Christmas 2015

CHRISTMAS PREPARATIONS

We told the kids about the first Christmas in the Book of Mormon.  Nathan decided to build us a model for FHE of Samuel the Lamanite with his LEGOs.

You can tell that Audrey was just as excited about Christmas as the other kids--thus the gate around the tree.  Jared spent many hours restringing our tree with LED lights, and you can tell it is bright and beautiful.

The kids decided we needed a better Nativity set, so they made this one out of LEGOs.

CHRISTMAS EVE

 Jared had to work all day on Christmas Eve, so we were relieved when he finally got off in time for dinner and our Christmas program.  Abby took a turn as Mary.  

Nathan was both a shepherd and a wiseman.

Maddy enjoyed being an angel.

Audrey was the star of the show.

Our family all got Alamo ornaments this year to commemorate our first year in Texas.

Maddy got this cute little rice baby kitten that Abby made for her.

The kids enjoyed making and decorating gingerbread cookies with me.  They set out a plate for Santa and a plate with mini cookies and a doll sized mug for Felix (our Elf on the Shelf).  Nathan made a few of his into "wookie cookies."

The girls decorated a space for their dolls complete with garlands, a fake tree and ornaments, stockings (sewn by Abby), and a fake fire place.

CHRISTMAS MORNING

Nathan was excited to get a LEGO tree house.

The girls got a doll table and chair set.

It even came with a tea set.

Jared got some more great books to add to his collection.

Audrey loved her tea set and piggy from Grandma D.

She thought she was pretty cool in her sunglasses from Maddy.

She really liked her new Magnadoodle from Santa.

On the top of their list of favorite Christmas gifts were the magic wands that Jared made for the kids.

 Abby's wand: cherry and unicorn hair

 Nathan's wand: jatoba and dragon heartstring

Maddy's wand: purpleheart and phoenix feather

The kids got a new wagon (since Jared broke their old plastic one by trying to haul stuff in it).  Audrey loves going out for rides in it every day.  

Once the kids finished frosting the gingerbread cookies, the girls decided to decorate graham crackers with the extra frosting.

Santa brought this 1000 piece puzzle called "a Rocky Mountain Christmas."  It is a painting depicting several ski resorts in Utah.  As we put the puzzle together Abby asked, "Mom, why are the people siting on telephone polls?"  It took me a minute to realize she as talking about the chair lift.  Her comment made Jared and I think that we've been away from Idaho and Utah too long!

January 2016

Audrey likes to ride on her car.

I caught Audrey the other day trying to crawl in her doll's crib.

We've had some nice warm days this month that we've spent at the park.  Audrey has really taken to the slide.  She loved going down with her big sisters and brother.

She also loves swinging.

Rides on Daddy are also fun.

Audrey likes dressing up and carrying bags around.

She also likes pushing her baby doll in the stroller.

Cowgirls take good care of their babies.

Abby and Maddy love going to activity days together.  They learned about the temple and then designed their own out of marshmallows.

Audrey rarely cuddles anymore because she is too busy getting into things, so it was a sweet moment when Audrey fell asleep on Jared's chest.

Maddy riding on a Komodo dragon statue at the zoo.

Riding on the horse statue.

Hanging with the orangutans.

We restocked our food storage this month.  Audrey thought the 5 gallon buckets were the perfect size for her.

We got a new tent that is is super easy and fast to set up, and which is actually big enough for our whole family.   We set it up on our living room for FHE.

Audrey trying on Maddy's boots.

Jared and I have been taking a yoga class together on Tuesday evenings.  One night we showed the kids some of the poses that we do.  Audrey really likes doing the downward dog pose.

Abby with a little green dog that she made out of play-doh.

Playing at the Mayborn.

The kids love dancing on the giant piano.

The kids dressed up like travelers for a game they were playing in the backyard.

Nathan in his cowboy boots and hat that he got from Grandma D. for Christmas.

I've been called to be the personal progress advisor for Young Women's.  We had a Wizard of Oz themed New Beginnings and I had to dress up as Dorothy.

The girls took some of the balloons home, which Audrey loved playing with.

I've been trying to teach the kids some basketball skills at the YMCA after my yoga class on Thursdays.   Audrey has taken to it like a natural and loves chasing balls and carrying them over to her little hoop for a slam dunk.

The kids love visiting the Mayborn with their cousins.  The Mayborn has a new Tinkertoy and Mr Potato head exhibit that they really enjoy.

