Merry Christmas!!

This year we went to Boise to celebrate with the Shields fam.  The kids got their biggest present before we left.  We didn't want to drag the big dollhouse and all of the furniture up to Boise so they opened it at our family party the Saturday before.  It was a total hit!  Mason loves it just as much as Tess does.  (I knew he would) They are continually fighting over the little cat and dog that came with it.  Christmas Eve at the Shields house started out with some fun hats.

Then the kids decided to take the party up a notch and take their clothes off.

Christmas Morning was the best! Mason got a computer from Grandma and Grandpa,

He is showing it off to cousin Parker.

My kids' favorite thing about Grandma's house is playing with Bear.  Mason loves to get kisses.

Mason loved his new dart gun

Tess loved her cousin Claire. And her new dress-up clothes

We had the best Christmas!  Burke even suprised me with diamond earrings.  Can you believe it!! I was so excited!  What a wonderful husband!  Merry Christmas everybody!!

Christmas Parties and snowstorms

The kids have been wanting to play in the snow every day.  Tess is always losing a mitten or a whole boot.  She's just not very coordinated yet.  Plus walking up and down the sledding hill is not the most fun when you are 7 months pregnant and dragging two kids behind you.  But I got the sled out and bundled the kids up and set them loose while I stayed inside and sipped hot chocolate and watched them out the window.  Can I just say I was amazed.  I have the best kids in the world.  Mason would have Tess sit on the sled and pull her up our little hill in the backyard.  Then he would climb on the back and they would slide all the way  across the back of the yard because the snow was so icy and they are so light.  They would laugh uncontrollably and do it all over again.  They are such good friends.  I love it that they love each other.

Cute little snow bunnies.

That night we went to the Postma family Christmas Party.  It was so fun.  Tess got a beautiful new dress from Mike and Steph.  She loved it so much she wouldn't take it off.  She was spinning around saying "I'm so pretty" over and over.  It was hilarious!

Saturday night was the Wright family party.  We are so big this year, and have so many great grandkids, that we had it in a church gym.  It was so fun though.  They even rented a bounce house for the kids.

We had a Christmas Pagent where the kids dressed up.  It was so darling.  Tessa was a sheep.

She liked helping the drummer boy.

And Mason was a king.  He wasn't feeling great that night but did a great job.

We had so much fun.  We have the best families and are so lucky this christmas to be able to see them all.  Boise, here we come!

Makin' cookies on a snowy afternoon.

Today Tess helped me make cookies.  She was really excited.

Especially for the licking the beater part.

Mason will hate me in the future for this picture but I thought it was hilarious.

 

At least he gave the shoes with the feathers to Tess.