Nativity

Every year we pull out the costumes and "perform" the nativity as we read the story from the scriptures. This year Elise was the angel. Or as close as she could get... Brennan and Weston were the shepherd and Aidan was a very wise man. We are few in numbers, so the rest of the cast was not present.

Santa!

We had a lovely Christmas party with the Daw family this year. We started off eating dinner together and then going caroling to a few families in their stake. We came back and watched "Christmas Oranges" (I had never seen/read it before). Dad Daw talked with the kids about the importance of Christmas. He told of how his grandparents used to give them a empty toilet paper roll filled with candy and wrapped (tootsie roll style) and they'd have them in an old coal bucket. He remembers that they loved him and gave a gift he remembers--nothing fancy. Then out of the blue--Santa came to visit us! He took the time to talk with each child and even all the adults! The kids loved it and it was very memorable.

Elise

Here are some darling photos of Elise... Just for fun!

Crawling on tip toes...

Love this outfit, even though Scott doesn't. (Thanks Ali!)

Elise's 9 month (really 10)

This little girl is quite the funny child. Maybe it is that I think she looks so much like my baby photos, but she is a little monkey! She started crawling a month or so ago, and now she loves exploring the house. I have to make sure I sweep and vacuum daily because she eats anything she finds on the ground! With all the Christmas decor up right now, her favorite is the red berry trees... at least the berries are fake and not poisonous. About a week ago she pulled herself into standing. Two days later I found her at the top of our little stairway--just two steps--but I wasn't expecting her to be able to crawl up steps that quickly!

And now since she is pulling up, she likes to stand at her kitchen set. She can't do much but stand there since she is hanging on for dear life, but, she sure feels big!

And the other day we were cleaning the freezer and she got curious and climbed right in!

Once inside though, she realized it was quite cold and she didn't want to stay!

Here is her "morning" look. This is when I think she looks most like me. Kind of a silly look... disheveled hair... stinky... We took her into the doctor for her check up and she is still long and skinny--29.5 inches and 17.3 pounds. 90th and 10th percentiles (respectively). My my.

Her hair is growing--a bit. We are able to do one tiny little ponytail which I promptly hide with a bow or flower... We tried two pony tails and that just looks silly (see below).

Elise had her first OREO cookie and loved it. I love in this photo how her tongue is still looking for a last little bite. She is such a joy. The boys still love her, though she tries to get into their toys and pull down their blocks, etc. Still, they are nice to her and are always playing with her. Weston is very helpful in getting her out of bed and watching her if I am busy. Aidan made her a Christmas present--a snake. He is very excited to give it to her. And Brennan kept her busy with toys for 45 minutes the other day and I was able to get all the dishes done! Thanks boys! And we love you sweet little girl!

Off track fun

The boys were off track for four weeks this time, and unfortunately it was one week too long... But, we still had a pretty good time. One thing we did is borrow a CD of the States and Capitols of the US and we have memorized quite a bit. We also borrowed a puzzle and game and have had lots of fun learning about the US. We also stayed busy with Thanksgiving crafts, the trip to Idaho, and preparing for Christmas.Luckily it snowed and the boys played outside quite a bit. Brennan loves it outside and Elise was very jealous, so I set her out there and she loved it. Too bad her snowsuit didn't let her crawl very well... She would have been in the snow fort with her brothers.

We make a gingerbread house every year, but this year I got a kit that has five houses so each kid could make their own. They made them and then promptly ate them.

Now we are in full swing of Christmas activities. Brennan keeps saying that it is his birthday coming up and he is having a Christmas birthday. He also gets mad if people say it is not Christmas. To him, Christmas is a long time--not just one day. Which is great. But won't he be suprised and happy that morning...

Brennan's Birthday

Happy Birthday Three Year Old Brennan!!! You are such a fun and silly boy!
Brennan turned three and had three different parties! We were in Idaho for the morning of his birthday, so the day before we had a little party with the Brown and Barker families (and their neighbors). I bought a cake and had them write Happy Birthday Brennan. For weeks he could not decide which kind of a birthday he wanted---Thomas the Train or Dinosaur. So, we did both. I bought a train and a dinosaur and put them on top of the cake (look closely at the photo below to see what the dinosaur is doing...). Pretty fun, and WAY easy... :) I really wanted to do something fun, but being in Idaho it just wasn't going to happen. He did get a fun present from Omi and Opa--dinosaur hand puppets. They have been played with dialy.

