December

December is really a testament to how far I've fallen when it comes to taking pictures. There aren't that many and we're missing several big events. Oops. Anyway...

We decorated.

 

We got some snow.

Ed had to work for the Air Force in Miami. I could stay in the cold and snow of Idaho, or I could leave the kids with my mom and join him in Florida... I'm not the kind of girl who needs vacations or "girls nights out" all the time, but I am so grateful it worked out for me to go be with Ed for a couple days. He's gone a lot, the girls keep us busy...it was good for us to have some time alone. Of course, all the pictures are on Ed's phone, which at the moment is somewhere between Tampa and Detroit. But I do have one to prove I was there.

One day Kassie was looking exceptionally cute. She asked me to take a picture to send to her dad.

Another day Karoline found a stash of lipstick. Surprisingly she only colored her face with it, not my walls.

We had the annual Red and Green party with the Belnaps and Andersons. We ate red and green food, sang carols, watched Red and Green party home videos, and just enjoyed each other. Again, no pictures. :( The last R & G party we were able to attend was when Kimberlee was 9 months old. I am loving that my girls are getting the opportunity to get to know extended family so well.

We went to church in our festive-wear. Keira sang in the choir.

The Laws gathered at our house for a gingerbread house competition. Stephen and Lisa created a compound, and mom thought Jared and Katie Jo's was from a kit, it was so pretty.

 

We were only missing 3 families (Eric, Irene and Boyd). Which meant we had 19 adults and 14 kids all trying to get the best candy on their houses. It was the best.

It snowed some more. It actually started snowing hard Christmas Eve and the snow didn't leave for a really long time.

Ed had to fly over Christmas, so we adjusted our holiday schedule to accommodate. Our Christmas morning was actually on Christmas Eve, which put our Christmas Eve on the 23rd. Of course, the most important part of Christmas Eve for us is this spunky girl's birthday.

Kassie is 6! I'm not quite sure what to say about our Sassy-pants. Let's just say she's had a rough couple of months, and the poor thing spent quite a bit of her birthday in time-out. She truly is very sassy and doesn't always like to be obedient. However, in the couple weeks since her birthday she has mostly been the sweetheart we know and love. The girl just has such big feelings - we've been saying that since she was 2. She likes to do everything on such a grand scale, including hugs, celebrations, accomplishments...and tantrums. She loves Karoline (a little too much sometimes), and will lap up any attention her older sisters care to throw her way. She is so dang smart. She has a love/hate relationship with Kindergarten. She doesn't like to do the work ("it's so boring"), but she loves showing her teacher that she knows the answer and she loves riding the bus and she loves her friends. She has decided 1st grade will be so much better because she'll get to eat in the cafeteria. She still likes to hold onto my hair, but doesn't like me to pick out her clothes anymore. Kassie adds so much spice and fun to our family. I'm so glad she's ours.

With Kassie's birthday out of the way, we moved on to Christmas Eve dinner of shishkabobs, read Luke 2, and sent the girls off to bed. Kimberlee and Keira stayed up late (punks), but Ed and I were able to be in bed by midnight.

Christmas morning, in a strange turn of events, we all had to wait for Karoline to wake up.

Our sad tree had half the lights go out...next year I'm pushing for a real tree. As our kids get older it seems the presents get smaller and more expensive. We followed the "something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read" rule again.

 

Everyone was happy and grateful for their gifts. Such good girls. Afterwards we had our special Christmas breakfast, then drove Ed to the airport.

The next morning (real Christmas) the girls found one more gift under the tree. Ed (ahem...Santa) had left them a new Wii.

We dressed up in our new clothes and went over the railroad tracks and past the dairies, to Grandmother's house we went.

 

 

We spent the next week taking turns getting sick. By New Years Eve Krista was the lone hold-out of the girls, and she started throwing up right when we started getting party food ready. I spent New Years Day in bed.

It wasn't the best end and start of a year, but 2015 left me feeling extremely grateful. It was a year I'd never want to repeat, but some of the worst experiences of the year brought forth some of the best blessings. Here's what we're looking forward to for next year (not necessarily in this order):

2016
*No training in a new airplane (which should = more Ed-at-home time)
*Kimberlee will go to Mia Maids...stake dances...youth conference
*Keira will turn 12 and go to Beehives...temple trips...girls camp
*A possible trip to Oregon?
*Our favorite man turns 40
*Grandma and Bonka will come home from their mission - more family, yay!
*Our oldest starts high school...holy moly (with boundary changes in the works, the big question is Where will she start high school???)
*Krista will hit double digits
*The summer Olympics!!!!!!!!! Is it too early to start counting down to August?
*Summer boating - can't believe it's been 2 years
*Hopefully 1 will finish up braces, and possibly 2 more will start

And much, much more. Bring it on!