You're A Mean One..

Last year, my sister told me about this Marriot resort here in Phoenix that does a giant gingerbread display every Christmas in their front lobby.  I remember seeing her pictures last year, when the theme was "Willy Wonka", and being so jealous that they got to see it!  So when we found out that the theme this year would be Dr. Suess, we knew we had to drive over and check it out.  Jessica did her homework, and found out that on select nights, The Grinch himself, along with a couple "Who's" would be there to meet and take pictures with kids.

The resort was very upscale, and knowing how pretty the lobby would be, I saw an opportunity.  We dressed the kids up, and took a bunch of pictures while we were there.  The lighting wasn't that great, but the gingerbread display was awesome!  I hope you like the pictures :)

Jake was scared of the Grinch.  I guess that's the way it's supposed to be?

 He quickly warmed up to the Grinch when he brought out a basket of big lollipops!

 I took some detail shots..it was incredible.  They said that it took about 1500 pounds of gingerbread to build this!

 I love her! I'd squeeze her all day long if she'd let me!

 I love how she is always on her toes like a little ballerina :)

 They had a little table set up in the lobby where kids could write letters to Santa, and put them in the mailbox.  Jake thought it was so cool. .. so did I.

 I bought her this coat at the end of last winter, thinking it would be great for snowy cold Utah Sundays going to church..and then we moved to Arizona.  She doesn't get to wear it that often, but I love it!

 Jake loves taking pictures with Mia.  I have to be so quick with the camera tho, to catch it before she wiggles away!

 This one was from back home after the outing, but I thought the kids looked so darling in it :)

 I love Christmastime!!! 

Christmas Magic

I think it's a safe bet that we won't have a white Christmas here in Arizona.  In some ways, I thought it would be hard to get into the spirit of the season, when I can get away with a long sleeve tee/no jacket most days.  (I actually laid out and got a tan the day before Thanksgiving..crazy).  We've had a few cold and blustery days here and there, but for the most part my prelude to the best holiday of the year has been warmer than I'm used too.  Wesley has been working overtime almost every week, and I've had my usual pre-Christmas pile up of hair appointments.  It's been a bit hectic some days, but I'm grateful for the extra income :)  In spite of the warmish weather and occasional chaos, I feel like we've been able to celebrate with every spare evening!  Every Saturday there have been free Christmas events going on at all the major shopping centers.  We haven't had time to do half the family things that are available to us!  So far this season, we've gone to a tree lighting festival, our ward Christmas party, a giant gingerbread house display (where the kids got to meet the Grinch!), A "snow day" festival (with an actual truck load of snow, dumped and fenced into a parking lot!), and numerous shopping excursions where everything is lit and decorated, with festive music blasting (live bands a few times).  I've been so impressed with the amount of family oriented and free activities that are being offered everywhere.  It's awesome!  I have some great photos from a lot of the things we've done, and will work on updating this when I can.

Holidays are SO MUCH FUN with little kids.  Last year Jake was pretty excited about Christmas, but we are on a whole new level this season.  He is loving it all, and taking everything in! Omi got him a little nativity play set a few weeks back and he loves playing with it.  Although he is definitely looking forward to opening his presents on Christmas Day, and talks a lot about Santa coming over "to eat some cookies and bring toys", we are also trying to remind him about the true meaning of the season. 

 Jake seems to really feel the magic of Christmas this year :)

 This is technically Mia's second Christmas..but since she was only 10 days old last time--does that one even count?  She's finally getting old enough to show true excitement about new toys, so we are gearing up for a very fun Christmas morning :)

Our ward Christmas Party.  Jake was so eager to sit on Santa's lap!  Here he was practically shaking with joyous anticipation :)

 ear to ear grin.  

He asked Santa to bring him the "Winnie the Pooh" movie.  (we red boxed it once, and ever since, he's wanted it)...don't worry, we ordered one on amazon, it'll be here soon!

 We threw Mia on Santa's lap at the end to grab a quick photo.  It's not the best--Jake had already ripped off his "itchy christmas sweater" and Mia..well Mia didn't seem to trust that Santa guy.

One of the nicer shopping centers had a "snow day" for families last weekend.  At 10 am they created a big pile of snow in the middle of a parking lot, and left it out for everyone to enjoy until it melted.  It wasn't the Utah powder that we are used to, but Jake loved the hard crunchy stuff anyway!  It was a very fun morning, and besides the snow, they had live music, lots of free giveaways, cookie frosting, snacks, and a Santa with sunglasses!

 Mia's first experience with snow.  She loved it.

Nate and Sawyer joined us after awhile, and as usual, Jake had 10 times more fun. :)

 Frosting cookies :)

Jake wasn't too sure about this Santa.  Can a 3 year old connect the dots that this santa looks almost nothing like the ward party Santa? hmm...maybe he just thought this guy seemed shady with those sunglasses...pun intended ;)

 I still have lot's more to post about, but I think I'll stop here for tonight.  One last photo:  Since Jess and Nate were going to be out of town by my anniversary, we arranged to go on our special date a little early.  They watched the kids for us on a weeknight so we could go to the movies.  There's a new theater in town where you can order food while you watch called the "Studio Movie Grill".  We had a great time, and Jess and Nate were awesome babysitters (as usual)  Jake had fun frosting Christmas cookies with Sawyer :)

I'm so grateful for the Christmas season.  It's been a wonderful month!  I hope everyone is feeling the magic, making and keeping traditions, and finding joy in the small things.

