Christmas 2010...

The Christmas season started off with a bang.  After Thanksgiving at our house we went to a fun little Christmas festival in Vernal where the boys got to pet a real camel, ride a pony, play in some bouncy houses, get cotton candy and churros, etc...all free of charge (Vernal rocks!)  It was a lot of fun.  Later that weekend we went out to our niece Kaitlyn's 3rd birthday party.  Man they know how to party.  They had a princess party with the birthday girl dressed up as Snow White.  They had a full course meal, a balloon artist, a giant pinata, cake and ice cream...the whole nine yards.  It was a lot of fun!  Later the boys and I went to Ogden's Christmas village.  They just loved looking in all the little houses.  It was pretty cold but they didn't want to leave.  It was Carter's first time going and Maddix's second or third.  They loved it.  We did however miss Santa Clause there and had to go visit him at our local grocery store later on.  We got a ton of snow right before Christmas and Maddix and I built a "bucket snowman"...(we couldn't get the snow to roll so we had to pack it in a bucket.  A trick we learned last year from Grandpa Lou).  This year the boys even received a phone call/message from Santa.  It was really cute and they both enjoyed listening to it over and over.  We still haven't deleted the messages.  Santa knew that Maddix is an artist and that Carter loves chicken nuggets.  He even knew they wanted another ride-on vehicle.  The tractor they got last year was too hard to share anymore.  So Maddix wanted a "by side by side" aka a yamaha razor-side by side just like grandpa and grandmas.  They got really lucky and got a very similar arctic cat side by side they can both enjoy and even haul some stuff in the back.  We were able to enjoy Christmas morning in our newly finished basement.  Maddix was worried Santa wouldn't know to bring the gift downstairs so we left him a note.  Along with their ride on they boys got a few other toys.  Maddix got some Iron Man paraphernalia (which is why he's in a costume in our family pic) and Carter got some "Chuck" dump truck toys.  He loves anything to do with trucks or tractors.   It was a great Christmas for all of us.  We enjoyed spending time with our families, my brothers, dad, and Brenda all came out here this year so it was a lot of fun being together.

Fall Activities

This fall was a fall of firsts!  I made my first rag quilt.  I made it for our friend Cicile and her cute little baby Isaac.  Then we celebrated Ben's Granny Helen's 85th birthday.  She is such a funny sweet lady.  She hates to have her picture taken but allowed some at her party.  I love this one...she looks so cute and happy.  She is so much fun to be around.  The great grandkids and some others went out and helped clean up all of her leaves.  We love our granny!  Next was Maddix's first primary program.  He did excellent.  We practiced his line over and over and he knew it backwards and forwards.  We told him if he did a really good job and said it loud and clear and didn't get scared that he could have a special treat.  We went to the store the night before and he picked out his own bag of powdered donuts.  I told him if he did a good job saying his line then he could look at me after and if I gave him a thumbs up sign then that meant he earned his donuts.  Well, when it came time for the Sunbeam class to say their parts most of them got too scared and just turned away from the microphone.  Maddix and one other little boy were the only ones to say it by themselves with no help!  As soon as he said it he turned and looked at me and of course I was giving the thumbs up sign.  He was so excited that he did good that he immediately returned the thumbs up sign.  The whole congregation chuckled and turned around to see who he was giving the thumbs up sign to.  It was a classic moment.  I wish I could have video recorded it.  He was so proud and happy that all his grandmas were there and grandpa larry.  He kept looking at all of us and would just turn on the cheesiest grin.  And when it came time to sing, he didn't know the words (no big surprise) but would just look around and yawn!  It cracked me up.  He did however know the chorus the "Follow the Prophet" and would chime in then.  He loves that song and went through this really loud clicking his tongue stage.  He would go around the house clicking to the tune of that song...what a nut.  Then onto Turkey Day.  It was my first time having it at my house.  It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.  It was just intimate with us, my mom, and Ben's parents.  The turkey turned out good and our mom's brought several of the sides...so it wasn't very bad at all.  Maddix made the turkey hat my "turkey boys" are wearing!  

Cheesy Faces and Spooky House

Maddix and Carter with two of their favorite little friends, Isabel and Ethan.  Carter doing his new found "cheesy face!"

The Three Stooges (AKA Maddix, Carter, and baby cousin Chaz.)

