Happy Easter!

Grandma has an Easter Egg Hunt every year. Taysia was very serious, but had a lot of fun hunting for eggs with Daddy. I was surprised how quickly she picked up on the concept of gathering eggs. It was too cold for a pretty Easter dress, but Taysia quite enjoyed it anyway!

Christmas Eve

Opening presents with Mommy.

Reading a book with Daddy.

Thanksgiving

This year we were able to have Thanksgiving dinner with both families and it was nice. We have so much to be thankful for!

Dipping Homemade Chocolates

Another thing my family always does at Christmas time is make homemade chocolates. Everybody brings something to dip, and we spend the night dipping chocolates. When we’re done, everybody gets to take a plate of candy home with them. I always bring toffee and sometimes peanut butter bon bons. Other people bring Carmel, nuts, truffles, homemade Almond Joy, marshmallows, pretzels, and cookies. Chocolate covered cinnamon bears and gummy bears are favorites and are the first to be eaten.


(Above) Here I am, dipping my toffee.


(Above) Our niece with some of the chocolates we did this night.


(Above) My brother and I getting plates together to take home.

Gingerbread Houses

My family has a tradition of making gingerbread houses every Christmas. It’s a tradition my grandma started when I was little, and we’ve done it for as long as I can remember.

(Above) Jen and Scott.


(Above) Everybody working on their houses.


(Above) My sister and nephew making funny faces. My nephew decorated his house himself.

(Above) The finished product: a gingerbread "village" with a house for each child in my family. (All of our nieces and nephews get to decorate and take one home, too.) Since I’m the oldest child, our house is on the left end. Scott decorated this one.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Alaska & Kira love Christmas. They know that we put up the tree and decorate the house. We wrap gifts and then at some point we open them, and Alaska & Kira always get something fun to play with. So they love it when we get the Christmas decorations out and put up the tree.

This is Kira in the photo above, but notice how Alaska has opened every box of Christmas decorations that she can reach.

(Above) Alaska helping Scott put up the tree.

(Above) Kira helping Scott put up the tree.

Celebrating the Pioneers

Every summer we usually have a Pioneer Day celebration with family. Grandma (my mom) hides buffalo chips (Chips Ahoy cookies) and ropes (licorice ropes) in the back yard and our nieces and nephews go on a hunt (like an Easter egg hunt). The last few years it has kind of become a tradition to water slide before dinner. The guys tack down a few large pieces of plastic sheeting on one of the slopes in the backyard. Then we soap up the slide with dish soap and run water down it so it’s nice and slick. Everybody has a blast!

Christmas in July

I’ve got the Christmas bug already. It’s only July. Might be because I didn’t feel like I was able to enjoy the entire season last year as much, and I missed that feeling. Anyway, this morning I’ve been listening to "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "O Holy Night." Scott thinks I’m crazy :). (Right) Christmas 2007 - making gingerbread houses.

Happy Easter!

This is our annual Easter Egg Hunt with nieces and nephews.

Waiting to hunt.

The hunt is on!