Stay tuned because my next post will have pictures of a gingerbread Whoville, the Grinch, and my cutie cute kids.

6 Years!!!

It’s December 16^th.  That means I’m in between the anniversaries of 2 out of the 3 most special days of my life.  Yesterday we celebrated Mia’s first birthday.  On December 15^th of 2010, our little girl was born.  It was an amazing day—so many things changed—I became a mother of 2, had my first daughter, we became a family of 4! 

Tomorrow I’m celebrating another special day.  On December 17, 2005, Wesley and I were sealed in the Bountiful Utah Temple.  I was only 19 years old!  A lot of people were skeptical about my choice to get married at such a young age.  After all, it was a very adult decision to make for a girl who was barely old enough to be called a woman.  Luckily, I had a supportive family, who understood that I wasn’t making my choice blindly.  I didn’t know a lot of things when we made our vows—I didn’t know what it would be like to live with a boy, and lets be honest, Wesley and I had been dating for less than a year.  But I did know one thing.  Not only was I head over heels in love, but my decision to marry Wesley was made with lots of prayer and meditation.  I made that leap of faith with a firm conviction.  I knew it was what God wanted for me, and that if I put my faith in Him, and was willing to work hard, my marriage would last and would bring me joy.  

Tomorrow marks 6 years since I got married.  When I think about all that’s happened since then, I can’t help but feel like my dreams have come true.  (Cliché right?)  Wesley is getting ready to go back to grad school, we have 2 cute kids, and after all this time I’m still hot for my man!  On paper it sounds pretty great J  Some days we work very hard at our relationship, and we’ve learned the importance of keeping open lines of communication.  But through it all, I still feel like I can always be myself with him, and tell him how I feel (even when I’m being sensitive).   I’m happy that I was brave enough to make that wise choice 6 years ago.  It was the right one for me, I’m certain of it. 

In good times and sucky times, I’m grateful for the man that’s by my side J  I love you Wesley, more and more the longer we’re together.   Happy Anniversary!!!

Happy Birthday Mia!!

I decided to start writing letters to my kids on their birthday, starting this year.  I've seen a few other blogger friends do this, and i think it would be such a special gift to give them one day.  So Mia girl, this is your extra long birthday card :)

Dear Mia,

On your first birthday, I want to write you a little note.  It’s hard to believe that you are really a whole year old!  And not just because you are in the 3^rd percentile..although your miniature size sometimes makes people confused..(should someone that short be able to walk???)  It’s just that, it doesn’t feel like it was very long ago that I held you on your very first day—you were so tiny.  I secretly worried that if I sneezed and wasn’t holding on tight enough, you’d fly right out of my arms.  But here you are now, a spunky, curious toddler with oomph that rivals the energizer bunny.

 This is what I know about you so far.  You are fearless, and you are joyful.  You’re quick to smile--at anyone who makes eye contact with you!  You are sooo wiggly.  Dressing you is nearly impossible—you have trouble sitting still for longer than...1 second.  You give me a run for my money every single day with your infinite energy.  I would never change you though—I love your happy demeanor, and constant excitement.  Seriously, when I think about the things that actually make you upset…the only motivators I can think of are 1.  You want food…lot’s of food.  Or 2.  You want to play with something you can’t have.  But if your belly is full and your hands are occupied, nothing seems to phase you.  It’s been really fun watching you learn how to walk.  You take a few steps, go crashing down, and then stand up and walk some more. Over and over, with this adorable determined look on your face. You definitely keep your mom busy, and she is totally in love with you.

You love me too--I can always tell, especially when I come to get you after a nap--standing their, shrieking with joy.  I love dressing you up—Daddy is very understanding about our addiction to hair accessories.  I hope you always let me play with your hair, because as you know, it’s one of my favorite hobbies.  I was so excited the day your hair became long enough for pigtails!  I think that we could be great friends when you grow up J

Your eyes light up whenever your dad comes into a room too.  You two have a special connection. You love looking at him and playing with the scruff on his face, pulling on his glasses, and focusing on his great big smile.  You may not hold still very often, but your dad seems to have a talent for getting you to settle down on his shoulder, and has even gotten you to fall asleep that way a few times!  He thinks you are just about the cutest thing there ever was—and he’s not alone in that opinion.  We love you cute little Mia!

And to you, your big brother Jake is by far, the coolest and funniest guy in the world.  (When he isn’t taking away a toy or smashing you), you can bet he is probably either making you laugh, or protecting you from danger.  And yes, mommy thinks he may be your guardian angel.  You are a fearless explorer, and Jake has made it his goal, as your big brother, to tell mom when you’ve gone too far, and is constantly on the lookout for small objects around the house that you might swallow.  You and your brother have opposite personalities in many ways, but you have one important thing in common—you genuinely seem to love each other.  I hope that you will always look to your big brother as a source of guidance, comfort, and friendship in your life.

 On one hand, it sort of feels like I just blinked and this year flew by.  But then I look at you, and my heart feels so full.  It’s hard to remember you not being in our family—You fit in so perfectly.  I’m so grateful to have your sweet spirit in our home. Happy first birthday my little Mia girl.  I love you so much!

***Big thanks to Mia's aunt Jessica for making the adorable birthday hat and shirt!  More pictures of the birthday party to come :)