Christmas Day

Christmas Day was wonderful. We woke up and opened our Santa gifts. When Rachel, Kevin, Anistyn & Stockton came over (and brought Mike), Kevin made each person a "made-to-order" omelette. Then, we opened gifts from each other and just enjoyed being together and watching the kids play. After that, Rachel and Kevin headed home and we set out for Steve's parents' house. It was so nice to see most of his sibs and their families. Without naps, the kids were spent by late afternoon so we returned home. What a wonderful day. We are very blessed and so love that we can celebrate our Savior's birth with our family and friends. Merry Christmas everyone - this has to be our best Christmas yet!

Christmas Card

Probably most of you received one of our Christmas cards this year, but since the blog is our own little family scrapbook, I had to post one. We love our photographer and love what she creates for us. The pic this year was harder to choose. Steve loved this pic of us and Shannon and Matt jumped right in saying this was the one. I'm not much for action shots, but it does show the fun we were having as we took the pics in our yard. So, here it is and I love that she took separate pics of the babies to put on it as well. That way everyone can see how big they are growing (way too fast for me). If you want to see the card in a bigger dimension, just click on it; it should open in a separate window.

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year - may 2009 be all that you desire!!!!!

Late Night, Snowy, Golf Cart Ride

I know I still owe a post on Christmas Day, but I am waiting for pics from Steve's girls. In the meanwhile, I had to post about this crazy outing. Late one night, Steve is out shoveling the walks and snowblowing the driveway. 

Both kids are right at the door, waiting for him to come back and looking out the window to catch a glimpse of him. Then, he comes in and says "it really isn't THAT cold outside. Why don't you bundle them up and bring them out?" Not really that cold? It was probably 20 degrees! 

My hands were freezing, but I had to get some pics. This is the first time Cole walked in his new boots and he wasn't exactly thrilled. Reagan and Cole looked so cute in all of their cold weather garb. They followed Steve around and then he got this great??? idea to take them for a golf cart ride. 

In they climbed and off they went. They had red noses and chattering teeth by the time they returned, but they had a good time. I'm sure that people driving on the main street thought "was that a golf cart? Crazy kids!!!!!"

Christmas Eve

For Christmas Eve, we had Steve's girls and their families up for dinner and a program. We were also joined by my Dad (my Mom and Grandma went to AZ for the holiday) and Shannon's friend from work. We had a mini-program, decorated cookies and watched Christmas Vacation (gotta do it). 

Our program always includes each person telling their favorite moment of the year. It's always fun to hear who thought what was important or mentionable. With no new babies born this year, it was a little more difficult to pick out one (or a few things). We also talked of our most important goal for 2009. 

After our movie, Rachel and her family, as well as our other guests, went home and Shannon, Matt and April slept over. Reagan was so excited to have them spend the night - she wanted Shanny and Matt to sleep in her room, but they pacified her by telling her they were right at the end of the hall and that she should come and wake them up in the morning. 

What a fun night. I can't wait for tomorrow. Merry Christmas!!

A Christmas Medley and Parents Kind and Ear

Reagan was in quite the mood tonight. She was dancing, singing and jumping all over the family room. It started out with Christmas songs and went through the ABC's and Frere Jacques to I Am a Child of God. I just had to laugh at her spinning and jumping around - maybe she's jacked up on sugar from too much Christmas candy. Oh well, she may not know or get all of the words to the Christmas songs, but she definitely is a Child of God (with parents kind and "ear").

Santa is Coming!

I have to be honest that I am totally working the Santa angle. Reagan knows he is coming and keeps saying that he is bringing her toys. I remind her that he only brings them if she is good. Truth be told, she is on the fence in that area. No, she really is a good girl... she is just two and a half (and she's good at it). Each time she starts to throw a fit, I say "remember, Santa is coming and....." She usually falls right into line. 

I'm not sure what I'll be able to do after this week - my sister in law and her sister suggest using Cupid, the Easter Bunny or even Baby New Year. We'll have to think of something because this is working well. Maybe I'll just enjoy this week and keep saying "Santa is coming..." After all, he is!

