I DID IT!!!!

This is for Lisa and JD!

Now you can stop bugging me!

As every little girl grows, so does her hair. Just not in the spots that you want it to. Mara has been sporting a mullet for a while. I have tried to forget about it by doing her hair in pig tails in the back. Then that hair style got old, so I started to do pony tails on the top since she has alot of hair up there. So that left the back open to criticism!! My loving family (Lisa and JD) have been making fun of her hair alot lately, especially last night. And the person that I am became really defensive, because I love that I have a girl and I want her hair to be long, and that little bit would curl so cute! I didn't want to cut it off because I was worried that the curl wouldn't come back.



After much thinking, when I was doing her hair this morning, I found the scissors and cut it! I haven't even told Pat that I did it yet! So honey, if you are reading this, I cut Mara's hair! ( I am such a nice wife! )



So there you go! That is the story of my morning :) And Lisa you were right, it does look better!!

Highlights of the weekend

We had this big box lying around and Mara decided that it was her play thing. She was constantly getting in and out all day long. The only drawback was that it was a little too tall for her to do it by herself, so I had to get her in and out :)

Here are a few pictures of Peek-A-Boo!

Last weekend when we had our first REAL snowstorm, my mom was leaving the house and was kind enough to get some snow boots for Xander and Mara. Mara has really developed a love for hers. Whenever we leave the house and I tell her to get her shoes, she comes back with her boots!

She know how to say boots now!

I love when she learns new words :)






We had a "Level 4" storm this weekend. Whatever that means! So we got alot of snow :) Saturday night my sister Karri was over, she and Xander decided to go outside and play in the snow. So they got all bundled up and went to play! I thought that they were going to build a snowman, but when I went out to take a picture, they had just been throwing snowballs at each other, LOL

Here is Xander on his way inside!

Christmas Tag

One of my good friends sent this to me. I like this because it talks about Christmas.

So here we go!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Mostly wrapping paper, it depends on the size, but I do use gift bags too.
2. Real or Artificial tree? Fake tree all the way!! So much easier to deal with :)
3. When do you put up the tree? We usually try the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was a little later this year (But I still got it up before Dec 1st)
4. When do you take the tree down? Usually after New Years
5. Do you like egg nog? Oh, yes!! I even blogged about it :)
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Probably a Barbie or a Cabbage Patch
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes! My mom collects them, so I have started my own collection too. (it is quite small, but there is always time to get more)
8. Hardest person to buy for? My Father-in-law
9. Easiest person to buy for? My husband (he buys his own gifts, LOL)
10. Mail of email Christmas cards? Mail (I like getting the real thing!)
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I remember when I was a kid that I got a Hula Hoop, and I was mad, because I didn't ask for it and I really didn't want it either.
12. Favorite Christmas movie? It is a tie between White Christmas and Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually right after Xander's birthday, so in October (and I am done!!!!)
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas gift? No way
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Our family Christmas Eve cookies (peanut butter cookies with Hershey's Kisses on them!) and Fudge (it is my Grandma Jean's recipe, and I love it!)
16. Clear or colored lights on the tree? Definitely clear!
17. Favorite Christmas song? There are so many to pick from! Gosh! I love Bring a Torch Jenette Isabella and Away in a Manger because it reminds me of Chamber and A Cappella Choirs my senior year of high school. I love Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song because it reminds me of my dad. Definitely True Blue Miracle from Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (it makes me cry I love it so much) All of the Carpenters Christmas songs! Shall I go on.... I love Christmas music!!
18. Travel or stay home at Christmas? We travel to see family, but the farthest we go is Provo!! So I wouldn't really consider it traveling.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph!! :)
20. Angel or Star on the top of the tree? Angel
21. Open presents Christmas Eve or Morning? One on Christmas Eve (pajamas) and the rest in the morning
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Stupid people on the roads! Never shop on the weekends in December!!!!
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? My little tree was purple and silver, but all of my ornaments are Hallmark, so it is kind of an "Anything goes"
24. Favorite Christmas dinner? Sizzler on Christmas Eve!!! :)
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I have a hard time deciding what I want every year, but I am getting a few Disney Precious Moments figures :) I am way excited!

I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you want to do it, go for it!!

Merry Christmas!!

OH, SANTA!!!

We went and saw Santa today!!

