Once there was a snowman

The snow finally came! and now it's almost gone again...While it was here Matthew asked to make a snowman and I thought we'd better hustle and take advantage of it! Which is strange because usually the end of january in rexburg sees so limit to the snow. The kids had such a great time and Curt always goes to the extreme :)

Matthew rolled the head (which later became the neck because Curt didn't think 3 was high enough!) all by himself! It was heavy snow too, very wet. I was impressed. I had to help Curt get the second section up and at first we weren't sure we could even do it! Then Curt turned into the incredible hulk and did it anyway.

We had a face on it, and then we went inside with cold toes and cold noses to get some hot cocoa while Curt stayed out. See, it's when I leave him unattended that he goes over board! hahaha. When I called him in for dinner he told me to come and see what he had done. He shoveled about 4 inches of snow all the way around each section to make them wider and added another head?! He's so funny. Completely covered the face.

And then that evening it actually warmed up a lot and things started slushing. But then through the night it refroze. So our snowman is now a dancing snowman. I don't know how he didn't fall down! this is the next morning. Today he tipped even further but Curt is convinced that frosty will not fall because he is now solid ice. "He's like a sculpture" he says. good job Curt! :)

ups and downs of 2012 so far

So far a lot of mixed emotions have come with the start of a new year! Curt graduated, and that's an amazing stress off our shoulders, but is replaced by an even larger one in form of "JOB SEARCH." shudder. It's the waiting game...and my mom always said my fatal flaw was impatience.

Hailey started the year off with a bang by having a terrible UTI. She was miserable for about a week.

She slept a lot! She is all better though and actually it may have been a blessing in disguise. Previous to this she was so anti food it was driving us nuts because she was such a good eater as a baby! So she went the entire week basically eating nothing except for milk, water, frozen peas and pistachios. Her absolute never fail favorites. As soon as she was better though she seems to have found that appreciation for food she was lacking. phew!

I learned a new trick, that I will try not to replicate...ever again. hahaha. I threw my gum out the car window and somehow instead of going with the wind it decided to fly forward? strange. landed right in front of me on the windshield! All I could do was laugh until it finally got cold enough to harden and blow off. all Curt could do was roll his eyes at my talent. I had the camera for other reasons, but I couldn't resist a picture. gross, sorry.

Matthew got Strep throat (doctor said it was really going around Rexburg. Tis the time of year I guess). He was miserable for about 4 days and finally his fever really broke and he was able to play. As wild and crazy as ever again! And just as wonderful. Today Curt eavesdropped on Matthew explaining to Hailey the different sides and angles of the particular screw driver he was holding verses the one she had and why hers wouldn't work to take apart the dump truck from Grandma Patsy but his would. By Curt's description Matthew explained the situation to Hailey far better than I ever could and he said Hailey totally seemed to be paying attention and got it. They play soooo good together except when they don't, of course. Luckily they're happy more than fighting.

The rest...sort of

So right around the time Lance and Kara and their family came up Hailey got a UTI. She was really miserable pretty much the entire time they were here, which means that my arms got a great workout holding her all of the time. This also means that I didn't get many pictures. The one picture that I have that proves that they were here I took from mom and dad's camera. Or maybe it was vicky's, I'm not sure. So that is too bad but we did have a lot of fun with them still the same. And Hailey did cheer up here and there. We have a really long video my dad took of everyone but I think it's too long to put on here. Maybe I will try to import it from a different site. Anyway...here you go!

More hot cocoa. always a hit. You can see how happy it made Hailey here!

One of the many delicious meals! Actually I think this was a snack. Or second dinner. Or lunner...

Here's a meal with all the grandkids, just missing Wesley and Roslyn because they already had headed home.

Matthew and Isaac were good buddies. Matthew and Jexten were good buddies. Jexten and Isaac got along together too, but putting all three together at the same time just doesn't work! I guess more proof that "three's a crowd"

Glad we could see everyone for the holidays! We are still recovering. It seems so boring now and every time we go to do something matthew always asks "With Jexten?" (or Isaac or Wesley depending on the day and thing we are doing.)

The fun never stops!

My sister, vicky, and her family came up Wednesday to spend some time. It has been nothing but one big party since!

Going to the gym and my mom's school is always a good way to wear out the kids before bedtime

vicky and I picked up some skate shoes for matthew and jexten for a screaming deal! It will take some practice and maybe a few years of growing to figure them out (lucky we got them big!!)

ouch, not as easy as it looks eh?

We had ourselves a Zhu Zhu party where there was sure to be enough room. funny, the kids only lasted so long and then it was just me, mom and vicky playing for a while....hey, I enjoyed it! haha

well, Hailey stuck around at least.

lessons on safe driving from grandpa

We also went to the craze. Hailey has never had so much fun as she did this time following adessa around!

And the girls had a "mani/pedi party"

more coming soon! My other brother, Lance, and his family came late tonight so we will see them tomorrow and do some new year's eve partiness!

So this is Christmas

This Christmas we all got a surprise visit from Cody and Tricia! It was so great to see them from such a long ways away. It's too bad that the surprises vicky & kurt and lance & kara got weren't so good. A split open head, tubes in ears, and the flu! Shoot. So we missed having them here to celebrate with us too, but hopefully we will see them this week!

These first photos are making gingerbread houses.

Christmas pj's from Grandma and Grandpa. This picture is blurry but Matthew was so funny. He was dancing around posing and shooting his laser. I can't believe how excited they were to get new jammies. this could have been Christmas and I think they would have been happy. haha

We opened some presents in the morning before Church and saved the best for Grandma's house after church with cody and trish. I was wishing we'd just saved them all because we were late to church and arrived grumpy and flustered because we were in such a rush and I hate being late. Well, we had to at least open the quiet book I spent hours and hours on and the car roll.

waiting to run in and see the gifts from santa...

my quantity of pictures this morning is low because the quality was poor. They were going so fast everything was a blur. Mostly I just videoed it but they are too long to put on here.

Curt always just asks for money. So I made a money tree origami thing. But it wouldn't stay together very good so I stuck it in an old cassette case.

Hailey's favorite gift of the morning was a pez-like candy dispenser designed to look like a Wii remote. She thought it was real, it was so cute to see her sit on the couch pointing it at the tv and using her sound effects.

Matthew was one crazy ball of excitement all morning.

Opening more presents from family after church and after a wonderful breakfast

Matthew gives the best reactions

He must have learned it from his daddy. hahaha

I should have saved the dolly and stroller for last because she wasn't really interested in much else after she got them.

Curt and matthew trying to figure out the TWENTY STEP process of transforming bumble bee. Seriously? We've almost learned it now...

Hailey was trying to get along with Rozlyn....after some prompting.

It was a beautiful Christmas Sunday and so much fun to get to spend it with family!