The boys had a fun Halloween this year.  Maddix has been looking forward to it since the end of June.  We got them this little playhouse this summer.  One of the first things Maddix thought of when it arrived was that we could make it into a "scary house" for Halloween.  I must admit I thought it was a great idea too.  Last year he was disappointed when we made him stop handing candy out to the kids and go around trick-or-treating himself to all our families homes.  So, this year we learned from our mistake and  knew he'd want to hand out the candy.  He'd been getting so excited to decorate his playhouse and make it spooky.  Finally the time came we got it all "spookified".  However,  Maddix told me we hadn't made it spooky enough.  He said it was too cute with all the smiling pumpkins, etc.  Well we did our best and it was so funny because even Carter wanted to make it spooky.  He kept going around saying "spooky" and he even added a little ghost to hang on the door.  Maddix wanted to be Wolverine again and Carter was going to be Batman.  However,  Carter is absolutely in love with backhoes, tractors, dump trucks, etc.  He can literally spot them from a mile away when we're driving around.  And recently he's discovered Bob the Builder show, which he refers to as backhoe show.  Well I couldn't pass up this opportunity to dress him up as Bob.  It was an easy costume to make since we had most of the stuff on hand.  He really enjoyed being Bob and it fit his little personality perfectly.  It was so cute when he got into his costume for the first time and the spooky house was there.  He took his hammer and starting building/hammering on his house.  He's a natural...must take after Dad.  Also Carter started really getting into taking the pictures when we told him to make a "cheesy face."  All in all it was a fun Halloween for all of us.  The kids enjoyed handing out the candy despite the cold weather.  Maddix felt so cool when one of the trick-or-treates told him that his scary house was "awesome!" This may be a tradition for the next couple of years?

Maddix's First Day of Preschool

September 8th, 2010 was Maddix's first day of preschool.   He is going to Over The Rainbow Preschool with Miss Jeri.  He gets to attend with 3 of his little friends from our ward...Stetson (his best bud), Tre Dyn, and Reagan.  It is really a bittersweet thing.  I'm happy for him because he's really wanted to go for a while.  But it's sad because it means he's growing up too fast!  I don't want my little bud to be leaving me so soon.  Hopefully this will help ease us into a kindergarten schedule for next fall.  After all it is only 2 days a week for 2 hours each.  The good thing about it is that I get an opportunity for some one on one time with Carter.

Carter's Curious George Birthday Bash

 August 20th was Carter's 2nd Birthday.  He was so cute.  All week long we'd been watching Curious George to get him really excited for the party.  All day that day I'd been telling him "Happy Birthday" and calling him the "Birthday Boy".  I don't think it really sunk in though until we were all set up for the party.  Once he saw all the treats and presents I think he finally realized...wow this is all for me!  Of course we had our jumbo George there since he was the inspiration.  I had to do some sewing repairs on his ears before the big party since Maddix had cut them off a while back!  The party wouldn't have been complete without our monkey cupcakes and banana splits.  The regular party crowd turned out and it couldn't have been more fun.  I'm so blessed to have Carter as a son.  He is just the sweetest little boy.  He has such a tender heart.  He loves little babies.  Ben and I have the opportunity to serve in the nursery that Carter attends at church.  He is so sweet to all the little ones.  He is just drawn to whoever is the youngest.  He'll give them hugs all the time.  He's usually easy going.  However Maddix knows how to get him upset.  And he definitely means business if anyone (i.e. big brother) tries to cheat him out of his precious tractor time.  He's really affectionate and cuddly.  It's my favorite when he gives me a kiss on the lips...cracks me up.   I love my little blondie!

Cabin Fever...

My Dad has a cabin up Farmington Canyon.  We went there a lot growing up.  I have a lot of fond memories of catching salamanders in the beaver pond, hiking around, making moose calls, playing the game of Aggravation and getting soooo aggravated when someone sent us back to home base, and of course playing Clue, one of my all time favorites.  My brothers and I got to the age where it was boring to be up in the mountains with no music, tv, phones, etc.  So it has been a long time since we've all been up there together.  This year we all said how much we missed it and wanted to take a trip back up there.  Well, we did it finally!  Unfortunately Ian and Jayme weren't able to make it this time, but hopefully next year.  It was the first time my boys have been there.  We had a good time.  We went to the infamous beaver pond that we'd discovered as kids and threw rocks into it.  I even scored a sweet smacker on the the lips from my angel Carter and caught it on camera!  We played games and even did a little 4-wheeling.  This is definitely on my to-do-once-a-year-list from now on!  Also on that list...go snow skiing once a year at least, go boating/water-skiing/wake boarding once a year at least,  and maybe go to Lagoon once each summer?!?