Christmas 2008

We got a white Christmas this year! It snowed and snowed. Christmas night there was a blizzard. I'd never seen so much blowing snow! It was a complete white-out. Ben blamed it on Dallin, who prayed for a white Christmas.



Here are our stockings all hung by the chimney with care. Doesn't it look cozy? I love our picturesque fireplace!



On Christmas Eve, the kids acted out the nativity, complete with appropriate hymns. We had to scramble a little for costumes. The chairs are left over from Monday's huge Dupaix family Christmas dinner party. We had 39 guests!



In keeping with the holiday spirit, Baby Cakes and Muffy set aside their differences and signed a truce. Actually, they've gone beyond that and are best friends now!



We love being close to extended family! Grandpa and Grandma came and spent Christmas Eve with us. We had a yummy ham and potato dinner and acted out the first Christmas.


This is what Muffy looks like underneath all the fluff. She's enjoying (not really) her first bath at our house. Is she cute or what?


It's Christmas morning! It's so fun to torture the kids by making them wait on the stairs for pictures before they can open presents! It's a tradition I'm passing along. And, you know they'll do the same with their kids!


Is there a wrong reason to "go green?" I was motivated not so much by environmental responsibility as just not wanting to deal with all the wrapping paper mess. In past years, when our family was smaller, we've over-filled two garbage cans with Christmas paper. In our last house we'd light a fire and burn the paper as we opened gifts. This year we have a gas fireplace, so I sewed up a bunch of fabric bags for our gifts. It is so nice not to have a huge pile of paper and ribbons to throw away. The bags worked great, and best of all, I can use them again not only for Christmas, but for birthdays too!

The World's Cutest puppy Lives Here Now, Too!

I bought Paul a little Shi-tzu puppy for an early Christmas present. She is adorable! We named her Muffy. At first Babycakes the kitten would have nothing to do with her, but now they're best of friends and play together often.

We are working on paper training Muffy, and so far things are going pretty well. She is held almost constantly by the children, which she seems to enjoy quite a lot!

I've been meaning to post these pictures of Trina. Her YW group went to a beauty college and got their hair done. Most of them got up-do's. I think Trina's looks gorgeous!!

The World's Cutest Kitten Lives Here

This is the latest member of our family. Her name is Babycakes. Michelle and her roommates rescued this little kitten when her mother, owned by a roommate's sister, abandoned the entire litter. Babycakes was the runt of the litter and was sickly. The girls nursed her back to health, adminstering antibiotics and milk replacement. Michelle brought her home at Thanksgiving time. We had a local vet check her out. She is in very good health now, although she's a little underweight.





Babycakes has quickly wormed her way into our lives and hearts. She is very playful and fun to watch. She has a thing about shoes. Since she is so small, she can't be an outside cat until next spring, so she occupies the sun porch at night. She has regular play dates with the other two kittens (who look ginormous next to her!) so she will learn normal cat behaviors.



Here she is, with eyes all aglow, in our cozy family room.





This gives you a perspective of how tiny Babycakes is. She is sitting on the futon on the sun porch here.