Merry Christmas!

It just gets better every year!  As the kids get a little older, Christmas just becomes more and more magical.  We spent this Christmas in chilly Bear Lake with my mom and dad.  The girls and I went up on Tuesday, and then Blake met us up there a couple of days later on Christmas Eve.  That evening we went to the traditional ward party in Laketown.  On Christmas day the girls had a ball playing with their new toys.  Lizzie gave everyone a thorough examination with her new doctor kit, and Hallie caught all of the Christmas memories on her new camera.  It was too cold to even go outside, but we all enjoyed a lazy day indoors.  It was fun to have Grandpa Calder come over for my mom's delicious Christmas dinner.

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!

For some reason I was a little slow this year decorating for Christmas and getting into the groove, but we eventually got our tree up and our stockings out.  We had lots of chances to enjoy the magic of the holiday season.  Hallie had a great time performing in her Treehouse Rock program, and  Lizzie and I loved helping out at Hallie's first grade Christmas party.  The highlight of the holidays for the girls had to be their night out with their dad.  They went to dinner, saw the lights at Temple Square, and even got to go on a carriage ride around the city.  Then they went swimming and spent the night at Little America.  What a fun Daddy-Daughter Date, and a perfect chance for me to finish up my Christmas shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a great Thanksgiving at Nana's house with Kim's family.  It's always fun for my girls to get to spend time with their cousins.  Nana was a great hostess, and the dinner was delicious, as always.  The next day the girls and I caught a plane to Arizona to spend the long weekend with Angie and her family.  We had so much fun. 

Sharpay and Tinker Bell!

I never really loved Halloween as a child.  I wasn't into dressing up, but I have to say that, now that I have kids, it's definitely one of the funnest holidays.  Throughout October, Hallie and Blake spent several evenings at the corn maze, selling candy and tickets.  Hallie called it her work, and she loved it.  As a family, we enjoyed making and eating Halloween treats, visiting the corn maze, and of course, dressing up for carnivals and trick-or-treating.  Hallie looked glamorous as Sharpay from High School Musical, and Lizzie was adorable as Tinker Bell. 

Say Hello to Roxy...Say Goodbye to Roxy

If you're ever feeling inadequate as a parent, just refer back this post on my blog, and you'll feel like mother of the year!  I don't know what got into me, but during the past few months, I have felt like a dog would be really good for our family and really fun for the girls.  I looked online frequently and finally found a darling little malta-poo.  She was about 11 weeks old, and I got the impression she was almost fully house-trained.  

We went to meet little Roxy, and I fell in love with her!  I pressured Blake until he agreed.  I knew it would be hard to have a puppy, but I was willing to see it through until she grew into a loyal, loving family dog!  I read lots of information online about training and taking care of a puppy.  I was ready!

Then Roxy came to live with us, and everything I thought I knew about an indoor puppy flew out the window.  She was darling, but the potty-training was an all-day thing.  Not only that, I realized that I just wasn't okay with the germs and the dog smell and the accidents that this little cutie was bringing into our home.  Why hadn't I thought through all of these things before purchasing this dog!  It probably didn't help that I came down with the flu the day after we got Roxy.  

To make a long emotional story short, all week I wrestled with the idea of giving her back to her breeder, who was reluctant to sell her in the first place because her family had fallen in love with her too.  When I saw my girls hold Roxy and take care of her, I got sick to my stomach thinking about breaking their little hearts.  After lots of thinking and struggling, I decided to send Roxy back to her original home, and after she left, I felt like the worst mother on the planet!  How could I bring this adorable little puppy home to the girls, and then say, "Never mind.  I was just kidding. This dog doesn't really get to be a part of your childhood."  

Blake, Hallie, and I were all a wreck the day Roxy left, probably all for different reasons.  After Hallie went to sleep that night, I Mapquested Rexburg, Idaho to see how far it was.  I was determined to get Roxy back by the time Hallie got home from school the next day.  

We were all thinking a little more clearly the next morning, though, and after surprising Hallie with two goldfish and taking her and Lizzie for a little shopping spree to the toy store, everyone felt much better.  Hallie and Lizzie still bring up Roxy's name at least once a day and say they want her back, but I have to admit, I'm feeling relieved to know that Roxy's in a good home, and I'm not the one cleaning up after her.  She would have been perfect if she didn't have a digestive system.  Live and learn, right!  

Ride 'em Cowgirls

We went to Gardner Village last weekend with our friends, the Allens, and the girls got to ride ponies.  Lizzie's still talking about how fun it was to ride Charlie, even though he didn't say, "Giddy-up!"  Hallie's horse's name was George.

Disneyland...The Happiest Place On Earth...?

Disneyland is not necessarily the happiest place on earth when it's 105 degrees.  That's right!  We went on September 22nd for four days, and it was so hot!  The girls probably won't remember the heat, though.  They still had a great time.  The highlights for Lizzie were meeting Minnie, Daisy, TinkerBell, and Snow White.  She is still talking about "My Minnie."  When she met Minnie, she asked, "Can I tell my Minnie that she is special to me?"  And she did.  Hallie likes meeting the characters, but loves all the wild and crazy rides.

We also spent an afternoon at the beach.  Blake showed the girls how to dig for sand crabs, and they had a blast.  Even though it was foggy at the beach, it was a nice change from the heat.

Look Who's in First Grade!

It occurred to me that this has been a milestone year for our family.  Blake and I celebrated our 10th anniversary a couple of weeks ago, and last week we sent Hallie off to first grade!  She's loving it, and, frankly, Lizzie is too.  She thinks the world of her big sister, but is definitely enjoying her alone time.  I'm finding that with just one little one home during the day, my house is more orderly than it's been in months.  We're excited to see Hallie (or Honey, as Lizzie refers to her) at the end of the day when the bus brings her home.

Before school started, Hallie wanted to have her second annual Watermelon Party, a celebration of the end of a great summer.  We had fourteen little girls here.  Fun was had by all!

 

Too Much Summer Fun...Not Enough Time for Blogging

It's hard to believe the summer's almost over. We've been busy, mostly doing fun activities or going fun places. The highlights for the girls were definitely Cousins' Camp at Grandma and Papa's, 4th of July festivities, swimming and water fun, trips to Lagoon, rides on Daddy's new sidecarand visits to Nana's. It's hard to sum up the whole summer, but here are some of our pictures. Let's just be honest...my photography wasn't great this summer. In most of these pictures one or both of the girls are making crazy faces.

Happy Easter!

What a fun weekend, even though Lizzie was sick. Isn't that just our luck?!? She couldn't go to the neighborhood Easter egg hunt on Saturday, so we had one for her at home. That afternoon we colored eggs. On Sunday morning after the girls looked through their baskets, Hallie got dressed up beautifully and went to church with Dad. Lizzie and I stayed home and got ready for our Easter dinner. Nana came over that afternoon, and we had a great time. The highlight of the dinner for the girls was the Easter Bunny cake.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Lizzie!

Lizzie had a great birthday this year. She loved opening presents and got lots of cute new outfits for summer and lots of toys to play with too. Since we had the wedding on Lizzie's birthday, we had a party for her a couple days later. She had a fun time and seemed to love all the attention. She got a little embarrassed when everyone sang to her. She looked so cute. Thanks to Kendall & Josy and their kids, Nana, and Kim, Izzy, & Megan for joining us.