Christmas Morning...

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year! On Christmas Eve the kids opened their pajamas. They were so soft and looked so cute and cuddly! It was Avery's first time having two piece pajamas and she was so excited and felt so grown up. She kept pointing at them and saying, "Jammies Mama!" Someone also snuck some pajamas (for Steve and I to share) under the tree for Steve to open. :) The kids slept until about 8:30am Christmas morning which was nice. We heard Maddy wake up and could hear him talking about opening presents before he went out into the front room. As soon as he saw that Santa had made a stop at our house he ran into our room telling us that Santa had came and brought presents. He was so excited, it was priceless! I wish I could bottle up those moments and save them! Here are a few pictures of the kids opening their presents Christmas morning...

Between Santa and family members Avery ended up with three new dolls and two strollers for the dolls. She was a happy camper. Although she mostly likes pushing her old favorite doll "baby" around. She is still pushing dolls around all the time. She also got some more pj's and some clothes.

Maddy got the three things on his list that he asked Santa for. They were "Hot Wheels" cars (and race track), "Gator Golf" game and the "Don't Break the Ice" game. He got the "Lets Go Fishing" game from his cousins in California. He also got some more pj's and clothes.

Avery all smiles pushing her old favorite doll "baby" around the house.

Maddy played with his Hot Wheels (and track) for hours. Here is a short video of him playing with it...

I made Steve (and other family members) a photo album for the past year and gave Steve some cologne. He gave me a few gift certificates for one hour massages... yippe-can't wait to use them! After we opened all our gifts, Steve starting putting things together and I made breakfast. We had bacon, eggs, hashbrowns and toast. While I was cooking Maddy could smell the bacon and said, "Yum, I smell yummy food." I think it is the first time I've made bacon for them. We had such a relaxing fun day together as a family.

Whatever Wednesday: Christmas Spirit...

I hope your heart will be full with the true Christmas Spirit this Christmas...

Merry Christmas!

Music Monday: Silent Night...

Mormon Tabernacle Choir: Silent Night...

Christmas Cookies...

Wednesday after celebrating Maddy's birthday and running around all day shopping and going to Maddy's Dr. appointment we went to Jamie's house to make cookies for our weekly outing. It was fun and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Yummy cookies!

Thanks everyone for the company and thanks Jamie for having us!

Maddy's Day...

As you already know Wednesday was Maddy's fourth birthday. We are having a family birthday party for him when we all get together for Christmas so everyone can be there. But I still tried to make it a special day for him. Here is a little glimpse of his day...

I let him choose what he wanted for breakfast... he chose leftover pizza from the night before.

Steve came home around 9 am in between clients so Maddy could open his presents from us (I'm pretty sure Steve was as excited as Maddy was.) Maddy is a bit obsessed with the Ben 10 cartoon and already has the first three volumes on DVD and he got the fourth for his birthday.

He also got this Ben 10 Omnitrix watch. You probably have no clue what I'm talking about. There are all these different creatures (with powers that Ben 10 turns into on the show) that can be attached to the watch and it lights up, makes noises and talks. He has been wanting one for so long so he was very excited and can't stop playing with it. He also got cards and money from family members (thank you everyone.)

Steve putting his watch on for the first time. I seriously put it on him so many times throughout the day... it's kind of driving me crazy.

One happy boy showing off his Omnitrix watch (with one of the ten creatures on it.)

After we opened presents I took the kids to Walmart so Maddy could pick out his cake for next weeks party. Of course he picked out a Ben 10 cake. We did some other shopping and ran some errands before going to his well child Dr. appointment.

Maddy was so excited to show Dr. Berry his new Omnitrix watch and Dr. Berry humored him and even turned off the lights so he could see it glow. He's healthy and everything looked good. The Dr. did note that he has big tonsils and asked if he snores. He does a bit and is a really heavy breather when he is sleeping. He said to watch and see if he is a nose or mouth breather. If he is a mouth breather we might want to see a specialist and consider getting his tonsils taken out. Here are his measurements:

Weight-34.6 lbs. (40%)
Height-41 inches(65%)

After his appointment he wanted to go to Wendy's for lunch and then we headed home for a few minutes before heading to Jamie's house to make Christmas cookies. After being at the Dr.'s and out shopping for hours the kids were wore out and both fell asleep while I was driving to Jamie's house to make cookies. After we left Jamie's we came home and had eggs and pancakes for dinner (which Maddy loves.) At the end of the day before going to bed he said he had a really fun day.

Happy Birthday Maddy! We love you more than you will ever know!

Special Day...

I can't believe how time flies! Today Maddox is four. Here are a some things I want to remember about him at this age...

*He is SO affectionate and I'm soaking it all up and can't seem to get enough. He is constantly telling me he loves me and giving me huge hugs and kisses throughout the day. After tucking him in bed we can't leave the room until he gives us both hugs and kisses and tells us he loves us and will see us in the morning.

*He is learning so much in school and has learned most of his letters and can write and spell his name.

