Christmas {Eve}

Mom had a little surprise party for Dad.

The kids were not very happy with the books they got it there bags.

It was a fun night, but I don't really like being in charge.

I can never get Willy to stand still.

The little boys had fun playing with Grandpa's birthday present.

Mom, Trina, and I had lots of fun decorating the tables. It made it fun and festive.

{12.24.11}

haPpiNesS

{12.24.11}

Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa Hansen

Grandma & Grandpa came out a few days before Christmas to spend some time with us while Grandma was home. She has a new job as a flight attendant so she is gone a lot and home only at certain times. It was fun having them come to visit. The kids got to open some presents early and had lots of fun building and playing with them. It was a great night.

{12.20.11}

2011 Cow Elk Hunt

Anthroe...

Opening morning was cold but we all put on our orange and headed out on snowmobiles to track down the elk. We passed lots of trucks stuck on the side of the road because there was too much snow. I was glad I had on 6 layers of clothing because I stayed nice and warm except for my hands and feet, but they always get cold. There were 8 of us with tags Landon, Tanner, Alex, Morgan, Guy, Willy and I; Gary also had a tag but he couldn't come because he had a funeral to go to.

We drove around the roads a while seeing a few small herds of elk that were a little to far away but then we saw a huge herd... we fired some shots but didn't get anything and to the side of us was another small herd trying to sneak past... we shot and Guy(Dad) got one. Willy and I followed the small group... we hiked down off the hill but couldn't find them so we hiked back up to the snowmobile (I HATE HIKING!!!). Later we saw one running up a draw... Willy shot and stopped her, then I shot and killed her. Landon came to help and said he had shot her in the jaw, Willy had shot her in the back and I had shot her in the neck. I tagged her and I was glad to be done so I could just have fun riding around without having to pack a gun. In the afternoon Alex shot one almost 500 yards away on a hillside that was a pain to get to. By the time we got his out everyone was ready to go home. It was a fun and exciting day. We got 3 elk that day and the guys went out 2 more days, but didn't get anymore.

This is Willy's new toy that we took elk hunging, and now he already wants to sell it... sigh.

{12.17.11}

{moments} that take your breath away...

Our little fairy... and her dog...

What a cute smile! We love Darby, she adds spice to our lives.

{12.14.11}

Ward Christmas Party

The Primary was in charge of the Christmas party this year and they did a great job. I love when they do the nativity story... it really helps us to think of Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas. Wyatt and Sadie sang while Clayton was one of the Wisemen and Darby watched noisily with us. Santa also came to visit... the kids were really excited to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas, except for Darby who just cried. Wyatt asked for an Xbox 360 and an ipod, Sadie asked for a Miss Kitty, and Clayton didn't ask for anything, he told Santa he could bring whatever he wanted to (I think that they might be getting what Christmas is about;). We all had a fun time and a good night. I tried to talk Willy into sitting on Santa's lap so I could take his picture, but he wouldn't go for that.

{12.13.11}

Christmas {decorating}

We have had these bulbs for a long time, but never put them on our Christmas tree because they get broken really easily by our kids. So they have sat in the Christmas box for a long time waiting till the kids were older... but this year I decided to use them a little differently. I bought these glass vases for Josh & Trina's wedding center pieces but they changed their plans and didn't use them so now I have some great new vases I can use for different seasonal decorating. They worked out great and I really like the shiny bulbs... it makes our home seem a little more festive. 

This is our BIRD family Christmas stocking which has gifts for Jesus inside. Each year our family gets together on Christmas Eve and has a party. In this stocking we each write a gift that we want to give Jesus for the year, which is kind of like a personal goal of something that we want to improve on or accomplish, then we put it in the stocking and then read them each year and decided whether we have done them or not. 

 I love to make ornaments. Each year I make a new set of ornaments (one for each person in our family) to hang on our tree. This year I made these plastic bulbs with each persons initials on them and I was going to put pictures of Jesus Christ inside, but Gales was all sold out so I will have to get them finished before next year. It is so much fun...

{12.12.11}

{Sweater} Pillows

I have seen lots of these cute pillows that ladies have made to decorate their homes for the season. They are so cute and since I have been obsessively making pillows for each month it seems like... I thought these would be so cute and warm for Christmas. I bought a few sweaters at DI... a couple of them I kept to wear and the rest I am making pillows out of. I was a little disappointed that the sweaters were too small for the pillows I already had, so I had to make new pillows to go inside, but it all worked out.  They were pretty easy to make and turned out really cute. Next time... I am going to buy men sized sweaters so I can use pillows I already have.

Christmas is a wonderful time year... the snow is magical... and the hot chocolate is so delicious.

{12.8.11}

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

 The kids are always good helpers at decorating the Christmas tree. I do the lights and the garland and they do the rest. It is a beautiful tree even though it is fake. The kids really really wanted a real one but we don't have a lot of room and Willy can't stand the mess, so we used our fake one this year. It just didn't smell right so Josh & Trina cut a couple branches off the bottom of tree and gave to us. I put the branches in a large bucket on the table and they smelled sooooo good all month long, till Willy burned them because of the mess, lol;)  I love decorating for Christmas and all the kids love it too.

This is how Willy helps decorate the Christmas tree.

It is a pretty tree!

{12.3.11}

Happy Thanksgiving

It was a great Thanksgiving weekend. We spent tons of time with family, played fun games, and had lots of yummy food... there is nothing better! One of my favorite things is the stuffing... it is so good and we usually only get it for Thanksgiving. This has been a bounteous year with much to be grateful for... I am thankful for so many things... especially my family and the gospel.

{11.28.11}