We Went Camping for Christmas!

This year for Christmas we wanted to do something different.  Something to make Christmas a little more special with less focus on the presents and the sweet food.  Somehow we found ourselves planning to go camping!  James parents, his three youngest sisters, and his older sister Rachel and her family all went with us.  We met in Montana in the national forest near James' Grandma Staples house.  There is a little cabin there available to rent.  No electricity or running water, but there is an outhouse.  James parents and younger sisters stayed in the cabin.  Rachel and Tyler and their family stayed in their pop-up trailer.  And we stayed in our great big tent.

 

 

 

 

Santa was even able to find our tent out in the middle of the woods.

Christmas morning!



 

 

This picture is kind of blurry, but it shows our tent all lit up at night.



James and Rachel making breakfast in front of the cabin.

Lida and Noah

 

 

The Crumpley Family

 

 

 

The Mobley's



Our Family

 

Monique, Jada, and Dajae

 

 

 



Annie hugging her Grandma good-bye.

 

 

 

 

James and Rachel

We spent Christmas Eve setting up camp and playing around.  The kids all had lots of fun together sledding and playing in the snow.  Grandma Staples came out to camp to join us for dinner.  She brought doughnuts and all kinds of treats.  We read the Christmas story together, sang Christmas Carols, then let the kids play a little more before settling down for the night. 

We spent most of Christmas Day at Grandma Staples house.  We enjoyed visiting with each other and also got to Skype with Chris for quite a while.  We all had Christmas dinner together.  Then while the kids watched Despicable Me 2, the grown-ups played a couple of games.  Just before we left we all took a turn in the bathroom so that none of us would have to use the cold outhouse in the dark.  We got back to camp just in time to get ready for bed. 

The day after Christmas we had a pancake breakfast then started packing up.  We were sad to say good-bye to everyone. 

Now we have to decide what to do next Christmas.  Any suggestions???

Easter Eggs from Papa

Our next door neighbors, the Kleffner's, are so good to us.  They are our adopted grandparents here in Moscow, so we call them NanaJo and Papa.  Papa made some special easter eggs for the kids this year.  The only way the kids would eat them was if I took pictures first. 

Christmas Day 2010

A few pictures from Christmas morning at our house.

Naomi trying on her new scarf and hair bows.

James trying out his new sleeping bag.

Stephen with the electric train set Santa brought for him.



Santa also brought mustaches for the boys and big lips for the girls.  They are the kind that are made of flavored wax that you can chew like gum.  That is, after you are done goofing off and being completely silly with them.

Oh, yes, even Dad and Mom got in on the fun.

Feel free to laugh at this picture.   Especially since you won't see pictures of me like this very often.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas 2010

These pictures were taken at the Nativities Around the World display held at the Moscow Idaho Stake Center.

Cutting Our Christmas Tree: 2010

We had a great time with our yearly tradition of cutting down our own Christmas Tree.  We went out on Saturday after Thanksgiving.  The weather was perfect!  Not too cold, and it was snowing!

Playing around in the snow

I think we found the one.

Stephen was big enough to do the cutting this year.

Stephen, Annie, and Ellen sledding down the hill.

Naomi and Noah's turn!

Halloween 2010

These pictures were taken as we got home from our ward halloween party so the kids were ready to put on their jammies and eat some candy!

Stephen - a caver

Annie - a sea witch
Ellen - a frog
Naomi - a monkey
Noah - a cowboy

Sorting the loot.

Our Year in Pictures: Part 1

Even though I haven't been keeping up with the blog this year like I wanted to, we did keep living and I don't want to forget any of it.  So, the next few posts or so will just be a bunch of pictures.  I will try to add little comments here and there, but won't be able to write everything out.  (sigh!)  Want to guess what one of my New Year's resolutions is?  Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding!!!  You got it!  I'm planning to be a more regular blogger!!!  Now on to the pictures.....



The 4th of July...in our pajamas.

Ferdinand's Ice Cream for Family Home Evening Treat.  It is the very best ice cream around!

The kids got crazy, creative, and cool with ice one day. 

We planted a garden, and most of it actually grew!  It was super exciting to all of us. 

 We even got this one really crazy zucchini.

 And Noah drank more milk than all the rest of us put together.