*I can now officially say he has stopped sucking his fingers (because he is growing up he says) and we are so proud of him! Has been bandaid free for a while now.

*He is so smart and creative and his imagination is endless. We pretty much play pretend all day long every day. A few of which include he makes me all kinds of food, makes things disappear and shoots goop everywhere.

*He is very competitive and always want to be first. First in line, first getting somewhere, first to get in the car, etc.

*He is initially pretty shy but usually warms up pretty quick.

*He now insists on sleeping with his door wide open.

*He dresses himself and is very particular about what he wears. He still loves to spend most of the day in his PJ's.

*He has gotten so used to going places with my sisters and I that almost every day he wakes up and asks if we are going somewhere fun today.

*When he wakes up in the morning he now yells from his bed to me (I'm usually still in bed), "Mom I'm awake now." I tell him to go ahead and get up.

*He is always looking out for Avery and helping her do things and taking care of her when she gets hurt. His favorite person is his Daddy and he waits for him to get home to play with him. He also always says he wants Daddy when he starts crying if he gets hurt or anything like that.

*He loves trains, legos (especially building trains, airplanes, rockets and shooters), Ben 10, Diego, Dora, Max & Ruby, the color green, playing air dart guns with his Dad, nuggleing while watching movies (especially GI Joe & Transformers) with us, making sound effects and playing with anything that shoots, playing with Avery, helping me do everything from cooking to cleaning, going to school & church and carrying random things around with him... I'm really hoping he outgrows this and doesn't turn into a hoarder.

Whatever Wednesday: Gina Kolsrud Photography...

Gina Kolsrud is another amazing photographer I've stumbled across in this awesome blogging world. I think her work is very beautiful & artistic. She also uses lots of textures. You can check out her blog here. Check out some of my favorite posts here, here, here, here & here.

Christmas Party...

On Saturday Steve and I were invited to one of his clients Christmas parties. It was at the Marriott Hotel and we had a great time. The food was great as well as the entertainment...

Jon Schmidt entertained us on the piano. He is very talented and entertaining. I have featured his "Love Story meets Viva La Vida" on one of my "Music Monday" posts so I was pleasantly surprised to find out he was performing. He did an awesome job and even played for us laying upside down. We were all sent home with signed copies of his cd's which is also awesome!

We got a non-family member babysitter for the first time and the kids had a fun time playing with Summer. I have a feeling we will be going out a lot more often.

Music Monday: What Child is This...

This duet/video combination is breathtaking. Definitely puts me in the true Christmas spirit!

Andrea Bocelli & Mary J. Blige: What Child is This...

A Visit with Santa...

Wednesday my sisters (Stacy & Jamie) and I took the kids to the mall to see Santa. After last year's experience with Santa I was pretty sure they were going to want nothing to do with him. But I was pleasantly surprised. They were OK sitting by him as long as I sat with them. Maddy was super cute and made sure he told Santa what he wanted for Christmas (Gator Golf, Hot Wheels and an Ice Breaker game.) I don't think Avery was really sure what to think of it all.

I told the kids if they were good and sat on Santa's lap they could go on a ride... they chose the bus and Maddy loved driving (sitting in it pretending to steer while it bounces back and forth) it and was smiling the whole time. I had a fun time doing a little shopping with my sisters and we hit up McDonalds again on the way home. It's a good thing I've been on my best behavior and have been working out!

Whatever Wednesday: Letters...

Dear Snow,

Feel free to hang around until the end of December, but I won't feel hurt one bit if we part ways after that.

Dear Heater,

Thanks so much for keeping me so warm lately.

Dear Steve, thanks for doing the majority of the Christmas shopping and decorating. Oh and feel free to keep being so hot, funny and loveable.

Dear Maddy,

Please stop growing up so fast! I can't believe you will be four next week. Oh and can you make a mental note to never stop giving me lots of hugs and kisses and telling me you love me lots of times throughout the day.

Dear Avery,

You stop growing up so fast as well! Compared to the whopping 1 1/2 pounds you were when we first met you, you are now a giant. Oh and I wouldn't mind at all if your tantrums became less frequent or even completely went away.

Dear Bed,

Nothing has changed with you, you are still my most favorite place in the whole world.

Dear Christmas Tree,

Thanks for lighting up our home and putting me into the Christmas spirit.

Dear Gym,

I don't look forward to our daily time together, but I feel the biggest sense of accomplishment when our time comes to an end.

Dear Scale,
Thanks for giving me a daily reality check so I don't let those extra holiday calories creep up on me.

Dear Blog Readers,

Thanks for reading on a regular basis, but I've been really really really missing your comments. My most favorite part of blogging is the feedback.

Love,

Steph

Fun in the Snow...

We woke up to lots of snow today... Maddy said "Look Mom, it is snowing-is it my birthday?" His birthday is next week and he associates snow with his birthday. We headed out and had some playing in the snow.

YUM!

LOVE this picture of Avery.

Maddy and I had a snowball fight and of course he won...

Weekend...

