Santa Strawberry

My Mom and Betsy made these for a Christmas Eve party. They are so cute! I definitely want to make some next year. All you have to do is cut the tip off the strawberry. The cream is a mixture of whipping cream, cream cheese and powdered sugar. The eyes are chocolate sprinkles. Then put the tip back on.

Christmas Best

This morning I took some pictures of my Cuties in their Christmas Best.

Blue Treasure

One fashion I love is my large purse! It took me a few years to come around. I eventually came across this one made out of material that fits my personality. I'm always amazed at how much I can fit in here. It doubles as a diaper bag/small luggage/baby carrier (not really). When I first started using it Marshall and I referred to the big pocket in the middle as the abyss. Once something is placed in it, it is very hard to find again or rarely found again. I was out doing errands on Friday and thought it felt really heavy but I couldn't find what was adding all the weight. Today my full water bottle surfaced and I realized it was the culprit. The best is being able to put a package of wipes, diapers, formula, and a bottle in it and it looks empty from the outside. I haven't had to use the diaper bag much since I got this blue treasure. It's great for sneaking candy in the movie theater. I think I'll be using this until it falls apart.

Craziness

I started working again this week. I was able to get my old job back so that's a huge blessing! So grateful for answered prayers! Even though I worked at Timpanogos less than a year ago I have to go through orientation as a new hire. My head hurt after the first day. It felt like a sore muscle after running a race. Luckily it got better by the end of the week.

On the days I had off I spent time with these lovelies.

Static Girl!

5 months old

Captain James!

She's all about being silly.

He was entertained by his siblings dancing around.

Checking out the reindeer at Thanksgiving Point.

Loves doing crazy do's in the tub.

Lights

We went to Temple Square last week with my whole family to see the beautiful lights. It was perfect weather and not too crowded. I love the new City Creek Mall. We all met up in the food court and ate dinner. Then we walked passed the candy windows. We saw the lights around Temple Square and then went to the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial building to see the view. Last we topped it off with ice cream from Farrs Fresh. Sounds great, right? Well Kaden cried the whole time so that kind of put a damper on my night but James and Lynnlee had a blast with their cousins. Luckily Kaden didn't put a damper on everyone else's night.

Winter Wonderland

I love waking up to a fresh blanket of snow and it still snowing. Saturday morning we had a few inches on the ground and it was still coming down. We all went out and played in the snow while Kaden was taking his morning nap. We built a snowman, had a snow ball fight and tried sledding in our yard which is sloped. It worked ok. James's favorite was the snowball fight. Lynnlee's favorite was making a snowman.

I hope we get a White Christmas this year!

12-12-12

Everyone kept saying, "It's 12-12-12 do something special to make the day memorable." So I tried to get the few creative juices I have going but couldn't come up with anything that involved the number 12. Also something that would entertain a 2 & 4-year-old and not require too much energy. I'm becoming more Pinterest savvy so we decided to make elves. It had nothing to do with the number 12 but it was a fun project. We did have a visitor to set the day apart. Ironman visited. Kaden wasn't even afraid which is surprising because Kaden is very jumpy and gets scared easily.

Does Not Fit All

I haven't jumped on the skinny jean fashion wagon. The ad for Old Navy said the skinny jeans fit all shapes and sizes. So while I was at Old Navy I decided to try a pair on. They definitely weren't flattering. They were very tricky to change out of. They reminded me of a Chinese finger trap. Your fingers go in without a problem and then you try to take it off and it's impossible. Lynnlee was in the dressing room with me. I started laughing and she didn't understand why I was laughing.

Skinny jeans do not fit all. I think I'll stick to boot cut.

Gingerbread Man House

James and Lynnlee call it a Gingerbread Man House. I tried to correct them but they told me they like that name better.

So we did our annual gingerbread house decorating with the Tibbs. It was fun and successful. The houses are still standing and most the candy intact. They are kept out of reach or else all the candy might disappear.

Birthday Madness

Marshall's birthday normally would have started out with breakfast in bed but we had our ward Christmas party at 9:00. We did let him sleep in and when he woke up I told Lynnlee to sing him Happy Birthday and she said ok! She sang, "January, February, March, and April etc. She finished singing the months of the year song. Marshall and I were both laughing and then I helped her sing the right song. I guess we don't have enough birthdays around here.

Our ward Christmas party was fun. Marshall made me promise not to tell everyone it was his birthday.

After we went to the movies. You never know how it's going to go with a 3 little kids but they all enjoyed the movie. We never had to leave the theater. We saw Hotel Transylvania.

That night we went to dinner at Cheesecake Factory. Betsy came too. She's the best! i wish I had a picture from dinner but Kaden cried most of the time. Marshall and I switched off taking him out. It's Kaden's new thing to be happy all day and then cry at night. It's not every night though so I'm still not sure what's bothering him. I guess it's his way of rebelling against being a perfect child.

Luckily all the kids fell asleep on the way home.

Elf Child

She picked these up and put them in her head all on her own. She makes a cute elf!

Santa Claus is Coming Town

This is the first year Lynnlee didn't shy away from Santa and James was so, so excited to tell Santa what he wanted. He saw a glow pad in the Family Dollar ad and he decided he wants it for Christmas. He asked me if he should bring the ad with to show Santa. I assured him Santa would know.

So they both sat on his lap and Lynnlee copied everything James said. It's so cute how much she loves James and looks up to him.

Sugar

Mmmm sugar cookies! James and Lynnlee helped me make sugar cookies for Marshall's home teaching families. I love all the yummy Christmas treats. Next on the list: strawberry squares, caramels, and fruit cake. Ok just kidding, no fruit cake here. Who even likes that anyways?

