Week ending 1-4-15

Like I've mentioned on my blog before, every Sunday I write a newsletter about our week and email it to our close friends and family who are out of state. If I were them I'd want pictures to go along with the stories I write, so I'm going to try to do better this year in posting them here. The children look at old blog posts almost daily, so this is also a journal and scrapbook of sorts for us.

 Last Monday it was dreary outside and a few people were sick so we hung around the house all day. Thomas went around with the camera, taking pictures of what we were up to.

Here Alexis and Kaitlyn do art all afternoon with new art kids from Secret Santa.

 Makenna played with baby toys, I cross-stitched (I had a headache), Sam played peek-a-boo with his blanket next to me, and Madalyn read on the couch.

 Spencer played the piano.

 View from the reading spot. Check out Kaitlyn!

 View from the reading spot of the dining room table.

 Daddy in his bedroom where he sits and works most of the time.

 I'm so excited to use a little bit of the cash we were given anonymously at Christmas to hit the Once Upon A Child dollar sale next week and get Samuel some better-fitting clothes. He's such a cute little tyke and I'm tired of him wearing baggy shirts and finding his pants around the house without him in them. These ones were just about to come off.

These are the gifts we got from the 12 Days of Christmas. We ate a lot of it, but this is a good representation. I saved all the letters we received each night for the scrapbook and I wanted a picture for the scrapbook too to remember all the wonderful things we got. 

 Another picture for the scrapbook. This is the advent calendar from Seth and Kira. The red paper has all the slips of paper we pulled out each day. A star on the slip meant we got to open a package. The gifts here were some of the gifts we got to open.

 New Year's Eve dinner. Lots of convenience foods like mini corndogs, tator tots, pizza rolls, plus a fruit and veggie tray and meat and cheese tray. And just one dish of chocolate: peanut clusters.

Even though it wasn't quite 6:30 pm we set the clock ahead to 11:55 and then counted down to "midnight" for the little kids. Then we put them to bed and had a wonderfully quiet New Years Eve. Kylie and Madalyn went to a YW party, Nathan played a game with Spencer, Alexis, and Thomas, and I had time to read, exercise, and organize my bedroom. Thomas and I went to bed around 10 and Nathan stayed up with Alexis and Spencer, then went to get Kylie and Madalyn after midnight. It was actually a really nice evening and everyone was happy with it.

 A cute picture of Makenna talking down to Samuel and him talking back to her. His facial expression was adorable, but the photographer didn't quite get it.

 I don't remember this picture being taken, but it was right after family prayer Thursday morning. I love their two happy faces.

 Kaitlyn and Kenna's matching outfits that Kylie and Madalyn bought for them at Once Upon A Child for Christmas. (They already had the white shirts.)

 New Beginnings tonight. We did "Oh the places you'll go" theme from Dr. Seuss. It was awesome!

 Girls and leaders singing.

 Nathan reading a special letter he wrote to Kylie and Madalyn.

 The refreshments I provided. 

 Socks we gave to the girls. The worldwide mutual theme this year is "Embark in the service of God," so we tried to incorporate that. 

That was our week!