Hey.. it is December...

I feel like this is just the running explanation, for everything.
The dusting hasn't been done everywhere in our house..  hey, it is December.
The laundry still needs to be folded..  hey it is December.
You went to how many craft stores today?!..  hey, it is December.
When will you post again?..  hey, it is December.
So what do we do around here if I am not yelling, threatening, or shoveling snow?
Well, we laugh..
The girls have been on one roll of good ones lately, that is when they aren't being naughty and getting yelled at.
Tonight, Lynn said:  "Mom, I know you are in love with coupons..  you cut them out and then you kiss them, and then you cry when they aren't yours anymore."
At least she knows I love them.
Ashley spent most of our time spent at JoAnn's making out with a nutcracker while she lounged in the shopping cart.
Yes, a nutcracker.
He was only five dollars, but I just couldn't bring him home knowing this is what would happen to him everyday.  He deserves to go to a good home..  that lady perusing the ornaments got a good laugh though.
Peyton was quite social at dinner tonight.  She stood in her chair, placed both of her hands on the table, leaned forward and said, "HI!" to each of us in turn, and waited for a response.
It went something like this:
"Hi mom!"
"Hi Pey.."
"Hi Inn!"
Lynn's mouth was full, so she waved and mumbled a "Hi Pey!"
"Hi Ash-ee!"
"Hi Ash-ee!"
"HI ASH-EEEEE!"
After a couple more attempts, Peyton replied in a high-pitched voice for Ashley..  "Hi Pey-don!"
She also is learning to LOVE her treats.
Last week, after one of many trips to the craft store where I purchased a small sucker for each of the girls, Peyton wanted more.  Only Lynn's was left, sitting on the counter, waiting for her to arrive home from school.
Peyton kept pointing at it, and would say, "Teet mom..  teet!"  (and that means treat for those of you thinking of something else...  tsk tsk..)
I would tell her it was Lynn's and she would ask back, "Pey-don's?"
The way she says her own name so sweetly almost wins me over every time..
Ashley and Lynn were playing Little People with Peyton one night, and too many funny things happened there..  first, Ash was pretending to be a monster, attacking the house.  She wasn't just any monster though, she was Tyler (Their 10 month old cousin) who's method of attack was to drool all over everything!
Poor kid..  he's so picked on!
Ashley then lined up all the Little People she could find, the Nativity included, and told me that these were all of her outfits.  She went through a description of each, and when she got to the Angel from the Nativity, she told me, "This is my wedding dress because it is pure and white and this is what you wear when you get married in the temple."
I was so proud of her!  I started to tear up a little until she added, "And I am going to marry Brandon because he's SO HANDSOME!!"
There was a lot of giggling and a little blushing after that.
Merrill and I snuggled up on Sunday, just being lazy, flipping through football games.  There may or may not have  been a little or a lot of kissing, but now Lynn won't leave it alone and has been announcing LOUDLY where ever we went today, that she saw me and "her dad" making out.
Ashley wanted to make a fort the other night.  One of our new rules (adopted from someone I know..) is to have their chores done before dad is home from work.  One of those chores is to have a tidy room.  Ashley took every single book from her room and brought them into the kitchen, stacking them on top of the bar stools to help anchor down her blanket.  I warned her in advance (like, as she was taking the books out of her room..) that SHE would be responsible for putting them all away.
Well, time soon passed, and dad was coming home.  I told Ashley that she needed to have it cleaned up.
The tears and tantrum quickly followed.
"I can't do this all by myself!!!"
More came out between her dramatic sobs..
"I am too little to do all of this work!"
I reminded her that she did it all by herself in the first place and it was her responsibility to take care of the mess, but she didn't agree.
"I want YOU to do it..."  she whined.
"I will make you a deal Ash..  if you finish making dinner, go switch the laundry, clean all the glass, finish scrubbing the toilets, oh, and change Pey's bum, I will clean up your books."
The tears stopped.
Her face went blank.
"I'll just do this."
And I didn't her any more crying from her.
She even put them all away where they belong, on the shelf, not under her bed. :)
We also celebrated Grandma P's 90th..

Had to PhotMerge a couple of faces on this one..  Cade has this look on his face all  12 shots I got.

Went to Ogden's Christmas Village...
And had a photo shoot for our Christmas cards..  (coming soon to a mailbox near you..)
Oh, did I mention that we got snow?

We also went for a drive last night to go do donuts down by the hotel.
We got stuck.
Thankfully, Austin and Brooke rolled up, and we all pushed out little Civic out of the mess..  it was my idea to do such a wreck less thing in the first place.
We are kind of wishing that part of our night out Saturday would have been to purchase a snow blower..  whoops.
It was also quite exciting piling our little family into the truck to get over the snowdrifts at the end of the driveway in order to get to church. :)