SMILE!!!

Lately Mikenzli has started to smile ALL THE TIME!!! She is so stinkin' adorable and she knows it. She knows how to get your attention...she will whine and as soon as you walk towards her, she starts smiling...she is too young to be manipulating already! We are really in trouble.

Sariah loved the swing when she was a baby but she would usually just fall asleep. Mikenzli's favorite thing to do in the swing is talk to the birdies!! It is so cute to watch. Of course, she also likes to sleep.

Through the Eyes of the Child

Children have the way of helping adults stop and appreciate the little things in life. It seems like daily I am realizing that I don't take time and enjoy my growing children or the beauty around me. I am so appreciative that I have Sariah around to make me stop and experience things through her eyes.

It rained here like crazy last week. Sariah had us sit down by the back door and watch the rain. She LOVED it and sat there for a long time.

She wanted to go play in it but she was still trying to recover from having crop so we decided she should just watch from inside.Last night, there was an incredible rainbow and she ran around outside singing about it. This was the first rainbow that she has seen in person and she thoroughly enjoyed it. I did as well!!!
(Note she is in pajamas with wet hair - post bathtime - and in her "princess" dress)

Vulnerable

I started putting together a blog a couple nights ago. The blog was going to just be somewhere that I could record my struggles/accomplishments as I try to lose weight. My plan was to have it private and not invite ANYONE to see it. The day after starting it, I was at the park talking to a friend. I was telling her about my plan and she mentioned that she had started a blog with a similar idea but since no one was looking at it, she never did anything with it. I started thinking about that and realized that made sense. What would stop me from deleting the blog in a couple weeks when I feel like I have failed??

SO...I am putting it out there for all to see. I am making myself vulnerable in hopes that it will help me keep going; knowing that people will know if I quit. So HERE you go. Feel free to leave any comments but please be nice!!! :)

Christmas Eve ~ Christmas ~ Second Christmas

CHRISTMAS PICTURE STYLE

(PICTURE OVERLOAD)

On Christmas Eve, Sariah was able to decorate another Christmas tree at Jake's parent's house. The whole family as able to spend Christmas Eve together for the first time since we got married. It was fun to be all together and especially to have Josh, Sarah and Jace with us from Texas. We really wish we were able to see them more often.

So proud of the finished product!
As tradition goes, we opened our Christmas Eve presents (always pajamas) but these pictures were taken a few days later.
Me and my girls!!!
Christmas was so much fun. Sariah was so excited to see if Santa had eaten the cookies and drank the milk. She was hoping he would still be there so she could see him but unfortunately he wasn't. Kenzli spent her time just chillin' on the couch while everyone opened presents.
Sariah emptied her stocking one thing at a time. Santa leaves an ornament in all of our stockings every year and this year it was a Santa with a snow globe belly that lights up. Sariah was really excited and slept with it every night until we packed up all the Christmas decorations.
Sariah's "Tiny Pinkie Pie"
(the one thing she wanted for Christmas every time you asked her...everything else would change depending on the moment)
Sariah playing with her new Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty

Kenzli and Sariah's baby doll...she got her own but Sariah kept "sharing" so they would trade.

We celebrated Christmas twice this year. My parents were in Utah for Christmas so once they got home, we opened presents with them. Sariah was so excited to get the movie Bolt. She LOVES that movie and wanted us to get it from Redbox all the time so we decided to invest.

Like I said in an earlier post, Sariah LOVES My Little Ponies. She got TONS of them for Christmas this year. Here is her excitement opening one of them.

Like I said...Sariah got TONS of My Little Ponies this year!!! Here she is with them all lined up and reading a book. Her little people animals sets were also included in the line up.

There is a story behind this HILARIOUS picture...for those who know my family, we LOVE The Christmas Story!!! My dad has TONS of Christmas Story memorabilia. Well, this year we saw a tin that was a Christmas Story bank but it also came with these boxer short that say "It's a Major Award" on the front, and "This end up, FRAGILE" on the back. We could not pass up getting them as joke for my dad. Now to the story behind this particular picture...we were going to have hot chocolate but told Sariah she has to get in her jammies first. Papa said he would get in his too and this is how he came out. We were laughing so hard and he was posing so Sariah joined in. It was seriously HILARIOUS!!!

As fun as these pictures are, one of the most memorable moments for me could not be captured in a picture. On Christmas Eve, we sat down and watched Joy to the World. As I sat on the bed with family, I thought about the true meaning of Christmas and was overwhelmed with the love that I have for my Savior and older brother, Jesus Christ. I am humbled by his birth. I attended a Relief Society meeting earlier this month where we had appetizers outside. It was a chilly evening so we all huddled close to the heaters. After we all sang Silent Night, one of the leaders commented on how miserable it had to have been for Mary, pregnant, cold, and riding on a donkey trying to find a place to give birth to our Lord. It humbled me to think of it in that way. I cannot imagine the pain that Mary endured and am so thankful to her. I cannot imagine my life without the knowledge that I have and for the Savior's redeeming love.

I loved being able to share with Sariah the true reason for the Christmas season and help her develop a love for our Savior. I am so thankful for this time of year when we can reflect on His birth and all that we have because of Him.

Trains!

Over the Christmas break, we went with Jake's family to McCormick Railroad Park in Scottsdale. Sariah LOVES trains especially after watching Polar Express. When we told her we were going to go ride a train, she was so excited because she thought we were going to the North Pole. Too funny! We are gonna have to take her on the Polar Express next year...she would be in heaven!
Here are some pics of her having a good time.

Sariah & Brynnlie

Sariah the Elf

Kenzli the Elf
Brynnlie, Sariah & Jace waiting for the train ride to start
Jake and his Dad enjoying the ride
Sariah and Brynnlie showing their "tickets"

Daddy & Riah