Christmas 2016

After weeks of preparations and fun, Christmas was finally here.  The girls were excited to celebrate with family and fun.  Children truly bring a unique magic of Christmas that embodies the true spirit of Christmas: love, giving, and family.  We spent Christmas Eve with the Handy family.  All the Who's gathered for a Grinch Christmas party.  The girls loved the games with cousins and opening presents. We came home to put cookies out for Santa, review the Christmas story, and hope for a good night's rest. 

Christmas morning we awoke to 6 inches of snow!!!  With Christmas on Sunday, we decided to head to church with the Peterson's at 9 am and then Santa would come while we were away.  Upon our return, the girls were so excited to see Christmas presents under the tree.  In fact, I hadn't yet come in before a present was already unwrapped by Lily.  They loved the new toys and could hardly wait to play with them.  Logan loved all the paper!!!  We spent the day together enjoying Christmas while it continued to snow outside- brr!  We had planned on going up to Layton with the Yates, but it was just too snowy.  We missed them!

Making Cookies

The girls love to make cookies!  Emily always insists on being the "maker."  She loves to dump the ingredients in the mixer.  Lily loves to watch the mixer and be the taste tester.  I love their smiles and sweet conversation as we share this time together.  It reminds me of moments I shared making cookies with my mom.  Although the cookies are a sweet treat, their smiles and fun are sweeter.

Spirit of Christmas

 It has been fun to see Emily engage in the festivities of Christmas.  She understands more of what Christmas is all about.  Nelson and I tried to help keep the spirit of Christ in Christmas with her.  We talked about the meaning of Christmas often and shared thoughts about Christ's birth during FHE.  Emily loves celebrating birthdays, so we emphasized Christmas as Jesus' birthday.  We had fun making a present for Jesus one FHE.  The girls drew pictures about things they could do to give to Jesus: sharing and playing nicely.  I loved watching them pretend with the present later that week.  This picture captures sweet Emily carrying the present for Jesus with the nativity baby Jesus inside.  From this FHE activity, Emily also got into the fun of drawing.  These two pictures are her originals.  She is becoming such a smart, talented little girl.

 This is a picture of our house, with our family in front, and flowers at the bottom.

This is a picture of baby Jesus' manager with the animals outside and the stars above.

A Trip to See Santa

We enjoyed a fun adventure to South Towne Mall to see Santa.  Each of the kids had a different reaction for him.  For weeks Emily has been asking to go see Santa, so I thought she would be thrilled to sit on his lap.  However, as we walked into the Santa display, Emily immediately said she didn't want to sit on his lap.  Lily however was brave and did!  She even talked to him a little bit.  Logan was cute and just stared in awe.  Emily finally sat by Santa on my lap and told him she wanted a "Princess Sticker Book" and "Minnie and Daisy."  I told her Santa may not bring a sticker book because he doesn't make them at the North Pole.  Emily thought for a minute and then said, "Santa will buy from Costco."  I couldn't help but laugh and said, "Santa doesn't buy his toys he makes them."  I know she will love Santa's special gift on Christmas even if it isn't a sticker book!

After seeing Santa, Grandpa and Nana treated the girls to ice cream and a ride on the train with Sissa.  I loved watching them smile with delight on the train ride.  They were cute princesses to wave at all the people in the mall.  The sparkle in their eyes captured the fun of Christmas. 

Sweet Slumber

Sweet Lily can't decide if she is going to take naps or not.  We just play it by ear everyday.  I think the choice is really if she feels she won't miss out on too much fun with Emily.  They are best of friends.  If she hasn't had a nap, Lily is asleep in minutes!  I love this sweet, spunky little girl!

Logan 8 Months

These photos capture the emerging personality of Logan.  He is sweet, silly, and oh so loving.  We love him so very much and our grateful he is part of our family. It is exciting to see Logan learn and grow, and hope to catch each moment with him.

