Christmas Vacation

With the kids out of school a whole week before Christmas this year we have been trying to stay busy. We got a little snow so Mike and the kids made a snow bear in the back yard. We spent a few different days making Christmas crafts. We made little silverware stockings, origami birds and beaded candy canes. We spent a day at my sister's house where we made beaded snowflake ornaments then went ice skating at Idaho Ice World. We are all excited for Christmas.




Owen playing in the snow.




Girls working on Christmas crafts.




Owen with our candy canes.

Stacy trying not to super glue her fingers together.

Kids with our finished crafts.

Alysha making snowflake ornaments.

Making snowflake ornaments at my sister's house.

Ready to go ice skating.

Ashley and Stacy ice skating.

Girls having a blast ice skating.

Mike and Owen watching all the ice skaters.

Let your Creativity show.

We went to Alysha's orchestra concert at the High School. The kids all did a great job. Owen the Christmas superhero came to save the day and Alysha turned into an elf to help me with Ashley's Christmas present. While I finished making my wire wreath to hold all the beautiful Christmas cards that we receive in the mail from family and friends. Happy Holidays. :)



My lil' Christmas superhero.




Alysha the Christmas Elf.




Alysha helping me with Ashley's present.

Ashley's finished present - dance costume.

My finished Christmas Card Wreath made from fencing wire.

Christmas Crafts & Ornaments

Grandma Reva invited us back over to make some Christmas crafts and ornaments. The kids swirled paint in glass ornaments, made paper candles, Christmas mobiles and candy cane ornaments with Grandma, aunt Kristey and aunt Carla.



Grandma Reva helping Ashley make a paper candle.




Carla and Amanda making mobiles.




Alysha and Kristey making candy cane ornaments.

Aunt Carla helping Owen make a glass ornament.

Alysha with some candy cane ornaments.

Making Christmas Cookies at Grandma Reva's

With only two weeks left until Christmas we went to Grandma Reva's house to make Christmas cookies. She had already made house shaped gingerbread cookies so the kids got busy decorating them while Aunt Kristey and Grandma made more cookies. The kids had a lot of fun decorating and by the time they were done they got to help roll out cookie dough for all the other types of cookies. It was a very sweet evening.



Grandma Reva's looking through her recipe book.



Alysha decorating her gingerbread house cookie.




Ashley with her all chocolate gingerbread cookie.

Owen with his gingerbread cookie.

Alysha with her finished cookie.

Amanda helping make cookies.

Girls helping with the cookie dough.

Our master chefs in the kitchen.

Decorating our Palm Trees

We pulled out the Christmas ornaments and decorated our palm trees.

Owen got the shortest one.

Ashley decorated the middle one.

Alysha decorated the tallest one.

Our finished Christmas Palm Trees. :)

First Snow Day.

December 1st was our first snow day. We got about six inches of snow over night and the kids had lots of fun playing in it.



Alysha and Bella out in the snow.

Kids in the front yard.

Ashley in the snow.

The kids and neighbor kids worked for a few hours making a little hill in our front yard then made tunnels.

Owen in one of the tunnels.

Indian Creek Christmas Light Display

We dressed warm then went to downtown Caldwell to see all the pretty Christmas lights around Indian Creek. The city did a wonderful job. I'm still trying to figure out my camera setting but here are some of my better photos.



Lights on one of the bridges.



In front of the bridge and creek.




Kids at the Train Station.

Mike with the clock.

Kids at the camp fire.