NOVEMBER

November was busy in all the ways we don't like it to be...illnesses, injuries and just everyday business.  We are hoping December will be much healthier.  Blogger posted my pictures all funny again...so here is our month in reverse.

We ended the month with an activity days activity for our 10-11 year old boys.  Our kids are lucky because they get to come along too.  We painted little wooden houses and then Seth showed the boys how to do watercolor postcards.  It was interesting to see which boys were detail oriented...and which ones just wanted to get the activity done so they could play basketball in the gym.

More Christmas dresses...Lou is wearing one that I once wore and it may be my favorite vintage piece she has been able to wear.   I love this little knit reindeer dress.

Millie is still fitting in this hand-me down from her cousins.  

We spent Thanksgiving and Black Friday up in Cache Valley.  We spent Friday at the Hatch Residence shooting shotguns, crafting and playing.  Seth was able to learn how to play a game that we were given a couple of years ago.  It was fun to watch this group play together.

Silas and Millie were in heaven playing with cousin Gavin's Legos.

 

Seth enjoyed some shotgun shooting.

 

He also enjoyed Phin's first time shooting. Although Phin took one shot and decided he was done.  I don't blame him, it really hurts when the shotgun kicks back.

Phin LOVED shooting Uncle Jotham's pistol.  He was quick to gather up some of the empty shells for souvenirs.  Jotham uses this gun and gear when he is training to shoot on horseback.

Lou loved hanging out with her teenage cousins.  I captured the sweetest moments of her with Hollie...

 

 and with Mark...

 

Jotham offered us all horse drawn carriage rides.  Millie felt like a princess in the back of the carriage.

Grandma Jo helped all the kids make the traditional candy trains...they all loved it.

We had a yummy Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma Jo's.  Millie was delighted that Grandma Jo had pulled out some special tea cups for the dinner.

 

I ran the local Turkey trot...and I actually ran it the whole time.  I finished just past the 30 minute mark and am so happy with my time.

 

Phin played on a Junior Jazz basketball team.  Seth helped coach them on Saturdays.  Phin loved having some one-on-one time with Seth as they went to practice and games.

Here are a few shots from the last game...Phin got to go up for the jump ball at the beginning.

One morning we were able to see the leaf sucking truck at work.

Silas continues to LOVE school.  He comes home with lots of stories and lots of art projects.

Matching vintage Christmas dresses.  I am amazed that both girls fit in these dresses.  My mom said this pattern is pretty amazing that way.  I love seeing these girls wearing the dresses that Sarah and I used to wear.

 

We were outside raking and blowing leaves and Millie thought it was funny to have the leaf blower blow her hair.

 

I have been trying to get Silas to the library more often.  He loves that they have toys he can take to the rug to play with.  He built this tower with magnet blocks on one of our visits.

 

We had the primary program in November...my favorite Sunday of the year.

 

The kids have all loved playing in the leaves outside.

Seth took the kids to a hobby shop one Saturday afternoon and they ran into this character.

 We spent a Fun Friday afternoon at the Clark Planetarium.  Silas loved the green screen.

 

We were shopping at Target one evening and Silas insisted that I take his photo by the red carts.

 

The kids loved the first snow of the season.  We didn't get much, but somehow they managed to make three little snowmen.

We had to make the rule with Silas that he can only eat snow on the first day that it has fallen.

13 MONTHS

Lou's hit 13 months in November.  She is definitely losing her baby look and is starting to look like a big girl.  She is wearing 18 month clothes and size 4 diapers.  She is wearing size 3 or 4 shoes...it is honestly hard to keep shoes on her.  Her biggest milestone this month was learning to walk.  She had been close to walking for weeks but typically took just one or two steps before reverting to crawling.  Once she gained a little confidence there was no stopping her.  These three videos were all taken within a week of each other. 

She is also talking quite a bit more.  We have this little routine where I say aye yea yeah and then she repeats.  She also says "hello," "hi," "uh oh" and of course "Mom."

She is very busy and loves to play with toys...especially if the toys make noise.  She also loves when she is able to get into the drawer where the kids keep their toothbrushes.   She often walks around the house with something in her hands and abandons it when she finds something a little more interesting.

We pulled out the matching green Christmas dresses this month..these girls are the cutest.

 

We also tried a little pig tail...whale sprout this month.

 

I did a little photo shoot of Lou wearing the dress I wore when I was one...in the same chair that I once sat in.  I had some pretty awesome photo assistants and we got this shot after a few pictures.

 

Just for reference here I am in the dress and chair... back in the 80s.

 

 Lou loves books.  Her teachers sent this photo of her hanging out on the "couch" at school reading books.  

 

This month also had its down side.  Lou wasn't feeling great and I spent a couple days home from work snuggling her.  She was so tired and didn't have much of an appetite.  We took her in to the pediatrician and found out she had her first ear infection.  She also got a stomach bug  a couple of weeks later and had a rough couple of days while her stomach was unsettled.

 

It was hard to see her not feeling her best...but I sure enjoyed all the extra snuggles.

 

 

Lou loves this little spot in the bathroom.  She backs herself up to sit on the kids stool.  I also want to remember the way she backs her self up to sit on my lap when I am on the floor.

 

 

Lou loved being out of the stroller on our trip to the Clark Planetarium.  She especially loved the tornado simulator.

 

 

 

It was so much fun to celebrate Halloween with our little Toadette.  I am so happy with how her costume turned out. 

She visited many of the classrooms at the high school where she attends daycare.

 

Here she is lined up for the parade with her other classmates.