Packing up!

I've been so busy these past few weeks that today was the first day I even took a picture of our new house! We get to move in next week and I can't wait; it's been really crazy with everything that has to get done, but it's fun too. Although I guess packing is not so fun with kids around, anything I try to put in a box, they pull right back out or they just climb in the box and play.maybe I could just pack them up for a week...

this is the view (for now) from our bedroom window...I love it!

Here's part of the backyard....hopefully someday we'll get a yard in:)

Exciting News...

We finally sold our house! We are so excited and can't wait to move into our new house in a few weeks!!

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Marley turned 2 on Thursday and we basically celebrated the whole week! And it was all Dora themed because she is in love with Dora right now! Last Sunday we had a party at the Love's, Thursday we did our own little family thing, and then today we did a party at the Wakefield's--I'm spent! She loved it though and has had lots of fun with all her new toys....so has Tate; he claims that most of them are his.. Blowing out her candles at the Love's

Sitting with all her loot...

Opening presents at home....with a little help from Tate of course

New dress up shoes!!

Riding around on her new bike, she doesn't get the pedals yet so she just scoots with her feet

Blowing out more candles at the Wakefield's

And opening more presents!! This girl got super spoiled this year. I can't believe she's already 2; I remember the day after she was born having my 28th birthday in the hospital and it was the best birthday present ever! Not to mention I got to sleep and relax and spend the day in bed:) I love sharing a birthday with this girl and can't wait to share the rest of them with her! Love you Miss Moo!!
**P.S. that means I turned 30 a few days ago, don't remind me.

Have you met our extended family?

Bet you didn't know we had eight extra members of this family! Meet Tate's four members: Blankie, Spot, Ducky, and Dog (original names, I know). Tate's had blankie since he was an infant, and over these past 4 1/2 years he's has added to his brood; I'm afraid by the time he's ten he'll have like 30 animals! But he loves them all and will not go to bed if every member is not tucked in with him.
Meet Marley's three: Blankie, Doggie, and Sheep (she won't call it a lamb). Somehow when she was tiny she found Doggie and has not let it out of her sight since. She's that kid who takes it outside to play and in the store with her. Sheep is recent, she got it from Grandma Love's house and now is completely attached.
And I'm sure you think this is an old rag....but it is my beloved blanket I've had since I was a baby! My Grandma made it when I was really little and I've slept with it every day since...30 years! It even went on my honeymoon and all family trips. Jen had to save it once when Jord and I were first married. We had taken a road trip with his family, and I had to jump out of the car because I got sick and blankie fell out. Everyone else thought it was trash but Jen knew what it was and saved it!:) You can laugh but Jord knows my blankie sleeps where I sleep.

Manners

Sometimes I feel like I live with a bunch of Neanderthals. Especially in public. You know, I teach the kids the basic manners like please, thank you, asking instead of demanding...but when I take them out into the real world it's like they've lived in a cave their whole lives. It's so embarrassing to go to someones house to play, and come time to go, I tell them to clean up the toys and all I get is blank stares or just a flat out "NO." Or going to Grandma's house and instead of asking for something, it's "give me that!" And my favorite, standing in line at Target behind a...larger woman and Tate says loudly "Mom, her bum is soooo big!!"
People told me being a parent was hard, but I didn't know it would make me want to crawl under a table and die of embarrassment too.

Long Christmas Post

Christmas was really fun, the kids understand it more and more every year. So they really got into Santa, and our elf Buddy that comes to keep an eye on us during December...sometimes I wish Buddy was around all year, he's a great discipline tool:)
Anyway, we spent Christmas Eve with the Wakefields and it was chaos like usual! With 12 grandkids it gets pretty noisy and wild, but the kids love it. Marley just loves her cousin Jake and always wants to sit with him.

Before going home to bed we stopped at the Love's to get our traditional jammies, here's all the guys in theirs pretending to be Utes cheerleaders.
Christmas morning we woke up and did presents with our little family. Santa brought the kids a new kitchen, table and chairs and a bunch of other awesome toys! But don't worry, the favorite toys were the little dinky things Santa put in their stockings, go figure:

Marley playing in the new kitchen
Tate displaying some new airplanes he got
Jord with all his new xbox crap....why I keep getting him that stuff I don't knowAfter lunch we went to the Love's and Wakefield's for more presents!
Grandma Love gave Tate a motor scooter....he was so excited all he would do for a picture was this atrocious face
Marley playing in the scooter box of courseAnd last but not least, Spiderman is in the house! Tate's really into dressing up these days, so he wore this the rest of the day....and the next couple days after:)

We're ready for Christmas!

I think we are officially ready for Santa to come; we've done pretty much every fun holiday activity I can stand! This is the Place Park, The Forgotten Carols, decorated a gingerbread house, did 3 separate Christmas countdown calendars, family parties, saw Santa at the mall twice, school programs, Thanksgiving Point lights, and a partridge in a pear tree!!!

Tate decided to get up and sing a solo of "Up on the Housetop" at the Torg party

I'm pretty sure Santa knows what we want, we've sat on his lap 3 different times:)

Meg and I with the kids eating ice cream and hot chocolate (good combo, I know) at Thanksgiving point. After a whole spilled drink and 3 dropped cones, we were done.

My idea of looking at lights is sitting in the warm car

Hailey, Tate and Alexa