Our Favorite Things

It's that time of year again. Time to turn my blog into a book. It's a nice little journal for the kids to look at and remember some of the fun things we did (and I can feel a little less guilty for being so behind on their scrapbooks). At the end of the year, I like to add our favorite things to see how we change from year to year.

Kylie's favorite...
Book - Junie B. Jones series
Food - oranges
Color - PINK
Song - Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Toy - DS
Place - Disneyland
Movie - Wall E
Thing to do - draw
What do you want to be when you grow up? An artist

Matthew's favorite...
Book - The Crayon Box That Talked
Food - shrimp
Color - blue
Song - Hakuna Matata (from Lion King)
Toy - DS
Place - Tepanyaki
Movie - Wall E
Thing to do - play video games
What do you want to be when you grow up? A Daddy

John's favorite...
Book - Lord of the Rings
Food - sushi
Color - orange
Song - Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya by Drop Kick Murphys
Toy - Rock Band
Place - Dublin
Movie - Wall E
Thing to do - play with the kids
What do you want to be when you grow up? myself

Ang's favorite...
Book - To Kill A Mockingbird
Food - strawberries with whipped cream
Color - purple
Song - Sweet Talk by The Killers
Toy - sewing machine
Place - on the ocean
Movie - Home for the Holidays
Thing to do - play in the rain with Kylie & Matthew
What do you want to be when you grow up? always a mom, plus a nurse after the kids are grown

Matthew's quote of the day, "I love you more than socks Mom."

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out

Santa was feeling very guilty on Christmas night for bringing Matthew one of these...

No matter what the box says, spring-loaded light sabers are not good for curious 5 year-old boys.  Even after their mothers have warned, "You'll shoot your eye out."  His eye is fine, just a bit red and swollen and threatening to turn a little purple. (This is the 2nd time our eye-injury prone family has called our good friend and neighbor Evan-the-eye-doctor on Christmas Day!  We owe him big.) 

Happy kids on Christmas morning.

They made the nice list this year.

It was a beautiful white Christmas.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

We did the drive-through lights at Thanksgiving Point this weekend. It's my kind of Christmas activity - you get to stay in your nice toasty car and enjoy the lights and listen to your own Christmas music.

The kids loved driving under all the different arches.

There were lots of lights, but my favorite part was at the very end. There were beautiful lit paintings with the story of Christ's birth. I didn't get any pictures of that part because I was reading the story to my kids - it was a nice ending to the lights. And totally by chance, we listened to 'Away in a Manger' as we drove through the end.

Kylie and I have been enjoying our favorite Christmas activity - baking! My kitchen is a disaster, but a yummy one.

Mmmmm.....don't you wish you were my neighbor?

We are still getting more snow here, and we are excited for a white Christmas. Luckily, Kylie was able to get out and play in the snow before getting croup. Poor baby was up all night coughing. I'm hoping she'll be over the worst of it by Christmas morning.

They Came for the Donkey Rides

Matthew is always saying funny stuff, stuff that makes me laugh out loud on a daily basis. I thought I'd share a few of his moments from this week.....

Moment #1: The Night Shift

Matthew has a monkey named George that he sleeps with every night. I usually find George tucked into Matthew's bed after he leaves for school. Since Matthew has started to read, every morning before school he reads George a "bedtime story" and tucks him into bed. I asked Matthew why he does this. He said, "Because George stays up all night watching out for me, so he sleeps while I'm at school."

Moment #2: They Came for the Donkey Rides

Matthew was playing with our felt advent calendar (the one my sis-in-law made for us several years ago - thanks Brenda!). Kylie told him to stop messing with it, that the little felt wise men and shepherds were supposed to be standing and waiting for baby Jesus to come. Matthew said quite seriously, "I think they took turns riding the donkey while they were waiting. They have to wait a long time until Christmas, let them have a donkey ride Kylie."


Moment #3: Mommy's Boyfriend

Matthew has been telling me for months that he is my boyfriend. I am definitely guilty of hugging and kissing him way too much. After I tucked Matthew in bed the other night, he said "Mommy do you have a crush on me?" I said, "Yes Mattie, I love you." As I left the room, he yelled "Goodnight girlfriend" and started to giggle.

Oh Tannenbaum

Last week, we turned on some Christmas music, drank hot cocoa and decorated the tree...while we watched the kids wrestle over the angel. It was right after we sat down and talked about the spirit of Christmas and planning what we were going to do for someone in need this year - obviously the kids felt the love.

Kylie won the wrestling match.

Actually, we ended up flipping a coin, and I am documenting this as proof that next year is Matthew's turn.

Matthew did not take the loss well.

I think Matthew looks like he is remembering Kylie putting the angel on the tree last year and suspicious that there was no evidence. Doesn't Kylie look a little guilty?

Christmas Letters

I've never written an official Christmas letter, but I love all the Christmas letters we receive every year - reading what friends are up to and how they're doing. Instead of a Christmas letter, I decided to include my blog address on our cards this year. My blog is a little bit like a year-long Christmas letter. Feel free to read as much or as little as you want. And, if you have a blog, please leave your address in the comments, we'd love to read it.

