Here are Benjamin and Emily getting in some snuggle time with Grandma. Our kids were feeling the craziness from lack of their normal routine. We decided to sit down on Thursday and have morning scripture study and prayer. Emily and Ben took full advantage of the time to get in some snuggles! 
It was so much fun to watch Benjamin open presents this Christmas. Usually kids his age hesitate and need a lot of help getting their presents unwrapped. Not Benjamin, he tore right in. He quickly unwrapped any present he was given, or any he could find. He even showed his gratitude and excitement to the person who gave it to him.
Here he is playing with the blocks that came with a wagon from Grandma and Grandpa Oliver. He doesn't look very excited. I think by this time he was starting to be on Christmas overload!
We all know that Christmas as an adult holds few surprises. I wanted to make Christmas at my house special for my mom and dad. We bought them each a new pair of pajamas to open Christmas Eve. Then Christmas morning an unknown package was waiting for them under the tree.
It was a digital camera! And they were so excited! Benjamin was sure that everyone needed his help and supervision while opening their presents.
Julia was feeling very sad that she had less presents to open then the rest of the kids. Little did she know, actually she did have her suspicions, that she had the biggest and best christmas present of all. Her own freshly painted, lovingly decorated room!
Jumping up and down with joy. She could hardly contain herself.
Her new room even included a white board and a cork board to display her creative prowess.
Benjamin was the first one down the stairs to see if Santa really came! His daddy was trying to help him wait for his siblings, but it wasn't working!
Here are the other three kiddos looking, oh so excited, to see what Santa brought!
Benjamin's presents from Santa!
Emily's presents from Santa!
Julia's presents from Santa!
Ryan's presents from Santa!
I have always wanted to make a puff quilt because they are my favorites. They are warm and feel heavy while you sleep, and they look delightfully like tons of little clouds (or pillows). My mom has always discouraged me saying that they are very labor intensive, and boy was she right. You have to cut the top square of fabric 1 1/2 times bigger then the bottom square of fabric.
Then you have to pin in eight places so that the top square fits onto the bottom square, in effect making a tiny pillow. You sew around the edges leaving an opening. Turn it inside out, stuff it full of batting, sew closed the little opening, and then the killer part is sewing two fluffy squares together. I can't imagine trying to sew two rows together, I haven't gotten that far yet. But I am enjoying the process, and I think Julia will LOVE the end result!
I am making a puff quilt for part of Julia's christmas present--operation her own decorated room!
Emily thought it would be cozy!
Ryan just likes to do weird things because he's 7.
I stole the word spelled with wooden letters idea from a magazine. Whoever thought of that one is pretty clever. We do hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday and a peaceful 2007.
The Matthews kids, they are definately some of my best blessings, and biggest challenges. Aren't they cute!
Of all our blessings, my favorite is that my husband and I love each other more than the day we got married, we are best friends, and bring out the best in each other.
Ryan popped out a cold sore on Monday. Not at all unusual for Ryan. Increased amounts of stress or worry will give him a cold sore. On Wednesday night he looked white, tired, and didn't even complain about what I made for dinner. Low and behold he had a 100.6 temperature. Thursday it went down to 99.6, but the fever kept him out of school with no other symptoms.
Friday he woke up with another low grade temp, which effectively kept him home from school again. By Friday night it was back up to 101. Saturday he woke up with this strange rash surrounding his cold sore. The world may never know what went on.
It is true! We are a bit obsessed with pillows at our house. But who would have thought it would provide hours of entertainment and get the kids crafty juices flowing.
I made this ballerina pillow and the super long Hello Kitty roll pillow in the back for Julia's christmas bedroom surprise. The kids caught me doing it and all wanted to make a pillow of there very own!
Emily's is the purple smaller roll Dora, Ryan chose orange Pokeman, Ben chose red trucks, and Julia chose to make a circular winnie the pooh and piglet pillow. I think we'll put a snappy button in the middle of it! We are definately not at all shocked by the things they chose, their pillows all fit them perfectly!
I put the ball popper in the garage in a box full of toys to donate. The ball popper had been dormant in our house for a long time. No one wanted to play with it.
Now the ball popper is the big deal in our house.
Even the big kids spend lots of time playing with the revived toy!
I babysat a little girl in our church so that her mom could take her new baby sister to the doctor. As soon as my girls realized that she liked stuffed animals, they really loaded her up. She looks like one of them.
Buried admist the good intentions of Julia and Emily.
The fluffy purple teddy bear was her favorite!
Here is Benjamin, Alyson and Emily "bobbing" for apples. They really just picked them up with their hands.
Here is Scott, Megan Anway, Ryan and Amanda.
They baby boys, David and Benjamin, loved playing in the water.
The Anway's brought a yummy dessert to share. Cake and ice cream!
