November 2013

 The week before Thanksgiving, the Dallas Hansens,  (Eric stayed in TX to work) came for a visit!

We were soooo excited to meet Parker, Emmie and Lexi's very first GIRL cousin, Miss Isabel, who was born in September. She is pretty much thee cutest thing and we were all smitten right away!

Had to take advantage of the first fam photo op after Sunday dinner and Uncle Brett's birthday celebration. Brett and Bethany had just recently announced their pregnancy, as well as Dustin and Sarai! We're really excited about more new cousins joining the fam in the next few months!

Cute cousins! 

Parker, Isabel, Emmie, Lexi and Isaac

We spent Thanksgiving the following week with the Hansens. It was fun to have the Loncyznas, Leons, and sweet Aunt Gloria (Lance's sister) and cousin Hollie join us! 

Thankful turkeys. 

The kiddos worked on these on Thanksgiving day while I did a little cooking (& I mean little - my contributions to the feast were just molasses cookies and a relish tray), but sadly I still didn't have time to help Emmie fill hers out...& lame that apparently we didn't make one for Lexi...?  Parker however whipped out his gratitude feathers in about 60 seconds. It startles me sometimes the way he attacks a project without really thinking first. This was one of those. My thought process is clearly a little slower than his. :) He loves this kind of thing though and he isn't rushing just to get it done, it's just how he operates. 

He's a pretty practical dude. I love how he is thankful for blood and skin and sign language. Those are some good things. :)

It's almost Valentines Day...so let's talk about Halloween :)

 We totally reused costumes this year for Halloween... and I didn't feel one ounce of mommy guilt for it! Parker really wanted to be Super Mario again (the costume fit even better this year), Emmie wanted to be Snow White and wear the dress up she got for her birthday, and Lexi... well she wore Parker's old Mickey costume from when he was 2. 
Everyone was happy, I didn't spend a dime- or ridiculous amounts of time on costume details that only get covered up by a coat (& let's be real - no one really cares), and the kids loved their anticipated, SIMPLE, stress-free Halloween! 

And so did I. :)

 And Chris especially loved the part that our bank account went unaffected (as did I). :)

 Mickey (with a bow?), Snow White and Mario

 

Emmie was thrilled to get to wear a little make up!

That was one of my favorite perks about dressing up for Halloween when I was a kid, too. I think we're related. :)

{Rewind to the afternoon... }

After preschool, the little little princess transformed into my assistant chef as we baked some sugar cookies. 

I think one of my favorite things about all holidays is the excuse to make yummy cookies. I would make them all the time except that I would easily be 10 lbs heavier...no thanks... so I just try to stick with special occasions but it's something I love to do! 

 

 Chris had to work (again) this year. Not super awesome but it really wasn't a huge deal. Thankfully, the Hansens came to our rescue yet again and helped take the kids around trick or treating. I went for a few minutes but was relieved to switch out with Becky as my vertigo had me spinning big time. :)

By the end of the night, kids were thrilled with their candy loot, and Chris and I were thrilled to be able to steal some in the subsequent weeks. :)

Like I said before, it was a win-win Halloween for everyone. :):)

Random Fall 2013

Sisters! 

Such lucky girls to have each other!

We've lived here for 6 1/2 years (time flies!) and we've had this beautiful view to look at everyday. It's been bittersweet as construction crews have taken over developing the land back there (currently still just building roads) beginning last Fall. Parker's finally hit an age where I have let him roam back there a bit with his buddies...(kind of an awesome playground for little boys) and soon it will be gone and developed into a neighborhood! After purchasing our home at the height of the recession (2007) we have been "under water" on our home for years now...like everyone else who became homeowners that year. But I'm happy to say that we bought in a great area (location, location, location! & being the smallest house in the neighborhood can be a good thing:)) and we are no longer underwater! And with the new custom homes set to be built back there, our home price should just rise because of it. So while we love the view, we can't totally complain about getting new neighbors! :) 

Not that we plan on moving....we'd love a tiny bit more space, but we'd want to stay in this area for sure and everything is so darn expensive over here! What we have is what we can afford, lol. :)

As long as great new friends/neighbors replace those sunsets, I'm okay with the change. I think. :)

Parker loved "crazy hair day" at school!

