Joey Celebrates 4 with the Whole Arizona Clan!

Our Joey boy got TWO birthday parties this year since we live close to family now!  No one complains about that now will we? Joey decorated the cake himself! What a big boy! 

Fun Day!

Fun People! 

Fun Presents!

Yummy cake! 

Joey got to frost and decorate his own cake! And pick out the color of the frosting.  He did a great job! 

What??!!??  I can hear it now!  :) Love my Joey!

Vader Hat!! Woot woot!

It is such a treat that Grandma Betty gets to come to family events!  She just lights up when everyone is around.

Joey wanted Pizza for his birthday dinner.  I won't complain...Daddy makes the pizza! :) And can you say, Yu-uhm!

It was super fun having everyone over for the party!  Love my fam! (We always miss Pheob & Mom and Sadie!)

Christmas Eve and Talent Show Galore

Christmas Eve is a favorite holiday celebration for me.  I love the excitement of Christmas Day coming and the talent show tradition.  And... The Feast! Man my dad can cook!  Yu-uhm!

Then right on to the Talent show fun!  Abby whistled a song for us. :)

Jen & Heather did a cup game demo.  Super fun!

Joey showed his sword fight skills with Dave.

Dave played the trombone for us  (he just recently picked up.)  Then Abby tried to play.  :)

I juggled like an amateur.  Then Nik juggled like a complete PRO!!  :)

Then the aunts gave Abby and Joey presents!  They were tickled happy to get to open something early!  :)  Thanks you guys!  

Christmas Baking Day

We did a fun baking day this year.  It was so fun!  We all brought ingredients to make 1 or 2 Christmas treats to our house.  Then we each got to take some of everything home.  It was BRILLIANT!  Our house smelled AmaZinG!!

We made chocolate Christmas suckers and bites too.  And painted some even to be all detailed!  

Here's Abby & Joey diving into one of the suckers they made! MMmmmm!

Thankful for Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day at our house is one of my favorite days!  I love everything about it.  I love the smells, the tastes, the fun, the games, the feeling.  But mostly, the people. This is the last Thanksgiving that we had Grandma Larsen with us.  She looks so bright and alive and beautiful here.  And that is exactly how I hope we can all remember her!  

Jen playing with the kiddos of course!  Having a ball!

"Hmm, I could eat me some finger, I mean turkey right about now!" 

Sam was wiped out...and this is before we ate I think too!  Holiday=sleep day for some.

Grandma helping prep the napkins. It was so neat to have her with us!

Daddy-o carving the beast!!

Dave's plate.  Just kidding!

Jen is ready!!

At the table and ready to feast!

I am so thankful for my family!  We have so much fun together. I love just having a day where we can lounge and hang out together.  

Love them.

Joey, Des and Nik hanging out.

"Where's the PIE??!!??"

Always end with pie....or start with it.  haha!  Had to make sure it wasn't disgusting!  I have no faith in my homemade pumpkin pie. Yet, every year I keep trying. Someday i'll be good at it.  For now, I am still so grateful for pie!!!

Elizabeth Claire Meets Her Great Grandma Claire

I absolutely love this picture.  This is my dad's mom...my Grandma Larsen.  This is who Elizabeth Claire was named after.  Claire Betty Mae Larsen.  My grandma always went by Betty, but I love the name Claire.  It was almost a first name, but Elizabeth Claire was simply right. Elizabeth went a couple days with no name.  It was very weird not having a name to call her by.  It drove Dave crazy!  We had several names on the list that we both loved...Lilian, Cadence, Claire..I can't think of them all right now. But we couldn't quite feel right about them.  Elizabeth was nearer to the bottom and had cropped up as a middle name here and there.  But finally, when we had been home a day and the dirt had settled a little, we had all calmed down and felt some peace again after all the excitement... Dave and I looked at each other and said her name out loud and just knew her name was supposed to be Elizabeth Claire!  It felt so very right.  The spirit was so strong at that moment.  I'm so grateful for those moments. 

Meeting Grandpa Larsen too!  She was quite conked out after playing with her Great Grandma! :)

I had to post this...isn't it a cute one? Grandma was tickled pink to have a new little great grandbaby on her lap!

Chrismas Eve on Natal Street

We drove up to Mesa and spent Christmas Eve with all my (Amber's) family that live up there.  We did it at Heather's cute house this time, and had a wonderful time!  

Heather arranged for us all to help make hot chocolate mallos rolled in chocolate and candy cane pieces!  Mmmm! 

My sister Heather...so gorgeous!

My daddy-o!  Passing out the presents like the good ole days. :D

My sister Jen at 7 months prego!  (so glad she was home and not in New Mexico's hospital!)

The little cleptos!  They opened presents without any of us knowing...then we didn't know who they were supposed to go to!  LOL The little stinkers!

Slap bracelet joy!

Abby, Sam & Jen.

Cute couple... Heather & her boyfriend, Bobby, next to their gorgeous tree!

Candybar game!!  

We had so much fun playing this!

Nice catch of Dave huh?  :)

Go Abby!

I love this picture!  I love my family!  I'm so grateful we got to be with them this day.  They mean the world to me, and I love being able to be with them for holidays...and well, any day I can get!  Merry Christmas!