for more than I purchased them for (They were still cheap~remember I get them at garage sales) It was sad to say good-bye to some of the furniture we have had since we got married. We got some new couches from some members in Dan's parents ward-they matched and did not need couch slip covers! I also found an entertainment center that is an armoire (so that the TV is not the focus of our room)-so we needed to get rid of the old to make room for the new-AND our car in the garage!

Here is to ProGreSsiOn!

Weekend Plans!

One of our weekend plans consisted of dressing up Dacie for church! (we got all these darling holiday dresses from a friend) Since Mom (Alicia) and Dad (Dan) were speaking in sacrament meeting-we had to make sure she looked cute for whoever watched her! I LOVE her two pigtails

We also watched Dacie very carefully this weekend. With a new crawler in the house-we certainly have to be on our toes. I found her soaking wet, sucking on some clothes I had soaking in oxy clean! She is also standing a little as well-check her out!

This weekend we also listened to the rain on our sky lights-It rained all weekend. IF you look at this picture carefully it is Mingus mountain (behind the clouds) taken right by Colton's school. It is covered in snow. The snow is getting closer- it does snow in Arizona!!! We went shopping in Prescott and got our snow. We saw four accidents in less then a mile radius and Colton wanted us to pull over so he could touch the snow- Yeah right!




We do count our blessings! Our neighbors two doors down just built a new house and this new fence and the neighbors tree ROCKED it! Look closely in the corner! I guess a broken rose bush isn't so bad!


After our date on Saturday night-Dan and I did spend a few good hours writing out talks for church the next day. Dan spoke on After all we can Do by Elder Claudio d. Zivic, and Alicia Spoke on What Latter Day Saint Women Do best by Sister Beck. Both General Conference talks!

Part of our weekend plans included shopping for x-mas in Prescott. The boys want a new clubhouse!! This was their latest creation of a clubhouse (their"cars" parked outside of it) the clubhouse also got rocked by the rain! This is a picture of the boys humble abode (indoors) below. They wanted to take pictures of it!

Dan and I found a babysitter and got to go on a free dinner date for a work Christmas party with the company I answer phones and do billing for. I also walked away with a new hooded sweatshirt-2 long sleeve shirts and a t-shirt. A new wardrobe-wahoo!

We did jump the gun a bit on thinking Dan was all better. He came home Friday after work and went straight to bed-his fever broke once more. He battled fevers all the next day as well. We all had ENOUGH of being cooped indoors-so Dan made the executive decision to make us all go x-mas shopping. He is feeling a little better each day. Besides laughter is the best medicine, and he has plenty of that around w/ our kiddos!




I (Alicia) had an 'off' weekend as I accidentally tore up our Christmas bonus check and threw it in the trash, I put the car in to park while driving (I have no idea why), and leaving a bag of presents in a store in Prescott that we now have to drive back to get! Dan says my life is too rushed. I feel too distracted. I think having a majority of the responsibility lately just caught up. I guess Dan COULD laugh about some of these things...and that might help? ha ha ha