What an Angel

For our Sharing Time in Primary last week, we had the kids act out the Nativity story. We have such a small primary (probably 16 kids on a good day) that we invited the Nursery to join us. How fun - we had Mary and Joseph, the Wise Men, the Shepherds, Angels and even sheep. 

Reagan was an Angel (well, she was dressed as an Angel). She really didn't want to sit in the middle of the room with the other kids, so, she rolled on the floor, ran from person to person and insisted that Steve sit with her in the role play. Despite her actions, she looked so cute as an Angel - I just loved it. 

We invited the parents, the Bishopric and their wives in to be our audience and it was wonderful. (Some of the kids left before the pic of the primary was taken, so we aren't as small as the pic looks, but we are close.) I'm so glad that the kids can learn about the Christmas story in many ways - this time by wearing these costumes and acting out parts of the story. 

Reagan may be too young to be in a play, but I'm maintaining that she is still "Our Little Angel".

Festival of Trees

Last weekend we hit the Festival of Trees with Steve's daughter Rachel and her family. (For those of you not local, this is a festival where people donate decorated Christmas trees of all sizes, wreaths, crafts, playhouses, etc. and all proceeds go to benefit Primary Children's Hospital.) 

Reagan and Cole were so excited to be with Anistyn and Stockton - we were switching seats in the stroller and the wagon all during our time there. Also, Steve's daughter Shannon and her husband Matt volunteered as hosts during the time we were there (Rachel had volunteered a previous night). 

We saw so many trees with so many different themes. Steve's favorites were the University of Utah trees or the display called "the Rivalry" with a BYU tree and a U of U tree. 

Many of the trees have a story of someone helped by the hospital and pictures of the person/child. We have many friends who are very involved with this cause and we try to support it each year in one way or another. What a great way to help others!

Carpet Cleaning

In preparing for the holiday season and all, we thought it would be nice to get our carpets cleaned. No biggie, right? I scheduled the cleaners for Monday late afternoon. Monday afternoon while the kids napped, I moved all of the furniture to the tiled area of our main floor. Check out our kitchen and entry way.

 I thought the cleaners would come, clean, leave, and we could have dinner, move the furniture back and be on with life. I was mistaken! We tried ZeroRez (no chemicals, better for the kids, the environment, etc.) It was snowing and very cold (I guess that makes it harder to dry). Anyway, before he left, the guy said "try to stay off of the carpet as much as possible. If you have to walk on it, wear socks and you can walk on it and move the furniture back tomorrow night." WHAT? So, I'm supposed to live only on my tiled areas (which if you'll remember are covered with the furniture from the non-tiled areas) plus keep my kids off of the carpets until tomorrow night? Almost an impossible task.

 

We headed out to dinner at Bonsai - it was pretty funny seeing Cole try to figure out what to do with the chopsticks - took our sweet time getting home and then hung out downstairs until bedtime. Tuesday morning we ate breakfast and the kids and I headed to the gym with lunch and naps after that and then back to the gym for yoga. By the time we returned, Steve had come home and moved all of the furniture back to its rightful place and we had a normal (well... for us) house again. 

Incidentally, I had piled all of the "stuff" from our bedroom, bathroom and closet floors up on the bed (again, thinking I'd be putting it back on the floor that evening). When I came into our room, Steve had moved it all to the only area not piled up with other furniture - our bathtub. Gotta love a guy's mind - stuff needing to be moved.... space with nothing in it.... voila! I had to snap a pic.

Holy cow, all this just to clean the carpets? Our holiday guests better appreciate it (girls....). No, I'm glad that we did it, I just didn't realize what all was involved and probably should have had a plan. Next time, I'll be ready.

Amazing Photographer

When Reagan was born (almost 5 weeks early), a friend of ours gave us the name of a photographer that was a friend of hers. Her maiden name is English, thus English Photo, and she is amazing. 

She has an ages and stages program where she photographs a child four or five times during their first year and then turns the best pics from each sitting into a first year book. Let me tell you that Reagan's is beautiful. Allison is going to send it to me and I'm trying to figure out how to post it on our blog so that we can share it with family and friends. We absolutely love it. 

