It's the end of the year...

and what did we do??? Went to bed at 8:30. I was kind of a party-pooper this year. R stayed up for a while and watched a movie and Mk & K stayed up to welcome in the new year watching shows on Nick Jr. I have been going to bed around 8 o'clock for a while and just because it was New Year's Eve wasn't any reason to change my ways...right? This pregnancy has been alot different. I haven't had much ambition to do anything, guess that's what high blood pressure will do to ya!

I have had a great year overall...many great things to look back on! I am thankful for my little family for making life as exciting as it is...I love you all and wish you a great New Year!

More, more, & still more...

gifts to open once we got back over to Grandma & Grandpas. After we opened the gifts we had at our house, we had egg mcmuffins at the in-laws, then mid-morning we headed back over to Snowflake.

Aunt Mame made all of the nieces and nephews little aprons. My girls will love them as they love being in the kitchen with me.

Mk's apron...

B showing her apron off...

All of the cousins drew names and K got a whole art collection...

Ry modeling her apron...

and outfit from G & G Lines...

Thanks to all for the great Christmas!!! We love you!

Christmas morning at our house...

was so fun! The girls all love SANTA and loved opening gifts! I guess I was just too fat to have much ambition to take many pics, but this is what Christmas morning looked like at the Haws Hawse!!!

Mk, basketball hoop and basketball, showing off one of her shirts she got...

B, looks like she's just waking up or something...

Ry, the all important make-up...

K and her Littlest Pet Shops...

I have only surprised R a couple of times with gifts, I usually am so excited that I end up telling him, he guesses what it is, or he has prompted me on what to get so he usually knows. I knew that I had to keep this a total secret because it was probably the best gift I had ever given him. I had compiled all of the pictures of Braxton that people had given us...at the hospital, viewing, and graveside. I decided that someday when the girls get older they might want to know what happened, so I told the whole story. I am surprised that this picture actually turned out, because I was bawling before he even had it opened. I hope that he will treasure this book as much as I will!!! Love ya, Fred!

I am thankful for the Savior and his birth and life on this earth! I hope that I can strive to live like him and be better everyday! I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas and we appreciate the gifts that we have been given!!!

My favorite time of the year...

the Christmas season! This year we spent Christmas with my family in Snowflake! We went over on Christmas Eve afternoon. The girls had a good time visiting with all the cousins. I always have such a good time playing with my fam.

Abbi & Heidi both said that they wanted Mk to come to their house and be the nanny...she kept the little ones entertained and taken care of. {She's going to be such a great helper when the baby is born!} Then we ate dinner followed by Mk playing Jingle Bells on the piano.

One of my mom's good friends, Kim, was telling her about one of their family traditions. Everyone has a stocking and each person gets to put a little something in the stockings...a candy cane, little game, toothbrush, sodas (thanks Mame), then open it on Christmas morning.

Grandma helping B get it in the stocking...

Ry putting in a favorite, Tootsie Rolls...

K, are you putting in or peeking in the stocking?...

Keek had bubbles...

It was a special treat to have Grandpa Joe & Grandma Evelyn there with us for Christmas. I miss them and wish I could see them more often...

We stayed until about 10 pm while R finished his game of Risk...we drove home...waited for Santa Claus...

A visit to Baby Braxton...

with his little teddy bear and Christmas tree for Christmas!

The girls love to visit the resting place of our sweet baby boy!

I hope that we can always keep him alive in our family...we have grown so much because of this trial and our girls have learned alot more about Eternal Life because of it. We love you, Braxton!

How much can you eat???

One of my favorite traditions in the Haws' family is the Christmas Progressive Dinner and Caroling Evening. Every year {except this year} we pull a flatbed trailer behind a truck and sit on hay while driving through town singing Christmas songs and traveling to the next house to eat. In between houses we usually go caroling to a home teaching family or someone that we feel would enjoy the caroling.

