Snow!!

It has been a cold winter, but with very little snow in the valley. It was nearing the end of January and we hadn't had any decent snow storms. We finally had snow that stuck to the ground plus had the quantity to make a snowman! Jacob was thrilled. So was I, Dan was home and HE could go out in the cold and have a Father -son bonding experience. I bundled up the kids and sent them out with Daddy.

Yes, Jacob has pink gloves on. I realized I didn't have waterproof gloves in his size, so he got my gloves.

After building a great snowman they had a snowball fight. Which consisted of Dan throwing snowballs and me and Jake. Jake throwing them at Dan, and me throwing them at Jake. Derek kept running around the yard just enjoying the snow. All the snow melted the next day and we have yet to have snow again. Weird weather.

Dereks Birthday Party

Yes I realize Derek is only two, but everyone should have their birthday celebrated, even little ones. We invited the Grandparents and a few Aunts and Uncles. Jacob had fun helping me decorate for the party. He wanted the dinosaurs to be in a pattern, and refused deviating from it. Aunt Rachel Made the cake and cupcakes, they turned out great! After Dinner we opened presents. Since his birthday is right after Christmas, my wrapping skills have turned into complete laziness. As you can see I even resorted to throwing a sheet over one, refusing to wrap it at all. Jake even got a gift from the Glassford Grandparents! Oh Sweettart Hearts, how you play a part of my childhood!

Then it was time for cake! Derek even blew out his candles without help! That is right, Jake and my sisters didn't blow them out for Derek!

My kids are notorious for being clean eaters. They do not like getting messy, and when they do they need assistance right then to get it off. Most of the time this is a good thing. Birthday cake is meant to be eaten in a messy way when you are small, thus the removal of the shirt. He didn't like picking up the cupcake with his hands, afraid of the mess the icing was making. So Aunt Heather held up his plate so he could just eat it with his face.

  We then gave the kids ice cream. They where excited because then they got the spoon!

We then had fun hanging out and enjoying a fun birthday game I like to call " The Dino Egg Hunt"! It is the exact same thing as an Easter egg hunt but with dinosaur eggs. The kids and Aunts also had fun playing games in the castle. Thanks to everyone who came, it was super fun.

Derek is 2

My little baby is getting so big, he is now two years old! For his birthday we went to the aquarium. I know I was spoiled as a kid getting to go to Seaworld and the San Diego Zoo, but I think Utah's aquarium is pretty sad. The kids don't know what they are missing out on so they where super excited. Derek and Jacob have a true love for fish and the sea. Derek might not want to watch shows geared to kids his age, but I put on national geographic " coral reef" and he is hooked. I think Jacob's obsession for all ocean dwelling animals helps fuel Derek's fascination.

Derek was so excited to see the fish, but he was mesmerized by the stingrays. At first he wasn't too fond of the stingrays getting close. He would get nervous and even pretend cry if we tried to get him to touch them. Jacob on the other hand had a ball trying to pet them. I had to keep reminding him that only the stingrays are supposed to swim in this water, not Jacobs. One time the sting ray jumped right in front of Jacob. It startled him and made him jump back.

The newest addition to the little aquarium is penguins! They where fun to watch and where really active. Both kids wanted to be lifted up to see the penguins so Dan held them both up. I thought is was super cute. It was a fun family outing, It made me even more excited to take them to San Diego this summer.

Happy New Years!

For the past two years we have had our family over for New Years Eve. It is so nice having it at our house. Most holidays are spent at my parent's which is fun, but we leave when the kids bed time gets close. We had tons of fun playing games. My favorites where Rachel vs Jake and Heather vs. Jim. Mostly because they where so entertaining. We had to bring in a kids play rug so the kids/adults knew when they got to close to the tv.

During the festivities Heather and my Mom ended up getting tiered and taking little naps. We also set up the castle. Jake saw just how crazy Aunt Heather and Aunt Rachel can get. They took turns being princesses and the evil witch that would try to storm the castle. After Derek went to bed things had to settle down a bit, so we played quiet games in the castle.

It was super fun, a great start to a new year.

