It's beginning to feel like Christmas!

They started playing Christmas songs on the radio early this year, and that with the new snow we've had recently, I really feel like Christmas is right around the corner!  We haven't even set up our tree or lights yet...

I read this great quote today, and it is definitely nice to remember this:

Thomas S Monson

Overdoing it is especially common this time of the year for many of us. The causes for this might include too many Christmas activities to attend, too much to eat, too much money spent, too many expectations, and too much tension. Often our efforts at Christmastime result in our feeling stressed out, wrung out, and worn out during a time we should feel the simple joys of commemorating the birth of our Savior.

Finding the real joy of Christmas comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done, nor is it found in the purchasing of gifts. We find real joy when we make the Savior the focus of the season.

 

Family Photos 2014

We got our pictures taken with the same lady who took them last year.  She is great and she always gives us a great deal!  These are my favorites...

It's hard to tell in all of the pictures, but it was FREEZING that day!  The weekend before this, it was nice, and the weekend after, it was nice...just this day it was terrible out!  But despite that, I really like all of the photos.

She took us to the U of A this year....I love that place!  SO many nice places for good photos.  There were 3 wedding parties taking pictures there too that day, haha.

Olivia Reads

She's a tad immature....haha!  She is loving reading though, and is picking it up pretty well.  For the most part right now she is just reading words she has memorized, but it's a start!

Winter has arrived...

We had fun sledding on the PD day our kids had last week.

The girls with their friends and neighbours making a loooong train

The fantastic four

Anderson train

It was a lovely day and not too cold.  This week however, we received a HUGE dump of snow, and the temperature dropped to -30 most days. It was colder with the wind chill too!  I don't mind the weather like this when I don't have anywhere to go or anything to do. I got winter tires put on the van literally the night before we got the snow and I am so grateful.

The kids love it though: