New Years Eve Ice Skating

While the Cooks were in town we had a lot of time to be with family, mostly in different homes because Adam and Kyle were both sick, but on Monday, New Years Eve, they were both feeling good enough that we decided to get out and go ice skating! we had a lot of fun and it was great to see Adam have a good time with his first time ice skating, we will have to go back soon :)

 Adam got good at keeping his feet out in front of him, holding onto two hands

 and with just one person pushing from behind

They got pretty fast!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas. Ours was just wonderful and I also feel like we were very spoiled, especially me. I really couldn't ask for anything I didn't already have; my wonderful husband and my two amazing boys.  On top of that though, we also had Nathaniel's whole family come in from Utah and Idaho to spend Christmas day with us.  It was a blessing for me to be able to host Christmas morning celebrations at our house.  

 It was still dark when we started opening presents and almost noon by the time we finished. what a haul. This year more than any other year I felt the joy of giving and I enjoyed watching others as they opened their gifts, my boys especially. I didn't know how happy my boys could make me just for being happy themselves.

 Our stockings that I made filled with goodies (Santa thought we were good this year)

 Adam and Kyle were the first two down, sporting their PJ's they got on Christmas eve.

 Adam was a pro at unwrapping and by the end he was even good at taking things out of their fabric bags (cook tradition that we have continued, it is so nice not to have to deal with all the wrapping paper mess before and after). 

Kyle playing with his new keys. this kid will chew on anything and he is getting so good at putting anything in his hands to his mouth

Adam playing with a cool caterpillar toy from his Grandparents.  Adams big gift was a wooding kitchen, which when he uncovered it he promptly crawled in one door and out the other. 

with over a foot of snow on the ground we most definitely had our white Christmas this year it was too bad Adam was too sick to go play in it.  I especially enjoyed talking to my brother who is serving a mission in Paraguay. I can't wait for him to get home next month.  Happy Birthday Baby Jesus! 

Nativity

We enjoy the holidays, especially the traditions that center around the reason for the season, our Savior Jesus Christ. This year we celebrated advent (something I was introduced to on my mission where candles are lit and songs are sung each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas) and we also did the nativity play at Grandma and Grandpa Bassett's.  

 Nathaniel was a wise guy...er wise man

 Kyle made the perfect baby Jesus.  He was happy and content through the whole reading (great grandpa was reading from the scriptures)

And Adam made a pretty cute shepherd. (when he wasn't running around screaming and causing mischief of one sort or another)

Getting big

Kyle started eating rice cereal this last week.  He does a really good job too.  I love the funny faces he pulls at the beginning   He is getting so big. I know I am a month late on this but his four month stats are: Height 24in (16%) weight 13lbs 5 oz (18%) and 57 percentile for head size.  He has started rolling and sitting too.  Kyle is such a happy boy and I love the happy spirit he adds to our family.  He absolutely idolizes his older brother and can be entertained by him for hours (that is until Adam decides to  get to crazy and jump or sit on him).  for the most part they get along really well. Lately Kyle has started scooting in circles when he is on the floor and he thinks he is so hilarious.  We think he is pretty funny too.

this is after the first few bites, the first video wont load for some reason.

Kyle is quickly catching up to older brother, at least in size!

Adam is pretty cool with his shades.

Getting pretty

 Adam must have been very interested as I have been putting on makeup for various occasions because the other day daddy caught him putting on my make up. I was surprised that he did such a good job putting the mascara on, only a couple of splotches here and there.  He really does have very pretty eyelashes ;) I let him keep it on until his next bath.

Black Tie

We got all dressed up for Nathaniel's work Christmas Party.  My mom and dad watched the kiddos and we had a fun time.  Nathaniel actually was wearing a fedora most of the evening but I'm not sure where that picture went.  He was smoking hot :)

Christmas Project

For my birthday I received a sewing machine. For being woken up in the middle of the night while my husband was on call for work I got a gift certificate to Hobby Lobby. In years past my family has used dollar store stockings with puffy paint names.  Add these three facts together and you get motivation for a Christmas project that I started right after Thanksgiving.  Personalized stockings! 

 I started with tracing letters on cross-stitch material

 then actually cross stitching the names on

 After reading a lot of tutorials, I used an old stocking for a pattern, tried to get creative and went crazy sewing. the bulk of the work was yesterday morning.