Meanwhile, we are in the process of choosing Cole's pics for his first year book and are so excited to see what Allison will do with his book. Of course, we'll try to post that as well. Anyway, here are a couple of pics that Allison has taken of us through the past 2.5 years and you'll get an idea of why we love her. If you have family or children pics that you are thinking of, please consider English Photo - we highly recommend it!!!  Check out the website at englishphoto.com for galleries of gorgeous pics - you'll see some of our babies as well.

Whoa ... Crazy Hair!!!

I initially took this pic and this video thinking it would be a funny post, but then I thought "when Reagan is 16 - she is going to hate that I put such an unflattering pic of her up on our blog." Well, the other day, Shannon was scrolling through our pics and she shouted out "this is the best hair EVER!" So, I knew I had to document this part of Reagan's life. Most of us have less than lovely hair when we wake up in the morning and Reagan is no exception, but on this day it was remarkably CRAZY. She even knows when it is out of control; she tells me "Mama, my hair's kinda crazy." How right you are Reags, but it looks good on you.

Are we in a Movie?

The day after Thanksgiving, we headed out (as we do each year) to the Park City outlets for some shopping. You have to get there before 10 or 11 in order to get the special deals - depending on the store, so, we just got up, got ready and headed out. About 15 minutes into our trip, Steve said "I feel like we're in Christmas Vacation, the movie. Here we are, just our family, enjoying the silent majesty of a winter's morn.... it just feels like that movie."  I laughed and was feeding the kids breakfast as we drove. Then, Steve looked back at them and said "Look... even Reagan with her headband looks like the daughter on Christmas Vacation." Now, it is really weird for him to notice something like a headband from a movie - perhaps it is telling of how many times we have watched that (it is our Christmas Eve tradition with Steve's girls and their families). He was right! So, I snapped a pic.

Then, we started talking about Reagan and Cole - how much they have shown their own little personalities, even as young as they are. Steve said "I can only imagine what she'll be saying at 16." I couldn't resist answering him with a line from Christmas Vacation "We're not coming all the way out here just to get one of those stupid ties with Santa Clause on it are we?" We both started laughing and talked more about the movie - cousin Eddie, the boss, the shopping trip, the attic scene, sledding, the police scene, etc.

After shopping, we were waiting to meet our photographer to pick up our proofs for our Christmas pics. We had a few minutes and decided to drive through McDonalds (or "fresh eyes" as Reagan calls it). After we had our food, we just sat in the parking lot to eat - we were in the middle of 4 or 5 spots, just facing the mountains and looking out over the freeway. Then, a vehicle pulled in and parked right next to us (not in one of the other five spots, not two spots away... right next to us). Steve and I just busted up because it truly looked like the truck on Christmas Vacation that rams them in the opening scene. At the risk of causing some trouble, I had to get out and snap a pic.

Geez - we started to question whether we were IN Christmas Vacation. (Not really ... it would probably take way more coincidences than 3 or 4, but it was funny.) We started out our trip talking about the movie and it just kept getting more and more funny. So, to finish it off, we decided to reenact (poorly) the singing in the car scene. Check it out:

OK - so we're no actors (or singers for that matter), but it was such a fun day of thinking about, talking about ,and acting out different parts of a movie that we love. We may not be in a movie, but we are looking forward to Christmas Eve, everyone in their (usually matching) pjs, having finished our Christmas Program, curled up with treats, watching Christmas Vacation.  We love it!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our family and friends. We hope you had a great day - we certainly did. It was an exceptionally "quiet" holiday for us this year. With Steve's family of 10 sibs having an "off year" this year and each of my 4 sibs visiting (or hosting) their in-laws, it was just us. Steve's daughter, Rachel, and her family traveled to Arizona. So, we hosted his 2 other daughters, Shannon and April, along with Shannon's husband, Matt, and Matt's parents.

 

We had an early dinner, which I thought would be weird, but it was perfect. The kids got to eat and then head down for naps while we recovered from the activities 

of the day. 

  

I had to include a pic of our dinner table - 7 place settings with china and crystal goblets, one setting with a plastic bowl and a sippy cup and one high chair pulled up next to the dining room table. Gotta love it; everyone was included. 

We had a delicious dinner with our guests, a great day with our babies and a wonderful Thanksgiving.

With so many blessings, family and friends, how could you not have a Happy Thanksgiving?

