christmas eve 2008

During the day on Christmas eve, we (Bart, me, Ky, Kade and my mom) decided to go bowling. The boys had never been bowling (unless you count going to a friends' house to bowl on their wii), so we weren't sure what to expect. The boys were so excited and loved everything from the cool lights, to the neat TV screens that showed whose turn it was and how many pins they knocked down.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of their bowling shoes, how cute are those?Ky looking all grown up waiting for his turn
They were a little upset when we told them they needed to use this ramp to bowl, but they got over it quickly when they tried to hold their ball and realized how heavy it was.

Kade lining up his shot

Okay, I know this is hard to see, and my mom's score is blocked out (she beat us all), but I had to show that Kade broke 100 on his first time bowling--he scored 103--and even beat me. Is there any sport this kid isn't naturally gifted at?

Bart is the only one who looks good in this picture (admit it, you all think he looks good), but I wanted a family picture of our first bowling outing

That evening we dressed up to act out the nativity. It's so fun to have little kids at Christmas! And yes that is Mary shushing the shepherd.


The classic Christmas Eve gift--jammies. I think the Superman jammies are a hit--just look at those faces!

like a rock star

Bart and I experienced Guitar Hero for the first time while in Utah. I can see how it could be addicting. Kade and Ky are naturals. As soon as their fingers get big enough to reach all the buttons...watch out. For now, they just look like rock stars the way they hold the guitar and the faces they make.

See? Rock star potential. Check out Kade's face in the back.
Ky's rock star face

He's a natural. Rock on, Kade!

frozen

While in Utah, we took the boys to go feed the ducks at the river near Utah Lake. They had a great time even though it was cold outside. When we ran out of bread, we headed out to the lake to see the ice that piles up along the shore. The boys liked throwing rocks into the water--and were pretty excited to see that the rocks sat on top of the frozen water. All the ice and snow made for some neat photos.

gingerman cookie houses

About a month before we left for Utah, I showed the boys a picture of a gingerbread house and told them that we were going to make some with grandma when we went to visit. So, often when we would talk about the upcoming trip, they would remind us that they were going to make "gingerman cookie houses" with grandma. So, about a week before Christmas we did just that. Actually they are graham cracker houses, but that is what I remember making as a child, so it's more festive that way anyway. The boys had a great time, but got bored about half way through, (plus, we had to put a stop to their munching at that point anyway) so my mom and I finished their houses for them.

Kade smiling for a picture before he gave up and went to play

Grandma and Ky working together

Ky's almost done house

Kade's finished house
My house

deception, the zoo, and temple square

A few weeks before Christmas my mom had this great idea. You see, Kade will not eat noodles. What two-year old will not eat any noodles, you ask. My Kade. None. This means no mac & cheese, no spaghetti, no noodle soup, nothing that even resembles a noodle. So, my mom thought that if we could get him to help make some noodles from scratch, we colored them blue and called them something besides noodles, we could trick him into eating them, and loving them. Kade loved mixing them, and flouring them and watching them be cut. He kept saying, "I want to eat those." Well, as soon as we put them on his plate and put some alfredo sauce on them, he began to look a bit suspicious. After a few minutes of him just staring at them I asked him why he wasn't eating his "whips." He looked up and said very seriously, "I don't try noodles." So, in the end, we hadn't fooled him one bit. Oh well, nothing a little pb&j won't fix.

Ky flouring the noodle dough before it was cut. My mom made them each an apron. Aren't they awesome!

Kade suspected nothing at this point!

Later that day we went to the zoo. It was a bit colder than we had anticipated, so we quickly saw all the animals that were also out in the cold and went to temple square to see the lights. Nothing brings the true meaning of Christmas closer to my heart than seeing the temple surrounded by lights, seeing the Christus and all the different nativities. While we were there, I saw my friend Suzanne, who I knew when we lived in Florida. Funny thing that we were both visiting Utah the same time, and ran into each other at Temple Square. Small world.

Lilly, Suzanne, and me

I loved seeing my boys with the statue of Christ. It brought tears to my eyes.

visit with santa

The boys sat on Santa's lap twice this year. The first time they ran up to him, sat on his lap (good thing there were no other kids there, because they completely bypassed the line area), and talked his ear off. This time they smiled, told him what they wanted--Kade wanted an Eve toy, from the movie WALL-E, and Ky wanted a Buzz Lightyear toy--and were ready to be done. At least they smiled for a picture.

december catch-up

Now that we have been home from Utah for a week, I've finally been able to catch up on things around the house and I'm ready to catch up on posts about what we did while we were gone.

The Sunday after we got to Utah, church was only about an hour long because of a power failure, so we decided to head up the canyon and go for a walk. The weather was just awesome and we all had a great time walking along the trail, seeing a half-frozen bridal veil falls, and watching Apolo Anton Ono skating down the trail. The boys loved (as always) throwing rocks in the water and could have done that for hours.

It's hard to tell from this photo, but all those sticks and rocks are covered in ice. Very cool!
Here the boys are playing with grandma and grandpa near the falls

Nice throw, Kade!

Check out the ice on those branches. This is where the falls join the river. It didn't feel cold enough outside for there to be ice like this, but it was sure neat to look at.