'Twas the week of Christmas...

and all through the Drinkwater's house,

lots of creatures were stirring, even the mouse!!!

Hehe! We've had a fun week getting ready for Christmas!!! We had a visit from these adorable faces...

...plus Natalie, Trevor and Megan! We were supposed to spend the day baking, but spent it at Bass Pro Shop instead...
So Tyler could meet the Man in Red!!! The boys were thrilled to jump into the picture!!! Later that night we went to dinner at Red Robin and to see "Yogi Bear" to celebrate Justin's 32nd birthday!!! We had a lot of fun together! Happy Birthday! We love you so much!!!Today we enjoyed some Chili's for lunch... ...and ran off to the bowling alley as we have the past few years, only to find it closing early since it was slow. We were disappointed, but ran to the movie theatre to watch "Tangled" instead. It was adorable!!!
Now as we prepare for bed on this Christmas Eve, we want to wish you a very
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Temple Lights...

Last Monday we made a last minute decision to go to the Oakland LDS Temple for Family Home Evening and look at the Christmas lights. This is something we did last year with the kids and had a great time!

The temple is always a brightly shining beacon on top of the hill in Oakland, but at Christmas time, it is lit up even more! People from all over travel to see the temple lit up for the Christmas season! We were not going to be the exception this year!
Sealed here nearly 8 years ago! Ryan was so funny! He wanted to show everyone everything and tell everyone where to go! He loved looking at the Nativity! Unfortunately the live nativity wasn't performing that night, but looking at this beautiful Christmas display was amazing! Austin, as usual, wouldn't pause for a second to take a picture so this is what I caught of him as he was running by! Little Angles!!! Ryan telling his friends all about the Baby Jesus who was laying in the manger! Checking out the fountains!

The trip to the Temple really invited the Christmas Spirit and the beautiful Nativity reminded us what Christmas is all about!

SANTA... and his Reindeer!!!

Earlier in the month we took the boys to Bass Pro Shop to see Santa! They have a fun Wonderland area that is full of games, trains, and activities for the kids, plus you get to see Santa and get your picture taken with him for FREE!!! We love it and have gone every year!

Ryan was "so excited!!!!!" to see Santa!

Austin was a little more shy, but at least sat on his lap.
Whispering to Santa what they want for Christmas, all of which could be found down the next isle!!! A few days after seeing Santa, we went to a local farm... ...to meet the reindeer! I've never really seen a reindeer before and am guessing that they're not the friendliest of animals as there were two fences between us! They were interesting to watch though. If you listen carefully, their feet actually make a "clacking" sound. Apparently that's how they find each other in the wild! After meeting the reindeer, we boarded the train... ...which played wonderful Christmas music as we drove through and looked at the light display! It was so neat! The songs changed and pertained to whatever the display was we were closest too. On our way out, the boys rode the bikes! Our fun night didn't end there! We had one more stop... ...the famous house in town!!! We heard talk that this may be the last year he does this, because it's too much work! Understandable, but so sad we may not get to enjoy it anymore!

Our Christmas season has been full of fun! We love this time of year as we enjoy celebrating the birth of our Savior!

O Christmas Tree...

The first Saturday in December we headed off to Forest Creek Tree Farms in search of the perfect Christmas tree!

Justin got ready with measuring stick and saw in hand......and we headed out for our hunt!

Unfortunately, this is all we found! Nothing that looked like any type of Christmas Tree I'm used to seeing! Luckily, the farm had a lot on it too, so Ryan escorted us back to where the Christmas Trees really were! He didn't understand why we walked past them in the first place!We searched long and hard and found the perfect one!!! (It really only took about 5 minutes.) Ryan got the tree wagon for us... ...and Justin took the tree down and loaded it onto the wagon! No, he didn't need that saw after all! Three handsome boys!!! The boys were all treated with Candy Canes and enjoyed them in the trailer while we prepared to head home! The following evening we had a lot of fun decorating the Christmas Tree! There were ornaments on the lower 3 feet and it looked great! Austin loved that his ornament with Santa riding a Reindeer could touch the ground! That was just asking for the tree to be pulled over! After they were "nestled all snug in their beds," I fixed the Christmas Tree so it wouldn't fall on their heads! Our "stockings all hung by the chimney with care!" And our reminder of why we celebrate this time of year!

As you can see, we are all ready for Christmas!!! The boys can't wait for Santa to come, and remind me often of why we celebrate this wonderful holiday! We are so grateful for the birth and life of our Savior Jesus Christ!!!

Baby Tyler!!!

My sister Ashley was due on November 22nd with her first baby! I was sure she would have it while we were in Washington, but that wasn't the case! She went over by a week, so although Trev and Nat were back in Idaho, I was home for this wonderful event!!!

Tyler Stephen Ross (my nephew) was born on November 30th at 4:32 AM!!! My Dad and I waited patiently in the waiting room for this sight!!!

Steve came out at about 4:50 to tell us that he was here! We waited for the "okay" to head back and meet Ty!

He weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz. and was 21 1/4 inches long! He has such a long torso, a Schmidt quality!!!

Big yawn!

Hanging out with Mom! Meeting Daddy for the first time!

After going home and getting some rest, we headed back to the hospital for Ryan and Austin to meet their new baby cousin!

All three boys together! The boys are so excited to have a new baby cousin...

...and I am so excited to have a sweet baby nephew!!! They came home the next day, and we all got to snuggle and love on Tyler before we had to head back to our home!

We all love Tyler so much already!!! Congratulations Ashley and Steve!!!