Christmas Morning

After we got the kids in their beds on Christmas Eve we set out to work getting ready for Christmas morning! Because Derek is a mischievous child we have had no presents under the tree until that night. So we brought down all the presents that where wrapped and hidden up in our room . We then watched 'The Christmas Story" while prepping the stockings and setting up the train table. Dan and I have the tradition of doing each others stockings. I set his up, cover it with a blanket and then he does the same. That way we are surprised Christmas morning too. I was so excited to see the kids and Dan's reaction to their presents.
I didn't get much sleep. We knew jacob was awake Christmas morning because we could hear him singing Rudolph in his bedroom. Santa was amazing and got him everything on his list. Derek was enthralled with the train and has treats. We then opened presents youngest to oldest. One by one. The way it should be, slow and thoughtful. I got  Dan got a little blender for his protein ( yes it was returned) and a new leatherman. He got Madden and a Blue ray, but I don't think they really count because he knew about them. Dan got me a Blendtec Blender, flat griddle and other things. He got me a Blender! Not only did we both get each other blenders, but the one he got me was crazy amazing! His looked all sad and geld next to my awesome blendtec. It was a great Family Christmas morning.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve morning Dan got a text from UPS. He didn't have to go to work!!! It was truly a Christmas miracle. We had a fun day of relaxing, then went over to David and Gina's house for our traditional Christmas Eve festivities. They have this odd pool game that was a fun twist on the original.

Jacob loved watching the adults play, and after explaining that only adults can play because little boys could get hurt, he watched without trying to grab a ball. Dan beat Richie 2-1 and Richie beat my Mom 2-0.

Richie being the crazy uncle! I am so glad Jacob was feeling better. When we first got to David's house Jacob ate a reece's pieces. He went to Dan and told him he ate a bad M&M. After some benadryl and him holding a bowl while he sat on my lap for awhile he seemed just fine.

We then had our traditional Christmas talent Show. Jacob and I sang a song together. That is right people, I sang! David even said I sounded good. The only time he seemed tired and drugged was during our singing. I tried posting the video. You can see it on my facebook page. Jacob then joined in while Richie and Grandpa sang.

After David and Gina's kids did their talent it was Grandma's and Heather's turn. They cheated. They gave all of us a chime and expected us to provide the music. This was a very bad choice. 

Not only did they not have a talent, but we then had to listen to our own horrible "chimed" rendition of classic Christmas songs. It was so bad that Heather couldn't mask her amusement of how crappy it was. The worst part was David . He always forgot which numbers was his. I am going to say the best was me. I got a chime number that wasn't even in the song, so I didn't even have to participate in the deafening craziness. 

We then watched the church's nativity video. Jacob loves the story and was thoroughly enthralled. He had so many questions, "where is King Harrod?", "Why are they speaking so funny", " Joseph should build Mary a house if there is no room", " Why don't they have cars". I had to whisper the story and answer questions in his ear so he wasn't loud.  Derek enjoyed it as well. They both fell asleep on the way home. It was a fun Christmas Eve.

Christmas Activities!

 Jacob was part of a Nativity Christmas Program. He got to be Joseph. I dressed him up a few days earlier and read him the story. He became a huge fan of Joseph, and to this day asks if he can be Joseph. We have had several playdates where they end up reenacting the nativity and making up plot lines for Joseph and Mary.

 It was really fun. Thanks you Grandparents and Heather for coming.

Derek was a fill-in Shepard. He was so cute. Derek loves playing with little babies and shushing them. If I hold a baby he starts to freak out, so we still have room for improvement.

Gingerbread Houses!

 Here we are actually putting are gingerbread houses together. It was super fun this year and I had a great team! Dan helped design and make the gingerbread and Karin was my decorating partner.

 There was icing and candy everywhere! That is the way it is supposed to be!

 Team Dad, Mom and Heather where right next to me. I was glad because they didn't bump the table much. Rachel and Jim where on the other table, but I don't have a picture of them, They needed a table all to themselves because they where making mini houses and had to be very precise.

It was a fun night. I love holiday traditions!