A little bit of Winter fun

Last weekend Brad took the kids out for some fun in the snow. They built snowmen with the kits we made on Christmas Eve (too bad they melted away the next day). And then they went to the park for some sledding. Avery just got pulled around in the sled, but she seemed to like it until we tipped her over face first into the cold stuff!
But these boys couldn't get enough of the fun!

Just look at their faces, ok maybe Jack doesn't look thrilled but he really did love it.

And I'm throwing in this picture just because.

Ellie and Avery are too cute together.

Piercings?

Yep. I had Avery's ears pierced tonight.

Here it is, trauma and all. :)

The woman at the store tried to woo her with a sucker but Avery knew something was up and wouldn't take her eyes off of her as she got everything out and ready. With the first swipe of antiseptic (to clean her ear prior to piercing) Avery totally melted down. She was crying so hard over nothing I'm pretty sure she didn't even notice when the ear was actually pierced!

So here she is immediately after, clearly mad, and shaking her finger at me.
But, a few short steps to the car and she had everything she needed to relax... her bottle and her lovey (aka Giraffe Blanket).
And only a short car ride home after that she was a happy little girl again, totally unscared by the night's events.
Love you, baby girl.

My Weekend in Texas

I have the best friends. And yet, sadly I live far away from more than half of them. Happily I flew to Houston this past weekend to spend a few days with Emily. It was a long overdue trip and it didn't disappoint. I had such a good time.

We had massages, facials, and pedicures.

We ate soooo much great food I probably put on a few pounds. Mmmm, I'm still thinking of the leftovers in Emily's fridge wishing I was there for lunch... Crawfish Corn Chowder or Shrimp Perlo or Monkey Bread for a snack? And that's just what we had at the house, every meal was too good.

Emily's friend threw her a suprise baby shower at the most charming restaurant.

I learned to play Settlers of Catan, but it would have been nice to win just once. :)

And then there were the endless hours of good old girl talk.

Her husband was such a good sport about staying with the kids for three days straight.

Although I don't feel too bad for Ryan because these kids are adorable!

And have I mentioned what a super-husband Brad is? He took off two and half days of work so I could go play. The kids barely noticed I was gone. He even took them to Ava's princess birthday party! And remembered to take pictures with his cell phone so I could enjoy the cuteness.

Brad: Super-Husband and Super-Dad

I had a GREAT weekend. I feel refreshed, a little sad to have left, and so happy to be home.

And lucky me, I get to visit Shaylyn in only three more weeks.

What can I say? I'm a little spoiled.

Christmas Day

A week and a half late, but I am finally getting these pictures posted from Christmas morning.

After such a fun Christmas Eve at Grandpa and Grandma Curtis' the kids slept in a little... they were up by 7:00, not 6:30! They spent a few minutes checking out what Santa had brought... for Jack it was the best gift of the day... a small pack of four plastic horses and really that could have been his only present. Those little horses barely left his hands all day.

After we opened our gifts from Santa, the kids tore into all the packages. Wesley's big present from Mom and Dad was his new bike. I think he loves it, but he hasn't taken it outside yet... we're waiting for a day when its warmer than 20 degrees out!

And Jack got a scooter, he's pretty excited about that present too. Check out his goofy face... I just love him!

Mimi and Papa sent the boys Lakers jerseys and they LOVE them! They insisted on wearing them without a shirt underneath, duh that's how the players do it, and wore them until we had to leave.

Avery had a fun morning too, although she might have been pleased just opening the presents without really getting everything inside. But she did really love her new baby and stroller.

After finishing up presents at our house, we headed back over to Chris and Lory's. I can't even begin to name everything we got, but here are a few highlights.

Wesley loved his new cowboy accessories... rope, belt, guns! Luckily there were two guns so Jack can get in on the action also. WooHoo. And he got the Imaginext Space Shuttle and other space stuff. The boys just can't get enough of those Imaginext toys... best toy ever. And Jack got a ton of stuff, but I think he likes all the animals most. He reminds me of my little brother Blake in that way, such an animal lover.

Avery got a lot of cute clothes and fun dolls, but she has really enjoyed this Weebles Treehouse. Actually the boys love it too.

But did you really think we could end Christmas without a little more Lakers stuff? Brad loves this new shirt and I think its pretty good lookin too. Plus, did I mention Reed and Shanna got him a Koby Bryant bobblehead holding the championship trophy? Awesome.

We had a really great Christmas season and it's going to be an even better New Year!

Thanks Mimi!

Avery likes her new dress "this much!"...

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Today was Avery's birthday, can you believe she's ONE already?

I mean really where did the year go?

Anyway, we had a little party for her and if you live in Utah, you'd know, it really is a winter "one-derland"! So we decorated with a few snowflakes, but pink of course, after all it is my baby girl's first birthday.

I made a yummy cake, but she wanted nothing to do with it. And turns out, she's not too fond of my cookies either!
But, she did have a great time opening presents...
... and loved spending a few hours with family and friends.

(this is Ellie and I'm pretty sure one of her first words was "Avery")

(and this is Ryan, Ava's brother, and I'm pretty sure they'll be best pals

just like their older siblings)

So we had a good night and we have a fabulous little girl!

Happy Birthday Avery!

Christmas - before and after

(Christmas Day pictures will come later)

Christmas Eve

Chris had planned a super fun evening for the kids. They made snowman kits, painted Christmas trees and decorated cookies for Santa.

We had such a fun night! But before it was over there were a couple more things to do. The kids opened their new Christmas jammies (a family tradition) and this year they seemed to fit their personalities... Wesley - the "Dread Pirate Roberts", Jack - truly a monster, and Avery - the angel (sometimes hell's angel, but an angel none the less!).

And just before bed, we read "The Night Before Christmas" (another family tradition, this one is especially dear to me). But this year, the book was a present from Mimi and was recorded with her voice. It was awesome! Wesley listened to it over and over again.
So Christmas was great, but here are the pictures from the day after.
Getting a picture of the kids in their new clothes was not easy,

here are my favorites...

Merry Christmas!

How cute are they?!