Christmas Celebrating!

This year we decided to stay at home for Christmas. Is was amazing seeing the girls faces as they decorated the tree and shared in new family traditions. On Christmas morning, Taylor was the first to wake up. She ran to our room and exclaimed that there were more presents and that we needed to come see really quickly. We walked out to see what Santa had left for all of us. The girls loved searching through their stockings and were so excited to see their hats, gloves and scarves that they wore them most of the day. Cody was excited about the M&Ms he discovered in his stocking. Then the presents began... The girls searched for their names on the tags and took turns discovering what was under the wrapping paper. If there was a present for Cody they helped him open it up if he wasn't quite fast enough.

One after the next from the tower of presents...

And they were sweet enough to pause for a moment and take a few pictures.

And then there was Cody who was more interested with climbing up piles of presents to get a candy cane off the tree...

Or wading through the presents to get back to his bag of M&Ms...

And then ending on his favorite spot, the biggest present of them all. And Luckily it was his so I knew what was in it.

The morning was magical and the children were practically perfect. It was truly a wonderful Christmas!

Mystery Reader

I signed up to be a mystery reader in Jena's kindergarten class. Since it was right before Halloween I found this cute book "Room on the Broom" and brought it to read along with "There Was An Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything." I got to the school and they called the class to get everyone ready. When I reached the room they were all ducked down waiting to be surprised to see which parent would be coming. When they raised their heads, Jena seemed a little shocked to see me, but she was really excited to sit at the front with me while I read the books. It was awesome! I can't wait to go in to her class again.

Since the witch in the story was so sweet and shared with all her new friends, I decided to make these little hats for all the kids. The had a treat and spider ring inside. A little hot glue, some black construction paper cut into circles, stickers... and here are some little goodie witch hats!

Rice Krispy Treat Jack O' Lanterns

With all the rain this week, I felt the girls needed to do something exciting. And what could be more exciting than playing with marshmallows and chocolate? We started making the rice krispie treats like normal, but before adding the rice krispies we took a little portion out and added green to it. Then we added orange to the rest of the marshmallows followed by the rice krispies. After greasing the waxed paper and the girls hands, we started shaping the pumpkins. Taylor was not a big fan of the stickiness, so I shaped hers for her. When we finally got to the stem part the green marshmallows goo wasn't quite smooth anymore, so I heated it a little more in the microwave and it was back to normal. Add the rice krispies and then finish the pumpkin stems.

Then the chocolate part... I warmed the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth and then spooned it into plastic baggies. Snipped off the end and decorated away. Here are the results.

I helped her with the three on the right and Taylor made the two on the far left by herself.

Jena and I made a vampire pumpkin on the top left, then she made a werewolf pumpkin and a silly pumpkin. Then on the bottom is a sad pumpkin, another vampire pumpkin and an alien pumpkin.

And now on to the eating part :)

Felt Pumpkin Faces

So, during General Conference about a week and a half ago, I started working on these little pumpkins. The first one I stitched around by hand and it took quite a while, but still really cute. Then when the kids saw that it was something they could play with, I knew I had to finish another one quickly. To the sewing machine I went and the pumpkin was done it less than fifteen minutes. Then I just started cutting different shapes out of stiff velcro... and the Jack'O Lanterns were finished!

The hand stitching is on the left and the machine stitching is on the right.

Something's Missing

Jena lost her first tooth today. She was so excited that she woke everyone up early and told everyone she saw during the day what had happened. We can't believe how big she is getting, because it really doesn't seem that long ago that she was getting that first little tooth!

School & Soccer in September

September seemed to come with a few firsts... It was the first time we have ever really had a schedule. Sure we did preschool last year, but if we were late or didn't go it wasn't that big of a deal. Now we are all up and out the door by 7:40am. We take Jena to class, drop Taylor off on the days that she goes and either come home or run errands until it's time to do it all again, but in reverse.

This was the first time we have had a kid in a sport. So far Jena loves her soccer team and LOVES that her daddy is the assistant coach. It's a first for Ryan since he too has a lavender jersey :) She also had her first goal in the second game. Whoohoo!!!

Taylor is really turning into a big girl. She gets very excited to go to preschool, she wants to do everything like Jena and she is finally using the potty. A second huge, Whoohoo!

Cody finds himself being carried around to all sorts of activities and can't wait to get out of the stroller and run around. If he can get his hands on a controller, cell phone, or some sort of electronic device with a cord he is a very happy boy.

We have definitely had a full month of many exciting firsts!

A B C's

While Cody naps, the girls and I have take a little time to do some crafts together. I thought it would be fun to have a different project for every letter of the alphabet. Jena and Taylor get so excited when I start to bring out the materials for the next project... and after mommy's plan is done the these little girls keep going with their own ideas. Jena is now addicted to using scissors and a glue stick and now begs me to use them on a daily basis.

Here are a few of our letters so far...

A is for apple stamping (just cut an apple in half, dry it off a little with a paper towel, then dab it in paint and stamp away)

B is for Butterflies (made with fingers and feet)

C is for Caterpillar... Now I just have to come up with ideas for the rest of the alphabet :)

Girls Weekend

The day after school started I ran off with Ryan's mom and my sister in laws to play in Utah. For three days we drove around non stop trying to hit every shop and restaurant on our list and any others that we heard about on the way... It was such a fun weekend and a nice break from the normal mommy routine. I truly have the greatest husband and in laws any woman could ask for!

First and Third Day of School

Jena was so excited to start kindergarten. She has been talking about school ever since she graduated from Preschool... and the day finally came. Taylor also started Preschool this year and even though they are at the same school, Taylor started a few days earlier. She was not nervous at all and happily went into the class and started playing right away. Even when I said good bye, she smiled and said "bye, mom!" She seems so little and big at the same time :) Now, she keeps asking why she only goes a few days to school and Jena goes every day. Soon enough girl, soon enough.

