My new little guy

Meet

Owen Cameron Whatcott

He's pretty cute, don't you think?

Even though I wasn't prepared for him to come yet. (He was 4 1/2 weeks early but had to come because of my dumb blood pressure). He looks great, and besides being very sleepy because of the drugs they had to give me, he is doing great and will come home with me today. I can't wait to watch this little guy grow up and be a part of our family. He's been such a sweet snuggle boy so far. I hope that continues as he enters the battlefield (of home with the other kids ready to teach and torture him :) ). Here we go (for the last time)... Goodbye sleep!
More and BETTER pictures to come...

Ski Day

My fourth graders go skiing every year the day before Christmas break. It is a great way to start off our Christmas vacation, and Cameron and I love to sneak in a little skiing with a few of our kids for free. Spencer was excited that it was his year to start skiing. He calls it "ice-skating" but he had a GREAT time, and keeps asking when he can go again. I, unfortunately, am way too pregnant to ski right now, so I had to settle for hanging out in the lodge and snapping a few pictures.

How cute is this kid?

Getting on the lift for the first time with dad.

"Mom, I'm ready to go!"

This was Camille's first year as an official "fourth grade skier." She had fun taking lessons with her friends, but definitely felt tired by the end of the day, especially after dad made her do the back mountain with him at the end of her lessons.

Dad caught up with Camille's class and did a quick run with them.

All in all, everyone had a great time. Cameron is excited that his knee is better this year, and can ski more often this season. Katelyn and Camille are planning on going up quite a bit with Cameron this year.

And... I had to throw this picture in... Cameron and I got Spencer these little Toy Story figures to act out things with. He LOVES them and we often hear him talking with them. He asked me to take a picture of his toys... So CUTE! And, yes, he did sleep with all of them.

Spencer Boy!!!

My little man, my favorite little boy (I can say that for another 4 weeks) is turning 4 today! Yikes, where did the time go? Our family LOVES this little dude, and ask anyone who knows me, I just can't get enough of my little guy. He is such a joy! At 4, his favorite things are Buzz and Woody from Toy Story, Transformers (especially Bumble Bee and Optimus Prime), Batman, and Spiderman. He is also my cuddler. He climbs in bed with me and tells me the best stories and asks the funniest questions.

The top ten things I love about my Spencer are (in no particular order):
10) He tells the best stories.
9) He will hug me whenever I ask him to.
8) He does this thing with his eyes while he is talking to me that makes me laugh.
7) He is quick to forgive.
6) Though he loves to pick a good fight with Katelyn or Emmy, he is the first to defend them with "outsiders."
5) He gets so excited about things.
4) He tells me he loves me all the time.
3) When he smiles his eyes disappear and his mouth gets really big.
2) He loves to go anywhere that dad and mom are going.
1) He is my boy!

Here he is on his actually BIRTHday!

This is about the time we started calling him "Chubba Bubba." He has thinned out so he kind of lost that name.

He let me snuggle with him even back then.

Such a handsome little guy!

I told him the other day that we dressed him up as Santa when he was a baby. I showed him the picture, he insists that this is not him... IT IS! What a cute Santa?

See! Look how big he's gotten? I can't believe he is a kid and not a toddler anymore. :(

Spencer got this Buzz from Grandma and Grandpa Whatcott. He has been asking for this for months! Too bad he opened it first, and all the other gifts were a little less significant for him. He drags this guy all over the house. This is what he was asking Santa for, so yesterday, he informed me that Santa could bring him the Woody doll instead.

This kid has the best CHEESER faces. He always says "cheese" as soon as the camera comes out.

We forgot our "real" camera's for his friend birthday party. This is the only picture that really turned out. He had 5 friends and some cousins come to PIRATE ISLAND with him for a party. They had a blast, and he keeps talking about when he can go back.

Since Spence had a party with friends and then one with family, he thinks he is now 5. He turned 4 at his first party and 5 at his second. He cried when I told him he was only 4 still.
Poor guy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SPENCER BOY!
WE LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE (4 times) YOU!

Dancing Queens

My girls have been getting ready for 2 big dance performances this week. First, they performed in a school assembly with the ballroom class they have been taking at school for the past few months. They looked great out there, even if Katelyn was 3 heads shorter than everyone else. She definitely held her own. I recorded their dances, but will have to wait til they get downloaded to share them. In the meantime, here's a snapshot of the two of them in costume. They performed a swing and were dressed in cute poodle skirts.



Today was their annual Christmas recital. It was fun to watch the little combo kids to remember how far my girls have come. They both LOVE getting all dressed up with make up on and in costume.

Christmas Traditions

Cameron and I have been talking a lot recently about how blessed we are, especially with our kids. We adore them (even when they frustrate us). They are just so much the focus of our lives and we wouldn't have it any other way. As they have been getting older, we have been trying to strengthen our family so that the kids KNOW that we will always be there for them and LOVE them like crazy. Some of our favorite Christmas Traditions are getting our own Christmas Tree (see pictures below), Cameron helping the kids make sugar cookies for Santa (Cameron is the best at that!), the girls dance recital, and according to the kids, watching the "Jesus Movie" on Christmas eve. We tried out the Festival of Trees this year, as well as going to Temple Square to see the lights this year too. All in all, we LOVE spending time together, especially this time of year. I am looking forward to the Christmas break so that I can finally get things ready for our new little guy.

Hot Chocolate in a bottle... can't get better than that!

So cute that these two hold hands... they do it in the car while we are driving too.

These two had a great time playing in the snow.

Camille is missing from these pictures because she was off on a four-wheeler getting a tree with her Uncle Casey. Spence went later to go on a ride with Grandpa.

And... HELLO!!!! This kid has got to be the cutest you've ever seen! This girl is so much fun! She is definitely a daddy's girl, and I love it! She calls for her daddy to come rescue her from her crib in the morning. It is awesome!