last post of the year...

...consisting of Christmas morning and other December activities.

We put up the tree at the beginning of December. The kids decorated it. Anything above 3 feet was put on by a kid lifted up by Kenny.

I figure the tree is for them, so they should decorate it. And they were allowed to play with the ornaments and bells to their little hears' content.

My little super heroes. They like to put diaper covers on over their pants. It's always a hoot.

Princess Gray playing in Kate's birthday stuffs.

How the tree usually looked.

I asked Colin to give me his best Aladdin pose, because he was dressed up as Aladdin.

Gray built this all by himself! He was so proud. He kept handing it to me so I could admire it. Not bad for a 15-month-old kid.

Colin also likes me to take pictures of his Lego masterpieces.

Kate did not want me to take her picture while she was hard at work hammering.

Another masterpiece. This spaceship was all tricked out with blasters and bombs and the like.

And after I took a picture of Colin and the Legos, the others wanted a picture too, but with funny faces.

It cracked me up when Gray tried to make a silly face like the big kids.

Christmas morning! I stayed up late the night before finishing presents with my mom, but at least I got everything finished for the kids. Did I have everything finished for my brother, mother, and in-laws? No, no I did not. But they will get their gift soon. I hope.

The kids were delighted with the little things in their stockings, especially the mouthwash (until they actually used the mouthwash and now they hate it).

Gray enjoying one of his books.

Colin was so excited to get cereal! And then he was only mildly disappointed when it turned out to not be cereal.

Nate's surprise gift! He usually knows everything he's getting because he is with me when I buy it, but I made this shirt for him on the down low. I was more than proud of myself. And he likes it.

A beautiful smile from the most beautiful girl in the world.

Treats for Nate.

My bearded brother.

My stylish brother.

My brother who was convinced this gift card was a belt.

I made super hero masks for Colin and princess crowns for Kate out of felt. They turned out really awesome. I think I was a little more excited than the kids initially, but we have already gotten a lot of use out of them. Here is Kate sporting Rapunzel's bejeweled crown.

Gray and an old mask.

Kate and most of her crowns, and her new cup.

Gray is still pleased with how handsome he is.

Cinderella Hulk.

Sheriff Thor.

Snow Man. (Get it?! Batman plus Snow White!!) Also, Gray did not want to take a picture with me.

I found those popcorn containers at DI. They originally come from Target for $1 each, but I got 9 for $1.50 total. Score!

The kids got more Duplos for Christmas plus this sweet building mat. This is our Monster Palace that we made together. Notice the seating area with dual televisions, a basket with toys and books, a flower garden (because monsters like to eat flowers), a bbq grill, an open play area, and a cashier at the front to take their payment. On top is a monster statue.

And this is our zoo, complete with fence to keep the animals inside.

And yes, I have been known to push the baby out of the way so he doesn't destroy things before I take a picture. I'm not proud of that.

Gray got some new trains and tracks to go with his existing trains and tracks. He loves them. We all do.  I get pretty excited when I make something awesome that connects all together and uses every piece.

Colin took this picture of me and Gray. It's not very flattering, but there are never any pictures of me, I'll be a good sport and post it.

Kate loves her pillow pet, which we have christened Charlie the Unicorn.

12/12/12

Happy birthday to me! To celebrate this Very Special Birthday I:

• Held Kate while she suffered through several bloody noses
• Played Legos with the kids
• Taught piano lessons
• Cleaned out our nasty garbage cans
• Made dinner
• Took Colin to preschool
• Took a shower (yay!)
• Went to my ward's Relief Society Christmas activity

It's okay to be jealous of all the awesomeness.

But seriously, it was a great day. We had crêpes at the activity for dessert, and they were delicious. The sisters in my ward were so sweet to me. They all seemed really surprised that I would show up since it was my birthday, but what else was I going to do on a Wednesday night? There was a drawing for 12 cake bites from the Sweet Tooth Fairy in honor of 12/12/12, and my friend Rose won. But she was so sweet and gave them to me because it was my birthday. What a nice gal. It made me cry a bit. And that totally counted as my birthday cake. And Colin's girlfriend (well, one of his girlfriends) Mary took the kids for an hour and brought them back with a present and birthday cards for me. That was really sweet too. It was a good day. And all the birthday wishes/calls/texts were much appreciated. Thanks friends and family for making me feel special on my special day!

merry november!

I solved my photo storage problems! Huzzah! We had a more eventful November than years past. It started out regular.

Gray decided he likes checking himself out in the tub. He was jabbering away at his reflection. I couldn't get a good picture of it, but it was hilarious.

I don't remember why they were making funny faces. But they were.

Classy, Colin. Classy.

