Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Merry Christmas

It was a wonderful Christmas season this year. Our highlights included:
Attending a Nativity display with nativities from around the world.
Making gingerbread cookies
 Each of the girls made ornaments for their friends this year. For part of the time while making these ornaments we listened to A Christmas Carol that the Mormon channel had online.
Madelyn made Peppermint ornaments and gave them to her friends in a bag with real peppermint candies.
Ashlie made these bird ornaments and gave them in a bag with a pinecone, a little bag of birdseed and instructions for making a pinecone bird feeder.
Alia crocheted these reindeer ornaments and gave them in a bag with a pouch of hot chocolate and two candy canes.
She got creative with some of these reindeer, especially the super hero one with star eyes and a cape, and the one for her piano teacher that was holding a mini piano book with Christmas songs.
A turkey dinner on our fancy china that I inherited from my Grandma.
Opening thoughtful gifts from each other.
I feel so blessed this Christmas season. We have lots of happy memories to treasure.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Madelyn

Madelyn is our note writer. At least once a week, Aaron and I will find a note to us from her. Lately they are communications about which kind of pet she would like to get. Recently we had to tell her that no matter how much land we own in the future we will not be getting a herd of cattle.  She also likes to write notes on the notepad on the fridge to remind me of various things like setting up playdates with other families and taking her shopping or even reminding me to not forget Thanksgiving (the week before Thanksgiving).

She is really determined to find the right kind of dog for our family. She finishes her jobs quickly each day so that she can spend time on her favorite website Discovery's Dogs 101 videos. She recently got a huge Dog encyclopedia from the library that she has studied over and over again. She can identify the breed of almost any dog we see on our walks or while we're out.
Madelyn loves playing with her hair and trying out different hairstyles. Looking pretty is definitely a priority.




  Madelyn is a very caring person and loves to be with friends and family. She wishes every night she could have a sleepover on Ashlie's bed with her and they could stay up and tell each other stories. Giggling over their silly stories often gets them a reminder from Mom or Dad that it is time to sleep. 

I love you Madelyn! You are such a delightful girl to have in our family. I admire your responsibility and willingness to work hard so you can get to the fun. I love your thoughtful, caring personality and your playful attitude. I'm so glad you are my daughter!