crazy weather

this winter has been strange indeed. we have received snow, but then we also have had warm enough weather to play outside with just jackets. i love it, but at the same time hold my breath for when winter does come with a vengeance.

 the bikes were put away, but then taken back out a few weeks ago

my old roommate from byu came to visit us this past monday with her cute family. they told as (as we played at the park) that this weather was like it was back home in arizona. 

 it is a good thing todd hasn't purchased a tarp to cover our play structure yet

 "check out our super lush, dead grass."

 we had to pry ellie away

abby sincerely hopes ellie gets a bike for her birthday next month, so she can inherit the radio flyer.

new year's eve

new year's eve has always been a big event for my family. we grew up having our favorite snacks and treats and were able to drink as much soda as we liked. this was big since the only other time we drank soda was when my mom made pizza. so, the tradition lives on as we gather together in both portland, oregon and here in utah. this year we hosted the utah crew. it was a fun night of food, movies, food, games, and food.

 abby looking oh so cute "working" in the kitchen 

 felicity and ellie as snow white and sleeping beauty

 thanks, grandma karen! the dress-up clothes and beads were a big hit

 you have to be quick to catch abby, i mean cinderella, in motion

 playing this year's new game- word on the street. verdict: a very fun game and was especially great for a group

 aunt jessica heading up the games for the youngins

loving the sister shots

 getting ready for the countdown

annalise getting into the new year's spirit

Christmas

Christmas day was a wonderful time spent with family. the girls woke up to having nona and papa at the house to see what santa brought them (the joy of having young children that you have to wake up for Christmas morning!). unfortunately, we only took video of their time here- so no photos of the beginning of the day...

a lot of our friends talked about how wonderful it was to have church on Christmas. i respectfully disagree. i found it challenging having our kids open gifts, enjoy their gifts, have breakfast, and get ready for church in the morning. plus, when we got to church, all our girls wanted to do was go home and play with their new toys. we spent the majority of our time in the hallway. getting off my soapbox...

we returned home just in time for grandma karen & grandpa kent and grandma & grandpa smith to come to our home. we got the girls back in their comfy pjs and spent time with our sweet grandparents.

 abby with grandma karen. abby is a cuddly girl and grandma karen is happy to take full advantage of it.
(michael, i know- we are planning to pull the binkie after this next group of teeth come in, she is too addicted to it.)

ellie showing grandpa kent her cool barbie car. it is a joy having a husband who plays the piano so well- listening to him play is one of my favorite things!

the evening was spent at my brother's home with a delicious Christmas dinner and time to play with cousins. it was such a special day seeing so much family!!!

Family Christmas Gatherings

we got together with some family from my mom's side for some appetizers, singing, talking and games. it was nice having everyone together- i hadn't seen my cousin jilene & her family in years!

 it was so fun seeing all the Christmas decorations i grew up with in my parents' new home. i remember playing with this toy for hours when i was young.

 singing Christmas carols with Jake, the wonderful pianist.

 playing games & chatting

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Christmas eve was spent with Todd's mom's family for dinner and the nativity. this is the best part of Christmas- seeing everyone together!

 uncle greg with emma and ellie.

 professor brian imparting his knowledge upon us. 

just have to throw this in: todd's family are huge university of utah fans, but brian teaches at my alma mater byu. this may be why i love brian so much- he really is a genius. :)

 todd played the music for the nativity.

final pose with all the cast.

wishing all our loved ones a very merry Christmas!

downtown

it is our family tradition to take trax downtown to see the lights at temple square. this year we added going to the grand america hotel to see their window displays. the addition did not disappoint.

 on our way downtown. 

side story: todd forgot to scan his i.d. card to ride trax (you can get a ticket for not scanning it) and jumped off at a random stop to do so. i was in charge of continually pushing the button to open the door. however, it closed after the third or fourth time pushing it. i was left alone on the train unsure of where i was going and how to get there. we only have one cell phone, and todd had it, so i prepared to get off the train at the next stop, praying todd would think the same thing and meet me there. as i began pushing the stroller out the door, todd came jumping in! he apparently realized he wouldn't make it to our train car in time, so got in another one. you can't imagine my relief seeing him- i was sure our night would be ruined before it had even begun! 

 we went to the grand america first. the window displays were a story that you follow along throughout the hotel (they even had it published into a book as well). we were given a scavenger hunt, of sorts, to find a hidden star in each display. at the end, we all received a delicious cookie from their bakery. it was a fun activity i hope the grand america will continue next year.

 one of the "pages" (window displays)

 after that, we headed over to temple square to see the beautiful lights. (as you can see, the stranger that took this photo thought it was equally important getting the pavement as the temple- i guarantee you when i took his family's photo, i got the temple spires!)

 it is amazing how beautiful the lights are

inside the joseph smith building

it was such a fun night! i think next year, we might make it a two evening adventure, so we can really enjoy each spot. the end of the night bonus was seeing cousins at the bookstore on our way to trax. so, we got to ride home with ellie's "cousin friends" tyler and brayden. it definitely made the trip home faster and less painful for our tired children. thanks kathy and scott!

fun with the newmans

Christmas tradition: matching pajamas from grandma and grandpa!

playing "santa" with cousins matthew and josh

all in the sleigh together