White Christmas

We finally got snow! The girls were jumping around the room because they were so excited. Of course we had church at 9am, but AFTER church they had a great time play outside in the cold stuff. Being from AZ, I think it looks really pretty and it's fun for a little while, but if I have to drive in it I don't like it anymore :) I will admit that having the snow makes it feel more like Christmas!! We enjoyed watching them play...so funny!

Tis the season to be...

BUSY!! Maybe I'm the only one... is anyone else so busy they don't have time to breathe? I haven't posted in a while because I just haven't had time, so hang on because I'm going to do a "quick" update on our month (so far).

Our season started with a trip to Iowa for Thanksgiving with the Munch family (Chad's sister). Chad's niece asked him to baptize her and, of course, he said yes! We had a great trip and had a great Thanksgiving. On our way home, the roads were closed through the Rockies and we were able to stay with the Torbet family (Chad's other sister). The girls had so much fun with their cousins!

Upon returning, and after months of trying to pick a color, I FINALLY painted!! I'm sure my friends were sick of hearing me talk about it...and now that it's done, I love it! I wasn't sure at first, but I really think it makes this place so much more comfortable.

When the painting was finished, it was the dreaded day...my 30th birthday. I say this without excitement because it really was an awful day. First of all, I don't want to be 30!! Dumb, I know, but I really wasn't happy about it. AND Chad was gone all day officiating a HS wrestling tournament and I was stuck with 3 whiney girls. In his defense, we decided together this was a tournament that he should attend so it's not his fault, but it really was a bad birthday. Thanks to all those who called and sent me "goodies". Chad brought me home some presents and said we will celebrate better when things finally calm down. I hope so...getting old really stinks!

Before it was too late, we had to put up a Christmas tree! We usually cut our own, but again we were just so busy! We took the girls to the boy scout tree farm for FHE and enjoyed bringing it home and decorating! Our trees never look very good, but the girls LOVE having a real tree (Chad too!) Maybe one year we'll pick a "pretty" one!

It was also my week to teach Regan's Joy School friends. Now I'm not complaining about this, because it IS really fun...We were practicing our nativity production for our Christmas party and they are so cute!! We also had performances for Sunshine Generation in various locations. The girls did AWSUM!! They were just great! Carli did the hula hoop for the Chipmunks song and sang her solo beautifully, while Regan did all her actions and said her line with clarity...maybe she'll come out of her shyness someday ?!? The girls were also in the Fruita Parade of Lights. We had so much fun riding on the float (Mollie got to ride too!) and seeing all the floats!

Amid all of this, there was a trip to California, church parties, birthday parties, volunteering, speaking in church...the list is endless! Even with all this craziness, we are having fun! We are now getting ready for Santa and looking forward to being with friends and family for the holidays! Just Remember to SMILE: It SHOULD be the season to be "JOLLY"!

WHY?

Not a day goes by that I don't ask myself "Why?" Why do you eat dogfood? Why do you drink the paintwater when we watercolor? Why do you eat only the inside of every sandwich and never the bread? Why do you pull all the pillows off the couch whenever you're in the room? Why do you growl at your sisters? Why do you dance crazy whenever there's music? Why do you refuse to use silverware? Why do you start your sentences with the word "actually"? Why do you fight taking a nap until you can't stay awake another minute? Why? I guess because you're two! Crazy Mollie...we love you!

Big Girls Don't Cry?

Are you sure? This is the smiley face that we see regularly around our house. Regan has always been a pretty easy-going kid, until now. For some reason she is crying anytime I leave! She cries at Joy School, she cries at Primary, she cries at MOPS, she cries EVERYWHERE! I'm about to pull my hair out...I don't know what to do with her. She says that she just misses me. What do I say to that? She didn't do this when she was little, why would she start now? I'm praying it's a phase and that it will be over soon. We've tried talking to her, disciplining her, and bribing her all with no success. Any advice?

Visitors

We were lucky enough to have Charisse and Carson come to visit for a couple of days, and it was so nice! The girls LOVED having baby Carson here :) Regan felt SO big getting to feed him (she stuck her tongue out with every bite!)

We made some yummy caramel corn...here's the girls watching the popcorn in the air popper.

We didn't do much while they were here, but we did get in a walk to the park in our neighborhood. It was FREEZING but the kids had fun anyways! Thanks for coming Charisse...we enjoyed getting to hang out with you! We miss you already!!

It's Potty Time!

Because of the last couple of weeks being super busy, I have neglected to mention that we no longer have diapers in our house! Mollie has been officially potty trained for over a week...even in the night! Yippee!! After picking out her new "big girl panties" (Hello Kitty), lots of praise, and 2 bags of candy - she was ready to go. It is amazing how my girls will do ANYTHING for a few gummy bears :) For some reason she wouldn't smile for any pictures; she has a mind of her own! Mollie is such a nut and we are so happy she is part of our family!! Love you Mollie Dru!!

"Cute Kitties"

We had a great Halloween! We went to our 4-ward trunk-or-treat where the girls got WAY too much candy and then to a "gathering" at a friends for homemade soups, rolls, and more trick-or-treating. We laughed, ate, and stayed out too late (Thanks Steph and Dave!) The funniest part for us was watching how the girls would literally transform into a real cat when they put on their costume...we had to call them "Kitty" and they would only answer in meows :) They even slept in their costumes, they loved them so much! This morning was like Christmas, dumping out their candy and trading with each other. Hope everyone had a very Happy Halloween!

ps-Yes, Carli DID lose another tooth, on Halloween...she's now missing her two front teeth on the top AND the bottom! We call her the toothless wonder...Christmas pics should look GOOD this year ;)