One of Steve's clients is a train fanatic. On Saturday he was having an open house with all of his trains on display. There were seriously trains in almost every room. We took the kids and they loved it! My favorite was the one pictured above. It is an entire room dedicated to this setup. The details are so intricate and amazing and everything has meaning to the family.

The view at the back where the trains go through the mountain.

Besides decorating for Christmas and going to see the trains we also had a great day Sunday. I went to an awesome RS morning side about the Savior (thanks to everyone who participated-it was very spiritual.) After church I took a nap and then Sunday evening we went to a friends house for dinner and had a great time catching up them (thanks Aaron & Jessica.)

These Two...

... make me laugh! They keep me hopping. They are always up to something. They are really good at playing (and fighting) together. One day last week I was busy trying to get a bunch of housework done and realized they were being too quiet. I thought they were in Maddy's room playing, but it turns out they were in the bathroom (with the door closed.) Avery (in only her diaper-don't judge I was doing laundry) was having a splash fest in the toilet and sink. Maddy was "going to the bathroom." So yes-I'm not sure if Avery was splashing before or after he took care of business (or both) and to be honest I really don't want to know.

Just a couple updates...

Maddy is still not sucking his fingers-although he still has bandaids on them. They were off for a couple days (with no finger sucking) and then I caught him almost sucking his fingers so they were put back on. They were again taken off after another week and he went four days before I caught him almost sucking them again. So they are currently back on but I think the habit will be completely broken real soon.

Avery has been completely off baby food for over a month now. I'm still trying to think of things she can eat that don't require tons of chewing (cause she still hasn't quite figured it out) but she is progressing really well and wants to eat everything. I've also started having her wear her glasses again... kind of got out of the habit. Maybe now she won't be so clumsy.

Christmas Tree...

I've kind of been feeling a little "bah humbug" this year and was really considering not putting up a Christmas Tree this year. I'm not feeling down or anything I just was having a hard time getting any motiviation to decorate, shop, etc. I'm sure being sick for the last few weeks hasn't helped. Well Steve isn't having it so Friday night he brought the tree up from upstairs, decorated it (while I sat and watched while waiting for some pizza to be delivered) and hung lights in some of our trees outside. Saturday he also went and got the majority of the Christmas shopping done for the kids. I must admit I'm warming up and love turning the Christmas Tree lights on and turning all the other lights off at night while I'm enjoying the evening after the kids are in bed. Thanks Steve for your persistence!

Live Nativity...

Thursday my sister Jamie and I took our kids to a Live Nativity in Draper. It ran from 6pm-9pm and we thought we would be smart and beat the crowds and get there at 5:30. Well turns out everyone else had the same idea and the lines were already completely insane when we got there. Factoring in the ice cold FREEZING weather, the kids were not happy campers. After standing in line for one hour (and hardly moving) all the kids (except Lola) were hysterically crying. We made it to the very first display (no where close to most of what was to see-including the manger and all that good stuff) and then left. I thought the kids would calm down once getting into the car but they didn't. Needless to say it wasn't a very fun drive home. Looking back we are now thinking, what were we thinking... but we can at least laugh about it now.

Jamie and kids-the look on Dallin's face pretty much sums up how everyone was feeling (except Lola of course-she was as happy as always.)

This is the only part we made it to.

I took this picture on our way back to the car.

Maddy was so upset cause he wanted to go but he still really wanted to see the animals I had told him we would see. When we were headed back to the car a really nice girl saw how upset he was and offered to take a picture of the camel for us-we were behind the ropes so we couldn't really see. I thought it was a really nice gesture.

The kids finally calmed down after about 15 minutes of driving so we stopped at McDonalds to eat, let the kids play and allow us some time to unwind. As you can see they were much happier.

Yes I know my child looks a bit homeless-she really is taken care of. Claire loved sharing her fries with Avery.

These pictures were taken on the drive up... the drive home was not nearly this peaceful.

This was definitely far from being one of our better outings but I guess you have to take the bad with the good. Thanks Jamie for surviving with me.

Music Monday: Chasing Pirates...

Really liking the feel of the latest from Norah Jones.

Norah Jones: Chasing Pirates...

If you want to see the official music video go here.

Whatever Wednesday: lnspiring Quote...

“Make a radical change in your lifestyle & begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances & yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, & conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, & hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new & different sun. If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security & adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning & its incredible beauty.” — Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

Found here.

Santa...

On Friday Jamie and I took the kids to see Santa land in a helicopter at the Mall. Maddy is still scared of Santa so I told him we would just watch him land and that he didn't have to sit on his lap.

Avery was happy as long as she had food in her hands, and didn't want to smile for the camera.

Jamie and kids.

The helicopter getting ready to land.

Santa making the rounds.

After we decided to wander the mall for a bit. There was a booth set up for the kids to make snowflakes. Maddy made sure he wrote a "M" for Maddy in the center of his.

After a little shopping, lunch and letting the kids play in the kid area we decided to call it a day. Since it was the day after Thanksgiving the crowds and lines were crazy. We did come home with some cute clothes for the kids however.