Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas despite the weeks before when I learned I had strep throat and was treated with two shots in the behind and two prescriptions; one for the pain and one to help fight it. Needless to say I did not get all the things done that I wanted to: Christmas cards, friend gifts, Family Pictures, and mailing gifts. Luckily the rest of the family didn't catch it, but caught a horrible cough and stuffy nose instead. I was starting to wonder what we had done this past year that was so bad to deserve this for Christmas. I guess we better be nice next year! Santa did come through for us though, he gave the whole family the Nintendo Wii and we have had a blast with it. We got several other gifts as well from family members that were all wonderful. Thank you, Thank you!

We all got a kick out of Lydia when we saw how she had put on her headband.

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Snow in Las Vegas

Yesterday...

about 2:00 pm

about 4:00 pm

Harrison took a pillow off the couch and decided he would just lay down with Boppy and watch the snow fall. Look how cute my boy is!

Valerie getting her first taste of snow

Today...

Snow Day! Never in the 13 years that I attended Clark County School District did we ever have a snow day. I even have pictures of me and a friend building a snowman in my front yard before we left for school. I am glad that I was here to witness it or I would have never believed it.

Lydia throwing a snowball at me. At least the snow took her mind off not being able to build Gingerbread Houses at school today.

Harrison eating snow

Valerie in her coat (that is a little too big) wanting to be picked up. She loved the snow. I kept finding her face down in the snow. When I would go to help her up, she would yell because she was trying to eat the snow and face down was the only way she could get to it (as you can see she could not use her hands, they were half way down her sleeves).

All I want for Christmas...

Lydia lost her first baby tooth this morning biting into her breakfast. The tooth has been loose for a few weeks now and I have been bugging her to wiggle it because the permanent tooth has already come through her gums. At least she won't have to wait long to fill in the gap. She now says that she is going to put it under her pillow and she will get a dollar from the Tooth Fairy (according to Uncle Grant, that is how much the Tooth Fairy gives you for a tooth. Thank You Uncle Grant!)

Winter Update

Darin has a new calling in our Ward as Ward Clerk and is very busy with the new Bishopric that just got called right before tithing settlement. This calling is so good for him, before he was Sunday School President and didn't get to interact with many people because he had Valerie while I went to Primary, now I take Valerie with me and he gets to interact with great people.

I have been sick the last couple days and so shopping for the last little things for Christmas has been put on hold. Darin and I went shopping on Friday and got most of the gifts we needed, but I am hoping that what I have is a small cold and that it will quickly go away so that I can finish up the details of Christmas.

Lydia was part of a play at school, she had so much fun! She even received a speaking part and already had it memorized the first day of practice. It was so cute to watch her ham it up on the stage. Darin was glad that it was a small play (20 min) but I told him that this is only the beginning. She loves school to the point that she was in tears one day when I made her stay home sick. Both her school teacher and Primary teacher say she is such a joy to have in class. She is becoming a very good reader and had no trouble at all when they learned to tell time this past week.

Harrison is Harrison. This past Sunday while sitting in Primary one of my little Sunbeams said she was cold. I couldn't do anything for her at the time because I was holding Valerie and I didn't have a coat or blanket or anything. Next thing I heard was her asking Harrison if she could use his blanket. To my surprise Harrison said sure and handed it over. The little girl wrapped it around herself and was happy as can be and it didn't bother Harrison at all that someone else has his Boppy. Yet the week before, when we left Boppy home and went to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner, he was hysterically crying for 1/2 an hour!

Valerie has been walking everywhere since we were in California for Thanksgiving. I will officially call her a toddler and she thinks that she is big stuff. She is so much more enjoyable now that she is free to move as she pleases. She has been giving kisses lately and now waves and says bye bye. Last night at dinner she threw her food covered bottle on the floor and Darin said, "Valerie your ruining the carpet". She looked down at the carpet and said some jibberish in the same tone he used. It was so funny, but if the sassyness continues I don't think it will be that funny once we know what she is saying back to us.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

We set up the Christmas Tree last night and the kids had a great time decorating, they placed almost every single ornament and did a great job. Lydia and Harrison were playing with one of the nativities that I have and Valerie apparently didn't like how they had it set up or something because she went over and threw (yes, across the room) every single figure, at least none of them hit the tile or they would have broke. She is pretty gentle with the ornaments, she takes them off the tree, but hasn't thrown them...yet.

Thanksgiving

California

Half Moon Bay - the kids loved running up the beach from the waves, which did catch them quite a few times!

Muir Woods - it was so beautiful there, everywhere you looked was a picture waiting to be taken.

