We're ready for Christmas!

I think we are officially ready for Santa to come; we've done pretty much every fun holiday activity I can stand! This is the Place Park, The Forgotten Carols, decorated a gingerbread house, did 3 separate Christmas countdown calendars, family parties, saw Santa at the mall twice, school programs, Thanksgiving Point lights, and a partridge in a pear tree!!!

Tate decided to get up and sing a solo of "Up on the Housetop" at the Torg party

I'm pretty sure Santa knows what we want, we've sat on his lap 3 different times:)

Meg and I with the kids eating ice cream and hot chocolate (good combo, I know) at Thanksgiving point. After a whole spilled drink and 3 dropped cones, we were done.

My idea of looking at lights is sitting in the warm car

Hailey, Tate and Alexa

Christmas Program

Tate had his first preschool program yesterday and he was so excited! He couldn't wait to get up and sing....and boy did he sing! He just about shouted every song and did every action, he was so proud. I was proud of him too, going to preschool has been the best thing ever; and it's made him very outgoing and not afraid anymore.

my little elf patiently waiting to start..

You can't see him too well, but he's a little to the right of the teacher in the middle. I couldn't get good pictures, but Jord got some great film! I'm going to try and see if I can figure out how to put some on here, it was hilarious!

This is the Place

For the month of December, the Love's decided to do something "christmas-y" every week. So the first week we went to This is the Place park and it was so much fun! I definitely want to make it a tradition. A lot of the little homes are open and have different activities you can do; like crafts, a puppet show, dancing, etc. And the train takes you around to see the lights too. The kids loved it.

There were a few reindeer when we first got there (even though you can't see them)

Tate, Max, Kaige, and Banks on the train

Putting our names on the nice list...

At the school house they taught us how to do a dance, so we each got a "partner" and the band played a song. This was seriously so fun, it was our favorite part.
I know I say it a lot, but I'm really loving the kids getting older. I feel like there's so much more we can do and places we can go. And they actually enjoy going too, they can stay out later and love to participate in stuff!

Marley

Because two binkies are always better than one:)

Miss Moo is now one and a half and still only 7% for weight, but 75% for height! Tall and skinny! She is a sassy and bossy little thing, she knows that she is the queen of the house. Feeding her is the most un-fun thing in the world, she eats nothing. Well, except oreos, but I don't know if that even counts...
Her favorite person in the whole world is Tate, even though he teases her to death. The second she wakes up she asks "where's Tate?" and will follow him everywhere, and copy everything he does. Marley loves shoes and will put on any pair she can find laying around, even Jordan's. I love that she is really starting to talk, you can actually understand what she says, it's not just all jibberish! Her favorite shows right now are Peppa Pig (weird) and Little Bear. Mar is a good little player, she can entertain herself very well and it's fun to watch her play. But she is very mischievous and likes to get into trouble too. She's very good at making messes and breaking things! She's my sweetie and a good snuggler, I love my little Sis!

Tate

Tate doing his famous Utes sign, he does this in like every picture

I've really slacked lately on blogging, which sucks, because this is my only journal. So I figure I'll do a post about each kid so I know what's going on with them right now!
Tate is getting much better these days about bad behavior. He still definitely has his moments, but overall he's acting a lot better! And it's nice, I can actually enjoy him and have fun with him now instead of just wishing it was bedtime:) He loves preschool, every day he asks if he has school, and how many minutes until we can go. Tate loves to color and draw. I'm obviously biased, but he's really good at it too. I love seeing his drawings because they are so cute and it makes me laugh! He's still a busy body; he would always be on the go if he could. Every day he asks where we're going and if we can play at grandma's, or Meg's or somewhere. But he really loves going to Hailey's (or as Tate says "Heh-wees") to play with her, they are the best of friends. He is a huge tease and just can't leave Marley alone! He loves to bug her and irritate her, just like a big brother I guess. But he can be really sweet and protective of her too. He is funny and silly just like his dad! Every day he cracks me up, it's been a crazy but fun 4 years!

Happy Halloween

Halloween was so fun this year, because Tate really got it and loved it. He loved decorating the house, and basically wore his costume all month. He was a Utes football player and Marley was his cheerleader. And it was great because he really wanted to trick-or-treat, so he went with his cousins Jake and Addie in their neighborhood. Brooke took him for over an hour! It was awesome.Tate with his teacher Mrs. Hopkin at his school party

On Sunday we carved pumpkins, Tate was so excited because we let him carve his own this year...

He did a pretty good job!

Marley painting her pumpkin...although she loved coming over to "help" me with mine. She just loved putting her hands in all the goo

I love that every year Jord dresses up for work, it always gives me a good laugh. This year he was Nacho LibreMy football player and cheerleader...this is the best shot I could get

Grandma Kathy had cute Utes stickers and Mar thought it was so cool to have one on her cheek

The Destroyer

the deceivingly cute face of a terror

Marley is now known as "the destroyer" at our house. She has reached that stage where anything she touches....turns into a mess. A few of the delightful things she's done recently are:
-poured a bottle of milk in the carpet....which still smells like a dirty diaper I can't get rid of
-writes on the walls, couches, herself, the floor, the entertainment center....anywhere BUT a piece of paper basically
-rips pages out of books
-any food given to her is smashed into the floor instead of eaten
-the second you take her diaper off she will run away and pee on the floor

-broke the screen on our laptop

of course I took a picture of her before taking away the pencil

pouring dirt/mud all over her head and body

October stuff

Ugh, I can't believe it's already been a month since I last blogged. Once I get behind, then I just don't want to do it at all! So I'll quickly recap....

