Christmas Day 2009

Christmas morning started at 7am when the boys woke up. It's always so fun to watch them look to see if Santa came (we don't put any presents under our tree until Christmas Eve night) and the look of surprise they always have! Since we had to wait for Natalie to wake up, the boys got to play with the toys that weren't wrapped - they each had one by their stockings.
Mommy even got a present from Santa this year!

Tyler was so scared of the Raggedy Ann doll that Dan was holding - just look at his face, priceless!

We finally told Nathan to go wake up Natalie so we could get started...
Stocking time! (yes, we all got new bath poofs)
I love how each of the kids has such a different look opening their stockings


Nathan was so excited to open his gifts this year
That's the look of pure joy on his face!

Natalie also loved everything she got

The Grandparents did AWESOME this year!!! (and thanks to them we didn't have to do too much!)


Tyler is our most focused child - he gets it from his daddy!

Tyler was so intent on playing with his new toys he would NOT look at the camera!! That's when you know he is truly happy :)

I suppose I should include some pics of me...

Sorry Babe, didn't take many pics of you but you did awesome this year! I will make you waffles anytime you want! ;)

I want to thank everyone for the kindness and love we felt through your gifts, cards, phone calls, treats (wow did we ever get the treats!!), and thoughtfulness. With this being our first Christmas away from our families in Texas I thought it would be really difficult, but the Spirit of the Season was still with us and we felt our families love across the distance. It was a very special Christmas for us, one in which we truly enjoyed our little family and got to spend special moments together. We want our families to know how much we love them and appreciate all that they still do for us even though we're far apart now. We hope you all had a beautiful and special Christmas!

Here is one last pic of Natalie and her new doll "Gracie" wearing matching outfits...

Thank you Grandma Karen for the cute gift!

Well, this is the end of our Christmas pictures. Shortly after opening gifts our kids started getting sick one-by-one. We had a stomach bug fly through our house that day, night, and the next day. I was fortunate enough to not get it very bad, and was therefore also fortunate enough to feel well enough to clean up after everyone! I won't divulge any details, but let's just say not a room in our house went unscathed by the nasty bug!! Did it ruin our Christmas? Not at all! We did everything we had planned to do - play games, watch movies, eat finger foods, and have fun at home together as a family. It was a Christmas we will always remember!!!

Christmas Eve 2009

On Christmas Eve morning we went out to Big Cottonwood Canyon for some sledding and snowshoeing with Dan's brother, Matt, and his sister, Michelle, and her family. The guys went snowshoeing while Michelle and I took our kids to this awesome hill for sledding. I didn't take my camera (rounding up 3 kids is all I could handle!) so here we are about to set off:

Time for some fun in the snow!!!

We had such a good time - the weather was perfect and the kids loved sledding. Apparently the guys had fun too, they didn't get back for over 2 hours! Afterwards we rushed home to get ready for Christmas Eve Dinner at the Berg's home.

There was much food and laughter - the perfect combination!

And plenty of love to go around :)

We had such a wonderful time with Dan's family that night. The cousins all played together - I hardly ever saw my kids! We played a fun game of Yankee Swap among the adults, bringing home a new pack of much-needed scissors. Thank you Grandma Betty and Grandpa Dave for hosting such a special Christmas Eve!

Next, it was time to get home and get cookies and milk out for Santa. And we couldn't forget about the special Christmas Eve presents the kids get to open every year from Dan's parents, Carla & Richard.

New PJ's!!!

As you can see, Natalie was absolutely thrilled with her new jammies.

You can never go wrong with cats!

As soon as Nathan saw his new pj's he was ready to put them on...

Buzz Lightyear jammies! Grandma & Grandpa are the coolest!!!

And just look at those little house slippers! That is one cool dude right there :)

Tyler was still so excited about it being Christmas Eve that...
He was not interested in putting on pj's! But he had lots of fun watching his brother and sister open theirs up and get dressed - there is just so much to do when you're a toddler!
(whacking various things with swords...dragging bags of trash around...all in a days' work!)

Finally, we got the kids tucked into bed so that Dan and I could get to work. Next up, Christmas Day!

Natalie's Christmas Sing

Natalie's school had a "Christmas Sing" on their last day of school before the holiday break. We knew Natalie's class had been practicing for awhile on their song "Sleigh Ride" so we were really excited to attend the event. When we got there (Dan, me, and both boys) we were handed a program that informed us we would have the opportunity to sit through ALL the other grades' musical numbers (and most had at least 2) before we'd get to see Natalie perform with the rest of the Kindergartner's. Fortunately, most parents left after their child performed so we ended up having a great view of Natalie from where we sat in the back - unfortunately the pics didn't turn out so well. So I've included one of Natalie when she came home from school that day with her little train she made at her class Christmas party. By the way, she did amazing!!!

There's our big girl! We're so proud of you, Natalie!!

Random Pictures

I tried to get some cute pictures of the kids in front of the Christmas tree but they were acting so silly! So here's what I got:

The brothers!

This picture makes me laugh every time

Now for those of you who are curious as to what our new house looks like, I took some pics of it to give you an idea. Here is the front room:

I love all the windows


Another view from upstairs
(I moved our wreath inside b/c it was getting covered in snow, plus I love the fresh wreath smell!)



View from the front door:

You can see down the stairs to the basement doors as well as up into the main level

Kitchen/dining/living area

Upstairs living area

Dining/Kitchen

Here you can see the upper level - my desk, the kids' bedrooms and bathroom

And for those of you who wanted to see the purple wall in our bedroom:

There you have it! A very purple wall!! But I like it :)

We attended Dan's work Christmas party the other night at the Grand America Hotel in downtown SLC. It was by far the nicest work party we've ever been to. We were served dinner in the grand ballroom:

Look at that fancy salad!