Here's a quick summary...

John is still working at LANDesk Software, and he even enjoys it after all these years. He just started working with a new product there, and he always likes learning new things. I am happy that his traveling for work has slowed down this year, and he is with our family a lot more. John is also about to be very busy with finishing our basement.

I (Ang) love being a stay-at-home Mom to Kylie and Matthew. I love to volunteer in their classrooms every week and be involved in everything they do. I am also enjoying my calling at church (for all you non-mormons, a calling is what we call our church assignments). I have been the enrichment leader - kinda like a party planner :) - for about 3 years now.

Kylie is 6 years old and in the 1st grade. She is our happy, loving princess. She loves school, her ballet and tumbling classes, and playing with friends. She is an amazing reader, and she has scored 100% on every spelling test so far this year. Kylie is also a great big sister. Kylie and Matthew have always been best friends, and I love that they get along so well.

Matthew is 5 years old and in Kindergarten. He brings lots of fun and silliness to our home. He loves school, cars, pretending to be Indiana Jones, and playing with friends. He is learning to read quickly and loving it. Matthew is a sweet little brother, even though he is taller than Kylie.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah and a Happy, healthy New Year!

Fun on Ice

We had a blast ice-skating yesterday.  One of our favorite things in Park City is their empty ice rink - we normally have the whole place to ourselves.  

The kids are so fun to watch.  Kylie is so girly, practicing her spins and trying hard not to fall.  Matthew, on the other hand, only cares about speed and how fast he can get from one end of the rink to the other.  Falling is all part of the fun to him.  

Here are some videos of the kids in action...

The Park City Curse

This is a totally boring post, and I'm posting it just for myself - to remember it later.  Please skip it, unless you are super bored or something. 

As I mentioned in my last post, we've been coming to Park City for 9 years now.  This is our 7th year with children.  Nearly every year, some type of illness strikes, and this year is no exception.  Let's take a walk down memory lane...

When Kylie was 7 months old, we were struck with a stomach virus - all 3 of us.  It wasn't just your typical 24 hour bug, it was a week long vomit fest.  Another year, John turned yellow.  We rushed down the mountain to find out his liver was failing.  (That is by far our worst one yet.)  The next year, I had strep all week, but refused to drive down the canyon to visit my doctor.  I went tubing, skating, everything, with a fever and sore throat.  By time I went to my doctor he said my throat was bleeding and swelling shut.  Ya, I'm that stubborn.  Last year, Kylie had an allergic reaction to something. Her legs were covered in strange welts that looked like small snakes.  

This year Kylie is once again hit with what we have come to lovingly refer to as our Park City Curse.  She has a rash covering her chest, back, shoulders and the tops of her legs.  Kylie wants me to post a picture of the tiny raised red bumps.  It feels like sand paper, and it is itchy.  I took her into the urgent care, and they said it's "probably" a virus and gave her some steroids.  My poor little girl is sooo grouchy right now, and I really don't blame her.  

So, why is it that we cannot manage to stay healthy for this one week out of the year?  Is Park City trying to tell us something?  I think next year we will visit the beach instead.

Turkey Day

The day before Thanksgiving, I helped with Matthew's party at school.  Then we loaded up the car and left for Mema and Popa's house.

We decided to go visit the cows and sheep, only to discover it was very rainy outside - so we skipped the mudfest and played in the front yard instead.

Jayden liked Auntie Ang giving her whipped cream - she kept coming back for more.

All 4 of my sisters made it this year - I am so happy I was able to see everyone.  

Everyone was loving on sweet little Harper the whole time.  Harper was a little tired of the attention by time we left.

All the cousins - not a single one looking at my camera.

So, we left my parent's house and headed up to Park City for our annual date with the snow.  But, there's just one tiny problem.  

Notice anything missing in these pictures?  That's right - no snow!  There is zero snow here!!!  We are seriously bummed.  We have been coming here the week after Thanksgiving for the past 9 years.  There has always been tons of snow for tubing, skiing, sledding and playing around in.  What's up Mother Nature?!   Oh well, atleast I can sleep late :)

Flahback Friday

The Big Bang...

As promised, here I am sporting big bangs. I believe this was taken in 1988 when I was 14, shortly before I realized big bangs were not attractive and grew them out. Notice the blue eyeliner and the acid wash on my shirt. How cool was I? There is something more disturbing than my bangs and poor fashion choices in this picture though. Are those eyebrows or dead caterpillars hanging out over my eyes? Since it's Thanksgiving time and all, I'd like to say how grateful I am for tweezers and wax.

My big bangs evolved into these even bigger, yet less poofy, bangs a few weeks later. Another disturbing discovery - I had a double chin even when I was stick thin. I'm going to go have a good cry now. I'll do another flashback friday in a couple weeks - so be warned family, you might be featured here soon :)

Flashback Friday

I was looking through some old pictures last weekend, and I came upon these gems. I could not keep them to myself, they're just too good.

Remember this stylish 80's do? John's looking pretty sweet.


