Zoo Lights

We wanted to do something fun while Heather and Taven were here for the holidays so we headed to the zoo to see the lights (and the animals)! It was a very cold night! I kind of enjoyed being all bundled up walking around with hot chocolate though. Poor Heather was freezing! I guess she's not used to this cold weather coming from Florida. We lasted a lot longer than I expected, especially considering there weren't many animals to see. The kids rode the carousel to end our fun, but cold night!

More Christmas Fun!

We made our usual rounds on Christmas. First stop was to my parents house to visit and open presents. Seems like no matter how much time we have we are always rushed. The kids were excited about their gifts from Grandma and Grandpa. I was excited to give my Mom this cute hand-stamped necklace with all of the grand kids initials. My Mom always looks forward to the calendar we give them with pictures from throughout the year. I was happy to get some new clothes and a cute purse. Mostly, I was just happy to spend a few hours with the family!

Our next stop was Grandma and Grandpa Smith's house for dinner, visiting and more presents. I had been excited for a month for all of us to give them their present. We got pictures taken of the grand kids and enlarged our favorite on canvas. It turned our really nice and the kids all looked adorable. I think Jeff's parents really loved it! I was super excited about the 72 hr kits they gave each of us. The guys got a back pack and the girls got a rolling pack with our names embroidered on them. So glad that we finally have these. Thank you!

We had a really wonderful Christmas! I love the spirit of the season and all of the time we get to spend with family. Merry Christmas!

Merry, Merry Christmas!

It looks like Santa found our house! I'm usually sitting here waiting for the kids to wake up, not this year. Jeffrey came into my bedroom and said, "Mom, Santa came! We have to get up!" It was totally cute. He went in and woke Hannah up too. The kids are always so funny though when they walk out and see everything. It's like they are excited, but overwhelmed and don't really know what to do. They all just laid down for a minute and stared at their presents. Then Jeffrey said, okay let's open some presents! Hannah was kind of a little stinker at first. When she opened her first Barbie she said, this isn't the Barbie I asked for! At some point she found some number flashcards in her stocking. She was excited until I mentioned practicing her numbers. She then proceeded to drop them and kick them under the couch. Then there is Jeffrey who is just so thankful for everything, including the pack of underwear in his stocking. Jeffrey opened a Wii controller, not knowing there was a Wii console too. I said, that's weird, I wonder why Santa would bring a Wii controller when we don't even have a Wii? Jeffrey, being the sweet child that he is, said, that's okay we'll just save it until we get a Wii. Of course, they were both excited when they opened the Wii. Anyway, Hannah eventually warmed up and was thankful for the Barbies, and the Barbie cash register, and the games and clothes and shoes. Jeffrey loved all of his Lego Ninjago stuff and his Boba Fett costume and gun. Grayson was happy to be a part of all of the excitement. Santa brought him some fun toys too.


And can I just say, Merry, Merry Christmas to me!! Jeff surprised me with this awesome camera. Don't expect anything amazing from me just yet though. I still have to learn how to use it. I'll tell you what though, the few pictures we have taken with it look amazing.

Christmas Eve

We had our annual Christmas Eve party at Grandma and Grandpa Forsyth's house. This year we played a few new games (thanks to Rori!). We especially enjoyed pictionary, boys against girls. The kids loved drawing and did a heck of a lot better than I did! Although, the girls did end up winning, thanks to Rori's drawing and my guessing. Of course, Santa dropped off new pajamas for everyone. Mostly, we just enjoy visiting and taking silly pictures. There were a few especially memorable moments of the night. Hannah packed a secret outfit that she insisted on changing into. She came out looking like she was headed to the beach. Taven and Jeffrey put on their matching pjs and pulled their pants up to their necks looking like big nerds. Two cute babies in matching pjs rolling around on the floor with their new glow worms. Grandma Forsyth showing off her new ring that Grandpa gave her. We all had a lot of fun! On the way home, we took the kids to see the lights and read the 'Twas the Night Before Christmas story on Christmas street.

Pearson Family Christmas Party

We always look forward to Grandma Pearson's Christmas party. Grandma's favorite part is the live nativity. I look forward to visiting with family that I don't get to see very often. The kids are excited when Santa drops off a little gift for them. It's a fun time for all!


