New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve was quite eventful for us this year.

First thing we headed up to Salt Lake, so I could go to the temple. Rog had gone earlier in the month, but I needed to get my December visit in before the new year. Most temples are closed on Mondays, but the Salt Lake temple is open just in the morning. (The Provo temple is also usually open Monday mornings, but was closed for cleaning that day.) When we got there I realized I didn't have my temple bag. Rog had taken it downstairs for me and I mistakenly thought he had put it in the car. I was doing initiatory anyway, so I didn't need my temple clothes, but my temple recommend was in there as well as some clothes I had packed to change into after the temple. I was able to have them look me up and call our bishop to let me in, so other than having to wear my skirt all day, everything worked out just fine.

While I was in the temple, Rog walked around Temple Square with the kids. One of the highlights for Corbyn was seeing the Christus in the Visitors' Center. It had been much too crowded to see it while we were there seeing the lights before Christmas.

After I got out of the temple, we picked up Grandma Lori and went over to Discovery Gateway. I had been wanting to take Corbyn there for awhile. He had a great time checking everything out. There was so much for him to do and explore!









Even Peyton got in on the fun after she woke up from her nap in the stroller.





Then we met my dad and grandma at Chuck-A-Rama for dinner. We thought it would be a good place to take the kids because you don't have to wait for your food and we were right. And who doesn't love the scones at Chuck-A-Rama!

That evening Bill and Mariah (and Charlotte!) came over for appetizers and treats to ring in the new year. Corbyn had fallen asleep on the way home from Salt Lake, so he got to stay up a little past his normal bedtime although he definitely didn't make it all the way to midnight! We played some games, watched the ball drop, and then called it a night.

I was sad to see 2012 go because 12 is my favorite number (and I'm not such a fan of the number 13), but so far 2013 has been treating us just fine!

New Year's Day was also eventful, but not in the same fun way New Year's Eve was. We spent the day catching up on laundry (6 loads), putting away Christmas, and finally finding a home for all the new toys the kids got for Christmas!

8 Months

PJ at 8 months:

*Has figured out this whole solid food thing. It used to take at least 45 minutes for a solid feeding, but now it only takes 15 - 20 minutes. Thank goodness!
*Is kind of over puffs. She would much rather have goldfish crackers or cereal. Also really loves soft carrots from our soups and stews.
*Loves to suck on pieces of crushed ice. We're talking serious love - nothing brings her more joy!
*Takes 2 good solid naps a day (most days). Usually I can count on one being 2 hours and the other right around an hour. Much better than the 20 - 40 minute naps she was rocking for so long!
*Is almost always sick. She hasn't gotten really sick for awhile now (knock on wood), but she usually has a runny nose and a little cough thanks to it being cold season and her being at the age where she puts everything in her mouth.
*Likes to empty drawers and unload shelves.
*Claps toys together.
*Is getting some thicker hair in the back.
*Can climb up stairs with a lot of supervision.
*Cruises (walks holding onto furniture).



What a cutie!

Homemade Gifts

It's always a miracle of sorts that I get my homemade gifts done in time for Christmas with everything else that is going on the month of December. But I love doing it and I just can't bring myself to not do it.

First up, Elder Ririe's package. I made him "snowman soup," otherwise known as hot chocolate. I found this cute little poem to go with it.



I also made him some Peppermint Cookies and Cream Popcorn. It was so dang good that I had to make it again later in the month just because.



Diana requested that I get her for our family gift exchange, so I could make her this beach towel dress. It was simple enough - although very time consuming with all the rows I had to sew. I didn't get it done in time to give it to her when we did the exchange at Thanksgiving, but I did get it to her before Christmas.



I made all our nephews (and Corbyn and Peyton) a reusable Sunday coloring book with coloring pages from the Friend. I downloaded the images from lds.org, cropped them so they were all similar, printed them out as 5x7s, cut them out, laminated them, and bound them all together. I also made a little drawstring bag to store the markers in.



