Easter 2015

We had a pretty low key Easter this year. I've had a nasty cold+ allergies for the past 10 days or so and I just have no energy. So it had to be mellow! The kids were anxiously awaiting the chance to go downstairs. 

Then they found their Easter baskets and had fun with their loot. The favorites this year were squirt guns for the older boys, fake nails, My Little Pony necklaces and lipstick pens for the girls and a wind up toy for Adam. Both Adam and Colin got blow up swords and they think those are pretty cool too. Thomas also got a haul of food because, well, he eats a ton and the Easter Bunny was exhausted and running out of ideas. I hear that happens sometimes. 

We had a grand total of 135 eggs hidden around the main floor. We thought it'd take a while. NOPE. It was about oh maybe 15 minutes tops. We had to help them with the last few eggs but otherwise it was all them. Adam really got into it and had fun. We had 15 mini eggs filled with 1 fruit snack each which were his to find. He was all over that! 

Afterwards they all had a good time coloring, playing with their little toys, etc. 

Later that day we went to Nana and Grandpas for another egg hunt. The eggs were color coded by family and each kid got to find 12. Next year we need to let the little ones go first because we let them loose and the other kids found their eggs as fast as they could- because they grabbed all the easy ones. Poor Leah had to have a lot of help. Adam was just happy to be there! 

Sunday we watched more of conference and then had a great Easter dinner at Grammie & Papas! 

Hailey Turned 8! Her Birthday & Baptism

Hailey turned 8 on the 14th of January- which is a big deal because that means she can be baptized! It's a big event for a kid her age and she was so excited. Knowing we were going to have a party after her baptism, we just had a family party to celebrate her birthday. I also took some pictures of her- I'm trying to do that each time one of the kids celebrates a birthday. : ) 

Picture overload: 

Thomas likes to light birthday candles now. Scary... 

I made ice cream cone cupcakes. They didn't turn out quite like I planned but as you can see, no one minded! 

I found a fantastic used bookstore and stocked Hailey up with new (to her!) books. She's just about finished reading Little House on the Prarie. I am so happy she loves to read! 

My mom wins the prize for coolest gift: a really neat beaded nesting box with a whale tail necklace inside. Good job Grandma!!

We took some pictures in preparation for her baptism...

Hailey is holding the dress she was blessed in as a baby when she was just 5 weeks old! 

Then, Saturday February 7th, 2015 came, the day of her baptism...

Hailey and her cousin Elise.

 It was a very sweet and special service. I only got misty-eyed a couple times. Christy, Adrian's mother, spoke on the Holy Ghost and a bunch of family got up and sang a special musical number. 

Afterwards we want to our house for lunch and a lot of cousin play time! 

Way to go, Hailey- we are so proud of you! 

Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Years 2014

Starting in September it seems the end of each year is a whirlwind. I finally emerge sometime in January or February and frantically try to update the blog. Aaaand this year is no different! As a matter of fact, I think it's worse because we also had the end of Adrian's Masters Degree to deal with. At any rate, here is a re-cap of the holidays...

We had a fairly quiet Thanksgiving at Adrian's parents house. They live less than 5 minutes from us so it's nice to not have to factor in a long drive. 

We had a family talent show and Hailey and Colin showed off a big art project they'd created. Grandpa Bill played us all a song on the violin. Isn't it amazing that at 90 years old he just decided to learn to play the violin?!

We took the kids to see Santa. Thomas was way more into it than I thought he'd be. Colin loved him. Hailey tolerated him. Leah wouldn't go near him and Adam acted like he was being tortured. Epic! 

Adrian and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary on the 15th. 

Then he took his last final a few days later. Major rejoicing ensued! 

We decorated the new house for the holidays...

And even put some lights up outside. We had 1 lone red tree. 

We took the kids to watch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas concert. 

And the kids performed in a nativity at church:

Thomas decided to read the Harry Potter series over the holiday break. This is where you could find him sometimes for hours each day. 

We blocked off the banister the night of Christmas Eve...

And Santa came! We opened presents and had a nice breakfast. 

It also snowed. A lot. By the 28th I think we had just over 15 or 16" on the ground. 

We had dinner at Adrian's parents house with a ton of family. 

Performed in another nativity! 

Then spent the rest of the days off relaxing and playing with new toys! Here's Hailey dancing to Just Dance 2015- with Adam bopping along. 

Then came New Years...

We all got together again, this time with Adrian's cousin and his family who traveled from Washington state! We played games, did crafts and endured Thomas Kicking our trash at Skip-Bo. We rang in the New Year at about 8:30pm-ssshhhh, don't tell the kids! 

 

Here are a few more random pictures from this holiday season...

Thomas and his tortilla chip in the shape of Utah.

Deer in the backyard.

Holiday candy making! 

Snow play.

Adam boycotting peas. 

Gingerbread men. I worked my tail off to make these cookies and sugar cookies, envisioning a magical family decorating moment. After about 2-3 cookies each, the kids bailed, leaving Adrian and I to decorate the remaining 300. It became a cookie decorating date instead. 

In a moment of desperation I let Leah play on my phone. I came back to around 85 pictures of the haircut she gave Santa. 

And here's one final gem of a picture to end this post on!