Family Time

We have not had a ton of family time the past few months, with basketball and fires and school, family time has not really been there. So today given that it was one of the first Saturdays when we are all home I wanted to make a gingerbread house. Here are the pics from that.

Arik being Arik.

Kira ate more candy then she put on the house. She even said cheese for the pic.

Brookelyn knew exactly where she wanted everything. She really liked using the big candy balls.
Here is the final product. I think it is really cute.
An overhead view of our pretty house.

I wanted to let you all know that my basketball team went undefeated this year. We beat the last two teams by 6 and 8 points. It was so much fun and they already say the pressure is on for next year. It was so much fun. Brandee, my sister, took pics and posted some pics on her bolg if you want to check it out. It is the PHAT Bagshaws.

Merry Christmas just in case I don't get back on by then.

Cutest Girls

This pic is from the summer but it is just so cute. Right now we have snow everywhere and it is freezing. Take in the fact that Arik and I both get home from work after dark, my poor girls have not had the joy of playing in the snow. It is on the list for Friday or Saturday.
We took away Kira's binkie about a month ago now. She gets it at nap and bedtime but that is it. We have seen her vocab explode. She now says, wow, pretty, tree, grandma, grandpa, sis, and I. Added to mom, dad, hi, bye. One day I had the window open and she saw the snow falling and said wow. Now whenever she sees Christmas lights it is wow. Given that every single house on our block is decorated we hear wow a lot. She is just so darn cute. Brookelyn is getting bigger and bigger. Monday night the girls and I made sugar cookies. It was my first time by myself making sugar cookies. (For all that know me this is not a surprise.) I didn't get any pics. Poor Arik was trying to get stuff done for a trip to Ogden he had to make on Tuesday. Anyways, last night we were frosting cookies. (Arik was on his way home from Logan. I was very jealous that we got to see Rob and Lil but that is a different story.) Anyways, I broke a cookie and Brookelyn said, "Don't worry mom. Dad can fix it when he gets home from work. He can fix everything." It made me smile. She then said in one of those weird voices we all seem to use when talking to our kids, "Thank you so much for helping me mom. It is so nice of you." I guess I say that to her a lot. Other phrases that Brookelyn has started using are "Oh, my gosh." "Goodness" "Oh my heck." i better get better at what I say around her. At least cuss words are not allowed in the house because she would probably walking saying them.

Basketball is over tomorrow. We have a game today and a game tomorrow and then we are done. At this moment we are still undefeated. We have already beat both these teams but tomorrow is against Grace (our rival). We hope all are having a wonderful Christmastime. I had my students write an essay on six gifts they would want if they could have everything. In about 95% of the conclusions they said that getting presents is nice but that is not what Christmas is all about. It is about family and other stuff (church stuff but they try not to talk about religion in thier papers). They say that giving is more important than receiving and the greatest gift they want is being with thier whole family on Christmas.

It made me smile that 13 year olds aren't complete absorbed in themselves. We love you all and wish you a Merry Christmas. May the real reason for the season be central in your homes.

THanksgiving, Christmas and Randomness

Well, this year we finally have enough room to get a real tree. Arik went with his dad and cut one down and hauled it out. We brought it inside the house after the girls went to bed. When Kira woke up the next morning she kept pointing at the tree and going ahahah! She had to make sre that dad knew a tree was in the house. We then decorated and when you have had little apartments and little trees you don't have many decorations. Our tree looks bare but that is okay. We let Brookelyn and Kira hang some of the ordaments. Here is where Brookelyn put them.

All grouped together. We are slowly getting more fo the tree but this year the tree will be pretty bare.

I pulled out the nativity set my grandma gave us. It is one that can't be broke (very nice for our house right now). Here is what Brookelyn did when playing with them. I think it is amazing that she put the baby Jesus in the middle and all the others surronding it. Looking at the baby and protecting it. Truly amazing.

During the Thanksgiving holiday we had the Hemmings (friends from Rexburg), Lance (Alicia Hemming's brother from the Y), my cousin (Brigette from the Y), Garrett (my brother in RExburg), and the Bagshaws (my sis and her family from Pokey). it was great. It was nice to finally have a bi house for everyone to play and run around. No one got sick this year (a first), and we had so much fun. We played late night games, our own Turkey bowl, and Black Friday shopping. It was so nice thanks everyone. Arik put up Christmas lights one afternoon and all the kids had to watch.

It was so much fun and went by way to fast.

School is going good. I really enjoy it. Basketball is over next week. We are now 9 and 0 and it looks very good for us to go undefeated. Which would be awesome.

This week is going to be crazy. Tonight we had the school Christmas party which I planned, then tomorrow is the Church Christmas Party and I am helping with cooking/serving the food. Wednesday our basketball team is going to Aberdeen which is two hours away. Then Thursday is Arik's work party. craziness! On friday the bishop has invited the Elder's quorum presidency and their wives to go to the temple and do a session. So, we might be going to that as well. I still need to mail off Christmas presents. I am done shopping though and have them all wrapped. It is so nice to enjoy the Christmas season (as soon as school is out the students are not acting up and being stupid).

Life is good and I am so grateful for everything. I am grateful for the knowledge I have and all the blessings I have received by being a member of the chruch. I hope everyone enjoys the holiday season for what it really is and not what the world has made it out to be. Enjoy your families and life because it goes by way too fast.