Journey Through Bethlehem

There is a city about an hour from us that puts on a two day demonstration of Bethlehem, called Journey Through Bethlehem. I have wanted to go numerous years but we just never got there. One year we were planning on it, but it actually froze and I didn't want to freeze so we didn't go. This year we made it a point to go up there. Having never been there, I wasn't completely sure what to expect but I am glad that we went and if we are here next year, I want to go again.
We went in and put our names on the census and we had to pay our taxes ($.50 per person), got to watch people acting out what happened, starting with the three wise men and going to King Harod, then going into the "City of Bethlehem". It was really cool to go and see everything, and it the back, quietly laying in a manger was a real baby with its mom and dad just starring down at it. I never heard it cry, it was a real baby and I don't know how they continued to have it sleep the whole time.
The kids loved looking at the animals that were close to the stable.

We saw a blacksmith at work, and Matthew went and assisted.

Then the kids got to make ornaments.
(Since we aren't going to pull any of our Christmas stuff out this year, we don't have many ornaments on our 4' pre-lit tree that we bought from Walmart this year, so every ornament this year is even extra exciting to get.)

Someone brought the little pony out to wonder the streets with us and though it doesn't look like it on her face she loved it, and the pony liked her too. She just wanted to stay with it.

We got to see a wedding party, and a synagogue and taste different things and we also got to weave baskets. Ok, so seriously I thought it was SO much fun to learn how to weave baskets. I know that is always a joke, but I just loved it and actually didn't want to go home because I wanted to keep weaving my basket. Matthew started the basket and then I took over and he had to go get another one, though I said I was helping Allison, but I thought it was so fun. It could be because all growing up, my mom had baskets like this around the house, full of pens and pencils and lots of other things, but my brothers would make them a lot at scout camps and I have never known how to make them so to actually do it myself was the coolest thing.

Allison can be a very shy little girl. However when she is in a place that she is uncertain about she is more then just a little shy, kind of mute and expressionless. Since this was a new area for her and everything looked different she didn't say a word and just kind of went a long with us taking everything in. Maybe that is why she liked the animals so much because she has at least seen those before.
She was so quiet the whole night and then we saw some friends that have recently been baptized that are in our ward, Bro. & Sis. Bridges. They are such a fun couple and we have gotten to know them. They don't have any kids so I let them borrow ours sometimes. During our ward trunk-or-treat, I asked Sis. Bridges to take my kids around so that I could stay at my car and hand our candy. Ever since then, Allison just absolutely loves to see Sis. Bridges. She talks about her all the time and every time we go to the church, for cubscouts, or tithing settlement or anything, she asks if Sis. Bridges is going to be there. So when we saw Bro. & Sis. Bridges at this place that was completely foreign to her, she was the happiest girl. She came right out of her shell and was telling her everything, just talking up a storm. Allison didn't want to leave Sis. Bridges and I didn't want to leave the basket weaving but we still had an hour drive home so we eventually had to leave but the kids said they had a great time and want to go back again next year, so if we are here, which it is looking like we still will be, I want to go again.
It was definitely a fun event for the family and it wasn't overcrowded, just the right amount.

Cars

I am trying to take more pictures of every day life in our house right now. Allison takes after me in playing cars. She likes to line them up and move them a little bit one at a time. I remember playing cars just like that when I was little. If we don't have to go anywhere we often stay in our pajamas until about noon. Here is my sweet baby girl playing with cars, in her pajamas.

Community Christmas Event

Since I didn't have to work the first Thursday in December I thought it would be fun to go to a free community Christmas event. It sounded like it would be fun and I am sure numerous others thought the same thing. We got there and there were already so many people there. It was overcrowded and if we wanted to do anything we had to wait for way too long. We finally decided it wasn't worth it to wait so long for everything so we let the kids decide the one thing they wanted to go on and then we were going to go home. It wasn't worth keeping Matthew up just to wait in line. They did have fun on the one thing they went on though.

