What I read in 2010

I really like keeping track of what I read during the year. I can't manage to keep up on Goodreads, which all my reader friends give me flack about. Sorry, it's just not a priority for me. Anyway, this is what I've read this year but I think I might be missing a couple of books from my list. I would consider this a light reading year for me. I typically average a book a week but this pregnancy has kicked my rear and I've been way more tired than ever before. I often only get a few pages read at night before I fall asleep. The bolded books are my ward's bookclub selections. My favorite books this year have * by them.

Firefly Lane*
Catching Fire
Bitter is the New Black
Molokai*
White Queen
The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Cane River (again)
Rhett Butler's People
Same Kind of Different as Me
My Life in France (Julia Child Autobiography)
Ender's Game
True Colors
Sarah's Key*
Sarah
Rebekah
The Diary of Mattie Spenser*
The Scarlett Pimpernel
Fablehaven
Fablehaven book 2 - Rise of the evening star
Fablehaven book 3 - Grip of the Shadow Plague
Fablehaven book 4 - Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary
Fablehaven book 5 - Keys to the Demon Prison
Olive Kitteridge
Tallgrass
North and South
The Count of Monte Cristo*
The Prize winner of Defiance, Ohio
The Happiness Project
Mockingjay
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
A Reliable Wife
A Woman of Independent Means
The Historian
Charlotte Gray
The Cellist of Sarajevo
Into the Wild
The Shipping News
The Life of Our Lord
The Book Thief*
The Road
Gringo Nightmare

Christmas in Arizona

We were able to spend a few days in Arizona at the ranch over Christmas this year. It was a quick trip because this is Allen's busiest time of year at work as he closes the fiscal year. We left Thursday after work and he had to be back yesterday. After traveling for the past two years at both Thanksgiving and Christmas, we have sworn off traveling for the holidays for awhile.

Christmas Eve

We chopped down our own tree on the ranch and then decorated it. It was a cute, scraggly little thing but it smelled delicious!

Studly:

The kids also went 4 wheeling, we had a YUMMY Asian dinner and then acted out the Nativity and had dessert.

The holy family:

Shepherds, wisemen, angel & holy family:

Addie lying in the manger:

Christmas Morning

Carter was up by 7:30 and we waited until almost 8 and then woke the girls up. They were SO excited for Christmas but we convinced them to pose for a couple of pictures before the excitement began!

Carter - favorite gift was Hogwarts Castle but he was thrilled with his iPod as well!Makenna - over the moon with her new camera and had it in every one's face for the rest of the weekend. She also loved her AG stuff and has spent a surprising amount of time playing with her Tag reader.Addie - would have been happy with just her Disney princess Barbies. She is hugging Cinderella and Jasmine in this picture. She is in loooooove. She has also had a lot of fun with her new stroller.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, playing, talking with extended family, eating yummy food, visiting Allen's dad's grave, 4 wheeler riding, more eating, etc.

We were able to go to church on Sunday and then Allen's mom hosted an open house for Jake and Erica (the newlyweds) that we were able to stay for most of. We headed home in the late afternoon and were home by bedtime. We were so happy to spend Christmas with some extended family and missed those we weren't able to be with. We had a truly joyous Christmas season this year and are ever grateful for the Savior's birth and mission on earth.

Christmas Advent: Days 11-22

December 11 - Decorate Gingerbread house

We always use a premade kit but we added a ton of our leftover Halloween candy for more embellishment. We think this is our best house yet!

December 12 - Watch The Nativty Story movie

December 13 - Make cards for your school teachers

December 14 - Go out to dinner and shopping for gifts for your siblings

We didn't take a picture on this day but the kids opened their gifts from each other on Christmas Eve this year. Carter got a Harry Potter Lego set, Makenna got a lip gloss set and Addie got a Rapunzel doll.

December 15 - Write a letter Santa Claus

Carter asked for Super Mario Bros Wii game, Hogwarts Castle and an iPod. Makenna asked for a real puppy, spy goggles and American Girl baking center. Unfortunately for Kenna, there was no puppy this year but she did get everything else she asked for. Addie just wanted Princess Barbies, which she also got!

December 16 - Wrap teacher gifts

December 17 - Watch Santa Paws with your friends (default since we hosted a couples only Christmas party this night and the kids were babysat at a friends house!)

December 18 - Make a homemade ornament

I let the kids pick out their ribbons, I did most of the sewing, they stuffed their trees themselves and I helped the older kids embroider their names and year on the back. We also made a 2nd ornament of their handprints on large balls that we turned into snowmen. Adorable!

December 19 - Make cookies for neighbors

December 20 - Deliver Neighbor Gifts

December 21 - Have Snowman Day - make snowman pancakes and cookies

December 22 - Go see a movie with mom - we saw Despicable Me AGAIN at the dollar theater. The kids LOVE that movie (good thing we purchased it for Christmas)

Family Pictures 2010

I was thrilled to see our family pictures this year. Since I have yet to allow myself to be photographed while seriously pregnant, I decided to keep the tradition alive this pregnancy too. We decided to just have the kids' pictures taken. The gal who did them did a great job and I love that she captured the kids personalities so well. Here's a sampling (seriously) of what we ended up with. I'm already formulating my plan for next year for family pictures of the SIX of us!!


{Singing the Star Spangled Banner - which they do LOUDLY every night too!}

I've said it before but I truly believe that professional family photos is one of the best investments you can make! Digital photography has made professional photos SO affordable to almost anyone! Make sure you get your family pics done on a regular basis. I don't think anyone ever regrets having great pics of their loved ones!

Christmas Advent: Days 1-10

My kids are crazy about our Christmas Advent tradition. We do a holiday themed activity every night from December 1-24. I have simplified things quite a bit as the kids have gotten older and are more busy with school and extra curricular activities (I don't do nearly as many crafts as I used to) but they look forward to opening the day's event all month long.

December 1 - Open new Christmas Jammies

The tradition in my family is to open new PJs on Christmas eve but I changed this a couple years ago so my kids can wear their new jammies all month long. This was Addie's first nightgown ever and she is in absolute heaven. In fact, she didn't take it off for about the first three days she had it.

December 2 - Trim the Tree

We decorated our small tree that includes all the ornaments that we buy each year for each of the kids, an ornament representing our family/couple trips, etc. It's a total mishmash and I LOVE it - so nostalgic for us to pull them out every year and remember what the ornaments represent for our family and each person.

December 3 - Attend the Ward Christmas Party

Apparently Carter was too busy hanging with his friends to visit Santa this year. (Sigh. Why do they have to grow up so darn fast?!)

December 4- Make Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies

Recipe straight from Family Fun Magazine

December 5 - Watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional

December 6 - Drive around and look at Christmas lights/Make Peppermint Chocolate-Chip MilkshakesDecember 7 - Watch a Christmas special and have popcorn (aka Dad is at YMs and mom has had a busy day)

December 8 - Make Grandma B's eggnog and talk about family traditions

December 9- Watch a Christmas movie with just the tree lights on (aka mom has been up all night with the stomach flu and still feels sick)

December 10- Visit Santa and have your picture taken

We have a few other traditions we do during the month of December that the kids love. I always buy each of them an inexpensive chocolate advent calendar that they are able to eat each day during the month. They also love our tradition of opening up a Christmas book (or 2) each night and reading them together. I keep our Christmas books separated out and only pull them out for the month of December. Last year I started the tradition of wrapping them up for the kids to open each night.

(Our pile of Christmas books)

We have also really enjoyed this Scripture Ornaments activity in the Friend this year:

http://lds.org/friend/2010/12/scripture-ornaments?lang=eng