After Christmas lounging

All we have been doing for the last few days is go to Church and this:

Daniel waited for the lil ones to go to bed
to set it up just the way he wanted it
like this:

It currently looks like this:


Eva and Alexander have been trying to surf the waves
with their new kick boards for
swimming this summer.


Daniel keeps helping them make houses with the blocks.
Alexander loves houses.
This one reminds me of the Weasley house,
the tall tower is compliments of Eva,
she just likes to build separate towers.Eva trying to get the most out of the toys as possible.

Now I have to try to pack for our trip.

Merry Christmas

We started off with the Christmas Eve Book.
Very nice I highly recommend this one and watching the performance.

Then Santa stopped by
He put these in their stockings to remind them not to be naughty



We made them wait in our bed while
Daniel got them some juice and turned on the Christmas music



Eva Loves her little Kitchen

Alexander loves his new trainset
(I made the train table, sorry I didn't have a camera
when I did it it was super ugly and now its a train table,
Santa brought us a very nice new camera
that we are still trying to figure out)


Eva also loves the trainset


Opening gifts

The Stockings.

There. that was a Christmas morning SOOO much fun watching them love all their gifts and Alexander is skipping his nap today because he has a lot of playing on his schedule.
Merry Christmas!

Can you guess what new word Alexander learned today?

I will be laughing forever. Now Alexander wants to cover everything with ...

Christmas Time in the Reeves Household

We have really been enjoying the wonder Christmas season. These Santas just keep bringing fun things every morning. I can't remember the order but they brought dvds one morning and Eva and Alexander got to watch theirs. They brought books, play doe, a foot ball and a jump rope, slinkies and probably other things I can't remember. This morning was Santa's worse choice ever. Santa put recorders in the shoes. Thats right those plastic fake flute things. Let me tell you right now that being serenaded by a recorder at 630 in the morning is horrible. Especially when Alexander hops into bed with you and sits there serenading more and more right into your ear. Lesson learned on that one.

Daniel has been doing the living Christmas card with the missionaries each night. He is really enjoying it. He will be doing it each night up until the 23rd. They did it for us last night and Eva kept telling them bye and trying to slam the door in their faces. It was lovely and I am so glad Daniel can feel the Christmas spirit each day even with his hectic schedule.

Daniel's work Christmas party was Friday night so we got a sitter. We only seem to get sitters when Daniel has a work party. It was very nice and I must say they are very generous. It was at a Greek restaurant and delicious. Its not December without Christmas parties right?

At church yesterday I felt that strange wow life has changed just today feelings. They rarely happen for me. Things generally change on a more subtle gradual pace for me. We were sitting in Primary and they announced that Senior Nursery was going to join us. I saw my little Alexander march into primary with his class and it struck me that he is not my little toddler anymore he has graduated into primary. I loved being able to see his first time in primary. He was very quiet and it looked like he wasn't sure what was going on but he will do fine.

I told my little primary class that next week is our last class together and one of the little boys told me he was going to miss me and that I was a very good teacher. Words from a 5 year old. It was touching to say the least.

On Saturday I officially finished all of my Christmas sending and shopping. All I have left to do now is wrap and get things for Christmas dinner and stockings. Daniel and I are pretty excited for Christmas this year. The kids know what is going on and we are excited to see them get their gifts. Alexander is a very good gift receiver with all the WOWS and THANKS as loud as he can even if its a pair of socks. Anyway that is what has been happening in our household this last week.

Merry Christmas,

Pictures yay

Here are some pictures from the camera phone.


This is when they announced that Santa was in the house.
Alexander was so excited.
It was like his favorite movie star just stepped in the room.
He couldn't believe that Santa had come and was going to talk to HIM.

Eva and Alexander on Santa's lap.
This is the first time we have visited santa.
The picture kind of sucks but thats what we have.
I plan to make ornaments of each christmas, next year not this year.

This was the other day when we decided to make sugar cookies.
They have their own rollers and things.
They loved this.
Making their own cookies made them feel very special.

Eva eating cookie dough, she didn't like it after awhile.

Alexander showing us that the dough is stuck on his roller
and Eva putting the cookie cutter on her face.
(don't ask why because my guess is as good as yours)

I LOVE CHRISTMAS

I really love Christmas. We started the 13 santas 2 days early I think. I wanted Daniel to be able to see the kids faces in the morning, so I started early. They LOVE the things they are getting. Day 1 was snow globes, plastic ones Day 2 was little battery powered lanterns a santa and a penguin. Day 3 gloves, I know boring but Alexander thinks its a puppet and Eva just loves owning them. Eva especially loves this because she knows the items are hers. She won't let go of her things even to put clothes on. I have never seen her so fiesty.

This last weekend we had a lot of Christmas fun. On Saturday we went to our ward Christmas party at 9am it was a breakfast. Daniel got to sing in the living Christmas card. He got called to be a ward missionary and suggested they do the living Christmas card that he used to do on his mission. It was a hit and he is going with the missionaries every night this week. He is very excited.

