SIX

I can't believe that our youngest is SIX years old!!! Levi has been excited for his birthday for at least a month. He's been planning his party and letting everyone know what he wanted. He didn't even mind waking up super early so everyone could watch him open presents.
He got a Skylander quilt and Amiibo guys from mom and dad, money from grandmas and grandpa, Skylanders, pup patrol guys, books and pajamas from his sister and brothers.





He invited a few of his friends for a birthday party at Jumptime. The boys had a great time jumping and then had cupcakes and opened presents at our house.





Levi loved his cake!



With some of his birthday money, he bought this Scooby Doo lego set. He put it together all by himself and did a great job! He loved doing it so much that he took it apart and made it again. SO FUN!!



Six super things about Levi...

...he is hilarious! He makes his family laugh all the time.

...he has an amazingly creative imagination!

...he loves to play outside with his friends!

...his favorite chores are cleaning the upstairs bathroom and vacuuming the stairs.

...he loves his Ipad!

...he LOVES to play card and board games and is really good at them!

Happiest of Birthdays, Levi! We love you so much!!

FOURTEEN

Andrew had a birthday. It seems like he just had a birthday and stayed up all night watching PG-13 movies. Nathan had to work on his birthday and since Andrew wanted to sleep in, we decided to wait and open presents at dinnertime. He got money from grandparents, lacrosse gloves (that were delayed in the mail due to bad weather) and a hammock from mom and dad, a kendama, itunes gift card, arrow sling shot, Stance socks and a hat from his siblings. Nathan, Sarah and Andrew went to see the new Star Wars movie for his birthday. They all loved it! Then, his sister made him go to the New Years Eve dance (his first Saturday Night Dance) since he turned 14 and can go now. I don't think he loved it.











Yes, he slept outside the night after his birthday and it was 8 degrees but the app said it felt like -1 degrees. It was SUPER cold!!



Fourteen fabulous things about Andrew...

...he's pretty funny (and he knows it)!

...he spends a lot of time with his friends and we love it when he spends time with his family.

...having a clean room is NOT important to him.

...he's a very talented lacrosse player.

...we're so proud of him for trying a new sport this year - wrestling.

...he loves to camp and fish!

...he still has an obsession with weapons. He added a blow dart gun, sling shots and an arrow sling shot to his collection this year.

...he plays the piano beautifully!

...he's a great student!

...he's always up for adventures!

...he really likes Grey's Anatomy!

...he is a very hard worker!

...he's been serving as the Deacon's Quorum President for the past six months.

...he LOVES to tease!!

Happiest of Birthdays, Andrew! We love you tons!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

On Christmas Eve we went downtown to see the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip. It was pretty cute and entertained us all. We walked around downtown for a little bit.



Such cute kids!!



Then we headed over to The Village Mall and of course had to go into It's Sugar!





We decided to eat dinner at The Counter. Nathan shared our experience on Facebook so I decided to put it here so we will always remember the generous and sweet gift we were given.

"We received an unexpected, relatively expensive gift tonight from an anonymous gift-giver that has stirred emotions within me and added a fresh perspective to our Christmas celebration. To be honest, I am grateful but I am still sorting the experience and consequent emotions out in my mind.
December is such a busy season for our young family. We go in many different directions for the entire season. For the past few years we have reserved Christmas Eve for each other. We often go to a movie, walk around the mall or downtown Boise. We often say "goodbye" to Santa and almost always go out for dinner.
Tonight, after strolling around downtown and around The Village, we decided to eat at a new, nice restaurant that had something to satisfy everyone.
We sat down about an hour and a half before they were to close. The restaurant was not busy; we were one of only four or five tables. We had a great meal and enjoyed the time together.
When it came time to pay for our meal, we were told that someone had already paid our bill.
Frankly, I was so caught off guard that I honestly didn't know what to say. Laura began to show her appreciation with tears.
As I have thought about it, I have realized that I am more comfortable on the giving side of the equation. Is it just my nature or is it the result of years of conditioning-or both? I don't know.
Tonight I was reminded how important it is to be able to RECEIVE gifts. It is particularly appropriate that we had this experience today because of how important it is to RECEIVE the gift of Christ that was the ultimate Christmas gift.
An anonymous gift-giver contributed to the story of my life tonight. The experience has made me a better person. I am also grateful for the role The Savior has played in the writing and rewriting of my life.
Merry CHRISTmas to all, and to all a good night."



We returned home for our tradition of reading Luke 2 and reminding ourselves of the true meaning of Christmas. The kids opened one present (which is almost always new pajamas) and then set out cookies and milk for Santa and then tucked themselves in for the night.





The next morning, I think someone woke up at 4ish but we didn't let them go downstairs until closer to 6. Here they are ready to see if Santa had made a stop at our house.



We always open our gifts and stocking from Santa first. Then we took a break and had breakfast before opening the rest of the presents.















The kids played with their new toys for most of the morning before Grandma and Grandpa came over for lunch. We enjoyed visiting with them before we left for the Interfaith Sanctuary to serve Christmas dinner. Nathan, Sarah and Andrew served food and visited with the residents while the other kids and I played Bingo in the Family area with the families. I'm really grateful our family was able to have this experience on Christmas because it reminded us of our blessings and let us serve others. It was a wonderful Christmas season!