Christmas 2012 with the McKinney clan!

December

I LOVE the Christmas season! I start looking forward to it in July. I love the focus it puts on Christ, I love the extra family time, traditions, snow, decorations! I love it all! It's been fun this year in McCall because the snow makes it so festive. And we have a lot of snow!

 The kids helped me decorate this year. They really had a lot of fun with that. I think I see relaxing and letting go of it looking perfect in my near future! :) There will be time for that though right??? For now I will soak up their 4 year old decorating style!

 I have been trying to be more fun with the kids. We came up with gingerbread and christmas tree pancakes. They kids thought that was pretty fun! They ask for them every day. Oh, and chocolate chips. They are pretty sure they should have chocolate chips every day too!

 We have been struggling with a lot of bickering these days. I suppose it's the age they are at. They are learning that they each have an opinion and thought on EVERYTHING. They also each think they are always right. It's something we are working on - kindness and love. Moments like this when they are hugging and loving on each other is very encouraging! They are sweet kids and it's good to remember that. They are very good at checking on one another when they are hurt. They like to hug each other and have the cutest conversations!

 Guns are still an obsession around here. Cam loves them the most but they all three spend hours shooting at my big picture window. They shoot it with bullets that have suction on them that the kids lick first so they stick better. My window our filthy! :) They set up wooden blocks to knock over too. I love their imaginations.

 The kids are getting so big! They LOVE to help right now. Madison is the biggest helper. She is constantly by my side asking what she can do next. I love that she wants to be apart of everything. It's good for me to let her help and not just do it myself because it's easier. They beg to help me bake things. They helped me make some yummy candy cane cookies to share with some of our friends for Christmas.

 The kids had an especially naughty play time....

 This year we did Advent every night with the kids. We all really looked forward to it and enjoyed the family time. Each night one kid got to light and blow out the candle. A major highlight for the kids. They are learning so much and love to learn. I love that they are soaking Jesus! They love the Bible and praying. They have tender little hearts - a big responsibility!

Madison is such a character. She is such an attitude! Sometimes a funny one, sometimes sweet and somtimes like a moody teenager! Ha! I found her on my bed, everything propped up just so, legs crossed and reading a magazine. "Mom, I needed to be in here to read my magazine."



Visitors

We have had so much fun having our friends and family come and spend time with us in our new home! Kristen and Sage have come a couple times and spent the weekend. Kristen has also come during the week to hang with me which I love! My Mom and Dad have been a few times. Brian and Sheila have come a few times. Aunt Boo made a quick visit and Mike and Katie spent a weekend. Whew....It's been busy! But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Sheila and Jamie have driven up for the day a few times. The kids discovered Polly Pockets on one visit. The boys really loved them! I saved those from when I was a kid, just in case I had a girl! It's so great having them up - just like our mornings drinking coffee!

Briscoe thought this was a great place to stop and rest! 

 The kids played outside forever. The (junk) hill in our backyard serves as a wonderful jungle gym the keeps the kids busy for hours. It's great! I love that my kids have such great friends already. They miss them so much and are always asking when we get to play again!

 Mom and Dad wanted to come to town to watch a basketball game and decided to spend some extra time with us! Jason and even got a date night - which a few and far between these days. We met for pizza in McCall and my parents took the kids to the bball game with them. The kids love to watch and cheer at the games. And of course my parents love to show them off. Jason and walked around the lake by moonlight (ohh-la-la), stopped to get me some dessert (Jason makes me eat alone!) and then headed home to watch a movie together. It was very nice!

Mom and Dad spent the morning with me and the kids. Mom helped me frost cookies with the kids to share with some friends. WHAT a mess! Whew! That's ok though, Christmas memories are so important!



Our daily life

 

We have enjoyed lots of friends coming up and staying with us. I have been loving the visits! I so look forward to them! The kids do too! They have missed their friends so much. It's been a bit lonely for all of us I think. 

Jason is pretty much the master chef around here. He has always like to cook, bbq, smoke and just make plain delicious meals. We LOVE his love for cooking! :) Since we have moved up here he has cooked even more. Why??? Because he is actually IN the same town as us AND we don't have a house to remodel! We have been LOVING the finshed house that requires no work. I think we are sold on that type of house. We had a family this week and Jason showed us how to make his delicious cinnamon rolls. No, I have never made cinnamon rolls from scratch before. Terrible I know! They were good! Especially since we are about to go on a new healthy eating/serious workout plan. I savored every bite! :)

The kids are gun crazy. It's pretty much their favorite game! Espeically since I got them "sticky" bullets. They are suction bullets so they can shoot at the windows. They spend hours doing that! They can't wait to go hunting and shooting with Dad! I am so blessed by these kids!

Our new house has great windows. We all are thoroughly enjoying it! The kids especially like them because they are low enough for the to look out of or on occasion stand on the window sill...

The kids were havning a very imaginative day. They got almost every small toy that have and lined them back to back in a line. They wound it all through the house. Of course, the day they decided to do that was while the cable guy was here and trying to work! Haha! 

Family

I so enjoy my family! I very thankful that we all love each and get along great. In fact, my family is among some of my best friends. Can't beat that can ya??? We miss Bianca and Silas this year very much. But ya know how it goes, gotta let them spend time with the other side as well! :)

Thanksgiving Festivities

We had another wonderful Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. We have some great traditions and it's always the beginning of the Christmas season. (My all time favorite!) This year was our first holiday coming from out of town. We have never experinced that before. We came to my parents Wednesday night to spend time with them and prepare for the big game the next morning. Since I was in highschool my family played football with the McKinney family. Of course we LOVED that because I got to see Jason on Thanksgiving! :) We have continued that on through the years and it's one of my favorites! It was especially fun this year as the kids were old enough to play and almost get it. It was still pretty comical watching them play and trying to get them to run in the right direction or not pull their own team mates flag. But they loved it and I loved doing it with them!

 After football we went back and got cleaned up and took a quick nap. Our next tradition is dinner at Aunt Boo's. She is a wonderful cook and spends days preparing a delicious food for all of us. She also loves my parents(and the love her) and always invites my family to Thanksgiving dinner also. She is so sweet to include everyone. I like that way, we can spend the holiday with both sides without running all over the place! We are thankful for Aunt Boo and her generosity and love!

 Jason had to head back to McCall Thursday night, which was a little bit of a bummer but at least we were all together for the holiday. I stayed behind with the kids so that I can do my FAVORITE part of the weekend - BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING! Yay!! Sheila and I have had a tradition for years now going to Boise and shopping until we literally drop! We start at about 7 and go until 10. We look forward to it every year and love the fun girl time all alone! Usually Jason watches the kids but on his new crew they work on Fridays so I was out a babysitter. But my Mom saved the day and watched the kiddos for me. I was very thankful for that! I went home Saturday afternoon to spend the rest of the weekend with the hubby. It was nice to have a fun weekend in town and finish it off with my family!

 

Operation Christmas Child

Since the start of the Christmas season we have been trying to talk to the kids about the real meaning of Christmas. They have such sweet, tender hearts! So this year we decided to do Operation Christmas Child. We all went to Rite Aid and let the kids pick out fun things for their boxes. They each picked a box and a child. We talked a lot about the kids these boxes were going to, how they don't have toys, soap, clothes. They were SO sad. They just ask over and over why these kids don't have anything. Great teaching opportunity!

 We came home and had fun packing the boxes. Blake helped me take them to drop off a few days later. He got juice and cookies and was sure to tell the other two...next thing to work on! :) They also picked out toys to give to Toys for Tots at the local grocery store. They didn't even ask for their own toys. Love these kids!