• Loves to play with his toes!  He has learned to pull off his socks and find his feet.  Logan can even put his toes in his mouth.
• Logan is a talker!  He jabbers to himself sounds of b, d, and m.  He also squeals with delight when the TV turns on, at the vacuum and blow dryer, and when going outside. 
• Logan still loves bath time.  After dinner he can hardly wait to get undressed.  He loves to be in just his diaper and kicks vigorously with excitement as he waits to get in the tub.  Logan has learned to even sit up in the tub, but prefers to splash and kick in the water.
• He enjoys being outside when he can, even with cold temperatures.
• Logan loves to be with his sisters!  He squeals with delight as they greet each other every morning.
• Logan loves to eat fruits, mush, crackers, yogurt, peas, and cereal.  He is learning to use his pincher grip.
• Logan is a busy boy!!! He tries to grab anything he can and has to have his hands busy always!
• His favorite toys are those that make noise and move - which includes the vacuum!

All Boy Logan

Logan is such a little boy.  He loves things that move: the vacuum, cars, trains, and trucks.  He also loves to watch his sisters move about as they dance and sing.  I love that he is finding his voices as he squeals in delight and babbles with glee.  He tries so hard to keep up with the girls, that most days I can only get him to take one nap.  Logan loves to explore his toys, especially those that make noise.  I loves watching him wonder with his chubby cheeks and pursed lips.  He is such a fun loving boy and I can't imagine life without him.

Silly Lily

Lily has such a spunky, silly, and sweet personality.  She is my snuggle bug!  Lily loves to cuddle with you and her blanket.  She insists on being wrapped in a burrito in her blanket and then proceeds to bite her blanket in excitement and sometimes frustration. 

Lily loves to dress up!!!  It is rare to find her without a skirt or dress on.  She especially loves to wear her Elsa dress with silver dress up shoes.  She is all girl!!  On Sundays, Lily can hardly wait to get dressed for church.  She loves getting dolled up in a dress, fancy shoes, necklace, and a bow in her hair.  Once Lily is ready, she dances and twirls around in delight.  She is a sweet princess.

Lily loves to make people laugh - especially Emily.  She makes silly faces and shuffles her feet to be funny.  I think she is a family class clown.  I love this spunky girl to pieces!

Christmas Prepartion Fun

This weekend we had fun seeing the "Elves" at Gardner Village with David, Heather, and their kids.  The girls loved seeing all the elves on display busy at work getting ready for Christmas.  It was amazing to watch their eyes glow as they captured the magic of Christmas. 

Later that weekend we decorated a Gingerbread House together.  The girls were great helpers and of coarse loved tasting some sweet treats!

Sibling Love

These two sisters love to play with each other.  Lately Lily has given up naps partly because she realizes she is missing the fun with her sister.  Although they fight often, they sure love to play with each other.  It is neat to see their relationship blossom as they learn to play and pretend together.  I love to see them laugh, talk, and sing together.  They are best of friends!

Emily loves to caretake for Logan.  Whenever I leave the room, Emily is quick to help Logan by giving him a toy, talking to him, or singing to him.   She does this all without being asked.  I love hearing her try to comfort him.  As he learns new tricks, Emily laughs in delight at his growing and changing.  I lvoe the way both Lily and Emily call him, "their baby" and "Bubba!"  They are sweet big sisters!

Weekend Buddies

 Every weekend the girls and I look forward to spending more time with Daddy.  Emily especially loves to play with him.  They love to color and explore parks together.  I love watching their relationship blossom. 

Sweet Sister Read-a-thon

Every morning the girls enjoy time reading in their room in their rocking chairs or on their beds while I get ready for the day.  I love hearing the expression they use as they read stories to themselves and each other.  One morning Lily was quite emotional, so Emily suggested reading her a story in "Daddy's chair."  It was such a cute scene seeing Emily trying to comfort Lily and evolving to a little read-a-thon on the chair.  Cute sisters for sure! 

Logan 7 Months

 Logan is 7 months and growing ever so much.  He is such a handsome, happy guy that brings so much joy to our home.  The girls love their little brother and find it fun to celebrate his growing each day.

