You Want What For Christmas?

So I have been asking Cooper what they want for Christmas and this gets him very excited because he knows what he wants. He wants Light Sabers and a Pirate Ship. I started thinking about it and I realized that I hadn't been asking Kendall what she wants for Christmas and as soon as I asked her, I knew why.
She is very stubborn and once she gets her mind on something, she will not let it go. Well, for the last week she has been telling everyone that she wants a scary pumpkin for Christmas. I keep asking her if she wants anything else and all she says is, "Nope. Scary Pumpkin."
Kendall so takes after her dad in that regard. Ted loves Halloween so much that it is probably his favorite holiday. Let's just say that he is very proud of Kendall's response. I have been trying to explain to Cooper and Kendall that Santa focuses on Christmas, not Halloween. Cooper understands this, but Kendall does not, so we will have to see how this plays out.

Thomas the Train and Rock Band?

Yesterday was our cousin Jadyn's 3rd birthday party. We went to my aunt Kellie's house for food and fun and the kids were so excited to go. Kellie bought the kids these cute little hats and cool loot bags. The kids had so much fun and loved all of their little gifts.

The kids couldn't get enough of the yummy
candy sitting in front of them. Did I mention
we hadn't eaten dinner yet?


We had to bribe the kids with their loot bags
to let us take a picture of them. This is
the best I could get.


After the party was over, I hung out at Kellie's with the kids and Bri and Hannah while Ted went to his Dad's for a minute. We ended up playing Rockband and the kids absolutely loved it. Kendall felt like a super star.


Little did the kids know they got booed off the
stage each time. They didn't care, though, they
would just ask to play again.


Cooper thought he was hot stuff sitting up
there all by himself.

Christmas Lights, Hayrides, & Santa

So on Friday night I thought it would be fun to do something Christmasy (is that even a word?) for the holidays, so we went to the Burger Stop in Layton and took a hayride to see the lights at the Layton park. It was only $4 and the kids seemed to really like it. They were all excited when we pulled into the park and they were both gasping, saying, "Look at that! Oh!! Look at this!" It was really fun to see them get so excited. It did get a little chilly, though, and towards the end of the lights Cooper asked if we were done yet. Overall, though, it was fun, cheap entertainment.


A nice old man on the hayride offered to take
our picture. I thought that was so cute.



Cooper had his first candy cane of the
season and he downed the whole thing!!!



There was a Santa in the Burger Stop and I was so excited to have the kids sit on his lap, but Cooper would not say a word to him and Kendall just cried if we tried to set her on his lap. I guess we will just have to wait another year and see what happens. The funny thing is Cooper said he wants to talk to the Santa in the mall. Not at the restaurant. Can we say picky?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!

Last weekend we got our Christmas decorations out and bought a tree, so we spent the next couple of days getting our house ready for Christmas. The kids were so excited when we got everything out. They loved looking through all the boxes and decorating their little Christmas trees.

As always we tried to find the biggest, tallest Christmas tree on the lot and this is what we ended up with. I decided to take upon myself the task of putting the lights on the tree this year. Usually Ted does it because he has more patience, but this year we decided to try a different kind of lights and I knew they would be a lot easier to put on.




Cooper and Kendall our so proud of their Christmas trees. They decorated them all by themselves. Aren't they just beautiful?

I'm a big girl now!!!!!

Yesterday we put Kendall into a big girl bed and she just absolutely loves it. She feels so big and thinks she is so cool. I am not sure who likes the bed more, though, Cooper or Kendall. Cooper wants to play in there all the time and they both love jumping on the new bed.

If you look close at the first picture, you can see that Kendall has pillows stuffed all around her. The bed is pretty high and I don't want her falling out of bed. We used this technique with Cooper and within a week or two the pillows were needed no more.

I want to thank my aunt Kellie for the adorable bed. She didn't want it anymore and asked if we could use it and it looks so cute in Kendall's room.

This Really Makes You Stop And Think!

My step mom emailed me this poem and it really made me stop and think about how short life really is. It really makes me want to spend more time with my kids and play with them more.

This is a poem written by a teenager with cancer.

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?<>
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Do you run through each dayOn the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Ever told your child, We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time to call and say,'Hi'
You'd better slow down.
Don 't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music before the song is over.

