Goodbye 2008

I can't believe that 2008 is done. What a year it was for us! Our little Sara came into our lives and we cannot even imagine life without her. She started crawling, standing, talking and got her first tooth. Anna just kept growing! She became potty trained, started joy school and ballet. She got to celebrate her third birthday at Disneyland and hasn't stopped talking about it since. Rob got to go to Dubai and New York and scout camp! Krista started a dance class that she loves and celebrated her 9th anniversary with Rob. All in all it was a good year. We are all healthy and happy and excited for the adventures 2009 will bring!

Twilight

So I finally went to see Twilight, only a couple of months late, I know. But I couldn't find anyone to go with me. So when my bestest friend in the whole world, besides Rob, came to visit I convinced her to go with me. She has not read the books, and thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I, on the other hand, have read the books, but went to the movie with low expectations. I actually liked it. I still liked the book a lot more and the Edward in my mind is a lot more handsome than the one in the movie, but I did enjoy myself. Thanks for going with me Sheralyn. I already miss you!

Happy Birthday Rob!

Today is Rob's 32nd birthday. He had to spend it sick, but as always, he had a positive attitude. I'm so grateful that I have him in my life. Thank you Rob! You're the best! I love you!Rob's mom sent me this picture. He was about the same age as Anna and was building a fort in a tree. Unfortunately, he fell out and broke his leg. Isn't he the cutest little kid with the saddest little face. Boy, how he has grown!

For Mom

This picture is for my mom. For Christmas she made all of the grand kids new pillowcases and snuggly blankets. Anna was sick and all she wanted was her Ariel pillowcase and her turtle blanket. So, mom, it was a hit!

Wii Wish you a Merry Christmas!

We had a fabulous Christmas. It was so fun watching Sara squeal with delight with every new present that was presented to her. Here is a picture before the chaos erupted.
Anna got her pink house that she asked for. She was pretty excited, especially for the little potty that it had.
Sara loved her blue dog!
But loved the measuring spoons that she found in her stocking even more!
Anna unwrapped about six new princess Barbies. It's official! She's a princess!
Anna kept asking for more to unwrap. I don't think she took ten seconds to look at the picture. She just wanted to keep unwrapping!
We ended up getting a Wii and a Wii fit. We love it! Anna is trying to figure out how to play Mario Kart. It was pretty intense!
We hope everyone else had a Merry Christmas as well! Thanks Santa!

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve with the Hadfields. We did the reenactment of the first Christmas with the little people nativity set which lasted about five seconds because the kids had the attention span of a gnat! The girls were able to unwrap one present, their new pajamas. Aren't they so cute!

Here comes Santa Claus

Anna and Sara had the opportunity to meet Santa Claus. Sara did not like the experience at all, as you can see.Anna was actually pretty funny to watch. We had been coaching her, telling her that she had to sit on Santa's lap in order to tell him what she wanted. If she didn't tell him, he had no way of knowing what to bring to her. So she said that she was going to do it. When Santa walked in , she turned and ran the other direction, crying. My niece, Missy, came and got her to sit down and watch the other kids sit on his lap. About fifteen minutes later when he called her name she walked right up to him and climbed upon his lap. She doesn't look too thrilled about it, but she stayed up their long enough to answer all of his questions and tell him that she wanted a pink house for her dollies. I was so proud of her for being so brave!
Here is a nice action shot of Sara. Her dad had her blanket. She wanted it. She pulled...
...and succeeded.

Sick

As I said in my previous post, the stomach flu ran pretty rampant through the Cloward family. Unfortunately, I came home with it. Anna was so sweet. She tried to take care of me the way I take care of her when she is sick. She brought me Sprite and books and even tried to take my temperature. I'm just glad it was only a 24 hour thing!

White Tigers

My FIL and BIL recently went to China on business. They are getting ready to design and build a project for a gentleman that owns about one hundred and fifty living white tigers. When he found out how many grandchildren my in laws had, he sent 25 white stuffed tigers home with them on the condition that they took a picture and sent it to him. So here are the grand kids with their stuffed tigers. Anna and Sara love theirs.