I made this critter blanket for Peyton. It was by far the most difficult project I took on. It wasn't time consuming - I got it done in one evening, but it definitely wasn't a beginner project. The tutorial I used had some very good tips, but it also left out a few steps. It was easy enough to figure out what to do in those spots, so that wasn't the hugest deal. Anyway, I love how it turned out and I'm glad I made it. But I won't be making another one very soon!



I made this elephant for Charlotte's nursery. I knew Mariah was decorating the nursery in purple/gray with zoo animals, so when I saw this elephant at the Wood Connection, I knew I had to make it for her. It was a super easy project - it only took me a half hour or so to put it together. It also happened to be one of my favorite gifts I made. A total win/win!



Finally I made this plaque (or sign... I don't know what to call it) for all our family and close friends. It is pretty embarrasing how easy it was to make, but it had to be for me to make 13 of them! I found the printable here, had them printed out at Costco, painted the edges of the boards (from Wood Connection), and glued the prints to the boards.



And that's the 2012 version of homemade Christmas gift giving! Stay tuned to see what 2013 brings. I already have some things in mind...

Dear Santa

I saw this on Pinterest and thought it would be a fun way to remember what we got for Christmas for our family "Santa" gifts.



{He may be going to the U, but we will still bleed blue. Lots of BYU stuff!}



{So excited for my citris juicer! I seem to use a lot of limes and it makes juicing them quick and painless. (It also works on lemons.) My Mac Book Air doesn't have a CD Drive. Now I can actually use Digital Copies. Jake and the Never Land Pirates - Peter Pan Returns is currently on my phone ready to entertain Corbyn in emergencies.}



{It was definitely a Jake and the Never Land Pirates Christmas for Corbyn! His face when he opened the sheet for his bed was priceless... "What is this parents? And why did Santa bring it to me?" He definitely needed a new one - his old one was looking pretty nasty!}



{Peyton's Christmas had a strong Cinderella theme. I need to get a picture of her in her fluffy, fancy dress. It is her first one and she is adorable in it!}

Christmas with the Riries

We were also able to celebrate Christmas with the Riries.

They moved the traditional Ririe Christmas Eve party to Friday (the 21st), so we could be there. We had dinner at Sweet Tomatoes and then headed over to my Grandma and Grandpa Ririe's house. Rog gave a little Christmas thought and we read the Christmas story in Luke 2.



We also opened presents. Books for both kids, a puzzle for Corbyn, and a little toy for PJ. Rog and I got money for a dinner out and money that came with the stipulation that we couldn't use it to buy groceries. :)



I had made Brownie Cheesecake Peppermint Bars for dessert, but realized when we were halfway there that I left them in our fridge. Opps!



After we got home from Colorado we had a dinner to celebrate Christmas with my parents and Grandma Ford on Saturday (the 29th). We all contributed a little to the meal - I made funeral potatoes and rolls, my grandma provided the ham, and my mom made green bean casserole.

After eating, we opened presents. Corbyn had a great time running back and forth helping open all the gifts.

Peyton got a few smaller toys like this cute frog and stackable ice cream scoops.



She got the Little People Cinderella Coach that was a hit with both kids. (Someday Corbyn will be really embarrassed by that.)



She also got a bright pink warm jacket (as an early gift that she has been wearing for a few weeks) and a cute purple outfit. That was by far the thing she got most excited about. She was flipping it around and making the most excited noises. (We should have taken a video. It was so cute!)



Corbyn got a set of Toy Story Hot Wheels cars, a BYU shirt, Ratatouille (Rog will tell you that was more for me than for him - it's one of my favorites for some reason, but he likes it too!), a few Jake figurines, and a Jake matching game. As well as the Jake DVDs he got early.

Rog and I both got iTunes gift cards and we all got the Pass of All Passes. And in addition to the Harry Potter audio collection I got early, I also got season 3 of Glee. Rog got money to use on some big ticket items he's been wanting - a deeper sink and new golf clubs.

We gave the kids a bath and put them in these adorable reindeer bath robes my grandma got them.



