Happy Birthday Aubrey

Aubrey turned one today! Happy Birthday Aubrey! We spent the weekend at the cabin, so we were able to spend the day with family. Our camera's battery died, so we only got one picture of her with the cake, but more will follow thanks to Aunt Katie and Grandpa.
Here she is eating the traditional "breakfast cake" for breakfast.

Cousin Jeremy being a goof, and Aubrey loving it.

So serious!

Earlier she actually held one finger up, it was so cute.
It was a beautiful day, out of the smoggy cold weather. It was sunny blue skies, and perfect weather for sledding! Here is Molly and Elsie.
Parker and me.
Amber and me. I have realized how I am getting old!!! Over the Christmas break after a day full of sledding, I was totally sore! Sore from what?! How can I possibly be sore from sledding? Apparently there are muscles you use during sledding that my body isn't used to! I tried to take it a little easier today, but still got a lot of fun runs in. Parker and I went down together at one point and were cruising faster than I ever remember going in my life! We were loving it! He didn't want to go again after that, so I went and did it again by myself. Matt came down and just laughed at me. A 30 year old mom of 3 cruising down the hill by myself. It was great! I didn't get going as fast as I did with Parker, but it was still a quick run.

The best part about the cabin...family, food, the laughter, sledding, and the nights! We always look forward to the nights when all the kids are asleep and the adults play games or watch movies, or just visit. Last night we watched "Scrubs" until 1:00 AM, and laughed and laughed and laughed. Unfortunately we were all up at the first sign of light (all the kids are always too excited and get up so early!!!!). We have all said time and time again, we don't know what it is about the cabin...we all love it SO much, but yet we always sleep horribly!





Parker was attempting to make a snow angel on this snow plow ledge








Shortly after this picture they wiped out...poor Aubrey got a little scrape on her face. They had fun though and went again and again! All in all it was a great way to spend Aubrey's birthday. We had so much fun playing outside we actually forgot to give her her presents. We'll have to give them to her tomorrow! The cabin is such a great place though. I have some of my best memories as a kid at the family cabin. Our kids are the same way. We asked Amber and Parker what their favorite part of the cabin was, Amber said "everything except the car ride home." She specifically loved watching "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs", playing games, sledding, eating breakfast cake, and taking a little hike to the swamp (that is frozen so they walked across it!). Parker loved making snow angels, sledding, eating breakfast cake, singing happy birthday to Aubrey, and eating tons of junk food. They got to stay up super late too, which is always a bonus. We hope to go up many more times before the snow melts. I have hated this smog more this year than ever...so I can't wait to go again! It won't be soon enough!

Adventures of Molly

I know she's just a dog, but seriously I love her! I have LOVED the past week so much. She has done so well, and is so happy here. Each day she gets more and more comfortable here in her new home. She likes coming inside more now, and will scratch lightly at the door when she's ready to come in, but still LOVES being outside. I leave her out there at least half of the day. She has slept in her kennel every night, and hasn't made a peep! We are so happy about that so that when we travel and camp, she'll be ok in a kennel. She loves playing fetch with us, and can run so incredibly fast. I am so used to Libby and her ways of getting around that it is amazing to me to see the difference in the two.

In fact, I never got to take Libby running. I was so excited to get a lab to have a running partner with. We never were able to go, not once. Our vet told us at our first check up with her that she had early signs of dysplasia, and we should not run with her, and be careful even on walks. So I waited to go running with Molly until Thursday to be sure our vet said she could handle it (we had met with our vet on Wednesday, and he said she has great hips!). So Thursday I was so excited. I got up, and we took off and ran 45 minutes together. It was so much fun. I went to the park right by our house and we ran on all the trails there. She was so happy, and would run a head of me then would come back to check on me, then would take off again. A couple times she sensed someone coming, and would stop and kind of growl to warn me someone was close (this was well before I could even see them or hear them). It was so much fun, have I said that yet? I really felt like we bonded that morning. Crazy, I know. But seriously since then she loves to be near me, and is so much more excited to see me in the morning or when I get back from errands. I was so happy all morning and couldn't wait to go running with her again!

Aubrey couldn't be happier. We noticed early on in Aubrey's short little life that she LOVES animals. She brightens up when ever she's around them, and has always since she could express herself. With Molly it is no different. Aubrey can be found on Molly's pillow throughout the entire day. Needless to say she is covered in dog hair, but I kid you not she is on this pillow more than she is not. She loves to sit next to Molly and will pet her and "talk" to her. It really is so sweet. I wish I had gotten a picture each day, but I only have a few.

I walked in this morning after breakfast to Aubrey literally laying on Molly. She was totally content and relaxed. By the time I got the camera she had shifted a little so it doesn't look as cute as she did when I first saw her.

This is Aubrey's new walker/riding toy she got for Christmas. We have it elevated to help her walk around the house, but Amber had put her on it and was pushing her around. She was having the time of her life! It was so cute.