Poor Grayson was a little under the weather, but Grandpa Don still managed to get this smile out of him.

My Dancing Girl!

Hannah had her first dance performance a couple of weeks ago at the Festival of Trees. She looked so dang cute! I was worried that she would get nervous in front of all those people, but she did great. I think she got a little mixed up because the girl that placed them on the stage put her in the wrong spot. It was still cuter than heck though. I love watching her dance. I especially love when she does the little shake, shake moves.


Then last week was her Winter Recital at Taylorsville High School. The poor little thing had the flu but insisted she felt fine and really wanted to go. Don't worry, she puked outside by the relocatables right before we went in. I'm sure I looked like that horrible Mom that was forcing her daughter to dance even when she was sick. I held her hair when she puked then shoved her through the door to dance...ha ha! She did feel a lot better after that. Luckily, her teacher (aka Aunt Madi) was able to place them on the stage and they all did much better. I was so proud of her. Thanks to all of our family that came to support her both nights.

Jeffrey Turned 6!

I just really can't say enough about my sweet little 6 year old boy. He is so smart and creative. He loves going to school. He has made some great little friends at school. He still loves to draw and color. He still loves soccer and can't wait to play again. He is a great big brother! He is just an all-around good little boy who (usually) listens to me and likes to follow the rules. He is very caring and wants to make everyone happy. We love him so much! He got to celebrate his birthday at school before Thanksgiving break. I took a treat and read one of his favorite stories to his class. So cute to see him at school!


Then after school we headed to Airborne for his birthday party. He invited some of his friends and cousins. They had so much fun jumping around and eating pizza and cupcakes. There were only a few minor injuries! We loved watching Jeffrey run around with all of his buddies (and Hannah!). I would definitely say it was a success!


The next day was Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, Hannah came down with a fever early that morning. We still headed out to Jeff's parents house for dinner and to celebrate Jeffrey's birthday. Poor Hannah laid on the couch with a washcloth on her head for most of the night. Meanwhile, Jeffrey had come down with a cough and I worried that he was getting sick too. Sure enough, the next morning on his real, real birthday he came down with a fever and could barely even talk. Poor little guy. Not a fun way to celebrate your birthday. He was a trooper though and still had the energy to open a few presents from us later that night.


Finally, on Sunday we got together with my family to celebrate (I know, another birthday marathon!). Jeffrey was feeling much better and we enjoyed pizza and cookies with everyone. Besides being sick, I think Jeffrey had a great weekend. I know he loves all of his fun new toys and gifts. Happy 6th Birthday Jeffrey!

Happy 4th Birthday and Halloween!

My little darling turned 4 on Halloween! It was a weekend full of festivities for Bat Girl. On Saturday, she had a few friends over for a little party. They all looked adorable in their costumes! They ate nuggets and fries and apples with caramel dip. They decorated treat bags and cookies and played musical chairs. I'm sure glad Jeffrey stuck around for the party. That boy sure knows how to make the girls laugh! It was very nice of Hannah's friends to come and celebrate with her.


On Sunday, we had family over to celebrate Jeff and Hannah's birthday. The kids are always excited for their cousins to come over. They had some great costumes too! I wish I would have gotten a picture of my sister-in-law Erin and her family. You've all seen the original Karate Kid, right? She was Mr. Miyagi, her husband was the karate kid shower curtain, and her little boy was the karate kid. It was hilarious! Anyway, the kids had fun running around and we enjoyed some yummy food. As usual, Hannah got spoiled with lots of wonderful gifts. It was so funny when she was opening the one from my parents. It was this big, never-ending bag of clothes and she would stick her whole head down in the bag to pull out the next thing. It was cute!


Monday was her real, real birthday as the kids like to say. It was also Halloween! She picked McDonald's for lunch (with some coaxing from her brother!). Then the rest of the day was spent waiting to go trick or treating. The time finally arrived with nice weather and all. I guess this is why they were out longer than usual and got a ton of candy. Jeff and I gave Hannah a few presents as her birthday marathon was coming to an end. She finally got that Jessie doll she's been wanting! We hope that Hannah had a wonderful birthday. Jeff and I agree that she just gets smarter and more beautiful each day!