Rocco Bama

The other day, we were driving and Reagan asked me "Mama, where's Rocco Bama?" I seriously had to think for a minute. It totally sounded like she said Barack Obama, but I couldn't imagine that she would have said that. I kept trying to think of things that sounded like that. "Rockin' Mama?" I would ask and she would reply "No, Rocco Bama!"  Finally, I just responded that he was in Chicago and would go to Washington DC soon. "Soon?" she asked.  "Yes" I told her.

Then, a couple of days later, Steve was watching Nightly News and Reagan and I were in the kitchen. She suddenly sat up and turned in her chair and pointed at the television. "There's Rocco Bama right there!!!!" Sure enough, I looked up to see Barack Obama in an inset above Brian Williams' head.

How is that possible? I'm sure that we talked about the election and politics, etc, but I'm pretty sure we used "the Democrats" or "the Republicans" this or that.  If we did talk specifically about the candidates, I really only remember using their surnames. I'm sort of shocked that she 1) picked up on his name 2) picked up on his whole name and 3) knows what he looks like. Her next question..... "Where's him's kids?"  

So, here's the question:  is she a budding politician, a journalist or (just maybe) a lawyer???? Or, like us, is she just a concerned citizen trying to learn all she can about our political system and situation, trying to remain involved in the process, and hoping we have a leader who will bring "change we can believe in" and solve some of the problems our country is currently facing? Nope, it is probably just that she noticed his name being said everywhere we went (especially as we waited 1.5 hours to vote) and saw his face on the computer and the television and put the two together. Either way, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be answering a lot of questions about "Rocco Bama" in the future.

Undefeated!

What a game! It could have gone either way, even down to the last quarter. However, Utah reigned over BYU and closed out their undefeated season. We had so much fun with Steve's brother David and his family. We were also surprised to have Shannon and Matt join us - yeah! We ate, visited, and watched that crazy game. We had Steve and David arguing over the plays on the field, why their favored team is better and how they were getting robbed by the refs. We had Autumn and Brooke helping to make cookies and taking pics of everyone. We had Bridger being the stand-by babysitter and  Laurie cleaning up the kitchen as fast as anyone could make a mess. Breanna and her friend DJ just kicked it while Matt and Shannon got in on everything (although poor Shannon wasn't feeling well). Here are some pics from our night.

 It was great to get to be with Dave and Laurie and their family. So, even though my cougars didn't win, it was a great game and such a great time visiting with Dave and Laurie and their family. I'm not too upset though; hopefully the Utah win means a good bowl game and more money for the conference. Steve was elated over the win and to show my good sport, I even dressed our babies in red on Sunday. Undefeated.... it doesn't get better than that!

Gotta Start 'Em Young

Well, with the big game coming up on Saturday, we are in the midst of a family rivalry. As I said in a previous post, Steve cheers on the Utes while I cheer on the Cougars. His daughters cheer for the Utes while his sons in law (Kevin is starting to turn to the dark side, but....) and his parents cheer for the Cougars. We are having David (Steve's brother) and Laurie and their family up to watch the game so, I figured we'd better get started teaching Reagan how to cheer on the "better" team. (Actually, the backstory is that Reagan and Cole's "grandma and grandpa" in the ward came to our ward Halloween party as BYU fans, so, we've been saying "Go Cougars" for a few weeks now.) Steve won't be happy to see this video, but... such is life when you choose to go against the blue!

In all actuality, I don't really care who wins the game; I'm all about having fun watching it and enjoying the company we are with. Although it is funny to get under Steve's skin by being an obnoxious BYU fan. So, we'll hope that BYU wins or, if Utah wins, that they get a great bowl game. In the meanwhile, we'll teach the kids to love Cougars when with Mom and to love Utes when with Dad. After all, you gotta start 'em young.

Let's Wrestle!

One of Steve's and the kids' favorite games is "wrestle".  He announces "Let's wrestle!"

 and they both pile on him and on each other, laughing (sometimes crying) and rolling around on the ground, the couch or the bed. 

You can see from these pics that it usually includes one

 or both kids being held up in the air or upside down and subjected to tickles.

