Look who got her ear's pierced.....

Merry Christmas!!!  I have a TON of pictures to upload but it is midnight and I have to get up in 4 hours to take my parent's to the airport to go back home but I wanted to share what we did today!!  

Little Miss Haylee discovered ear pierced last week and has been talking about it ever since.  We got her some clip on earrings for Christmas but she was upset they come off and kept saying she wanted like Mommy's but we decided to take the clip on ones back and let her get the real thing.  We told her the truth...."they have to give you a shot in your ear and it's going to hurt a little."

She still didn't seem to mind....she wanted her ear's pierced.  So today we all (Haylee, Garrett, Josh, my mom and dad, and me) went to Clare's in the mall, let her pick out earrings (which she happen to pick out February birthstone....that also happen to $50 which I didn't find out until AFTER it was done).

She did awesome for the cleaning and was ready....until it happened.  She didn't move though....and when it was all done she stopped crying immediately.  She wanted her sucker and wanted to see her pretty ears!!

Childhood Joy

Christmas Holiday Fun

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and is not getting too wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of everything.  Garrett reminded me today that there was only 12 more days until Christmas!!  12 DAYS!!!!  I've been enjoying myself too much and I don't have very much done....OH WELL!!  We're having a blast and that's what should count.  

I have been making candy and put them in mason jars and then got these SUPER cute cards at Costco for $8 (for 60 of them!!).  Aren't they cute little gifts!!!

Last Saturday Haylee's ballet studio put the ballet The Nutcracker.  I wanted to go as a family but Josh needed to study and Garrett wanted to stay home and play Mario so I decided it would be a fun Mommy/Daughter date.  I invited our good friends Suzanne and her daughter Addison and we had a blast.  The girls LOVED it!!!

Ready to go all dressed up!!

Anxiously waiting for the show to start

Haylee DID NOT like the "mean mouse"

BRAVO, BRAVO!!

That evening when we got home we all got in the car for a Christmas surprise!!  We took the kids to this dairy that has transformed the dairy into a Winter Wonderland.  It was really cute.  We were hoping to see Santa but he was a 2-3 hr wait....we love you Santa but not that much!!

Alpenrose Dairy's Winter Wonderland!!

They had this little village, "Storybook Lane" that was filled will little house and animals.  It was really neat to walk through!!

We told the kids we were going to see Christmas lights but we decided to go get something to eat first.  We ate at Old Spaghetti Factory and they had several decorations out front.  Garrett said he loved the all the lights so we just went with it....while he thought we were driving home, we drove up to this......

You should have seen the excitement on his face!!!  This was at the Portland International Raceway where they set up all these lights on the race track.  We drive about 5 mph throughout the displays and it took us about 40 minutes to get all the way through.  It was SO worth it!!!  

Why not start early!!  Then maybe when he's 16 it won't be so hard!!

What a wonderful Saturday!!!!

My handsome boy!!!

Daddy's Little Girl (only a dentist's daughter)!!!

Run, Run, Rudolph

Family Pictures by Sarah Mueller

A Visit with Santa

Look who made it in the paper!!!  On Monday we (Jody, Jessie, Haylee, and I) went to the mall and I decided to let Haylee say hello to Santa.  The newspaper was there and asked if they could take some pictures!!!  In Haylee's words, "I love him [Santa]."

Jessie Moving to Rwanda

Josh's sister Jessie is moving to Rwanda in January for 10 months.  She started a blog to better explain her journey.  I urge you to please keep my sister-in-law in your prayers during this next year and if you feel led to help financially she has a link on her blog or you can do so here. 

The kids were really excited to spend last week with her and we will miss her this next year and it will be hard not to see her for a year but we know that she is doing God's work and He will bless her greatly for servant's heart!!!