Christmas was...

...full of firsts for Lyla...
among other things army-crawled for the first time on Christmas Eve
...the most exciting thing EVER for Regan...
seriously overjoyed with all the candy & jumped up and down for her favorite gifts
...full of surprises for Emma...
loved seeing Regan's face when she gave her a present & got things she "didn't know she wanted"
...our 9th together & the best yet!
it was a beautiful holiday spent with people we love & full hearts

Better Every Year

ZooLights. Our favorite.

Lyla @ 7 Months

This little doll is bringing joy to our home in ways that we never thought possible. She is full of smiles, chuckles, & open-mouthed kisses that keep us loving and laughing all day long!
This month we did the zoo (hated her stroller, loved the baby bjorn~of course) & peas (don't know where she got that)

Baby in a Basket

Lyla has figured out how to be silly. The best part of her discovery stage is the way E & R go hysterical over just about everything she does! Every time I lay her down she rolls herself to her basket of toys, manages to get everything out of it, and then puts it over her entire body...only peeking out to see if anyone is watching! On this day she managed to scoot herself out of her leggings {Emma had tears from laughing so hard} and then added to the fun by getting in her basket!

Another Holiday, More Cookies!

These 2 really love to bake/eat way too much cookie dough!

Christmas in AZ

If you live in Arizona, the LDS Mesa Temple lights are a "must see". We went with the Becks & Taysoms and had fun wandering the grounds since there weren't too many people that night. I guess that's what happens when you go on a rainy day. Emma's favorite was the nativity display in the visitor's center...she was kinda sad there wasn't one from Ecuador, but was happy to see Brady's mission represented. Lyla was happy to be outside and being in her baby bjorn...she LOVES that thing!

Today, Tomorrow, & the Day After That

Today
The girls had Cheerios with red & green sprinkles for breakfast. I was a genius in their eyes...& I love the way kids get excited about the small stuff.
I will get lost in Target for the last time before Christmas.
Tomorrow
I will sleep past 6:30am. People shouldn't be made to get out of bed when its dark outside!
We are ALL excited for the bowl game that BYU will play in. That's right- even I am excited for this one...although it's for totally different reasons than my husband. (Last game of the year~y.e.s.!)
The Day After That
I always love the Sunday before Christmas @ church. Beautiful music. Thoughtful testimonies of our Savior's birth. Happy friends. Cute kids in pretty church dresses.

I Adore These Kids...

I teach a few piano lessons right now & just happens to be all girls. They are fun, talented, & fabulous. I so enjoyed our recital this year!

This is what Happens...

When you tell EIGHT kids to sit on a couch and smile for the camera...Pretty cute, if you ask me!
***AND***
In the circle of (child) Life...

When one of your kids loves babies as much as this one does... (he was a good sport about it)


You are bound to be on the recieving end of some of this...CUTE Weston loved Lyla this visit & although her face seems to say otherwise in this picture, she didn't mind!

Giving Thanks

After a fun, but rather uneventful Turkey Bowl for Brady (thankful he avoided any injury) and tuning into the Macy's parade (thankful for all of the oo's, ahh's, & smiles it provided the girls) we were off to Standifird's for dinner (thankful for Pam's stuffing). After dinner my MIL sat and read some old letters she'd written about the family from years ago. It was fun to hear what life was like for them with young kids and a bit about Brady as a child (thankful his love of cooking started early, by him pretending to bake his Legos in his mom's oven). After that Kass played Christmas songs on the piano while the kids colored and Lyla was entertained by the adults. (thankful she was happy to just smile and observe)
On the road again (thankful to hear the girls belting out all the Christmas songs they could think of) and headed to the Beck's! A delicious meal later- (thankful that 2 Thanksgivings have past, meaning Patrick will be home for NEXT year's!!) and we enjoyed pie! (very thankful for THE b.e.s.t. pie I have ever had- Mom made apple/raspberry @ Emma's request) After all the food the grandkids gave Grandma & Grandpa their "turkey prints"...quite the crew! (thankful for the good company for the girls) Our Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without a walk down to the cul-de-sac in the neighborhood to see the awesome light display (thankful for a minute to hold hands with my husband).
It's a day that always comes with warm feelings and lots of good memories, so much to be thankful for.

My Dad & Kickball

We had a fun birthday for my dad this year. He deserves it. He is an example of humility & goodness- & one of my very favorite people. He works so hard and never tires of serving others and being a fun grandpa. My BIL, Brent grilled great hot dogs & hamburgers and my Mom made the best cake & cupcakes. Then we had a fierce kickball game in the freezing cold!

Lyla @ 6 Months

Another month, LOTS more changes! First set of ear-infections brought a few long nights, but it didn't matter one bit during the day...all smiles, all the time. TWO teeth in a week & still she smiles! I sneak in her room at night and pick her up for a few minutes because I can't get enough of her.

Right now she LOVES:

jumping (for joy, because you couldn't find a happier baby right now) in her saucer.

trying to force out laughs that end up like little yelps when she wants you to look at her.
Singing along with whatever song is being played on my piano.
the camera- she smiles when I hold it up!
her sisters- they provide all the entertainment she needs without even trying.
her Dad- their bond definitely deepened in the last few weeks.
pulling out her pacifier and then putting it back in...YAY for that one!

She is long and skinny (no updated stats yet) & trying to find jeans that fit her is nearly impossible. I swore I'd never buy into the "jeggings" hype, but they are just what she needs since size 0-3 months/long/slim doesn't exist! Thank goodness for babylegs & all leggings this season!

Just a Few Miles Away...

We loaded up the girls and made the short trip over to the Gilbert Temple groundbreaking. It was one of those days where everything is beautiful and it all seems to work out just perfectly. We left there so excited that the land there "is now a Holy Place". After it was over we got to take turns using the shovels to help start the digging- they thought it was so cool that the shovels were gold! We look forward to watching it be built over the next two years. Here are some pictures of the site a few days before and a few of us at the groundbreaking.

It's Wednesday, 11/10

So, naturally Brady is home from work &
putting up our
*
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*
*
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CHRISTMAS TREE.

L.O.L.

Corrections & Statements

If I didn't think it was adorable and hilarious I would correct Regan when she says:

"afterSnoon"
{afternoon}
"tomayo"
{tomorrow- a family favorite}
& - her most recent...
" a Housand"
{a Thousand}

Other things we love to hear her say:
"I want to go to hers house." (make sense, 'his & hers'!!)
"What hand it is in? " (doing her fave magic trick)
"I want to go to the mall because." (no explanation follows- to me, none is necessary...haha)
"Mom, you are the bomb." (stated plain & simple.)

ALL of Halloween

Lyla has had fun playing with all of the unopened candy!

decorating cookies @ Taysoms

...preschool costume...

inspired by her:

a visit to Emma's school for the costume parade!!

even got to see Dr. Zack @ the parade!!

Trunk-or-Treat (their thing 1 & 2 apparently got in their way cause they aren't on right in most of our pictures!)

Halloween night & Passing out candy with cousins @ Taysoms..

When did Halloween turn into a week-long party??
We had lots of parties & ate lots of candy.

The best part of Halloween for me this year was the e.a.s.y. costumes!! It was just what everyone wanted & it turned out to be simple & fast.
Emma and Regan were Thing 1 & Thing 2 (when they weren't Spiderman, Superman, Buzz, & Woody @ Taysoms) and their costumes varied to accommodate the different parties (Emma didn't want blue hair at school!) ...I wasn't about to spray their hair blue all 5 times they needed to be in their costume!!
Lyla was the CUTEST strawberry & loved her costume (most of the time:)


Ready to clean the costumes and put them away!!