Mike, Alli, Tiff, Mackenzie, Jonah, Casey and Harper all wish you the merriest of merries by leaving you this precious moment in time when Skeletor finds his Christmas Spirit! Moving...
love you all!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Friday started off good, I got to relax a bit with Miss Tiffany and we watched movies with Harper and made a few deliveries. Then Miss Ashley and my mom and dad got here and that's when the action started. After everyone caught up on the chit chattin', we got GH3 out and the rockin began. Ashley and Kenzie played for a while, and dad started to doze off, when suddenly, he woke up saying nonsensical phrases peppered with the words "60's songs!" We assumed this meant he wanted to play, so he and mom took over the guitars and they rocked out all by themselves while Ashley and the kids and I went upstairs to lay on my new bed of wonder. (new bed, new mattresses, omg, so comfortable) When Mike got home we all went to dinner at Dad's favorite place (Coco's!!!) in Redlands and everyone ate til they were stuffaged. Ok so you guys, my parents brought down presents like you have never seen before. Can I tell you that Santa came this year in many forms already, but my parents were no exception. How thoughtful they were, and my kids were thrilled! They always manage to pull this off every year, and they have 11 grandkids to buy for! Not to mention, they have always been good at getting us kids and our spouses something nice, but this year, I think was our very best. Here are a few reasons:
On Sunday, we had our typical primary program, and it was really cute. The speakers were excellent as usual, and after church we came home and had some friends over for the afternoon. Mac and Aimee Wayment are good friends of ours in our ward, and they're the family we went to Disneyland with last week. He's a pediatric ICU doctor, and he works every Sunday, so she and her kids came over and we had dinner and chatted and laughed and played and made sugar cookies til it was night time. Her Mackenzee LOVES my Kenzie, and they're inseperable. Here are a few pics of the festivities:
cookies all over the table! We made christmas trees, leaves and skulls and crossbones...because pirates love Christmas too, right?
This is sweet lil' tiny Eliza, and she has the best pouty lips ever:
This is Mackenzee who is hilarious and we love her. I don't have any of Parker that turned out, that boy moves too much ;). He's so wiggly!
Mackenzie warmed herself by the fire at night and as you can see, we've got our Guitar Hero guitars right there set up all the time incase we need to rock out real quick like:
Anyway, today is a busy day as I'm sure it is for all of you, but I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. This year was better than last year, and that year was better than the one before! Life has been throwing me a few curves in the past 4 or 5 years, and although they've been the hardest of my life, they've been the most joyful, the most emotionally enriched, the most loving and the absolute best so far. I have really come to understand how our Heavenly Father really does watch out for us, and how his blessings can be so abundant we can't even make room to take them all in. I've learned that those who really love us and our kids are the ones who do not only say they do, but the ones who show they do. My kids have learned forgiveness, and I've watched them all turn into little "people". They're not kids anymore, and they are so smart. I've seen them cry this year, and I've had to hold myself back as they learned through experience that there are some people you can't count on, but that you still need to love them. I've seen them accept a man who truly loves them as his own, and watched as their respect and adoration grew for him as he worked 12 hour days, 5 days a week, and still came in the door every night with hugs, kisses and smiles for everyone. My children are calm, they're happy, they're secure, and they're loved...and best of all, they know it. You can see it in their eyes...you can see it when it's 9 oclock at night, and they're all snuggled up next to us on the couch watching movies, or reading by the fire. They are at "home".
I hope your Christmas is great! We love you all and can't wait to hear what yours were like!!!
~The Easleys
- My mom made all the tags herself! She's become quite crafty and she and her crazy friend Leslie (who we loooooooove) make cards and tags and bags and gifts all the time, and I love each and everything they create.
- Wrapping paper bought from my nephew Riley. It was so cute! See?
- Gifts to open on Saturday AND Sunday before Christmas?!? Needless to say, on both Saturday and Sunday, Mike and I were awakened by the kids with the gift in hand, ready to roll at 6 am. Nice.
- The sentiment they wrote in the gift they gave Mike and I made me cry. There are words you long to hear from your parents your whole life, and I've never heard these come from their mouths. I read it this morning because Harper ripped open the card, but when I read what they said to Mike and I, I cried and cried and cried. I have waited to hear those words from them for 34 years...and it meant so much. I love you guys.
On Sunday, we had our typical primary program, and it was really cute. The speakers were excellent as usual, and after church we came home and had some friends over for the afternoon. Mac and Aimee Wayment are good friends of ours in our ward, and they're the family we went to Disneyland with last week. He's a pediatric ICU doctor, and he works every Sunday, so she and her kids came over and we had dinner and chatted and laughed and played and made sugar cookies til it was night time. Her Mackenzee LOVES my Kenzie, and they're inseperable. Here are a few pics of the festivities:
cookies all over the table! We made christmas trees, leaves and skulls and crossbones...because pirates love Christmas too, right?
This is sweet lil' tiny Eliza, and she has the best pouty lips ever:
This is Mackenzee who is hilarious and we love her. I don't have any of Parker that turned out, that boy moves too much ;). He's so wiggly!