Visiting Teaching Question

What would you do for the sisters you are assigned to watch over and take care of? Would you take over a lease of one of them so that they can move together as a family after they finished school?
YEP!!! I TOTALLY WOULD!! That is the kind of visiting teacher I am, sacrificing for my sisters:) haha just kidding. So here is the story:
One of the girls I have been visiting teaching for over two years, is getting ready to move since her husband is graduating in December and he already has a job to move to. (Yes, I totally envy her/them but our time will come). Anyways, she has known she was going to move for awhile and trying to find someone to take over their lease that lasts until May. They really wanted to move as a family but wouldn't be able to until they found someone to take over their lease. Like I said they are graduating in a December but our lease wasn't up until March 13th. I just didn't think we would be able to do it. Another friend had actually mentioned us taking over their lease and I just brushed it off not thinking it would be possible.
After my breakdown, that you got to read about earlier, Chris and I did some reconsideration. This apartment was just for temporary. We were only planning on being here for 5 months. After not getting another job, and being here for another semester, the thought of not getting out of this apartment until we got a job was so daunting. Long story short, we needed to do what we had to in order to survive any longer. We decided that we needed to look at bigger places or better situations. It was also that our children have never coughed so much in their lives then the have in this apartment. Every night we just think about how bad it is for their health, not to mention their sleep for them to be here. In fact Chris doesn't sneeze all day until he comes home. There is something in this apartment that just doesn't agree with the kids or Chris. We need to get out. I found some places on craigslist and emailed them but couldn't ever get a response. Finally we found a place that was so much bigger, a duplex and it was in the price range, and area that we were looking for. It seemed so perfect, I continued reading and the end part said that they were graduating in December and wanted to "move as a family". I had heard that before!! I immediately knew that is was my friends' place. Then they had pictures and sure enough it was. Without even talking to Chris, I called them and up and we started talking. They actually had another couple that was wanting to get into their place but it wasn't as good of a deal for them. Even though I thought we had decided we were going to get it, at one point I was so devastated that would have to go with this other couple since they had talked to them about it first. Everything else in our price range was only 100sq ft more then this place, not a big improvement. I was so sad and actually stayed up that night thinking about us not getting it. It was a sad night. I want to get out of here so bad. Of course, the children coughed a lot and that made things even worse.
The week before we knew we had to get out at the end of our lease and though we didn't exactly know where we were going to be going I needed to give them our 60 day notice. I didn't want to forget and not have our 60 days so though our lease isn't up until March 13th I went to the office to let them know we were leaving. The office manager actually looked at the lease and it had said February 28th for the move out date. She said, that is not right, you moved in on the 13th so we need to change this 28 to a 13. She changed it and had me initial that she changed it. I was even more excited because that was one whole month that we wouldn't have to pay. I came home so excited to tell Chris that I just saved us a whole months rent.
The day after staying up most the night thinking about not getting their place, my friend decided that it would be best for them to let us have it. YAY!!! We decided that they would probably move out in January sometime and then we could take our time moving but the first things that are going over are the kids beds!! It will be so nice for them to actually get a good nights sleep.
My friend actually just called and maybe they will move out in December. That would be cool and definitely give me something to do:) Though I am not excited to let her move, that is what happens in this ward. You make great friends and then they move and you have to start over, especially if you are the ones that are constantly staying. Our turn will come sometime but for right now the idea that we will get out of this apartment is so enlightening!!! I didn't think there was much of a difference between an apartment and a duplex but there definitely is. If we can help it at all, we won't ever be in an apartment again. It will be so nice to get into that duplex that has a backyard and more space but I don't want to get too excited just quite yet:)
I was feeling so guilty that the office manager didn't realize that we moved-in in March, my conscious to be honest with my fellow-men was just eating at me. I knew that even though it may cost us months worth of rent, I needed to be honest.
I went down and told her what our new address would be in case we get a deposit back and I just had to let her know that our lease really shouldn't be up until March 13th. She said that so many dates are entered incorrectly and things just don't match up that since we have given her 60+ days notice already our February 13th move-out date would be fine still!!!! YAY!!! I was praying that we wouldn't actually have to pay that extra month but I was willing to to make things right. I felt so much better after I talked to her:) I am so glad I don't have to carry that around with me anymore.
I guess I needed to have a breakdown to force us to make some decisions.
So, I ask the question, what would you do for your visiting teaching sisters? haha:)