I usually don't post things like this on my blog, but I thought it was something I needed to hear, so maybe it will help someone else.

The Twilight Movie!!!!

So last night I went with my friend Emily to see the Twilight movie and we had a lot of fun. My friend Laura rented out an entire theater at the Gateway and she was able to get over 500 people to come. It was kind of crazy seeing all those people so excited about the movie. It was actually hilarious when the movie started and the beloved Edward came onto the screen. The entire audience was screaming with the exception of Emily and me. We liked the books, but we are not the die hard fans like everyone else.

All in all it was a fun night, though. It was really nice to get out and have some girl time. To top it all off, when I got home Ted had the kids in bed, picked up the house, did the dishes, and did all the laundry. I tell you what, he is husband of the year.

Kendall's First Big Girl Haircut!!!

So I thought it was time for me to cut Kendall's hair because the back was looking pretty stringy. I called a girl in my ward and asked if she would cut Kendall's hair. When we got there she said that her hair was looking like a mullet and she thought it was best if we cut it off. I reluctantly said yes and to my surprise I think it turned out super cute. Her hair looks thicker and it is easier to manage. She is getting to be such a big girl and this haircut makes her looking older. It is so sad. Where's my little baby?

Our Little Man!!!

Yesterday was the primary program in our ward and it was a day I have been looking forward to for a long time since I am the primary chorister and it was Cooper's first time. Anyway, we were so excited to hear Cooper say his part and for him to show off his new little suit we had bought him. We were a little nervous that he would get to the pulpit and not say his part because he was nervous. To our surprise he got up there and said his part all by himself. He was so cute up there. He looked at me (I was on the front row) and said, "Um, what am I supposed to say? Oh. When Noah built the Ark." It was so stinkin' cute. He was so proud of himself and that was a big milestone for him because he gets nervous to talk in front of anyone. Ted and I are very proud of him.
I was hoping to get a picture of him in his little suit and Kendall in her new shrug, but when we got home from church, they ripped off their clothes before I could take a picture. Can't say I blame them. That is the first thing I do when I get home too.

Oh, to be young again!!!

Last night as we were getting ready for bed, the kids were really hyper and all of us were having a great time fooling around. When it was time to calm down and say prayers, Cooper told me he wanted to tell me a secret. I said okay and waited for him to whisper something in my ear. The only problem was he couldn't because he was laughing to hard. Apparently what he wanted to tell me was really funny and every time he would try to whisper in my ear, he would start laughing. All this did was make me laugh because I know how it is when you think something is so funny that you can't talk. Anyway, it got to the point where he was laughing and talking at the same time and I could not for the life of me understand what he was saying. I don't know who was laughing harder. Me or him. There were even a few snorts going on from both of us. Anyway, when he finally calmed down, Cooper told me what was so funny. You ready? Here it is. He said, "Mommy, me and Kendall were saying bum bum!!!" Isn't that so funny? Anyhoo, I can't believe he was laughing over something like that and that just made me laugh again. It made me realize how precious those moments together are and that we need to cherish them.

Halloween Night

Halloween was so much fun this year. The kids were so excited about every element of Halloween: dressing up, carving pumpkins, trick or treating, and passing out candy. The night started off with Cooper and daddy carving the pumpkins while mom made soup and breadsticks for dinner. After that, we got the kids dressed up and they went out into the neighborhood. This was Cooper's favorite part. He couldn't get enough of the trick or treating thing and we finally had to tell him it was time to stop after 2 hours. A picture below shows all their loot and they are very, very proud of it. It was a great night and we all had a lot of fun.

Cooper had his first preschool program last week and we were all very excited to go visit him at preschool and hear him sing. That morning he was so excited to get his costume on and was even more excited that Kendall and Daddy were coming to watch him. Well, when we got there, this is what we saw......

......... He just sat there.......


.........and sat there............



Oh wait!!! I think that is a smile



It was kind of funny to see him just sitting there when the other kids were all singing, but kind of sad too. He is pretty shy, so I am hoping that he will come out of his shell and be the cute little Cooper we know at home when he is around other people. Anyway, here is a picture of his preschool. He enjoys preschool so much and he loves Miss Julie and Miss Diane.

She Did It!!!!!!

