Sweet Maya Moment

This past Wednesday Maya’s class had a pajama/Christmas party. Maya LOVES pajama parties and asks me regularly if she can have one so she was beyond excited to get to wear her pj’s to school.

I got my girl’s coat and backpack on and sent her on her way to the neighbors house to catch her carpool. I watched her walk halfway there and then closed the door and went about my business. A minute later there was a knock at the door and I heard Maya’s little voice calling me. I opened the door and she reached up for me and said, “I forgot to give you a hug and a kiss!”

She is my sweet, sweet girl that ALWAYS gives me a hug and a kiss before going to school and before going to bed. If daddy puts her to bed she will not go down until I go in and give her smooches. These special moments I will treasure forever.

Will they stay or will they go?

It has been 2 weeks and 3 days since the incident with Aidan's teeth. I honestly did not think that they would last this long but they are holding on and going strong! There was one tooth that was completely knocked back, I mean pointing straight back, and surprisingly that tooth has not died. It is extremely loose and will probably fall out in the next few months but it has maintained it’s natural color.

The other tooth was knocked back but not as far. I thought that it had a better chance of survival than the other and it may stick around longer but it has turned gray which means it's a dead tooth. He never got any kind of infection and has learned to be very careful and only use his back teeth to bite and chew.

Gray teeth, no teeth…he’s a little stud, regardless.

P.S. He doesn’t usually smile like this. I kept telling him to show me his teeth:)

Sunday Night JENGA!

We introduced the kids to a new game and I think it could be a new favorite. Rich and I thought we should show them how it’s played instead of trying to explain it to them.

 

Was there ever any doubt as to who would win? Of course not! I WON!!! Rich took it like a man, though.

Then, we let the kiddos have at it!

They figured it out really quick and got quite good at looking for the loose brick.

The only bad thing about Jenga is that there is a very clear winner/loser. There is no way around it and there is no way to sugar coat it. Makes it rough when someone hasn’t figured out how not to be a sore loser…

HAHAHAHA! Love these pictures even though they are a funky orange! It was a good opportunity to teach him that we don’t always get to win. I think we will have to practice some more.

Nothing Much But A Few Pics

(This is the post I was working on 2 weeks ago,before Aidan’s teeth got knocked in and life got exciting.)

I’ve been surprised with myself lately. As I looked through my camera I really haven’t found very many recent pics! What’s going on here? I need to get back into taking pics of my monkeys because they aren’t going to stay little forever! I think that it’s because life had been so eventful for so long and suddenly we don’t have much going on so I’ve stopped picking up my camera. I need to remember that these every day moments are to be treasured.

 

 

Today, was an emotional day for our country. 20 children were killed while sitting in their kindergarten classroom in Newtown, Connecticut. Picking Aidan up from school today was different from every other day because I was thinking about those parents that kissed their babies goodbye this morning, not realizing that it would be the last time in this life. I was thinking about the presents under the tree that will remain unopened. My heart goes out to all of those parents that lost their little treasures today. Families are forever and  in the end family is all that matters.

Christmas Times A Comin’!

I so love this time of the year! It makes me want to spoil my kids to pieces! My home never feels as homey as it does when decorated with Christmas décor. Everybody is more focused on the Savior. I just love everything about it!

Buddy comes out and allows me to constantly threaten lovingly remind my kids that they need to make good choices or they are going to get poop in their stockings. Yes, I actually tell them that and they scream and cry. Hey, it works!

Stockings are hung.

Nativities are set up. The one on the left was recently given to me by my mother-in-law who received it from my Rich when he was serving as a missionary in Guatemala when he was 19. So special to me!

Last but not least, we are all excited about having a full sized Christmas tree!!

Do you like the party hat on top? We need to buy a star…

This was the very first time we got to decorate our Christmas tree as a family and it was such a special experience. I’m so excited to do it every single year with the kids! I have a video to share but for some reason it’s not working…I will add it later:D

Polar Express

On Saturday we took the kids on the Polar Express where we were taken on a train ride to the North Pole village to see Santa and Mrs. Claus!