• Logan loves to babble and blow raspberries. 
• Whenever we go outside or open the door to go downstairs, Logan squeals with delight.
• He loves watching his sisters play and giggles at their silly antics. 
• Logan loves to spend time outside going for walks and observing all the construction and his sister's play.
• Although milk is his favorite food, Logan also likes fruit, crackers, bread, and yogurt.  He has tried cheese and veggies too.
• Since moving to our new house, Logan has enjoyed sleeping in a crib.  He seems to sleep better at night which mommy is celebrating too.
• Bath time is so much fun with Logan.  He loves to kick his legs and splash around.  As soon as we turn the water on, Logan squeals with delight.
• Logan is a Momma's boy, preferring mom over anyone.  I love his sweet snuggles.

Little Logan

I just love this little man's smiles, twinkling eyes, chubby cheeks, tiny hands, and kissable lips.  He is my little "Bubba!"  I love watching him grow and change, yet hope he can slow down a little.

Logan's 1st Haircut

 Logan got his first haircut.  I was planning on keeping it long on the top, but misjudged the trimmer length.  Oh well, it is growing so fast already just like his daddy.  He sure looks handsome and grown up!

Textile Lily

Lily loves to explore the touch of things.  She loves to play in the dirt, shape play dough, dissect her food, and explore anything with texture.  Today as she explored the rocks in our front yard, she found dirt on her hands.  She came to me and said, "Mommy, dirty."  She was so proud of the dirt she had our hands.  What a silly girl!

Reading Stories

The girls love to read stories on their bed, to themselves, and to each other.  One of our favorite places to go is the library.  They love to browse the books and pick out some favorites, while finding new adventures to explore.  Today I found Lily reading Emily a story in the family room.  She was so expressive and proud that she was reading to Emily instead of the other way around.  Emily was cute to compliment her and play along.  What fun readers they are!

Halloween 2016

Halloween fell on Monday, making for a weekend of fun.  We enjoyed a fun Saturday afternoon Halloween Party at Nana's.  The girls loved the games, "Snake Sandwiches," and breaking the piñata.  Emily was a champ at the Jelly Bean game which included tasting jelly bellies for tasty or yucky flavors.  In an effort to fit in with all the kids, Emily ate all the jelly beans.  I am not sure if she got that some were gross: spoiled milk, dead fish, and stinky feet!  I just love the way she loves to play with all her cousins.

On Sunday morning before church, the girls loved carving pumpkins with Daddy.  Emily is not always sure about textile things, so she left Daddy to clean it out all to himself.  Lily on the other hand, loved playing in the pumpkin goop.  Yuck!

Monday was Halloween and Emily could hardly wait for Daddy to get home to go trick-or-treating.  New to the neighborhood, we were interested in getting to see maybe some familiar faces from church in their homes.  Both girls loved ringing the doorbell, getting treats, and saying, "Happy Halloween!"  I loved hearing Emily bravely approach the neighbors and share a thanks as they put a treat in her bucket.  Emily was excited after each treat to share how "full" her bucket was.  We were out trick-or-treating for about an hour giving the girls about 20 treats.  They were sure cute princesses.  Logan my little skeleton loved being outside, seeing the lights, and investigating the wrappers Emily let him see.

First Meal at Our New House

Today we enjoyed our first official meal at our new home.  Over the weekend we moved in with the generous help of our families.  The essential boxes were unpacked first, until now we are left with decorations and such.  With boxes to unpack our meals included many sandwiches, mac n' cheese, and cereal.  To celebrate today we had our family favorite: pasta and "red chicken" or spaghetti.  I just love having this family of mine in our home together. 

Courageous Climber

Emily is becoming a fearless climber at the park.  I am amazed at her newfound courage to climb new things each day at the park.  Hooray!

