{For Brooke} On Your Birthday

Dear Brooke,

I know I say this every year, but this time it's especially true--I can't believe you are 5! You have grown up overnight it seems. I swear just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital on that cold, snowy day. Now, we have kindergarten to look forward to next year and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that. I can't imagine sending my baby off to school! But you like to remind me that you are big girl now. I am always so impressed with the things you know, and the questions you ask, and how quickly you grasp new words and concepts. I know you will just love school and soak it up. 

Your creativeness never ceases to amaze me. Whether it's making up new words to a familiar tune or a whole new song altogether, or attempting to make clothes for your toys out of paper and scraps of fabric--you don't need much to create a new game or toy to play with. 

Although you are full of energy, non-stop talking & questions, and excitement you still like to snuggle up with mom and dad to watch a movie or read a book. You still like to come cuddle with us and sit in our laps. You have a sensitive spirit about you and Dad and I have to remember that you get your feelings hurt easily and seemingly little things to us, like telling everyone in the whole family "Merry Christmas" individually are important to you. 

I can't believe what a smart, fun, cute girl we have! I just know you are going to excel this next year and hope that I can keep up with your energy and thirst for learning. I love you, my sweet girl, and am so proud to be your mother!

Oh, What a Day!

Friday night Blake came home late so Saturday morning the kids and I left so he could sleep in. I knew there was a free breakfast with Santa going on at one of the schools, but I didn't tell Brooke about it because I wasn't entirely sure we would go. It was a free pancake breakfast + Santa, which I thought would equal tons of people. We drove by the school just to see if the parking lot was packed. It actually didn't look too bad so we went in. Brooke was so surprised! We even saw some friends from our ward there that we ate with, so it was a really enjoyable morning.

 Porter did not want anything to do with Santa, but he was bananas for the firetruck parked outside! The kids both got to go inside the truck and hear the siren go off.

 After breakfast, I needed to do some grocery shopping. While we were checking out, I noticed a sign saying that the Grinch was going to be there in a few minutes to do a storytime with the kids. We decided to stick around for that.

Then it was home so we could hurry and get ready to drive three hours to the Riley Family Christmas Party. This is a fun tradition with good food and family and special program. The great-grandkids always do a nativity and then we had a special tribute to Grandma Riley (She almost didn't make it to this Christmas, and we're so happy to have her still with us--kids and grandkids shared special memories of her and Grandpa and it was great to listen to all the fun stories). It was a really nice night. Blake and I were saying how one of the main reasons we spend 6 hours in the car is so our kids can see family and have those relationships. 

This is a painting Deena did for her mom--the apples have memories written on them

Brooke and cousin J. talking during dinner. They just picked up where they left off.

 Porter was so cute as a little shepherd for the Nativity.

 He wasn't quite sure what to do, but wanted to be just like the big kids.

Porter loved pushing the garbage can all over the gym. It kept him entertained all night.

It ended up being a busy, jam-packed day, but well worth it!

Tis The Season {festivities}

This Christmas has been so fun with Brooke. (and a little bit annoying too, if I'm being completely honest here--I think I've said, "it's not Christmas, yet" a million times already). This year she gets it and remembers last year the things we did at Christmastime. She is bouncing off the walls with excitement and I'm doing my best to contain it and to help her understand that Christmas is about our Savior and serving others.

Brooke drew a Christmas angel all by herself

 Due to sickness and snowstorms, we were late going up on the mountain to get our Christmas tree this year. It was actually snowing the morning we went up and it was freezing cold, so Porter and I stayed in the car while Brooke and Blake went off to find the perfect tree. It was so cold and I was so paranoid about the snowy road conditions, I didn't care what the tree looked like or how big it was--I just wanted one cut down so we could go home!

 Brooke was a trooper! They had to climb up a hill through the snow to get to the trees.

 Brooke loved helping me decorate the tree.

 I love how the computer knows to put sparkly touches to my photos:

If it looks like our tree is leaning into the wall, it's because it is. We have a total Dr. Seuss tree! The bottom of the trunk is straight, but the trunk makes an S and it curves towards the wall (Blake said this tree was growing around another tree, so that's why). But, like I said, I totally don't care--just happy to have one at all.

Brooke's letter to Santa. I don't think she quite understands that she is supposed to ask for things like toys. She said she wants a slide (we have one already), a flower, a cloud, a raceboard (skateboard) and a windmill. Oh-kay... I wonder what she would do if "Santa" really brought her those things. She'd probably be a little disappointed--good thing "Santa" is pretty much done with Christmas shopping.

 Sunday morning I wanted to take pictures of the kids in their Christmas outfits by the tree.

Someone was being uncooperative (if you can't tell by his facial expression), so I ended up in the picture too.

 Oh, but the magic of Christmas is so fun with the kiddos. Brooke keeps saying, "Our tree is so darn cute!" Or "it's so beautiful!" Porter just stares in amazment. We've already lost on ornament to his curiosity.

Snow Day!

