Merry Christmas Morning!

Christmas Morning was spent at home with our little family and my sis Cait. We were able to spend the morning opening presents and seeing what Santa brought. The reindeer did enjoy some of their food. Maddie was checking out the oatmeal and the little mess the reindeer left behind.
Peyton with her Santa gifts!

Maddie with her Santa Gifts!

Getting Ready for Sweet Dreams

I bought the girls new PJs and slippers this year for Christmas. They received them on Christmas Eve so they were all ready for Christmas Morning! Here they are ready for bed. The cookies and milk were put out for Santa. The reindeer food was also put outside and ready for the reindeer...they need food too! :)
Happy and can't wait for Santa to Come. Maddie was having a little bit of a grouchy time....she was not quite sure if she was going to be on the naughty or nice list.

Christmas Eve Ugly Sweater Party 2010

For Christmas Eve my family came over and we had an Ugly Sweater Party. It was really fun to see the "creative" side of all of our family members! It was so funny! We really had a good time. Everyone brought an appetizer to share. We had the annual white elephant gift exchange, gifts for the kids, and the "name draw" gift exchange. After all of the excitement we went to our Church for the Christmas Eve Candle light service, without the ugly sweaters, of course. It was nice to have my Grandparents, parents, and sister join us to celebrate the real reason for the season and have time to worship as a family. Madison received many art kits. These are perfect gifts for her and she will be very busy in the upcoming year! PERFECT!


Konnor and his new CAT.

Cait and her Chia Obama Head (white elephant gift). What a lucky girl!Grandpy started with the Turkey, which has been the hot item in the white elephant gift exchange for MANY years now. The turkey returns every year and is always stolen 2 times very quickly. Jeff took it from Grandpy. My Dad ended up with it when he stole it from Jeff.

Peyton will love making sock puppets! Fun!

Ryan and Kristin....no they did not wear ugly sweaters.

Little Konnor loved the lights.

Madison reading "Elf on the Shelf" to Great Grandma, Peyton, and Aunt Stacy.

Chris and Stacy

I will have to say, Errin received the vote from me for the most creative and ugliest sweater. The stocking on the front of her sweater said "Cats Love Christmas Too!" Then to top it off she had a stuffed cat on each shoulder....so funny! :)

Mom and Dad showing their ugly sweater style!

Maddie created her one of a kind bow and snowball sweater.

The Brown and Jones Families dressed in their best!

Yes...here is my family!

The entire crew...minus Ryan, Kristin, and Konnor. Wow...are we a cute bunch or what? I wouldn't trade them for the world! :)

Zoo Lights 2010

Every year one of our favorite winter events is Zoo Lights at the Oregon Zoo. It is always amazing to see how much can be done with lights. The kids really enjoy the moving light animals and I enjoy seeing the look on their little faces as they see the many lights that really turn the zoo beautiful at night. This year we went with our neighbor friends. One of our neighbors had never gone before, so it is always fun to see the reaction of first time visitors to zoo lights. It was one of the first dry days we have had in a long time so, we knew it was going to be very crowded. We got there right away so that we were sure to find a parking spot....which we have had trouble with in years past. This worked out perfectly for us. It was very cold and windy, but we bundled up and tried to keep warm. Here are some pictures of our fun evening. Pictures really do not do it justice... if you are ever able....go in person!

Safety Fair 2010

We went to the Clackamas County Fire Safety Fair (this was actually at the end of September, but I just found the pictures). The girls are pretty lucky to get to climb on and in fire trucks and rescue vehicles on a regular basis, so they were not interested in seeing all of the fire and rescue vehicles at the fair. But, what they were very interested in was the inspector booth that was also set up at the fair. They waited very patiently in line to apply for a "builders permit" to make and hang a bird house in our yard. They had to show the official where they wanted to place their complete birdhouse and they both received an "approved" stamp on their permit and a safety helmet for their head.

They then waited in line to build a bird house. They loved the hammering and the process of making the bird houses. I loved the finished projects that now hang in our backyard. What a fun and free way to spend our day!

Making Ornaments

Madison and Peyton made some ornaments with Grandma and Grandpa MacKender. They turned out really cute and the girls had so much fun making them.

Dancin' Peyton

Peyton received dancing Dora for her birthday. It is pretty funny to see Peyton shake her little hips and tush to the music.

Double Owie!

This is an older picture that I just have not gotten to yet. It was pretty cute though, and thought it was worth remembering the moment. Maddie was running, with her blanket around her like a cape, and hurt her toe. She wanted to put ice on it. Well, Peyton wanted ice too, just like Sissy....although she did not really have a hurt toe (as you can tell by her little grin).

Monkey See, Monkey Do.

Awwwww!

When I went to wake up Madison for school this morning this is what I found:

Peyton must have wanted someone to cuddle with in the middle of the night and found her sisters bed. It was pretty cute.

A Weekend of Birthday Parties!

We had a busy weekend full of birthday parties for Peyton! We had a family party and then a friends party. The theme was "Fall Leaves". Here are some pictures from the parties and fun that filled our house!

FAMILY PARTY:Peyton helped to make her birthday cupcakes.

FRIENDS PARTY:

What a full and fun weekend! We had a great time and were exhausted by the end.....but it is all worth it! Happy Birthday Peyton!