Had to include a picture of Kaden. He couldn't help with the cookies but he had fun playing in the saucer.

Tonight while we were eating dinner James told me he wants to be Iron Man when he grows up. Lynnlee usually copies everything he says so I expected her to say the same thing or similar like, when I grow up I want to be Dora. Instead she said in the cutest voice, "Mom, when I grow up I want to be a mommy like you." Wow, melt my heart! She's so sweet.

Gingerbread Fun

Midway/Heber have some fun holiday activities the first weekend in December every year. There are gingerbread houses displayed in Heber at the event center, Christmas Crèche exhibit at The Homestead, and Swiss Christmas at the town hall.

I really wanted to take my kids to see the gingerbread houses. Ali's kids were staying with my parents and Betsy came too. We started off looking at the gingerbread houses. James and Lynnlee liked it but they also wanted to touch everything. Mostly they just loved being there with their cousins and favorite Aunt. Lynnlee randomly went up to Drew and gave him a big hug.

We went to see the Crèche exhibit next. The kids were being really good considering all the fragile displays. They were staying behind the ropes, staying in line but for some reason the volunteers decided to pick on us. They were hovering over us and shadowing the kids even though they were doing nothing wrong. It was frustrating and so we just left. There were so many kids there too. If they don't want kids there then they should just say that instead of making it really uncomfortable.
The kids made Christmas ornaments at my parent's house that afternoon. We snacked on a delicious white chocolate peppermint popcorn. I included a picture. You can buy it at Target. It's a must for the holidays.
We went to Dairy Keen for dinner. My kids had so much fun watching the train. All in all it was a good day!

I also included a picture of our breakfast. Marshall made German pancakes, his favorite breakfast. Then a picture of the sunrise from my run Saturday morning. So beautiful!

Just Because

James tied his shoes together while we were riding in the car to go shopping. At first I was going to tell him to untie them and tie them correctly before going in the store. I played out the conversation in my mind if I told him that. He would then ask why he couldn't keep them that way. I would then try and explain how he would walk funny and fall over. He probably wouldn't understand. So after I played it out in my mind I just decided to let him keep it that way through the store. It was pretty funny watching him and he surprised me by not falling over. He was able to keep up in the store and when he had to get up the curb outside he just jumped really high. I'm glad I didn't stop him. It was a way more entertaining shopping experience.

Bath Time

James and Lynnlee love bath time. They never want to get out. Now Kaden gets to join in on the fun.

Thanksgiving Weekend

I loved my Thanksgiving weekend and didn't want it to end. We spent Thanksgiving day at my sister Ali's house. Our dinner was delicious and it was fun to spend time with family all day. There was a lot of relaxing, looking through the ads, and watching football. The weather was beautiful and the kids had fun playing outside.

Betsy stayed at our house and it was so fun! She is the favorite Aunt so my kids were in heaven all weekend. Friday we went shopping, not crazy early but around 9:00 after getting up and eating breakfast. Before I had kids I liked the early morning shopping but for now I'm taking a break. Not to mention all the stores that are open on Thanksgiving now. Kind of takes away the excitement of waking up early and being the first in the store Friday morning. I would rather enjoy the holiday with family at home then out shopping Thanksgiving night.

Friday afternoon we saw the movie, Rise of the Guardians. It was the most enjoyable movie experience with the whole family. Kaden was happy through half and then slept the other half like a perfect 3rd baby. (We have a joke about needing child #3 to be perfect since being out numbered and having 3 kids is so crazy) I didn't even have to leave the theater. Lynnlee watched the whole thing and didn't need a potty break, unheard of :). James watched the whole thing sitting next to his cousin Katelyn on one side and Aunt Bets on the other side. Doesn't get much better than that! The kids were so great it was me that spilled the soda. Luckily an almost empty cup but someone had to do it.

We ate at Five Guys after the movie. Then went to Toys R Us. I don't go to that store very often so I forget how much fun it is. It is always crazy to me how many toys are there. When we got home Betsy read a bedtime story to James and Lynnlee. They loved it!

Saturday morning we had a nice lazy morning. Slept in or until my kids woke up. Betsy and I made crafts. She found some really cute ideas on Pinterest for Christmas trees. (Pictured below) They were fun and easy to make, right up my alley. You take a card board cone from a craft store or you can use a cereal box and roll it into a cone shape. The green tree I painted green and then glued green beads on. The silver tree I painted silver and then wrapped a type of yarn around.
I stayed in my pajamas until the afternoon. We were sad when Betsy had to go home. I wish she lived next door.

Sunday we had a 2nd Thanksgiving with Beckie and Anthony. Everything tasted so good. Got my fill of turkey. I'm glad my kids love turkey a lot too.

I didn't want the weekend to end but I'm excited for Christmas and all the fun traditions in December.

Pilgrim People

Beckie, Ashley, and I had craft night last night. Beckie had the idea to make little pilgrim people but we weren't sure how to do it. My Mother-in-Law has some but since she's on her mission we weren't able to use her pilgrim people as examples.

Beckie and Ashley came up with patterns and the pilgrims took shape. They weren't bad to make. Just a little hand stitching, fabric, and hot gluing. They turned out really well.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Unique Park

There is a park by our house that is really unique. The slides and play ground are modern looking. There is a huge pyramid. James started to climb it but is afraid of heights (gets it from his Mom) so he didn't make it higher than the first level.

Kaden tried out the swing for the first time and loved it.