Christmas Jammies 2009

Christmas Eve 2009

Landon and Mackenzee with Great Grandma Lippert

Grandma Burnham, Mackenzee, Landon, and Grandpa Burnham

Mackenzee and Jordan Mae

Jeremy

Haylee and Breanna

Landon in his Christmas Eve pajamas

Mackenzee and Great Grandma Lippert

Jeremy and Uncle Jeff

Gage and Uncle Steve

Alyssa and Mackenzee. Alyssa made this Dora blanket for Mackenzee.

Landon opening up his Christmas jammies...

Kenzee opening up her Christmas jammies

Mackenzee's Christmas dress

We have a tradition that the kids get to open up one present on Christmas Eve. Mackenzee picked the present the Landon got for her, which was a 'Princess and the Frog' doll set. She was super excited.

Landon picked the box that had the latest installment of the 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' book series. He was so excited and had the book read within 24 hours. :0)

Mackenzee decided this year that Jaysen really needed a Bronco snuggie and a football for Christmas. I'm not sure how she came up with this, but she was SURE that this was going to be the BEST present EVER. :0)

Christmas Eve 2009 was spent with the Burnham family in Jerome. As usual we ate good food, played Bingo, and did Christmas jammies for the kids. Jaysen was the big money winner in the "right, left" card passing game, too. This year was also a first for Landon as he has always been gone on the years we have spent with the Burnham's. So, this was his first official Burnham Christmas Eve.

Annual Christmas Candy Making Day!

This year I told myself I was going to take it easy and only do a few simple things for my Christmas candy.....{yeah right!}

peppermint bark and marshmallow chocolate fudge....

peanut butter cups and the ever so famous peanut butter ritz cracker sandwiches covered in milk chocolate...

lots of chocolate covered pretzels too....and not pictured are the Moose Munch popcorn mix, hot chocolate stirring spoons, and Red Velvet Whoopie Pies. {Can you hear my thighs getting bigger?}

I have done this annual Christmas Candy making day for almost 10 years. I think I started doing it the year that Landon turned 1 year old. I haven't missed a year since. There was one year where I had to do it solo, but the rest of the years I was able to do it with family or friends. I have never had the same group two years in a row though. I love the new recipe ideas that people bring with them each year and it is so much fun to spend the day with such fun people. I wish I had taken more pictures this year, but I'm pretty sure my hands were coated in chocolate for about 7 hours straight. I did get this cute picture just before the chocolating began.....

This is Mackenzee and Hannah after they frosted a few cookies. We were waiting for the rest of the group to get to my house and the girls were dying to "help" in the kitchen. Don't you just love how they decided that the frosting was just better straight out of the jar? I caught them double dipping their knives in the frosting container. Can you say sugar high?

Thanks so much Ellen and Montay for your ideas and for your willingness to get crazy in the kitchen with me. I hope the mounds of chocolate you took home made it worth it! :0) See you next year!

My Pablo Picasso's

I thought it would be fun and super cute for the kids to create their own artwork to hang on their bedroom walls. So, I went out and bought some canvases and paint and let them get creative. I told them they could paint whatever they wanted...
Landon painted a picture of Spiderman swinging through the sky...

Mackenzee went a bit more abstract with hers :0)

They had so much fun and it was fun to watch them do it. I think their favorite part was when I hung the pictures on their bedroom walls. :0)

Landon's Recorder Concert

Landon had his Christmas Recorder Concert his last week of school before Christmas break. Jaysen and I were able to make it even though the concert was in the middle of the morning on a school day. I love that my son is having fun with music, I just wish those dang recorders weren't so loud and squeaky. Maybe honky is a better word for the noise. I don't know. Oh well! They all played well for Mr. Gibson and it was fun to see Landon play his songs from memory with all of his friends.

Good job Landon!

Landon's 10th Birthday Party

Yes, that's right....my son is now a full decade old. Double Digits. I'm not sure how I feel able that. :0)

We always celebrate his birthday a little bit earlier in the month because it makes it easier for his friends to make it to the pary. This year we changed things up a bit, though. Instead of the ginormous party, Landon and I decided we would order pizza, and have pizza and cake and ice cream at home and then go to the movies. He was allowed to pick a couple of friends to go with him.

Landon ended up getting a RipStick from us for his birthday....

and a puzzle and frizbee from his friend, and a Wii game from another friend.

Here we are at the theater waiting for the movie to begin. We went to see Planet 51. I hope the boys enjoyed it.

Happy Birthday Landon! We love you so much and can't believe how big you have gotten. Thanks for being such a good kid!

Landon's Christmas Play

Landon was able to participate in the ward Christmas play this year. His character was named Jesse, and he was the best friend of a kid named Nathan.

Nathan and Jesse were shepherds back in the time of Jesus' birth. {Insert a big thanks to Nana and Papa for help with the costume!}

Landon's friend Reese played the part of Nathan. Landon woke Reese up from sleeping and dragged him out of bed to help tend the flocks of sheep. Of course, the angels told them to go and see baby Jesus, which they did.

The gym was set up so beautifully and the characters did such a good job. Landon remembered all of his lines and said them prefectly. I know he was inwardly dying because of his fear of getting up in front of people, but he did wonderfully.

Bad shot here....but here is the entire cast taking their final bow for the evening. It was a really nice program, especially with the music added to the various portions of the play. And, honestly, it was a really nice way to start out the month.