Everyday life

We've had a fun holiday season.  The kids have been playing baby Jesus and Santa all month long.  The pull Trevor in a blanket for Santa and wrap him up for Jesus.  They've also had fun playing with Cole's hair.  Lexi loves to do it.  We've recently discovered Lexi has a great turn out and Carter is great at push ups.  We did one last bike ride from the Canyon to Grandpa's house and loved doing that. During the month of December we tried to do an act of service each day.  One day we had Grandma Irene and Grandma Janet and Grandpa Ray over for dinner.  It was fun and I think they liked it.  We loved doing out different acts of service and at different times the kids told me they felt the Spirit.  Lexi lost her two front teeth this month too!  It was so fun to have it happen at Christmas.  We got to see Grandma and Grandpa Chamberlain for a little while and the kids liked that too.  Lexi drew a portrait of Cole that is spot on.  It even has the curls on his hair.  We loved it.  The kids have had fun playing in the snow.  We got Carter his own shovel and he is really good at shoveling.  He works hard and is actually helpful.  Lexi has been telling me she wishes she had a sister.  One day she came in and announced her wish had some true and she had a sister.  Immediately Trevor entered the room dressed in Lexi's clothes and a bow. It was hilarious.   My favorite thing the kids are doing these days is snuggling with me.  They still like to snuggle up and I treasure those moments...even though my hair gets pulled.

Trevor

Trevor keeps us busy.  He is a toddler for sure and can test our patience but he also makes us laugh a lot too.  He loves to make cookies.  If he sees me get out my mixer he starts asking for a chair and wants me to move it over so he can help.  We recently bought a shoe shelf to help organize the mud room.  Trevor decided he didn't like it organized and moved all the shoes off of it.  He likes the snow and his favorite thing to do is throw it.  He doesn't like sledding.  Whenever we go he just stands there and watches. He recently shut his bedroom door and came down the hall.  It was weird so I asked him what he was doing.  He told me to come on and time out.  When I followed him and opened the door he went to his crib and showed me that he had put Lexi's Tasha in time out.  He has a really hard time sleeping sometimes and we were told to let him cry it out.  We decided since we were going to be sleep training we might as well do it in a big boy bed so we moved him to the bottom bunk and Carter moved to the top bunk.  It's been going just as well as it did in the crib.  He still wakes up more than we'd like but he likes his new bed.  When people come to visit he wants to show it to them and makes them get in it with him.  He wakes up with the craziest hair after his naps now too.  I exercise in the mornings and Carter has started doing it with me sometimes.  Carter is really good at push ups and recently Trevor has started trying to do them too.  It's cute.  Trevor has also decided he loves nursery.  He calls it "class."  He knows when we put church clothes on it's going to be "class" day.  Recently he threw a big fit because Cole left in his church clothes for a meeting and he didn't get to go.  He cried for twenty minutes because he wanted to go to class.  I have to hold Trevor when he eats.  He only likes me to do it which makes me quite burnt out.  He grabs my hair while he eats for comfort.  He still has terrible reflux and is going to a specialist next month.  He is a nightmare to get to eat, unless it's treats.  We bribe him with treats to eat.  He has been a little difficult with Christmas decorations.  Within minutes of getting them out he'd ripped noses off snowmen, broke ornaments and made us realize there can't be anything left at his level.  A few times we caught him in his room hiding eating candy canes he'd gotten off the Christmas tree.  He is talking really well now.  He loves balls still of course and I can't wait until he's old enough for sports.  He only weighs 19 lbs and is in the 1.5% for height.  He is still very friendly and thus gets a lot of attention from other kids and adults.  He's started wanting to do things himself and is usually pretty patient when trying to figure things out.  He's started really liking Grandpa and loves Jolene.  Whenever he says Jolene it always follows with him saying treat.  He calls Lexi Sissy and likes to play with her.  Recently he's started playing more with Carter too.  He does a funny cheese face that always makes us laugh.  We love our Trevor Ray!

32 Birthday

I turned 32 this year.  It was a great birthday.  When I woke up and went out to the family room Lexi had three gift bags waiting there for me.  Inside them were the most thoughtful things.  She gave me popsicle sticks because she knew I wanted frame ornaments for the tree and she thought I could use the sticks to make some.  She gave me a book with drawings to look at while she was at school because she knows I miss her while she is away.  She took a picture of herself and made a frame out of it and said she knew it was my favorite picture of her.  I was so touched that she had remembered things I say and applied them to her gifts for me.  She also had signs and hats to decorate the house.  She had been working on all of these things for two weeks.  All I can say is I'm a lucky lady to have her for my daughter.  Carter made me a cute picture and was really sweet to me.  Cole left me Kneaders french toast which is my favorite and a thoughtful card.  The entire day went well.  In the morning it looked overcast and I told the kids I wished it would snow.  Ten minutes later it snowed.  It was the first snowfall this season.  I was so excited.  I showed it to Trevor and he said, "Ew. Ca Ca."  I guess he's not a fan.  I got the closest parking spot at Target, one of my favorite songs was on the radio when I turned the car on, everyone I love sent me messages and Jared even called me.  My aunt Jolene watched the kids so me and Cole could go to Los Hermanos for dinner and it was delicious.  I was spoiled and had a great day!

Halloween

Halloween was so fun!  Lexi was Elsa, carter was jake, trevor was a cowboy, I was a witch,  and Cole was a rock star. Lexi got to wear her costume to dance and learned thriller.  The kids got to wear their costumes to school and had parties there.  I got to help with carter's class party.  They did the costume parade and then I checked them out so we could go to grandpa's work.  We trick or treated there.  Trevor got a treat and I put it in his bucket and handed it to him without thinking.  A few minutes later I looked at him and he'd eaten through the wrapper. After we all went to dinner at macaroni grill.

The next day was halloween.  We went to grandma irenes and she was dressed up so cute.  Then we went to jolenes and grandma janets.  Then we came home to trick or treat our neighborhood.  The kids did really well.  There was a house that was spooky.  Carter told me he wasn't scared because at school he learned those things aren't real.  It was a fun night.

Park City

We went to Park City during fall break.  I was able to do some shopping for me and the kids.  I got them some cute holiday church clothes.  We went bowling, swimming,  to church,  played games, did the scarecrow walk,  made candy sushi and ate out.  Carter got sick the last day so we went home a day early but still enjoyed our get away.