Happy New Year 2013

-What a way to ring in the new year with these little guys. I could squeeze Audrey's little cheeks right now. So cute! couldn't get her to look at me for a picture. Audrey is not a morning person, and it takes her a little while to warm up.






There's one. Perhaps a ride on the tricycle was all she needed. Cedar had a bit of a storm on Christmas Eve, and then a cold snap. The snow stayed around for a little while. What better way to spend New Year's Day, then out playing in the snow? Our backyard was not finished yet, but that is okay, especially when our backyard was just a bunch of sagebrush, and the snow actually helped us be able to play in it.













Of course, you can't play outside without making a few snow angels:








Audrey made several snow angels, but Grant was not a big fan. We lasted about an hour before the kids started to complain about the cold. I promised them hot chocolate. Both tried it, but neither liked it. Weird kids!
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Who Could Resist?

Oh Audrey. She loves to have her picture taken. A few fun things about this picture. First her dress. Maddy (her cousin, which she found a new friend in on Christmas Eve) gave her a bunch of dresses to wear. We could not thank Julie enough for giving them to us. Audrey adores them, and they have come quite a staple in her wardrobe.
Audrey is also a champion at using her utensils when she eats. She has a bit more patience than her brother, and can pierce her meat on her plate with ease. This is a recent development and one that is worth mentioning.

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Christmas Morning 2012

Santa found his way to our house this year bringing toys to my two little ones. The kids were excited to open their presents on Christmas Morning, but they weren't CRAZY excited yet. I'm thinking maybe next year, they will get more excited for Christmas. Here are some pics:

- Audrey was super into puzzles and books. She also received a princess castle which she adored. She also got a Cabbage Patch kid, and a nursery set, and this frilly skirt which she adores.






















Both kids received bikes this year, and Grant had a great time riding around on our laminate floor. Since Grant loves Curious George, he received some books about him, and also a floor puzzle. A karaoke machine and a V-reader were also received.




A new tradition every year, might be going to my mom's house on Christmas Day. We brought down some of the toys they received and we had a good time and a great Christmas dinner, thanks to my mom.






I adore James on Christmas (and every other day!) He enjoys playing with the kids' toys almost as much as they do. Audrey couldn't get enough being close to her dad. Lucky girl!




Merry Christmas everyone!
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Christmas Eve

Friends at last for Maddie and Audrey. Maddie is Audrey's cousin and she is a month older than Audrey. Julie and I have been patiently waiting for the two to finally begin to start playing together. The Christmas Eve shindig at Paul and Robbi's house proved to be a starting point for these two. They found common ground in coloring. I'm glad I had the camera on hand to catch.

- Another fun tradition in our household is the Christmas Eve pajamas. Both kids were so excited to don their new jammies. Audrey can hardly contain herself.


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Grant's Not the Only One

Apparently, falling asleep in the swing isn't just partial to Grant:

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Fun Hair

One of the many things that I love to do is go on Pinterest. I had to try out a pin on Audrey of a cute hair do. Since she is hard to get on board to do her hair, I try to catch her at breakfast, when she is sitting down, and usually doesn't want to walk away. She sat still for me while I did this:




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Not bad for my first time. I love the natural curl in her hair near the bottom. I think she liked it too.

Yes, that is Grant in the background standing on his stool. Just a normal morning for our household.

Maybe he was feeling left out...


So I took his picture too!

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Numbers

Grant's new thing is numbers. He loves to count and has James and I make these sheets that count from 1 to 100. He loves them, and he knows how to count himself from 1 to 100 backwards and forwards. Not too bad for a preschooler!

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Speaking of Hams...

Here is another one in my household who has been loving the camera lately. She loves this Minnie shirt, and thinks she is something else when she wears it. She is so fun! This isn't the only one pic:










-Silly little girl! What a sweetheart. And yes, that is our laundry hamper that is turned upside down that she is sitting on.


Riding around on the tricycle on our laminate floors is a favorite past time for these two. One of them will sit on the back cubby while the other pushes so hard for them to move.

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What a ham!

Isn't he cute? He has been smiling so good for pictures lately. Give him a medal!

-I also love Audrey's hair detangler right in the picture. I think I should send this in for a best photo contest.(Being totally sarcastic.) He is such a sweet boy!




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Trim the Tree

We don't wait much after Thanksgiving to put up the tree! We love the holidays around here! I love this picture because it shows how new our house is. So new that I don't want to put anything up yet on the walls. Audrey loves to decorate the tree. If she had her way, I think all the ornaments would live around the bottom of the tree within her reach. Grant on the other hand recognized the need for a chair, and helped put ornaments on that way. I sort of like the way our tree turned out!




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Ready for Thanksgiving

Our first Thanksgiving in our new house, found Audrey like this:

A change of plans this year. Since we had moved in to our new house, my family wanted to come and spend Thanksgiving with us. Well, I hope that is not the only reason, and this will be a tradition every other year. It was sort of a big deal, in that my oldest sister Kristin, we hadn't seen her in a very long time. So my family, and extended family were really anticipating her arrival.
I have to say, that since I have married James, I have discovered how truly important these big family dinners are. When James and his family have Thanksgiving, there is plenty and tons to go around. I think everyone brings a side dish or two. My family is a little more on the "do we have enough" side. Meaning, we make just enough for everyone to have one good meal. James was very concerned about the turkey, and the number of side dishes being presented. It turned out well, and he need not have worried me. We roasted the turkey in my Mom's turkey roaster, since my oven was on the fritz. Everyone had a good meal, and we had time for games once we were finished.








I love James' grin around our table. He likes playing games with my family just as much as I do. The pie we were having was also really good!




-Grant, of course, had to get in with the iPad. Lewis, Brayden, and Conner were great about sharing it.







Sometimes, Grant got a little too much into it.





Cute, huh? I love these cousin pictures! We need more of them!




Our Thanksgiving bunch. We had a great day. Thanks to my sisters and their families who traveled to get to our house. Hopefully a new tradition has started! :)
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Does This Look Comfortable?

I don't know how he manages to do it, but he does. This child can just fall asleep no matter what crazy position he is in. Case in point....

But this can lead to a happy boy after a few hours of much needed rest!
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