Wild Wednesday

This past Wednesday was Wild Wednesday at Hogle Zoo which meant that there was free admission.  We went in the late afternoon and didn't have crazy crowds to fight.  Collette and her kids and Papa joined us on our trip.  It was pretty cold...so most of the African animals were inside.  We missed seeing the giraffes, zebras and lions.

We did get to see the elephants...although for the most part the kids were more excited to see the statutes situated throughout the zoo.

Phin was also fascinated by the snow all over the ground and insisted on starting little snowball fights.

I think the seals were a crowd favorite.

We also loved watching the bears snoozing away.

The most active animals on our visit were the snow leopards.

Millie had a complete meltdown before we left.  She had taken off her mittens and hat and was cold...but was too grumpy to let anyone put the mittens back on.  She settled down quickly once we were back in the warm car.

Christmas Day

Christmas morning was perfection this year.  We woke up to a Winter Wonderland.  We ended up getting about a foot of snow before the storm was over.  Later in the day our neighbors came by with their snowblower...which was our little Christmas miracle.

We had just enough time in the morning to get dressed and eat breakfast before heading to church.  I cooked the cheesy ham and eggs casserole that I had prepared the day before.  We let the kids open two presents each before church.  They each got a couple of quiet activities that they could do at church.

When we got home we read some scriptures and then discovered our stockings.  Phin spent quite a bit of time playing with just his stocking toys.  The pace of our Christmas is much slower than the pace I grew up with.  We let Phin open a present and play with it until he is ready for the next present...it took a couple of hours to make it all the way through.

Millie was quite delighted with her Bitty Baby doll and cradle.

Phin's favorite toys were probably the toys we found at a thrift store...

Phin also got four new Captain America shirts.  His Captain America shirt has been his favorite...so once it is dirty...it is challenging to get him dressed in the morning...we hope this solves that problem.

The kids each got a couple of movies...

Phin also got a transformer.

I gave Seth a calendar with pictures from the last year...he made a comment about how there weren't many pictures of me...and then he took this picture.

We had dinner at Nona and Papa's.  Papa let the kids play the 12 days of Christmas game with a treat he got at work.  They each rolled a 12 sided die and then they got all the candy that was in the corresponding drawer.  Phin ended up with some chocolate gold coins and was one happy little boy.

Millie also got some bows...I think this may be a Christmas tradition.  I took these photos on the 26th. 

Scott and Kristi came by on the 26th...I didn't manage to get a picture.  We played their new game Camel Up which was a big hit.  Then we played our new game of Jamaica which was also quite fun.  What a perfect holiday!

Christmas Eve

We loved that Christmas Eve fell on a Saturday this year.  We spent the morning hanging around our house.  I spent the morning getting a breakfast casserole assembled for Christmas day...and cooking a pie and cheesecake for the upcoming family festivities.  In the afternoon we met my side of the family at the movie theater to see Sing.  I dressed Millie in one of the vintage dresses that my Mom made when I was little.  Most of the dresses my mom made came in pairs...one for me and one for my sister...this one was actually Sarah's...so in a few years Millie will get to wear this dress again.   

After the movie we headed to Nona and Papa's for a pizza dinner.  We took our Weykick...and the kids loved it.  Seth and I got to play two of our new games with Scott and Kristi.  We introduced them to Karuba...and we all learned Black Fleet together.  

 Then Nona and Papa let all of the kids unwrap their presents...Christmas jammies. 

I love this picture of our little Wolf Pack...The Elf on the Shelf boys.

Here is a picture of 4 of the 5 youngest grandchildren.  We missed having Sarah, Joe, Kate and Harvey with us.  

Millie with her youngest cousin Carver.  

Phin and Millie...not being very cooperative at getting a picture with Nona and Papa.

After jammies we enjoyed some yummy desserts.  Millie found Papa carrying his plate around and pulled him over to the couch.  She then preceded to chirp to get bites of his dessert.

Millie is quite obsessed with Jeff and Kim's dogs.  She thought Teenie's cage was quite neat.  She even managed to climb in herself.

The kids fell asleep on the way home from Nona and Papa's...which gave time for Santa to make his visit.

I had two favorite gifts this year.  The first was for Millie.  My mom was able to find the wooden doll cradle that was mine when I was little.  I recovered the mattress and made a couple of pillows.

Seth also gave me the In The Family Circle statue.  He looked tirelessly for this statue when we were engaged.  He wanted to give it to me as a wedding present...but he was couldn't find it at the time.    This statue holds a very special place in his heart and in his family's heart...and now in my heart.  We happened to see it in the display case at Deseret Industries a few weeks ago...and knew we couldn't pass it up.   

...and with that we collapsed into bed..wishing for a White Christmas.

15 MONTHS

Millie is now at the age where I start to worry when it has been quiet for too long.  Several times Phin has started yelling..."Millie is making a mess!"  Her favorite way to make a mess is by getting into my flour and sugar.  I got in the habit of not putting the lids on very tight...because then they were hard for me to get off...lesson learned.

Millie weighs 19.8 pounds which puts her in the 9th percentile for weight.  I have been a little concerned about her weight but the Pediatrician said it was normal to see kids slow down in weight gain when they start moving around.  She continues to be a picky eater...she prefers Mama's milk...mostly in the middle of the night.  She isn't picky when it comes to sweets and chirps away when we have something sweet in a request for a bite. She is 30 inches tall which puts her in the 36th percentile for height...I am not sure this was a very accurate measurement since she was wiggling all over the Nurse's weigh station.

She is no longer our one-tooth wonder.  She had another bottom tooth and a top tooth poke through this month.  She has several words in her repertoire...my favorite is WOW.  She also says DADA and NONA.

Millie's hair is almost long enough for pig tails.
 

She is a smart little thing and has figured out that she can push this stool around to climb.  She even emptied the box that our Fisher Price Nativity was in...then she pushed the box to the couch...and climbed up.  She has also started moving our kitchen chairs out so she can climb right up on the kitchen table.

Millie lucked out and got to spend four days this month with Amy, Zoey and Connor while Nona was in Hong Kong and I was at work.  Amy sent me this photo of the girls one morning...who happened to be wearing matching jammies.

Millie just wants to hang out with the big kids these days...here she is playing with the other kids on the stairs after the ward party.

Phin update:  Phin has become a great helper this month.  Miss Raven at his school says that he is her best helper. Here he is helping Seth move some tables after our ward party.

Phin doesn't turn down sweets either...here he is licking his plate clean at he ward party.

We had Scott and Kristi over for dinner one Sunday and Phin loved playing with Aunt Kristi.

We had Aaron and Spencer over one Friday morning while Collette attended a work party.  Phin and Aaron played so hard...they loved dressing up as superheros.

  

They also had fun snacking and watching some of their favorite "shows."

Phin started going in for music time in Primary in December.  I happened to be a substitute teacher for the Sunbeams the first week he went in.  It is bittersweet to see my little guy growing up. 

Phin loves being around other kids.  One day after it had snowed he said "I want to play with my girlfriends in the snow."  He is very competent at asking WHY.  We have been pretty patient...but there is only so many times you can give an answer and be asked the same question OVER and OVER.  Sometimes when we give an answer he says "not why...why"....like he is saying two different words.


Seth and I went on a date to Star Wars Rogue One this month.  He was given tickets through his work.

Here is another photo of our weekend up in Cache Valley.  How grateful I am for this little family of mine.  As others have said...we may not have it all together...but together we have it all.