Christmas #2

It was a loooooong flight to get there (let's just say that 1/2 way through the flight, I had squash down one side of me and barf down the other) and it was too cold to go outside, but it was fun to have a white Christmas and enjoy time with the Packers.

(cause sometimes you have to sacrifice a bad picture of one for a good one of the other. Sorry, Ethan) They seemed to be a little better at the present part this time around. Obviously, they didn't understand the "present" part, but the did remember to TEAR!

A Packer tradition- their very first fire trucks. For non-Packers, you can stop here. This will not be funny to you. For Packers, you will thank me for posting this. Greg decided that he would "save Christmas" by giving his parents Nerf guns. I will admit, I was not on board. However, it turned out to be one of the funniest 5 minutes of my life. The second they were opened, Doug started firing. It took Janet just a little bit longer to get going. Feel free to zoom in on Doug's face. It says it all.

Christmas #1

I know that you all have a lot of blogs to get through, so I will do this with as little words and pictures as possible. At the latest possible minute, it was decided that we would go to Minnesota for Christmas, so we had pre-Christmas in Pasadena to get the show started Sunday night. There are two theories behind this face. One, she thinks she is Victoria Beckham. Two, She feels that her upper lip/nose are worth protecting. When she hears a loud sound (or sometimes when sees the flash of the camera) she makes this face. My favorite is when she's the one doing the banging sound and also makes this face. What a character.

Tagged

This is very similar to a tag a did a few months ago, but I'm just that bored. Maybe you are too. Seven things I was doing 10 years ago... 1. Senior at Glendora High School 2. Getting my one and only college application off- to BYU. 3. Going to lots of high school basketball games. 4. It's not that I can't remember, it just wasn't that interesting. Seven things on my to-do list... 1. Laundry 2. Pack for Minnesota 3. Teach the kids to crawl 4. Figure out how to fit all of our stuff into 2 suitcases 5. Figure out how to get said 2 suitcases, plus 3 adults, 3 carry-ons, 2 carseats, a double stroller, and a partridge in a pear tree in one car to make it to the airport tomorrow 6. That's all I can handle right now Seven books I want to read/reread... 1. The Boy in Striped Pajamas 2. War and Peace 3. The rest of the Shopaholic books 4. These is my Words 5. The Namesake 6. The Last Lecture 7. ...and about a million more Seven places I want to visit... 1. Hawaii 2. New Zealand 3. Ireland 4. Costa Rica 5. Boston 6. Anywhere alone with Greg 7. Any island Seven places I have lived... 1. Duarte, CA 2. Glendora, CA 3. Provo, UT 4. Orem, UT (this is getting good isn't it?) 5. Chicago, IL 6. Pasadena, CA Seven things I would do if I were a millionaire... 1. Own a house 2. Own a minivan 3. Go out to eat. A lot. 4. Pay someone to clean my bathrooms and stove/oven. 5. Fund schools in South America 6. Own a boat with accompanying toys 7. Own a cabin near a ski resort so that Greg could ski whenever he wanted and we wouldn't have to live near the snow Seven snacks I enjoy... I'm really not a snacker 1. Chocolate Milk 2. Juice 3. Hot Chocolate on a cold day 4. Clearman's garlic bread When I do snack, it's usually leftover dessert 5. Mississippi Mud 6. Chocolate chip cookies 7. and today... apple pie Seven things I can do... 1. Dance 2. Remember names/ details 3. Touch my tongue to my nose 4. Talk to strangers 5. Eat 6. Drive 7. Carry/Feed/ Bathe/ put down for a nap/ hold/cuddle/read a book to/ play peek-a-boo with two babies at once. Seven things I can't do... 1. Sing 2. Use a sewing machine 3. Teach a baby to crawl 4. Pass on dessert 5. Chat on the phone (I CAN, but almost always choose not to. So if I talk to you on the phone, just know how much I like you. And if I call YOU, then consider us best friends) 6. Remember where my keys/ phone/ wallet/ shoes are at the same time. 7. Remember birthdays Seven things that attracted me to my husband... 1. Kindness 2. Goofiness 3. Smile 4. His blond hair (haha it's a joke. The first time we met, he was wearing a hat and I could have sworn his hair was blond. For those who don't know, Greg's hair is about as dark as brown can naturally get) 5. Happiness 6. his car (another joke, but I won't go into that one. For those who remember her, RIP Bethsheba) 7. his love for the Gospel Seven Favorite Foods... 1. My top 7 foods all involve chocolate, so I'll just say "chocolate," and move on to the next 7 2. Steak 3. Sushi 4. Carne Asada 5. Cafe Rio pork salad- no beans, extra rice, 1/2 and 1/2 dressing 6. cheeseburgers/ hot dogs from the grill 7. anything served to me at a restaurant Seven things I say most... 1. Please nap for a LONG time 2. Why two? 3. Just crawl! 4. More? 5. Milk? 6. All done! 7. Maybe I should talk to adults more often Seven things I hate... 1. Obvious grammatical errors 2. When the twins wake up from their naps early (... and right on cue) 3. When people ask if my twins are twins and what's more annoying is when after I answer, they just stand there. 4. Road rage 5. Delayed flights 6. Shirts that are too short 7. that Christmas will soon be over Seven people I tag... I won't tag anyone, but if you want to do this, feel free.

