December-Christmas Awesomeness!

We started out the Christmas season by decorating our tree right after we got home from Thanksgiving.  I love our tree.  I sometimes miss having a real one but an artificial one is super convenient! Kaylee enjoyed helping me decorate. She loves the Christmas tree almost as much as I do. One of my favorite things at Christmas is to sit in our front room with just the Christmas tree lights on. 

 

December 1
Jake's mom took everyone out for our annual Christmas dinner and show.  We look forward to this every year, especially now that we seem to all be scattering farther away.  I feel pretty blessed to have such great in-laws!  The dinner was amazing as usual and the show was funny but spiritual.  It was a reminder to why we celebrate Christmas and it was a perfect way to start the season off.  Thank you Janice to an awesome night!

 

December 6
After the Nielsen Christmas party, I decided to stay in town to spend some time getting some Christmas things done and spending time with my family.  Jake had to come home to go to work so it was just me and the kids.  Thursday December 6th, I took the kids to see some Christmas lights and Santa at Riverwoods.  My mom and dad came with us and Audrey and Boston met up with us there.  We missed Jake and wished he could have come with us but we still had a good time!  The lights were so pretty and Santa was great!  Kaylee had no reservations about sitting on Santa's lap.  She was so excited!  She told him she wanted babies, a kitchen and cupcakes.  Even Braxton was fine with Santa.  No crying = success!

Kaylee really was excited to see Santa - it just isn't captured in this picture. :)

December 8
Jake came back out to Spanish Fork so we could attend our friend's Christmas party.  We usually aren't able to make it to their party but this year we were able to and we were so glad!  It was a small group of us and we all became friends while I worked at New Haven and our husbands all became friends as well.  I'm so grateful that we've been able to maintain these friendships since we've moved.  Their friendship mean the world to me and it was so great to get together with everyone!!

December 19
I took Kaylee and Braxton to the library where they were having Christmas story time.  They read some stories, got to make a craft, see Santa and have cookies and milk.  Kaylee loved it - especially since her best little friend Jade was there too.

When Santa came in, I told Kaylee to go sit up front where the kids were gathering.  Well, she thought I meant go sit WITH Santa.  So she marched herself up there, weaving in and out of kids and parents.  She got right in front of Santa, who had just sat down, and waited.  He grabbed her and put her on his lap and he didn't even have to ask what she wanted for Christams, she just went right ahead and said, "I want babies, kitchen and cupcakes!"  Everyone giggled at her and told her she was a pro at this Santa thing.

Kaylee and her bestie Jade

Later that night Kaylee had her dance recital.  She looked adorable but she didn't really do a whole lot on stage.  But that's okay.  She said she had fun and I've seen her do it in dance class so I know she knew it.  I was proud of her just the same.   

   

She's the 2nd in from the right - the one that looks angry...

 We've had such a good December.  The holidays are so much more fun with kids!  Especially now that Kaylee is understanding more and more.  She's super excited for Santa to come but not only that, she's starting to understand that Christmas is about our Savior's birth (but let's be honest, for her it's still mostly about Santa).  

With everything that's happened recently, I've just tried to hold my kids more and tell them I love them even more.  I feel so terrible for the parents who lost their little ones and can't hold them any longer but I know our Savior is doing it for them.  I'm so grateful for the gospel, for our Savior, His birth and everything He has done for us.  And I'm so grateful for these two little ones...   

Merry Christmas!

My Sweet Girl

Yesterday morning while I was getting ready Braxton was in his room on the floor playing.  He started to get fussy and I heard Kaylee go in there and say "What wrong Braxton?  It's okay." In her highest, sweetest voice.  I then heard her a minute later talking to him and he had stopped fussing so I went in there to see what they were doing and this is what I found...

Such a good big sister reading him a story.

Fast forward to later that afternoon. Jake had been home for lunch and then went back to work. This is how our conversation went...

K:     Why daddy go to work?
Me:   Because somebody has to work around here...
K:     Kayee go to work!
Me:   What are you going to do at work?
K:     Fix a castle for mommy!

I love my sweet girl and I'm really looking forward to my castle!

Braxton's 1st Haircut

Braxton has a lot of hair.  I love it!  And he's complimented on it all the time.  Ladies are always running their fingers through his hair - he loves it.  But it was getting hard to style it and I just kept telling myself that I would cut it when he was 6 months.  Well, he's 6 months now so I decided to just do it (I didn't actually do it - Elisha did.)

The whole day I didn't know if I could do it.  I was afraid he wasn't going to look like my baby anymore!  I'm not sure why cutting off my little's boy hair was so emotional for me but it was...

He's looking at his Dad for help... and sucking on his thumb...

