Instagram Round Up

Once again I have a whole slew of random pictures taken on Instagram that I haven't used in other posts, but I want to make sure I keep track of.

 This was at about 4 in the morning. We went through a serious non-sleeping phase with this girl. She would be wide awake so I would just bring her down stairs, give her something to play with and lay on the couch until she got tired and enough to want to sleep. Thankfully she was happy while she was wide awake!

 Addley has taken to eating solids really well. So far we haven't found one she doesn't like. Kylie and Jase on the other hand thinks her food is so disgusting. As I was feeding her peas I asked Jase if he wanted a taste and he said there was no way he was going to eat her "pea sauce"

 Jase goes to school on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons which makes it really convenient for a lunch date every once in awhile. I would have thought by now Jeremy would have learned that I put most every picture out there for all to see...but I guess he doesn't care.

 This picture was taken after a particularly rough night with hardly any sleep at all. I wasn't sure we would ever be friends again, but thankfully I think she has forgiven me for a long night of crying in her bed.

 Anytime Jase gets ANY kind of bump, scrape, or bruise he might as well have a broken bone or at least that is how he treats it. I don't think he straightened his elbow for a good two days after this minor bike accident.

 I realize you can't tell, but she is actually LAUGHING in this picture. While she is usually all smiles most of the time, getting a good laugh out of her tends to be a little more of a challenge. This day she actually volunteered the laughs and for once I wasn't having to do something silly to warrant it.

 Kylie has become quite the little reader. We got her a few chapter books a while ago and she has eaten them up. I think she feel so grown up and it has boosted her confidence knowing she can read them.

 This was a scary moment in my life. I have always been one to go until the last possible second before getting gas. (terrible habit I know) But with our new van it actually tells me how far I really have. It gets pretty scary on occasion and i am pretty sure I got to the gas station by the skin of my teeth that day.

After a long day of errands and running around. I had run in to grab Kylie from her cheer class and came out to the car to see Jase wasn't in his seat. I found him zonked out like this in I guess a much more comfortable position than in his seat. I may or may not have just let him ride home like this.

Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving was spent in AZ with my family this year. It was a nice week away and we are always grateful for the time we can spend there. Of course it's not a vacay without a little time spent in Grandpa's pool. The hot tub is our only option this time of year and it never disappoints! Addley even got in on the action and was perfectly content the whole time. She even got a little excited at times and got some good splashing in. 

 We went to AZ a few days early because of a surprise party planned for my dad's 25 years at his company. The kids of course loved the idea of a surprise. They kept an eye out for him and let us all know when he had pulled up.

 I think it would be safe to say he had no idea what we had going. It was so fun to surprise him! He had all of us plus several of the people he works with all there to celebrate with him. We had a delicious lunch and then they showed a video of my dad over the years and then a few of us got up and said a few words. Its was definitely confirmed my dad is one amazing guy!! He is very highly respected and it was neat to hear that from the people he works with. 

 A visit to Granny Annie's is always a highlight for us! Her tootsie rolls are the best and she always seems glad we are there. I am grateful she is in pretty good healthy and can enjoy our company.

 This lovely turkey was my contribution to the big meal. Just as expected the whole dinner along with the crowd was delicious.

 My sisters and I weren't willing to let a Black Friday go by without  being among the crowds and huge long lines. We scored some pretty good deals but more than anything just love the people watching. Jeremy is always such a good sport and more than willing to  stands in the extra long lines and do pretty much whatever it takes to get things I am in search of. He even went as far as to scour a store for a certain toy only to finally find one in what appeared to be an abandoned cart. We're still hoping it really was!!

 On Saturday my dad took my sisters and I shopping for a whole knew wardrobe...for him. It was the best time ever!! He was more than willing to try out anything we picked for him and I think he walked away lookin' pretty snazzy in his new attire. He told us we could make this an annual thing and I already can't wait until next year!

 We ended our trip by helping to decorate my parent's house for Christmas and then going to our favorite mexican restaurant. I wasn't feeling very well so sadly I ate about two bites of my food and didn't even get to enjoy it. The rest of the night was spent in my bed or throwing up. Then the next day we woke up to a house full of sickies which didn't make for a very pleasant way to end our time there.

Of course this is how we leave Arizona every. single. time. It's never fun to say good bye, but we're always grateful for the time we get to spend there ad the love and generosity of our family!

The Festival of Trees

Kylie has been talking for weeks and weeks about how excited she was that her first grade class was helping decorate a tree for the Festival of Trees. Her class went on a field trip to see the tree at the festival and then all she could talk about was taking us there to show it to us.  We had a crazy busy weekend, but knew it was important to her so we made time to go. The tree was so cute and actually won the most votes which means the Life Flight plane will visit their school. She couldn't have been more proud of it. 

