Temple Lights with Grandma

We went to see the Christmas lights at the temple with Grandma Great this year-- A wonderful Christmas tradition.

When we first arrive on the temple grounds we look out above the colorfully lit landscape, and locate the star-- shining bright in the sky. Then, we pretend we are the wise men, or the shepards, and try to follow the star to find the baby Jesus. Ofcourse, we end up at the nativity scene, which seems to be the girls' favorite part of going to see the temple's Christmas lights.

Ella is a Super Hero

The word is out. Ella has superhuman powers. I know this won't be a surprise to some of you (many Seever's claim superhuman capabilities).... but it's true. We were trying to keep it hush-hush, but how do you keep a 3-year-old from humming overhead in search of sweet nectar? Really? She can hover in mid-air, rappidly flapping her arms 20-90 times per second.

We wonder what other superhuman features will manifest themselves as she gets older. A hummingbird can fly in any direction, forward, sideways, up, down—and even backward! No other bird has these abilities!

We just hope she always uses her powers for good......

The Night Before Christmas.... Aubree's Christmas Recital

The 2nd graders were asked to wear their pj's to the Christmas recital this year. They were performing The Night before Christmas and sang "Christmas is Coming", "Sugar Plums" and "Silent Night". Aubree did great performing her songs! We didn't have a camera with us at the performance, so I had her give us a special encore at home.

Christmas is Coming By Aubree Monson

Santa (Cruz) Came Early This Year

Sunday evening, my Mom and Dad asked if they could come over and see our Christmas tree. "Ofcourse! We'd love to show off our great find of the forest!", I said. Shortly after they arrived, the door bell rang. When Jeff answered the door, lo and behold, there was a Santa Cruz Super Light gloriously resting on the porch. Jeff was beaming! His dream bike was now his! He has been very patient about replacing his bike that broke last year. Now, thanks to dad and Adam, we don't have to!!! Thank you !!!!! We really appreciate your generousity!

Finding that Chrstmas Tree

We packed up the kids, a picnic lunch, and some hot chocolate and headed up to the mountains to cut down our very own Christmas tree. Yes, some of our kids are a little young for this, but we like adventure, so off we went!

After our good-intentioned picnic in the icy-cold snow, (that actually turned into a picnic in the much warmer car), we trekked out into the woods. Kate was on my back and Ella on Jeff's shoulders, and so, with our four little ladies we were off on our mission to find that pine-smelling, sap-sticky, beautiful-in-its-imperfections Christmas tree.


It turns out that it was not as easy to find a Christmas tree in the woods as we had thought. Yes, we were in a forest full of trees, but none of them actually looked like Christmas trees. They don't grow so full, so pretty, so perfect on all sides, with branches down to the ground. They are skimpy, and bald in spots, too tall or too short or too dry. We kept searching untill the girls toes and hands were feeling too cold, then we headed to the car for a steaming-hot-chocolate break.


The girls were not ready to brave the cold again. And as it was getting late, and we had a Christmas party to get back to, Jeff grabbed his saw and ran out into the woods. It was between him and the forest now... and he was prepared to conquer! Meanwhile, us girls had a great time in the car with our hot chocolate, peppermint sticks and silliness.



Kate calling daddy and girls being silly.

How many times did Aubree go potty on this trip? Watch to find out. She actually went one more time after this video.

After searching for 1-2 miles, Jeff came back with a beauty. A Noble tree- the perfect height.



We had one extra permit, and decided to get a second tree to give to another family. We drove to a new spot in the back woods, and found a bushy Douglas Fir quite quickly. It was fragrant and full and a good height... but it was missing the bottom 1/3 of the branches. We went with it! Jeff tied the trees to the top rack of the Landcruiser while the girls and I gathered some pine cones. We were finally homeward bound-- too late for the party, but just in time for bed.

After getting the trees home, the girls chose to keep the Douglas Fir as our Christmas tree. It actually worked out quite well! The missing branches made it baby proof and provided room for the kids to play underneath! Jeff delivered the other tree the next day to a family that didn't have one. While the trip didn't go exactly as planned... we will always remember the adventure.

Decorating the Tree

Finding their ornaments and hanging them up on the tree is like opening up a special Christmas gift. The girls love to open up that ornament box and find the ones that have their names on them. They have recieved an ornament every year from their Great Grandma Seever and from their Great Grandma Monson. This year they recieved toy soldier ornaments from Great Grandma Seever. A great Christmas tradition that is cherished by my children!








Right: When you tell Ella to smile, this is the cute little face you get. What a darling! Left: Aubree got to put the star on the tree this year. Next year it's you Maya!

The girls made advent Christmas chains this year. Each link has one good, yet simple thing on it that they can do that day before removing it. Things like "Give every one in your family a hug today" or "Serve someone at School today" or "Do a secret service for someone in your family" or "Read in the Bible about Christ's birth". This has been one way that we have tried to keep focused on the true meaning of Christmas this year.

Jeff took a picture of me hanging them up because he thought I was a little funny-looking. I had a skirt and top on that I had worn to church, fluffy could-mistake-them-for-an-animal slippers, and an out-doorsy fleece jacket. Just trying to stay warm! Apparently I've acclimated to Arizona's heat! But really, we have to pay sooo much for the ac in the summer, that we try to keep the heater to a minimum in the winter.

Getting Ready for Christmas

When we put up the Christmas lights, we work as a team. Jeff puts up the house lights, and I do the yard lights.



Now can you see why I don't do the house lights. He is amazing! It's a little too precarious for me!

This picture doesn't capture the beaty of the lights very well. The house lights are red and white and the yard has some red bushes and some white bushes, and some white lit-up (small) trees. There is a star of Bethlehem just under the front top floor eaves.

A Purple Birthday--Ella Turns Three

Ella's dream was to have a "Purple Birthday". Aubree and Maya wanted to make it a special day for her, so they started pampering her first thing in the morning. They set up a "Purple Princess Quarters" in the back corner of the yard, complete with a purple throne for Ella to sit on. Aubree even made a purple fan to cool down her while she sat on her throne.

I used blueberries to make her a purple cake, and we decorated with a purple table cloth and purple cups and plates. She did a great job blowing out her three candles. For a minute she was getting so close to them that we thought she was going to swallow them up! That would sure put them out in a hurry, but lets just stick to blowing!

RIGHT: Her best present..... Talen and Maya in a box! LEFT: I didn't realize that my camera was on night shot, so all the pictures turned out kind of funky. I liked this one though, because it has the ghost of Ava Ann. OOOOOooooooohhh!

Aubree blew-up her first balloon, all by herself! She was pretty excited, so she blew-up all of the rest for the party. She was blowing on one for about five minutes and it wasn't getting any bigger. She eventually brought it to me and asked if there was a hole in it. Sure enough there was a pin-sized hole on the end of it. And after all that hard work and determination!