Piano Recital, Skyler turned 18 Months, and a Wrecked Car

I'm finally getting around to writing about December and it's almost the end of January.  Kaitlyn performed in her first piano recital.  She was really nervous but did a great job.  The Christmas recital is always so fun in spite of the busy time of year.

Just before we were walking out the door for the recital it was the typical craziness of getting ready.  Everyone is asking where their pants, shoes, ect. are.  I told the boys their pants were in the dryer.  When they came back downstairs Andrew said, "Mom, I think you shrunk my pants in the dryer."

Then Grandpa said, "I think you and Jared have on the wrong pants!"

In December Skyler was 18 months old. He's really changing from a baby into a little boy right before our eyes.  He was 21 1/2 pounds and finally back on the growth chart at 3rd percentile.  

Do these two look like brothers or what?

Nap time with his blankets.

Skyler loves to smile for the camera now.

One day Kaitlyn wanted to help me with some Christmas baking.

I would love to say it was all picture perfect but she decided Skyler needed to wear her apron.  He didn't appreciate that so much.

A few days before Christmas, I thought I was almost ready.  The kids had just finished their last day of school and we hurried out to pick up a few last minute things so we could enjoy the holiday break.  Our outing turned out not so good when a driver in a  parking lot wasn't looking where he was going and ran into us.  It certainly wasn't the way I wanted to start the holiday break. But aside from being annoying and time consuming no one was hurt and after a few weeks in the shop my car looked as good as new.

Birthdays and Thanksgiving: November Passed in the Blink of an Eye

The last couple months of the year seem to have a way of sneaking away from me before I even know it.  In November we celebrated Jason's last 30 something birthday.  We tried to surprise him somewhat by taking him to Tucanos, a Brazilian restaurant in Salt Lake.  It didn't take him too long to figure out where we were headed though.  We met some of his family there and he loved introducing our kids to Brazilian food.  We found something everyone liked and even managed to get our picky eaters to try rice and beans!  The kids loved the Brazilian birthday song they sang to Jason.

I ended up with some really grainy iphone pictures in the lighting they had there but since I left the camera at home it was all I got.

The next week was my birthday and I knew that Jason had the kids up to something when they disappeared to Kaitlyn's room and were quiet all afternoon.  I was holding choir practice in the living room while Jason was busy decorating and getting food ready.  My parents were in town and some of his family came and Jason grilled salmon.  I felt very spoiled and what else do I really need for my birthday?  And this is what had kept the kids busy all afternoon.

On Thanksgiving Jason, Andrew and I  went to Ogden Regional and ran the Turkey Trot.  It's a very low key run but made for a fun way to get out and get a workout in that morning.  I won the race but besides getting my name at the end of a small article on the back page of the newspaper the next day, there weren't any prizes. Then I had to get home quickly to make dinner.  My parents had come to Utah for a family reunion with my dad's family and we were excited that they stayed for Thanksgiving.  I also invited my grandparents over for dinner.  We have spent a lot of Thanksgiving with my parents recently but it had been years since I had spent one with my grandparents.  I have to admit I was a little intimidated by cooking for two of the best cooks I know that have made countless Thanksgiving dinners from scratch.  The turkey got done way too early and we were scrambling to get everything else ready and on the table but other than that it was a success.  The kids even managed to keep busy without any cousins to play with (the down side to having all adults at Thanksgiving dinner!)  I loved getting to spend the day with my parents and grandparents. Again, these aren't the greatest photos (maybe I need to take a photography class?) but at least it's something to remember the day by.

Halloween

Kaitlyn had our fun girls day at Gardiner Village with my nieces, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law.  We went to Breakfast with a Witch and wandered around doing the scavenger hunt on a beautiful fall morning.  Skyler ended up tagging along since the older boys in the family were all at the deer hunt.  I forgot the stroller and that kid is finally really starting to grow!  I thought my arms might fall off by the time we were done!

Brooklyn, Kaitlyn and Morgan

Skyler quickly decided Halloween is not his favorite holiday.  I went to help with Kaitlyn's class party and he was clinging to me the whole time because he wasn't sure about all the costumes the kids were wearing.  One of the other moms had fake eyelashes on and they seemed to terrify him!  Jason has always said the minions in Despicable Me remind him of Skyler so that's what I got him for his costume.  He was adorable!

I thought it would be cute to get a Gru costume for Jason to go along with it but what I didn't anticipate was Skyler being terrified of the mask!  Here's what happened when Jason put it on.

He didn't even have it on long enough to get the shape right from being all folded up in the package.  He didn't look much like Gru without the mask but Skyler wasn't having anything to do with him with it on.  Kaitlyn was Merida and I have to say that her personality fit the costume well!

