Merry Christmas!

Christmas was so fun this year. Last night Padilla's came over and we had a great time. We started the night off snacking on food and hangin' out. Then we all collected into the family room to sing Christmas carols and play chimes. (A Walker/Padilla tradition.)

Next we read the Nativity story from the scriptures and the kids acted it out. My favorite costume was the one Josh came up with. (For those of you who can't quite figure out his creative vision... he's the donkey.)

Then the kids opened their new pajamas and headed to bed.

After which Me, Joe, Grammy, and Grandpa watched "It's a Wonderful Life" while we set up all the Christmas goodies for the kids. Here's what it looked like before we all headed up for a not-so-long winter's nap:

All the kids were up bright and early the next morning. (Like 5:30am bright and early.) We made them wait until 6:00 before we let them head down stairs. They were so excited. I was kind of frustrated because I couldn't get them to hold still long enough to take a picture of them while they walked down the stairs. This is the best one I got:
In hindsight I think it's pretty funny. And it definitely shows how excited they were.

Santa was good to everyone this year...
Tommy got a Slide. (Grandpa is hovering close by to make sure all goes well with his first try;)

Dallin asked Santa for a new "big boy bike". One of the neighbors broke his 3 wheeler a few months ago so Dallin has had to make due sharing Emmy's old pink bike the last little while.

Emmy asked for a new bike as well.

Last year Julianne got "Julie" the American Girl doll for Christmas and she has been wanting "Julie's Bed" ever since. So that's what Santa brought for JJ.

Becky has been asking for a pair of Roller Blades for a while now and Santa was happy to help out.

After church a few of the "Maryland Padilla's" and our friends the Harper's came over and we enjoyed a delicious dinner of Prime Rib Roast, Spiral cut Ham, twice baked potatoes, green salad, steamed green beans with bacon and onions, homemade rolls, and hot fudge cake!

We have the special privilege of having Joe's parents in town to spend Christmas break with us and we are treasuring every minute.
I tried getting a picture with every one but I couldn't get one where every one is looking (or has their eyes open:) at the same time. These two are the best I could do: ( I need to learn how to cut and paste so I can combine a few pictures into one!)

Happy Birthday to Becky!!!!

How did my precious baby girl turn into this beautiful Young Woman?!?!?

The big #12 has brought a lot of exciting changes.
Becky has been so excited all year because we told her she could get her ears pierced when she turned twelve. Her Grammy and Grandpa Walker flew in Friday night to spend Christmas with us, and first thing yesterday morning we got up, went to breakfast, (normally a Christmas morning tradition but since this year Christmas is on Sunday we went on Christmas Eve) and headed straight over to the mall to get Becky's ears pierced. She was very nervous but she did great. I think it helped having Grammy there to hold her hand. :) Then we came home and opened presents. She got some make up, some earrings she can wear when her studs come out, some new clothes, and a remote control car. (A yellow Camero like Bumblebee from "Transformers".) Her gift from Grammy and Grandpa was some money to start a savings account. She's excited to start saving her babysitting money. Yes, I said babysitting. Becky has actually been babysitting for us and a neighbor of ours for a few months, but now that she's officially twelve she's excited to be able to babysit for neighbors and ward members. I think my favorite gift to give Becky was her own laundry basket. In our house when you turn twelve you are responsible for your own laundry!
I have to admit I was feeling a little nostalgic this morning during sacrament meeting when the Bishop called Becky up to give her her Primary graduation certificate. Can Becky really be old enough for Young Women?! I swear she grew up overnight!


I'm so proud of Becky and the Young Women she has become.

Here are 12 things I love about Becky:

1-Her smile. Ever since she was a baby Becky could light up a room just with her smile.
2-Her laugh. Becky has a giggly little laugh that is very contagious.
3-How much she loves little children. Not only is she an amazing big sister, but she has always been drawn to little kids, and they love her too. Whether it's at church, the grocery store, or just around the neighborhood, Becky loves spending time and making friends with little children.
4-Her funny sense of humor.
5-Her graceful demeanor.
6-Her desire to excel. When Becky has the opportunity to try something new she will work at it until she has mastered it.
7-Her little OCD tendencies.
8-Her gift for music.
9-Her "quiet riot" personality. Becky is pretty quiet and shy in social situations like church or school, but at home she is just as loud and silly as any other 12 yr. old girl.
10-Her "black and white" opinions. There's not a whole lot of "gray area" when it comes to Becky. It's either right or wrong, up or down, in or out. And she has a very logical thinking process when it comes to forming her opinions.
11-Becky is VERY STUBBORN. And although it can cause an issue from time to time I actually love this side of her. When Becky makes up her mind it is almost impossible to change it. I used to worry a little about it when she was small but I remember my mom once telling me that having a stubborn child is a wonderful thing, as long as you teach them to be stubborn in the right situations. ( No pressure right? ;) But I think my mom is right, and that leads me to one of the things I love most about Becky.....
12-Somehow, despite my imperfections as a parent, Becky has developed a sincere desire to do what is right. She's not perfect. And she doesn't always do what's right. But she tries hard to make good choices because it's important to her and I love that about her. In that way, and in many other ways she is a great example to me and I feel so blessed to be her mother.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!!!!!

Party's and Performances

December is is always a busy month with lots going on. It seems like the older my kids get the busier we are. Here are some pictures from just a few of the things we've been up to lately.

The first week of December Becky had her 6th grade chorus concert. She has really enjoyed her chorus class so far and she was looking forward to this concert a lot because she got to sing a solo with two other girls at the beginning of one of the songs.

A few days later Becky and JJ had their annual Christmas Piano Recital and they both played their songs perfectly!
The girls have really blossomed this year in piano. We just love their teacher, Sister Harris. She is WONDERFUL!

Sister Harris was in charge of the music program for our ward Christmas party. She wrote a beautiful Christmas song called "Mother tell Me of Jesus" and was kind enough to ask me and my three girls to sing it for the meeting. I don't have any pictures because the program took place in the chapel but it was such a privilege to be able to share that memory with my girls.

About a week later Dallin had his preschool Christmas program and party.
I have the hardest time getting that kid to smile for the camera!

After the program we got to go to his class room and decorate gingerbread houses. I think more candy went into his mouth than on the house. :)