Aubrey really is my adventurous child. She is so daring and does the craziest stuff. She is always climbing on to everything (our chairs, Amber's craft table, the coffee table, toilets (or better yet trying to get in the toilet)). By the time I am out of the shower, my house is destroyed. She will go through every drawer and cabinet in the bathrooms and kitchen, and will often go to the laundry baskets and pull out all the dirty laundry. I really swear my other two weren't like that. It's possible I have forgotten, but we've lived in this house for 4 years now, and I never had to put child locks on the drawer's, cabinets, etc. The only thing I remember was them going for Libby's water/food bowl and the toilet. Anyway, never a dull moment around our house.

During my showers I used to put everything up on the counter I knew she was sure to get in to, but then she figured out how to get up on to the stool to get what she wanted. I swear, isn't she too young to be doing this?!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, I was at the mall the other day with my cheap little umbrella stroller, and she was arching her back so hard and be such a wiggle worm she actually broke the straps, so it no longer buckles. I know it is just a cheap little thing, but come on?! Again, Amber and Parker loved taking stroller rides, and never once caused any scenes at any stores. All I needed was a sippy cup and a snack and they were set for hours. Such a different child!!

Another thing I love, is our yard. We have had so much fun sledding this winter. We spend so much more time out there than I thought we would. We (including me!) love to sled down the hill. Amber and Parker will go out for a good hour, and then we all come in for some hot chocolate. It is so fun, and Molly loves to chase us down the hill. In this picture she has found the one piece of grass and is relaxing in it!

Molly

Meet Molly, the newest member of our family! We adopted her today from a shelter in Grantsville. She is three years old (we're pretty sure). We've been looking at several different Labs over the past couple weeks, and went back and forth between puppies and adopting. We decided today to adopt, and I am SO happy about it! She is so amazing! She is totally mellow, she is so good with the kids, she is crate trained, house broken, and has all the basic commands down (sit, stay, come, etc.). What more could I ask for (maybe if she didn't shed!). It is so nice to get a dog though that seems relatively healthy, doesn't chew everything up, doesn't bite everyone, won't pee and poop all over everything, and actually prefers to sleep in her kennel rather than by us. She LOVES to be outside and is so playful, she hasn't barked or growled once, I'm telling you adopting should ALWAYS be the way to go! I'm a huge fan! I love to know that we saved this little cutie from life in a shelter (or certain death, right?). What a good way to start out 2010.

I Love Christmas!

Monday night I got together with my girlfriends from High School. There were a few who couldn't attend, but we got a great turn out! Thanks Sara for hosting. There was a little miscommunication about the dress code for the night. The only one's who got the memo were Sara and Amy (Amy is taking the picture). They were both wearing awesome Christmas sweaters. I just LOVE my cute friends and enjoy any time I can get together with them!

How sad that this is the best we could do for our Sunday photo.

I babysat my sister & brother-in-laws 4 cute kids while they were in Hawaii last week. Their youngest Andy is a total boy, and I mean through and through. He loves trucks, cars, Lightening McQueen, Buzz Lightyear, hunting, camping, basketballs, footballs, getting dirty, playing in the mud, etc. He is seriously ALL boy. So this picture HAD to be captured. I love this kid. He had me laughing all week long with all the funny things he'd say and do. This was probably one of the highlights. I was down stairs checking my email, and I hear this "clunk...clunk, clunk, ...." and next thing I see it's Andy all dressed up, heels and all. It was awesome.

This is how Amber used to sleep. Bum up in the air. So cute.

So this is the reason for my title "I Love Christmas!" I love being with family. I would hang out with family every second if I could. It's not often you get all the family together in the same room, let alone with out kids! Aaron and his wife Fitriah are in town for the holidays, so we were able to go to dinner Tuesday with NO kids! We all got babysitters! I think this is the first time we have ever done that. It was so fun to be together and celebrate Lisa's birthday, and to have a nice quiet, relaxing dinner. Thanks Demings for a fun dinner!

Happy Birthday Parker!

Parker got his first gun! Of course it's just a fakie, but he loves it. He was speechless when he opened it. I can't believe how "boy" he is! He knew exactly what to do, and was checking through the scope, and was aiming perfectly! It was unreal! I love it! Matt loves it too.
All Parker wanted was a garbage truck for his birthday. He has been asking for the past several weeks. I thought he'd be so excited when he saw it, but truthfully, he was more excited about the gun. When Amber asked him to open his second present (the garbage truck) he said "oh, no thanks." He was perfectly content with his gun.

Second highlight of the day, blowing out the candles. Parker loves this part. It brought back memories of his 2nd birthday when he blew out the candles so quickly. It was the same tonight. The anticipation was killing him! He was right there on my lap ready to go and you could just see the excitement on his face and the more tense he'd get as the song came to an end. I love it!
Parker wanted an "ice cream cake." He chose green frosting and helped me put it all together. The funny thing is, he didn't even eat this cake. He ate the other cake his grandma brought!

Parker got a few cars from Grammy and Papa. He also got a cool "Cars" book that came with a flash light and movie projector and some birthday money from Grandpa and Grandma Deming.

We had a fun birthday for Parker today. He is such a happy guy, and had a fun day. Of course it snowed like crazy today. It always does it seems.