Later in the afternoon, we went up West Pine Creek and grabbed a Christmas Tree. Here is Adeline in the snow...it lokks dark, but it wasn't even 5 pm yet. 

...it's starting to resemble a real house! Addie calls it "my wood house." 

Saturday began with a ward Christmas Breakfast, followed by (*sigh*) another day of working on the house. Today we started wiring the basement and Rich and Dad Melin got the outside ready to side. We didn't have all the supplies we needed (they didn't send us the "hooky" things that connect 2 pieces of siding), but they did some of the shorter sections... 

Last night Rich brought this little Nutcracker ornament home for Addie (because she's really into "Barbie Nutcracker"). Addie asked to read books after prayers because she wasn't ready to go to sleep yet. I turned on the Christmas lights over her bed and gave her a pile of Christmas books to read and left. When we went back to check on her, this is how we found her. 

These are illustrations from the Nutcracker book Addie was reading last night...notice the similarities between the sleeping Marie picture and the one of Addie last night. 

Heidi and Addie watching Sesame Street this morning at 8:40 am. Heidi is working on cutting her top teeth and trying to get back to her belly from sitting up. Yesterday she kept getting one leg stuck under her belly,so she resorted to tipping herself over sideways or backward.. Looking at these pix, I think my girls look an awful ot alike! Which is cool because I don't really look like my sisters and I hated that growing up. Hopefull they will like it and feel like they "belong."

Look! Heidi Lynn can situp...she's been doing it for about 3 weeks, but we never thought to take a picture! 

Addie and Heidi always get the giggles at bedtime! Here they are laughing at Daddy as we got ready for bed after a nice Christmas Enrichment meeting at church Tuesday night. 

This is Heidi wearing the cute fleece hoodie her Nana sent her. 

Addie tried to look into the camera when it was set up on a tripod to photograph things sitting on the table. She craned her neck underneath and we got this picture! (Monday)

I Am Glad For Many Things

That's the title of a Primary song I sang with Addie earlier--and I am glad for many things today, like a breadmaker, two delightful (& I mean delightful--sparkly, cute, funny) daughters, sunshine and 40+ degree-weather, an awesome hard-working husband.

One thing I am grateful for that has really been on my mind lately is this, the 11th Article of Faith (11th of 13 statements of my LDS religious beliefs):

"We claim the privilege of worshiping the Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience and allow all men the same privilege--let them worship how, where, or what they may."

The world would be a beautiful place and our current conflicts would melt away if this were an article of every faith. How grateful I am for revelation! I am so looking forward to the Christmas Broadcast tonight--it's like the Christmas Kickoff!

In closing, an Addie-ism: Great Grandpa Bill gave her a recorder, which she calls her "FLOOP." Not flute--FLOOP. Also, any brass or woodwind is a floop, including ones made of cardboard giftwrap tubes.