Our Merry Month

Our December month was a good one. We tried to fit in as many winter/Christmas activities as possible. The first picture is a random one...this is what "nap time" at our house equates to. Not much napping and a lot of playing. Mallory had lined our banister with every stuffed animal she could find. Did I mention we have a stuffed animal "problem" in this house. Well, it's true.

A couple weeks ago the snow was absolutely perfect for a snow man and a little sledding in the back yard. Here's the proof.



Mallory had a small winter recital at the dance studio. She sure looked like she was having fun.


Libbie finished up her first season of all girls basketball. She was killer on defense.

The lights at Temple Square with Gavin, Henry, Caleb, Marci, Brennan, and Rachel.

Well, to say that our Christmas holiday has been uneventful would be inaccurate. We've each taken a turn over the last week and a half at being sick for a few days. It's been lovely...not. I do think we are finally on the mend now (crossing my fingers). We've certainly had our fill of barf and such. Thankfully we were all somewhat well for the main event. Sadly I received word that we were gracious enough to pass this grand disease on to my brother's family (so sorry and quick recovery to you all). Here are some of the hi-lights.
Frosting cookies for Santa.




The girls in their new fuzzy pajamas. Usually I buy them too big, or they shrink, or they hate them. This year I think I was finally successful at picking some Christmas pjs.

Libbie let Santa decide her gift this year, and he brought her a few Legos.

Santa brought Mallory the twin to her American Doll bitty twin. She loves it.

Here's Mia with "Rebekah".

Claire wasn't pictured with her gift from Santa because she wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. So instead here she is with a Christmas gift she loved...a candy cane.

Libbie has had her heart set on a Snuggie for some time now. Luckily she has a handy grandma who rigged her one up. Grandma Cardon made all the girls Snuggies in fact. They are having fun cuddling up in them.


Mia's Christmas breakfast was topped off with a lost tooth in her muffin. Yay for no more snaggle tooth!

Good Times in Sunny Arizona

For the Thanksgiving holiday, we took a trip to Arizona to spend some time with Nathan's sister Mara and her husband Ben. The weather and company could not have been more perfect. We played games, went mini golfing, saw some sights, went to the Christmas lights at the temple, and ate some very good turkey. On our way to Mara's house, we stopped to see Nathan's friend Ilario and his wife Deloris. They were so good to us! Not only did we get to enjoy seeing them, but Ilario's 80-year-old mother made us authentic Italian pizza. And let me tell you, she made A LOT of pizza. It was sooo yummy. They also gave the girls some very fun, sweet gifts. Although our visit was short, we had a great time! We walked with Ilario to the outlet mall where they have to biggest decorated tree in Arizona. Here the girls are in front of it. Thank you guys! You were so kind to us!

The day after Thanksgiving, we met Ben at his parent's house for some horse riding. We were bit leery to mount the horse because while Ben was bridling it, she decided to get a little wild and then lay down. However, she was very kind to us and let the girls ride her bucking free for a while. It was fun. Here are some of us waiting to ride the horse.


Libbie riding a horse. Yee Haaw!

Mia taking her turn.

Aunt Rachel riding the horse with Mallory.

Ben's parents have an orange grove. We were all excited the oranges were coming on, and we were able to pick some oranges to take home. Yummy.

Libbie and Mia with Strider, Ben's parent's dog, and their new best buddy.

As we pulled into town, Libbie was super excited by the cacti everywhere. Her request was that while we were there, could she please have her picture taken by a cactus? Wish granted.

Another one of our activities was at a park near Mara's and Ben's house. They had free fishing for kids and a lot of ducks to watch. Mallory convinced Aunt Mara to try to catch one of the ducks. I sure do wish I would have taken some action shots of this. Sadly that never happened nor did the catching of a duck. Ha ha.

Uncle Ben was a real trooper in helping the girls try fishing for the first time. They had a blast.

Halloween

Here are all our cute gobblins. I think we all had a good time dressing up and trick-or-treating. Grandma and Grandpa Oyler came for a visit as well to admire our little monsters. It was so fun to watch Claire answer the door with Grandpa and greet all the people seeking candy. Yeah, good times!

Mia as our fancy witch.

Libbie as our soccer player.

Belle as a Blonde, but still quite beautiful.

Cute Black Kitty!

Fall Break and Other Fallish Things

Due to the very small pumpkins our garden grew this year, we opted for the painted pumpkins. I think the girls had a good time with this variation of pumpkin decorating. I decided the mess is equal to, or worse than, carving them.
Nathan made his pumpkin as a self-portrayal.

Me with my pumpkin who I think looks a bit like Barbara Streisand.

Libbie and her little guy.

Mia's cute pumpkin.

Mallory with her new friend.

Claire's masterpiece.




Nathan's business partner helped us get a fantastic room at a fantastic price in Park City for the girls' fall break. Mom was able to come bond with us (endure our craziness). We had a fun time shopping at the outlets, eating some pretty decent food, swimming in the pool, and relaxing in the room. We've done this little jaunt the last few years. And while it isn't the most adventurous or new vacation spot, we continue to have a great time together.
Here we are at Red Banjo Pizza...which I must say that Nathan chose. Poor service, dirty environment, and mediocre food. Let's just say that it was a letdown but nonetheless memorable.



A quick tour of Olympic Park. Mom was kind enough to sit in the car with Claire while she snoozed, and Mals was in no mood for a photo shoot.

On the little scarecrow path in the Park City Area.



The girls enjoying a snack and some tv.

Mia went to the season's first Halloween party. A little boy in her class announced to all his friends on the bus that he was having a party that day. When Mia got off the bus, I assured her that I had talked to his mom that morning, and she said nothing of the sort. Well, apparently his mom is super nice because she decided to let her son have this unplanned party on that very day. We got Mia dressed up really quick and off she went. She had a great time, and I must say this mom is a great one because she really knew how to throw a fun party together in a very short amount of time.