And, when Daddy is home...FUN

It was still pretty cold, but at least the sun was out (it hasn't been for a VeRy LonG time) and the kids were more than content to FINALLY get a chance to play outside without 10 layers of clothing on.

Yes, when daddy is home it is not uncommon that the kids are very happy and dressed in Crimson and Black...Go UTES! These are actually the shirts we had ready for the big bowl game. (But the kids were so tired that day that we never got a picture of them decked out in their Utah gear before they had to head for bed.) Some little hands must have gotten to my camera and switched the dial to Sepia...but I thought these ended up being very cute!

Coleson found a dried up leaf and proceeded to be the "boy" that he is by waving it in his sister's faces...they were all giggling uncontrollably (very cute!)

What better way to end a perfect day than with Ice Cream! Coleson was in a dream land! We were probably a little too loud and we stayed there for a pretty long time, but the kids enjoyed every second! In fact, Coleson somehow ended up with two spoons and was double scooping ice cream as quickly as he could, managing to squeeze in a few "mmmms" between bites. Tyler tried to borrow one of Coleson's spoons a few different times, but Coleson went into some very high pitched hissy fits...apparently he loves eating ice cream with two spoons!

What we do when Daddy isn't around...

Addellyn found Chantelle's gym bag (along with the extra booster seat, which is a whole different story). She declared that she was going swimming and that she needed her purse (Chantelle's bag) so that she could take her swimming suit with her to the pool. She sat in the booster seat for a moment, then got up (because she was at the pool), and proceeded to put her suit on. First, the pink gym shorts went on, then the under armor shorts went over her head with one arm through the other hole (very funny to watch!). Next, she put on the black shirt, then she tried to pull the sports bra up onto her legs...all in all, it was a very fun pretending/dress-up play activity. And it also was very entertaining for Chantelle and me.

Coleson has recently discovered that he is SOOO good at walking/running that he can put anyone's shoes on and still roam the house. His favorite pair has become my blue and silver tennies (which on him look VERY GIANT, so, I guess my feet really are huge, embarrassing!) However, they do slow him down, which is always very nice!

It has been SOOO cold this last month. Luckily, one of those cold days, we got some snow and the kids were VERY ready to build their own snowmen. They turned out to be quite adorable, not quite as adorable as the bundled up kids next to them, but the bottom sections of these snowmen are still standing and it has been weeks since they were made! (Addellyn gave up and decided she was too cold just after we added all of the food to decorate the snowmen...once the cookies had all been eaten she saw no point of being freezing cold any longer! :))

SURPRISE...a trip to McCall

Thanks to Tyler's work conference, what would have been a long week and a half of never seeing Daddy (he was on call both the day before and after he went to this conference in McCall) turned out to be a fun weekend away.

Tyler got to McCall and found out he was in a cabin with some of the guys/girls he works with and they were all nice enough to offer him the "Master Suite" if he wanted to invite "the wife and kids" up for the weekend. So I braved the 2 1/2 hours through fog, winding roads, and whining children (it really wasn't bad at all...especially since my mom kept Coleson home :)) all so that we could spend a few hours a day with daddy...he did still have quite a bit of classes to attend...

There was A LOT of snow in the mountains! Kinzie was up to her chest in snow. Addellyn was thrilled with the mini shovel that was in the garage.

They both really enjoyed eating at a restaurant. Addellyn was ranting and raving about the food and her surroundings all through lunch. "I luv pizza, yumm!" "This is great!"

Some VERY Special Visitors

The day after Christmas Grandma and Grandpa made a very scary journey through the snow to come and see us! We were so happy to see them, even if it was hours later than we had thought they would be here, and we were so glad they were alive!

We were blessed with even MORE gifts from Tyler's family (we are sad we couldn't all be together). We spent another day in our jammies, opening gifts and enjoying our company.

We can't wait to see Grandma and Grandpa again soon...maybe even with the rest of the gang? We loved spending time together. The girls keep comparing all meals to their "glorious" meal at the Red Robin, thanks again Grandpa!

Grandma had been sewing up a storm before she came so that our children could go to church in style...The girls LOVE their princess dresses, apparently so much so that they can't control their "cheese" faces...they all love to say cheese for the camera, but sometimes it makes their smiles look pretty "cheesy" :)

Lots of new things and people to PLAY with!

Much of our play time was consumed by the wii and the new games Logan and Dad got for Christmas...can you guess who is who?

Coleson loved making the bottom step a stage and of course he got a lot of attention because the next picture is of everyone watching him and they will promptly clap at the end of his dance/song. (well, Ben couldn't pay much attention because Addellyn was always in need of his full, undivided attention...) Coleson did get the idea from a couple of other people...can you guess who else occupied a lot of time on the stage? I'm sure you can.

Apparently Coleson was the one who needed a baby doll with a stroller and Addellyn needed a car track and mega blocks...we are only the parents, what did we know. :)
We took time one day to all go on a "scavenger hunt" at the grocery store. Nana and Papa had created some fun rhyming clues and the kids LOVED driving through the store in their car cart racing to find tissues, oranges, cookies, puzzles and more...They laughed and kicked their feet the entire time. Makinzie was running to be the winner :)

Yes, this is Nana sledding down the hill with Coleson in her lap...what a blast we all had in the snow!

We walked down the street and into the common area of the neighborhood where there are several hills just the perfect size for our "daring" crew! It was really fun having time to play together.

Joy of Christmas Day

So much planning and anticipation goes into Christmas and we could not be more grateful for all of the wonderful gifts we received and all of the time we were able to spend with people we love. The kids are missing their uncle Ben (he was a great jungle gym!) and aunt Lindsey, according to Addellyn they are now back in "Extas" for "cool" (Texas for school...pretty close:))

Breakfast was beautiful and oh so yummy. Santa Claus brought a great table and chair set with some art supplies...these were a huge hit!

Addellyn could not be happier with the outfit (including crown and earrings) she got from grandma Vivian. And, of course, Coleson is super happy to have a lap to sit in and a book to read!

Coleson sits in these chairs ALL of the time now, which is wonderful, because if he is sitting, he can't be running around causing havoc! And of course, Santa brought the Butterfly Barbie! (the one and only thing Makinzie wanted from Santa...she even was brave enough to ask him when she sat on his lap at the mall...this is the first year she was even willing to sit on his lap...it must be SOME barbie!)

This was the wonderful sight out the back window as we were opening presents...no, it's not the snow you should be looking at, yes that is a hawk and yes it is eating a tiny bird for Christmas breakfast :(...Tyler saw and pointed it out to the entire family.

We had a blast with family and loved sharing our gifts and joy with them this Christmas!

Christmas Eve Traditions

Christmas Eve is never quite right without eating crab, bread and festive salad for dinner, having a spiritual program about the birth of our Savior and then singing Fairest Little Jesus and blowing out the candles on a "birthday" cake.

The crab and salad was definitely delicious, singing and blowing out candles is always a huge hit...but the program was often disrupted by children who are always WAY too active. :)

It was still a very wonderful Christmas Eve. And it was perfect to be surrounded by family and to really feel the Spirit of the Lord as we reflected on the blessings that we have each received due to the birth and life of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We do hope that everyone else was able to feel that same love and peace this holiday season and will continue to be blessed with those feelings throughout this coming year.