HaPPy BiRTHDay AleX Big 23~

Alex's Birthday was on Monday!! We let him open up his big gift on Sunday while his family was over. Paysen and I got him an I PAD!!! He was ecstatic about it. He really couldn't believe it. He has been looking for the last 6 months and so I just went and got it. It was on sale too and so we both decided to just get it. On Monday he woke up to me bringing him red velvet cake the only one he kinda likes :) and then we enjoyed the morning together while Paysen continued to sleep. Alex had the day off so that was so nice so we just relaxed then went to dinner with everyone at Mamacitas one of our favorites here in town. Then watched movies together.

 My Big 23 Year old!! 

 Paysen and Alex on his Birthday. Ready to go to Dinner

 Mommy and Paysen on Daddy's Birthday.

 Attempt at a family picture

 All of us at dinner

 Mason with Paysen

 Adorable girlies

 My love on his Birthday.

 Kisses for mommy from my sweet boy!

White Elephant Exchange

Last Sunday we had a white Elephant gift exchange with Alex's family. We had it at our home and so that was fun. We had a hot chocolate bar and lots of snacks and goodies. We had a lot of fun putting it on. It was fun to watch the kids open their gifts from each other and then see what surprises were in the Adult gifts.


The Food:

Christmas Cake

 A Christmas tree of crackers, meat and Cheese

 Chocolate peppermint marshmallows for hot chocolate

 The gifts that Alex and I did.. This was mine :)

 Alex's white Elephant gift

 The kids opening their gifts

 My cute boys at the party.

 Paysen fell asleep at 7: 30 ( his bed time) on daddy right after I took this picture :)

Ward Christmas Party

Our Family at the Ward Christmas Party with SANTA!

We had a lot of fun with our Ward for our Christmas party this year mainly because we weren't in charge of it like last year (wink wink) We sat with the Berry's and had fun with them and ate yummy food and enjoyed the Primary and others who were apart of the Program. Then Santa came. Fun to be with our Ward Family and we cherish the relationships that we have with so many it is definitely home here with all of them.

 Our Primary did so well with singing their songs. I love being in Primary and I love love love these Kiddos!! 

 I love that the boys were angels too.

 Daddy and Paysen enjoying the show :)

These are some of the best kids that I know!

Paysen's First snow fall :)

We finally got SNOW it has been such a mild winter so far. We keep getting a lot and then the sun comes two days later and takes it all away. Paysen loved the snow and kept kicking his feet trying to figure out what it was. He wasn't sure at first of what was falling on his head. Its so fun and cute to watch him in it. We are supposed to get snow the rest of the week so we are crossing our fingers. I have been dying this year by really wanting it so hopefully it will come. The mountains all around us are covered and so that at least is pretty, but since this year we aren't traveling I really want it to dump :)

Our cute boy in the snow

 Not sure if he wanted to stand :)

 Daddy and Paysen in the back yard

 My adorable boys

Momma and Paysen enjoying the beautiful Snow!

Ugly Sweater Party!!

We had an Ugly Sweater Party at The Buhler's with a bunch of our friends. We had so much fun. We had a cookie and hot chocolate bar, Played lots of games and enjoyed being with everyone till two in the morning :) The games were the best we played: Pictionary, candy cane spoons (the card game but instead of spoons used candy canes, snowball throw using marshmallows, and we did a gift exchange using Janga.

 The cookies that I made. It was a mint chocolate with white chocolate and candy cane. 

They were so fun to make and easy. 

 Bree and I with our Ugly Sweaters. Susan and I went to Boise the Monday before and I found this hot sweater haha

 The girls of the party

Shelby, Sierra, me, Alysha, and Bree

 Sierra had these cute Mason jars all decorated and with our names on them to drink out of Loved it

 The gingerbread cookie that Alex decorated for me:)

 The pen drop!! The guys drew this a couple of times so they had to spin in a circle looking at the pen and then after a min. we would yell pen drop and they had to try to step on their pen.. Each time they did it they all fell to the ground! so funny

 They also had to build a pyramid

Alex and I in our Ugly Sweaters

 Paysen wore his sweater as well. He was such a good baby the whole time and fell asleep even with every thing going on!

 Love these girls.

Getting our Christmas Tree

This year we decided to go out into the woods to cut our tree instead of a tree farm. We had a blast to say the least. We went with five other families from our ward who we love. We all found the perfect tree for our homes and then had hot dogs that we roasted in a fire, We loved going and it was a beautiful day. We went on December 1 st.

Our Family at Spring Creek out to find our Christmas Tree

 

Our Friend Kim held Paysen while Alex and I hiked to get our Christmas tree and to cut it down we had so much fun hiking and laughing so fun to just be with Al for a few mins to ourselves. I kept talking like Elf and saying we hiked through the candy cane forest and we made up a story of finding it :) 

It's a little Charlie Brown and at first I had a little lump in my throat because last year we had a "perfect" one but I got over it quickly and love our tree and the memories that we made getting it. 

 Paysen and I looking at Christmas Trees

 So we got it home and it touched the celling perfectly so we trimmed and we cut and WALLA our tree :) 

 I love this time of year and the spirit that it brings

It quickly became a beauty.

WE read a Christmas story right before we got the Tree about a little boy who's family couldn't afford a tree or Christmas and in primary they told of how a pioneer boy found his own Christmas tree and so he thought he would do the same so that his younger brother Aaron would have a good Christmas. And so he went to his home teacher's home and was thankful that they werent home and started to cut down a tree from their yard, but the ax was to big and it got stuck in the tree.. and his home teacher then comes home and helps him wipe away his tears and cuts down the tree and then is Santa for them. We cried through the whole thing and I am so grateful for our tree and that it isnt perfect. Each time I look at it I think of this story.

Our Decorations:

I love this quote

 The bottom of our Fireplace

Paysen Loves Christmas lights 

 

A sign that I made the other day.