Christmas Lights...

Saturday night our family (along with Preston) went to Temple Square to enjoy the lights. First off, we went to Macaroni Grill because we had a gift certificate to eat there. I was a little nervous taking 5 kids there, but they were so well behaved. It was all thanks to being able to write all over the table with the crayons the restaurant provided them. They thought that was best thing we've done since going to Disneyland! James ripped their pictures off of the table to take with us - I'm sure they will be treasured mementos for quite a while around here. So, it you are looking for a kid friendly restaurant (that doesn't include a play place), keep Macaroni Grill in mind!

Temple Square was PACKED, we could hardly move. The weather was very mild and no snow was on the ground, so I guess the whole state of Utah thought it would be a great night to enjoy the lights. It was so much fun though, and you are there just to walk around anyway, so I didn't mind the snail's pace of people traffic. We went into one of the visitor's centers and watched "Joy to the World", and surprisingly were the only people in the huge theatre. The kids loved that we were there all by ourselves, and I hope that they caught some of the Christmas message!

Fun Pics...

Alanna sharing her Savannah Blueberry Dum Dum sucker with Blaze. His little mouth was coated with hours of tasty enjoyment!

Blaze in his bathrobe after a nice relaxing shower with mom. I should've got his chubby little legs that stick out of his robe!

Jackson's 1st grade put on a wonderful Christmas performance that they had worked on since the beginning of the school year. He was sooo excited for the singing and telling jokes. Some of Jackson's classmates tower above him, and it was a little hard at times to spot him in the crowd.

Alanna is really into her plastic glitter bracelets right now - we don't leave home without them!

Fun December Pictures...

Got Milk????

It's a miracle. It's Divne intervention. Blaze takes a bottle...even with formula in it. The boys would only take a bottle at about 11 months when I stopped nursing them, and Alanna wouldn't ever do it. I am just amazed. I was called to be in our Primary Presidency when Blaze was 6 weeks old, so thank goodness he willingly takes a bottle so I can be available to do what I have to on Sundays! It's also great for my lengthy nights out with my girl friends - I can leave Blaze at home and not worry about him!

Of course, Alanna and Paul fight over feeding him. And James tries to feed him out of a sippy cup. He claims that Blaze loves it, although I just can't figure out how an 11 week old baby latches onto a sippy cup. I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but I'm really encouraging the bottle :)

My Overweight Chubbs...

I never imagined that I would have an overweight child...but it seems my baby really is a chubby piggy. We went in for his 2 month check-up, and he is 14.22 lbs (88 percentile for age), and 24.41 inches( 86 percentile for age). He is technically 2% over what he should weight for his height. The Dr. and I had a good laugh over his rolls, and she said not to worry at all - chubby babies are very healthy! So, Blaze outweighs Jackson and Paul by more than a pound when they were 2 months old! I am really hoping that he will take after my side of the family and be a tall boy :)

Blaze is just the sweetest and cuddliest baby. He gets plently of oohs and ahhs wherever we go, and at church people are always wanting to cuddle him. The other kids love making him smile, and James makes him giggle by tickling him. His favorite song is "Pop goes the Weazle", and I squeeze his tummy at the "pop" and he laughs. I couldn't have asked for a more mellow baby, which is great for our schedule and crazy household! Blaze is never left alone for long - someone is always holding him - not because he cries, just because we LOVE him!

Blaze's Baby Blessing...

We are so thankful for all of the love and support we recieve from our family. It meant so much to us to have family travel through the trecherous snow and ice to be there for Blaze's baby blessing. Other than the weather, it was such a great day to remember. Blaze is so blessed to have so many people who love him and support him in the gospel. James blessed him, and both grandpas were in the circle along with some uncles: Dan, Caleb, Andrew, and Kraig. Afterward we met back at our house, and much to the guy's chagrin, we took pictures! Blaze was so handsome in his little white tux from Grandma Ce Ce, and the other kids were all matching, so we couldn't resist taking several pictures! We're going to have to photo shop one of them for our Christmas card.

Meeting the Williamson Grandparents...

The Williamson's were in town and finally got to meet baby Blaze. We went to the Incredible Pizza Co. for the first time, and the kids had a blast! The boys loved the race cars, and Alanna LOVED the mini bowling. It was the perfect size for her, and she took over bowling for James and I since she was having so much. After each bowl, she would run around and give high 5's to everyone watching her. She really enjoyed all of the attention! Blaze loved being held and cuddled - it makes for much better sleeping. He is just exhausted from all the growing he's been doing :)

Thanksgiving...

We spent Thanksgiving with the Perkins this year and had a great feast. My mom has a tradition of making these candy turkeys and placing them at each table setting. Of course, the kids gobbled theirs up first and weren't hungry for the real turkey and feast. Uncle Caleb and Aunt Lauren told Jackson he could have a penny for every bite of food he ate. He told them that a penny isn't very much! Lauren told him that the gas station near them has penny candies, and that sure did motivate him to clean his plate! He and Paul are so excited to spend their dollar.

In preparation for a school Thanksgiving feast, Jackson made a really cool Pilgrim and Indian costume. He learned all about he first Thanksgiving and how the Indians taught the Pilgrims to plant crops in the new world. My mom added to that by having all the good sports dress up as Pilgrims and Indians to read a Thanksgiving story.

We have been so blessed this year with our new addition: baby Blaze, a new and improved job for James, good health, and most of all the gospel of Jesus Christ to help us keep an eternal perspective.

See the LOVE...

Sarah's Birthday...

Luke's (my brother) birthday is the day after mine, and Caleb made this awesome "Candyland" cake for the both of us. He told me he was going to make me a cake and asked if I had any requests, and I jokingly told him I wanted a Barbie Ferrari. He couldn't figure out how to pull that off, but he knows how much I LOVE candy and thought this would be fitting. I think it's such a creative idea and I loved that he made it for us. He was disappointed that it didn't look exactly like the "Candyland" game board, but I think it's better!

I got beautiful flowers delivered from my in-laws. James tried to claim they were from him, but it's just the candy gram that's from him. My brother Andrew served us dinner at the restaurant he works at including a bacon covered chocolate bar. It sounds weird, but it was actually really good. Do you see a candy theme here? They all know me and my love for candy! My cute Beehives left the balloons and poster on our door. I felt very loved on my birthday!