Trimming the Tree 2016

My little Elves had so much fun setting up Christmas.  We love Holiday Traditions one of my Favorites is everyone wearing a Santa Hat to set up Christmas.  I think it's one of my favorites because it was a tradition that Jeremy and I started when we got married.  So fun!  Now the kids totally look forward to wearing their Santa Hats to decorate the house. 

Chandler, wanted to set up the Willow Tree Nativity. 

WE love this beautiful artificial tree but man was it a pain this year. It took us hours to fix all the lights.
I guess we had it coming because the last couple years we haven't had to play with lights.  It's sure beautiful and was totally worth the time spent playing with lights.

It was definitely a team effort trying to fix these silly lights. 

Everyone has their Santa hats on and are ready to get to work.  

Kayden was a huge help with testing all the lights. 

Awe, what a cute picture of these two.
Never, a second missed trying to freeze moments like this

Oh these boys....  They were trying to do situps to get a piece of Chocolate.
I guess they are burning off the calories they are consuming?  

Chandler was hilarious.  He was laughing so hard.  He did manage to eat
his chocolate without chocking.  Luckily.  Fun, Fun

Chandler got to put the star on the tree this year.  He was sooo excited. 

Our cute Brooklyn elf waiting to test more tree lights.  It's a process
going through all these light I tell you. 

Cool, Chandler Elf!  He was waiting to decorate the tree. 

I love this man of MINE!

Me and my peanut!

Look at this Dashing Santa elf.  Kayden you are rocking this look.

These two are the best of friends.
Nothing like having a bigger brother.  Awe

My Beautiful Brooklyn Girl.  I can't believe she is 14.  

Me and my Baby Girl.  Yep, she totally looks like me
.  Look how long her hair is getting.

It's finally time to decorate the tree.  FINALLY

Well, done sweetheart.  You fixed all the lights and the tree is ready to decorate.

Look, all the lights are fixed.  

Yes, even I get out behind the camera to participate in decorating the tree. 

Awe, love this picture of my baby girl hanging up her favorite ornament. 

This year I got Jermey a special bulb.  It is a hand painted from the inside Italy bulb.
Italy has a special place in his heart because he served his mission there.  So now he has
another reminder of his amazing Country.  Love you BABE!!!  

Kaiserslautern Christmas Market

Tonight we got to go to the market with some awesome friends.
We did a Military Resistance class with these couples.
The Websters, The Pardues and The Browns.  

Mitchie and I enjoying our Mint Hot Chocolate. in our super
cute Christmas Tree mugs.
I love the atmospher of the Christmas market.   

Jeremy and Doug brown enjoying the Kinder Punch in their
Christmas Tree mugs.  

Jeremy enjoying his Bannana Hot Chocolate in his
Super cute Christmas boot.  This booth had about 8 different Hot Cocoa Flavors.
YUMMM!!!

I love this picture of us.  (Andrew is photo bombing.)
I love this man of mine.  Germany sure make Christmas Magical.

Mitchie, Jeremy, Doug, Andrew Michelle, Lonna, and Shawn

This is by far my favorite mug to date.  I love this Christmas boot!!!

After the Christmas Market we went to Vapiano's for some delicious
Italian food. We had so much fun with the Browns that we
ended up staying here until 11:30pm.  What a perfect evening.

Queidersbach Christmas Market

Jeremy and I got to hit up our little Christmas market in our quaint village.

Tina with Father Christmas.

Jermey with Father Christmas.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Our Christmas market was primarily food.  Not a lot of booths but it was still fun to hang
with our neighbors.  

Queidersbach Christmas Market.

I love making all these memories with my sweetheart.
We LOVE Germany and love the little town we live in.

Kayden turns 17

I can't believe my sweet little boy, my first born is turning 17 today.  Look how grown up he is.  Kayden I have loved you for the moment I heard your heartbeat.  You are turning into such an amazing Man.  You keep things REAL.  You make me laugh, you keep me on my toes, you teach me new things, you amaze me. I love you Kayden, I hope you have an amazing, wonderful Happy Birthday.

