We were blessed to be able to spend Thanksgiving with my extended family this year. We rented a "cabin" in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and spent Thanksgiving with grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins (totaling 31 people). We had such an amazing time together.
The Hamilton/Fightmaster/Terry/Monnett/Turner/Rieben/Colton Family
Evan with cousins Adrienne, Kaitlyn and Madeline (I have a feeling he will spend a lot of time surrounded by beautiful girls!)
Maren with cousins Kaitlyn and EmmaAfter Thanksgiving we got to work preparing for the Christmas season. We decided to make most of our Christmas gifts this year and wanted our children to focus on what they would "give" this year rather than what they would "receive."
Our first order of business after putting up our decorations, was to make our Christmas cookie countdown.
We made hand-dipped chocolate pretzels for our neighbors, friends, family, teachers, doctors and therapists (Aunt Claire also taught us how to make Oreo truffles and we gave those as gifts as well. . .the ones we managed not to eat, that is!)
Our first order of business after putting up our decorations, was to make our Christmas cookie countdown.
We made hand-dipped chocolate pretzels for our neighbors, friends, family, teachers, doctors and therapists (Aunt Claire also taught us how to make Oreo truffles and we gave those as gifts as well. . .the ones we managed not to eat, that is!)
One of my favorite hand-made Christmas gifts were these barn stars that we put together for our family (blogspot rotated my pictures when they uploaded which is why they appear to be upside down). These two stars went to my sister, Claire and her husband Tyler and to Richard's dad and step-mother. (As with most crafty things, this idea was not my own. Credit for this goes to Jules (a friend of a friend).
I also tried my hand at doll making. This is Maren's new doll Calla and her teddy bear. I had a lot of fun making this for her! (I used the Wee Wonderfuls "Kit, Chloe and Louise" pattern for this. Well worth the money I spent for it!)
Each of the kids also got their very own "baking set," complete with felt cookies, cookie dough and a rolling pin. Although time-consuming, these were one of my favorite Christmas creations and the kids LOVE to make cookies in their new kitchen.
Speaking of their new kitchen, here it is in all of it's glory! It was the first thing Lukas ran to on Christmas morning and he immediately started "washing" the dishes! He is going to make some lucky girl VERY happy!
The kids had so much fun playing with Aunt Mariette
The "Computer Lab"
I also tried my hand at doll making. This is Maren's new doll Calla and her teddy bear. I had a lot of fun making this for her! (I used the Wee Wonderfuls "Kit, Chloe and Louise" pattern for this. Well worth the money I spent for it!)
Each of the kids also got their very own "baking set," complete with felt cookies, cookie dough and a rolling pin. Although time-consuming, these were one of my favorite Christmas creations and the kids LOVE to make cookies in their new kitchen.
Speaking of their new kitchen, here it is in all of it's glory! It was the first thing Lukas ran to on Christmas morning and he immediately started "washing" the dishes! He is going to make some lucky girl VERY happy!We were blessed to spend Christmas with Richard's family! It has been several years since we have been together for a "Rieben Christmas" and it was wonderful to all be together this year. We had a blast experiencing the magic of the Christmas season through the kids' eyes and, after they were in bed at night, we enjoyed endless hours of Settlers of Catan and episodes of "Firefly."
Richard, Craig (Grandad), Rob (Captain Awesome), Evan, Anne, Elizabeth (Grandmom), Valerie, Joshua, Maren, Mariette, Lukas and Jacob
The kids had so much fun playing with Aunt Mariette
The "Computer Lab"Shortly after Christmas a "cold spell" hit (at one point we were down to -25 with windchill) and we got some snow. We have had a great time making snow angels, snowballs, and sledding!
Stuck
(Yes, I do believe that is frozen snot coming out of his nose. Icky, no?)
Who let the monkey drive?
Talk about a workout!
Cold. Very, very cold!
Thankfully, we've had lots and lots of this to keep us warm (Aren't these mugs adorable? My mother-in-law brought them home from the Czech Republic a few years ago and the kids love them. They are perfect for hot chocolate on a cold day)
(Yes, I do believe that is frozen snot coming out of his nose. Icky, no?)
Who let the monkey drive?
Talk about a workout!
Cold. Very, very cold!
Thankfully, we've had lots and lots of this to keep us warm (Aren't these mugs adorable? My mother-in-law brought them home from the Czech Republic a few years ago and the kids love them. They are perfect for hot chocolate on a cold day)This month we have the privilege of celebrating the lives of five members of our family. On the 8th, Joshua (2) and Richard (29) celebrated their birthday's and on the 22nd, the triplets turned 4!
I think it goes without saying that Joshua enjoyed his birthday!
"Is this for me?"
A combined birthday party with family.
Maren, Lukas and Jacob's "Snowman Cakes" (Have you ever tried to ice a stack of cupcakes? Not as easy as you might think!)
Complete with "Snowman cupcakes"
I think it goes without saying that Joshua enjoyed his birthday!
"Is this for me?"
A combined birthday party with family.
Maren, Lukas and Jacob's "Snowman Cakes" (Have you ever tried to ice a stack of cupcakes? Not as easy as you might think!)
Complete with "Snowman cupcakes"Is there any doubt that we are blessed beyond measure?
7 comments:
Cute pictures!
I love the barn stars and the snowman cakes! Cute, cute!!!
I have a doll named after me? How sweet:-P J/K I wish I was that skinny!!
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