It's beginning to look like Christmas

Yesterday we got a small amount of snow.  Just enough to make it look like Christmas while it was falling to the ground.  The kids were wishing it was more...

In Sacrament meeting on Sunday.  Too cute not to sneak a picture.

Christmas Recital

Last night was the kid's Christmas piano recital at Grandma Stuard's house.  Natalie was very excited because this year she got to perform!

Natalie played Jingle Bells, Up on the House Top, and Joy to the World 

(Here she is playing Jingle Bells)

Julia played Silent Night and Away in a Manger 

(Here she is playing Silent Night)

Cameron played The First Noel and Holly Jolly Christmas 

(Here he is playing The First Noel)

Afterwards we had our annual pizza and gingerbread house making party.

Natalie's House

Cameron's House

Julia's House

Lucy's House

SANTA

Santa came to visit and we were excited to see him.  I thought maybe Lucy would be scared of him but she wasn't.  You could tell that she wasn't very comfortable sitting on his lap and talking to him but she sure needed to tell him to bring her a Doc McStuffins wagon!

Cameron asking Santa to bring him some track spikes and a new sweatshirt.

Julia's Christmas list came with a helpful key to determine how much she wanted each item.  Of course when she told Santa what she wanted for Christmas is was all new items NOT on her list.   Terrific.....

Natalie LOVED Santa and asked him to bring her a penguin.

And of course Lucy's one and only item on her list.... her Doc McStuffins wagon.  Right as Santa was leaving he told Lucy he would be back in a few nights.  Lucy looked at me with a terrified look asking "he is coming into our house at night?"

Christmas tree decor

There is something that I love about having a 4 year old and how they decorate a Christmas tree. My bottom branches have never been so full.  I love to see ornaments about an inch from the ground.  Soon this won't be happening at my house.  Stop growing!

Snowflake Lane

Volleyball

Julia's volleyball season just wrapped up for the season.  She has really enjoyed playing.  She also was on the Glacier Park 5th grade zero hour team and loved it.  Have I mentioned I love watching indoor sports?  So nice!

Julia was lucky enough to have a huge cheering section of family at one of her games.  So fun to have cousins.

Bicycle Desk

I came home one night from being out to find this. There really are no words.  HA HA HA

Natalie brought home some artwork from school today.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this!!

Aladdin

Last week Natalie was in her school play Aladdin.  She was a Flash, the Camel.  She was absolutely darling. She had one line,  'Run like the wind, Streak!"  Her costume was awesome!

It is a little alarming how old she looks when she wears make-up!!

Can you do me a favor?

Lucy's new 4 year old pictures!  

I have been waiting to get her pictures taken  until her new glasses arrived.  They are exactly the same as her old glasses except pink this time.  Lately Lucy has asked me about 20 times a day, "Can you do me a favor?"  When she asks me this, she wants me to do ______________ (fill in the blank).  A snack, to make cookies, to help her dress her doll, not to take a nap, read a book......  She keeps me laughing on a daily basis.  Just in the past day she has told me:

I have a little booty 

Daddy calls me honey

I don't like boys except Cameron and Dad and Grandpa

Nativity

Elephant Dance Recital

Last Saturday, Lucy had her dance recital.  SO, SO, SO CUTE!  She had a tap shoe number called "the elephant dance."  Lucy has been practicing her dance every day at home and knows it well.

Lining up before the show....

The performance

All I want for Chirstmas

You know it is the small things in life that make a huge difference.  I feel like the roads in Maple Valley have been under construction all year long without any real improvements.  It has been a test of real endurance and patience, with mine wearing very thin! Witte road, the road that I need to take to pick Cameron up from school every day has been under construction since early APRIL till NOW.  Talk about a mess.

And just in case that hasn't been enough to drive me truly crazy, starting last week the road in front of our neighborhood is closed for 3 1/2 weeks while they put in sewer pipes for the new high school.  This means that the only way out of the neighborhood is to turn right and go all the way to Maple Valley Highway (past the kids elementary school.)  This has been a HUGE PAIN adding about 10 minutes to everywhere I need to be. So, my Christmas list this year has only one item: NO MORE CONSTRUCTION!!  Please, pretty please?!

Natalie's Baptism

Natalie was baptized on Saturday, November 28th at 10:00 am.  It was a frosty, frozen morning.  It looked beautiful outside with everything white with frost.   Natalie was so cute.  Her smile was huge all morning long.

We had lots of family come to support Natalie on her big day.  It was so nice to have everyone there. Five  kids were being baptized that day so it was a full house!  We had the biggest group by far.  We feel so lucky to live close to our family.  Grandma Stuard was the pianist, Cameron gave the baptism talk (What a brave guy!!), Grandpa Stuard and Grandpa Schvaneveldt were the witnesses, and her dad baptized and confirmed her.

It was fun to have so many cousins there.  This is just a picture of the Swany cousins but Natalie had her older Stuard cousin's come too.

A group shot of the people who stuck around long after the baptism was over. :) Thanks guys!