They had a Santa clause at the end and Daniel kept telling Alexander to tell santa he wanted a train set and blocks for christmas and so Alexander kept telling me that was what he wanted and when it came time for Santa he lost all his nerve. He liked him though, no screaming there. We took some pictures on the phone but Daniel has the phone they are on so I will post pictures later.

Then we went home for naps for the kids. Later that day there was a Christmas parade. It was fun all the cars and trucks in the parade had lights on them. It gets dark at 5 here so it was perfect. The kids loved it and the parade people threw candy at us so the kids were in heaven.

Sunday was the best Sunday EVER. Eva started Nursery. She turned 18 months on Saturday so she was officially allowed in. Daniel has been going in with her for the 3rd hour to get used to it. She likes it much more than sitting with me in Primary. She did really well all by herself but she was crying at the end. Her nursery leaders said someone pushed her at the end so thats why she was crying nothing else. SO YAY. I think its every parents dream for their children to go into Nursery.

Alexander goes into Primary next year so that should be exciting. I am in junior primary so I will be able to help him if he needs to go to the bathroom or if he has a rough time. They are both growing up so fast. Church will become lovely with Eva in Nursery alot less stressful.

Anyway thats what has been happening so far this Christmas in the Reeves' Household.

Gratitude

I have been reflecting deep within myself on this last year for the past few days and I am really grateful for everything I have. We have come pretty far from where we were just a year ago and my heart is full of gratitude to my Heavenly Father. We have been blessed immensely through family and friends and the gospel and we are just so grateful. I have really been loving life. There are many ups and sometimes it seems even more downs but it all strengthens us and helps us to see the bigger perspective. I often let all the little things and big things get to me and at times that causes the feeling of desperation and a lack of faith. I have felt my lack of faith many times this last year and Daniel has been there to pick up the slack and in just a small amount of time it is restored. I am so grateful for the strength he brings to our family.

On Sunday I felt inspired to bare my testimony. This does not happen often. I usually sit there and take care of the kids and don't even look inside myself to see if the spirit is prodding me to get up ( a horrible habit I know ). I noticed hardly anyone getting up and it made me realize that everyone is probably having a rough time and that they just weren't feeling it (this is how I was feeling). Christmas time brings much joy but can often bring feelings of sadness, regret, nostalgia and even loneliness. So I got up, I didn't think I would uplift anyone I just knew that getting up would uplift my spirits which was what I needed. When I sat back down I felt an overpowering feeling that I am not perfect and its ok that I am not. I do not bare a perfect testimony, I don't tell funny stories or horrible stories or stories that make you cry but I shared my testimony with everyone in the room and most importantly with myself. The feeling that I am imperfect gave me great comfort. I get so overwhelmed with all the things I feel I should be accomplishing and I am not and it pulls me down and makes me feel as though I am not good enough and constantly falling short.

I was reminded that I am not perfect, non of us is perfect but this life is the time to strive for that. But the perfection we are striving for is so that we can be with our families eternally. I kept telling myself perfection was getting my to do lists all accomplished, trying to keep up with everyone in the world. Sunday made me re-realized that I need to live in the world not of the world. I need to trust Heavenly Father with my short comings. I feel good and I wanted to share the feeling.

Merry Christmas,

I've been Lazy

I am finally posting something. Great News yesterday we said goodbye to our Murano. I was a little shocked when it was gone and Alexander kept asking "wheres the car?" over and over (he knows the difference between the truck and car). I am so happy about it thought! I have been wanting it sold since Guam and now it is. Wohoo Merry Christmas to me.

I haven't felt like it is Christmas at all but yesterday did it for me. One of Daniel's co-workers was singing in a Christmas concert and invited us and it was wonderful! It was works from Handel's Messiah. They were so talented I couldn't believe it!! They ended with Hallelujah or whatever that powerful song is called and it was amazing! It reminded me that Christmas is about Christ and I was grateful for that message. We got all our Christmas shopping for the lil ones done! I am happy that is all over now we just need to do things to keep the Christmas Spirit in our home. We love our tree I feel likes its HUGE. Eva and Alexander take all the bottom ornaments off everyday so I try to reapply them at night but it is starting to look pretty naked at the bottom. Maybe they are hiding them.

We drove around last night to look at Christmas lights and Alexander LOVED it. Today we are going to go collect pine cones so I can finally finish my wreath. I feel like I have so many things to do before Christmas and then it will be here! I am waiting for my Christmas cards to get here. I ordered them online and can't wait to send them out. No Pictures because the camera is dead and buried. Sorry about that. Merry Christmas!!

P.S I am doing the 13 Santas this year for the first time. I have all my things ready I need to do some more research on the Santas names (if you don't understand its an Iceland tradition including shoes and treats and every morning 13 days before Christmas) If you have a good site for the 13 Santas please let me know.