Christmas in Redding

We got to Redding Saturday the 22nd in the late afternoon. Mom/Grandma made us a yummy roast that night. Sunday we went to church and had a yummy ham that night for dinner. After dinner we drove to town and walked around a display of lights. Staucie loved the lights. There was music playing and it was a nice night to walk around.

Santa came to visit us on Christmas Eve while we were playing games. It was very nice of him to visit during his busy night. On Christmas Eve Day we went to the movies and saw National Treasure (Grandma stayed home with the kids and played). After dinner we read Luke 2 from the Bible and watched The Nativity. We played games and got new pajamas. After the kids went to bed we watched a movie.

 

Christmas morning we made everyone wake up early so Staucie and Parker could open presents with us. Parker did go to sleep before we were done, we had a lot of presents to open (there were 11 of us). Thanks to Mom and Dad we had a great Christmas morning. We had turkey that night for dinner, yummy!

While we were in Redding we watched lots of movies, did some shopping, played games, ate LOTS of yummy food, did a puzzle, and hung out.
Parker tried Rice cereal for the first time (he will be 6 months on the 6th of January). He was really mad at first. He gets really mad when you try to put foreign objects in his mouth, like a bottle or a medicine dropper. He kept spitting as soon as the spoon would touch his mouth and grunting. Then he started yelling. We tried again after Staucie started eating his cereal and he LOVED it! We are still practicing once in awhile. It still falls back out a lot, but he is getting better. He does like it though. I knew he would once he tried it, he's a boy so of course he likes to eat!

Merry Christmas!

 

 

Our Family Christmas Night

Last night we celebrated Christmas together as a family. We are going to Redding tomorrow for Christmas and don't have room for all the presents and last night was the best time to do it. After dinner and baths, Staucie, Parker, and I went into our bedroom while Daniel played Santa Clause. When he was done we came out. Staucie got a slide from her Grandma Lees and she ran to that first. Then I handed her a wrapped present and she could see inside because it was ripped and she saw a stroller. She said, "stroller?" And then went crazy until we could get it open. She was so excited! She went crazy with every present we opened and didn't know what to play with first or next or what! Parker loved to chew on his new keys and watch Staucie go nuts.

Thanks to my parents the kids had a lot of presents under the tree. They got toys and clothes. Staucie was so happy that she didn't want to go to bed. Parker was soooooo tired because his afternoon nap got messed up because we had to go to the airport to take Tyne, but he loves Tyne :)

It was a fun night. Staucie had a blast. And now we get to have Christmas again on Christmas Day!

Getting Ready

The last couple mornings Staucie has been getting ready with me. She flips the laundry basket upside down and pushes it up to the counter. Since she "gets ready" on her Daddy's side of the vanity, she does what he does. She turns on the water and gets her hair wet.

 

 

What a cute girl! She is fun to get ready with. There is water everywhere though because she can reach the faucet to turn it on. And I gave her a cup to play with. At one point there was water all the way up my mirror and a puddle on the counter that was running onto the floor. Good thing she is cute and has so much fun. She also shaved my face and got my hair wet. She is so helpful. (She also brushed her teeth with Daddy's tooth brush - don't tell Daniel!)

5 Months

Parker is 5 months old today.

Happy 5 months, Parker!

Parker

Two new things for Parker this week:

1. Parker found his feet on Monday and hasn't stopped playing with them.

2. Parker cut a tooth. It looked like he was going to, but it was hard to look in his mouth to see because if I touch his mouth then his little tongue pokes out and he tries to suck on my finger. But yesterday I saw the tooth poking through his gums. He has been drooling like crazy and shoving everything into his mouth and his gums looked bigger so I knew it was coming. My baby is growing up!

 

Staucie

Staucie had a messy face while eating a spaghetti lunch. She LOVES spaghetti. Staucie decided to put a jack in her nostril Monday night. During Family Night we were reading the Ensign and Staucie was laying on the floor reading a baby magazine. She is also wearing her black Sunday shoes with her pajamas.

 

I'll Make My Own Slide

Staucie LOVES slides. She likes to turn her toy basket upside down and then put the cardboard mat thing up to it. We used to just roll toys down it but after a couple toys she tries to go down it herself. I try and hold it in place so she can try but she is too big. The cardboard mat has a bend in it now. It is snowing today, so no going to the slides today. The snow is really wet so she would just be soaked and cold.

 

Rolly Polly

This is how I laid Parker in his bed for a nap this morning...

This is how I found him when I came to get him when he woke up...

Thanksgiving at the Cabin/Lodge

Thanks to my parents, we were able to fly to Sacramento and go to their cabin for Thanksgiving. Austin and Amy, Shea and Tyne, Steve, Traci, Kyle, and Keana, Andy, Janet, Michael, Layton, Tyler, and Brayden, and Grandma and Grandpa Mortensen were all their too. Thanks to my mom and Tyne we had very yummy Thanksgiving dinner 2 nights in a row with fresh turkeys each night! I love Thanksgiving at my mom's! We tried a family picture.

 

 

The Wedding After Party

After Brad and Ashley's wedding reception, we went to the Dougherty's to hang out. The boys/men played "Face Ball," which was pretty funny to watch. And the girls enjoyed each other and loved the little chairs. Ellie was there but wouldn't stay for the picture.

 

First Haircut

Staucie has been nick-named "Mullet" by her uncle and I finally decided after seeing Hannah's new hair cut to cut off Staucie's "mullet." She played with things in her high chair while I cut it. It is not the best hair cut job but it is hard to cut a wiggly one-year-old's hair.