Countdown to CHRISTMAS!!!!

My lovely and generous aunts...Meresa & Mary made this treasure of a Christmas countdown for us this year. What an incredible gift. The kids totally loved putting on a new ornament each day and so did I!

My aunts mean so much to me. Thanks for all you do!

I love you.

The Gals @ Temple Square Christmas Eve
The Guys @ Temple Square Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas, Eva!

Adventures in SLEEPING!!!

During Christmas Break, we had this great idea to ditch the cribs and get all 3 kids in toddler beds. Zoe was in a toddler bed @ 10 months, so we figured the twins now @ 15 months were well past the age of successul transition....

...pretty much everyone we knew held their breath & their tongue when we told them about our marvelous plan to leave babyhood behind us.....
....We went to WalMart and bought the girls two darling purple & green fairy beds that match their room adorably,
and we gave Zoe's old white frame to Eli...
....Fortunately, the kids have adapted really well to the new routine and their new found sense of freedom. Some naptimes are better than others, but for the most part, we are calling the change a SUCCESS!!!
Now we just need to install a traffic light in the hallway to help cut down on traffic congestion during the rush hours of 5-6AM.

To Everything There is a Time & a Season....

...and this is the season to play catch up! I am sad that it has taken me so long to get my blog updated. Please forgive my slacker deliquency with posts from the holidays...but I am back & tonight I tackled Thanksgiving, so stay tuned, Christmas is coming soon! Who knows, I may even be up to date by Valentine's Day.

Love,

Crazy Katie & Co.

Eva enjoying the loving arms of her Great Grandmother Gwen!
Zoe toasts the year with her dear friends Bennett & Bronwyn!
Eva stuffs her mouth with one more spoonful of
Papa's world famous sweet potatoes!
Eli ~ "Oh, I just can't take another taste!"

GRATEFUL ~ THANKSGIVING 2009

wow. what a fantastic year. last year at this time we were in ann arbor, mi with our dear friends following our annual tradition of the thanksgiving spread at weber's resort. this year we had quite a change....we were finally home for the holidays & boy, was it a celebration to remember! we started the day off with a mid-morning feast at my mom & dad's. they are famous for their delicious thanksgiving goodies. the kids ate & ate & ate. on the way back home to herriman they slept & slept & slept. it was perfect. in the early evening wesley's family began to arrive at our home for a lovely thanksgiving gathering & our 2nd dinner for the day! incredible to be back in utah, we never would have guessed. we are grateful for food, shelter, family, friends, children, health, safety, freedom, religion, education, jobs, and LOVE!

we are so very blessed.

Just Promoting a Little Peace, Baby. Nov 09
Eva's very first little ponytail...Sweet. Nov 09

Elijah almost 13 months

Eva almost 13 months

Crazy kiddos....these babies just keep crackin' me up. Eva took her first steps on her birthday & has not slowed down since. Eli tried to catch up....but it took several weeks (5-6) for him to reach the level of Eva's skills. It made me giggle because he was the first to roll over, the first to crawl, the first to climb the stairs...

...but Eva won the walking race hands down!

Slow & steady wins the race.

I am proud of my little tortiose!

The Happy Little Mermaid with her Mermaid dolly
Climbing the steps with daddy to Kingsbury Hall

Mom & Zbug anxiously await the MERMAIDS' arrival!
Wes & his girl.....so sweet.

Under the Sea....

....sometime in November we found that The Little Mermaid was being presented at the UofU

by a children's theatre company.

Zoe has been totally in LOVE with mermaids, so we couldn't help but secure 3 tickets & take her. Gub Gub Diane watched the babies and we had a blast.

She is such a fun kid.

Mermaids...how magical.

I love living with a 2 year-old!

The Family of Things
An Awesome Halloween Moon
A Couple of Cute Little Things

The Cat in the Hat on the Prowl for More Candy

A Very Happy Halloween!

After a busy birthday bash monster mash in the morning, we took naps & prepared for a night of spooks, giggles, and fun on the town. We took all three little ones out Trick or Treating... and it was a blast! Our neighborhood has such a wonderful sense of community. Our adorable friend & neighbor two doors down gets all decked out in her witch gear & brews up some wicked wassail on her porch, along with plenty of cackles and delicious sugar cookies....the family down around the bend fries up hot scones in their driveway, and several houses have ceramic fire pits flaring for warming stations around the loop!!! Amazing.

What an incredible first birth day!

Happy One Year Mark Kiddos!

We love you little things!

A little sisterly love....
unwrapping a million gifts....

a witch and her little black cat in a hat...

uncle a in all of his french glory...

oh, i love my little things!

mama thing & baby things

happy first bday, eva!
happy first bday, eli!

a little love for mama thing from papa thing!

the source from hence the things came...
aunts & uncles
grandmas & grandpas
gub gubs and papas
A special THANKS to all family & friends who helped to make our first fiesta for Eva & Elijah a huge hit! We had a blast & hope you did, too!!! Happy Birthday little things! We love you. We are so proud of you & so happy to have you as a members of our crazy little family!

A Monster Mash Birthday Bash

Halloween Brunch

We had an awesome time celebrating Eva & Eli's first year of life on Halloween at a costume party & brunch at our home. I had so much fun decorating & preparing for the big day!
On the Menu:
Scrambled Dragon Eggs -

Crispy Crunchy Bat Wings (Bacon)-

Haunted Hash -

Bloody Spider Cider - Poisonous Pop -

Yummy Mummy Pumpkin Muffins -
Brittle Bone Breadsticks -

Demon Digits & Moss Sauce (carrot sticks & dip) -
Sinfully Sweet Sugar Cookies -

Sneaky Poisoned Apples with Golden Goop -
Freakish Fruits - Blood Red Berries - Ogre Eyes (olives) -
and BIRTHDAY CAKES (made by my wonderful mom)!!!

Eva's Beautiful Butterfly Cake
Eli's Animals on Parade Cake
A Feeding Frenzy !!!

Happy Bday Eva & Elijah!

Demon Digits with Moss Sauce
Ogre Eyes

The Annual Birthday Banner

I create a collage for the kids on their bdays highlighting the year's major events. For the twins' bdays on Halloween I did a Trick or Treat theme and listed little descriptions of each stage/event over the past year & whether it was a "trick" or a "treat"!!! It is so much fun for friends and family to reflect on the time gone by and the ways the kids have grown and developed! It is one of my favorite traditions that I hope to keep up year after year!

Sinfully Sweet Sugar Cookies
Sneaky Poisoned Apples With Golden Goop

Blood Red Berries

Freakish Fruits

Yummy Mummy Pumpkin Muffins

Bloody Spider Cider