Nativities around the World

At one of our church buildings here in town, they set up a display for a week of hundreds of different nativities around the world.  It is awesome!!! 

The German one was my favorite.

One of our friends invited a bunch of us to go see it together. They have a room at the end with costumes to dress up and they take a professional picture of your family in the Nativity Scene. We decided we ALL would dress up and take one big picture together!

  I love it. 

 Mylee was a little sheep in my lap.  She was so cute walking around with her little sheep tail wagging in the back...until she started trying to rip it off!

Anyway, I took my kids back the next day because they have a kids room with  a bunch of different nativities for kids to play with and crafts to do.  They loved it.  What a fun event to get in the Christmas Spirit!

Christmas time

 I had to begin with this picture...this is what I see the majority of the day.

  Little Miss Mylee holding onto my pants...

 begging for my attention :)

We got to meet "Santa" at our ward party tonight. 

I couldn't find Mylee anywhere...

And then I found her here...

Just staring.

He wouldn't hold still for 2 seconds.

He was running around screaming "SANTA, SANTA!"

We got them both together

And in his lap

Mylee continued staring

And Colton was still so hyper,

he couldn't hold still.

Take 2

Also...we went to the Christmas Parade downtown Moscow this week.

These are there hats I got them for Christmas.

But since neither of them have hats...they got to wear them!

I love her.

Matt looks thrilled that his hour break of the day gets to be spent going to a parade in the cold :)

Colton had fun.  He loved the trucks.

And there were at least 5 Santas.

Don't worry...our Christmas isn't completely revolving around Santa.

Colton has spent HOURS playing with our Nativity Set, he loves it.

He also carries his gospel art book everywhere with him...

to look at the pictures of Jesus, baby Jesus, and the temple (Jesus' house)

I love that little guy.



Finals Week

I am letting Colton watch a movie right now.

He got it from RedBox because he pooped in the toilet again

(he actually has not pooped in his diaper for a week now!!)

Mylee is sleeping.

I should be folding laundry, cleaning, getting ready to leave in a week, fixing my hair (that I just cut a chunk off on the side because I haven't gotten my hair done for 4 months and it is DEAD and Dried out), organizing my house (it desperately needs it) or really anything besides sitting here.

But...I sprained my ankle yesterday morning playing basketball.

I pretended all day like that it didn't hurt.

And now it REALLY hurts.

We haven't really seen Matt for quite a while now, and probably won't see him until next Thursday when he is done.

He was gone from 6:30-5:30 yesterday (I did not hear from him) and he walks in the door and says, I only have maybe an hour and I'm leaving again.

Awesome, see ya.

I don't even know when he finished studying and came to bed...No idea.

Mylee is teething and she screams at my feet all day long.

Unless of course we are anywhere around other people,

 and then she is happy as can be (Social butterfly)

And that is why, even though my ankle is killing me...

I am going to the mall after her nap.

Then she can be happy to see all the people that she wants to see.

And Colton can run to his hearts content.

I put up my Christmas decorations last week, but not our tree.

I figured Mylee would rip it apart.

And I was over at my neighbors house doing Reindeer crafts yesterday and she told me they were going to go buy a new Christmas tree because they left theirs in storage.

I told her she could use ours.

So, she set it up, and I went and saw it and wanted to have it back (just for a second)

Hahahhaa...I'm just like my children.

We're going to see the Nativities Around the World display tonight.

And I am going to a movie with some girls.

While Matt studies his life away.

It better be worth it...

Happy Friday!



The Birthday Bash

I love having a 3 Year Old! 

His Birthday was so fun.

He woke up all smiles, saying, "My Birrrrday!"

For weeks he has been saying, "My Birrrrday Soon?!"

So, he was pretty happy it was finally here!

We played all day, skyped with both grandparents in the morning while opening their presents (he got SPOILED, thanks grandmas and grandpas), went to Walmart and he got to pick out a toy, and even better A MOVIE (because he pooped in the potty for the first time in months--on his birthday!), we blew up balloons for his party, had Pizza for dinner and had 3 friends over and Nate and Ashley (he chose them all) He chose one more friend, but he was throwing up all morning so couldn't come!

