Family Weekend

We headed up to Cache Valley the second weekend in December for a family party and baby blessing.  We drove up Friday night.  We ate pizza and played games on Friday night.  On Saturday we had lots of time to play with family.   

 

This horse was a big hit with the kids.

 

Uncle Jami was also a big hit with Millie.  She loves to be up held so she can see everything that was going on.  Uncle Jami is so tall that he gave her a great vantage point.

In the afternoon we headed over to Jamie and Jotham's house for the party.  Grandma Jo had planned a candy train craft for the kids.  Aunt Beth was sweet enough to help Phin complete his train.

Thank you Grandma Jo!

Then some of the adults headed out to the pasture to do some shotgun shooting.

How amazing is this view.  If you look really hard you can see the Logan Temple.

Phin was pretty excited to see the roller-coaster toy again.

We even managed to get a  couple pictures of all four of us.

 

Then we headed out to say hello to the horses.

This picture just melts my heart!

Seth is planning to build an arcade for us.  He wanted to try out the Disney Infinity game of Gavin's.

Jamie had planned a Return to Bethlehem dinner for us.  She set up her entire living room with a long small table for us to sit at.

Millie loved all of the dolls around Aunt Jamie's house.  She insisted on climbing into this doll high chair.

Before dinner we headed out to the barn for a live nativity.  It was AMAZING!  Thank you Jamie and family for planning such as special night for us.

My favorite part of the nativity was at the end when we followed the star to the stable and worshiped Baby Jesus.

Following the nativity Uncle Jotham showed us how he feeds the horses and was sweet enough to show Phin the secret hideout in the barn.

Then we headed in for our dinner.  We had fish, pita bread, hummus, nuts, dried figs, cheese and lots of other goodies.

It was absolutely a night to remember.

The next day we attended Baby Mathen's blessing. I opted to go with Phin and Millie into the nursery following the blessing.  Our family pretty much doubled their normal nursery. 

I loved seeing Phin and Millie in nursery with all of their cousins.

I should have taken pictures at the luncheon...but I forgot.  I also forgot to take picture at Jill and Peter's house after the luncheon.  We were able to teach them the game that we gave them this year.  It was a wonderful and memorable weekend.

Treehouse Museum

The first Monday in December we drove up to Ogden to visit the Treehouse Museum.  This was our first visit and the kids absolutely loved it.  I think the firetruck was by far the favorite.  Millie loved climbing in and out of the back.  Phin loved dressing as a firefighter...he actually wandered around the museum dressed like this for most of the trip.

We also loved the little cafe. We will call Phin Chef/Firefighter Phin.

Then we went back to the firetruck.

Then we explored a little more...

and headed back to the firetruck.

I love watching Phin and Zoey play side by side.  I also love to hear Phin Call her ZO...so cute.

Phin has been obsessed with Knights and was so excited to see the Knight sets.  He spent quite a bit of time here playing with the horses and knights.

My babies playing with the babies.

Phin knew just what to do when he spotted the scooter.

The kids also loved sliding the pandas down the slide.

It was a little nostalgic to see them playing school.

We loved the museum.  I pretty much had to drag Phin out of the museum.  When I asked him what his favorite thing was he had a really hard time deciding.  I love this little Firefighter/Knight of mine. 

Average Saturday

This is what an average Saturday looks like around our house.  Phin and Seth playing Knights.

They even pulled out the castle.  Phin tried to rig up a catapult as well.   Watching these two together is one of my favorite things.

Temple Square Lights

On December 1st we headed down to Temple Square to see the lights.  Just as we arrived the Nativity story was starting outside of the Tabernacle.

We lucked out and Temple Square wasn't too busy so Phin was able to run around like an airplane to his heart's content.

We also stopped by the City Creek Mall.  We love the white lights just outside of Deseret Book.  I even got Phin to take a photo by the Richards Street sign.

City Creek also had a few window type displays that were fun to look at.

Just as we were walking out of City Creek onto Main Street we saw the Jingle Trolley Car pull up.  I know they don't look delighted...but they did enjoy riding the Jingle Trolley Car.

A very blurry picture to prove that I was along for the trip.

Seth and Phin admiring the Lion details on the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

A fun night and another check off of our Christmas bucket list.

14 MONTHS

Millie hit the 14 month mark a few days before Thanksgiving.  This month it is very obvious that my baby is quickly turning into a toddler.  Millie loves to sit up in the grocery cart.  She is also quite skilled at drinking out of a straw.  Here she is enjoying her first tastes of a smoothie at Costco.  Everytime I have a drink she climbs up on my lap and begs for a sip.

My mom had her annual beach trip at the beginning of November.  My best friend Amy watched Millie a couple of days and my cousin Cloe watched her one Friday.  Millie loved being around Amy and Cloe's kids.  Cloe was so sweet and sent me a few photo updates throughout the day.

Millie is definitely a little social bug.  She loves to be around other people and around other kids. When Nona got home Millie got to spend a day with Aaron and Spencer. 

Millie's smile in this photo just melts my heart...

Millie continues to be a pretty picky eater...but not quite as picky as Phin.  She loves yogurt, cereal, string cheese, applesauce...and this month she discovered a love for fish crackers.

She also didn't mind gnawing on a piece of licorice one day at Nona's.

 

She is making all kinds of squeals these days...she honestly sounds like a bird the way she chirps.  She is vocalizing protests like a champ as well.  She is just tall enough to see out the windows in our front room.  One day Seth was mowing the lawn and she stood in this spot for quite some time watching him.

This picture makes her look so grown up...just sitting watching a "show" with Phin and Daddy.

Phin update:  Phin is growing up even faster than Millie.  I forgot to write down some of the funny things he said last month...so here is a combo from October and November.  One day we were driving and Phin excitedly said "I see the temple."  When Phin has been too loud we always say "You are hurting my ears."  He doesn't quite have that expression down himself...so he says "You are hurting my eyes."  One day I said "Come here good boy" and he said "I don't want to be a good boy" I asked why and he said "I want to be a cowboy."  One day Phin put his hands on my head and said "I blessing you mama."  He had seen Seth and Uncle Bret giving Emmaline a blessing a couple weeks before and it stuck with him.  One day we were sitting next to each other and he was playing with my wedding ring and he said "I want to marry you mama."  When he was getting dressed in his Captain America costume for the first time he looked at me and said "where are my boots?"  I explained that I didn't have any for him...he was quite disappointed and said "but Captain America has boots."

Phin and Seth find the best treasures at the DI.  One day they found these Buzz Lightyear wings...Phin quickly declared it his jetpack.