December 2009

Time has really gone by fast. I didn't realize it had been a month and a half since I last posted. This may take me a little while, but I'm going to try to catch up on what's been going on in our house for the last few weeks.

We had a big snowstorm a the beginning of the month and Nathan and Aaron loved helping Dad shovel the snow. They don't seem to mind the cold, even Aaron whose mittens fell off a dozen or so times.



The boys like to play in the laundry baskets whenever we do laundry. Aaron loves to read and found a new spot one Monday.


Nathan's Preschool Field Trip - Christmas Village
Nathan wrote a letter to Santa in preschool and then Aaron, Ali, and I went with him on his field trip to Christmas village where he got to see Mrs. Claus and mail his letter to the North Pole. They got a treat from Mrs. Claus, but Aaron was none too happy to be sitting there.




Our Three Cute Kids
These pictures are some of my favorites - Ali is growing up and the boys are too. They love each other and for the most part are good to each other.





Nathan Turns 4!!!
Nathan turned 4 on December 16 and we had a birthday party for him. Grandmas and Grandpas were there as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins. Nathan loved opening the gifts and spent that night and the next days playing with them all. He blew out all his candles in one big blow, too, so whatever he wished for is sure to come true :)!






Christmas Eve and Christmas
We had a wonderful Christmas. We were able to spend Christmas Eve with Hillstead family in Heber and Christmas day with the Taylor family. Grandma and Grandpa Hillstead even came on Christmas evening to see what Santa had brought.

When we were in Heber we decorated cookies, painted ornaments and all of the boys took them to widows in Grandma and Grandpa's ward and left them on the doorstep and ran. Nathan and Aaron weren't the quickest or the quietest, but they had a great time. The boys played the Wii and had a fun time with their cousins. Alison was as pleasant as ever through the ruckus.






Nathan got a bike and some tools from Santa, and Aaron got some cars and a sled. Nathan used his tools to fix his bike seat. But at one point he said, I think we need real tools. They got a train table from Grandma and Grandpa Taylor and had hours and hours of fun with it! Aaron got a Little Sandbox from Grandma and Grandpa Hillstead, and although he struggles keeping the sand in sometimes, he loves it. Nathan made us a present in preschool - a little jar to put a candle in! What fun! And of course, all the kids got a book. What would Christmas be without a good book to read :)? Aaron read his right away.












On Christmas day we went to brunch at Grandma and Grandpa Taylors. It was fun to play with Kyle and Luke and see what Santa had brought. The boys had fun playing together and Ali just slept and enjoyed the day.



After it all we were pretty tired, but it was a nice holiday season. Ali has passed some big milestones, too. She is laughing, talking, smiling a ton, and reaching for things. She loves her brothers and smiles when she sees them. She is still such a sweet baby. I love to hold her and see her smiles.

Our Thanksgiving

We were planning on spending the entire Thanksgiving weekend with the Hillsteads in Heber, but Aaron got sick with pneumonia on Friday (the week before), and then Nathan got croup and Ali had a little cold. So, we decided rather than expose the entire extended family to our lovely germs, we would stay home and have our own little family Thanksgiving. We had the works: turkey, stuffing (stove top), mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberries, corn, rolls, salad, sweet potatoes. Then we had Pillsbury cinnamon rolls for dessert. All in all it turned out pretty good. Luckily, everyone was feeling much better so we could enjoy it and without being sick and miserable.


Nathan made a cute pilgrim outfit in preschool and proudly modeled it for us :)! Alison just relaxed and I even got a picture of her sucking her thumb - so cute. She likes to suck on it when she finds it, which isn't very often.



On Friday we put up our Christmas tree and decorations. We didn't even bother decorating the bottom half of the tree this year. We knew it would at the top within a few days. The boys had fun playing in the boxes, under the tree and all around and helped decorate a little. We even made 2 chains to count down to Nathan's birthday and Christmas!




We did go up to Heber on Saturday to watch the BYU game, which was great! Ali wore her "Y" onesie for good luck! We always need to watch the big games with Mom & Dad because BYU has yet to lose when we do - BYU-Utah in 2006, 2007, 2009, and BYU-Oklahoma in 2009. Ryan was very aware of that fact before we went up and made sure we were all better to get there :)!

We also went climbing on the rock wall at Mom & Dad's gym in Heber. Ryan made it all the way to the top and Nathan got about three times his height. Aaron even got a boost up the wall. They had fun.