This year we started at Aunt Edie & Uncle Pinky's house with appetizers...cheese balls, crackers, fruits & veggies w/dip. I love cheese balls and fruits & veggies, so I was pretty full before ever starting on the "real food". We went and sang Happy Birthday and a few Christmas carols at Aunt Winnie's house since it was her birthday! She really loves to see the kids and is glad to see the adults I'm sure too. This year because of the blistery cold we all just drove our own vehicles. We had soup at our house and Kathy served her bread here so we didn't have another stop. I served a Chicken Stew that was a huge hit...kind of like Chicken Dumplings without the dumplings, and my MIL's bread just can't have one piece. The next stop was at Grandma Haws' as Aunt Deann and all of her family and Aunt Dorie were spending Christmas there. We had salads at their stop. Wow...are we full yet??? We haven't even eaten the main dish. We ate Posse Stew for the main course at Rand and Karen's house. I love soups & stew, however we don't eat them much because R doesn't qualify them as a meal. I qualify them as girl food, I am always glad to have hot soups or stews especially when it's cold!

We had dessert at Aunt Pat and Uncle Ted's house as well as played the much anticipated Right-Left Game. I am always anxious to hear the story Aunt Pat has to share. Everyone gets a wrapped gift and while the story is being read when it says "right" you pass the gift to the right...and "left" pass the gift to the left. I love traditions to look forward to and I always have so much fun on the Progressive Dinner Night!

Pretty intellegent kid

We had tithing settlement after church today and R gave K a tithing slip and said that she needed to write her name backwards...meaning last name, first name. After she was finished this is what we saw...Haws, ilraK. She did exactly what she was told!!!

Grandma did it again...

made all of my sweet girls Christmas dresses (her one other granddaughter and also got all of the boys little Christmas outfits). Today was the debut! I love the tradition of getting new Christmas and Easter dresses every year. I also love that they are homemade and always so cute!!! Someone commented to me after church that just the other day they thought to themself...I wonder what the Haws' girls dresses are going to be like. Since R was put in the bishopric he has meetings at 6 am, so every Sunday has been a struggle trying to get everyone ready and out the door for 8 o'clock church. We have done pretty good! This morning we hurried fast so we could get in a quick photoshoot before church. Thanks mom so much for always allowing my kiddos to have cute new outfits. We all loved them!!!

First Encounter with a HICKIE...

happened to be with K. She kept rubbing her face and looking in the mirror. I asked her what she was doing and she showed me her face and said "it wouldn't come off." She was playing with one of those rubber poppy things (the things that you turn wrong side out and set on a table and it pops in the air???) and suctioned it to her face causing the first hickie in the Haws' home. It was pretty funny!

B: mom, what is this?

as she holds up Coffeemate creamer.

Mom: It's stuff for coffee.

B: {cough, cough} Can I have it, I'm coughing?

We went out to dinner after seeing Santa and this was the laugh of the evening.

Santa Claus, Santa Claus...

we've been good this year!!!

B...asked for dollie, a stroller, a new toothbrush and a Strawberry Shortcake movie.

Ry...a dollie, a new stroller, Tink the movie, and new jammies.

K...Little Pet Shops, Wall-E, a Wii, and make-up.

Mk...wants a basketball hoop, a new basketball, and a Wii.

Hope you girlies have been good, cuz Santa's been watching you!

Happy Christmas

We set up the Christmas tree and B says, "now we can have a Happy Christmas." I hope that by setting up the tree we will have a Happy Christmas! I love this time of the year...it seems to be magical with love in the aire! Here are a few pics of our Happy Christmas...Hope the season brings happiness to you and your families!

My tree...

the girls tree...

our very cute stockings {thanks to Heidi}...

I waited and waited until I found the perfect nativity. I found it a couple of years ago... love it, love it, love it...

RS had a special dinner...

for all of the women in our ward. It was a very nice enrichment. They asked for volunteers to bring their china and set a table complete with a centerpiece. I didn't know if they would have enough people, so I signed up. As we were setting up the table I was confused on how to set the silverware...we laughed and decided that we needed to have more formal dinners. They had prepared a turkey dinner with all of the fixins, which by the way was wonderful, had the high school choir come perform, a special Christmas reading, a white elephant gift exchange {I got a book that hopefully I won't ever need to read, something about a widow's something-or-other} and some primary children sang the closing song. I had a great evening...a special thanks to those who prepared this...we have a great ward!!!

We are so thankful for what we pray for...

even if it is grease! B was saying the prayer for dinner and we were having tacos. R has always called them Greasy Tacos, so as she was praying she says, "thank you for the greasy and thank you for the tacos." Both R & I had to turn our backs and giggle to ourselves so she wouldn't see us {she still has issues with the closing the eyes part}. We will always be grateful for EVERYTHING...even grease!!!