I love playing with Legos with my kids. We built this sweet spaceship. Woody is the captain. Jessies are his lieutenants. And Zoo Guy in the back there is like the navigator or something. Colin added the flowers, which are the propellers, obviously. I was all excited because everyone had their own seat and computer or whatever. Don't act like you're not impressed. Colin is reading these words out loud over my shoulder as I type. It's cracking me up!

Gray loves trains. Like LOVES trains.

Gray's last day of long hair. I put a bunch of styling stuff in it and made it look as crazy as possible. It was fun.

Awww. Sharing is caring.

Nate and I had a disagreement over who could build a better fort. That lead to The Great Fort-Building Challenge of 2012. (I won.) This is my fort, built in the boys' room. It had a secret entrance, a built-in jail, and a comfortable sleeping area. Not to mention some quality natural lighting.

This is Nate's fort. It was sad and embarrassing. Who wants a fort with a junk heap in the center? (The kids actually chose Nate's fort as the best, but they are hardly qualified judges. What 4-year-old has a working knowledge of architecture and interior design?

Gray from the Hood, rocking his teddy bear (whose name is Teddy Westside).

Kate's cute hairdo. I was impressed with my skills. (This was taken the day after I initially styled her hair. Holds up pretty well, no?)

Just like his siblings before him, Gray enjoys piling all of the bibs around his neck.

He also loves wearing his jacket and reading books. (Sometimes at the same time.)

He also loves chasing his sister around the kitchen while growling and giggling.

He also loves being forgotten in his highchair and falling asleep whilst covered in yogurt.

He also loves grabbing Colin's face. (Or anyone's face for that matter.)

Oh Kate. I have no words.

And then we went to Iowa for Thanksgiving/Cousin Christmas, affectionately known as Thanksmas. We pulled out of Springville around 4:30 am. This is the sunrise from my window somewhere in Desolate Wyoming. It was beautiful. The picture from my phone taken through the window of a moving car doesn't do it justice.

We arrived in Iowa around 9:15 pm. We visited for a bit, chucked the kids in bed, and tried to sleep. The next morning we got up and left for Missouri to see Nate's grandparents. The cousins were so happy to be together. Colin couldn't get enough of Donovan and Mason, his two closest boy cousins in age.

Kate and Addilyn were unintentionally matching.

Don't forget Chamae!

Colin Gray helped Granny and Great-Granny make a chocolate pie and clean the spoons.

How sweet are these three all snug in their beds? Some nights it was hard to get them to calm down, but they liked having a sleepover at Donovan's house.

Chamae and Gray saying, "Cheese!" and insisting on having their picture taken.

I didn't take a lot of pictures while we were in Iowa. On "Thanksmas" we had a few games/activities to play/do. The kids raced to eat fudge striped cookies off of strings.

The grownups played unwrap the present. This was the first present/prize. Nate did not win, and he was sad.

This was the second prize. Nate did not win, and he was sad. You should really look at the can closely, because it is hilarious.

Then the kids opened their presents from each other and from Hannah. The little girls got matching outfits from Hannah.

Our drive home was awesome. First we had to stop suddenly to let Colin and Kate go potty. While Nate was taking kids to the bathroom, I saw a flock of cows wandering down the road. They were being herded across the overpass to a field across from the gas station. Only in Nebraska? Nate drove for a while in the morning, then I took over. About the time we reached Cheyenne, Nate started throwing up. The dreaded flu hit. He was sick and barfy the rest of the way home. So I got to drive the rest of the way (I was tired) and try to take care of the kids (who were car-crazy). We stopped more often than we normally do so we could throw away vomit, let the kids out to run, give me a chance to wake up, etc. But we made it home, Nate felt better, the kids went to sleep, I emptied the car, and all was well. Until Monday, when Colin, Kate, and I got the flu and puked all day. But we're all better now.

Kate really likes the Snow White dress ups that she got at Thanksmas. The blanket underneath her was a dance floor.

Colin and Kate drove their little cars over to the shed which was Minnesota. Apparently Minnesota has a lot of soda, and they wanted some. In this picture they are busy making their soda at the Minnesota soda maker machine.

Colin's pants from Hannah. A little big, perhaps?

Kate's birthday was on the 29th. She is officially our big Three Year Old. Too bad she's been three for like 6 months already. She is an adorable handful sometimes.

She was more excited about these presents than she looks.

Gray helped me clean the kitchen in preparation for Kate's party.

I really went all out in decorating for the party. (You might think that was sarcastic, but it really wasn't. Since I never decorate at all, having a sign and some balloons really was a big deal.)

Kate requested a "Pink Party." I made this pink flower cake for her, along with some little flower cupcakes. Well done, Me!

Kate was so delighted with her birthday sign. It was so pink!

She had a great time and felt so special! Thanks aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents for coming!