Gazing on 3

These three have all my heart.  I love spending each day with them on the adventure of life.  We sing, play, snuggle, and go places together.  In quiet moments I look upon their beauty and hope they can stay little forever.  I am so lucky to be their momma!  I love their sweet countenances that remind me of the important things in life.  They are gentle, loving, forgiving, and so much more.  Although I am in charge of teaching them, they teach me so much more.  I love hearing their giggles, feeling their breath against my skin, seeing the sparkle in their eyes as they learn new things, and kissing their faces goodnight.  My heart skips a beat as I think that next year my world will change a little when Emily starts preschool.  I am so glad I get all 3 of them home for a time.  They are the best adventurers and I am so grateful that are mine!

Lovable Logan

Logan has been practicing sitting up a lot lately.  This little boy has always loved stretching from head to toe on the floor, but is discovering the joy of sitting up too.  I can't get enough of his giggles, smiles, raspberries, and kissable cheeks.

Room on the Broom

We recently checked out the book Room on the Broom at the library.  The book is about a witch and her cat who are happily flying through the sky on a broomstick when the wind picks up and blows away the witch's hat, then her bow, and then her wand!  Luckily, three helpful animals find the missing items, and all they want in return is a ride on the broom.  It becomes tricky for them all to have room on the broom.  Soon disaster strikes with a hungry dragon, but her friends save her.  In return, the witch makes a new broom that fits all of her friends.

Today as we were playing outside, I got a broom out to sweep up some dirt.  Emily immediately took the broom and got a bucket (her cauldron) to pretend to the be the witch on the broom.  She encouraged Lily to ride her witch's broom as she mimicked the story of the Room on the Broom.  Emily is such a bright girl who often connects stories to events in real life.  I love this sweet witch!

Pumpkin Patch Picking

Our Saturday family adventure included an outing to the Peterson Pumpkin Patch.  Emily has been anticipating going to the pumpkin patch for some time as we pass it each time we go to see the house.  We have also been reading many books about pumpkins which has increased the anticipation.  In one of the books we have been reading, The Littlest Pumpkin, a young girl picks a pumpkin without a stem so that she can put a witch's hat on top.  Emily has since insisted on getting a pumpkin without a stem so that she too can put a witch's hat on top.  I am always impressed by the connections she makes between everyday life and books.

At the Peterson Farm the girls loved searching for the perfect pumpkin.  Emily searched for one without a stem and Lily placed many little pumpkins in the wheelbarrow.  In the end with got a tall pumpkin, round pumpkin without a stem, and four little pumpkins.  The girls and Nelson enjoyed riding the hay pyramid slide.  Whoosh!  It was fast!  Logan and I loved watching the girls giggle and wonder about.  Although we may not have found the perfect pumpkin, I had the perfect company of my little family!!!

Logan 6 Months

It is hard to believe Logan is half way to one years old!  He is such a delight in our home filling it with so much joy and love.  I love watching his personality blossom and new tricks develop. 

• Logan is a Mommy's boy.  He loves to be near me when he is awake.  If I try to sneak out of the room, his tender cry is quick to be heard.  I love my little buddy.
• He is becoming a better eater, enjoying fruits, veggies, and cereal.  Logan's favorite seems to be yogurt!  He has even had a few tastes of ice cream.
• Logan loves to suck and shake his toys.  He especially loves his toys that rattle and make noise.  I think he making his own music.
• Bath time is still one of Logan's favorite parts of the day.  He gets excited to get undressed and play in the water.
• Logan loves watching and playing with his sisters.  Peek-a-boo always brings giggles and smiles to his face.  He is aware of when a toy is taken away and will begin to cry.  Soon I know he will be big enough to stand up to his sisters.
• Logan loves going for walks and our daily adventures.  He does pretty well in the car and can be flexible at times with his naps during busier days.
• He is doing well to fall asleep by himself and is working on going back to sleep in the middle of the night.
• Logan has found his voice with squeals of delight, raspberries, and "mm" sounds when he wants his mommy.

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Birthday Party Fun

Emily was lucky enough to have another birthday party with the Handy family and cousins.  She was so excited to celebrate with so many she loves.  These pictures show the delight her little party brought.  Emily loved her new toys and clothes.  I love the way she loves playing and being with her cousins and family so much.