The Preschool Crew of Blondies... 

seriously, the cutest playgroup ever. I love these kiddos! We have playgroup once a week after carpooling to preschool together. It works out awesome and they play together so well!

We had the best Fall!! The weather was soooo nice. Definitely my favorite time of year and I was so grateful that Utah's stinky snow didn't set in too early and ruin it all like it does some years. 

Me and the Lexi Girl. 

Love her so much!

Emmie: "Hey guys! We can use these as our mouth covers for when Mom tells us to 'zip it!'." 

(Shoot is my punctuation right??)

Apparently I said that a lot this last Fall because they ran through a lot of stickers....;)

Fall Fun

More Fall Fun...

Hee Haw Farms

 October 2013

The Petting farm, giant slide, wagon ride, courtyard games, "haunted" wagon trick-or-treat ride.... what's not to love?? This was a really fun morning and the kiddos especially loved the huge slide- made apparent by the 50 turns they took chasing down it.

For the record, when you have bad vertigo, a corn maze is not very therapeutic, helpful, or awesome! 

 I was probably a few weeks into therapy by that point and feeling somewhat better but this was not a good idea! We thought the wagon was dropping us off at the pumpkin patch, not a maze!:)

I love this
 (now that it's January, I'll call it that) 
 time of year!!!

Lexi turns 2

This Little Miss Itty turned 2 in October.

TWO!

It's gone by waaay to fast. To say that we adore this pint-sized Delight is an extreme understatement. She is the essence of joy. Truly! She is SO. MUCH. FUN and we just can't get enough of her! 

Her 24 month stats: 

 WEIGHT: 20.72 lbs: 4.85%ile

HEIGHT: 30.5 inches: 0.28%ile

HEAD: 18.75 inches: 62.59%ile

 

Here are 24 things about Lexi at 24 months: 

1. She can count up to 13 (gets a little mixed up after that) all on her own, and from 5 back down to 1. :)

2. She LOVES Minnie Mouse (appropriate since she herself is "mini") and her pink and black satin blankie that Grandma Jane made her. She must sleep with them both (and currently 7 other "friends/babies in her crib). She also has to have her glow worm on and a sippy of water in her crib for her to go to sleep. 

3. She still sleeps in her crib, and takes 1 afternoon nap, anywhere from 1-4. (Anyone who dares knock on our door during that time, also known as "quiet time" at our house, is toast. :))

4. She loves her "milky" baba's, with chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast mixed in....that addiction is to blame on the endocrinologist...;)

5. She wears size 12 month pants and is still itty bitty. The pediatrician is pretty confident that we will have to start growth hormone therapy for her next year....

6. She has really cute naturally curly, scrunch-and-go hair. :)

7. She LOVES to sing. LOVES! Her little voice is the sweetest and she is pretty amazing at carrying a tune for a 2 year old.  Her favorite songs at the moment are: I am a Child of God, I am like a Star Shining Brightly (real name?), and the ABC's. 

8. Like her big sis, she is a thumb sucker. 

9. She loves to play house and school with Emmie. Emmie goes around singing to her, "Lexi- WHAT DOES THE "G" SAY?! (To the tune of, "Who let the dogs out?!") And impressively, half the time Lexi gets the sound right... "G, G G G!". It's pretty entertaining. :)

10. Her favorite foods are: Cut up chicken (dipped in ranch please),  soups (chicken tortilla, cauliflower cheddar, creamy potato...), potatoes, rice, cheese, cheese sticks, Danimals, peanut butter and honey sandwiches (no crust please), taquitos, waffles, pancakes, bacon, cottage cheese, manicotti, noodles, homemade (or not) mac n cheese, french fries, apple sauce squeezies, green smoothies, cereal... overall she's a pretty good eater these days for a two year old, I can't complain.

11. Her expressions are the best... she has the biggest, cutest smile and I love it when her eyes get all big when she's describing something to me and she throws her arms up in the air... 

12. She loves to make us laugh and is such a little performer. She'll walk away from us in a shuffle/march with her eyes wide and eyebrows up all the while throwing us a glance over her shoulder, because she knows it makes us laugh.

