The Cabin

Every winter we get to go on a family vacation to the mountains of Utah. It is a fun, relaxing weekend filled with snowmobiling......and playing board games......and hanging out with Grandpa......and snowmobiling......and playing video games......and throwing paper airplanes down the stairs.Now whenever I ask A1 and A2 if they want to go camping, they say they do as long as it's in the cabin. I think we've ruined them for real outdoor camping fun!

Favorite Books

As part of a school assignment, A1 was asked to take a picture with all her favorite books. I love this assignment. At first she pulled every book off the shelf, but we were finally able to narrow it down to just the top-tier favorites.
These are the books that she has read so often that she nearly has them memorized. I love that my little one loves to read and found this to be one of the most exciting assignments she had received.

Christmas 2010

For the first time in our lives, we did not have Christmas with family. We stayed home and had a quiet celebration all by ourselves. To get into the Christmas spirit, the kids helped me decorate the house with a tree, a wreath, and stockings - all made out of construction paper and taped to the wall because we have no room for real decorations. Then we had to make Christmas cookies, a must-have tradition from my family.
Please notice that the kids have more frosting on their faces than on their cookies - another must-have Christmas tradition!
Our extended family sent presents, and R and I were able to collect enough gifts throughout the year that we were able to give the kids a very merry Christmas indeed.The kids' favorite part of Christmas turned out to be a gift meant only for A2. I mean, what boy can grow up without lightsabers?And my favorite part was quietly spending time as a family and being able to focus on the Savior, rather than on trying to see everybody and get everything done. I think I might like this new Christmas tradition.

Jillian Michaels

It is time for me to get into shape. So I started following the Jillian Michaels workout OnDemand. It's hard work, and most days I really hate that Jillian, but I do look better. And the kids have a blast working out with me. Their favorite part is the jumping jacks! My favorite part is when it's over!

A1 Turns 4!

Since it has been almost a year since I last updated the blog, I guess there's a little bit of catch-up I need to do. A1's fourth birthday seems like a good place to start.

A1 couldn't decide how she wanted to celebrate, so I went with a flower and bug theme - that way we could invite both girls and boys. The kids played Pin-the-Bug-on-the-Flower, made flower placemats to use at Thanksgiving the next week, and decorated flower cookies with bug sprinkles.Then we had flower cupcakes, which were SOOOO much easier to make then her last birthday cake.Happy, happy birthday to my beautiful girl! You are such a delightful part of our family.

Primary Superheroes

Our wonderful Primary presidency put together the most amazing activity for the kids. They asked the kids to be superheroes for others by giving super acts of service. They put together back-to-school kits for some lower-income schools in our area, then they made cards and cookies to give to neighbors who needed a pick-me-up, and finally they heart-attacked the bishop's office and their teachers' homes to show their appreciation.
As rewards for all their superhero service, the Primary president handmade each of them a superhero cape. Aren't they adorable?
Of course, that meant I had to make one for A2 so he could be just like his older sister.