Aw, I just realized it was Grayson's 1st Halloween. Look at that adorable baby lion! And did you happen to notice the awesome face painted on Dragonoid for his school parade? Yeah, that was all me!

Fall Break

We decided to head to Park City for Fall break this year. The kids love staying in hotels, so we booked a two-bedroom suite and planned a weekend of swimming, movies, pizza and fun! Our room had a hot tub on the balcony so of course the kids wanted to sit in that right away. Then they spent hours in the pool. Then we ordered pizza and hung out in the room by the fire. The kids slept in the big comfy, king-size bed. We woke up and got breakfast, went swimming again, then headed out for some site seeing. We ended up by the Alpine Coaster and decided...let's give it a try! We bought tickets for all of us but had to take turns watching the baby. Jeffrey and I waited...and waited...and waited until finally it was our turn. I think the ride up was almost as enjoyable as the ride down. It was so beautiful up there. In the mean time, Jeff and Hannah gave up waiting and decided to turn in (really, Jeff had to make up a story and get sympathy about our little girl who was just too scared to go!) their tickets and do something else. Then we got ice cream and it was time to head home. We had a great weekend!

Happy 80th Grandpa Vard!

My Grandpa celebrated his 80th birthday last week. It was great that so many people stopped by to show him how much he is loved. I hope he had a wonderful day. We love you Grandpa!

Utah State Fair

Morgan and Josh's Wedding

I am so behind on blogging! My sister Morgan got married on August 27th. It was a small ceremony and reception (just as they wanted) but everything was beautiful, especially the bride! It was held at the Market Street in Cottonwood. Hannah was the flower girl and Jeffrey and his big cousin Taven were the ring bearers. They all looked so cute! It was nice to meet some of Josh's family. We just love Josh and are so happy they finally decided to tie the knot.

5 Months Old

My little Baby Gray is 5 months old! Where has the time gone? It's like these past 5 months have been a blur. I certainly have horrible days that I wish away, but I am truly trying to cherish these baby days. When I took Grayson in for his 4 month check-up (about 10 days ago) he weighed 14 lbs. 11 oz. and was 27 in. long. My doctor was practically laughing at me because I said I thought he weighed more. He looks chunky to me! I guess I don't have anyone to compare him to, but regardless, he is sure filling out cute! The big growth came in height. He jumped from the 70th percentile to the 90th in the last 2 months. Crazy! Him and Hannah have both been in the 90th for height. Who knows where these tall babies are coming from?! He has been rolling over for a couple of weeks now. He loves putting his hands in his mouth. Well, really anything and everything he can get in his mouth. Sometimes he gnaws so hard on my hand that it hurts. He has pretty much lost all of his hair. He laughs all of the time. He loves watching Jeffrey and Hannah play. He gets excited when he can hold a toy and swing it around. I started giving him rice cereal last week. Sometimes he likes it. He pretty much just loves me and wants me to hold him all the time! We are having fun watching him grow. We love you Gray, Gray!


Disclaimer: I started this post one month ago. Grayson is almost 6 months old now. It has taken me this long to finish the post!

Kindergarten

I can't believe Jeffrey started Kindergarten! He was so excited. Jeff stayed home from work that day so we could all take him. It was so cute to follow him into his classroom and watch him hang up his back pack. Then he headed outside to the little playground. And I do mean little, I don't know how they expect all of the Kindergartners to play on that thing. Then it was time to line up and head in for his first day of class. I was holding it together pretty well until some little boy got hysterical. That got me a little teary. Jeff on the other hand...lol! Jeffrey was fine though. We gave him one last hug and headed out...to the hallway. We still couldn't leave! We stood out there and watched him from the doorway for a bit. He would occasionally look out and give us a little wave. I think he liked seeing us there for a minute. We did finally leave. It was strange not having him home for those 2 and half hours. Hannah sure missed her little buddy. A week later, he is still excited to go each day!

This was Jeffrey's first homework assignment. He could use whatever he wanted to make this little figure look like him. Jeffrey drew his soccer uniform then we printed out some shoes, a soccer ball, and his cute little face. I love the way the bobble-head soccer Jeffrey turned out!