CHRISTMAS EVE MAGIC

Keri, our gourmet cook, wanted to kick the
Christmas Eve meal up a bit.....

We worked on a puzzel until we realized we had
started putting it together on too small of a table.
Needless to say between that and two - two year
olds we gave up.

Lila and Mikan decided to dress like twins for the day.


DO YOU "BELIEVE" IN THE MAGIC?????


PEEK A BOO TO YOU TOO!!!!!! Little Lila Lou!!!! YAWN!!!!!

The table is always so fun to decorate. HAPPYY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!

We are so blessed to have our wonderful family

with us to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

We sang and read our usual Christmas Eve program

but only sang one verse of every song because

of the 'two year old attention span'. As you can see.......

.....What is that song? You better not pout, you better not cry? I don't think these two get it yet. The no crying and pouting thing.

We also did our traditional thing and went outside

to sing "Silent Night" around the fire. We make this fire

before the first snow falls and cover it with a tarp so it will

be ready for Christmas Eve.

Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm all is bright

And there must be HOT CHOCOLATE!!!!!

Sleep in heavenly peace!!!!!!!!!

Once again we did not see the stars this evening.

After tub time and opening that Chrismas Eve package

and getting those new jammas it is time for a few

treats and a little singing.

Ben, Jett, Katie, Lila
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOOOOWNNNNN!!!!

Ben is our candy-cane addict!!!!!!

Ben loves, loves, loves them. He wanted them

for breakfast too.

The stockings were all hung by the chimney

with care.........

In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be here!!!!

My kids know me well.....don't try to spin me!!!

CHRISTMAS SURE TAKES ALOT OF PREPARATIONS

What is Christmas without that good old fashioned fire
every night? Jett, Jess and Neil began preparing
by hauling up lots of firewood for the many fires we
were wanting to enjoy during the Christmas celebrating.

Zach got the job of cleaning off the snow for our
Christmas Eve fire down by the firepit.
Thank goodness for snowblowers!!!!

Once again I put up our Nativity. I made this forty years
ago with cloth, styrofoam and tape and plaster heads,
hands and feet. Each year I put it up I expect it to be the last
but it just keeps on holding together.

As I put on the ornaments every year I can almost
remember the story behind each one of them.

Years ago I spent grocery money buying these two because
I just could not NOT have them.

Bless Zach! Each year after Thanksgiving he
brings down the fake tree so I can spend the next
week getting all the decorations on it. Each year he
saves Christmas by figuring out the dang lights on
this tree. I refuse to mess with them in my old age.

"BYU BLUE" AND THE "BOO HOO BLUE 'U' "

Each year we love to get together to watch the big rivalry
football game between the BYU Cougars and the Utah Utes.
Ben said, " Hey, the Utes will win!!!!!"

Anders said, "Hey, We will eat them alive!!!!!"


Ellie and Anna put on their game faces and.....

Tait made sure everyone knew what team he was cheering for!

Finn put on his cougar tracks

Zach and Lila cheered as the Utes scored!!!!

But the biggest surprise was when BYU made

their first score and our true blue fans showed their stuff.

We all laughed to think how hard they had worked

and that they kept that a secret until the "Y" scored!

"Take that Uncle Zach!!!"

We all cheered for our team but in the end BYU

pulled off a win in overtime.

We all had such a fun time watching the game and

watching the boys enthusiasm.

Katie was still cheering for the "U" and I am not

sure who Hans was cheering for.

As soon as the game was over our loyal BYU

fans had to head for home.....two Christmas

trees in tow...compliments of the Ranch.

We had a wonderful weekend.....What a wonderful

family we are blessed to share our lives with!!!

"STUFF"(ing) ABOUT OUR THANKSGIVING

Let the COOKING and washing of DISHES begin!!!!!!!

While that went on Zach and Lila took a nap

Games were played

And you KNOW there are really live animals in that homemade animal carrier.

Mikan and Anna made our delicious and famous "Mikan's Rolls"

This is the biggest turkey I have ever tried to cook and it actually turned out to be a very tasty "bird"

The table was set and our yummy "must have" holiday punch was made!

I won't show you pictues of us all eating because we know those are never very flattering to anyone so actually I have quit taking "eating the meal" pictures.....BUT
After the meal the grandkids treated us to our own special production of

THE THANKSGIVING STORY:

They sailed in on the Mayflower

Gave prayers of thanks for their safe arrival.

Chopped, sawed, hammer and chipped and made their new homes in a new land.

The turkeys came to the feast too!!!!

The Thanksgiving Day table was decked out with pumpkins and fruit.....while the turkeys lost their heads......

......so you guessed it....the roasted turkeys were served to all!!!!

And that was the end of a very wonderful, delicious, fun, and exciting THANKSGIVING DAY at the ranch.

Moose Update

The Momma Moose and her baby stayed right next to our house for about four days. Neil was even able to go out on the deck and BBQ and it didn't even faze them.

Neil thinks that this momma is the moose he watched being born about three or four years ago down in our pasture by the highway in our cow pasture. She just seems very comfortable around here and not too worried about us. At one point I thought I could have walked over to her and touched her and she would have just laid there. No, way would I have really tired!!! but she sure seemed docile.

After we hadn't seen them for about three weeks webegan to think they had moved on but when Neil went for a ride in the Ranger up on the very top of the mountain behind our house and they were up there! So, they are staying rather close to home for now. Perhaps we will see them again in the spring.