Lily Growing Up

Lily has really grown up over the past few weeks.  We ditched the binky the beginning of August.  I had tried taking them away in early summer, but it didn't work out.  Instead I cut the nipples off of her binkies and let her choose to give them up.  It was a rough day or two, but for the most part it wasn't as bad as I thought.  We are now down to one binky with a cut nipple that she likes to carry around like a baby.  I am hoping it gradually fades away. 

This silly Lily has also had a few occasions recently of no naps.  I was sort of expecting it with the binky gone, but am still hoping there are days she naps because honestly she needs it.  Without or without naps this "Silly Lily" keeps us on our toes with baby dolls, dress-ups, and walks to see the neighbor's dog Cooper.  I love the silly, saucy Lily.

Dress Ups

Emily and Lily love to play dress ups.  On Emily's birthday my sweet sister Jamie took the girls and I on an outing.  It was such a delight to spend time with her.  The girls loved singing, dancing, and playing with her - as did I.  Jamie was sweet to take us to lunch at Chick-fil-A and then shopping for some dress ups.  It has been hard to get them sometimes to take them off because they love them so much.  I love watching them dance and sing in them.  Thanks Jamie for making a princess dream come true.

Fantastic Four Emily

Emily has been looking forward to turning 4 for a while.  With Aunt Sissa they marked off all the family birthdays until it was her big day.  Once it was Sissa's birthday she knew her birthday was next - hooray!  On the morning of her birthday, I picked Emily up out of bed and began to sing "Happy Birthday" to her.  She smiled ear to ear.  Emily immediately asked for her presents and a "Nana Pancake" (cinnamon roll) to blow a candle out on.  We followed through with her requests.  Emily loved opening her new presents: Sofia the First magnetic dolls and a princess puzzle.  I was so grateful for the way she immediately found ways to share her new toys with Lily.

After a morning of fun playing with her new toys, we headed to Gardner Village to see the "Witches."  The girls loved the pumpkins, witches, and many Halloween decorations.  We enjoyed a cookie as a prize for finding all the witches at the end - Hooray!

Emily is sure growing up fast!  I am often mesmerized as I look at her pictures as a baby until now.  Oh how much she is changing into a bright little girl!  I am so lucky to be her mom.

Here are a few highlights about Emily:

• Emily loves being a big sister to Logan. Emily loves laying on the floor with Logan and giving him new toys.  She is so excited at the new things he does each day.  I love the gentle way she embraces him and kisses his forehead.  She does this without prompting each time he wakes up for the day or a nap.
• Emily's favorite playmate is Lily.  She enjoys imagining with her, playing princesses, reading books, and going on mischievous adventures.  Emily is good to watch out for Lily - a natural protector of her.
• Reading is still one of Emily's favorite past times. She loves getting new books from the library.  Every time we go to the library, Emily can be found reading the afternoon away.  She is great at retelling a story after hearing it one time.  If she hasn't heard the story, Emily is great at using the pictures to tell her own version of the story.
• Emily loves playing with her cousins.  She looks forward to Sunday dinners and get togethers because she knows cousins and Sissa will be there.
• Some of Emily's favorite toys are: magnetic princess dolls, anything princess, books, Barbies, and puzzles.
• Emily enjoys going on adventures to the park, the zoo, and the library.
• Some of Emily's favorite foods are: pasta, "red chicken" or spaghetti, cinnamon toast, cereal, goldfish, and yogurt.
• Emily is learning to recognize letters and numbers.  She is anxious to start preschool next year.
• As the big sister, Emily is a great help to me at home.  She loves to help me with projects during naptime.  I also appreciate the sincere, genuine care she gives to Logan and Lily.  She is often eager to help them without being asked. 

I love this Emily of mine who made me a momma for the first time.  She is so sweet and gentle.  I love her funny and cute expressions.  I love her sweet smile and goodnight kisses.  I am so glad she is mine!

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