Christmas Day

Ok, I know this post is a little late, and I promised some of you pictures, but we have been having so much fun there has been little time for blogging. Well, here they are; pictures of the big day. What a wonderful Christmas we had. It was so much fun!! Holden was a blast this year and he got me way excited with his...well excitement. It was fun watching him come up and see his presents and stocking and the half eaten cookie Santa left. I can't wait until Claire can get that excited too. Then that night we had a delicious Christmas feast, complete with Ham, sweet potatoes, rolls, and pies. Yum! Then the next day we all went sledding at Sugarhouse park. It was super busy, but we managed to have fun. Holden & Wade went down a few times, and then Leah & I caught the fever and we each took a turn too. Brrr though it was cold! I hope you all had an excellent holiday and that you are enjoying time with your families too. Also.....Happy New Year! (I just wanted to get that out in case I can't find time to blog again until after the New Year.)

This was Claire's gift from Santa. The funniest part about it is that it plays music when you put the ball in the Giraffe's mouth and Claire always dances when the music plays.

Claire's favorite present was a baby doll that Aunt Leah got for her. As soon as she saw it she wanted to hold it, and she hasn't put it down since. She likes to hug it and sometimes she even hums to it.

Wade & Holden having a Rock 'em Sock 'em throw down.

Iron Man

Our friend came over for Christmas dinner and got totally snowed in. This was Wade the next day preparing to dig out her truck.

Claire and I giving encouragement to the boys at Sugarhouse Park.

I guess they needed more than encouragement.

Winter Wonderland

Yesterday we got lots of snow, so today Wade took some fun pics of our yard. Also, my kids are kind of sick today, so we are home bound, it's pajamas and television for us. (Yeah I know, doesn't sound much different than any other day.) Also, we left Claire alone for a few minutes with the tree.....hilarity ensued. Wishing you a happy, home bound, snow day.

Don't worry, we got her untangled eventually.

The Spirit of Christmas

Tonight we went to temple square with our friends the Clingers. It was way cold, but I loved it and it totally helped center me. Sometimes I think it is so easy to get caught up in the other side of Christmas. It was nice to get a real reminder why we have it in the first place. We walked around and saw the lights, then we went to the visitors center and saw the Christus. I think we all had a great evening. Merry Christmas everyone.

Tearin' it up @ Brighton

Ok, so my title might be a bit misleading. Instead maybe it should say, "getting my bum kicked @ Brighton." Either way you say it, my sister-in-law and I had a blast today when we hit the slopes for the first time of the season on our boards. Yeah, babies not withstanding I think we rocked it! It has been 5+ years since I have gone, and 2 years for her, and we did pretty darn good. We got way tired though, and had to take a few breaks. There was a minimum of falling so I call it a win. We went on the perfect day too; the snow was falling, the sun was out, and the powder was fresh and soft. (For when we did fall.) The only thing I think I would change is......stronger leg muscles. You guys know what I'm talking about. Well, wish for snow, and here's to moms who still board. Rock on!

My sis-in-law Megan.

Pre-workout.

This one is for Wade. You get it right honey?

Us on the peak.

There is nothing better than a nice warm meal after a long hard morning of boarding.
Ahh, food never tasted so good.

The Happiest Place on Earth

I love Disneyland! I love the fun atmosphere, the different lands, each with their own authentic feel, the cheerful employees, the overwhelmed kids & parents, and I even love the kiddie rides. It totally brings back happy memories from when I was a kid. I was a little nervous that Holden might be too young to enjoy the full effect Disneyland had to offer, but I guess I underestimated him. As soon as we stepped through the gates Holden was in heaven, and like cheesy parents, Wade & I were sublimely happy to see Holden so excited. When he met the Disney characters it was like he was meeting his old friends for the first time, he was so cute. And every time we would finish a ride he would tell us that he didn't even get a little bit scared. We all had a blast and I only wish we lived closer so we could all go more often.

Holden's best friend Mickey Mouse.

Mickey caught up with Claire on our second day and made sure she got some attention too
with a big smooch.

Yep, we double strollered it. At first we weren't sure that was the right way to go, but looking back it worked out perfectly.

Holden was a crazy driver.

This was Holden's, and therefore our, favorite ride. We probably rode on it 7 or 8 times. There was never a line, and any ride where you get to shoot a laser gun is sure to be a big hit with the kiddies.

Holden & Wade enjoying the carousel.

Wade said that blogs that don't have any pictures of you are lame. So... this one's for you Wade.
Also, Claire was my little ride buddy the whole time. She was pretty fun to be with.

Unfortunately, we also spent a little bit of time on our trip like this. Sometimes I think all the excitement was just too much for the littl guy. I can't wait to go back.

Huntington Beach

Ahh, Huntington Beach. This was the first day of our trip and we went to the beach to hang out with my sister and her husband, and to kill some time but it ended up being one of the most fun parts of our trip. Holden loved the sand and the ocean, but I think he really wanted to see some crabs and a shark or two. Claire loved the sand, (she even loved eating the sand,) but she hated the water. It was a little chilly at first, but once you got in it really wasn't too bad.



Holden got away from us a few times, but thankfully he was so scared of the water we weren't too worried.



Then I decided to break Holden of his fear of the ocean. We ran out into the water until it was up to my chest and then we would jump over the waves. By the end Holden was loving it and he was way sad when it was time to leave.



Beautiful Claire enjoying the sun... and sand.






This was Holden's favorite activity. The kid just loves to dig.



The pier at Huntington beach. It such a beautiful place, and I think we chose a REALLY beautiful time to go.



Claire's first dip in the ocean with Aunt Hannah.



She didn't love it, but we all thought it was hilarious.



Then we thought it would be a fun idea to bury Holden up to his neck almost in sand. He was all for it.



Then the tide came in. Don't worry no drownings to speak of, he escaped just in the nick of time.

Feel good fun

From Matthew Harding on Vimeo.
We are back from our trip now, post to follow, but I saw this video on a friends blog and I had to share. It's awesome to see that no matter where you are, dancing is a "language" we all speak. Thanks for the post Brian everyone in our house got down with it. :)

Our day in.

So with the van being out of commission Wade and I have had to get creative when making plans for our one car. Today we decided to give up the car and have a day in. But then it turned out to be such a beautiful day outside, we have spent most of our day in, out. Holden and I made hand prints & foot prints in the snow, and then we decided, "What the hey, let's build a snowman." I have never actually built one by myself and I actually had a ton of fun doing it. But then I felt bad for Claire so Holden & I made one for her too. Well it's time for lunch and naps so here's to a beautiful winter wonderland day in Salt Lake. I'll be thinking about you Katie and wishing you lots of snow dreams.

Wow I have big feet!

Believe it people, those buttons are actually spray painted on.

Happy Fall/Winter everyone!