Today my baby girl went pee-pee in the potty for the first time. I have been thinking about potty training for a while and when I woke up this morning I thought I would give it a try. So far we have only had one accident, but I am sure there will be plenty more of them. I am excited that she at least is showing some interest in the whole thing. Hopefully things will continue well. Wish me luck.

Wasn't That A Great Party?

This is what Cooper said when we left the birthday party tonight.

Today was our cousin Mason's birthday party. We were asked to wear our costumes, so Cooper went as a Pirate and Kendall went as a Princess.

They were so excited to go and little did they know what awaited them.......

First we had a very ghoulish Halloween dinner.....

and then the kids had the priviledge of eating with a "real" heart. (They kept daring each other to touch it)

We then had some cake and ice cream,

decorated our own caramel apples,

Cooper chose M&M's as his apple decor.

We then got to carve our own foam pumpkins. I think the adults had more fun than the kids.

Wait!!! The fun doesn't end there.

The kids then got to hit a pinata.

They had a lot of fun swinging at the eyeball. When the candy came out, all four kids just sat there staring at the candy and the parents ended up cleaning most of it up. It was a crack-up.

The kids had sooooooooooo much fun at the party and loved all of the activities and food. When we got in the car, Cooper asked if we could go to that party again. Good job Ryan and Jenny!!! The party was a total hit!!!!

Sprinkles Anyone?

We decided to decorate cupcakes the other night because the kids got some Halloween decorations from their Nana and Papa. The kids were so excited to use the decorations and sprinkles and this is what we ended up with:

A spoonful of sprinkles......

.....and some more sprinkles......

Um, can we eat the sprinkles? Why ask. We'll

just eat them anyway.

This is the coolest thing ever!!!!!

By the time we were done decorating the cupcakes, you couldn't even tell the cupcakes had frosting (just sprinkles), the kids at each eaten about five spoonfuls of sprinkles, and the floor was decorated very lovely with colorful sprinkles. All in all, though, we had a blast and the kids kept us laughing. These are the moments to remember.

Leaf Art!!!

I learned how to do leaf art at one of our enrichment nights, and I am very excited about it. I think they have turned out pretty good. I am still learning, but I think as time goes on, I will get better. I have made a couple of them for our bedroom since we have a black and white theme in there and I think they are an inexpensive alternative.

Our First Snowman!!!!!

I have been a little behind on keeping up with my blog, but I had to post these pictures. About a week ago when it snowed, Cooper and Kendall were so excited to go outside so we bundled them up and let them enjoy the snow. Ted and the kids made a snowman and then Cooper decided he wanted to make a snowman all by himself. I thought that was so cute and I was proud of him because it was his first snowman ever. Oh yeah, we haven't made it to buy Kendall a coat, so she is wearing Cooper's old one. No, that is not my lack of taste, it is my lack of preparation.

The Day Has Arrived!!!!

Today was the day I have been waiting for for a long time. While I was reading my book, my kids decided they wanted to play with my hair. I had a child on each side of me gently combing my hair and taking turns putting one of Kendall's hair clips in. It was all I could do to stay awake. I love having my hair played with and when I was little, I used to play with my moms hair and I remember longing for the day when someone would play with my hair. Well, that day has finally arrived. YAY!!!!! I know it sounds weird, but it truly is the greatest.

Pumpkins Anyone?

Last night for Family Home Evening we purchased a bale of hay and then we harvested our pumpkins and decorated our front porch with them. The kids had so much fun helping and they couldn't believe how many pumpkins we had. We couldn't believe how many little ones we got. We counted them and we had 113. We usually get more of the bigger pumpkins, but that is okay because our biggest pumpkin beat last years record by 30 pounds. We weighed it and it came in at 85 pounds. We were so proud of ourselves and we thought that was pretty good for a home grown pumpkin. We were wondering what to do with all the little pumpkins and we just ended up placing them all over our porch and decided that when little kids come to visit us, they can take a pumpkin. Cooper heard us discussing this last night, so when my nephew came over today, the first thing Cooper said when he opened the door was, "You can take a pumpkin if you want." Cooper and Kendall are so excited about them and I think it is so cute that kids get so excited over the little things. When Kendall woke up this morning and saw the empty space in the garden, she got a shocked look on her face and said, "Where'd the punkins go?" I looked at her and she smiled a devilish smile and pointed to the front door. It was so cute.