Christmas Day!!

We had to have two gift openings. We had one the night before the kids left to spend Christmas break with their dad in NM.

And then, of course, Christmas Day for Boe and Levi. It was hard for Boe to wait the few more days until Santa came. He is trying to be a big boy and he waited. Levi had fun for his first Christmas. He really had fun opening the first present and was happy to play with it for a while. Boe wanted to know what the rest of the gifts were, so he helped open the others. It was a quiet morning without the big kids around.

 We sure miss them when they are gone.

Boe keeps making plans for when they get home. One thing he keeps saying is that we are going to go "to our old house" (Lemhi, Idaho) "and play in the snow with Kenzie and Ady" (girls from nursery in the ward there). It is funny that he still remembers them. It is hard to explain that we won't go back to see them. Such good people that we meet in our journey here on earth. Heaven will be where we are all together again, not just as families, but as friends.

Correction!!

For the record, I was wrong on my time line for the stocking making. Mom told me today that in 1968 when they were trying to make it to Cotton City before Santa got there, Grandma and Grandpa were still living in the little house next door. The "big" house wasn't finished until 1972. That's when she made stockings 'cuz now they had a fireplace. And she made one for Clinton that same year 'cuz he was home from his mission and she had his name for Christmas.

I was a little fuzzy on the details, I just like to skip to the heart of a story!

Christmas Traditions

This post is part for journaling and part for bragging on my mom.

My mom called me last week and asked if she had ever gotten around to making a Christmas stocking for Levi. Well, he was born in Jan. so no, she had not drug out the stocking makings during the year to make one. Then she confessed that she hadn't made one for Wil & Robyn's little girl last year and felt really bad because Robyn had to buy a store boughten one to hang. Then she asked if I had noticed on Traci's blog in one of the pictures, the stockings that hung around her fireplace. Sure enough, I looked and they are the ones just like the ones my mom makes!!! So do you know how we got that stocking tradition???

A long time ago......when my mom and dad were newly-weds. They were trying to hurry home to Animas to spend Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa and the boys. Of course, I am assuming that money was a little tight for this college bound couple. So my mom bought some felt and made everyone a brand new Christmas stocking. Then when she had children of her own, we each got a felt stocking made by her. Each one has a different felt Christmas character on it. But all are red with white trim at the top with our name in glitter and elmer's glue. ( I still have my stocking with my name in glitter and elmer's glue) Today mom uses the super easy glitter paints to make the names. She is not afraid to get high tech!!! But the best part of this tradition is that she told me that Aunt Marie and Aunt Martha each make these same stockings for their families, grandkids and in-laws included. I just think it is so neat. I asked my mom if she ever knew that this would be such a great thing for our family. Of course, she never thought it would extend for generations and to other families too.

To me, this is just one small thing that keeps us all connected. And I LOVE IT!!! So, I would like for all of you who have these stockings in your homes to post a picture of them so my mom can see. Thanks mom!!! Love ya, and Merry Christmas!

This was just a cute picture of Levi. He is 11 months.

Confusius say...Sometimes we must look back in order to move forward.......

Ok, so I am trying to justify my "behindness".....did it work!! I found these pictures in the camera and realized that I had not posted anything from our adventures at Thanksgiving and really, we have been busy around here. Not that I needed to look at the pictures to know that!!

Aysa and sonny.

Of course, the pony is one of the things that the cousins love to do when they come to visit Uncle Guy. Sonny has given alot of cart rides in his time. He looks pretty ratty in this picture cuz of the rain we had that morning. Boe is even learning how to drive the cart. FUN TIMES!

We have a wood burning stove in this house and love to be able to burn instead of use the furnace. I think it is in one of the Little House on the Praire books that says.."wood is the most efficent form of heating. It heats you three times, once when you cut, then when you stack, and last when you build the fire." So tell that to the "save energy people" we are getting three times as much heating as they are!!!!

These are Levi's new shoes...And this is how he feels about them!! He learned to walk bare footed and now he hates to walk in shoes. Funny huh!!

My littlest cowboy!

Tis the Season

I try not to start off the Christmas Season too soon. Every year I always wait until the first of December to do any decorating or things like that. I love Christmas, but I think it can get out of control pretty easily. One thing that I can't start soon enough is listening to Christmas music. I get this from my dad, he loves it too. Manheim Steemrollers are one of my favs. I really like going to Kody and Troy's blog to listen to the songs she has on there.  She picked some good ones.

Today, I will get out the decorations and start on the house. Mostly, just the inside but I love to put out the lights as soon as I can too. My fav are my luminaria's. I still have a lot of good ole New Mexico traditions, no matter where Guy takes me. In Idaho, they didn't even know what those were!! In case you don't know, I put up this pic to show you. Although, mine won't look this cool!!

This is in Albuquerque. They really know how to light up the city.

The other picture is of my luminarias in Idaho last year.