His reactions to his presents were, "Cool" and "Woah!"

I loved that.

Mylee thought she was SO big sitting by all the big kids!

The black frosting from his Beloved "Batman Cake"

And here it is...what he has been asking for for a month at least..."A Batman Cake" 

The day before I called and was going to have one made for him, but it was going to cost $30.

So..I decided to make it (I am not artsy AT all)

Matt ended up making it--and I think it turned out AWESOME.

I love these 2.

Oh...and her too :)

Overall...it was such a fun day.  Birthday's are so much more fun when you are little. 

Colton at 3 years old weighs 40 pounds and is 3 ft. 3 1/2 in. 

That means 100% for weight (he has never been that high)

And 95% for height.

I love my HUGE boy.

He is the sweetest boy, very helpful, and is honestly a very happy, easy going kid.

(Although he does have his moments, don't get me wrong)

Too bad he gets all of his good qualities from his daddy :)

My little boy

Today was Colton's birthday. 

 I just went in his room to cover him up before I go to bed and I laid down next to him and started crying.  I couldn't stop.  I don't want him to grow up.  Really truly I don't.

I absolutely love where he is at right now.

I never want him to change.

I never want him to have to grow up in this crazy world.

I want him to be my little boy who crawls up in my lap, and says, "Wove you, mommy," FOREVER.

Is that too much too ask?

I feel like I spend so much of my time complaining about how hard it is to have young kids; the sleepless nights, feeding them, potty training, putting their clothes on, changing diapers, no free time. 

The list could go on and on really.

And really...those aren't the hard things.

The hard things are making sure I teach them how to be happy, how to pray, how to have the desire to read their scriptures, how to fear God and not man, how to love others, how to serve, how to be a good father/mother, a good husband, how to respect others, and how to be a good person.

And no matter how hard I try, they just might not do all of these things.

And that is what is hard.

I can't even describe how much I love this little guy.

Please don't grow up.

P.S. I'll be posting all about his "Big Day" soon :)  Because it was awesome.

Thanksgiving Break

    The day Thanksgiving Break started I told Matt I wanted a break.  His studying has started picking up (I really shouldn't complain because we have had 50 hour weeks compared to 70+ hour weeks like last year) It has been awesome!  But, the past few weeks are getting closer and closer to those 70 hour weeks. 

   Anyway, we were so close to hopping in the car and heading home for the week so he could study and I could hang out with family.  The semester has been AWESOME, until the holidays came around and not only was my husband studying, but I was home with no family :(  And it got COLD. Poor poor pitiful me. 

I mean I still had these 2 cute things...and we did lots of THIS:

   

BUT---Matt came home and informed me we were going to go stay at a time share condo in Couer D' Alene with some friends for a day. YAY!

We got to ride up in our friends car...we got to go to Target...we got to go swimming...we got to put the kids to bed and stay up late playing games and laughing.

It was awesome.

We rarely get to hang out as couples without children--so it was especially fun.

I am sad...I didn't even get a picture of all of us...but can I really take pictures with little Miss Mylee ripping the camera out of my hand?!

One of the highlights of the trip was THIS:

They dared Matt to jump in Lake Coeur D'Alene, swim 30 yards and swim back...and paid him $120!

He did it...and kind of awkward for me, I thought he was SO cool for doing it!

On his way back, he started slowing way down and he said his body was stiffening up it was so cold.

The sad thing is, none of us would have jumped in to save him ;)

Anyway-- we got to stop at COSTCO on the way home and get some goods thanks to our friends who enjoy twisted entertainment (my husband almost freezing)

Here is our little family.

Anyway- it was an awesome trip, great company but when we got back home it was back to the grind for Matt. He studied the majority of Thanksgiving Day while I cooked.

We had a Feast at the church with 9 other families (I have no pictures)

It was So much fun.

We went around the room and told what we were thankful for.

And although we are all poor college/law students with kids and no family nearby,

 we have a TON to be thankful for.

I went Black Friday shopping from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. (not quite as daring as some people, but also I have a whole lot less money and things to buy so why waste my precious sleep :))

Now--we are just trying to get through finals. 

2 more weeks and we are home free!