Christmas Morning

We had a great Christmas this year. Here are a few photos of Mia and Cole opening their presents. The kids were so excited that they finally got a Wii. They spent almost the entire Christmas day playing on it.

Fireplace

We found these great lounge chairs for a deal at Target, so we decided to enjoy them on our patio. It was about 40 degrees but that didn't stop us. We just lit a fire and sat around telling Christmas stories.

WE DID IT!!!

Mia and I performed in our first Christmas recital last night. It was so much fun. Mia's class did a tap number to "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus". My class did a contemporary routine to "Song for a Winters Night".



Here's Mia and I in our costumes. I wore a lot of make-up, including red lipstick. When I came down the stairs after getting ready, Cole looked shocked and said "Mom, you look brand new. Let me give you a hug." It was so funny.

Mia's favorite part was being on stage (although wearing make-up came in a close second). Katelyn is her best friend and they had a blast dancing together.

Here's the seven of us, crammed in our tiny backstage dressing room. From left to right Top row: Lindsay, Amber, Kristen, Rachel, Jen, Bottom Row: Melanie, and Me. All but one of us are Moms, and five of us had kids performing that night as well.

I would post the video of the performances, but we live in the dark ages and our video camera is still an 8mm (NOT DIGITAL). So you'll just have to imagine that they were the most beautiful performances ever performed in the history of dance. OK?

It was a crazy night. They had two shows to accomidate the 250 students' families. Our performance was at 5:30pm and our husbands raced to the theater to get a good seat. It was madness. Luckily we left Cole and Luke with a babysitter so it wasn't that crazy for us. A ton of people in our ward were in the audience, so that was a little intimidating. But we survived.

Mia's show was the 7:00 show. It was great seeing them perform. Mia did a great job. Afterwards we went to Baskin Robins for ice cream with Kristen and Katelyn to celebrate.

Cole's Preschool Party

Cole had his Preschool Christmas party last Wednesday. He was so excited to see Santa (again) and remind him that he wants a telescope for Christmas. Mia didn't have school on Wednesday because of all day parent-teacher conferences, so she was able to go to the party as well. They frosted sugar cones with green icing and decorated them with little candies. It was so cute.

Magical Forest

A few days ago we went to a placed called the Magical Forest with our good friends. They have a walking trail with beautiful lights and displays, a few rides, snacks, and even Santa! IT WAS FREEZING! Well, at least for the first hour. After that, the winds calmed down a bit and it was fine. We really had a wonderful time!

Cole had ear muffs under his hat. He was so stinkin cute.

They had a fun potato sack slide. Here's a photo of Melissa and Mia at the bottom of it.

Luke spent almost the entire time bundled up in a coat and blanket. And he refused to smile, no matter that you did. He just stared at you, looking unpleasant. It was so funny I just kept laughing when I would look at him.

Mia asked Santa for a guitar.

Cole asked Santa for a telescope.

Gingerbread Village

Last Saturday we went to the lobby of the Four Seasons hotel to see their cute Gingerbread Village. It was amazing. And it imspired our kids to create a gingerbread house of their own. So on Sunday afternoon we had a little competition. Drew and Cole vs. Mom and Mia, on who could make the cutest gingerbread house. We decided it was a tie.

Both Mia and Cole loved eating the frosting. A frosting bag - it's like a candy dispenser.

Christmas Cookies

Last week we made Christmas sugar cookies and the kids did most of the work, from start to finish. They put everything in the mixer and made the dough. They rolled them out and cut them with cookie cutters. And after they were baked and cooled, they did all the decorating. The kids were so hungry after all their hard work, that the cookies were hardly decorated before they ended up in their mouths. It was a fun night.

Christmas Photo 2008

Here is our 2008 Christmas card photo. It was taken by Kristen Stuart (thank you my dear friend!) and she did an amazing job.

Luke is FINALLY Walking

Luke finally decided to walk today. He's been walking with his walker for months and was a little afraid to let go of it. I guess he finally figured out it's not so hard. Thirteen Months old! Just like my other two kids were.

Thanksgiving

So here are some photos of our Thanksgiving table. I took some shots of the table before our guests arrived (the Stuart Family), but forgot to bring out the camera when they actually got here. So these are our only photos of Thanksgiving. It was a wonderful meal. The kids loved finding their name on the place cards And they felt so special eating at a fancy table with glass goblets. It was a lot of fun.

DISNEYLAND!

Last week our family went to Disneyland with the Petersons (Melissa's sister). We spent 3 fun filled days in Disneyland and California Adventure. It was so much fun. It was the first time for Drew and the kids, which made it even more exciting.

The castle was already decorated for Christmas. Cole loved the Buzz Lightyear and Toy Story rides. They're interactive... playing video games while you ride. The best of both worlds.

I took this picture of Mia and Brock on the Matterhorn. Reagan's in there too. You just can't see her. I just aimed my camera backwards while we were going down the ride and this is the shot I got. Mia Loved the Matterhorn. She rode it at least 4 times. I loved it too. Unfortunately I lost my cell phone on one of the many trips down the Matterhorn.

The kids loved Disneyland the best. The Tower of Terror ride at California Adventure totally freaked out Mia and Cole. Cole kept saying he didn't want to ride on "Hollywood Video" ever again. I don't know how he got "Hollywood Video" out of Tower of Terror, but we just thought it was the funniest thing and never corrected him.

The weather was great, there were no lines at all, and the Christmas decorations and music put a smile on my face. I didn't want to come home. Mia even cried when it was closing time on the last day. Hopefully we can go back again soon.

We finally got rain for the third time since we've moved here. The kids were beyond thrilled and immediately dressing in their rain gear to enjoy the weather in style.

Mia had some trouble keeping her umbrella from flipping inside out.

Cousin Austin was here for a visit. He and Cole are the best of buds.

More of Luke's B-day

Luke loved his birthday cake, and ate a ton of it.

Luke is 1

Yesterday we celebrated Luke's 1st birthday. Here are a few photos I took of him before the family party. I can't believe he's getting so big.

Luke was standing on his own for about 15 seconds before he realized he was doing it, got scared, and sat down. But at least I got a shot of him standing on his own.
Luke's best friend...his thumb.

Dance Instruction: by Mia

Mia loves to come home from dance class and teach me all that she learned. Here's a taste of our weekly routine. Isn't she sweet?

High School Musical &other stuff

Mia and I went to see High School Musical 3 with a few friends on Saturday. What a blast! It's always fun to have a girls day out. We both loved it. I buzzed Luke's hair last week. It was getting shaggy so I just pulled out the clippers and shaved it off. He wasn't too happy with me, but I think his new do is adorable. So it was worth it.

Cole had a preschool fieldtrip to a local nature preserve last Wednesday. It was cold but fun. His favorite part was the cookies and hot apple cider served at the end.

A couple of Quick Visits

Two of my wonderful cousins stopped into town last week for a quick visit. Julie and her husband Grant came for a short vacation, so we met them for dinner. It was great to catch up, even though Luke was a bit of a stinker. And it was the first time I had met Grant. He's a wonderful man...really fun to talk to.

And two short days later, Julie's brother Cameron stopped by with his family, on their way to their new home in Wyoming. I hadn't seen Cameron in YEARS, so it was a great, and long over due visit.

The kids loved Sophia and Ava.

I had a great time visiting with Cam's wife Julia. Talking to her made me wish we lived right by eachother. What a great family.