 I am really happy with the way our stockings turned out. and I got extra material for any more kids we might have :)

next step, hanging them up on the wall and then stuffing them full of goodies :)

Christmas shopping

he said he was tired :)
now time for some rambling.  A few posts back I posted pictures of my two-year-old terror getting into things he should not have.  Since then his behavior has worsened on many accounts.  Shopping with him has turned into a nightmare as he asserts his independence.  He refuses to ride in the cart anymore and will not stick around when he is helping push it, as witnessed yesterday when I had to stop and go look for him no fewer than three times during what should have been a 10 minute trip to hobby lobby.  This last week we got the bright idea to try and potty train him. The first day he did great and I thought it was going to be so easy, then the independent streak stuck again, oy. Longest few days in his little life.  We are back to diapers for the time being.  I say all this only because it confuses me.  My little monkey is showing a side of him I am still not believing actually exists.  He is so sweet and such a patient older brother.  He is full of energy and loves to make people laugh.  The pace at which he is learning to talk and use words completely amazes me. He sings and dances and runs and plays and makes me so happy to be a mama.  This is what I want to think about when I think of Adam, not the tantrums or the misbehavior, because despite all that, my love for him just keeps growing and growing.  I love my crazy monkey like I never thought was possible and to me, he is perfect.

California for Thanksgiving

We had such a nice trip to California to see Grandma and Grandpa Cook and family for Thanksgiving.  Adam and Kyle did well during both car rides witch was a blessing. another blessing is that the weather cooperated for all of our fun plans.

 

 1. Kyle had so much fun every day that he would fall asleep in funny places

 2. Adam swinging at "castle park" he had a blast chasing his uncle and aunts, playing tag, and being a crazy little monkey in general.

 3. Kyle enjoyed the attention a lot, he also enjoyed being able to participate or at least see what was going on from the view of his bumbo

 4. Mama and sleepy Kyle in the morning sun

 5. the sign says it all (the lowest sign silly)

 6. couldn't pass up splashing through a big puddle!

 7. mom, grandma, and Kyle at Sutter's mill where gold was discovered, starting the California gold rush

 8. Emma, Dad, and Jared checking out the mill

9. Aunt Milla dancing, we did a lot of this

10. we even helped decorate the Christmas tree after Thanksgiving

We missed Aunt Brianne and Uncle Dustin but we are looking forward to them coming to Utah for Christmas!

Juice :)

we love juice, and we love teaching our boys at a young age how to make said juice, this last week it was Kyles turn!

Snow!

the first real snow storm this week and we got over a foot!  Adam refused to wear gloves and Kyle was pretty content to watch from inside :) so much fun! daddy had to go into work even though it was a Saturday so we are so happy that he spent time with us in the morning playing in the snow!

 so deep!

 daddy's snow angel

Halloween!

Because of Adam's aversion to the train we needed a back up. Our friend were good enough to lone us a couple costumes and Adam felt most comfortable wit the frog, he made a pretty cute frog too!

 We don't typically let him eat a lot of candy, but as you can see, because people were just handing him candy he made good use of the opportunity

 yes the wrapper is still on that tootsie roll, yes he bit into it and yes he continued to eat the whole thing with the wrapper still on, I think he may have been afraid that we would take away the candy.

 Kyle enjoyed gumming on the starburst too.

Adam helped scoop out the pumpkin

 he was pretty excited about it

 sometimes simple is all you need to make a  good impression

who knew frogs have fangs, that is such a creepy picture of him.  A picture of Nathaniel's and my costume to come.

Corn Bellys

Nathaniel had never been to a corn maze... until this week, and what an event it was.  We decided to go to Thanksgiving Point's Corn Belly's maze and we sure had a blast. Between the Maze, the Cow train, rubber ducky races, hay to climb and enormous slides, the whole family enjoyed our time there.

 We made it through the maze and Adam waked the whole time (he just didn't want to stand still for the picture)

 Adam found a lot of corn "swords"

 Adam went, mommy and Kyle followed. 

 "kum-pins!"

 our littlest pumpkin Kyle enjoyed the whole time strapped to mama in the moby wrap, he even slept for a good part of it.

enough said.