I stayed with Jena for the first orientation day of school. My sweet friend saw me with Cody in a stroller and took him home so I could focus on Jena. They read a story, sang a song, talked about colors, learned some rules and played on the playground. Jena absolutely loved her first day, especially since she was able to play with some of her good friends and meet many new ones.

It's hard to believe Jena is in Kindergarten already and now we actually have a schedule to follow. These little kids are getting so big!

For the last few years I've been impressed by all my sister in law does for her kids' teachers. So, this year I decided to start the year off right by sending Jena's teacher this adorable little apple treat to tell her how excited we are to be in her class. Thank you Heather for all your inspiration and Cute as A Fox for this great idea!

Giggles and Gates

Since Cody is running and climbing all over the place, my sweet in-laws bought us a gate. Luckily they were in Valencia watching our nieces and nephews so we headed over to visit, swim and acquire a deterrent for Cody's curiosity. The kids had a great time and Cody has no idea what's coming :)

Taylor is not a huge fan of the water, especially if it is cooler than a bathtub, but she does really like floaties and dancing around the pool. Ryan wondered if I had actually bought her a dance tutu instead of a swimsuit, but I think it fits her.

Cody, like the cute little man he is, just wanted to be fed and if he wasn't fed enough or fast enough by an adult, her would make do with whatever he found... even if it is his sister's left overs hot dog bun.

Play Dough Creatures

Jena and Taylor spent a few hours, while Cody slept soundly, creating all sorts of play dough animals and bugs. Jena decided to recreate all the examples on her play mat. Taylor kept asking for me to make animals that seemed to have a tendency of getting smashed unexpectedly.

Taylor also loved using the scissors. Maybe that's because I hide every pair that is around the house. I love how intently she is concentrating.

Here are a few of Jena's creations.

Oh how we love play dough!

Soccer Girl

Jena is going to play soccer on a team this fall. To help her understand the game a little more... since she has never played before... we signed her up for a camp. They ran drills and played scrimmage games. She was very excited and had a great time, especially since they allowed her to decorate her ball any way she liked. The first day I took all the kids to watch her play. Unfortunately, it was a really hot day and Taylor was not having a great time. At one point she yelled across the field, "Jena, five more minutes. Only five minutes!" After that daddy decided he could take her and learn a few extra skills since he is going to be the assistant coach on the team.

So, this is soccer!

I love this picture of all the little kids following the coach. The line didn't last long after they started dribbling the balls :)

We are so excited for the season to begin!

Beach Day!

We don't live very far from the beach, but with three little kids I get nervous venturing there by myself. But with only a few weeks left of summer, I decided that we had to try. So, after over an hour of getting everything ready and everyone covered in sunscreen we finally made it out the door. Despite all my worries... it was a wonderful day. We met up with some friends and spent the next few hours playing in the waves, digging in the sand, eating tasty snacks and chasing after the birds. Jena loves the water, Taylor loves the sand and Cody loves the freedom of wandering almost anywhere he wants.

I am so grateful these little girls love to play with each other!

Our cute little man!

Happy Birthday to Me!

The morning started with a busy trip to the splash pad. The kids love to fill buckets with water and run around trying to avoid getting too wet. I finally convinced Jena to run right through one of the fountains, but they still think it is more fun to run from the water instead of towards it. We are just glad the park is finally open so we have another place to visit during the summer. After a few hours the kids got their fill of water and sun. Then we went home to wash up and we were just in time for the baby sitter to come. Today was the first night we left Cody with an actually sitter (besides Grandmas). I was nervous for the first fifteen minutes or so until our Chinese massage started. Then I was far too relaxed to worry! Next we enjoyed dinner at a Japanese tempanyaki restaurant. I always love watching them slice, chop, throw and set food on fire :) When we returned home everything was perfect and the kids hardly missed us... well Cody might have felt differently. Since it was late, we decided to have dessert the following day. I saw a post of this amazing cookie dessert and figured I'd give it a try. I didn't have everything she talked about, but we loved them anyway and I will totally make them again. YUMMY! For my last birthday in my twenties, this was the perfect day!

Mommy, Can We...

The girls were ecstatic after I cornered and captured this cute little lizard. Jena tenderly held him and sweetly asked, "Mommy, can we put him in a cage and feed him?" Luckily she let him scurry off into the plants after I explained that he wouldn't be with his family and that he likes to catch his own food...

These two are definitely my girls :)

Cody's New Trick

Cody has been pulling up and standing for a long time now, but in the last few days he has really been trying to get this walking thing down. He wobbles and wiggles his way along. And for the most part, no matter how many times he falls, he keeps that smile on his face completely proud of himself.

I know it's not the greatest video, but still cute!

The Five of Us

Some days I still can't believe there are five of us. I feel so lucky to have these little babies and sweet husband...

because I truly can't imagine my life without them!

Brotherly Love

Jeffrey dropped in for a day to run an errand for my dad, yes an errand from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. While he waited around for the package to be delivered, we decided to make the most of the morning. We spent the time playing at the park, going down slides, swaying on swings, climbing up trees, and relaxing in strollers... at least that's what the kids did.

I mean, that's what Jeffrey did...

and the girls as sweet little Cody slept in my arms.

Then on Friday, Ryan and I had a Primary Board Social and Ryan was a little anxious to leave. Which was rather odd since the girls were at their friend's house and we were enjoying an evening at our friends house... Finally, we get home, I walk in the house to find Birthday presents on the table (which I know weren't there before) and Jonathan and Jeffrey hiding under blankets on my couch. What a great surprise that led to a fun weekend with my brothers!