Sledding & Thanksgiving Point Lights

Jayde has LOVED having all of the snow up here at her Nana & Papa's house. She can't get enough of  building snowmen, sledding, and making trails in it. It's really the first year she has been able to play in snow, and it has been fun watching her explore it all.

We also went to Thanksgiving Point to look at the lights with Tyson's parents which was a blast. It was fun listening to the music and looking at all the lights that moved. Jayde especially loved seeing the reindeer now that she grasps the Santa concept.

Mr. 7 Months

Dear Colton,

At 7 months you JUST learned how to roll over from your tummy to your back. You’d been doing the other way for a couple months now, but now you realize you can do it and I find you all over the floor. It’s so cute seeing you roll over head first to the side and then grin up at me. You don’t mind tummy time anymore now that you know how to get out of it. Lately you’ve been rolling all over the floor, and I never know where I’ll find you a couple minutes after laying you down.

Lately you haven’t wanted to take a bottle. I don’t know if it’s from having croup and your throat hurts, or me nursing you the whole time we were in CA for Christmas, but I’m not too worried since you eat regular food really well. You do however get very distracted while nursing and will unlatch, arch your back, and look around at everything. I have to go into our bedroom to nurse so you don’t have your sister distracting you. While you nurse you like to grab my hair by the handful and put it on your face which makes you laugh and laugh. You also like to dig your hand into my armpit which is cute for about 2 seconds and then starts to be painful.

You are such a great sleeper and usually go to sleep at 8-8:30 and wake up at 3 to eat for about 10 min, then wake back up around 8am. I try to get you to stay awake for 2 hour increments before you take your naps, but about 1 ½ hours is pushing it for you staying awake. Your naps are usually from around 1-2 hours. You are so silly because you LOVE to grab your blanket and put it on your face, then take it off and laugh and laugh. You’ll do that forever it seems until you fall asleep. Sometimes you let go and don’t know how to get it back off your face and will start flailing around and acting like you can’t breathe until I take it off for you. You then immediately start laughing, and quickly put it back on your face again. It is hilarious!

You’ve been able to sit up for awhile now and LOVE the new found freedom with playing with your toys. You were always unhappy when we would lay you on your back, and you’re like a whole new baby now that you can sit up and see the world that way! We sit you in the little counter chair and you will hit the counter over and over because it makes loud noises – you’re such a boy!

You are such a happy baby, and your smile melts my heart. I love it when I look at you from across the room and see you grinning ear to ear at me. It makes me wonder how long you’ve been watching me before I noticed. I love cuddling you and holding your chubby little body so close because I know that you will grow up to be a super active little boy oh too soon. I can’t get enough of kissing your chubby cheeks, and feeling your fuzzy hair. You have blessed our family so much and have brought us so much joy.

Love,

Mamma

Mr. 6 Months

Dear Colton,

You are starting to get the hang of sitting up. A few more weeks and I think you’ll have it down! Lately you have been eating baby food and multi-grain (kind of like rice cereal) 2-3 times a day like a champ. It took you about 6 weeks to really get the hang of it, and now it is much easier to feed you. You like everything we’ve given you except the green beans. Foods you like are squash, carrots, applesauce, peas, bananas, and sweet potato.

You don’t mind being in your car seat which is surprising since your sister HATED it and that is all we were used to. You’ll just sit there and watch yourself in the little mirror waiting for us to get wherever we’re going and me take you out.

You have the cutest little boy screeches when you are playing with us, and have been sticking your tongue out a lot lately. Hopefully that doesn’t mean you’re already teething! Your favorite toy is a fruit snacks bag. Man you will play with that thing for hours without making a sound. You love the noise it makes, and how it feels when you try to chew on it.

You don’t really talk much because you just observe everything as it happens, but that’s ok. Oh, and you put EVERYTHING you get your hands on into your mouth so when I try to read to you we don’t get very far because all you are interested in is trying to stick the WHOLE BOOK into your mouth.

I can’t believe you are already 6 months old. The time has flown by, and we can’t imagine you not in our family. You are such a fun little boy and we love your little laughs. You are also very serious at times when you see things going on around you, and I love seeing your ‘serious face’ and trying to get you to laugh during it. We love watching you hit your milestones, and it is so fun seeing you and your sister interact. Jayde makes you laugh all the time, and I am excited to see your guys’ relationship form throughout the years. 

Love,

Mom

Elf on the Shelf and other Dec randomness

Meet Bob - Jayde's Elf on the Shelf who came to us this year from Santa. When we read her the book and explained where he came from this was her reaction:

I don't know if it really made her be less naughty because she is not a naughty kid, but she loved finding him every morning in a different area of the house. It was pretty cute! Oh, and below is our little family elf being festive:

So here are some other random things we've done this last December:

Enjoyed playing with this little dude who just keeps getting cuter and cuter.

Had a blast decorating a ginger bread house with Jayde.

Jayde and Colt met Santa at a Ward Christmas party, and Colt tasted his beard. The only way we got her to sit on his lap was because we told her he would bring her animals for Christmas.

Went to Grandma Nita's birthday party and Jayde stuck her fingers in the cake. This woman is amazing, and we are so lucky to spend some fun quality time with her. 

Can't get enough of our two little kids. I know I'm biased but I think they are adorable.

We went to the Festival of Trees (my first time), and it was really cool!

I won a prize at the Ugly Sweater Contest that our Ward put on.

Jayde was taught how to make Snow Angels with her Papa.

Christmas Card 2012

Temple Square around Christmastime

This year up in downtown Salt Lake they had window displays kind of like New York City, but on a much smaller scale. It was fun taking the kids to see the lights of the temple (or as Jayde calls it "Jesus' Castle") which were stunning as always. Seeing Jayde's reaction to the huge ornaments adorned with thousands of pieces of candy in the window displays was priceless. We also had fun decorating the Christmas tree at the house the day after Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving 2012

 

Thanksgiving this last year was a blast. We had fun spending time in beautiful St. George with family and friends and enjoyed delicious food. My little sister Jenny was also able to come down and spend the time with us as well which was nice. We did Black Friday shopping, Teri & Darryl took Jayde & Colt to Tuachan to ride a camel and meet Santa! 

These siblings love each other.

Proof that I do Jayde's hair sometimes!

Spent time with Tayli and Hagan Christiansen our old neighbors that we miss!

Scary Santa, but adorable kiddos.

November Adventures

This November we had a ton of fun after moving into Tyson's parents house. Fall came and Jayde loved jumping in the leaf piles her Papa made. She made a new friend Stella who is her nanny's daughter, and her and Colt adjusted very well with going over there a few hours every day.  

We got our first huge snow storm, and watched "Bambi and Bambi's Mamma" walk around the backyard and eat the apples we left out for them. I helped Jayde make her first snowman, and we played follow the leader in snow tracks because the snow was so deep. Jayde even face planted off the swings into about 2 feet of snow and I scooped her up while she was laughing away. I loved how much she loved the snow, because it was technically her first time really remembering playing in it.

 Jayde learned what Hot Chocolate was, and absolutely loved the stuff! Below are some fun pics of Colt while we were waiting for Tyson to pick up some Pie Pizza. I just can't get enough of those kissable huge cheeks! Jayde wanted in on some of the action and took some funny pictures of herself on my phone.

We did some fun baking, and the power went out one night which Jayde loved. She played around with the flash lights and lanterns while she ate dinner. Tyson was very excited that football season started so we wouldn't have to drive up so far to go to the games.