All of December

We had an eventful December. I think December is always a crazy and busy month as you scurry around trying to get everything ready for Christmas. Plus you have to schedule around family and church get togethers, there's so much to do, the calender fills up so fast, and before you know it the month is gone!
Now that I'm older it flies by faster and faster - as a child the month seemed to be plenty long enough. I've always enjoyed the season and all that comes with it! Family, parties, presents, snow, sledding, Christmas cookies, pageants, and caroling - But I feel like I kind of missed out this year!
Everyone in our house has been sick off and on since Thanksgiving, and we're still fighting it! SO that took some fun out of the holidays as well! But here are the pictures I've been meaning to post!

Uncle Quinten

Probably the most anticipated event of our December 2008, even more so than Christmas and Santa Claus, was the visit from my brother. Quinten is in the Air Force and has been stationed at Ramstein AFB in Germany for the last 2 1/2 years. The last time we saw Quinten, Canton was only 6 months old!
Our boys were all so excited to have their Uncle Quinten come visit that they could hardly sleep! All of them ended up on the hide-a-bed with him by morning. It was so fun to see him!

Cookie Party

The first REAL holiday celebration we participated in was a day for cookie making at my Aunt Bonnie's house here in Pocatello.

Bonnie is so much fun! I thought cookie making was a great idea for a party! I think we may have eaten more than we actually took home, but it's all part of the fun, right!?

My Daddy is so funny! I ask him to pose for a picture and this is what I get! After I looked at the picture I'd just taken I started laughing and he said, "What?" I told him that all the pictures I had of him were goofy! His response was, "I'm not so handsome, so I HAVE to be goofy!"

Here's my awesome cousin Carrie mixing up the cookie dough for the lemony Christmas trees.

This batch was a little over done, but I think they're so clever! You roll the dough into snakes (my kids loved that part!) then frost them and put a star on the top and sprinkles for ornaments! They're great!

My Mommy was there too! She's making peanut butter balls to stick a Hersey's kiss in!

Here's my cousin Michelle! I love the mice! Michelle is so creative, and made many different kinds!

Tate wanted to make a gingerbread man! We didn't have any gingerbread dough, so he molded one out of the peanut butter dough and decorated him. He was very proud of his little man!

This is before he got eaten. (He didn't run so very fast)

The Dunn Christmas Party

Every year we participate in the annual Dunn Family Christmas party. Ryan's Grandma Green was a Dunn before she married Grandpa Green. So this party includes all of her siblings, their kids, and grand kids, great-grand kids, and even a few great-great-grand kids.
We have a huge pot luck dinner, Santa comes and brings a gift for each of the kids (under 12) then we play a few games and go home.
The party has been held at the church in McCammon for years and years, but this year we broke from tradition and held it at a church in Pocatello.

Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived loaded down with gifts and candy canes.
(See? Two bags!)

The kiddos waiting for Santa to call their names.

Oran with Santa - Mrs. Claus has his present.

Canton with Santa.
Canton was so cute. He was just hanging on the edge of his seat the whole time, and when they read his name, "Canton Green," He immediately jumped to his feet, raised one arm in the air and headed straight for Santa, tripping over a few cousins on the way. Mrs. Claus helped him back to his feet and up to where Santa was sitting.
He was all smiles until just before this was taken when Ryan said, holding the camera, "Canton have you been good this year?" Then he got this expression and said "Well, I've tried REALLY hard!"

Tate telling Santa what he wanted him to bring him for Christmas.

Tate got an Iron Man action figure from Santa.

Oran opening his gift.

Canton is way excited about his Batman!

Ryan's Birthday

December 24, is not the best day for a birthday. But our Daddy has that one, every year! We went to Preston this year to spend Christmas with my parents and my brother Quinten. SO for Ryan's birthday we had a nice big dinner, presents, cake and even balloons!

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My Mom got these balloons for Ryan - I thought they were funny! It says "Oh, NO, the big 30 - (Three OH)" It made me laugh. My Mom was apologetic, and kept saying, it was the only one they had..." I thought it was great!

Look, even candles! Like a real birthday!
Do you think he made a wish?

Canton is ready for some cake!
(Which he later threw up, all over his bed!)

After we finished dinner:I made way too much pasta!

I kind of miss all the Christmas Eve traditions I grew up with. Caroling, a pageant, eggnog and getting everything ready for Santa. But now we have a new tradition, celebrating Ryan's birthday. I guess that's the price I pay for marrying someone born on December24!

Christmas!

My Mom and I - after all the present opening.

I made her hat (remember I said everyone was getting a gift from my yarn collection?) She was glad to have something to hide her unwashed hair, and I think it's cute! Maybe I'll make myself one...

Santa brought a life sized WALL.E! Here he is guarding the stocking until the little ones get up.

Oran's monkey sat next to the stockings and waited for morning.

Poor Canton was so sick! He threw up in the night. And when it was time to open presents, he has a fever of 103, wasn't at all interested in presents and just wanted me to hold him. I felt so bad for him.
That night, he was still pretty sick. He was crying in the night so I went and got him, he seemed all confused, and said is Santa coming tonight? He was sad when I told him Santa had come last night and we'd already opened all the presents. He couldn't remember and asked if he'd gotten any presents. How sad!


Oran really liked the monkeys I made (I crocheted 3 monkeys, one for each boy) I tried to get a picture of Oran hugging his monkey, but I wasn't quick enough. But he kept hugging him, patting his head and singing him songs.

My Daddy and Oran. I can't believe how big he's getting. In this picture my baby looks HUGE!

Grandma gave all of our boys a new chair. Here's Tate sitting in his. He got a lot of space stuff from Santa, here he's holding one of his little astronauts.

Once Canton's fever got to 105 I put him in the tub to try and cool him off/break the fever, and he fell asleep in the tub. What a sick little boy.

We had an interesting Christmas. It was different than any we've had in the past and I'm sure we won't forget it soon. Canton seemed to start feeling better around 3 or 4 pm on Dec. 26. And then Oran was sick from 5:00 on. It's not fun to have sick kids, and it's even harder when you're away from Home.
Here I am with a sick Oran.

Any of you who live in the area will remember how much it snowed this Christmas. It started snowing in the evening on the 24th and snowed steady ALL day on Christmas. We were all snowed in, and there was no way we were going anywhere until the 27th - when we did head home. In time for Ryan to go to work at 11:00.

This is probably the most unattractive picture ever taken (plus it's fuzzy) But it's the only one we have with our whole family and Quinten. My Mom took this right before we headed home to Pocatello. Quinten headed back about an hour after we left.