 I tried and tried to convince my boys that the point of a Halloween costume was to dress up as someone or at least something.  But after being told a hundred times that this is what everyone is dressing up as for Halloween, I bought the Morphsuits for them.

Andrew was too old to hang out with his Dad so he went over to a friend's house and came home with a big bag of candy.  The rest of the kids took off from our house with Jason.

I didn't think Skyler would last long because as they headed out I walked outside and handed each of the kids glow sticks which ended up being another thing that, strangely enough, Skyler was terrified of!  But it was over an hour later before they all came back happy with bags full of candy.

Fall, a Long Bike Ride, and a New Truck

My dad stayed at our house for a couple weeks.  As always he was busy doing projects I never get around to.  We did manage to pull him away from the house one day for some fun.  We took the kids out to Black Island Farm.  It was someplace I had never been but always wanted to take the kids.  I was worried Andrew and Jared might be too old to enjoy it but there was a lot of fun stuff for everyone to enjoy.

 I'm not sure where this dare devil came from wanting to go down the slide head first!

 When I sent Andrew up with Skyler to go down the slide this wasn't exactly what I had in mind...  But he made it down in one piece and enjoyed it enough to want to go again.

Who would have thought a sand box filled with corn kernels would be so much fun?  Skyler could have stayed in there all day and his older siblings enjoyed it almost as much!

Andrew, Jared and Kaitlyn all took a turn being buried in the corn.  Skyler seemed to really enjoy helping, especially throwing the corn in their faces!  Grandpa even joined in the fun burying the kids.

Last, we were off exploring the corn maze.  By this point I thought Skyler would fall asleep in the stroller for sure but he was having way too much fun and prefered riding on Andrew's shoulders.

And now for some other things that have been happening in our house lately.  Jason offered to watch Skyler for me one morning and I got to enjoy one last beautiful fall morning on the trails, this time on my bike with my friend Natalie.  We did some serious climbing up the sardine trail at Snowbasin and we may not have broken any speed records but the view was amazing and the ride down was fun!

Andrew finished the last requirement for his Eagle!  He and Jason did a 50 mile bike ride to finish off his cycling merit badge.

Here they are ready to start.  Andrew looks excited but I'm not sure about Jason!

One of the last beautiful fall days of the year!

Just over half way when I took them lunch in Roy.  They don't even look tired yet!

50 miles completed and ready for a ride home in West Bountiful!

We have been shopping for a truck for quite some time.  In September we decided the truck we really wanted didn't actually exist so we ordered one from the factory.  It has been a long wait but it finally arrived!

Happy new truck owner.  I hope I get to drive it some time...

I have never actually owned a brand new car before.  I had to get a picture of the odometer at 4!

Who's new toy is this?  Guess where the kids all jumped in as soon as we got home.

Family Pictures 2013

My kids (and husband) all grumble when it's time for family pictures but I do it anyway because I really want them.  Skyler was having a really rough afternoon with a molar trying to break through but we got some cute pictures anyway.

 

Jared's 11th Birthday

For about two weeks before Jared's birthday he was giving us a constant countdown and asking nonstop if we could celebrate early.  I told him his wait was payback for the last two weeks I was pregnant with him and had to wait!  I made him his favorite breakfast, french toast made out of cinnamon burst bread from Great Harvest and I took Dunkin Donuts to his class for his birthday treat.  But I think he was most excited for the Lego set he had asked for.  When it was time for presents I tricked him a little.  After I wrapped the Legos I put them inside a duffel bag I had bought for his football equipment and then wrapped up the duffel bag.  I think he was a little confused by the big package that obviously wasn't Legos.

Kaitlyn's present for Jared: a portrait.

Here's a look at Jared at 11.

What he likes: Legos, his iPod, football, sleeping in, cheesecake, candy, cookies, anything sweet, soccer and football jerseys, basketball shorts, The Hobbit (movie), reading (yay!  I thought this day would never come but I often have to tell him to turn out the lights and put the book away at night now), staying up late, playing with his baby brother, camping, backpacking, and fishing with his dad.

What he doesn't like: cleaning his room, bathroom, ect., going to school, waking up in the morning, running, roller coasters, wearing long pants (even in the winter), getting his hair cut, and getting his picture taken.

What I love about Jared: his smile (the real one with his teeth that he doesn't like to show for pictures anymore), his hugs (I don't get a lot of those anymore either), what a great big brother he is to Skyler (you should see Skyler's face light up when Jared walks in the room), his enthusiasm about life, and I love listening to him play the piano even if he doesn't like to do it.

The week after his birthday I sent him off to his first day at boy scouts.  I have to say I was quite sad to put away the cub scout shirt for the next seven years.  This boy is growing too fast!