Jackson turns 3

Lots of Presents


A trip to see the new Elephant Exhibit at the LA Zoo


"Pupcakes with Sparkles" (translation Cupcakes with Sprinkles)


A Cheeseburger from Five Guys


Equals one happy Three Year Old!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!!!

Thanks so much to Grandma and Grandpa for letting us crash at their house for two weeks at Christmastime. We had so much fun! I know the kids will have fond memories when they are grown up.

Christmas Eve @ In N Out

We decided on the non-traditional option for Christmas Eve Dinner. We went to In N Out. Mmmmmm.......delicious.

Christmas Eve @ Temple Square

We decided to go to Temple Square to see the lights on Christmas Eve. I was planning to go after Christmas when it wouldn't be as crowded but Lance informed me that it wouldn't be the same after Christmas. So we packed up our kids and got them as warm as we could. This was when I realized that the coat that I bought especially for Jackson to wear in SLC had been left behind in California. We improvised and kept him as warm as possible. The lights were beautiful and the kids had fun seeing them with their cousins.

A Visit from Santa

After the Nativity Pagent, there came a knock on the door, and can you guess who it was? SANTA!!! He brought presents for each child and talked to each one individually. It cracked me up when each of my children got onto Santa's lap and they totally forgot about their greedy two page Christmas Lists. When Santa asked them what they wanted for Christmas, they shyly and quietly said "books." WHAT???? What happend to the Ipod Touch, the Wii games, the DVDs, games, jewelry, clothes........??????

Nativity Re-enactment, Madsen Style

When we were kids, my parents used to dress us up on Christmas Eve and read the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible. We did it this year with all of our kids and it was so cute. I think that Jesus' actual birth was much quieter and spiritual, but we did the best we could with 9 kids under the age of 10.

Introducing Joseph and Mary


One Wise Man


An Angel with wings and a Shepard's Wife (yes, we have taken a few liberties)


Baby Jaguar's parents asked if she could participate. She added a few rejoicing howls.


And one narrator who feels she is too grown up to dress up and pretend


All gazing at the Baby Jesus. This brought back fond memories of my childhood.