Of course, I forgot to bring my 35mm lens so all of my pics were close-ups with my 50mm. I ended up using my phone most of the time.

On the train ride we were entertained by Santa’s elves who sang songs, told jokes and danced with the kids. We were even treated with cookies and hot cocoa!

 

This is how good Arabella thought the cookie was…

Poor little guy still has to break off pieces of his food to enjoy yummy things:(

Meeting Santa! Look at her little face,  she was SO EXCITED!

Chattin’ it up with the elves.

 

My favorite moment from the whole train ride was the moment when Mrs. Clause came on and was talking to Aidan. She asked him if he made his bed this morning and he just froze because he hadn’t! I could see the nervousness in his face when she asked him that and it just cracked Rich and I up! So funny!

Just a short video of Arabella getting’ down with one of the elves.

ARABELLA IS 3!!!!

Sweet, sweet time, stop for a minute will ya? It seems like the last few months of every year are such a whirlwind of birthday which always make me want my kids to stop growing. August, Aidan turned 5; September, Maya turned 4; December, Arabella is 3!!!!! She is 3! Am I the only one that finds this completely unbelieveable? So, truth be told, she has been acting like a 3 year old for the past year so I have no idea what this year is going to have in store for me. What I do know is that I am going to continue to enjoy her cuteness and spunk!

Arabella was so excited about her birthday this year. We sort of fibbed and didn’t tell her that her birthday was on Friday. I felt horrible all day but knew that she wouldn’t know the difference and would be so excited on Sunday when we actually celebrated her birthday. This party was a solid week in the making. Every night after the kids went to bed I was hard at work on the details of her party.

We invited our 4 closest friends: The Bingham’s, Jarnot’s, Conover’s and Slipsager’s. We had 10 adults and 11 kids so it was a full house. It was perfect.

I was so focused on getting it all done that I didn’t take any pictures until it was actually party time. Now, I wish I had taken more pics but here’s what I got:

We started with lunch which was Hawaiian Haystacks, a first for 2 of our friends.

 

 

One of the sets of twins, Ayden and Addyson.

Sorry you came out blurry, Melissa! And sorry I caught you mid-chew, Dave

After eating we pulled out all of the goodies and got ready to sing happy birthday to the birthday girl!

 

After getting all sugared up we put a short 15 minute movie on for the kids to watch while I set up the next activity. I love all of the birthday hats poking up!

Notice Arabella is eating a cupcake on the couch…yeah, we didn’t. She made a MESS! Were it not her party she probably would have been in trouble

What did we do next? GINGERBREAD HOUSES!

This was by far the highlight of the party for all of the kids. Even the littlest twins spent a good 30 minutes decorating their gingerbread house. So cute!

 

 

I didn’t take pics but I did a repeat on the crayon rolls as party favors for the kids again. New place, new friends, it’s okay to repeat old party ideas, right? P.S. Taking pics and running a party is HARD! The adults also went home with a party favor of an assortment of chocolate covered pretzel rods. I can’t say how grateful I am to have such great friends so soon after moving here. It makes leaving my old friends a little easier. It felt good having a crowded house filled with friends that will be ours forever.

Arabella LOVED all of the extra attention she got on her birthday and was so sad when I put her to bed and told her that tomorrow wouldn’t be her birthday anymore. She thought the party was gonna go on and on! When I think about Arabella I think about her cute little language that only I understand and I think about how smart she is! She adores her big sister and loves to pester her to no end. She wants to be just like her and mimics everything Maya says. She is extremely social and not even a little shy. Her first day in nursery in our new church ward she literally ran into the nursery leaders arms. She makes friends wherever she goes. She loves to color and draw. She is a girly girl and loves carrying a purse. She is my little treasure. I love everything about her, even her strong personality.

~December 7, 2009~

While it was one of the most emotionally painful and difficult days of my life- It was also one of the most blessed and treasured days of my life as well.

Here a few links that lead to a little run down of Arabella’s little life:

First time I held her

3 Weeks old: Got the trach

5 Weeks old: Coming home!

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday