Christmas Card outtakes

I took last minute pictures for our Christmas card one warm December afternoon:

Playing after the picture taking ended:

 Dinner at CiCi's Pizza was there reward:

Ward Christmas Party

Drew had ski patrol last weekend so he missed the ward Christmas party (don't feel too bad for him though because he took his brother with him and they turned his commitment into a birthday get-away).  Anyway, the party was nice.  Yummy food, we saw Santa, and my oldest two participated in the nativity play.

Liz was one of the wise men (red hat) and Lainey was a shepherd.  Ellie was pretty upset that she couldn't "be on the stage" too because she really wanted to be a sheep.

Lainey was behind the sheep and the angels so it was hard to see her (she's in front of the tall shepherd).

 I intercepted Lainey on the way to the dressing room, but I wasn't able to catch Liz.

December birthday

Drew's birthday was last Friday.  We celebrated by eating Chinese takeout and going to the movies (by we, I mean Drew, his brother, and me).  We saw the Hobbit.  I thought it dragged in parts (also I didn't need the 20+ minutes of previews), but overall it was an enjoyable show. Of course,  I didn't know that the movie was a three-parter so I was a little surprised when it just ended right in the middle of a lot of action. 

Andrew opted for a tub of his favorite icecream instead of cake.  I thought it was a nice change.  Definitely easier to prepare and the leftovers were easier to save.  The girls liked it too.

To help celebrate the girls made a birthday banner for their father.  They also begged to get presents for him at the store.  Liz picked out some candy and a contact lens case that was decorated like a panda.  Alaina picked out crayons in the shape of gingerbread men.  I picked out Drew's favorite candy for Ellie and Emma to give their dad (so he could take it to the movie) 

Just passing time . . .

The girls were trying to make Emma look like Mary (as in the virgin Mary), and then they just got giggly and whatnot.

 

Christmas Sing-a-long at Wolf Trapp

I've wanted to go to this since I heard about and this year we finally made it!  I thought it was fun and I'd like to make it an annual thing.  The responses from the girls were mixed.  They complained about being cold and said they didn't want to go every year.  Of course they also said they had fun and Liz led everyone in Christmas carols all the way home.  Drew also had mixed feelings about it, but I think that was because he didn't dress for the weather (which is also why he broke down and wore Lainey's discarded pink hat and Lizzie's orange mittens).

 We started on the on the lawn, but then Liz went exploring and saw that there were seats available "inside."  Pretty good since we showed up late.