And then we drove back home on his birthday, so for his party that night, we just had him open his present and then ate ice cream. But then the next day we had Thanksgiving and so we kind of celebrated for him then, too. He got a present from Grandma and Grandpa--more trains. He is really into trains lately, and I am not sure why. But he has had lots of fun with them.
He is such a fun and funny kid. He loves to play with his brothers and he adores his little sister. Unbelievably he is going to be going into Sunbeams in just a few weeks!

Update: Brennan just had his three year old doctor visit and he is 29 pounds and 36 inches. Nice normal child. Normal, yeah right. Snort.

Park City/Trip to Idaho

Scott and I decided to get away for a little time on our own without kids. We found an amazing deal up in Park City/Deer Valley and a really nice hotel. We farmed out the kids (thanks so much!!!) and took off Friday evening. It was so nice to sleep in on Saturday--no crying baby or boys waking us up! We had a brunch with Uncle Phil and Aunt Doreen. They are so much fun to be with! We went to a fun local diner and ate LOTS of breakfast. They drove us around up in the mountains showing us all the fun spots. It had started to snow and didn't stop at all--it was so beautiful. We ate at a very fancy restaurant (thank goodness we had a coupon... :) and headed back very early Sunday morning. Scott was recalled into the bishopric and that was his first week with them, plus he was speaking in church. I picked up all the kids and got them ready for church; we went to sacrament meeting (great talk hon!), I was released from my calling, then I took the boys home, packed up the car, and headed to Idaho!

Since the boys are off track, we wanted to go up to Idaho to visit the fam, but since it was Scott's parents year for Thanksgiving, it wasn't too long of a trip. It was very enjoyable though. Monday we put together Christmas presents, Heidi and I went shopping, and the kids played in the snow. Tuesday we did more of the same and had Taco Tuesday with their neighbors. Heidi gave a fun lesson about Ireland and we had delicious fish and chips. Wednesday we worried and fretted about whether I should go home that day or not because of the storm, but after much thought, we felt it would be fine. And it was for the most part. There was a stint from IF to Pocatello that was treacherous, but slow going we were fine.

The kids had such a great time together and Elise was loved by all cousins. Plus it was fun for her to "play with" her cousin Rowan. It was fun to see poor mom, though she is getting around better with her broken ankle. Dad was always out with the goats and kept us all safe and warm in the winter storm. Fun trip!
Here is Brennan after getting himself in jammies--look closely at his pants. His waist is in a leg hole.... Here is Weston with a coloring page of some Irish stuff. Very fancy.

Elise and cousin Rowan in the tub!!
And although this wasn't taken in Idaho, it is a sweet photo of me with my lovely Aidan.

Daw Family Photo

We took photos a few months ago, but I never really loved the family shot. So, we tried again. Argh. I hate trying to get all of us looking at the camera. Really, there should be an easier way. But, we got a good photo, I think. Thanks to my mom for doing some "magic". Here it is!

Halloween

Halloween was bunches of fun--it was especially fun to dress up Elise. I can't decide which photo to put up, so I put up three! She dressed as a Zebra one night and the next night as Tinkerbell. Brennan was the cutest bat I have ever seen and Aidan a fierce cowboy. Weston was a scary "Grim Reaper"--although he doesn't know what that is. The boys were so excited for Halloween and 50 days ago put up a chain to tear off daily. We finally made it! They would also put Halloween pictures up all over the house. I gathered them all, snapped a photo, and now ...most of them... are in the garbage.Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday to Omi.

Plank

Check out my strong baby--she is doing a plank!

She is getting bigger and stronger and funner and crazier. She is really close to crawling. She gets up on her hands and knees and rocks. She can go from sitting to on her belly and then back to sitting. She finally has her fourth tooth. And now the rest are trying to get through, too. She loves food and will eat practically anything. She usually eats more than the boys (combined...). She loves to clap and tries to wave. She is usually very cheerful and pleasant--although she occasionally has her moments.