A rainy day

When we moved to California, I had wondered whether or not I would miss the seasons. When I remembered that the leaves on the trees changed colors here, too, I knew I had my fall. Would I miss snow? After 3 months of living here, I have yet to spend a full day inside the apartment. Even a few weeks ago, when the elevator in our building broke, the second Greg came home from work, we hauled two babies and a stroller down 4 flights of stairs for a walk outside. I knew then that I would not miss cold and snow. Well, today the sky broke. Water is literally falling from the sky. Greg has the car today, so we couldn't even drive somewhere. So, we decided to enjoy the great indoors, every single square foot of it.

Wondering what's going on outside.

Playing with a box.

Inside the box. Peek-a-boo! Mom and dad's bed.

P.s. rainy day means no make-up.

Funny faces.

This will not shock anyone with children, but can you guess what their favorite things in the basket are? The spatula, the ribbon, and the basket itself. Of course.

A rare visit to the tree.

And what rainy day would be complete without a rainy day nap?

I realize that many of you love the snow. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without it. For you, I'm glad you have it. For me, I'm glad I don't. Today has been a great day, a wonderful day, even. But I'm glad I get to go outside most of the days. I need the sun, the grass, the park, even a leisurely exit from my car (since it takes about 20 minutes). All the winter I need is a few days that warrant a coat, a scarf and some hot chocolate and I'm a happy camper.

It's back!

It's time to once again elfyourself. I think the dance was a little better last year, but the website is much improved. Okay, a little improved, it's still super slow. Fun, nonetheless. Happy elfing!

All Grown Up

Big weekend for us. Ethan and Kate got big-kid carseats. After MUCH contemplation about which kind to get and whether to go matching or let them have a girlie and boyish one, they are finally here and I couldn't be happier. They seem to enjoy their new ride as well. Not that they were ever really hating their last ones, but they seem to be so happy in these puppies. Please ignore their laundry day attire. Greg became a big kid as well. Last week he was sworn in to both the state and federal courts. I was able to go to the federal one, which was conveniently held in the beautiful federal courthouse in Pasadena. Does he look all grown up to you?

A Visit From Grandma

Greg's mom came to town for a very quick visit this weekend. It was fun to have her here. As always, eating and shopping were the center of our adventures. We went to Cheesecake Factory Saturday night and decided we are nearing the end of our taking-the-kids-out-to-eat era. It is just too hard with two to keep hold of. If Ethan's being cute, then Kate is knocking the water over. If Kate is choking on a spoon, Ethan is shoving his mouth with a roll. All the same, it was a great weekend and I'm sad that it's over and it's back to laundry for me!

