Winter Wonderland

The neighborhood moms' group hosted  Winter Wonderland tonight.

Family, friends, food, music...and a surprise visit from a very special person.

patiently waiting in line with a few favorite friends...McKenzie and Kate

This is the very first time Lily has sat on Santa's lap.

She was nervous at first, but told me she was going to try and be brave.

She said she wanted a Minnie Mouse Bowtique and Doc McStuffin's mobile.

William wasn't quite as brave...and I might LOVE these pictures a bit too much.

(PS - he carried this football around the entire evening.  It's not even ours!)

 My sweet family.  So excited to celebrate Christmas with these three...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

We kicked off the Christmas season will a few family traditions.

On the first night of December, we loaded up the kids and explored our neighborhood's Christmas lights.

Lily loved all the inflatable animals and any decor that moved.

William enjoyed a little Christmas music and laughing at his sister's giggles.

{sporting our new Christmas jammies from Nanny}

Once back home, Lily was finally able to open the first book...after impatiently waiting all day long.

{We wrap 24 Christmas books - some old, some new, some borrowed from the library...and open one every night of December}

William was happy to join in on the fun this year!

"The Story of Christmas" to kick off the season. 

Looking forward to more fun memories over the holiday season!

Gobble Gobble

Another successful turkey day in Arizona!  Mom and Dad arrived to beautiful weather, excited kiddos, and a happy daughter/son-in-law.  We always love when they are here and had so much fun!

Highlights included:

~the food, of course!  The boys grilled a beef tenderloin while we gals cooked up (waaayyy too much) side dishes

~a long hike on a gorgeous day

~fun walks, riding bikes, playing catch, running around the cul de sac.

~multiple runs to Home Depot for the boys as they added to the Christmas lights display

~Nanny and I enjoying a morning to ourselves while checking out the Black Friday deals

~lots of laughs, story telling, great conversations (from both adults and children alike)

We are so thankful for our family and thrilled they came to spend the holiday with us once again!

this cracked me up...three apple products entertaining my family

lots of outdoor play while the boys grilled

we officially have a walker.

we want to go shopping too!!!

A very special treat...Grandma and Aunt Mary were flying through Phoenix on their way to see Aunt Janice in California.  With an hour and a half layover, it was just enough time for Ryan and the kids to enjoy a Thanksgiving breakfast with two of their favorite ladies!

It's raining, it's pouring...

At 4:13am this morning, I hear the pitter patter of little feet, followed by a certain 4 year old busting into our room.  
Conversation went something like this:

"Mommy, there's a strange sound in my room!"  
Ummm, yea Lily, that's rain.  
"Rain? I love rain!  Can I go outside and play in the rain?!?!?"
Uhhhh, no.  It's the middle of the night and cold outside.  Go back to bed!
{followed by crying and a temper tantrum}
{followed by Mommy having a cup of coffee before her early morning workout, ugh}

TGIF!

{payback for these early morning wake up calls will be so fun when she's a teenager...counting down the years}

15 months

November 10, 2013

~You wear 12-18 months clothing, size 4 shoes, and size 4 diapers.  You have four and a half teeth.

~You go to bed around 7pm and sleep 12+ hours.  You continue to love your 'night night' and suck on two fingers.

~You are the sweetest, happiest boy and are so quick to smile.  You are such a lover and give huge hugs and kisses by choice and on command. 

~You hair is getting long but I can not bring myself to cut it. It blows in the breeze.  :)

 ~You stand unassisted and have taken a few unsupportive steps.  Just this week, you seem interested in learning to walk.  You prefer me to carry you or whine until Lily brings you a toy.  Typical, lazy male...ha! 

 ~Balls.  Obsessed.  Seriously.  Enough said.
~You also love cars, trucks, bikes, etc.  You make the sweetest "vroom vroom" noise as you push your vehicles around the house.  You love playing outside in the cul de sac and try so hard to keep up with the big kids.  Lily and our awesome neighbors are so patient and kind to you. 

~Your sister is your absolute favorite person.  You have very few words (dada, mama, thank you) but you can say both Lily and Sissy.  

~You bring our family so much joy.  We love you William Tommy!

Boo!

We had a fun few days celebrating Halloween.

Lily really got into it, and had lots of ideas of activities we must do.

First off, making a jack-o-lantern.

ewww, gross!

after lots of practice, she chose this face

"ugh, Daddy, that is stinky!"

final product!
(she took a bath break while Daddy finished up)

We were thrilled to have the class pet over Halloween.

Cat in the Hat got himself into a little mischief.

While helping us bake pumpkin muffins, he climbed into our mixing bowl.  Silly Cat!

 Lily spent much of the morning creating a tiger mask to scare the Cat.

Roar!

Finally, Daddy was home and it was time to trick-or-treat.

It's hard on a four year old having to wait all day long.  :)

Mema sent Lily and William a box of goodies last week...inside was a Ladybug Girl costume.

Lily was beyond thrilled, and immediately changed her costume idea.

(She originally wanted to be Cinderella, hence William is a mouse)

stop taking pics..I need CANDY now!

Lily had a blast trick-or-treating with neighbor friend Braeden and together they hit up every house in our neighborhood.

William lasted about two minutes before retiring to the stroller and cruising for the rest of the evening.

ran into the Whitson's - Kate, Lily, Braeden, William

 Mom and Dad joined in on the Halloween fun last weekend at an adult-only party.

Thristy...try a Roy Rogers or Shirley Temple!

A great 2013 Halloween!  Holidays are so much fun with these kiddos!

Butterfly Exhibit

Nanny's goal is to never go more than six weeks without seeing Lily and William.

So last week was a quick visit before she is back for Thanksgiving.

We were ALL so happy to see her!

Off to the new Butterfly Wonderland we went.

The experience started with a 3D movie, which truly was fascinating.

Then a room full of cocoons in different stages.

Finally, into the rainforest exhibit to see thousands of butterflies in a natural setting.

thank you Nanny, for making sure Mom was in a picture too!

humidity?  what's that??

After a fun and educational adventure, we went to our favorite place...the train park!  

We hadn't been since last spring and were thrilled that cooler temps mean we can start venturing outdoors again.

these two break out into showtunes at every opportunity. Lily loves her Nanny so much!

 William wasn't too sure about the train ride. Once the whistle blew, he hung onto me for dear life.

I didn't mind the extra snuggles one bit. 

choo-choo

Neither kiddo liked the carousal.  Not my favorite either!

Another fun week with our Nanny.  We spent the rest of her time just doing our everyday activities...school, soccer, park play, etc.  Mom and Dad also snuck off for one day and celebrated eight years of marriage.  So thankful for each other as well as our very supportive extended family!  Counting down the days until Nanny's next visit!