Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014

We ended the year watching The Kid with the kids.

(John and I watched it in Preston, Idaho on our honeymoon.)

Then we had a mini-party and got the little kids ready for bed.

Alton wasn't crazy about the noisemakers -

neither were his parents - but the big kids loved them.

Here's to a great year in 2014!

Family

Grandma and Grandpa H came with Mindy to visit us 

a few days after Christmas. They brought new blankets

for each of the kids. Here's Alton with his.

The kids watched a couple of Dr. Who specials with Mindy,

tried out their new bow ties (from Mindy),

we went to see "Frozen," and played with new Christmas gifts.

We were so busy that I didn't take many photos.

As they were getting ready to leave, I snapped one of Alton

with each of them. He had a lot of fun with them here,

but wasn't crazy about the photo session.

After a brief protest, he allowed a couple more pictures.

Snow

The kids (and a neighbor's grand-kids) shovel snow 

after church a couple of weeks ago.

One, two, three.

Fashion - 2013 Style

Ruby models the perfect outfit for lunch with

your family - boots, skinny jeans, a t-shirt, and a smart jacket.

Alton shows us what to wear if your nickname

is "Stormageddon: Dark Lord of All."

It is important not to smile when you're Stormageddon.

Thumb-sucking is optional.

And for our final outfit - Ruby demonstrates

the way to dress for church when your brothers

are all wearing bow ties, white shirts, and dress pants.

Christmas Morning

Christmas goodies all ready for the kids.

Santa brought Alton a book,
Ruby a "surprise" - a princess art set,
Jonah asked for a bop bag and a leash/collar for Alpha
(this is what we get for not letting the kids have real pets),
Milo and Maxwell both wanted watches
(Max so his teacher wouldn't yell at him for talking
when he turns around to look at the classroom clock),
and Bentley wanted a playback net for baseball practice.

And here come the kids!

Some favorite gifts -
Milo's Jake and the Neverland Pirates set,
Bentley's MP3,
Maxwell's globe,
Jonah's math game (7 ate 9),
and Ruby's camera (RIP - it lasted a few hours).

My favorite gift was probably my new computer
(thanks John!).
Alton played King of the Mountain before I opened it.

We spent the day playing with our new toys.

And finished it off with Christmas dinner

(aka torture for Maxwell - we had cheese potatoes with our ham).

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Eve

Just before bedtime on Christmas Eve, 

John read the Nativity and the kids acted it out.

Jonah was a shepherd, Bentley was an angel,

Ruby was Mary, Max was an innkeeper and

a wise man, and Milo was Joseph.

Alton was a sheep (or maybe a goat - he eats everything).

Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus.

Then angel was really scared - until he was told to settle down.

(The "Liken" shepherds run around and scream,

so Jonah thought that was a requirement.)

This is better - quietly listening to the angel.

The shepherd, his sheep, and the wise man found the Baby.

It was not our most reverent Nativity, but afterwards 

we sang "Away In a Manger," and that seemed to help.

It's hard to be reverent when it's the night before Christmas!

Christmas Eve Eve

Ruby made place cards for our Christmas Eve dinner,

and she taped them to the table.

"Please, Mom! Don't take them off!"

Most of the cards didn't make it till Christmas,

but they did last about 24 hours. Not bad.

We hung the stockings!

H Family

A little after our R family left, 

Warren, Kenna, and Kyle arrived!

We put the kids to bed, and Warren

went to Provo to party with Mike, Jenny,

Greg, and Kristina. On Saturday morning,

Mike and Jenny stopped by to say goodbye.

They are going to Arizona for Christmas,

and are looking at a job in Alabama

(now that Mikey is finished with school).

It will be really strange to have them leave,

and to not be coming back! 

We hope everything works out for them and

that they won't wait too long to visit us.

Warren found a new game (he is the "game-finder")

and Greg and Kristina took a turn learning to play.

The neighbor's grandchildren were visiting from

Nevada this weekend, and between them and the cousins,

our yard was full of kids. They shoveled snow for 

neighbors, worked on the fort, and tried sledding.

Warren brought his new car down, and I got to ride in it.

It's not a Charger, but it's pretty sweet.

Before Warren, Kenna, and Kylie braved the snow storm

to get home to Idaho, we tried to get a picture of

the kids together. Here are the best two shots.

R Cousins

We love cousins! And this weekend was full of them.

First up, the R cousins came from California.

Milo got Ella all to himself while the big kids were 

at school. They bundled up and played in the snow.

Meanwhile, William and Alton got reacquainted.

Ella wanted to build a snowman.

She and Milo worked really well together.

If you look closely, you can see a little snowman

next to the big kids' fort.

Once they built their snowman, they came inside to warm up.

They had a pretty good time playing with the Nativity,

although they did have one disagreement - who was going

to throw Joseph off the roof?

William tried out the walker, but he wasn't a big fan.

Things got a little crazy when the big kids got home.

They took turns playing with cousins, going to basketball

practice, and causing trouble. We ordered pizza for

dinner and then said goodbye to Laura, Charles, Ella, and William.

Thanks for coming to visit!