He just couldn't decide what to order.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas has many different definitions. To me, Christmas is not a day, it is a season. That season must be prepared for all the month of November, decorated for the day after Thanksgiving and officially begins December 1st, which happens to be my birthday. The season includes shopping, baking, eating sweets, more shopping, wrapping and some last minute shopping. I love Christmas shopping, even if I have nothing to shop for, just to see the hustle and bustle of holiday cheer. I am so excited for Christmas this year, maybe because I won't be spending it on my couch and I have two little darlings to shop for, even though they'll love only the lights and wrapping paper. We went to see Santa today. It actually went way better than I thought it would. They both looked at the camera and no one cried. Of course, no smiles, Kate looks like she's giving a high five (which she does do these days quite liberally) and Ethan looks like he's mid-yawn, but I'm happy. Merry Christmas!

A Day to Blog about...

At the grocery store by eight, apple and pumpkin pie (even the crust was made from scratch) baked by 10, roll dough rising by 11, kids' laundry done, house cleaned, prepared my talk for Sacrament Meeting on Sunday, and that's not it. We had some visitors (you'll see them later in this post) and so we walked down for some taquitos at King Taco and then were walking to Pinkberry. A nice man took a look at the kiddos then looked up at me and smiled. Right after he passed, I realized it was this guy:

You may know him from The West Wing, Billy Madison, or Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (RIP). These were our visitors. Uncle Matt, Aunt Kristen, and Friend KimFortna.

Don't worry about Kate's face here. We try not to.

Obviously, this was "a day to blog about," not my every day life. I think if I went every day till noon before I sat down besides to feed children, I would be in very good shape, but a very frazzled lady.

Greg passed the bar!

Wahoo! Yippee! And more importantly... Duke won tonight!

When one foot rest just isn't enough...

And for those of you who want to tug down Ethan's left shorts leg, sorry about that. I'll try not to let it happen again.

Random

I've been waiting for all of the wedding pictures to roll in before I made my official "Thomas and Jenn get married" post, so I won't even mention anything about that beautiful day. I will put up a few pictures of our every day life.

Kate loves to walk up and down the couch. I think she thinks it's the catwalk and here is her final pose.

Ethan has been a little bit sick lately. Notice the sick eyes? It all came together when he woke up Monday morning with a tooth! Bring on the steak!

I think I've mentioned it before, but Kate LOVES her big brother. She thinks he is hilarious and she is always happiest when he's around. I know this may look like she made him cry, but really she is trying to make him happy. She is always so concerned when he's crying, even if she is hearing it from the other room. Snuggling with Uncle Matt

For those who don't know Ethan, biting noses is his way of giving love (Kate sucks your face). Here, he's loving my dad.

Just Kate

Oh, and thanks for all the input. I decided to stay a blonde.

Just a few more...

Halloween was spent trick-or-treating at one house, my grandparents'. I think it was a good move. Everyone enjoyed themselves, no over-doing it, no gross candy. Perfect!

Ethan Bzzzzzing around with Meagan.

Darling and Bumpa Later in the evening, we went to my parents' ward trunk-or-treat. They were a little pooped after about 10 minutes and decided to take a nap right then and there. Wouldn't that be nice?

Happy Halloweeeeeeen!!!

I don't want to bombard you with photos because hopefully we'll get some better shots of them this weekend. Kate was the little poser, while Ethan just wanted to eat the leaves. Notice how in the first shot, I had moved all the leaves away from reach? Well, then he just found that the grass was just as tasty. Maybe I should try it. A HUGE thank you to my mom for making these darling costumes! Enjoy your Halloween Festivities!!!

Blonde or Brunette?

Okay, people. This matter is of utmost importance. I'm getting my hair done next week and I'm having the battle with myself that I have EVERY time I get it done. Should I go dark or blonde? I feel like I'm in a place in my life where I might actually stay on top of my highlights, so I would feel comfortable going either way. I tried to find good pictures of my hair at its darkest and lightest stages. Sadly, that took a very long time, till I finally gave up and went with these. I wish I were cool enough to know how to do a poll, but let's be honest, you all check this blog with google reader or some other feeder, so you wouldn't do it anyway. Please leave a comment with your opinion. Oh, and it's very important that you ignore the dorky faces I'm making.

BLONDE BRUNETTE