Kayden some of your favorites:
You love your Leather Jacket, You love Anything Broadway!  You listen to Pandora every spare moment you can.
You are loving your nursing course at school.  You love games any kind of game card, board.  You love movies.

Fun Birthday door

Fun Birthday Table

Fun Birthday Sign

Kayden had a special Birthday at Seminary.
Sister Moak made him a pumpkin pie his very favorite cereal and a birthday
badge and crown.  What a perfect way to start your Birthday.

Kayden wanted homemade doughnuts for his birthday dinner.  I just couldn't eat just doughnuts for dinner.  So I made chicken, potatoes, and lots of veggies.  We made lots of doughnut holes. This was only half the doughnut recipe.

Here is the Birthday Boy enjoying the very first pudding stuffed doughnut.
I made Lemon (Kayden's favorite) and Vanilla pudding so we could stuff
some doughnuts and top them with chocolate icing.  YUMMMM!

Perfection.  Crispy warm doughnut on the outside with lemon goodness on the inside.

Who needs cake when you can have a plate of your favorite doughnuts.  

The Flavors Kayden wanted...

Cinnamon and Sugar, Powder Sugar, Tang, Lemonade, 

Cocoa, and lemon filled doughnuts topped with homemade chocolate icing. 

Kayden is always our jokester when it comes to present giving.  I decided to give him
a taste of his own medicine.  I wrapped his present and took Jermey's Army duck tape and seal all the edges with it.
and I wrapped it again so he couldn't see the tape.  It was hilarious.  He was like what on earth.  I also included a note saying he could not use any tools only his hands.  

Kayden struggled for all of 30 sec.  He totally figured it out and just ripped it.
Hummmm I think I'm going to have to make it a little harder next year.

After all that tape and wrappping paper he got his favorite game.
Camel up.  Can't wait to play it.  Kayden has wanted this game since he played
it on his mini mission. 

Brooklyn, got the best sister award. Her gifts were all kayden's favorites.
He got Pickles.  I think this was his favorite gift.  Pickles.  How funny! 

These boys really are the best of friends.  Chandler's gift was a huge hit.

Happy, Happy, 17th Birthday Kayden!

Ward Trunk or Treat

Happy Halloween from A Skeleton, Alien, and Batvenger.

I was asked to help with decorations for the ward Trunk or Treat.
Tanae and I had some fabulous ideas.  Look at all the bats

Tanae, created a fun Photo Boo-th

Filled with fun masks.

Our beautiful Entry way.  Love!!!

I made the center pieces.  They turned out super cute
I love all the things you can do with suckers.

I made 60 of these little guys.  You put a penny at the bottom of the sucker and they stand up.
Brilliant.  They were so fun and the kids loved eating them.

We had a pie contest so I made my pumpkin pie

And Chocolate Pecan.  They look Delicious.  

I loved Kayden's costume this year.  He has been studying bones
for his nursing course and when I saw this outfit I just had to get it for him.
We found some gloves at one of the German stores and it was Perfect!!!
Kayden wanted his face painted.  I think he looks awesome.  Well maybe we needed different shoes.

The backside.

Brooklyn created a new Super Hero.
Her name is BAT-Vengers.  It's half batman half avengers
She is adorable with her cute bat leggings, and batman shirt with her cape.
We tried to draw a bat on her face. She looks like a beautiful hero to me.

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na BAT-Vengers to the rescue.

Chandler, wasn't sure what he wanted to be.  He thought maybe a storm trooper but when we couldn't find a costume he liked  and didn't brake the bank we came up empty.  Chandler decided he wanted to be an Alien.  He wanted his face painted.  Brooklyn decided to color his hair.  Kayden put some awesome wounds on his hands with blue blood.  Chandler was so happy with his costume.  Score!  Win, Win We didn't break the bank and Chandler was super happy.... 

Here is Chandler's Alien face for Kayden's movie.
Chan makes an excellent Alien.

We did a pumpkin patch theme trunk this year.  

Happy Halloween from the Bastian's.