Christmas!

The girls must have been good this year cause come Christmas morning, there were tons of presents under our tree!  The first thing the girls saw when they came down was a new bike for Chloe and a new scooter for Abby.  These were two of the things that the girls asked Santa for. Chloe also asked for a giant stuffed cat or unicorn and "anything art". She ended up with a huge unicorn that is as big as she is and a backpack that you get to color yourself. Abby asked for bubble tape gum and a cookie mixer (a.k.a. toy stand mixer). She got both as well as a giant stuffed bear.

Waiting to come down stairs.

Mom and dad got them some cool toys as well and of course some new clothes. They also got an awesome present from Grandma and Grandpa Searle- a WII! They were so excited and wanted to set up right away.

As usual, Aaron out did himself and surprised me by getting me a IPad mini.  I LOVE it! The kids were excited for it too because it meant that my kindle now became theirs!

After we finished opening presents at our house we headed over to my mom's for brunch and more presents.

The aftermath! 

 Melinda had Aaron's name for Christmas this year and the only thing he told her that he wanted was a new Jeep.  Well I guess next time he needs to be more specific as to what kind of Jeep cause she bought him a remote control one! 

Booties ornament for Max

Christmas Eve

Growing up, Christmas Eve consisted of hanging out with family, eating finger foods, playing games, and playing the present game.  We still keep those traditions alive and I love it!  It was so fun to have so many extended family members there with us and it was even more fun because Melinda and her boyfriend Dustin flew in for Christmas as well.

 The girls and I figured why sit at home and wait for Aaron to get home before we headed to my mom's house, so we went up early and spent the day. The girls really wanted to go sledding in Grandma's backyard, but I forgot their snow clothes. However, did that stop them-no! Tawna put Chloe in her jacket and Abby borrowed Kiara's snow clothes. Chloe looked so cute it this huge coat, I couldn't help but snap a picture.
After they were done sledding, everyone started to arrive and the party got started.

 I love my family so much and it was such a fun night hanging out with all of them. It also didn't hurt that I scored a super cute frame for one of the girls room in the present game. It was an all around great night. Before we knew it, it was time to head home so that Santa could come! That got the girls out the door in a flash and they searched for Rudolph's nose the whole way home.

 Nice hat Tawna!

Christmas with Dad

We had our annual December 23rd Christmas celebration with my dad and had a great time.  Amber had flown in just that day so it was fun getting to see her and her family.  The kids wasted no time after dinner opening presents and they were so excited about everything they got.  They were even more excited about their big gifts from grandpa. Chloe got a Brave bow and aarow set (don't worry, it had suction cups on the end and not sharp tips) and Abby got a Rapunzel doll.

 After a mini lesson from Aaron, Chloe got pretty good at shooting her aarows. Abby enjoyed playing with her doll and her crazy aunts!  I made my dad a photo calendar with everyone's birthdays printed on it so that he won't ever forget a birthday again (well for at least this year).

Christmas on the 23rd is always a fun day and we love spending our special holiday with my dad!

Christmas Tree for Max

We went a placed a Christmas tree by Max's grave in remembrance of his birthday last Christmas.  It seems like so long ago that we had him but at the same time short.  It's crazy to think that he would be one now! I see other babies that were born around the same time and think about how Max would be the same size. We miss him everyday and look forward to being with him again.

Christmas Cuties

Merry Christmas!

 From our Christmas cuties to yours!

Aaron's Birthday

Aaron is not big on having parties for his birthday, so we usually keep it pretty low key. We just went to dinner with his parents and then had cake afterwards.  I invited the Cumming's to come down for dessert with us as well and we all sat around and chatted for awhile and then called it a night. Real exciting I know- but that's all he wanted. Maybe one of these years I can convince him to have a party or do something fun. =)

Christmas Sing

Chloe had her first Christmas sing-in at her school so of course I had to go and listen to her. I was all ready and had my camera set to take videos and when the time came to record, my camera kept freezing for some reason. I only could record in four second intervals before it would freeze. I was so bummed!  However, I wouldn't have got any great shots of her singing anyways because she was hidden behind a tall kid in her class. It  also doesn't help that she is one of the shortest in her class as well.  But, it was a cute song and Chloe did great. They sang "Must be Santa" by Raffi.

Visiting Santa

It wouldn't be the holidays without a trip to go see Santa. Now, I wont lie- I refuse to pay to go see Santa. Luckily for me he came to the Springville library and we got to visit with him and take pictures for free. We got to listen to Santa read a story, then while waiting in line the library had set up some crafts for the kids to do. It kept them entertained while they waited and no one complained. Both girls happily sat on Santa's lap and told them what they wanted. Chloe asked for a new bike and a giant stuffed animal. Abby asked for a scooter and some bubble tape gum.  Let's see if Santa thinks they were good enough this year to get what they want.

Snow Much Fun

Our girls just love playing in the snow, so after our first big snow we had to go out and play.  The slide was covered in snow and the girls thought it was so much fun sliding down it.  See, you can even use your swing set in the winter =).

 These girls love each other so much!

Deer Valley Getaway

Heather and Travis invited us to go on a little weekend getaway trip to Deer Valley. They found a great deal and we shared a 3 room suite that had a kitchen in it- this way we could cook our own food and not have to go out every meal.

We went shopping, watched movies, swam in the pool, sat in the "hot hot bath tub" as Abby would call it, and went sledding.  It was a perfectly relaxing weekend and just what we needed at the time.

 On our way to the pool! It was too cold to just walk out in our swim suits so we all put on some robes and walked down. What a sight we made!

 Watching a movie in bed.

The day we went sledding was perfect. Normally it is freezing when we go sledding so our kids last about 30 minuted before they start complaining.  However, it was warm out so everyone actually enjoyed being outside and we spent a good 2 hours sledding.

 Abby loving being out in the snow.

 Love this face! She was having a blast.