Highlights of the week....

The best gifts under the tree!!!

Reindeer toes

Doesn't get cuter!

Helping me make dinner

Two peas in a pod!

Hope you are having a great Christmas week too!

Merry Christmas!!

BATHTIME!!!

I am still sponge bathing Cowen, as he is W-A-Y too big for the infant bath seat and he can't sit up on his own yet in the big tub...so it seems to be my only option. He was hating his baths in the infant seat, so we tried sponge bathing and he really enjoys it!!

He also loves teething on the towels

The finished product!

SANTA CLAUS...*AIR FORCE* STYLE

We went and visited Santa at Paul's work Christmas party. This is the first year that we have gone and it was so fun to see the magic on Madilyn's face. Look how proud she looks to be so close to him!

waiting to meet daddy to go see Santa!

first glimpse of Santa...I love the magic in her eyes!! Such the spirit of Christmas.

See santa in the plane!

Cowen and I waiting to see Santa.

Madilyn was so excited to get the orange ball that she wanted to ask Santa for...she kept saying that "santa bring my orange ball..I ask him"...so cute.

She also got Lightening McQueen (her favorite from the Cars movie).

All the kids showing what Santa got them.

SNOW!!!

We have a little hill in the park across the street from our house and have been waiting for enough snow for sledding. My job was to have the hot chocolate ready when they were done :) I am ready for summer!

Christmas Spirit

These images are from (living, etc) and I saw them on a blog that I love to read...I just loved how they give a good Christmas feeling (at least they do for me) I love them.

So excited to leave goodies for Santa this year!

Speaking of Santa, we are going to see Santa today at Paul's work! We can't wait. Pictures to follow :)

The kids are inspiring us to be more festive (and brave)

We decided to go to the "Lights On" at Temple Square this year. My sister Jaime in living downtown just a few blocks from Temple Square, so we parked at her place and we all walked down to see the lights!

Madilyn loved it! She especially loved the fountains and wanted to look at all that water! Jaime gave her a few pennies to throw in and was trying to explain to her that you toss it in and make a wish...Madilyn wasn't having it. She wanted to save the pennies for her piggy bank. She didn't want to throw them away! Too cute...she is her daddy's girl! :)

It was really crowded, but it was beautiful and a lot of fun

Rice Cereal

Cowen turned 4 months on Thanksgiving day, so we decided to give him his first taste of rice cereal on that day...

He had been leaning over as close as he could get to my plate for a few weeks, so we knew that he was more than ready.

He seemed to really like it. And so goes another milestone...I think I am going to cry now :( Time goes way to fast!

I think that it is hilarious how I look so serious and determined in this picture!

Perfect for Thanksgiving right? haha

Can't wait for the next milestones to come Cowen!!

I'm surprised that I didn't have a heart attack!!!!

because this is what I was watching my husband do....

It looks amazing though.

And very special, as this is the first year that we have put up Christmas lights.

Madilyn is in awe of them...and as she says "They are all my favorite colors"...I will have to take a pic of them to share!

The Boy....

is teething....

but he is handling it pretty well. He is drooling and chewing on anything that he can get his cute, pudgy hands on. He is going to have his first tooth soon. I can't believe that he is almost 5 months old.

His sister wants to help him out and hands him anything she can find....not so good...today, she wanted to give him wrapping paper...not such a good choice for a teething baby. I have to give her props for being so helpful though...she is such a good big sister.

Look at these two....I think I am going to have my hands full as they grow...but I am also going to have a ton of fun.

Cutest pudgy feet in the world.

Patios and Hot Chocolate

Little lady riding in the wheelbarrow...helping her dad work on the brick patio project. I am still cleaning sand out of my house!! Madilyn had the best time playing in the big pile of sand that Paul was using as a base for the patio....so did the neighbor boys.

spilling her hot chocolate as she was trying to get off the chair...not a happy moment!

holding her prize

*CHEERS*

Madilyn got to try hot chocolate for the first time a few weeks ago. She was spending a lot of time outside with Paul as he was working on the patio. They would be out there until it got dark and they were always really rosy cheeked and chilled by the time they came in. By the second night, I was making them hot chocolate.

Our 5th house in *7* years!

What else is there to do on a cool, crisp late fall day? Put in our 3rd brick patio. We are in our new house and the backyard is a quaint, small blank canvas. We are suckers for a project and no stranger to doing backyard landscaping. We are in our 5th house in 7 years of marriage!! This is the 3rd new house that we have owned: hence, the 3rd landscaping project. We decided to do another brick patio. It turned out beautiful....the "finished" pics will have to come in spring, as it is now covered in snow!
Cowen and I "supervised" the project :)

We are going to continue in the Spring...we still have to: expand the deck out a few feet and put sod/grass in on the other side of the yard...as well as build a sand box and put a few flower beds in. We can't wait to have this done and enjoy it...until we get bored of this house and move on (again!).

Madilyn was a great helper and loved all the dirt, sand, and tools. She had a ball out there with her dad and Grandpa Larry. We are fortunate to have big trees in our backyard again too...great, but so many leaves to move out of the way!