Look at all that hair!

My handsome boy with his new do.

And that darn thumb again...

 He wasn't happy to lose those beautiful locks but he looks good!  He does look older though now and not so baby-ish but I'm getting used to it.

Halloween

Halloween was so much fun this year with Kaylee.  She was so into it and had so much fun!  Kaylee HAD to be a princess so I had her help me pick a princess dress online. She picked a pink one of course.

We went to a Halloween carnival and played lots of fun games.  She got to catch her own goldfish and we named him Bubbles.  Apparently we don't know how to take care of a goldfish because Bubbles passed away a few days later.  Kaylee was sad but then said "We need new fish now".  I don't think that will be happening...

Princess Kaylee and her fish Bubbles

 Kaylee had a dance Halloween party as well, which she loved.  Her favorite part was the spook alley - weirdly enough.  After the party we went Trunk-or-Treating with her cousins and friends! It was really fun and she made a huge haul!
   

Kaylee and Sadie - two beautiful princesses!!

Halloween night we went Trick-or-Treating around our neighborhood.  Kaylee loved going up to doors, knocking, and saying "Trick-er-tree"!  She was so cute.  And Brax was a ferocious dragon - just look at this mean, fire breathing beast....

The most adorable dragon I've ever seen!

I hope everyone had a very Happy Halloween!  I know we did!!!

Halloween Fun

The other night for Family Night we carved pumpkins.  Kaylee wasn't really digging the whole carving thing since we obviously don't trust her with a knife so we gave her paint instead.  She created a masterpiece! 

Braxton enjoyed watching us.

Our Jack-O-Lanterns! Jake's is on the left, Kaylee's in the middle (obviously) and mine on the right.

Yesterday I helped the kids make some ghosts with paint and their hands.  I found the idea on pinterest,of course. Kaylee loved that I painted her hand and while I was helping Braxton make his ghosts - I looked over and saw Kaylee painting her whole arm.  It was awesome....  Anyway, I think they turned out pretty cute and now I can use them as Halloween decorations.

6 Years

Jake and I celebrated our 6th anniversary on the 13th.  So we decided to drop the kids of at Grandma's and head up to Lagoon for the day.  Thanks Grandma!

We had a lot of fun!  It was cold though and there were more people than we thought there would be but we still had a good time.  It's been a really long time since either of us had been there and there were lots of new rides to go on, not to mention the scary haunted houses!

After Lagoon we headed back to Salt Lake, had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (it was soooo delicious!!!!) and spent the night at Hotel Monaco.

I can't believe we've been married for 6 years and have 2 kids!  The time has really flown by.  I'm so grateful to be married to my best friend.  Jake is such an amazing husband and father.  I'm pretty darn lucky! And it was so nice to get away just the two of us!

Because Jake and I are super awesome - we forgot to take pictures.  Oh well.  Happy Anniversary to us!

My Kids

Braxton, 5 months
Braxton is getting so big!  I can't believe how fast time flies.  He's 5 months old and the happiest baby ever!  He loves to smile as much as I love making him smile.  He loves watching his big sister and thinks she's pretty funny most of the time, even when she's harassing him - with love, of course. 

He started rolling over a few weeks ago but then starts crying because he hates being on his tummy.  He sleeps through the night and has been since about 2 1/2 months. I've been blessed with good sleepers!  Thank goodness! He's a thumb sucker - it's adorable but I'm not sure I'm crazy about the idea of breaking this habit in the future.

Braxton is pretty much the best baby ever.  He hardly ever cries and is just so mellow.  And I just love this little guy so much.

He is 3 1/2 months here and super handsome!

Braxton at 2 months old and all ready for church (Jake is not ready for church...)

I came downstairs one morning and found Braxton like this... Kaylee was being super helpful by putting a scarf thing around his head

Kaylee, 2 years old
Oh where do I begin with this child?  We call her our little tornado because she is so energetic and somewhat destructive - a tornado describes her perfectly!  I have a hard time keeping up with her.  But she keeps me laughing (or wanting to pull my hair out :)) especially since she's talking so much lately.  I feel like in just the last month or so her talking has gotten so much better.  I can actually carry on a conversation with her now. She surprises me with the things she says but what's even better is her facial expressions while she talks to you - she's so expressive and it's hilarious!

She loves to wear her tutu.  Its not uncommon to wake Kaylee up in the mornings and find her sleeping in her tutu.  Or for her to randomly put it on in the day over her clothes.  She thinks she's a princess in it.

She's also started pretending a lot.  She pretends to be cooking with her playdough - she often asks me to open the oven for her to put a playdough pie in there and then we pretend to eat it.  She carries her doll around everywhere lately, pretending to be a good little mommy.  She says that monsters are coming and that we need to hide. My favorite though was this morning in the bathtub - she was a mermaid princess. 