Hand-knit

Chris' mom found these sweaters and realized that she had some grandkids that these would probably fit. Her mother knitted these sweaters/jackets for Chris' older brothers and they have been handed down. I believe there is a picture somewhere that Chris is wearing one of these.
The kids are so excited about them and they love that Snoopy is on the back. These fit perfectly and it just turned cold so she sent them at the perfect time.
They love these and it is cool that they were made by their great-nanna.

They had fun taking pictures in these.

Thanksgiving

We did not going anywhere for Thanksgiving since I had to work the A&M and UT football game that day. When you think of Thanksgiving you obviously think about lots of food. I do think about the food but I discovered a year or so ago that the time to make pie is for Thanksgiving. Christmas desert is all the different candies, not pie. Growing up my mom ALWAYS made at least 8 but usually 10 pies. Of course, I am the youngest of 7 and when children get married there are more that come home so you need that many right? Well....I was kind of reverting back to my younger days of having lots of pies, though there are only four of us. I have been looking at jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com a lot, A LOT lately and have seen some pies that I have really been wanting to make. Since it was Thanksgiving I figured now was the best excuse to actually make these pies. I was planning on making peanut butter, pecan, apple and lemon pies this year. I ALWAYS make a lemon pie for Chris because that is his favorite, but usually it is a pudding mix. Jamie had recipes for all but the apple pie. I am sure she will put one up one day but I had 4 pie crusts and wasn't making an apple so I decided to make a made-from-scratch lemon pie as well as the boxed lemon pie and let Chris taste the difference side-by-side.
So Wednesday night I started making my pies. There were all really easy to make which is even better.

Peanut Butter Pie
This was oh so yummy if I do say so myself.

Here is my boxed lemon pie, which I had never put anything on the top before but compared to the other lemon I had to put something on top to make it look more appealing.

Here is my homemade Luscious Lemon Pie
It was definitely better then the boxed lemon pie and it really didn't take much more time. So long to the boxed lemon pie and hello homemade.

I have never made a pecan pie either so this was a first for me. It looks kind of burnt or yucky here but it was really good also.

Thanksgiving morning I was planning on us just eating together as a family so then I could go to the game. I realized about noon that four other families were getting together at the church and having dinner at 2pm. We decided that that would be fun and a good out for the kids energy. We packed up all of our pies, turkey, punch, salad, and rolls and went to the church. We obviously had way too much food but it was really fun to enjoy each others company but not be really cramped in a house and the kids got to have fun with their friends and expend their energy. I had to leave early to get to the game but it was a fun time.

Preschool Turkeys

We made these turkey hats in preschool when I taught the Monday before Thanksgiving. I had to get a picture with them all wearing them. They really liked wearing them and Allison still wears hers. There are actually 9 kids in Allison's preschool class but 2 were already on vacation for this class.

Allison absolutely loves going to preschool. I get to hear about everything she learns. It is really fun to see her so excited about going to her school:)

Because

Allison loves when I take pictures of her so I have lots of random pictures of my sweet little girl. As I was taking pictures of the diploma she wanted me to take some of her so here they are.

I must have had the camera out for another reason because this is another, "Mommy, will you take a picture of me please?" How can you say no to that.

Her pink baby got taken away when it didn't get put away so this is now the baby of choice...or it is the only one out right now, she has to cling onto it.