Friday, December 26, 2008

Christmas










Sunday, December 14, 2008

Our Week

On Monday, we decorated the sugar cookies we made last Sunday. Then Monday evening we took several plates of cookies to some friends. As we were getting ready to go I couldn't find Logan...I found him (poor kid, he always scrounging under the kitchen table!) under the kitchen table...he had found a misplaced sugar cookie and was happily munching away.

On Wednesday, we got a friend for our guinea pig. Rascal joined our family. There was some fighting at first as they worked out their hierarchy. We set up a make-shift separation in their cage for a few days. But they are doing fine now.

We had a busy weekend. On Friday night we enjoyed a yummy dinner and a nice program at our ward (church) party. On Saturday Kessiah and Jenessa put on their dance recital at two different locations. And Saturday evening was the annual town bowling party. Ryan was having an off night...he tied with Jenessa! (yes, we were using a lane with bumpers)

Logan has definately entered the "I like to play in the toilet phase," This has become a problem because Sienna is just getting really good at going potty by herself but is not so good at getting the bathroom door closed when she leaves! So, I'm constantly on bathroom door alert...looking for Logan and checking the doors!

Cute Sienna quote: "Mommy, can you turn the sun off?" In the morning when she sits down at the table to eat breakfast, if the blinds are open the sun is shining right in her face and she hates it! So, I hear this often in the morning as my clue to shut the blinds!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Dance Recital


Tuesday, December 9, 2008

I want to be just like you

I had such a nice mommy moment yesterday...Kessiah said "I'm going to be just like you when I grow up. I'm going to make my kids do chores and we are going to homeschool and do gymnastics and karate." Isn't that great...one of those moments that make everything worth it.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Our Week: Guinea Pig and Christmas Tree

We have a guinea pig! Kessiah has been waiting patiently to get what she wanted...which we still don't have quite what we wanted so I guess she is still being patient. We had intended to buy 2 guinea pigs at the same time, but we haven't been able to get 2 of the same gender with the colors that she wanted. So, we went ahead and got one male and hope to get another one soon. He has been named Milky Way and doesn't suffer from a lack of attention! I am almost looking forward to getting the second one because I think there will be less fighting! I have to set the timer when we have him out because Jenessa wants to hold him as much as Kessiah does. The first day we had him, it was pretty hard to keep the girls focused on school but it has gotten better. For anyone who might think "Ew! Gross...a guinea pig!?!"...he reminds me of a small rabbit without the ears...so he's not too bad!

Friday night was our annual light parade and Civic Center lighting. It wasn't too cold (especially compared to some other years) but of course the girls were still cold and glad to get inside after the parade. We got to see Santa and tried to take a picture, but Kessiah and Jenessa were the only ones who thought Santa was nice enough to have a conversation with!

We bought our Christmas tree yesterday and decorated it today. Ryan really likes to have real trees...so that's what we do. All three girls had a great time pulling out all the Christmas tree decorations and putting them on the tree after Ryan and I put the lights on. It was fun to hear Kessiah and Jenessa commenting on the decorations as they pulled them out of the box..."I forgot about this one," or "I made this one last year."






 Kessiah, Jenessa and I also made several batches of Christmas cookies this afternoon to take to friends. Sienna had fallen asleep during our baking frenzy so it was a little bit easier to manage...although because she took a late nap she is still awake now at 10:00 p.m.! (Just for the record, she finally fell asleep at 11:00 p.m.! I just LOVE this stage when they are trying to work themselves out of an afternoon nap)

Ryan put child safety locks on all the kitchen cupboards yesterday. Yeah! Logan has been quite the menace lately getting into the cupboards and creating quite the messes with the treasures that he finds! So, we have put a stop to that! He has been pretty funny lately when I talk to him, he answers my questions with "ya" quite frequently. I ask him if he is tired... "ya", if he is hungry... "ya." It's cute and makes him sound so grown up because he answers appropriately. He has also started bring me his milk cup when he wants more milk. It's nice to know that he is learning to communicate his needs!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Our Annual Gingerbread House





I think this was our 5th annual gingerbread house creation, I'll have to go back and look at pictures to check. Always fun...and a bit chaotic! I did put Logan to bed before we got started, sometimes Sienna and Logan involved in the same activity is just a bit too much! It was fun to have Nana and Papa there to enjoy the activity with us.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Kessiah turns 8!











Wow! It's a little hard for me to believe that I have an 8 year old! Kessiah had a great day on her birthday. It started out with a yummy breakfast of hashbrowns, bacon and eggs. We went to church and she gave a talk in Primary (she loves giving talks and volunteers for them whenever she can!). After church, we enjoyed a delicious chicken dinner and she opened her gifts.

We had her baptism that evening. She has been looking forward to gettting baptized for so long it's hard to believe that it is over now. Ryan did have to bapize her twice because her big toe popped up the first time. We ended the day with chocolate cake and ice cream back at home! It was a wonderful day and I hope she has some great memories from it.

I am so grateful to have Kessiah in our family, she is such a good example for her younger siblings. She has a helpful and obedient attitude that is a positive influence in our family.

Our Week: Thanksgiving





We had a great Thanksgiving week. Before the big day we did a few craft projects including making individualized placemats and a thankful tree. On Wednesday Kessiah and Jenessa helped me prepare some of our yummy side dishes. They were both very helpful. I let Kessiah cut some things with a real knife for the first time. She was very proud of herself and kept wanting to know what else I had for her to cut. Jenessa tried cracking some eggs, we just had to remind her to crack them hard enough on the island to break the shell. She was a little timid because she was afraid they would break and make a mess!

My parents got here late Wednesday night and have been able to share the long weekend with us. It has been really nice to have them here and spend some time with them...plus Ryan and I have been able to get away and do some Christmas shopping together!

My dad's birthday was on Friday, we enjoyed being able to spend that day with him and have an excuse to eat more cake! (Can you count how many cakes we've had this month...Sienna's birthday, Kessiah's birthday party, Pa-pa's birthday and Kessiah's birthday...not to mention the banana cream pie and pumpkin dessert on Thanksgiving!)

Ryan also got the Christmas lights up outside this weekend. Yeah! We look so festive! Now, we just need to work on the inside.