Sunday Best

One of our Christmas traditions (along with most people) is getting new Sunday clothes.

I usually do not like the traditional reds and blacks for the holiday. Of course I would prefer Turquoise or something not so traditional. However, moving to Hurricane there is not much shopping and I am not too fond of shopping on line for dresses. 

My wonderful mother and sister Sage came over and watched the kids while Josh and I spent the day Christmas shopping in Vegas. 

It was great. 

I loved spending the entire day with just Josh and Harrison.

We were so blessed and found everything we needed in the time we were there.

That being said I also had to make do with what I could find. 

So this year was a traditional Christmas Sunday Best. 

As usual I tried to take a family photo on the couch and this is what I got. 

It seems like every time we put Siri in a dress all she wants to do is twirl, twirl, twirl and if we put her shoes on she loves to run on the tile and hear the click clack, click clacking of her shoes.

This is why she is in only a few pictures on the couch most of the time she is running in front of the camera and I get a blurry shot of her smiling face as she passes. 

 

Siri just happen to coordinate perfectly with Grandpa Lex, which is fitting since she adores her Grandpa Lex. They are two peas in a pod...when she is in a happy mood.

Harrison 6 months~

Harrison

6 months has been a busy month for you.

In about a week span you sat up on your own,

had two bottom front teeth pop through,  had your first solid food, rice cereal,

 your eye color completely turned a rich brown,

and you are able to get up on all fours in the crawling position.

 You have been one active baby!

You still have a grin on your face most of the time and if you could take off running around with your brother and sister you would be right in the middle of all the action.

It's sometimes hard to feed you in the high chair, when all the kids are around.

You flip your head back and forth and squeal so loud trying to catch every ounce of action.

 Chamberlain and Siri both still fight over whose turn is it to hold you.  You are very loved.

I just keep feeling that when you are more mobile you will be keeping me on my toes.

I'm excited!

 Love those brown eyes.

 

 Happy boy.

 His first teeth.

Did I mention he loves sweet potatoes. 

our Elf Scout

This year I caved and we did Elf on the Shelf.

Chamberlain kept coming home from school asking about this Elf thing. 

Apparently it was all the talk on the play ground. He kept asking if it was a movie or a book and could we watch/read it.  I tried several ways of explaining it and he still kept asking.  I started to feel bad after a week. I called Josh one day on his way home from work and when he came home or shortly after we found an Elf on the Shelf sitting on our doorstep.

The kids were thrilled! 

We named him that night and went to bed eager to see what or where Scout would appear the next morning and every morning after that. 

Josh and I had fun trying to figure out what to do with him next and Chamberlain and Siri woke super early in excitement every morning. 

My favorite mornings were when the kids could not find Scout and would take nearly all morning to find him in between getting ready for school and trying to eat breakfast. 

Scout was a fun member of our family for the month of December.  

I do have to say my absolute favorite one was when it snowed (which rarely happens here) Josh and I were on our way home from a day in Vegas and Josh made a snowman and we put it in the freezer to keep it. Since it would melt by morning.

My mom was staying over that night due to the snow and she made ear muffs for Scout and a scarf.

It turned out so cute. 

The next morning there was a need for Hot Cocoa and I accidentally made it too hot. I asked Chamberlain to get a couple of Ice cubes out of the freezer and he jumped in fright when he pulled the door open.  It was hard not to laugh.

We even bottled him up and took him with us to Grandmas for Christmas. 

It added to our Christmas Cheer and I can hardly wait till next year.

 

9 kids.

Earlier in the month we had the chance to make a quick trip up north to see Shelbie and Tim's, newly minted, baby Navy. 

She is so beautiful and so tiny. I forgot how tiny they come. She is the sweetest baby and barely makes a peep.  She is a perfect mix of both Tim and Shelbie and has that dark olive skin, lots of hair and such a sweet disposition.  I'm sad that we spent all that time and I never snapped a picture. Its because I did all the baby holding and I'm the one who also takes the pictures.