The Lodge

The week before Christmas the Cloward family rented a cabin up Aspen Grove for a family retreat. There were 40 of us in all. There was little moving room, but there was plenty of snow for sledding and making snow angels. I left my camera in the car and wasn't able to get any pictures of Anna playing in the snow, but she loved it for about a half an hour. She said that the sledding was fun, but really cold. She could have made snow angels all day! Sara enjoyed staying inside, spending time with her cousins. Here she is being snuggled with cousin Katie.
We had to book the lodge back in July, well before BYU was scheduled to play in the Las Vegas Bowl. We were all a little worried about how we were going to watch the game when there wasn't a TV in our lodge....Ask and ye shall receive! They put the game on in the big lodge. Here we are watching the game. Notice all the smiles...It was during that short period of time that BYU was in the lead!

So what do you do with the kids? Luckily Grandpa had remembered his projector and screen. They loved being able to watch a couple of movies.
Here is Sara all bundled up. Don't let that smile fool you...She hated it!
And here are some of the cousins waiting for their turn to open presents. You can't see it in the picture, but the bed was bowing pretty low!
We all had a great time, even though the stomach flu was pretty abundant. As soon as I get more pictures I will be sure to post them!

Sara and Dobber

Dobber loves Sara and Sara loves Dobber. It works well for us. Even though I despise the little dog, he does entertain her quite nicely. When Sara is being cranky and I have done everything in my power to calm her down, I bring out Dobber and she quiets down immediately. Dobber is well rewarded for his part in the whole thing. Sara shares all of her food with him. It's a win-win relationship!

Rob's Work Party

I just had to show this picture. At Rob's work party white elephants were exchanged. Rob won the best one by far. He received a faux mullet with mullet shampoo. How awesome is that?

A fun one!

This is a fun one! Just copy and paste it into your own blog, then bold the things you have done! And add your own at the bottom!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone - no, but had one cut
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (we just drove past it)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (a fish)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Made amends with someone who offended you
101. Flew in a small Cessna plan with just you and the pilot
102. Ran out of gas
103. Eaten fried okra
104. Swam in the Caribbean Sea
105. Peed in a swimming pool - I'm sure as a child :)
106. Rented a beach house
107. Hosted an exchange student
108. Been a Secret Santa to a family in need
109. Worked on a political campaign
110. Coached a sports team
111. Gone kayaking in the ocean
112. Certified as an elementary teacher
113. Been the mother to twins.
114. Eaten sushi
115. Swam with sting rays (at the time I didn't know they were in there)
116. Given birth to triplets
117. Lost a child
118. Lived in a foreign country (2 actually)
119. Served an LDS mission
120. Visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Christmas Lights

Seeing as both the girls have started to feel better, we decided to take them to see some Christmas lights. We picked up my parents and headed out to Thanksgiving Point. The lights were pretty good. I think the girls enjoyed just getting out of the house. This was Sara when we put her in her car seat.


Then we let Anna come up and drive with her dad. She loved that!

Sara was able to get out of her car seat as well. She loved playing with Grandpa.Here's an awesome picture of my parents. I don't think my mom was too happy to have her picture taken.

Sickness

Both Anna and Sara are sick. Poor Anna has had to just sit by the garbage can. Poor Sara has the worst case of diaper rash I have ever seen. I hate watching my kids suffer when there sick. I hope this passes quickly!

A Date with Anna

I decided to start a new tradition with Anna this year...The Nutcracker. I remember going with my mom and my grandma to a performance every year. This year Anna was old enough to go. So Rob stayed home with Sara and Anna and I set out on our date. I asked her what she wanted to eat for dinner and her answer was "Pizza". So we went to the Brick Oven where she had ham and olive pizza and Sprite drink. Then we were off to the performance. She did so well. Her ballet teacher was the Sugar Plum Fairy and she loved that she was able to recognize someone. One of the things that they offered this year was a $2 raffle. The winner received the crown of the Sugar Plum Fairy. I had to enter Anna. Here she is holding her ticket, which she thought was the prize. She didn't win, but it was still fun. In another two years we will be able to include Sara in this tradition!