Utah weather in October (and the fire)

Our weather has been great the past while--so warm. The kids have loved playing outside and taking it all in. But, now it is starting to cool down, and because Utah is the way it is, one day it is nice, the next it is crazy! I took this photo of our October roses one day:

And this the next day!!

The kids were so excited for the snow they put all on their gear and made up this snowman by 8:30 in the morning. Of course by the afternoon the snow had all melted, but at least they got a snowman in! They are ready for winter.
Speaking of weather, I never mentioned it before, but we had a fire here in Herriman. It made for quite an exciting night. Scott saw the smoke on his way home from church on September 19th. We had my sister over for dinner and when I dropped her off at the bus stop I noticed all the smoke and saw the fire. The whole mountainside was lit up. It was actually pretty cool looking. But, as I neared Herriman, I could tell things could get bad. The traffic getting into Herriman was pretty crazy since so many people were coming to get a look at it. Smoke was moving really fast across the sky. By the time I got home, the fire had come up over the ridge and was coming down the mountainside towards all the homes. Areas were being evacuated, but I still felt pretty safe. We were glued to the tv all night and wouldn't have been able to get to sleep anyway, thinking of what could happen. I guess the fire could have gotten to us, but it really would have had to move quite a bit, and either go through hundreds of homes first, or travel a mile or so east and then a mile or so down the field AND THEN over to our house. So, I didn't panic. But, just in case, we went through the house and marked the things we would put in the car before jetting out. It was a good reminder of what to do to be ready for a disaster. Glad nothing happened to us, and really the whole community was blessed that more didn't happen.


Scott was able to get some good photos.

Fall Soccer

The boys loved Soccer this year. Aidan played on the team with his coach from last year and they have really improved, actually winning a game or two. He has gotten faster and has better footwork. He is just as funny as ever to watch!

Weston is on a new team (thank goodness, his coach last year was the pits!) with his friends from school. Which is great 'cause they practice at recess every day! They played really well and work well together. Weston has improved greatly and really loves to try and "head it".

Jokes!

Here is a joke for you all: Knock Knock, Who's there? Boo. Boo Who? Don't cry it is only a joke. Funny, right? Well the kids have really been into jokes lately and that is one often said. Some others are: Why did the chicken cross the road (to get to the other side), and Why did the dog sit in the sun (he wanted to be a hot dog).

Tonight as we were driving home, the kids were talking and we weren't really listening and then I hear Brennan yelling at me, "Mom, Listen me!" Yes? "Mom, why did the leaf fall off the tree in the dirt?" Me, thinking he wanted a scientific explanation began telling him things, and he kept saying, "no, no". And repeating the question. Finally somehow I realized he was asking me a joke. So I asked, why? "It needed to be a hot dog!" Haa haa! Really funny. "Mom, listen me!" Yes? "Why did the chicken live in the sun?" Why? "It needed to be a hot dog." Oh, my kid is a comedian, where does he come up with these things??? Last joke. "Mom, why did the duck cross the road?" Scott piped up, thinking he knew the answer--it needed to be a hot dog. "No! Cause we need to hit the duck!" Really? Not so funny, yet soooo funny!

Let's Play (More) Music!

I have posted before about Aidan's music class, but here is more! He is loving it and I rave over it! He sings all the time anyway, but now he is learning things--in a simple and fun way--about music that will help him be a great singing/musician. I really feel like he can go far with music--it is already such a part of him. This program is soooo great. We were singing songs the other day, and he could pick out when the song had "mi re do"--then he sat down on the piano and found those notes (e, d, c) and played them! Not only that, then he started playing around and yelled out, "Hey mom! I am playing 'Mary had a little Lamb'!" I love it!

Right now they are having a giveaway --go check it out! (Especially you Cindy and Kerrin!)

Family Visit

My family came into town for my brother Kyle's sealing! All the girls got together and went shopping. MAJOR shopping. We left at 3:00 and didn't get home until 9:00! We hit lots of stores and loved all of it. The ladies at Coldwater Creek have never had such a crowd shopping at their place! Kohl's was victim of our savvy shopping and we got away with many steals. We only wish our legs would have taken us longer and farther. We must get together again! And, oh, congrats Ky and Linzi! It was a wonderful ceremony and we are so happy for them. They are a darling couple and wonderful parents to Evy dear. Plus, congrats on the the anticipation of a new arrival!