We were lucky enough also to get together with Whitney and her beautiful family.

I miss that pretty lady and her kids. I miss our play dates at the park, swimming at the Lindon and Provo pools, our meetings at Provo beach Resort and this past summer I especially missed our Saturday nights (while the hubbys were at work) taking the kids to the splash pad at the river bottoms.

I never realized how good we had it living so close. 

However, just our luck we met up and got the kids all together.

 My have they all grown. 

I can't believe between Shelbie, Whitney, and I we have 9.5 kids. 

CRAZY! 

Then once I got to thinking about it. Between Shelbie, Whitney, Karly, Jordann, and I we have 10 kids plus another 3 on the way,  making it a whopping 13 in 2013.  It feels like just a few years ago we were all living in Provo hanging out in the Avenues enjoying the college life. 

Here are our little ones well at least 8 of the 9 between Shel, Whit and I. 

Baby Navy was eating. And lets be honest. How much did we really want to put a week old baby on the lap of one of those very busy kids. 

 Let it be known trying to get all 8 kids to look at the camera at one time while having copious amounts of sugar just before picture taking time, IMPOSSIBLE!

I must admit ladies of the North I am jealous that you all live so close.

But I know come the February, March, April, May months you'll be wishing you were down South with me! 

Hair Cut

Siri! 

I have been visualizing/dreaming/thinking about the first time taking you to get  your hair cut. 

I envisioned us going to a salon just the two of us and chopping trimming your hair.

I hoped it would be a fun experience since you like to watch yourself in the mirror when I do your hair.  One that we could enjoy together for years and years to come.

Well, Ms. Siri, just a few days ago you at 2.5 years old chopped sections chunks out of your hair.

Daddy and I were folding clothes in our room while Harrison was sleeping and Chamberlain was at the neighbors, when we both realized it was a little too quiet in the house. Dad went on the hunt and we found you tucked into the corner or the dishwasher and the sink with my scissors, and layers of hair all over the rug and your cardi.

It was hard not to laugh.  

I didn't even know you knew what scissors were for. We rarely use them and especially not on our hair.  

I took you into the bathroom to inspect the damage. 

Fortunately you really cant tell much where all the chopping occured. I must say you did a great job on trimming your long bangs to just above the eyebrow. 

I thought the stage of you cutting your own hair would happen when you were like 5 or 6, not 2.5. 

I remember the day I cut your Aunt Shelbie's hair. I even remember having her sit on a stool in our room while I chopped away like I had seen Aunt Suzie do hundreds of times before. I chopped chopped chopped till my mom walked in. She was not happy. 

Siri I love that you always keep us on our toes!

 

I was a little upset but not for long. How could I stay mad with a face like that.

Love ya Ms. Siri.

Twinkie Day

When Hostess announced its bankruptcy I did what most responsible parents would do and educated my children along with the neighborhood kids on Hostess products and bankruptcy.

The funny thing is, is when I went to purchase these tasty treats of American history at my local Wal-Mart the shelf was completely empty and it wasn't even noon.

So I went to our local market Lin's and there was enough left on the shelf to entertain 6 children.

I told Chamberlain that we would be taste testing Twinkies and he asked, "Whats a Twinkie?"

Clearly I have done my part when it comes to educating my Children on America's iconic snacks. 

Once we picked up the neighbors from school we headed straight for our kitchen table.

I dumped out all the contents of each box and insisted that each of them have at least one of each confection. 

I wish I would have had my camera out for the reaction on their faces when I told them they had to try all 5 flavors at least once.  Their eyes widen and each had a huge grin like they were in heaven. 

However, as the tasting went on I realized that they only could get through 1.5 treats and were sugared out.  Good thing we had a knock at the door of 5 more kids and I let them take as much as they wanted. 

Happy faces all around. 

Thank You Hostess for filling the sweet cravings from Elementary to High school. 

 

  The Hostess tasting Bunch!!!

Q. the last man Standing