Baking Cookies

Anna helped me bake cookies today. She started out just using the cookie cutters and then it progressed to her getting her own rolling pin and rolling out the dough. This entertained her for about an hour. I am definitely doing this again. Notice the flour on her face. She is hard at work!

White Elephants

We had our monthly game night tonight at our friends house. Seeing as it was Christmas time, we had to break out the white elephants. Rob received this jewel. Although he is using it for a hat, it is actually a Kleenex cozy. I totally remember having one of these growing up. The tissues come out of the chimney. Unfortunately, someone else thought that this was great, so we lost it. Oh, well. There's always next year!

It was...soap poisoning

I always thought that in order to get soap in ones mouth you had to say a naughty word. Today I decided that "no" was on that list. Anna has developed quite the attitude, especially towards me. Her new favorite word is no. Today she used it full force. I had put her in time out and taken some of her favorite toys away. It wasn't working. So I just looked at her and told her the next time she told me no she was going to have soap in her mouth. She turned and looked at me with a very defiant look and in a very loud voice said "NO!". So, we went into the bathroom where I found a bar of soap and put it in. I only left it in there for about 15 seconds, but she got the point. She was a jewel after that. Anytime she started to say no I would flash the bar of soap. I'm glad that I finally found something that would work, just sad that I had to use it so early in her life!

Oranges

At our ward party we received some oranges. We decided to let the girls have one for a snack. Sara had never tried them before and it is obvious that she loves them. Thank goodness she likes something that is healthy for a change. She was so sticky, but very happy!
Anna thought it was hilarious to have an orange smile. She had to try a couple of times to figure out what to do. The funny thing, the orange was way too big for her mouth, so she just kept shoving it in! Finally after she ate enough she was able to get it in. Say "Cheese" Anna, or should I say "Orange".

A Day with Sara

My mom came and picked up Anna today (thanks mom!), so it was just Rob, Sara and I. We never just have a day with Sara, so it was a very nice change. She seemed to enjoy getting all of the attention. She just sat in her chair and watched her daddy dip Rice Krispie treats. Of course, she also had to sample. I think she gave it her approval. My Sara is such a sweet little girl. Her little giggle is so contagious. I don't hear it enough lately, due to her teething (thank goodness two finally cut through!). I sure love her!

Here she is eating her Rice Krispie treats. I don't think she liked it too much. I found several pieces of it scattered here and there.She got pretty tired near the end. She almost fell asleep in her little chair. Isn't she sweet!

MMMMM....Chocolate

So Sara discovered chocolate tonight. We attended our ward Christmas party and someone had dipped pretzels. Sara got a hold of one and did not let go. She loved it! This is what we ended up with as a result...But man, she had fun!

Random Things

I don't have any new pictures to post, but wanted to blog about some fun things that happened today. Anna has been attending a joy school with some friends. They have been learning some Christmas songs, including "Jingle Bells". She came home and started singing it to me and I thought I heard something different, so I had her sing it to Rob. He heard the same thing. Anna is singing "Tinkerbell, Tinkerbell, Jingle all the way". How cute is that. I have been working with her to try and get her to say Jingle Bells, but it's not working that well.
On an exciting yet scary note, Sara took two steps today. Yikes! My baby is getting so big! I wouldn't be surprised if she is walking everywhere by the end of this year.

Dance Recital

Tonight was Anna's Christmas dance recital. She did such a great job. Her class danced to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and she remembered all her parts, just not all at the right time. She didn't look nervous at all, and seemed to be enjoying herself the whole time. Unfortunately, my camera wasn't working that well so I wasn't able to get a picture of just her with her flower, but hopefully my mom will read this and e-mail me her copy!

Here she is during her dance. It came out a blurry because we were not able to use flash photography and the girls would not sit still.Here she is at the end. They had the girls just try and stay still so the parents could take a picture. They tried their best to stay still.


Here she is with two of her cousins; Sylvie and Lily. I'm surprised that Anna's flowers are not right in her face. She was so excited that her daddy gave her flowers and she wanted to show them off in all of her pictures.

Here are the girls again. Aren't they so cute! Oh, Sylvie and Lily were toy soldiers, hence the hats!