Mackenzie warmed herself by the fire at night and as you can see, we've got our Guitar Hero guitars right there set up all the time incase we need to rock out real quick like:
Anyway, today is a busy day as I'm sure it is for all of you, but I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. This year was better than last year, and that year was better than the one before! Life has been throwing me a few curves in the past 4 or 5 years, and although they've been the hardest of my life, they've been the most joyful, the most emotionally enriched, the most loving and the absolute best so far. I have really come to understand how our Heavenly Father really does watch out for us, and how his blessings can be so abundant we can't even make room to take them all in. I've learned that those who really love us and our kids are the ones who do not only say they do, but the ones who show they do. My kids have learned forgiveness, and I've watched them all turn into little "people". They're not kids anymore, and they are so smart. I've seen them cry this year, and I've had to hold myself back as they learned through experience that there are some people you can't count on, but that you still need to love them. I've seen them accept a man who truly loves them as his own, and watched as their respect and adoration grew for him as he worked 12 hour days, 5 days a week, and still came in the door every night with hugs, kisses and smiles for everyone. My children are calm, they're happy, they're secure, and they're loved...and best of all, they know it. You can see it in their eyes...you can see it when it's 9 oclock at night, and they're all snuggled up next to us on the couch watching movies, or reading by the fire. They are at "home".
I hope your Christmas is great! We love you all and can't wait to hear what yours were like!!!
~The Easleys
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Just Spreadin' A Little Christmas Cheer
Our family favorite, Dr./Mr. Steve Brule, teaches you how to defend yourselves. (in case you're not hip to the T&EASGJ!, the quality of the video is supposed to be crap, ala 80's instructional video)
and then, we have Dr. Steve Brule, reporting on his favorite topic ever...VIDEO GAMES!
...you're so very, very welcome.
Oh and I made the best cookies ever today. Sugar cookies that are basically Grannie B's, but recreated by me in my kitchen. And they have sour cream in them, you guys. Wonderful.
the end.
and then, we have Dr. Steve Brule, reporting on his favorite topic ever...VIDEO GAMES!
...you're so very, very welcome.
Oh and I made the best cookies ever today. Sugar cookies that are basically Grannie B's, but recreated by me in my kitchen. And they have sour cream in them, you guys. Wonderful.
the end.
Christmas Is Coming...The Goose Is Getting Fat!
Things to do before the end of today:
- finish teacher gifts
- finish editing the Tobar's shoot
- clean bathroom downstairs
- vacuum stairs
- drink a 5th of whiskey
- wash towels and sheets
- make sugar cookies that were supposed to be made yesterday but our freakin oven pilot ignition quit working
- send gifts to Joe & Heidi, Paul & Sharla joe josephson dead beat dad
- finish helping "Santa" with stocking stuffers
- thaw turkey
- buy more Crisco for pie crusts for quiche
- finish tying quilts for Mike and all the kids
- eat 10 lbs of caramels
- drink a 12 pack of diet Coke with another 5th of whiskey
- repent
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Remember...There Is Holiday Magic
So for Christmas this year, the kids' big present is annual passes. The problem is, we bought the passes in October. So to remind the kids that they got them for Christmas, I'm taking them today for the last time in '07.
Harper is at the age where he is starting to remember things. Every day we talk about Disneyland with him, the rides, his memories, the cousins and most of all...Jack. He'd watch YouTube videos all day long if we let him, and it is so cute to see him scream with the crowds on the screen when Jack appears at the top of the elevator. Also, when he sees the caroussel and Dumbo, his right arm shoots up as high as it can go and he says "uuuuuuuuuup!"... Funny boy.
Anyway, I thought I'd post a few of his favorite YouTubes since you all won't be with us. It's supposed to rain today there, but we're troopers...and we don't care.
(Daddy, if you're reading this, we miss you! We wish you could have come, but we know you had to work!!! See you tonight!)
Small World Holiday:
and everyone's favorite:
So if you have my "702" cell number, call me and hear the magic today.
BUHBYE!
Harper is at the age where he is starting to remember things. Every day we talk about Disneyland with him, the rides, his memories, the cousins and most of all...Jack. He'd watch YouTube videos all day long if we let him, and it is so cute to see him scream with the crowds on the screen when Jack appears at the top of the elevator. Also, when he sees the caroussel and Dumbo, his right arm shoots up as high as it can go and he says "uuuuuuuuuup!"... Funny boy.
Anyway, I thought I'd post a few of his favorite YouTubes since you all won't be with us. It's supposed to rain today there, but we're troopers...and we don't care.
(Daddy, if you're reading this, we miss you! We wish you could have come, but we know you had to work!!! See you tonight!)
Small World Holiday:
and everyone's favorite:
So if you have my "702" cell number, call me and hear the magic today.
BUHBYE!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Sweet Casey
We fell asleep for our typical after-church nap, and this is what I woke up to. He was watching me sleep...stinker.
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