13. She loves to read stories and will bring me book after book. We read a lot of Sandra Boynton these days. 

14. She's not been a great sleeper for probably 9 months. Teething is partially to blame but I'm not sure. I can pretty much count on a wake up call around 3 a.m. and sometimes numerous times leading up to midnight. 

15. She's a great little talker and pretty much says anything....but is sometimes hard to understand lately.

16. She has colored on more walls (& furniture) than our other kids ever dared did combined. 

17. She has an incredible tolerance for pain. It makes me nervous sometimes because it's hard to take an injury (like when a heavy barstool hit her head a few months back and left an indent - I still wonder if it cracked her skull) seriously when she only cries for a minute. 

18. She still sits backwards in the car and still fits in her baby car seat. Backwards is the safest (according to the experts) so I leave my kiddos that way for as long as possible. With the rate that she's growing, she'll be backwards til she's fourteen. :)

19. She's really sharp. She remembers things we teach/tell her really well and seems to really comprehend things. She really reminds me of Parker at this age because of that. 

20. Her favorite "shows" are: Mickey Mouse Club House, Princess Sofia, and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. 

21. She went to nursery at church for about 3 weeks happily/willingly... but then I had to take her out for a little sabatical to avoid germs for the holidays. She hasn't been back since but hopefully she'll ease back into it soon. Her nursery teachers adore her. :)

22. Her eyes have turned a pretty greenish color recently & she has killer eye lashes. :)

23. Her two front teeth  make me smile and when she gives kisses, she sticks them out giving a slobbery tooth-kiss. 

24. She likes to be rocked before going to bed (for just a few minutes) while we sing a few songs, and when she cuddles up on me during this process she always swishes my hair out of the way, telling me, "Mom your hair's cazy (crazy)". 

...I could go on and on!!!

She is such a fun, bright, sweet (with a pinch of feisty), loving, exuberant, HAPPY girl and makes such a great little companion. She loves to be held and I love that her tininess makes doing so, so doable. :) We just adore her to pieces and are so blessed by her in our family!

Her birthday... we woke up and did presents first thing as we do in this house for birthdays before Chris left for work and P for school. She got a big Minnie Mouse and was a happy girl! She also couldn't put down the Animal Crackers that I had slipped in with one of her gifts, as can be noted in the pics. 

A few days later, when Chris had a day off and P had early out day at school, we went to... of course, Thanksgiving Point and hung out at the Farm since this little cutie loves animals. 

I think it's safe to say she's the cutest little 2-year-old Cowgirl in all the land!

Seeing the goats. 

I heart the goats, what can I say. 

  I also heart these peeps. 

Riding the wagon...how did this threesome get so big all of a sudden?? 

Gma & Gpa Hansen happened to call while we were there and came over on a whim to have dinner with us at the Emporium. They were taking off for Texas that week and then off to New York and wanted to celebrate with Miss Lex before they left & we were glad they came. 

And the celebrations continued as they do in our family!

The next week my Dad and Melissa had us over for a party for Lexi. I was grateful to Melissa for doing that... I was still in the middle of not feeling good and had just started physical therapy for my inner ear/vertigo problem and was not up to all the prep that goes into  having a houseful of party goers!

 Have I mentioned how much we love Melissa?! Not only is she one of the warmest, sweetest, most upbeat people you could know, she is also an amazing cook! Those cupcakes have Lindt chocolate balls hidden in them. SO yummy!!!

We lucked out because Steven, Kylie and Jack were in town to join in on the party!

Happy Birthday to our Baby Girl!!!

September catch up

September pics...

Pretty blessed to have these little bundles of cuteness/joy/fun (& sometimes trouble) in our lives!