Last Tuesday we had a major snowstorm blow through. It's been many years since our town has gotten this much snow in one sitting. We spent Tuesday afternoon shoveling out our driveway, just to have it keep snowing all night. There was talk of a snow day and we woke up Wednesday to news that indeed school had been cancelled. Yahoo! 

Porter was excited about the snow until he actually went out in it. Then, he was pretty unsure. (I am not sure how or why these pictures have snow falling in them, but it's fun!)

 This is the first year that Brooke has actually loved the snow and wanted to play in it.

 This is Blake's commuter car. He parks in the driveway and this is how much snow there was on it in the morning after it snowed all night.

Although we have to make up the schoolday in April, it was nice to have an unexpected mid-week break. I was able to run some errands and do some things around the house that I was putting off. Plus the snowstorm pushed out the inversion and we've been able to see the sun this week.

Visitors for Thanksgiving

This year was the second time we've hosted a Thanksgiving at our house with me pretty much doing all the cooking for everyone. It's always fun to have visitors for the holidays and this year Ben and Katie flew out to be with us from Maine! My mom and brother, Jared, also drove out from the Wasatch Front. We had a full house and the kids were in heaven with all the attention.

Wednesday I made some pies--a dulche le leche banana toffee pie and a creamy pear pie. I know it looks like it's burnt, but it's not; the cinnomon shaker went crazy on me!

 Katie was a good sport to let the kids climb all over her at 25 weeks pregnant.

 The kids loved watching videos of Ben and Katie's cats doing tricks and being silly. (My poor, animal deprived children).

 Uncle Jared is always up for wrestling with the kids.

We have a great Thanksgiving with plenty of leftovers and memories made--some of them included Blake get bronchitis and taking a trip to the ER Thanksgiving morning and another included Brooke knocking Porter in the head with door so hard that he went flying backwards and landed on his back. It also included 3 of us standing around the turkey trying to decided if it was actually cooked all the way through or not. We watched "Christmas Vacation", played games, talked about baby names, and ate. Now I feel like I need to go on a detox food diet because I've eaten so much junk. 'Tis the Season!

Porter, not a man of many words, learned how to say Thank You earlier in the week. I thought that was rather appropriate for this time of year:

And here's Brooke with a Thanksgiving song she learned at preschool:

Being Thankful

I want to record some thankfuls in my life right now:

• I am thankful for the country that we live in. It's amazing. Even with all the bad that happens and our imperfect political system I would still rather live here than anywhere else. I recently taught a small unit on Malala Yousafzai to my students. Her dedication to her cause is incredible. I really tried to stress to my students  that we live in a blessed nation and what it means when we recite the Pledge of Allegiance and listen to our national anthem.
• I am thankful for people who care about me. My family and Blake's family are wonderful. I also have a great coworkers a loving ward family and other friends. I am a very social person and have a hard time if I don't communicate to adults on a regular basis. 
• I am thankful for this day and age that I live in. Techonology is amazing. Medicines can be a miracle. Modern conviences help with the stress of daily life.
• I am thankful for my husband and children. They are work. They cause me stress. But I love them and can't imagine my life without them. They make me laugh. They make me work harder and want to be better. They are molding me into the person I want to be.
• Above all else, I am thankful for my Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, and for the Holy Ghost. I will never be able to express the love and gratitude I have for all He has given me. I don't deserve it, but somehow there are quiet reminders that tell me that I am, in fact, worth it. I love the Gospel. I know the people in it aren't perfect, but His word and message to all of us is. He loves us. He wants us to experience this life and return to live with Him again. I know my family can be together forever and that brings so much peace and joy in my life. 

Crafting Projects and Sibling Togetherness

This is a pretty random post, full of pictures that I found on my camera that just need to be posted. 

Over the summer I had Blake make me a ruler board so we can keep track of the kids' growth. Before, we'd been marking Brooke's height on her doorframe in her bedroom. Then we got thinking that we'll probably not stay in our house forever and wanted something portable. I saw this idea on pinterest and Blake is handy enough that he could make one for me way cheaper than what it costs to buy one. (It looks crooked in the pictures, but it's hanging straight, I swear!) It's been finished for a while, but we just barely got around to hanging it and then it took several more months for us to actually measure the kids and write on it. I think we're going to measure the kids twice a year.

We decided to hang it at the end of the hallway where the kids' bedrooms are. It's a hallway I walk by often, and if I catch the board out of the corner of my eye, it looks like someone's standing there and startles me for a minute.

 My kids follow me around the house like I'm going to disappear if they leave me alone for a second. It's pretty common to find them hanging out in our bedroom while I'm getting ready. It was cute one morning to see them on our bed waiting for me to come out of the bathroom.

 Mr. P is not sure if he can't make the jump to get off the bed or not.

 Then, finally, I made these yesterday at a crafting activity my MIL's ward was having. They are really easy and fun. It would make a perfect activity for kids on those cold, snowy days when going outside isn't an option. I also think this would be a great activity for my students to do when they finish their work early or are bouncing off the walls the few days before winter break. For a complete tutorial, click HERE.

Happy Turkey Day this week!