What am I thankful for?

It seems that we reflect on this more around Thanksgiving time, but I would like to list a few things I am thankful for...

• my family. I can't imagine life without my kiddos and my husband. They are all and more than I ever expected! ~Sure love you guys!
• my parents and my sisters. I loved growing up in my family. We have so many good memories and still have a great time when we are together!
• my grandparents. I have learned so much from them. I have such a rich legacy, I hope that I will be able to always live up to their expectations!
• my in-law family. I am so glad that I have such a great "other family". I am glad that I get along with all of them. Thanks for the Alaska trip this past year!
• the gospel, my testimony and the Savior. I think that I have taken this for granted alot of my life, but this year has been one full of spiritual experiences and growth. I am so thankful for Jesus Christ and all he has done and continues to do for me!
• my health. I have also taken this for granted until this year. I am thankful for my health and the health of each of my family members.
• my home. I am grateful to live in Eagar and to have such a nice home. Someday when we are done with all of our projects it will be perfect!
• R's job and mine. I am thankful for his employment, especially in these hard times. I am also grateful that he has a new job opportunity...starting at TEP January 12th. I am glad that I am able to stay home {most days} and raise my little ones.
• I am so thankful for all that the Lord has blessed me and my family with!

We had such a great Thanksgiving! We stayed in town and most of R's family came up for the holidays. The weather was so nice the week leading up to Thanksgiving, however Thanksgiving Day was pretty cold. My blood pressure was low so I took it easy and enjoyed a great Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey, name, place settings were so cute...thanks to those of you who put them together. It was so good to visit with those of you who were here!

K showing off her turkey

The table setting

Uncle Lee being goofy

Ry patiently waiting for dinner

Attempting Grandma's Famous Rolls...

didn't turn out so swell. My MIL asked if I would make rolls for Thanksgiving Dinner. I have learned to love making bread and most recently rolls, so I wasn't too stressed out about that. My Grandma Evelyn has always made these rolls that are to die for...you can't take just one or two. Anyways, those aren't the rolls I have loved making, but I thought to myself I should make Grandma's Famous Rolls for Thanksgiving. I did a test run before the actual roll-making day and good thing I did, because they were so funny! They just looked funny, I guess they tasted alright...Mk had one as her afternoon snack and then asked to have another one. Needless to say...they were also great pig food. I will have to have a one-on-one lesson (like Heidi did this year) and take some pictures to keep in the recipe book.

Ry had a party at school...

and their families were invited! We got there a little late and no one was there except her teacher, so I wondered if we had the time wrong or something, but everyone just had taken an early Thanksgiving Break I guess. Finally one other little girl came. We had a fun time playing Musical Chairs, a Cake Walk, Balloon Toss, and other games. We heard the story about the First Thanksgiving and the pilgrims and Indians, then we tasted some homemade Pumpkin Pie...yummy, and some homemade Gingerbread! We all had a good time!

I didn't take my camera, but I found this crazy picture of Ry...had to share.

K is 6...

and such a joy to be around. I love her sweet smile, which she shows off sooo often.

We played games, jumped on the trampoline, played in the playhouse, and swingset. Then we got down to the real party...decorated our own cupcakes, wish I could show close-up pictures of everyone's they were pretty creative.

Cutter, Gracie, Ry (must have had a taste...look at her face), & Tylee

Mollie, Krista, B (is it anticipation or has she already tried it), and Daniel in background.

The party crew

Here are the final products.

Happy Birthday to YOU!

Make a wish and BLOW!

She is such a girl...drama over every gift, but she loved her Little Pet Shops,

Kung Fu Panda,

Polly Pockets (which helps out to know what to get her for Christmas),

a heavy jacket,

new froggie flannel jams!

K we love you so much and remember the day you were born like it was a couple of years ago, not six {Grandpa & Grandma were moving that day from Buckeye to Casa Grande...good thing you were born in Mesa as a middle grounds to come and see us}. You are such a joy to be around and are a good helper to Ry & B and a best friend to Mk. Thanks for the hugs and kisses and sits on the laps even at six. It is so fun to see your sweet and sensitive personality blossom. I love you so much! Keep smilin' all your life!!!