The kids love the Historic Village.  Audrey's favorite part is the small rocking chairs on the porch of one of the historic houses.

Cousins rocking together.

Audrey loves bath time.

Jared uses his medical knowledge at home to help our family and the Cranney's with various aliments.  Here he is wearing his loops as he removes a tick from Christian's neck.

Jared is reading the Ranger's Apprentice series to the kids.  They look forward to cuddling and reading with their Daddy every night.

Merry Christmas 2015

Dear Friends and Family,

Merry Christmas!  We feel very blessed to have so many wonderful people like you in our lives.  We are also grateful for Jesus Christ and His gospel.  We join with you in celebrating His glorious birth during this wonderful season.

Here is what our family has been up to this year:

We just finished out our first year deep in the heart of Texas.  It's been a hard adjustment because Texas is very different from what we are used to.   Probably the hardest part has been living so far from family.  Luckily that changed in September when Mary's sister and her family moved to Waco for her husband to start a post-doc at Baylor University.  The kids miss Homelink and their friends in Washington, but they have enjoyed our new homeschool co-op as well as the amazing zoo, children's museum at Baylor, and the pool at the YMCA.

This year we took a couple trips down to San Antonio and New Braunfels where we enjoyed the Natural Bridge Caverns, the Alamo, the Riverwalk, the missions, and the beautiful San Antonio Botanical Gardens.  In April, Mary took the kids to Arizona to see her brother Joseph and his family.  In June we took a family trip/job interview in Sequim, Washington.   Jared decided not to take the position, but we did enjoy Olympic National park, the Hoh Rainforest, and the Sequim Lavender Festival.  In September, Mary drove up to see family in Utah, and then Jared joined Mary and the kids in McCall, Idaho for a fun Collett family reunion.  In October we found out that our landlord wanted to put the house we were renting up for sale, so we did a quick last minute move to a new house 4 minutes away.   Moving a  household as big as ours twice in one year is not recommended, but it is a good exercise if you find you are accumulating too much stuff.

When Mary isn't busy packing and unpacking boxes from our moves, she is homeschooling and taking care of Audrey.  She loves teaching her kids and she is super excited to finally have a room she can use for homeschooling in our new house.  In her free time Mary enjoys yoga classes at the YMCA, swimming, reading, and dates with Jared.

Jared works hard and has been very busy doing neurosurgery with Dr. O'Grady at Providence Hospital.  In addition to a demanding work schedule, Jared served as the Executive Secretary before recently being called to be the Elder's Quorum president in our ward.  Despite his busy schedule, Jared makes time to read to the kids at night, which is the highlight of their day.   In the rare moments when he has time for himself, he enjoys woodworking, reading, and dates with his wife.

Abigail (9) is growing up to be a very responsible and helpful child.   She is great at keeping Audrey entertained and out of trouble.  She is very creative, and I often find her busy with sewing and crafts.  Abby is happiest when she is reading, doing gymnastics, swimming, building with LEGOs, or playing the piano.

Madeline (8) decided to be baptized this year, and we are very proud of her decision to follow Christ.  She loves playing the piano and learning new things.  Maddy is a great reader, and excels at math and science.   She enjoys playing LEGOs with Abby and Nathan, and she is very sweet with her little sister Audrey.  Maddy is our girly girl who delights in all things princess, sparkly, fashionable, and fancy.

Nathanael (6) sometimes has a hard time being surrounded by girls, so he was super excited when 3 boy cousins moved to town.  He loves having Nerf gun battles and playing Harry Potter and Star Wars with them.  Nathan also really enjoys building things with LEGOs.  He has gotten really creative at coming up with his own designs. His favorite subjects in homeschool are history, science, and reading (he recently finished the Magic Tree House series).

Thomas (would be 3) is loved and missed greatly.  We think of his sweet, gentle spirit a lot during this Christmas season.

Audrey (13 months) has grown a lot this year.  She is now walking, signing, and saying a few words.   The milestone we are most excited about is that, after 1 year of trying, Audrey finally started sleeping through the night!  Audrey loves books, coloring, cuddles from mommy, and rides on her toy car.  Audrey is very busy exploring the world around her, and we love rediscovering the world and all its wonders with her.

 That's what we've been up to this year.  We hope that this year leaves your family happy, safe, and full of faith.

Love,

The Colletts