December was a blur!

I know it was cold. I know it snowed a lot. I know we did a little Christmas shopping and a few family things.  We went to Oregon to be with my family for Christmas.  I found out that I really should not have cable after Jack and I watched six hours of American Ninja Warrior.  And I watched more than a few episodes of  I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant.  Both those shows just pull you in I tell you!

We did the most activities of note while in La Grande.  We cut down a Christmas tree.  For the past few years we have got there too close to Christmas to do this, so the kids were way excited!  We also went and saw a production of Beauty and the Beast at the Elgin Opera House.  It was really good.  Sophie did not like the wolves.

 The kids went over to the Elementary School I went to near my mom's house and built a big snowman and played on the playground.  The school looks so small to me now after the massive ones here in Utah.

 When you live in a small town, Santa stops by your house, you just have to meet him at the end of the driveway.  The kids are always a bit in awe over this even when the are older and a bit more cynical.  He give you a bag of candy and poses for a picture.  Sophie thought this was all very magical!

 My mom always makes sugar cookies with the girls and just lets them go at it.  It is hilarious to listen to her try and get Sophie not to put her cookie cutter in the middle of the dough.  And the amount of mess is huge.  And the amount of sprinkles is always excessive.  The girls have a total blast though and look forward to it every year.  Sophie is going to try and talk grandma in to making some next time she visits here. 

 Bella was completely surprised and excited about the ripstick!  She can't wait for some warmer weather to try it out.

 Sophie got a pinkalicious Christmas and is still dressing up in it all, so it was a hit!

 And all Jack really wants is football cards.  Don't get me wrong, he likes everything else, he just loves football cards and is going to spend way more time with stats and such than you can imagine.

We were all spoiled with gifts, the kids got a Wii, Nate and I cheesily sang Wii Wish You A Merry Christmas while they were opening it.  They still like it-so far so good!  And we ate a rediculous amount of good food.  Let's face it, I have not been in the kitchen since September in an effective way at all, so by the time we got to my mom's we were all hungry! And Nate was more than ready to eat meals he didn't have to prepare.  I don't know how much weight gain can be attributed to Christmas, but it was substantial all around. My mom made Prime rib this year and I think it should now be a tradition, in fact, I could forgo the usual Christmas fare for the Prime rib.  

When we got back, Nate celebrated his birthday with snow!  It's a good thing we open gifts and such in the morning, because it took him over two hours to get home that night. I made soup to put in bread bowls and it was so good after a day of cold storminess.  We also made him a cake, just yellow with chocolate frosting, it was yummy, but not worth the heartburn it gave me, so I just had my one small sliver and called it good.

The kids and I spent the week between Christmas and New Year's playing the Wii and hanging out in pajamas, it was nice and restful.  Some of the Miskin crew came over for New Year's and we emptied several bottles of sparkling cider together.  We let the kids stay up really late, then had a lazy New Year's Day.

November in Review

Apparently I can only do months in review these days instead of keeping current.  Too much holiday stuff going on to really blog would be a good excuse.  But the truth lies in too much laying around on the couch.


November brought us the end of football season for Nate. He worked with a ninth grade team this year and they just kept winning, thus extending their season.  They made it all the way to the championship game and won!  The kids and I went to the game and it was so exciting to see all those boys celebrating and going crazy!

They had an end of year banquet catered by Texas Roadhouse, which was so yummy!  And we have a whole new set of t-shirts that say champion on them.  I never thought Nate's wardrobe would consist of white, black, and purple.

Jack went away on his very first overnight camp with a lot of the fifth grade boys in his school.  They went to Clear Creek and had a ball.  He came back very excited after having a fabulous time!  We missed him much and were very glad to have him back!

We got our family pictures from Sanae.  I love her style and they always turn out so good.  She has such a talent, it looks like us, but better-I love that.  We had all sorts of poses printed up, and I put this one on a deck of cards-

 We ended the month with Thanksgiving Dinner at our house. Everyone really came together this year to pull it off, all I really prepared was the turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a dessert.  We didn't have as many this year, Alice, Terry and Family, Roger, Cassie, and her parents, and Tim and Vanella..  It was a fun day.  Sophie got to announce our news.

 

I never take any pictures at Thanksgiving it seems, and the ones I take are always very candid and clearly no one was really ready for them.  I think I am just too busy eating.  

A photo review of October

We went to a BYU football game with Jeff and Shelly!  BYU won, which always makes it more fun.  And Sophie was obsessed with Cosmo the Cougar.  She behaved really well and it was a nice day.

Sophie and her joy school peeps went on a field trip to the local fire station.  They watched a Sesame Street movie on fire safety and got to go inside the fire truck.  Fun was had by all.