I have wanted to go for a week so we finally went! The Santa at the Provo Towne Center Mall is the best! He looks great! Xander was really excited and anxious to see him. We decided to have lunch first, so by the time we got there he was on a break! So we walked around the mall for 15 minutes. When we got back there was a line! But we didn't have to wait too long. Mara didn't really care about Santa, she just liked the train that went around! When it was her turn she freaked out, like any kid her age.

Here are the pics!

Update on Disney Store

Here is the latest picture of the store. I had heard rumors that it would be open by now, but it's not! I did find someone that worked there and asked when the store would be opening and she said

December 13th!!

Next Thursday!

I am so excited!! I will probably be there first thing when the store opens :)

Blue's Clues

This morning Xander and Mara were watching one of our DVDs of Blue's Clues. Mara starting singing along with the show, so I was a good mom and started the song over and got out the camera. The last part is my favorite :)

I Consider this...

THE FIRST SNOWFALL OF THE WINTER!

As Karen Carpenter would say :) We awoke this morning to snow :) I held Xander up to look through the kitchen window to see it and the first thing he said was "Can I go play in it?" Now I am thinking that I should have purchased snow boots and snow pants for him a few weeks ago when I started noticing them. If I were to go today, I don't know if I would be able to find his size!!! (I probably will, I just don't like to drive in the snow, so I am going to try to stay home if I can)

Here are a few pictures of the view from our porch:

O Christmas Tree!

I actually got the tree up before December!!!!! Granted it was the day before, but I am proud of myself. As many of you know, we live with my mother, so it was actually her tree that I put up. We have a tree of our own, but only put it up the first Christmas after we were married. Because the next year the condo was overrun with baby stuff, Xander was 2 months at that point, so I put up a small tree on one of our side tables.... Anyway, Xander helped me put it up while Mara was taking her nap, but I ran out of lights that worked :( So I had to rig the top of it with two strands that only half of the lights worked. But it worked out ok :) Now the next step is to put all the decorations on it. We are going to save that for another day :) I need to let my hands recover!

Putting up a Christmas tree hurts! :(

Festival of Trees!

On Wednesday night we went up to the

FESTIVAL OF TREES

at the South Towne Expo Center. It was the first time I had ever been there. We went with my brother Brent and his family and my mom. Our ward made a tree this year in honor of two babies in our ward that were born Down Syndrome with heart problems. So we went to see everything. I took pictures of some of the fun trees!

Here are Max, Conli and Xander looking at a fun Candy Land Tree :)

Conli wanted to hold Xander's hand the whole time! They were so cute :) They can be the best of friends sometimes.

Here is an AWESOME

Star Wars Tree!!

This is the tree that our ward made. It was called "Angels from Heaven"

I was able to help with it :)

This is Xander's favorite: Hot Wheels!!

A very different one: A Barbie House shaped like a tree! This was one of my favorites.

I LOVE BARBIE!!

This one Xander ran to saying "Jack!"

The super cool Nightmare Before Christmas tree!

I loved this one. It is full of Oragami :)

And the Nativity that was beside it. I totally want to learn how to make this!

The Best Tastes of the Season!!!

I am excited that the Christmas Season is upon us, besides the thought of there being snow storms. (I hate to drive in the snow and to be cold!) Recently while at WalMart I found a little treasure called

Christmas Crunch Cereal!!

I was so excited!! I told my sister that I found some and she is wanting some too. It has been a few years since I have seen this on the shelf. So I buy at least 1-2 boxes everytime I see it!! It takes me back to when I was a kid. Every Christmas my parents would give us our own boxes of cereal. We would write our names across the front of the box to make sure that our siblings would not eat it. My mom stopped giving cereal a few years ago :-( But seeing this makes me want to start the tradition again :-)

Another taste that I love is EGG NOG!!!

I got my first taste of egg nog when we were up in Boise at the end of September. We had gone to WalMart and they had samples. Pat wouldn't let me buy a quart :( said that there would be some when we got home. Well, there wasn't!! I had to wait another week before I could find some. So we have been drinking egg nog since early October! It is one of the fun things that is available during the fall season. It ends up that Xander drinks it more than I do! He usually drinks pink milk, but since there has been egg nog that is all he wants! (I do mix it with milk to make it last longer!) And Pat is a great husband that will make me Nog Nog Shakes, just like they were from Zuka Juice!! Good thing he still remembers how to make them!!