We quickly had dessert (Ice Cream Brownie Squares with peppermint ice cream instead of mint chocolate chip) and then had to hurry home to get the kids to bed. Corbyn fell asleep looking like a little Christmas boy and he couldn't have been happier!



It's great to live close enough to my side of the family, so we also got to celebrate with them!

Christmas in Colorado

We spent our Christmas in Colorado with the Phillips family.

Rog took Friday (the 21st) off to help me pack and get everything ready.

We made the long drive on Saturday. Luckily we were able to get a few of our Christmas presents from my parents early that we knew would make the drive a little more bearable - 2 Jake and the Never Land Pirates DVDs for Corbyn and the complete Harry Potter audio collection for me (and Rog). We had to make lots of stops for Peyton as she eats every 2 hours during the day, but she made up for it with her pure cuteness. Seriously, could she get any cuter?!



Sunday night everyone came over for dinner and then Santa made a surprise visit! Corbyn wouldn't sit on his lap, but warmed up a little when he pulled a present out of his bag.



Peyton was a very tired girl. To say she was a little upset when we handed her off to Santa would be a huge understatement!



Both kids were happy with their early gifts. A helicopter for Corbyn and a barrel of monkeys (baby style) for Peyton.



On Monday (Christmas Eve) during the day we did some shopping for ornaments and visited Rog's Uncle Rey and Aunt Marillyn.

That evening we had the traditional Phillips family Christmas Eve dinner of egg rolls. We got a picture of all the grandkids in their Christmas Eve pajamas before putting them to bed. We got Christmas morning all set up and then we got to talk to Elder Ririe via a google+ hangout late that night!



First thing Christmas morning Corbyn found his Jake and the Never Land Pirate ship - the one thing he always said he wanted Santa to bring him. It has been a huge hit!



He was an expert present opener this year and opened pretty much all our presents for us.



After presents, the morning was a blur of breakfast and getting everyone ready for family pictures. We were seriously needing a new Phillips family photo as our last one is completely outdated. Martha was only able to be in Colorado with us on Christmas Day because of her job, so Christmas Day it was.





When we got back to Grandma's house, we had another Christmas morning of sorts. The grandkids discovered that Santa had left them each one more big toy for being so good for the pictures. Corbyn got the Little People Amusement Park and Peyton got a baby doll stroller.



Cousin Jaxon's trampoline was a huge hit.



Then they opened their presents from Grandma and Grandpa. Each of the boys got a HUGE pillow pet. Corbyn's is a giraffe that both he and Peyton love. Peyton got a dragon popper toy and her very first doll!



We also did our sibling gift exchange. Rog got a new Camelbak reservoir from Phat Tony and I got We Bought a Zoo from Irving.

We had a nice dinner and then spent the rest of the day relaxing. Before bed we had to try out Dixie's new dino toss game. (It's a classic game from the cabin. You toss plastic dinos in a pail and whoever gets the most in wins. It might sound a little silly, but it's awesome and totally addicting!)



On Wednesday morning we had a mini cookie party. At one point Peyton got her hands on an open jar of sprinkles and poured them all over herself!



Everyone met up at Crave for an early dinner. Rog got his favorite - a burger, egg, and bacon between two glazed donuts - and I got the Mayan Apocalypse special - burger, chicken nuggets, tomato, lettuce, chipotle mayo, and avocado. It's a good thing we only eat there once a year!



We gave Corbyn and Peyton baths at Rex and Edda's house and borrowed some pajamas which of course meant that Peyton was our baby boy for the night. That's what happens when you're the only girl cousin in the family!



I took the kids back to Grandma's house, put them to bed, and got everything packed up while Rog stayed behind and watched the new Batman movie in Rex's theatre.

On Thursday we made the long drive back to the freezing, snowy tundra of Utah - we got an unreal amount of snow while we were gone (and since we've been home) and it has been so so so cold!

We had a fantastic trip. Grandma Dixie went all out this year and really made it a Christmas to remember!