Family Picture

Christmas 2010

Sylvia got a lot of great gifts-this is just one of many. Thanks Grandma's!

Ben finally got motorized Thomas trains. Santa granted Ben's wish!

Ben showing Grandpa Bill his cool new trains.

The family gift-a Wii! (This is more for Mommy and Daddy than the kids...)

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Piano Recital

Waiting to play her songs

Playing "Lullabye" by Brahms

Playing "Joy to the World" with Amy

A reward for practicing so hard!

Visit With Santa

So cute!

Advent Calendar

This post is mostly for my mother. Look, ma! I completed a sewing project! Not without a few hiccups, of course, but overall, it wasn't a trainwreck. And for that, I daresay I'm quite pleased. This advent calendar is special, because Nate's mother and grandmother have ones exactly like it. Nate has fond memories of fighting with his brothers as to who's turn it was to pin on the day's ornament. We haven't had any fighting over this yet, but we'll see.

Mmmmmm

I'm on Christmas overdrive. I have been trying to do one holiday themed activity with the kids every day, and so far we've been pretty consistent. I made a new advent calendar that turned out pretty cute, so we've been pinning a new ornament on it each day. We have a candy advent as well, with 2 yummy surprises inside for every day, too. We drive around looking at christmas lights, color christmas coloring pages, and we made a gingerbread house that turned out so heinously ugly I can't post a picture of it here. And today, we made christmas cookies! It kind of feels like I'm pounding the holiday into them, but they don't seem to mind.

10 Great Years Print

This is why I love the internet. Thank you, awesome artist, for painting this fabulous picture. If I had money, I'd buy it! As it is, I'll just post the picture here so I can admire it via the web whenever I wish. :)

Thanksgiving

Sully got his own table favor.

We thought he'd be happier, since the menu was mainly meat.

Nate and Grandpa Goodrich getting ready to play a game.

Sylvia lost her first tooth!



HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy Quote

"Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you!"

~Dr. Seuss

Kindergarten Fun

The kiddos with Sully

Sully is Sylvia's special Kindergarten Class Friend. Each kid gets to take Sully home for the night, and then they have their parent help write down all of the fun things they did with him. We are so lucky--we get Sully over the entire Thanksgiving break! Sometimes I think that Sylvia may be the teacher's pet.

Another reason for my teacher's pet suspicion-we received a post card in the mail from Mrs. Lowe, Kindergarten teacher extraordinaire. This is what it said:

Dear Sylvia,

I love having you in my Kindergarten class. You are like a wind maiden of happiness. Thank you for being kind to everyone and learning how to treat everyone well. I hope we will always be good friends.

Love,

Mrs. Lowe

We think Mrs. Lowe sent this to Sylvia because she is working very hard on keeping her hands and feet to herself. (A difficult feat for her!) Anyway, I really just love Mrs. Lowe. At our last parent-teacher conference, she exclaimed, "Sylvia and I really understand each other." How awesome is that?

(P.S.-Wind Maiden? This week every kid in class received a Native American name. Sylvia is definitely a Wind Maiden of happiness!)

The Malta Show

Sylvia and I singing "Broadway Baby"

I am related to all of these singing cowboys!

Janie leading the family (on stools) and a regional choir.

Look at that singing girl! So cute!

This weekend we traveled up to Malta Idaho to sing in a centennial celebration program. The town invited Aunt Janie to put together a large portion of the show, and she put in a LOT of hard work. As usual, we had a wonderful time singing as a family, and it was a lot of fun watching Sylvia sing a little solo for the very first time. She's sung with us in ensemble stuff before, but this time she was old enough for her own little part. She and I sang "Broadway Baby" together, and it turned out ADORABLE! Sylvia really enjoys performing, and this was a great opportunity for her to sing in front of a supportive crowd. Nate and I are so proud of how well she did!

Halloween 2010

Sylvia just before the Halloween Parade at her elementary school

Ben and Grandpa Goodrich playing Crocodile Dentist

Ben & Sylvia with Grandma & Grandpa G

Ben & Sylvia with Papa Tom

Ben with Grandpa Orme

Yeah, I don't remember having such bad weather as we did this Halloween. I have no pictures of Trunk or Treat, because it was pouring rain and then switched to sleet. By the time Trunk or Treat was over, it started to hail! By then, we had already had a full day with Sylvia's piano recital, not to mention we were all feeling under the weather. So, instead of going house to house this year, we went trick or treating to Grandparents houses instead! Also, I think I am allowed to feel bummed for two reasons: one, Sylvia didn't have kindergarten on the day of the Halloween Parade at her school, so she didn't get to really walk around with her class. I just tossed her into the jumble and picked her up at the end. Two, since Halloween fell on a Sunday, and there was no school on Friday, Ben's elementary school didn't even DO a Halloween Parade. What??????? So, yeah, lame. Here's to hoping our Halloween holiday is a little more awesome next year.

Halloween Piano Recital

On Saturday, Sylvia played in her fall piano recital. This fall, she graduated to playing a more difficult piece, and she did so well! All of Amy's students dressed up for the recital (even the adult students), so we dressed up Ben as well. After the recital, we had lots of yummy Halloween treats. A perfect warm up to the trick or treating that lay ahead of us that evening!

Cell Phone Dump

Chuckee Cheese

Cupcake Date

Ridin' Lightning McQueen at Toys R Us

The Sleeping Princess

Magelby's Fresh, I think.

Conference Craziness

Iron Men Spotted at Walmart

The Pumpkin Patch

Every pumpkin patch needs a llama.

Ben decided the maze was too challenging, instead he just enjoyed walking on top of it.

Sylvia and Pyper petting the baby kangaroo(!)

Sylvia taking the tractor for a drive

Anyone who knows me knows that I don't buy pumpkins. No, that would just be too easy! Nate and I have grown our own pumpkins for the last five years, and it is MUCH more fun than buying them around the corner at the grocery store. The kids really enjoy watching the pumpkins grow throughout the summer, and they love helping Dad pick them when they're ready to harvest. Also, there is so much more variation in color, size and shape when you plant your own pumpkins. A few of ours this year are speckled green, and they're beautiful!

Anyway, even though we grow our own pumpkins, it is still a lot of fun for the kids to go to the pumpkin patch, so we go every year. This year, a neighbor of ours had a birthday party at Jaker's Pumpkin Patch here in Springville, and fun was had by all. Of course, I was really too busy having fun with the kids to take decent pics, so these are just a few that I caught with the cell phone.

This is a Calepitter, Mom!

This week has been so nice-rainy and cloudy, just the way that I like it. But, the kids haven't really had a chance to get out and run around for a few days, so they definitely started exhibiting signs of cabin fever. There was a sliver of blue sky this afternoon, and of course, Sylvia managed to find a fuzzy friend to play with. She was really proud of this little beauty, but surprisingly, I don't think she named it...well, not yet, anyway.

I don't think I want her to handle this little bugger anymore, though. Thoughts that it may be poisonous? Not sure, but I googled it, and this guy could possibly cause a rash for those with sensitive skin. Still, quite a pretty little specimen!

Ben's Birthday!

Ben wearing his special birthday crown from preschool

Fun at the Brookside Fall Carnival

This boy is in heaven!

Sylvia being very brave on the rock wall

Time to blow out the candles...

Sylvia couldn't wait until we finished singing "Happy Birthday" to blow out all of Ben's candles for him. This is her face when she realized what she'd done! The funny part is, we didn't even get mad at her or yell at her at all. She's just mad at herself!

Happy Birthday Benny! Being 4 is totally awesome!