We spent the next little while walking around, looking at trees, eating yummy treats and playing some games. It was a fun afternoon and I am glad we were able to squeeze it in on Saturday.

Annual Neighborhood Hot Chocolate Party

Once again we had our annual Silkwood Neighborhood Hot Chocolate party. It's something we started  the first year we moved here and have done every year since. We look forward to it and this year held up to the expectation. We were really blessed when we bought our house and are grateful to have a fabulous neighborhood to call home.

Addley was clearly partied out. The only warm thing I had for the girl was her Halloween costum.

The other two quite enjoyed themselves. Jase was all over the hot chocolate and yummy treats thats were bought. Kylie loved running around with her friends and hardly gave me a second for a picture.

Family Pictures 2012

Once again we had the amazing Kourtney Jackson take our pictures for the third year in a row. She's a great friend of mine and a fabulous photographer. It's always stressful firguring out what everyone will wear, making sure everyone is fed and happy and getting everyone looking at the camera and smiling all at the same time. Thankfully Kourtney knows her stuff and we walked away with excellent pictures.

Color Me Rad

A couple months ago I had a few friends talk me into running a race with them called Color Me Rad. From what I could see of the pictures it looked like a super fun, low key, first time racer's race so I signed up. I then talked a few girl into training with me early in the mornings. My music and I usually get along pretty well when I'm out running, but I have learned that I love having a group to go with! Not only is it way more motivating on those mornings you just want to hit the snooze, but there is something about having someone there when it's not your best running day pulling you along.  I find myself looking forward to the morning workouts because I loved the social part of it also. We have all become really close friends and I am grateful I have some crazies that are willing to brave the 6 am cold and darkness with me. 

 A few other friends joined us for the day of the race making it a really fun group to be with. The night before we thought it was only necessary to load up our carb intake with a fun girls night to Pizza Factory.

 This is our before picture. We were ready with our white shirts and colored sunglasses to protect our eyes. The day of the race was freezing(!!) and super windy. Not ideal, but thankfully we came somewhat prepared.

I wish I could have had my camera with me during the race, but flying paint made me too nervous. Each kilometer had a paint station where volunteers threw different colored powder on you as you ran by. We were a mess by the time the race was over, but that's what made it so awesome and obviously the point!

 At the end we were given color bombs so we took it upon ourselves to make sure we were good and covered one last time. 

 Jeremy brought the kids up at the end and of course they thought it was a blast. They came home with pink and blue hair and color all over their clothes. Jase was mesmerized by all the color clouds flying through the air.

It's definitely a race I'll want to do again next year. Amid my training for this one by sister managed to talk me into running the Phoenix Half with her in March. To say I'm a bit apprehensive would be an understatement! Hopefully I can manage to train through the cold of winter and enjoy that race just as much.

Kylie's Cheer Class

Kylie absolutely loved her dance class last year, but this year she decided she wanted to try her hand at cheer. We had to switch dance studios, but I found one that was highly recommended and we've been very pleased so far. We were also hoping we could get her into a tumbling, but sadly that class was full.  It's not very often they let parents come watch the class, but this week was parent observation week so I took advantage and went to watch her. 

Being a dancer myself it makes me excited to see Kylie loving it also. She started the class about a month late, but seems to  have picked up the technique rather quickly.  I love watching her  as she gets on the dance floor and her confidence shines.  It's something she seems to love and I love that I've got myself a little dancer. 

5 Months Old

It's that time again. I can't believe another month has passed. "The babes" is 5 months old and just as fun as ever...well, until it come to sleeping at night. Then she's not quite as fun. But we're hoping she's just going through a funny phase and she wont we a terrible sleeper forever!! It happened all the sudden where she just wouldn't go to sleep at night. It would be midnight or later before she even thought that going to sleep would be a good idea. She seems to love to take a nice cat nap about 8:00 pm and that gives her the second wind making it possible for her to get the late night party started. It's been a little bit frustrating, but hopefully she grows out of it soon! For everyone's sake!!

Other than her crazy night, we couldn't ask for a more laid back, happy, SMILEY, content little girl. She seems to be able to go with the flow pretty well with busy older siblings. Her favorite spot is on her stomach on the floor. I've been amazed at how she somehow gets across the room in no time flat. She seems to be able to reach for anything she desires and constantly wants something to chew on. 

She loves to eat and has become a fan of applesauce, sweet potatoes, rice cereal and just about anything else I'll let her have a taste of. 

We love our girl and are so grateful to have her in our family. She makes us all...and everyone else around her so happy. She'll flash a smile at any and everyone and I get constant comments from people about how smily she is. Her whole face lights up and you can't help, but be happy around her. 

 Notice the fuss! Jeremy is sure she will be bald forever. He's starting to get worried, but I was bald until I was about 2.