October has been the usual fun fall stuff we do every year; the pumpkin patch, Wheeler Farm, Gardner Village Witches, and Cornbelly's! And with the kids getting older, its not quite as difficult as it used to be, we can actually go and enjoy ourselves! But I also tend to forget more to take the camera, so I'm lame and have hardly any pictures...

My poor ragamuffin children getting pumpkins...I looked just as trashy as them too:)

The (little) maze at Cornbelly's, Tate thought it was so awesome

And I'm not gonna lie, I loved the cow train, it was so cute!

Simplicity

Marley's knees after our usual day outside....

I'm getting depressed already thinking about winter coming. I love fall and Halloween, but it's the long cold weather after that I'm dreading. What are we going to do all freaking winter INSIDE? Since spring we've gone outside every day for hours running, riding bikes, jumping on the tramp, playing soccer and football, swinging....all that stuff. But what I will miss the most all winter are the little things only my kids can make me stop and appreciate!
-dirty scraped knees
-chasing their shadows..Tate asked why he can't ever seem to catch his:)
-picking up (and usually smashing with their fingers) any bugs....potato bugs, ants, worms...
-watching bees on the flowers
-laying on the grass and making shapes out of clouds
-jumping in ANY puddle they can find

8 years ago today

THEN...
2 kids, 2 dogs, 1 house, 1 bachelors degree, many family trips, changing jobs, no money, still no money, lots of laughs,and lots of fights later......

NOW... I think we look pretty good if I do say so myself! Here's to another 50 years!

The Ranch

It's been like 2 years since we've gone to the Love Ranch, so this past weekend all the Wakefield's went. Jord went with his brothers to the USC vs. Utah game in California, so I was a single mother....it was hard! We had so much fun and a ton of help, but the nights were hard because Tate was sick and Marley just would NOT sleep! Other than that it was awesome. Marley has never been, so it was fun to see her react to all the big (dead) animals there! And Tate was in heaven spending 4 full days of non-stop cousins! We never turned on the tv once, and the only toy we took was a scooter to ride on the deck. It was glorious to just have them run around and explore like kids should!

Macy and Marley in the loft looking out the railing

Tate, Hailey and Papa on their 700th ride

I thought Mar would be scared of the 4-wheelers but she loved them!

It was so funny--Tate was fascinated with Grandpa Snow's finger. He lost it a long time ago in a coal mine and Tate just couldn't get over it.

It was my mom's birthday while we were there, so we decided to throw her a surprise party

Me and the kids on game day in our Utes attire...we support from afar!

It's been one of those days.

The Apple School

first day of school....very nervous:)

Third time's the charm!! We tried last year to take Tate to preschool so that he could get out of the house and maybe make some new friends, but we had to pull him out because he would cry the whole time. He has some serious separation anxiety (which is really ironic because he fights with me all the live long day, but then apparently can't leave my side). Anyway, this year he is finally going! He calls it his Apple School because there's a big apple on the front of the building. That first day he only cried for a minute when I dropped him off and then was totally fine. Now he loves it! I was so proud of him!his second day of school when he realized how fun it was!

Mondays Motto

Chicken sitting

We don't babysit around here, we chicken sit! Brooke went out of town this week, so we offered to watch her 5 baby chickens. Most people have dogs, my sister has chickens! But the kids have been in heaven, they love feeding them, picking them up, and chasing them around the yard. They are super easy and kinda fun to have around....but I'm sure they'll just be happy to leave our crazy house where they don't get chased all day!

Hawaii days 5-8

I was so upset because the last few days my camera died! I had brought an extra battery, but it of course was a dead battery...awesome. So I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted, and some of the pictures are from Jord's phone.

I LOVE going to the flea market, I can always find the best purses, sunglasses...and just crap I don't really need, but it's awesome! And Tate was so excited to get his first tatoo, a pirate skeleton. Every mothers dreams.

That afternoon we walked to some other beaches by our place and found lots of crabs! Tate and Kaige hunted for them forever, and eventually brought like 8 or 9 back to the condo with them...

The boys with their cup-o-crabs!

On Wednesday we took a catamaran out and went snorkeling, it was so much fun. Here's all the guys just chillin on the way out.

Tate and Chace sitting on the top deck....Tate loved just riding on the boat, he was not too fond of getting in all that water.

The last full day we were there we went to the beach again(shocking I know), then drove to the temple, last time we went it was all under construction.

The we ended our last evening there by going to this little shack we've grown to love and getting the best acai bowls ever!

We had so much fun that trip, but I did miss my girl terribly! I couldn't wait to get back home to her and smooch her little face! Hopefully if we go again in the future, she'll be old enough to come.