Ack! The mullet - I married a man who once had a mullet. And check out those groovy enormous glasses. I'm so glad we did not meet in high school. But, to be fair, next week I will feature big bangs for Flashback Friday.....and guess who will be wearing them. I miss the 80's.

Say Cheese

The kids brought home their school pictures this week. I thought I'd post their soccer pics too.

Matthew and the Superstars

Kylie and the White Lightning

Matthew, showing us all of his teeth. I think he was listening when I asked Kylie to smile big so we could see her missing teeth in the picture.

Kylie, hiding her missing teeth.

The kids also brought home report cards last week. Kylie's report was nearly perfect. It doesn't surprise me at all because she tries so hard and always wants to please everyone. She has scored 100% on every spelling test so far - my little miss smartypants.

Matthew did surprise me. (I was actually nervous before his parent-teacher conference.) He did so much better than I expected, lots of good grades. He is a smart little boy, but he is much more interested in having fun than doing school work. I am so proud of both of my kiddos.

Voting SNL Style

I headed for the polls after dropping the kids off at school this morning. As I pulled into the parking lot, I took note that the majority of the cars were large SUVs, including a Hummer. I took my place in line. Directly in front of me was a woman wearing a fur coat. Directly behind me was a man in a Cabela's sweatshirt and Dallas Cowboys hat. The wait was surprisingly short for the number of people there. A man in cowboy boots and wranglers finished voting. He happened to know the Cabela's man behind me. He stopped to say (in his best redneck voice), "Hey, they's got a button to vote straight Republican. That's what I done did. Save ya some time." That's when I started looking around for the cameras.

Trick-or-Treat

Matthew loves Transformers, and was so excited to be Optimus Prime this year. Kylie was Tinkerbell, but she was unusually shy this morning and would not let me take her picture. She would not even wear her fairy wings for the parade at school. But, she did have lots of fun, and was ready for her wings when she came home.

After school, we headed to John's work for their annual kids' Halloween party. I love that they do this every year. First we watched 'It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown' on a big screen projector. There was popcorn and soda and tons of candy. Then we went trick-or-treating through the offices. My kids love hanging out at daddy's work. Kylie drew pictures for daddy all over his whiteboards.

Coffee Break

No, my babies are not drinking coffee. They had to try out the hot chocolate in the break room.

Who knew fake teeth would be their favorite thing tonight? I think Matthew might want to be a vampire next year just for the teeth.

This is the first year Kylie has been crazy for candy. (Matthew still prefers brocoli over candy!) Plus, all the frosted sugar cookies and other homemade treats - I had to take her pumpkin full of candy away because she had a major sugar rush going on. Then she tried sneaking in to our stash to hand out. Just look at that wired face.

Tonight the weather was absolutely perfect for trick-or-treating. It's normally freezing cold on Halloween, but tonight it was almost warm. As I was walking around the neighborhood, the kids just a few feet ahead of me, I had to pinch myself. For years, when John & I were unsuccessfully trying to have kids, I dreamed of moments like tonight. I am so grateful for my babies.

Barnyard Boo

The kids went back to school this week - I miss them. I think I'd go crazy without year-round school. I love the little breaks we get throughout the year - they're nice little fixes for my addiction to playing with my kids.

We spent the last day of track break at Thanksgiving Point's Barnyard Boo. Besides the usual pony ride and hay ride, there were also balloon-tying clowns, little games, and cookie decorating.

Of course Kylie and Matthew loved the face painting best. They've always had a thing for face painting.

Kylie also started tumbling classes this week. You know, because her schedule just wasn't full enough haha. I actually signed her up because she has taught herself to do flips and handsprings and it scares the heck outta me. I am hoping that teaching her the correct way to do them will make me feel a little better. We'll see.

Kylie also did her very first book report this week. How is she growing up so fast?! She chose a book that was my favorite when I was her age.



Matthew said something yesterday that made me laugh out loud. (Please stop reading now if you are a politically correct person. Or a sensitive person. Or really have any morals whatsoever. You've been warned.) Matthew was eating Sweet Tarts yesterday - because that darn Halloween candy has already invaded our house. He could not pronounce Sweet Tarts correctly and told John he was "eating retards." Matthew does not even know what the word retard means, so he could not figure out why Mommy and Daddy were laughing.

Beautiful Autumn

Sunday night we took a quick trip up to Park City. John's brother had a condo for the night that he couldn't use, and John had Monday off work, so off we went. I had been wanting to go see the fall colors - and mother nature did not disappoint.

Ya, I know, I need to clean my lens. A new camera wouldn't hurt either! But, hopefully you can make out some orange and red in there. It was gorgeous.

It doesn't matter where we go, the kids have one concern....is there a fun park to play at?

There happens to be a great one in Park City.

While we were there, I thought I'd try and get a good picture for our Christmas cards this year - it's getting to be that time again. I may have 2 that turned out ok, and dozens that tested my patience. Matthew prefers to kiss Kylie rather than look at the camera.

But, don't tell him a little fairy lives in the camera lens, or the rest of the pictures may look something like this. The potential Christmas card picture was taken while John was jumping up and down making ape sounds - I wish I had that on video.