I have to say that Reagan and Cole aren't the only ones that Steve "wrestles" with. Once in a while a friend or associate will grab Steve in a headlock and say something like "gotcha" or "now what are you going to do?"  Well, they soon regret that move. Since Steve wrestled in high school and college, he takes it pretty seriously and it usually ends with both guys on the floor (and both wives yelling "What are you doing? Stop it .... get up!!!!").  However, with Reagan and Cole, I have no objections... I just watch and laugh (and grab the camera).  I love to see them wrestle with Daddy. Check out this video (gotta love Reagan's raspy voice from her chest cold)...

I've learned that the wrestling blood has transferred to Cole. It is a full on wrestling match each time I try to change his diaper or his clothes. I'm pretty sure that I'm bigger and stronger than he is, but for some reason, I can't keep him from rolling over, turning over and maneuvering out of my control. I've tried strapping him in, keeping my forearm on his body, and having countless distractions in the form of toys, food, bottles, and Reagan, but to no avail. I guess I'd better learn some moves in order to gain my edge. Maybe then I'll be the one who can say "Let's Wrestle!"

Wita Baavee Bruva

Since the day we brought Cole home from the hospital, Reagan has called him "Cole Cole". It's so funny because that is the name that she, on her own, started to use for him and now we all call him that. However, she has also given him another "name" or actually a description. Wita Baavee Bruva. Check out this video and you'll get it...

She introduces him everywhere to everyone:  "This is Cole Cole. He is my wita bavee bruva".  I was trying to think of how she came up with that and I believe it is because I would tell her not to hit him (or kick him or push him or ______ insert physical assault here) because he is her little baby brother and she needed to watch over him and take care of him. Well, she still assaults him, but we're working on it. At least in word (if not deed), he is her little baby brother, in need of her care and protection. Of course, the "little" part is relative. He is only 1.5 pounds less than her and is gaining fast. Soon, the tables will be turned and she will be the one needing protection from him (paybacks are coming Reagan!!!), but for now, he truly is her "wita baavee bruva".

Let it Snow!

Well, we had a false start of winter a couple of weeks ago. We woke up Sunday morning to snow, but it was gone by the time we returned from church. Yesterday's storm was the real thing; winter is here!!! It seriously snowed off and on all day long. We got between 6 and 7 inches. Luckily we didn't have anywhere that we HAD to go, so, we just stayed in and watched the snow. After hearing Reagan beg to go out in the snow for hours, I finally relented. I let them out on our deck for a total of 2 minutes. Well, that was enough. Reagan was covered from walking all around and pushing the snow. Cole initially stayed under the roof (where there was very little snow), but then ventured out after Reagan and fell in the snow. After 2 minutes, they both came inside cold and crying. Next time, we'll try coats, gloves, hats and better boots. 

It really is so pretty to look out over the yard and up at the mountains and to see the blanket of snow covering everything. When I was doing some dishes, I saw a family of deer walking through the yard and I kept thinking of that Chevy Chase movie where they say "cue the deer". It just seemed so perfect - a beautiful winter's scene. 

I love this time of year and am looking forward to the holidays. So, even though it is not fun to drive in (or to snowblow or shovel), I say "Let it Snow!"

Boo!!!

Halloween started out great - we headed to the gym (in costume) where the kids in the Nest (the daycare there) got to go throughout the gym trick or treating. Next, we headed home for lunch and some naps in order to prepare for the evening's festivities. 

When Cole wouldn't sleep, wouldn't eat and was (yet again!!!!!) rocking a fever over 100, I figured we'd better head to the doctor's office. After blood tests, a chest x-ray and a thorough exam, the Dr. said that there was nothing seriously wrong - no bacterial infection, no immune deficiency, no chest problems. (Sigh of relief). The conclusion? He is catching everything around and then catching it again. Of course, no bacterial infection means no antibiotic (I asked if he could prescribe something for me to get through Cole's sickness, but alas, there is nothing.) By dinner time, Cole was falling asleep in his high chair and we didn't want to push it - if he needed sleep, so be it (poor little guy). 

That left Reagan as our only trick or treater. Steve took her out for a while and then I took her out for a while (remember our ward trunk or treat? - she hardly needed more candy). I think she enjoyed being one on one with us for such a fun night - and she kept the hat on!!!!!! Here's hoping that next Halloween we'll have two trick or treaters. Boo!