I dare you not to smile...

Merry Christmas to you!

My friend Melanie took these & I love them! I will always treasure these fun Christmas pictures that totally capture my kids' personalities.

(melaniesphotoshoppe.blogspot.com)

ho hum

The last 3 pictures on our camera:

Mack waiting by the freezer for his gogurt to freeze. It was a LONG wait!

I noticed a few bite marks on one of our lollipop ornaments!

Bella showing off her armful of silly bands, aka "Pretties"

I have really sucked at keeping up our blog lately! Generally I love keeping up on it, but I think ever since I started using the Internet on my phone, I rarely turn my computer on anymore. I guess I'm officially part of the rat race that's doing everything on the go in the fastest possible way. How obnoxious!

We have been busy through the holidays. We went to Idaho Falls for Thanksgiving a day later than we planned because of a big storm that closed the highway at the border. My cousins were here & had to stay a day later too, plus Len's parents came into town to stay at our house a day early! We had a houseful for 1 night & it was crazy, but fun! The boys were thrilled to sleep on the floor while Len & I got to remember how tiny twin beds are! It took 6 hours to get to Idaho, but we made it. We enjoyed our quick feast & visit with the family before we turned around & came back home the next day. Then, we celebrated with Len's family Friday. What a whirlwind! Unfortunately, I forgot to take even 1 picture in all the craziness.

We are getting ready for Christmas now. We had our tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving somehow & got most of our shopping done. Still, I feel like I'm running in circles! We met our medical insurance deductible, thanks to Bella's constant ear infections, so we've been visiting lots of doctors before the end of the year! We've also been attending parties at school, church, family & friends, plus finishing up cub scouts for the year. Today I started to plan what we need to bake & buy for neighbor, teacher & friend gifts and address our cards. Life is so busy (although much of what I do is out of enjoyment, not necessity!). I still think "Simplify" is going to be our 2011 family theme, because sometimes you have to cut back on things, even when you enjoy them. I really enjoy laundry :)