It snowed.  This caused us to clean out the garage of all the summer toys and bikes so we could park inside.  Thus far we have not parked inside, we are just waiting to be punished one of these mornings.

We finished up Jack's first tackle football season.  I think this may deserve a whole post, so I will save the details.  But Jack had more fun than he knew was possible, even though they didn't have a winning season.  He's number 81 in the above photo.  He continually tackled a kid that weighed 40 pounds more than him in this game.  Scary.

The girls and I went to the PTA Halloween carnival at the school.  Sophie is clearly having fun, and so was Bella, even though you can't see her face.  There were rides and games and the girls had a blast. 

We had Halloween!  We went to a trunk or treat party on Friday night at the church.  Then we braved the rain for Trick or Treating.  I know none of you know what we are.  Jack is Darkwing Duck-shout out to the cousins from this summer.  They all loved watching cartoons from the nineties.  The girls and I are Russian nesting dolls.  It was nice and warm in the cold, much like wearing a snuggie. 


I am sure there were other things, but I spent part of the month being a little sick, so they weren't photographed and clearly not blogged about in a timely manner. 

Happy Birthday Sophie!

I can't believe Sophie is 3 years old today.  It seems her baby and toddler years have just flown by.  She is definitely growing up!  We often get comments about her that she looks different from the other kids.  It's the blonde hair, none of us have that light blonde hair.  But not too long ago we got this picture of Nate which I think looks so much like Sophie!

You can tell they were both full of mischief!

Hope your birthday is great girl!  We love you!

Mommy Mommy Mommy , I need to go potty

All my kids potty train just before their third birthday.  Sophie was ready at the beginning of the summer, but I wasn't.  The idea of potty training her on vacation, or while we had house guests made me want to gouge my eyes out-no way.  When Jack was little, he loved stickers, so I made him a chart and every time he went on the potty, he could put a sticker on the chart.  I also made Bella a chart, but she could have cared less, she just wanted cute undies.  Sophie was all about the chart, but she wanted to chart to lead to something.  So we picked out a doll, made the chart and went to work.

Potty training is one of those things that you know will be excellent when it is over, and the end result is totally worth it.  But the middle, not so much.  I think I was also reluctant because we got new carpet this year, and it is still nice.  But we stocked up on the thick gerber panties and those usually don't leak a ton, at least not on the floor.  And here we are a few weeks later, and she's got it!  I know there will still be the occasional accident, but I won't be buying diapers anytime soon.  We do have to go in a ton of public restrooms, and I do have to focus on someones bodily functions besides my own.  But that will all pass.  We did have a bout of being afraid of big potties, but I think she is conquering that. 

So adios diapers, hello more things to wash!

Family Bike Ride

On Labor Day we went on a bike ride all together.  I have intentions that we will do this a lot all summer long, but this last summer got away from us and this was our first ride together.

The weather will hopefully be mild enough that we can get another one in.  That is, if we get a new tire tube for the trailer.  It has a flat that we just pumped up along the way.  Bummer.

We also went and saw the Karate Kid, which I think was okay.  Sophie is potty training and asked to go to the bathroom at least five time during the movie.  We are now talking about the ability to "hold it" for a bit.  And why is it all kids like public restrooms?

First Day Of School!

We started school about a week and a half ago.  The porch light is on because Jack left early for his new school.  We are sooo blessed to be in a carpool with a bunch of kids from the neighborhood.  He was in school for a week before I drove!  I hope all the other moms are loving it as much as I am, one of the hardest things about letting him go to the other school was the driving everyday prospect.  It was a bit of a rough start, Jack feels homesick for his old school.  But he's starting to get the hang of the new rules and procedures and getting into a good homework groove.  The kid does as much as he can in the car on the way home.  Maximizing his time, that one is. 

You can see here that this girl is thrilled to start second grade!  She was beyond excited.  The funny thing is, neither of these girls even saw their brother that morning the start times are so different.  She is so independent this year.  She says she wants me to go with her to school, but then takes off so I am just watching her from a distance, or running to keep up. 

People keep asking me if Sophie is sad to see the kids go.  No, no she isn't.  With them gone she has run of the house and can try and sneak into the stuff of theirs she isn't supposed to play with.  She can also choose to watch a movie without negotiating or compromise.  She is looking forward to her neighborhood preschool we are doing.  She is a bit bummed that the first place they are coming is our house, but she'll have fun.  Also, we are in the throes of potty training right now.  She is doing really well, she is telling me when she needs to go of her own volition.  I am thinking in a few weeks we will be there.  We did go shopping on Friday and did have to go in many public bathrooms.  She is terrified of falling in the toilet, so when out and about she makes me really hold her on the potty, which is fine, but awkward.  I'll take it over diapers though.