Can you guess what room this is? I probably shouldn't say but isn't it fancy!!

And for entertainment they had Kurt Bestor perform - he was amazing!

(apparently he's really popular in Utah though I'd never heard of him)

Here we are again:

We had such a wonderful time - it was so nice getting out for a whole evening without the kids! The food was delicious, the music was fantastic, and the adult conversation was much needed for me!! Thank you Dan for providing this special night for us, I love you babe!

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas..."

We woke up this morning to this...

SNOW!!!!

View of our front yard/driveway from upstairs

We got over 12 inches of snow last night

This is what it looked like just a week ago-

And here's our backyard this morning

That's the same tree!

We are so fortunate to have neighbors who came over first thing and plowed our driveway for us. Getting a snow blower has been on our list of things to do but just hasn't happened yet. We will be getting one this week! Also, Dan decided it would be fun to break his toe last night while goofing around with the kids, so he's bedridden today and I am especially appreciative of the help of our neighbors so I don't have to go out and try to shovel all that snow myself! I must say his timing is impeccable - injuring himself the night before he's supposed to give a talk in church. Needless to say Dan gets to stay home today since the Bishop let him "off the hook" but I am not so lucky - I still get to go to church and give my talk. Wish me luck!!

And to all of you in Texas - quit complaining about the cold! 30 degrees is warm up here!!

Hope you are all enjoying your winter wherever you are, Merry Christmas!!!! :)

Nathan is FOUR!!!!

Our little man is now four years old! I can't believe it - I remember when he was my baby. And now he's this big boy who is ALL boy and loves doing big boys things (especially if it involves NERF or the Wii). This year Nathan was so excited about his birthday and since we really didn't celebrate his birthday last year due to moving we decided he'd get an actual party this year. He had two requests - 1) the huge NERF gun that we walked by every time we went to Sam's, and 2) to have his friends for a party at Chuck E. Cheese. We figured those were pretty easy demands to meet.

And now here is the picture story of how Nathan's birthday went yesterday:

As soon as Nathan woke up he kept saying in wonderment, "Today is my birthday?!!"

We let him open his "huge Nerf gun" first thing yesterday. He was so happy, all he could say was "WOW!!!!"

(if you look closely at our kitchen windows you'll see snow!)

Later in the day we had his party at Chuck E. Cheese's....

Nathan loves to play games and had so much fun playing them with all his new friends

The dads enjoyed playing the games too!!

Time for Pizza! And a weird, I mean fun, show to watch on the stage

(kids liked it)

Next, Chuck E. Cheese came out to sing and dance with Nathan

(sidenote: Tyler does not like Chuck E. Cheese - he took one look at him and burst into tears!)

Make a wish Birthday Boy!

The Spiderman cupcakes were a big hit!!

Nathan had so much fun at his party, I know he'll remember this day for a long time. Thank you to everyone who came and helped make his day so special. We hope you had a great time as well! We feel so lucky to have moved to a street where there are so many friends for our kids. It seems like not a day goes by that they don't get a chance to play with someone. We love it here!


Now to my dear sweet boy, Nathan-

Since you are now four, here are 4 things I love about you:

1. You have such a sweet disposition. You have always been my little guy who likes to snuggle with me. You are truly happy and love life!

2. You are a wonderful brother. You let Natalie boss you around and still love to play with her. You two giggle and laugh so much, it brings such joy into our home. And you are so good to your little brother, Tyler. You share with him - not just your toys, but your room, your treats, and most of all your love. I love watching how the two of you are becoming friends and growing closer.

3. You love to help me (usually!). When I ask you to help me with something you say "sure, Mom!" right away and enjoy doing it.

4. I love that you still need your hot chocolate fix every morning (even when it's 100+ degrees outside!!). And when I ask you to get dressed in the morning you always say, "why mom? where are we going?" like that's the only reason to get dressed! You make me laugh with all the funny little things you do and say every day.

Thank you for being a part of our family, Nathan. We all love you so much! Happy Birthday!!!

Love,

Mommy

Thanksgiving 2009

We spent Thanksgiving with Dan's grandparents, the Bergs, that live here in Utah. It was so kind of them to include us and the food was excellent! Of course it was not the same as being at home with my family who we've always shared Thanksgiving with. I really missed your gravy, Dad!!

Let the feast begin!

Our kids got to sit at the bar to eat - they loved it!

They also loved the punch!

Tyler and Dan's feet

(I didn't get many pics of Tyler as he was not feeling well and just wanted to be held)

Natalie & Nathan always go straight to the horses behind their house

Grandma Betty & Me

Aunt Marty & Grandma Betty

Thank you to the Berg's for hosting a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner - we had a great time!!

Afterwards, we drove by the new Draper Temple that's not too far from our house. It sits just up the mountain and has gorgeous views. It also has a huge nativity set up in the front corner of the lawn. The kids love pointing out the temples every time we drive by one. I love seeing a temple every way you look - it really keeps life in perspective for me.

Draper, Utah Temple

This year I bought a turkey to cook at home so we'd have all the great leftovers. Unfortunately, we all came down sick with a cold right after Thanksgiving so I just got around to cooking our turkey this week. It turned out sooooo delicious!!!

Gobble gobble!!!

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving - we miss our family and friends back in Texas, the holidays are not the same without you! But we feel very fortunate to be here in Utah and know we have been blessed in so many ways. We are so thankful for our family - our terrific kids who are the joy of our lives, for Dan's job, for the support we receive from our family and friends, and for all our new neighbors here who have been so welcoming and kind to us.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!