Annual Family Christmas/ Santa Party

Every year Jared's parent, Brian and Velene host a Christmas Party for Velene's side of the family. They started this tradition when Jared and all the cousins were little so it has been going on for many years. As the kids have grown up and got married and brought their kids it has become a huge undertaking and somewhat chaotic and yet still is fun! This year was a little smaller in attendance. Everyone brings great food for dinner, great desserts, and of course what's a Christmas party without Santa coming to visit as well! This is the same Santa since the beginning of the parties years ago.

Alex getting to be "too cool" to smile while sitting on Santa's lap!


Andrew didn't want to sit on Santa's lap...I think he was afraid if he did Santa would say something about him being heavy and embarrass him


not sure why but Aubrey didn't want to sit on his lap either and was content to stand.


Anika was way into Santa and telling him her whole life story!


Santa reading his book about the reindeer, Pizza Face as the kids listen and enjoy, all the while anticipating opening their gift they received from Santa!

This year the kids all got the same thing, yet different ones of ZuZu Pets! Goofy little hamster things that spin on wheels and make noises! I guess they can fight each other too...not sure how that works!

It is always fun to see everyone.

Christmas Party

We kicked our kids downstairs with a movie and some popcorn and enjoyed a fun night with our friends. Not as many were able to come as we initially thought but a small crowd is great too as you can spend more time talking to each other. We were sad to move and live further away but I hope we will always get together for more years to come. Everyone brought a yummy appitizer and we bought some Pappa Murphy pizza, one being garlic chicken, one of my favorites!

Projects

I do the silliest things sometimes...Here I am ready to have a baby in a few weeks and I am trying to finish sanding/painting our crib and a dresser, as I want the furniture to be black!
The whole house except for the formal living room and kitchen are painted an off-pink color so... (yikes! I can't believe I am posting this picture!) btw these clothes have been through a lot of paint jobs over the years :) I do like to paint!
(shhh, don't tell my doctor about this picture!)
Not too long ago I finished painting the office downstairs, the main family room , and now I am working on our bedroom, which is so big that I think I will have to leave the back study area until later as I am getting sore/stiff and so tired. At night I just crash and then wake up a million times to pee!
We are having a Christmas part-ae at our house I want things to look nice for when our friends come over! (like they care!) The blinds are what I should be worrying about...!

Christmas Decorations

I am excited to decorate our new house for Christmas this year! There are so many fun places to put things and spread the decorations out. Jared makes fun of me because I want a nice decorated tree in the living room,
he calls it the "snooty tree" and another one in the family room with the kid's decorations.
I don't know why it is a big deal to him to have the two different trees?! The kids don't care and they had fun decorating still the same! It was fun decorating with them and reminiscing what the ornaments stand for. (that is after I got mad at them for moving all the piles around I had organized with each of their own decorations) This years ornaments: Alex a football, Andrew a basketball , Aubrey a ______, Anika a _________, family a little blue baby bootie for the new baby to come. I am not sure why I don't have pictures of us decorating this year...but here are the final results.
We are trying to collect nativity sets from around the world. It would be fun to say we had been to the spots and bought them, but they are from others who have been there. Maybe one day!

This nativity was given to us as a wedding gift from my favorite YW leader Carolyn and Brent Thomas so Canada/North American!

This nativity came as a gift from Jared's parents from the Ukraine. Behind it is another gift to Jared for being on the High Council from our Stake President, President Bucerra, it is real gold, frankincense, and muir. My favorite decoration of all. *I will have to get a better picture.*

This one Jared bought while traveling for work in the Dominican Republic *get better picture*

The front door entry way

the stairs going up from the entry way

the main family room

kids

July 2010
We came out of McDonald's and Anika saw the fire truck and had to wait to meet the firemen. She was so excited. She told me she was going to tell them her name and my name. When they got closer she excitedly told them, "My name is Anika and this is my mom Pam Bennett. What is your name?" The one fireman said, "Hi, my name is____ and this is Jared, and..." Anika interrupts with laughter and turns and says, "Mom, his name is Jared just like our dad's and he's bald too just like our dad!!!" Of course we all laughed because what else can you do?!
July 21, 2010
Anika when told I was going to the baby doctors asked, "so you can come home with the baby?" *sigh* If only it were that simple!

Blessings

a few weeks ago:
Anika saying the lunch prayer:
"Please bless that we will catch fish today so we can give them to Jesus."

"My mouth hurts- I think it is because I talk too much."

"lepercan" (leprechaun)
so excited that the "lepercan came to preschool, but he made a big mess and we had to clean it up by working together because that's what we do, work together! I am going to catch him when he comes to our house. I am going to tie ropes up and put tape on the floor to catch him and glue!"

Yesterday: "Scott can you please stop talking so I can sing my songs?" (to Scott and Grandpa)
Gum drops, Dinosaur song, and I Love To See the Temple

Who says kids watching t.v. is a bad thing?

