Gifts from Grandma and Grandpa

Just about lunchtime Rob's parents braved the crazy snowstorm and came to visit. They brought the kids the coolest dollhouse and car racetrack. And I got the digital picture frame I had been wanting!
Fun dollhouse.

Which came with fun people and dogs.

Opening the racetrack.

Go cars, go!

Trying to get the cars to race.

Christmas Morning

Surprisingly enough I was the first one awake on Christmas morning so I came downstairs, had some breakfast and got the camera all ready while I waited for the rest of the family to wake up. Olivia came down about 8am and then lugged her gigantic unicorn back upstairs to wake Aunty Jen and Daddy up. Zachy woke up around then too and after some juice we opened the Go Fish game and stockings. We had a great Christmas morning opening our gifts and seeing the kids reactions.

Zachary playing with the train table. Choo-Choo!
Playing Go Fish, the kids love it but the version we had when we were little was much easier to play I think.

Zachary really likes this little lamb.

Olivia opening her stocking.

YAY, candy!

Zachary really wanted the cars at the bottom of the bag!

Olivia with her "kitty cat with a comb" which is what she asked Santa for every time we saw him. Thanks Grandma Elizabeth!

Our Tree and Stockings

Here is our tree and our stockings all ready for Christmas morning!

Christmas Eve with the family

On Christmas Eve we went to Rob's parent's house to have dinner and open presents with his brother and sister's families.
Zachy and Maddy getting ready to open jammies.

All the rest of the grandkids opening their jammies, I love the expression on Olivia's face!

Zachy really liked tearing the paper off of the presents this year.

Oh what could it be? Zachy got some cute new plastic trucks and Olivia got a pretty doll that came with a little bathtub and clothes. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

"V", "W", "X", "Y", and "Z"

So the end of the alphabet doesnt have very many church items or blogs but there were two church things I wanted to mention. I am thankful for Visit Teaching, while I am not a good visiting teacher myself I love that the church encourages us to make friends with some women that we might not normally be friends with. And I am thankful for the Word of Wisdom, while I miss ice tea the rest of the word of wisdom was easy for me to follow.


I do read a few "W" blogs and one "Y" blog but nothing super exciting, sorry!

For "V", will have to say I love our van. I love its sliding doors, being a little higher on the road, and its pretty grey color.


For "W", I am thankful for water, I rarely drink anything besides water. Plus the ocean is full of water and I LOVE the ocean!

"X" is good for treasure maps!

"Y", I am thankful for YOU, who take the time to read my blog!

"Z" and last but not least I am thankful for Zachary, he is such an active, mischievous, sweet little guy. Everyday is an adventure with him!

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas

So we now will be sure of having our white Christmas, we now have about a foot of snow. Rob and Olivia have had great fun plowing the snow with the fourwheeler. Zachary doesnt really seem to like the snow much.
Snow on the play table on the patio.

Olivia and Rob getting ready to go plowing.

Our little Eskimo.

Our little man, a little overexposed.

Silly girl.

Ultrasound

We did have the ultrasound for our new baby on the 11th, the doctor said that the baby looks very healthy and normal. We are getting excited to welcome our newest family member in late April. And for those of you who hadnt heard we decided to not find out the gender of the baby so you will be just as surprised as us!

"T" and "U"

Here are some of the letter "T" and a letter "U" thing I am thankful for:

I am thankful for Temples and we are excited to be able to take Olivia to the Draper Temple Open House in February and I am most thankful for my Testimony.

Here are some fun "T" blogs for you to go see: The Creative Homemaker, These are the Hours, and Tutus and Turtles.

And for the letter "T" I am most thankful for toilets, really I am not an outhouse or nature girl so yay for toilets!

I am thankful for umbrellas, something about a rainbow colored umbrella just makes me happy.

Christmas Program

Olivia's preschool had a cute program for Christmas where they sang all sorts of fun songs they have been learning. I was impressed that Olivia seemed to know most of the words and motions to the songs, she didnt get that from me! Olivia got to be part of the train, which she loved.
Olivia as part of the train, she is taking after me in the height department!

Our little elf.

With her beloved teacher.

Cookies!

We made some sugar cookies for our neighbors, the kids thought the dough and sugar sprinkles were the best parts!
Tasting the dough (dont worry this was after the dough to be made into cookies was safely in the fridge).

Zachary thought it was pretty yummy.

YUM!

Olivia decorating.

Thanksgiving Point

Instead of going to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights we took the short drive to Thanksgiving Point to drive in our warm car throught their display. The kids seemed to enjoy it and I enjoyed being warm!

Grandma Elizabeth

We were lucky enough to have my mom come for a visit from Washington, I think the kids wore her out but they all sure had fun. We didnt get to do all the fun things we had planned since it kept snowing but we did get to have Grandma here for 3 extra days since it was snowing in Washington, too! We all miss her and cant wait for her to come back in April when the new baby is born.

Gingerbread House

My sweet MIL gives us a gingerbread house to decorate every year, this year in my goal of keeping the stress of the holidays away I let Olivia and Zachary decorate the house without any help (well Rob frosted and put the house together, I mean really the kids are only 3 and 1). It didnt turn out how I would have done it but they had a great time.
Zachary "helping", really I dont think he put a single piece of candy on the house but he did learn that he doesnt like the taste of peppermint.

My mom and Olivia both concentrating very hard on the placement of the candy.

Olivia showing off her hard work.

"R" and "S"

I am thankful for the Relief Society, Reverence, and Revelation. I love Relief Society for the sisterhood I feel when I am there and for the fun activities we sometimes have. I love that Zachary is learning reverence by folding his arms during prayers, of course reverence is something that we still need to work on during church but we are getting there. And I love revelation for allowing me to receive answers for myself.

I am most thankful for the Sealing Power, knowing that my family can be together forever makes me work harder to be kind and loving on "those" days, I know that I still have along way to go but this sure helps.

Here are some fun websites for you to check out: Raising Country Kids for her beautiful pictures, Savin Some for the money you can save, Scripture Mom for her great ideas, Seriously So Blessed for great laughs, Sweet Life in the Valley for fun stuff here in Utah County.

For "R" I will go with rainbows and for "S" I will go with St. Patrick's Day and shamrocks!