Winter!

 I can't believe this winter season! Maybe I've gotten spoiled with mild winters the past few years, because January seemed like the coldest, longest, snowiest month I've ever seen!

I remember taking this picture the morning after we got dumped on by nearly 2 feet of snow. (Jan 10th)

 You can see how deep the snow is. Benj didn't go in for work until the afternoon. Partly because he couldn't get out of the driveway in our little Honda. The plows seem to come last on our little street.

There was a wall of snow when I opened the side door to our backyard.

 Logan and I went out to look around and he couldn't walk in it since it was up to his waist. I made a path for him to the slide where we made snow angels and rolled around in it. Logan didn't like it when I threw him in - I just couldn't resist. Mean mom? I made up for it with hot chocolate with extra marshmallows.

One thing is for sure - it was beautiful! There's something so calming about being outside and not hearing anything but the crunch of your own boots. Its especially beautiful when the sun comes out and the inversion is gone, which has happened more lately (thank goodness).

Toddler Norah

 I feel like Norah is now a toddler! I hate to say that because I still want her to stay my little baby, but she has grown so much the past month.

First, she is officially walking at 14 months. I remember on Sunday, Jan 13th, she took about 8 steps from the couch to me. Before she would take a step or 2, fall to her knees, and crawl the rest of the way. She has become more confident in herself and usually gives herself a "yay" when she's made it safely to her destination.

 Another toddler act: getting into everything. She opens cupboards and drawers and usually pulls out the contents. I have found her trying to get into the garbage (ugh) and eating crayons. She has her favorite drawer in my bathroom where all of my lotions and makeup are found. She is very curious.

Norah loves playing and figuring things out. She loves her dolls and gives them constant kisses. She'll vroom Logan's cars around like her big brother. She likes to try puzzles and blocks and she's really taken to books lately. She'll point to the pictures and mimic words. She especially loves animal books. She'll meow like a cat and roar like a lion. Its the cutest thing ever. 

Other toddler attributes: she no longer wants me to feed her with a spoon, so that means baby food is no more. It also means much bigger messes to clean up. She knows how to infuriate her brother by squealing at him. She can turn the tears on in a heartbeat. I've seen Logan barely touch her and she'll act like she's being tortured.

She is constantly busy and always winning over our hearts. She goes down really easily for naps and bedtime. I think its because she's in go-go-go mode all the time. I love our routine of sitting in the rocking chair, reading a book, finishing her bottle (that she hasn't grown out of), and singing a song before bed. I know she's ready to sleep because the thumb goes in the mouth as soon as I lay her down. 

Speaking of naps, I think someone is awake from theirs.

A Day in the Life . . .

 Since I know all of you want to see what goes on in the life of a preschooler, I present a day in the life of Logan!

8:00 am

Breakfast

Logan LOVES breakfast foods, so he had no trouble scarfing down his waffle. He also gets to watch a little TV if he eats his breakfast first.

 9:00 am

Get dressed

 My independent boy loves to do everything himself. Most of the time he gets dressed pretty well. Sometimes the shirt is on backward or the shoes on the wrong feet, but he is always so proud of himself.

 10:00 am

Library

Today happened to be Wednesday, which is storytime at the the library! The library is one of Logan's favorite places. Today we read books about Things in the Sky. Logan found a book about planes and we've read it almost every day since. I hope he always has a love for reading.

1:00 pm

Haircut

After lunch is when we usually run errands. Today Logan got a haircut! He thought the razor tickled and was so excited about his balloon and sucker.

2:00 pm

Down Time

We get home and immediately Logan wants to watch his new movie from the library. I put it on for him while I put Norah down for a nap.  

3:00

Nap Time

Next is Logan's turn. We always read a book and sing a song before bed. Most of the time he sleeps, other times he'll sing and play in his room, with the occasional thud on the wall. 

 5:00 pm

More Playtime

New outfit (he had a accident - oops) and more playtime. He likes to pretend play and especially loves his cars and new truck he got for Christmas. Usually little sis is around to play too, although anything she grabs is usually snatched right out of her hands. We are working on sharing and its getting better.

Other Tidbits:

_Logan is communicating better than ever, and I love to hear all his thoughts and ideas. He loves to say, "Oo, I have an idea!" 

-He is potty-trained yet usually won't tell us when he needs to go. He just relies on us to tell him, which hasn't always gone over well.