Steam Train - with Uncle Mark, their adopted Papa



Next Generation 2nd Cousins (missing a few)

Halloween

Lydia was a ballerina

Harrison was Spiderman, again

Valerie was Little Red Riding Hood

and my nephew, Aidan was Shrek

Here is the group right before they set out to go Trick-or-Treating.

Our Weekend in Utah

Congrats Katrina and Steve!

The nieces and nephews all matching

We went up a couple days early to visit with family

Feeding the ducks at Salem Pond, Valerie was laughing so much at the ducks quacking

The kids also got to pick out pumpkins from Grandpa and Grandma's garden

Harrison was his usual funny self, here are a few stories of him from this past weekend.

Grandpa and Harrison were sitting on the couch and Grandpa says, "When you come out of your shell you really come out full force don't you." and Harrison responds with "I don't have a shell!"

Uncle Kevin and Harrison were playing outside in the backyard and Harrison says, "Can I ask you a question? Would you be sad if I was awesomer than you?"

We had a really good time despite a couple mishaps that happened and they both happened to me. When we were driving to the Temple I noticed a small rip in my skirt and by the end of the day that small rip had turned into a foot long rip and to top it all off at the end of the reception, Valerie peed on me!

9 years!

Earlier this month Darin and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary. He gave me these amazing flowers and I just had to post a picture of them. It was neat because the place that he got them from picks them right before they bloom and sends them to you, so you get to watch them bloom and they last so much longer. It was so fun to see each of these beautiful flowers bloom right before my eyes. I love you honey!

This is the first one that bloomed

This was taken about a week later after all of them had bloomed

Valerie's 1st Birthday

Double Trouble

I was expecting her to take this slow, you know a few stairs at a time, but no she climbed to the second floor all in a matter of a few minutes all by herself. When the kids would go upstairs to the playroom, she would just sit at the bottom and look up. Little did I know she was just studying for this day.

Off to work

Darin had an early appointment this morning close to home and then not another one until after noon, he did have some things to do at the office, so he came back home and picked Harrison up to take with him for a couple hours. Harrison has been asking about Darin's work lately and today he was excited to look "like a daddy" as he calls it and go to work, we even put gel in his hair.

My little business man (this is the best smile I could get, Turkey!)

Trouble

Yes, we have gotten to that oh so fun stage where Valerie has learned how to open cupboards and drawers. I now have to do a little rearranging.

Bus fears come true

Yesterday I went to pick up Lydia from the bus stop, however she was not on the bus! I rushed home as fast as I could (I was walking with Harrison and Valerie in the stroller) and loaded the kids immediately in the car and sped to the school. Good thing I did speed because I just barely caught the Principal and another lady walking out of the office. I told them that my daughter was not on her bus and they got on the phone with transportation as they told me that two of the buses were switching a stop today (this is the first I heard of this). Long story short Lydia got on a different bus because that is what her bus driver said to do. I talked to the kids at the bus stop today and they said the second stop was supposed to get on a different bus. He must not have communicated this very well, he should be more clear, he is talking to kids as young as 5. Anyways, they found her quickly and the bus that she was on brought her back to the school to me and I drove her home. I was so mad at the bus driver 1. for telling Lydia to get on the brown (color coded) bus and 2. for not telling me about the stop switch, when he asked me who I was waiting for I told him little girl with long blonde hair, he could of told me then. (apparently he thought I said red hair, blonde and red sound nothing alike!). I talked to her bus driver today and he is confused himself about the switch, so I am not so much mad at him anymore as much as I am mad at the transportation system who didn't communicate to the parents at all about this switch and didn't communicate to the bus drivers very good either. They will be hearing from me today!

1st Grade

First day outfit, I took her back to school shopping and let her pick what she wanted, she did a good job.

Walking to the bus stop with Harrison carrying boppy and Valerie still brushing her teeth

Getting on the bus, only one other girl at her stop and about 10 boys, but those boys did help her get off at the right stop.

In line for the first day of school

Lydia's take on the first day of school: It was okay.

The bus: It was great!, but a little lonely because she didn't have anyone to sit by.

The playground: Was a little too big for her because it had monkey bars that she couldn't do.

Lunch: Too short, she didn't get to finish all of her lunch (my theory on this one is that she was busy talking instead of eating)

She likes her teacher, Mrs. Bartlett, and sits by two new boys that she doesn't know their names. She had music class the first day of school and liked it, today she has P.E. so we will see how she likes that, later in the week she has art class that she is so excited for. She loves to draw, color, and paint. She tells me she wants to be an artist when she grows up.

Later in the day she asked me how long she was gone and when I told her about 7 hours she said, "and I didn't even fall asleep".

Today when I dropped her off at the bus stop there were a couple more girls, so hopefully she will make friends with them and have someone to sit by.