Christmas Morning

More presents.

Aubrey was very neat when she opened presents. She would tear a piece of wrapping paper off and then hand it to us to throw away.

Breakfast anyone?

Aubrey standing by the tree on Christmas morning.

Aubrey did great on Christmas morning opening her presents!

Christmas Eve

Here we are in our Christmas PJs.

Here is Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus under the star of Bethlehem.

Here is the angel appearing to the shepherds...Aubrey and Paul were shepherds in this picture.

These are our shepherds. The teddy bear dressed in white especially for his role.

On Christmas Eve we reinacted the nativity. I give all credit for props and set up to Paul, he did a great job! Paul played multiple roles and Aubrey was Mary, I was the narrator. This is a picture of Mary riding her donkey.

Christmas Activities

Paul got a snow tube and he and Aubrey went sledding a few times. They both loved it!

Papa Justensen bought Aubrey a snowsuit and she loved going out and playing in the snow!

Paul headed up our Christmas craft this year. We made homemade Christmas ornaments that turned out great!

Aubrey is learning how to feed herself. Her favorite thing is to get food on her hands and then massage her head, getting food all over in her hair!

Santa's Lap

We had our ward Christmas party last night and it would not be complete without a visit from Santa. Surprisingly, Aubrey didn't cry. She pouted and started to whine, but she didn't cry! She also couldn't figure out what a candy cane was and why Santa was giving her one.

Teething Woes

I have been told by several parents that when a child is teething it is not a fun experience. I never discredited this information, but I also never took it to heart until this week. Last week we were in Indiana for Thanksgiving and Aubrey's cousin was teething and in pain. Apparently it was contagious because as soon as we returned Aubrey started to cut two of her molars. She has been pretty moody and sad lately and I have to remind myself of her pain and increase my patience. Poor girl! I do feel badly for her. At least with teeth she can start chewing harder things, right?!

Gingerbread Homes

To end our fabulous weekend in Indiana, we made gingerbread houses. As you can see, Paul made sure to cloth our gingerbread people so they were modest. We put the house on the seat right next to Aubrey's carseat for the drive home. About an hour away from Iowa City I noticed something white in Aubrey's hand and she quickly shoved her hand into her mouth. Upon further examination I noticed that all the icycles from half of the front roof had been eaten off!

Christmas Tree Hunting

While in Indiana for Thanksgiving, we went to a tree farm and cut down a Christmas tree for my brother. We found one just Aubrey's size. (We also discovered, after my brother's tree was decorated, that Aubrey enjoys pulling two glass balls from the tree and banging them together. You can imagine how quickly they break!)

Thanksgiving Feast

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Indiana with my brother this year. Instead of cooking turkey the traditional way in the oven, we fried ours. It turned out to be one of the best turkeys I've ever had! You deep fry the turkey for about 30 minutes. The outside becomes black and hard, but the oil seals all the juices inside so the meat is very moist and delicious. It may not look appetizing, but it really was delicious! Because the oil seals the turkey meat inside, it is not greasy at all and is suppose to be just as healthy as cooking the turkey in the oven. The final picture is the scrumptious spread of food. I take no credit. My brother and sister-in-law did all the cooking and I was merely there for conversation. Talk about a great Thanksgiving!!!

Bubble Bath

When Aubrey was sick we gave her a vaporizing bubble bath that was suppose to clear her congestion. She LOVED the bubbles and we became the favorite parents in a hurry!