-He LOVES preschool and has learned so much already. Its been so good for him to listen to another adult and make friends. 

-He will do anything to watch one of his shows. He'd watch all day if he could. 

-Is starting to show progress in his drawings. He can draw a face and drew the sweetest picture of our family. I'll have to post it soon.

-Whenever Norah cries, he says, "Mom, Norah needs to take a nap." Like a dozen times a day. 

-He is obedient and usually does things when asked. Time outs are becoming more scarce. Yay!

 

Christmas in Idaho Falls

 The day after Christmas we drove up to Idaho Falls to be with my side for a few days. 

Our visits are always a good time: yummy food thanks to my parents, game playing, shopping, playing with uncles (Logan's favorite), and being spoiled by more gifts!

After dinner the first night we opened "crackers" and had fun wearing crowns and telling jokes.

My brother Sam and cute Marlee.

Love this photo of my kids looking out the window. 

I've always loved my back yard in the winter.

We went to the Museum of Idaho and saw the holiday displays: 

Santas,

gingerbread houses,

 and hundreds of nativities.

We also got to see lots of cool Idaho history. 

During our stay, these two cousins were constantly playing together (or at least playing by one another). Norah is 4 months older, yet Marlee has her beat when it comes to standing and walking. 

This elephant toy was the favorite.

We enjoyed going to my parent's ward and finally getting a Christmas photo altogether.

How blessed we are with good family around us. It was a wonderful holiday season.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Day

 Santa found our house this year and left us with oodles of goodies.

Logan got this awesome Tonka truck. You can see its about as big as he is!

Norah was interested in everything. She loved to open her presents and was thrilled with it all. 

We made our way to Benj's sister's house for breakfast and the opening of more presents. 

We stayed til the afternoon and headed over to Benj's grandparent's house for a Christmas feast. I failed to take a single picture while there. Probably because I was busy feeding my face with some of the best food ever. Grandma Mel always goes out of her way to serve a beautiful meal. She is amazing. 

The kids both fell asleep in the car after dinner and went to bed an hour early. Must've been a pretty good Christmas. 

Next up: Christmas in Idaho Falls!

Christmas Eve

  Christmas Eve is always special for us. We are invited to sister-in-law's in-laws house. Catch that? Its so thoughtful of them to invite us to their family gathering.

Before going there, we stopped by for a visit with Great-Grandpa Bradshaw. He had fallen ill a couple weeks before Christmas and is still recuperating. Doing a lot better and was in good spirits for our little visit. Logan really liked his wheelchair.

 After a delicious meal and talking about some of our Christmas traditions, we began the ever-popular candy bar game.

Rules were changed a little this year and instead of just candy, there were toys, gadgets, and gift cards galore. It made for an intense game.  I ended up with a Cheesecake Factory gift card through trading and Logan came home with a whole bag of Legos, candy, and bubbles. Benj got headphones and a gift card to Burger King.

 Norah dined while we played. She was content to eat strawberries the whole time.

 After the game we shared some of our talents, thoughts, testimonies, and of course, the Christmas Story. It was a wonderful time for all.

Pre-Christmas

 The weekend before Christmas consisted of:

our ward breakfast

 including a visit from Santa! Here's Norah and Daddy waiting in line.

Logan was very excited about Santa this year. This was his first year not being afraid of him. That fear has now been passed down to Norah, who will not have anything to do with him or even Mrs. Claus. When asked what he wanted for Christmas, Logan told him a puzzle. 

My boys looking dashing after church on Sunday.

Love when he holds still long enough for a photo. 

And the girls. I was able to participate in the choir this year. Something I've always loved doing but haven't done since having children. Benj handled both kids with ease (I had no doubt).

That evening we did a candlelight dinner. This is a tradition my side of the family has done for years. I decided that the Sunday before Christmas is a great time for this, since we usually do something else for Christmas Eve.

The theme was a red and green dinner. I pulled out our wedding china (something I only do a couple times a year). The menu was:

Mixed greens salad with strawberries

Spaghetti and meatballs

Parmesan broccoli

Garlic bread

Marbled red velvet cheesecake

It was rather laughable this year since Logan refused to eat hardly anything and Norah was beyond tired because she missed her afternoon nap. When all was said and done, Benj and I were the only ones to enjoy dessert. 

Hopefully in a few year this kiddos will learn to appreciate this types of things. :)