Thanksgiving '09

We enjoyed a very fun Thanksgiving weekend in St. George with Shane, Natalie and their kids. The kids had fun just hanging out, as they always do. Alyssa had a soccer tournament, and we were able to go to a couple of her games. We also took the girls for pedicures, and capped off the weekdend by watching the BYU/Utah game. Go Cougars!!! Unfortunately, these pictures of the kids in the Cracker Barrel parking lot after Thanksgiving dinner were the only ones I managed to take the entire time.

We had told the kids that we would go to Chuck-a-Rama for Thanksgiving dinner. However, when we pulled up and saw the line of people going clear out in the parking lot, we decided that we didn't want to wait for two hours only to have to battle the crowds again once we got inside. The kids were sorely disappointed that they didn't get to eat at their favorite restaurant in the entire world, but it just wasn't worth it.

Caroline and Lance are great little buddies. They are almost a year and a half apart, but they love to play together, and they have the funniest conversations. I love listening to them.

Emily turns 10

Although Emiy couldn't think of anything she wanted for her birthday, and couldn't decide what she wanted to do for a party (she ended up not having one, opted instead to go shopping at the mall and out to dinner with me and Bret), she knew several months ago that she wanted a red velvet cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes for her birthday cake. It was delicious. Great choice, Emily!

One of the benefits of having a Saturday birthday is being able to stay in your pajamas until well in to the afternoon.

Gymnastics Season

I have been very delinquent at updating my blog lately, so here are some highlights of the 2009 level 5 competition season. Above, Emily and Bailey at the Level 5 State Championships.

Awards ceremony, State Championships

Bailey, Michelle and Emily just before the State meet.

Penny, Laura, Ashley, Emily, Morgan, Hannah, Michelle (behind) and Bailey, at the Sectionals meet. Shortly after this picture was taken, someone spotted Adam Sandler a few rows over from where we were sitting. Emily and Bailey were finished competing (we stayed to watch they older girls) so they casually wandered over to the leotards, where he was with his daughter. Incidentally, the girls were very envious that he bought five or six leotards for his three year old daughter, and neither of them even got one! Sorry, girls, you should have been Adam Sandler's daughter, I guess.

Warming up before the third preliminary meet in Long Beach

Can you stay three years old forever?

This is the question I ask Caroline frequently. I just love this age, and this little girl. She constantly makes me laugh, and keeps me company on my many errands. I am already mourning the day that she goes to kindergarten, and even worse, first grade. This is her favorite position: chin in hand, on the couch watching T.V. while I fold laundry, do dishes, etc. Even when she isn't saying anything, I love looking over and seeing her sitting their, entranced in whatever it is she is watching. So, if anyone knows of a way to keep my baby from growing up, please let me know!

Disneyland with the Smiths

Alyssa's dance school was performing at Disneyland the first weekend in November, and we couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet them there. As always, it was great to spend time with family. We had a great time!

The Smiths stayed at a hotel on Disney property, which had this little room with old Disney cartoons playing. It was about 10:30 p.m. by the time we got back to the hotel, but the kids got a second wind. They loved the little chairs, the cartoons, and spending just a little more time with their cousins before we had to leave.

Happy Halloween!

This year we had a bumblebee, a vampira, a glitter witch (who, by the way, had to be bribed to wear her costume for the second year in a row--it still fit her, and I think it is so cute!) and a jailbird.

No one else was willing to stick around to have an individual picture taken. . .places to go, people to meet.

Lost tooth...FINALLY!

I finally reached a breaking point and gave Sydney an ulitmatum: either let me pull that tooth (that was hanging by a thread and that she refused to brush or touch in any way), or we were going to the dentist. I happen to think two missing front teeth is kind of a cute look, but one missing front tooth, not so much. It all began in August when she ran in to Alyssa's goggles in the pool in St. George and knocked out a tooth that wasn't very loose. Since then, I have been trying to encourage her to wiggle the other one and get it out. But, since that wasn't going to happen, we took a very traumatic (and dramatic) trip to the dentist, and alas, the tooth is gone. Hallelujah!

She looks so pleasant and hapypy here; you wouldn't believe the scene she made at the dentist's office. When it was all said and done, she admitted that having it pulled didn't even hurt (all the cying and screaming took place before the actual extraction).