By watching Ratatouille Anika has come to like food I would never have dreamed she would.
1. a couple of weeks ago ~eating cheese she told me she has to have a strawberry with it to "give it the best nuttiest flavor" so we did and she likes it!
2. today while at the grocery store in the produce department she asked pointing to a big round thing, "what's this?"
I told her it is cabbage.
Anika: "CABBAGE YUM, I LOVE CABBAGE! Can we buy it?"
Me: "you've never had cabbage, I don't think we will buy a head of cabbage." of course I'm thinking she won't like it. This is the girl won't eat her dinner if she sees lettuce on her plate.
Anika: "We can make cabbage soup, it is the best!"
me: "We've never had cabbage soup.
Anika: "Like on Ratatouille!"
The cute produce clerk hears our little conversation and chimes in and asks her if she likes cole slaw, (which she of course says no because she doesn't know what cole slaw is) and then he tells me how I could make that and I rebuttal with, "I am not that adventurous to cut up a head of cabbage to make that!"
So he comes over and strips the outside leaves off and gives her a piece and says, "Here you try it and then you can see if you like it and your mom will know if she should buy it."
At first she is a little hesitant and I decide to go along with it as I just know she will spit it out all over his floor, (serves him right!) that is if she even tries it! Well, she takes a little nibble and then another and then she keeps going back for more and more leaves and "hmmmm, I like it!"
So, out we walked with a head of cabbage!
All night she has been reminding me we are going to make cabbage soup tomorrow. Anyone got a good recipe? I was thinking to do somethings like a cabbage roll soup- cabbage, hamburger, rice...mom didn't you use to make something like that?
All I know is it has too be good. Maybe I will have to watch Ratatouille tonight to get the rat's recipe!

Jared gets home and calls for Anika to come upstairs. (he doesn't know any of the days occurrences) Here she comes up the stairs with a head of cabbage in her hands. She is downstairs watching t.v. naughing away at her head of cabbage!!!!

Here she is a few days ago: got a cucumber out of the fridge and away she goes!

Oh the things they say

Jared was giving Anika a hard time (in a teasing way) about her still peeing the bed/ wearing a diaper at night (which she hates wearing a diaper- but I hate pee on the bed and washing sheets even more so I win this battle!) She was trying to be funny back and of course can't keep up with her dad so she comes out from the bathroom into our room with her hands an her hips and says, (quite boldly I might add) "Dad, Where is your love and compassion?!"
We couldn't stop laughing it was so funny as we never say this!
(Later in the day we found out from the kids it is from a Sponge Bob movie that somehow ended up in our house!)

Anika's conversation on the way to Grandma's house a couple of Sunday's ago:

"Mom, our brains really help us. They help us decide what dress to wear to church. Well MY brain wasn't working today because I didn't know which one to wear!!"

Will we stay or will we go?

sorry for the prolonged Christmas music and no I don't have time to change it today either.
This is actually the first time in two weeks I have sat this long! I have had long long days rearranging, painting, and cleaning this house yet again! It's official our house has a for sale sign in the front yard and we are on the MLS list.
We have found some great listing and will go look some more today so stay tuned for what is too come next. We love our ward, our neighbors, and friends but with 5 kids and probably too much stuff we are on the hunt for the next perfect house. There is more that I would love to write but for now I need to go finish the last few things and maybe get in the shower before 3pm......

perfectly imperfect holiday season

What was your best Christmas as a kid? Was it the one where there was a lot of stress about a perfect meal elegantly served-on time-to a perfectly dressed family? Or was it the one where the dog pulled the turkey off the stove and dragged it away through the dog door? There was no perfect meal that day. Everyone rolled with the punches. They rolled up their sleeves and worked together in the kitchen to salvage a makeshift meal.

The beauty of that memory is not in perfection and organization, but in remembering the joy of being together and doing things together. It was the laughter. It was one of those days when the choices were to laugh or to cry, so you all laughed it off and enjoyed one another. It brought you all together in a different way.

Holidays are times for enjoying one another. We are not suggesting that you purposely feed the turkey to the pets, but we strongly suggest that an imperfect day with little stress will create better memories of loving relationships.

We wish you a perfectly imperfect holiday season,
Jim Fay
Love and Logic

Christmas Sunday Outfits

-oops, I forgot a solo picture of Andrew...next week after church because there is no way I will be able to get him in is church clothes on a week day!
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Notice how Andrew just casually put his arm around Alex
Now notice what a stretch it was for Alex to reach his younger brother!! I was trying to take the picture and I couldn't stop laughing. It is okay that Andrew is taller, I mean they are only 15 months apart, it was just funny to see! :)

I love this picture!

asleep in the hay

Isn't this the cutest manger?!
Mom/Grandma Allen gave it to us. Thanks! Do a good deed to fill up the manger with hay so Jesus has a soft place to lay on Christmas Eve.