Lily is 9 years old! Wow. A little too fast. I feel like she just got baptized. She requested no friend party this year, so we had lots of family! She requested presto grilled chicken, pasta with homemade alfredo sauce, and I made homemade french bread and broccoli to go along with it. I did a December-only Peppermint ice cream pie with oreo crust and lots of whipped cream, hot fudge and caramel toppings. And then she was sick and didn't get to enjoy things too much, but luckily we had lots of leftovers. She loves to be involved in the kitchen, and whatever she can help with she does.
Ada turning 2 followed right after. We had invited the Bird's over and had quite a big group of adults and cousins. It wasn't until after everyone left that we got a little oreo and sang to Ada. What a little firecracker, she is taking her job to be a 2 year old very seriously!
Not quite sure why her shirt came off but she is such a cutie.
Gymnastics performance! It was really fun to watch Isaac. He is looking good and hopefully a bunch of this stuff sticks.
So much muscle!
Lily and Jackson finished their semester as well, with Jackson absolutely refusing to go back to the basement. Apparently gymnastics is NOT OKAY without access to a foam pit to jump in.
Star Wars!!!!! This was so exciting. Adam got free tickets and we surprised the kids. Isaac fell asleep which was expected, and Lily and Jack loved it so much. It's neat being able to have discussions about right vs. wrong after watching those movies. :)
This was a day. I had answered the door and talked with someone about 2 minutes. When I came back saw that Ada had found a bowl of grated cheese that she sprinkled around the house. Six cracked eggs near and in the fridge/freezer that had broken when she tried to pull the carton out. And this - she got her own knife to cut open a new block of cheese. Good thing we don't have super sharp knives (otherwise this picture wouldn't exist).
Adam's dad rented some rooms in Eagle Point for people to go stay in. We were the only takers (besides Ben and Peggy who had to turn around). It was a scary drive. That picture down there was on the way, and it still gives me the chills. I think I didn't breathe much for the 3 hour drive and then had a headache for most of the night which wasn't helped by both Lily and Jackson coming in our room to say they had thrown up (nope), they needed a drink, they needed to go to the bathroom, they wanted to sleep on our bed (a small queen), they felt sick, etc etc. I can't express the relief I felt from the fact that Ada and Isaac didn't wake up.
The picture above is quite a treasure. When I showed it to Mom and Liz they both said "She never smiles like that!" And then I show them the next picture and they say "Yes that is more familiar". Ha! She is quite wary, but really she is so much fun.
All of our snow kids. I was surprised how much snow gear we had amassed through our years in Ogden, although we luckily could go across the street to Liz's to grab a few boots and miscellaneous things to fill the gaps. Adam had a pretty crappy night too and so after playing in the snow for about 30 minutes the next morning, it started to snow and I said "We are leaving! I am not staying another night up here!" So we packed up to go down the steep mountain through a storm. Oh how fun it is with all wheel drive. I love our van, and what a great snow driver Adam is. I forced myself to breathe a lot more on the way home.
Christmas Breakfast! I have a hard time understanding my kids following Adam's example of wanting to eat breakfast first before opening presents. BUT as a Mom I do appreciate them getting something in their bellies before the chocolate and candy, which is what I normally had for breakfast when I was a kid. Adam and I once fought about it, I was incensed and thought it was crazy that people just didn't even care that the next room was filled with presents waiting to be opened! Because I sure did!
Adult get togethers! Here is one with spouses (without Mom, but Britt joined us too), at a little French restaurant in Santa Clara. Be prepared for long conversations, there is one cook that starts from scratch; also a bit chilly as it is a brick room with a little space heater to heat it. But still fun. Dad had just finished his second hip surgery so we are all happy he survived!
Our annual get together with friends, always so fun to see everyone, and Maria was in town for this one. I think it has been about 10 years! Also Amanda was here to help out with Dad's recovery so that was fun too! Always good to catch up and laugh together.
I had some stuff to drop off for Primary and took the kids for a little ride. Adam had Isaac's coat so he wanted this as a replacement. Along with his ninja headband I thought he looked pretty awesome. He is quite the speedy biker and love to go super fast.
And that is the end.
