Baking Fun

Sienna and Aidan love to help me with cooking and especially baking. I am trying to let them do more and more by themselves in the kitchen. Sienna's friend, Grace, who also loves baking, was over and the kids decided to make some cookies. I thought they were so cute, in the kitchen, and working together. The cookies might have had a few little issues, (partly my fault!) so they didn't turn out as pretty as usual, but the kids had a lot of fun making (and eating) them and that is most important!

Decorating the Tree

We have such a fun time decorating the tree. I somehow didn't get a picture of Sienna, but she was there, helping. I love listening to Christmas music, being together as a family and start the celebration of our Savior's birth.

Thanksgiving Day

We had such a great Thanksgiving. We are so very blessed in too many ways to count. I love Thanksgiving; it is one of my favorite holidays. It seems extra important now, in our culture of wanting, to take the time and think of all that we have been given. I love the quote, "Gratitude makes what we have enough." I want this to be the mantra of my life. We are very thankful for our friends, the Wysowksis, for welcoming us in their home, with their family there, so we had people to celebrate with. We are very blessed to have such wonderful friends.

Holly's nieces loved Lucy

 Playing soccer with the kids

 Our friend, Zuly, and Lucy

What happens when Daddy helps the kids in the mornings...

I saw Aidan when he came home from school with this lovely outfit. I cannot keep track of how many times I have told him no patterns with patterns. I just had to laugh that Spencer didn't notice and Aidan didn't care!

Happy Halloween!

We had a wonderful holiday this year! The church had their trunk-or-treat which is always very fun. I even dressed up! While searching for a cheap pair of pants for Aidan's costume at the Salvation Army, I came across the most perfect suit to be Professor Umbridge from 'The Order of the Phoenix' (Harry Potter!). Couldn't pass it up! 

Spence ended up flying (surprise, surprise!) so I stayed home to hand out candy while Sienna walked around the neighborhood with Aidan and Madelyn. Poor Mad and Sienna! Mad's bag was so heavy that she couldn't carry it by then end so Sienna did it for her. Such a sweet sister!

I had fun making Sienna and Lucy tutus, Lucy's shirt, and knitting Aidan's scarf for their costumes. It gets a little crazy, but still oh so fun!

 Mad's hair looks so long when it is straight

 Shirt I made for Lucy thanks to Pinterest

 My little Tinkerbell

 Harry Potter

Sienna was a candy corn something...

 L to R: Aidan's, Mad's and Si's

Lucy Cruising

Lucy loves her little walker-type toy and is starting to go all over the place!

Please excuse my annoying voice!

Lucy pulling up

This crazy little baby is so strong and so proud of her ability to pull herself up to almost anything she would like. Let the craziness begin!

I love this last picture with her mischievous little face! She's such a stinker!

More soccer

Soccer season has finally ended. I get so excited at the beginning of the season, but am always so ready for it to be over when it finally ends. The kids both had a fun time. Sienna scored her first goal ever and had an assist in a game and Aidan had several assists. We are so proud of them for their hard work and effort and hope they learned some fun and important lessons from playing.

What Mad does during the games

 Lucy likes to pull herself up and attack her sister

 This was the game she scored in. Go Sienna!

Disneyland Vacation-Days 1 & 2

We are so blessed! When we found the tickets to Texas, with Spencer's schedule being the way that it is (by taking 1 week off, he ends up with 3 off,) we looked at the cost of stopping in Utah or California. Utah was another $250, per person, so it was out. Cali. was only $50. So we decided we should go to Disneyland while we had the chance at a much cheaper trip than it would be otherwise (leaving the island is normally at least $500  per person).

The blessings I am talking about is our friends and family. My beautiful parents, decided that since we were so close (all relative, compared to being across the Pacific Ocean) they needed to come see us. We also had one of my dearest friends and her family meet us there too, since we had always talked about going there together and timing worked out. I cannot express how much it meant that these wonderful people changed schedules, spent money and time to be with us. We feel so very loved and hope that we can reciprocate one day.

Papa and Luce

 Already loves the Princesses

 Love Lucy staring up at her!

 Yummy desserts! Couldn't resist a picture!

Disneyland Vacation-Days 3 & 4

On one of our days in the parks, my beloved Grandpa Hanson insisted he needed to see us and since we didn't have a rental car, he drove to meet us and spent the day at California Adventures. He had never been there and we had a wonderful time. The World of Color show is amazing. I love seeing him with my children and watch them develop close relationships with him, just like I have. He and Madelyn are especially close. They have always been that way. I adore that!

Me and Jenna

 We are all powerless to the need to kiss on that sweet baby!

 Grandpa meeting Lucy for the first time

 Best Buds