Parker wanted to take a pic since we were all matching in our red bottoms.... Plus Mom was actually out of bed and dressed! :) Okay in all actuality, anyone who knows me well, knows that I could be on my death  bed and I would still manage to shower and wear makeup. I never skip a day... ever. :) Maybe a little bit OCD... maybe a little bit vain...I say just very hygienic and possibly a little bit frightened of the alternative staring back at me in the mirror...;) Getting ready for the day always makes me feel better about life. Always. :)

My birthday came and went mid September.
I think that I have the best birth date in the whole world. Don't ask me why, I just do.  :)
 (Maybe because I love the fall so much...)
Then again, maybe everyone feels that way about their birthday?
My cute husband and kids brought me home this perfect tiny cake and - my favorite- polkadot balloons, in two of my favorite colors. I was still really taking it easy and cannot remember for the life of me what we did to celebrate (or what I got?)? Oh my sad little mind... I think that we maybe went out to dinner just the five of us? Then later in the month my Dad and Melissa threw me such a nice birthday party/dinner. Melissa asked me what my favorite dessert was and I of course said cookies... so she made me a giant chocolate chip cookie layered ice cream cake! SO cute (and so delicious!) and so nice! We also celebrated with the Hansens at the end of the month, along with Becky's end-of-the-month b-day.

These cute girls love to play house in the toy room in the basement. Emmie loves to put Lexi "down for naps" (hence the doll blankets) on their mini couch, and Lexi goes right along with it. Love those cute girls!

Emmie started dance in September. Again. She took a hiatus from it last year, but we started it again in September. We carpool with two of her cute friends and Emmie really likes it... that is when she's not day dreaming and actually watches so she knows what to do!....what a dreamer girl she is! And maybe just a bit ADD...I find she does a lot better (in everything) when I am consistently giving her her chewy fish oil vitamins. There is research showing that it really helps kids who have a hard time paying attention, and I notice it really does make a difference for her.

Parker is doing great in 1st Grade! I love to read his little essays. :)

This little one loves her babies. Any and all of them. She has the cutest little bounce ever when she "rocks" them. I LOVE this two year old!!
As I was starting to have days where I was beginning to feel somewhat better, I really REALLY was craving to go to my favorite place - the Thanksgiving Point Gardens and spend quality time with my favorite foursome, and do something I love (but am not great at) - take a few pictures!

Seriously love this place! I could stay there all day. We took a picnic dinner and it was heaven. :)
 I hadn't been outside much in 6 or 7 weeks so it was sooo nice to breathe in the fresh air and take in the beauty of my surroundings. It was also the first exercise I had attempted since failing my stress test with oxygen dropping to the mid 60's. I had a little bit of a hard time breathing here and there but overall it was fine.

 

Just beyond grateful for this sweet fam of mine! I don't know what I did to be so blessed but I feel pretty darn lucky that they are mine. All four of them. :) 

Rainbow Party!

Emmie's birthday was in late August and she'd been talking about her "Rainbow" party for months. Even though I'd been so sick and on bedrest, I knew that if she didn't have her party that she'd be crushed. We ended up throwing her a very low key, last minute party (invites went out on Saturday, and the party was the following Tuesday) & I was just grateful that I'd done most of the planning for it as I was planning Parker's the month before, so I had most of the things I needed for it. I felt bad for not inviting the boys she is friends with (we are surrounded by lots of little boys) but  I knew I couldn't handle that many kids...plus it was a rainbow party... girly, right?


The Birthday Cutie!
I can't believe she is five!

The party guests! (minus cute Emily who wasn't there yet)


The decor

 

 Chris took the day off to help me... I couldn't have done it without him! It was really simple though and these cute girls made it so easy - they are so great!

 

 The activities...
Lunch, decorating piñata bags, piñata smashing...

Bingo, with fruit loops of course. :)
(Um, bingo is a huge hit with 5 year olds!)

...Present opening...
I honestly love each of these cute girls so much! They all live closeby and we've carpooled either to dance, preschool, or gymnastic on top of many playdates...also I teach a handful of them in Primary at church...not only do I love each of them so much but I adore their amazing moms! Seriously all of them! One of whom sewed Emmie the cutest apron ever (top left) and gave a cookbook to go with... so fun and thoughtful!: :)

Watching them play together like this made my heart so happy... possibly one of the cutest scenes ever. :)

I couldn't pass up making a rainbow cake. :) Cotton candy for the clouds!
Would have made them fluffier but didn't realize we had bought multi colored cotton candy and ran out of blue.

I was soooo glad that we went ahead and went through with the party... and I'm pretty sure she was, too! I think her face says it all! :)