Can I have this dance?

Christmas is upon us and so is the music. I turned the music on as we were getting out Christmas decorations. Danielle decided she wanted to dance . . .

uh, huh!

I have this terrible little game that started about a year ago with Danielle. She would say "yes" and I would say "no" and we would go on and on for a few minutes back and forth. Then it got to one of us saying "uh, huh" and the other "uh, uh" back and forth with quite some conviction. It is all a game. When Spencer was about eleven months, he picked up on the game and started joining in. Well, Spencer has taken that game to a whole new level. Of course kids rarely perform in front of the camera, so I captured this game as best as I could.

Camie's Birthday

Camie birthday started with yummy cinnamon rolls that I made the night before and then got up early to put them into the oven. It started her special day off great. She headed off to school and I met her for lunch and brought her McDonald's. Quite a big change from peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I then came to her class at the close of the day to read stories. Camie looked wonderful with her crown announcing to the world that it was her birthday and then the huge grin on her face. That night we had Becky and her kiddos over for supper and cake.

Did you notice the two layer cake in the video? Yah! Camie wanted one of those Barbie cakes, which take 1 1/2 cake mixes. Just as I had dumped the second cake mix into the bowl, Camie changed her mind and wanted just a circle cake. Round cakes are much easier to decorate, so I oped for that choice, but had too much batter, so she got a layered cake. Camie was pretty pleased, but disappointed that she only got a one-layer cake for her friend party.

Saturday we had a friend birthday party. We don't have one every year, so friend parties are pretty special. We decided we would have a "tea party" for the occasion. Camie invited friends from church, the neighborhood, and school. We had twelve girls show up! I was expecting around eight, but happy that I planned for twelve.

We started the party out by decorating straw hats. We then colored tea pots on "shrinky-dink" and made necklaces. We decorated goblets with gems and then had a tea party. No, we didn't serve tea, but had a great time eating brownie bites, mini muffins, cheese, crackers, grapes, pineapple, pb&j cut-out sandwiches, and sipping on kool-aide.

All the kiddos seemed to have a great time and Camie especially enjoyed the party. Many of the moms stayed and helped out so I got to know some of the moms from Camie's class. Planning and having children's parties are so much fun!

The newest addition the the Black Family

Congratulations to Brett and Michelle. Brett Kael Black was born last week. He weighed 9 lbs. 4 oz. and was 21 inches long. He and Spencer will probably get along great. They both will know what it is like to have three big sister and no brothers!

I have pictures, I just can't figure out how to get a pdf file to a jpeg. As soon as I figure that out you'll be able to see this cute baby.

Onward Christian Soldiers

We have been trying to learn the hymns and teach them to our children. Taneal picked one of the hymns that she wanted to learn, "Onward Christian Soldiers." We TRY to pick one hymn a month and sing it over and over and over until all the kids have it memorized. Danielle can sing most of all the verses, but consistently sings the first verse all on her own. Check out how cute she sings the first verse . . .

All I Want For Christmas . . .

We've been asking the kiddos what they want for Christmas. None of them are coming up with anything except for whatever it is that they see in a magazine, which is basically every trinket and toy on every page. Taneal. She's been different. She says she doesn't really want anything except. . . 1) her two front teeth and 2) a trip to see Santa's workshop. She doesn't want anything else. She has plenty of toys, books, games, etc. So let me explain some of the reasoning behind the two things she wants. Taneal has been missing her two front teeth since spring break which was back in March. Last month she pulled a third tooth along the top making it a three-tooth gap! I asked her how Santa was going to bring her her two front teeth. She said he just could. Santa can do things like that. He knows how to get a hold of the tooth fairy and they will be able to get her the front teeth. As for the second item, she has seen Polar Express and knows this can be done. Audrey, her cousin, told her that she had a friend that was able to visit Santa's workshop. So for Christmas, this is all she wants. And that's where we are at.

Camie's school picture

Camie is doing great in the kindergarten. She loves to go to school. Monday I had to pick her up from school in the middle of the day and take her to a Doctor appointment. Before she even left the front office of the school, she had to make sure she was indeed coming back to school. I told her it was the decision of the doctor. She reluctantly went with me. She loves how busy the school keeps her all day long. I'm not really sure that she is learning much academically, but she loves being busy. I thought all day kindergarten would be hard on her. Quite the opposite.

Danielle sleeping

Last night Danielle and Camie spent an hour or so up their room building a fort. It was time to have family prayer and I couldn't find Danielle. Camie knew where she was. She had climbed into the fort which led into her closet where the dress-up box was. She had climbed into the basket with her pillow and blanket and fallen asleep.

Great Grandpa Bell

My grandpa came to visit my family and since we were already coming for Landon's baptism, Grandpa's visit was an added bonus. Friday I was able to spend several hours visiting with him. My grandpa is such an amazing man. He is 85 years old and has so much wisdom. He had so much patience with my children. He held them, talked to them, watched them play, and you could see the love he had for them in his eyes. We have never really lived close to Grandpa, so he didn't know my children at all. I was so happy when I heard he was coming to visit. i want my children to know him and remember him.

My grandpa was a member of the church as a young child. He later became inactive and married my grandma. They had two sons, one of which was my dad. My grandma was not a member of the church, but insisted that my dad and uncle were baptized at age 8. When my grandparents were living in Ft. Worth, TX, they had a faithful home teacher. That home teacher eventually brought my grandpa back into the church and my grandma was baptized. My dad and my uncle both served missions and married in the temple. I am so grateful to my grandparents for the son they raised who became my dad.

It was pretty awesome to watch Landon baptized and have my grandpa there who started it all. He introduced my family to the gospel. I am so excited Grandpa came to visit and that my children got to meet him.

Landon's baptism

My nephew, Landon, was baptized on Saturday. We drove to my hometown on Friday and stayed the weekend. There is something about baptisms that is really special. The spirit is so abundant. There is an added feeling when someone from your family or someone you are close to is baptized. I loved how all the children gathered around the baptismal font and witnessed the baptism. There were so many children there, all family. After the baptism we went over to Rob and Beth's beautiful home out in the country and visited and had a great time. I am so fortunate to live closer to my family and be able to experience special occasions like this with them. Congratulations, Landon. Thank you for sharing this special time with me and my family.