I just recently potty trained her.  She's doing so well!  And I am so excited to have her out of diapers. I'm not sure how I'm going to break her of the "go potty, I get treat!" thing but that's okay for now.

The "Terrible Twos" is definitely pretty terrible at times.  She's a sassy, temper tantrum throwing girl who tests my patience every day but she can also be so sweet and so fun. She's so helpful with Braxton and just loves him to pieces.  I sometimes find her reading a story to him.  One of the first things she says in the morning is that she wants to say hi to Braxton and then goes in and gives him a hug and kiss good morning.  But before she asks to say hi to Brax, she asks where her daddy is and when I tell her he's at work, she says "again?" She loves her daddy and loves helping him with all of his projects whenever she can.

Kaylee helping Daddy put together our desk

 I just can't believe that Kaylee and even Braxton are growing up so fast!  I almost started crying the other day when Kaylee starting pedaling her tricycle (she always just uses her feet to push herself around), it seems like such a simple and silly thing but she looked so big!  And then when I was folding laundry and saw her "big girl underwear"...  She's not my baby anymore - she's getting big and I want to slow time down.  Even Braxton rolling over or when he grows out of his clothes -  I just want to scream STOP!  I love to see them experience and learn new things but I also miss the stages they are growing out of.  

Jake and I feel really blessed to be parents to these two special kids.  I pray every day to be able to be a better mom because these two deserve the best.  I love them so much and am so grateful (most days) to be able to be home with them every day.

Blanchett Park

I wrote a blog post a few years ago about the "Man Trip" where me and Kaylee tagged along with the boys to Blanchett Park in the Winter.  You can find it here if you'd like to revisit it but lets just say it wasn't the most enjoyable time I've ever had.  Since we went to Blanchett Park the first time, I've been telling Jake I would like to go back in the summer.  Well, we finally went back with Cory & Elisha and their family. 

So much fun!  It's a long rocky road getting there but once you get there, its so pretty and we had a really good time.  The kids got to go on a little 4-wheeler ride, went fishing and we had a little lunch up there.  This fishing adventure was much more successful than the last - Kaylee and Jake actually caught a fish on her Barbie fishing pole!

The fish!  It was small but still exciting!

Cory jumping over the creek

Kaylee, Sadie and Gavin

Jake fishing with Kaylee's Barbie fishing pole

Gavin, Cory, Sadie, Kaylee and Jake

 Before you get to Blanchett Park, there's a little area where Jake and his brothers used to go camping with their dad.  Their dad had been going there for years and he put up this sign that says "Jeff's Park".  The picture below is the sign, it's really hard to read because it's been there for over 40 years or so. Its kind of surprising that the sign is still there after so many years.  It was pretty neat to walk around up there because this place brings back a lot of fond memories for Jake.  

Jeff's Park

Needless to say, this trip was much better than the "Man Trip"!!

Summer Highlights

June 9, 2012
Fishing in the Uintahs
This was our first fishing trip of the summer.  It didn't go well...  We didn't catch any fish.  But Jake put a floating ball (I can't remember the technical term for it, I don't know my fishing terminology) on the end of Kaylee's fishing pole.  We would help her cast and she would reel it in.  Every time she'd reel it in she would say, "I caught a ball!!" She'd be so excited every time.  It was funny and worth the trip just for that.

Kaylee Dancing
I put Kaylee in dance class this summer.  They teach her dance half of the time and the other half is tumbling.  She loves it!  I think she likes dressing up in her dance outfits more than actually dancing.  She got to be in 4 parades this summer and had a performance.  During the performance the little girl next to her kept pushing her and bugging her.  I thought Kaylee was going to knock her out for a minute but the little girl stopped and Kaylee did super well after that.  She comes home and shows me all the things she learns.  Her favorite is doing somersaults - she's pretty dang good too!

Getting ready for one of the parades

The Roosevelt Parade

September 2012
Labor Day
We went to our cabin for Labor Day.  It's always so fun to getaway to the cabin.  It's so beautiful there.  My mom, Tye, Audrey and their new little boy Boston came up and spent a day with us.

Baby Boston, Kaylee and Braxton

September 22, 2012
Cabin Trip
We went up to our cabin again and this time my family came up with us.  We loved that we could spend time with them up there.  We had a lot of fun riding 4-wheelers, playing games and just hanging out.  We all learned that Kaylee loves driving the 4-wheeler.  The fact that she loves going fast and has no fear is not a good combination.

Uncle Zac and Kaylee

Snuggling with Grandpa

Kaylee thinks she needs her purse everywhere she goes