Christmas Highlights

Here are some of the fun highlights from Christmas.

1. My family was able to come out for about two and a half weeks! It was great having them here! It was probably the last time all of us will be able to be together for the next couple years. This was the family picture from our traditional day of bowling on New Years Eve. It was a blast!


2. McKay opened his mission call! He is going to the Colorado Springs, Colorado mission. He goes into the MTC on the 3rd of March. It has been amazing to see the man McKay is becoming. His testimony is strong and I know that he will serve the Lord diligently and work many miracles for Him. If you want to see him opening his call, the video is posted below. I think my dad's reaction is the best! We are so proud of you bud!

3. Everyone got the chance to go skiing at least once! This was so much fun. It was a little tricky to work it because of little Clara, but we managed. We divided it up into two different trips. My mom stayed with Clara while I went the first time. Shannon got her wisdom teeth out the week before Christmas so she stayed behind on the first trip as well. Then Joe and I stayed behind on the second trip. It was really cool. It'd been almost two years since Joe and I'd been.

4. My parents celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary! We were so happy that they were here so we could do something for them. We have such wonderful parents.

5. Clara cut two teeth! I am amazed at how fast she is growing. It was great to have my mom here to help me know what to do. Clara never throws tantrums, but this was the fussiest I'd ever seen her and I didn't know what to do. My mom knew instantly what was going on and was awesome at teaching me what to do and consoling my little girl.

6. Joe's sister Sarah got married in the Philipines! We were sad that we couldn't be there, but happy that she was able to be sealed to a wonderful man. We miss her a lot.

Here are some more fun pictures!

It was such a wonderful holiday!

Finally Getting Back To It!

So it has been a while since I've actually blogged for a couple reasons. The first is that the last two months have literally been constant maddness (in a good way of course!). As lame as this excuse sounds, there really wasn't time. The second is that it was really hard to find the motivation to do it. You know how some times it is just really easy to do and other times it is the last thing in the world you want to attempt? That is reason 2. So, forthcoming will be posts about Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and my birthday! Thanks to everyone for being patient with the blog going private.

A quick preview of what is to come:

Clara's first little doll!

Going Private!

Hello everyone!
In just a couple weeks our blog will be going private. If you would like to be added to the list of those who can view it, just send me your e-mail address, or leave a comment on this post.
Thanks!

New Stats to Report

Clara recently had her four month check up. Here are the current stats:

Height: 25.5" = 90%
Weight: 15 lbs. 7 oz. = 90%
Head Circumference: 40.75 cm = 50%

So I had to post this picture. Clara was being so cute, I put her down, walked into the bedroom to put something away, and when I came out I found her like this:


Oh it was so cute!

Here are some adorable pictures from this weekend's football game. It was rather chilly so we made sure we bundled her up really well. She looked like a marshmallow! I loved it.


Clara also had a milestone today: She rolled over! Scared me half to death, but a fun thing to see nonetheless.
We've also got McKay with us for the week! We love having him here with us! We are looking forward to football and food Thursday, Christmas festivities beginning on Friday, and one intense football game on Saturday!

Don't you just love the holidays?

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

So apparently Clara didn't think my earlier post was that funny. She went from that cute little outfit to this:

Yep, that's right...she blew out. It was bad enough that it came out the front of the diaper and got in her belly button. I didn't even know that was possible. So, it was straight to the tub. Oh the irony. That shirt is bad karma.

Dear Clara,

I am sorry I put you in that outfit. I love you sweetheart. Thanks for keeping me humble.

Love, Mommy

My Stylin' Baby

With as many times as Clara has either blown out, thrown up, or drooled all over me this past week, I thought that this outfit would be appropriate for the day:


Thanks to Grandpa Smalley, Uncle McKay, Uncle Joey, and Uncle Spence.

Halloween Marathon!

We had such a fun weekend, but during the week we were worried we weren't going to be able to do anything. On Wednesday of this past week our little Clara got sick. She had a stuffy nose and a little cough that just broke my heart. She was sleeping most of the day, and then sleeping with mommy most of the night.

By Friday morning however, she was doing much better and we were really relieved.

On Friday night we went to Brandon and Belinda's for their annual Halloween party. Every year it ends up being so much fun and Belinda is an excellent cook who is always fills our tummies. This year the theme was Princess Bride. It was so cool to see how creative everyone was.

Miracle Max and Valerie (aka Ben and Jamie Kent)

Westley, Buttercup and an ROUS
Fezzik, Inigo, and an ROUS (aka Brandon, Belinda, and Marissa Howard)

Clara and her friend Marissa. I love Clara's little pose in this one.
We had a great time. Clara was a champ. At her bed time she just fell asleep in my arms. I loved snuggling her and getting to stay out later than normal with friends. Who would've thought you could have the best of both worlds?

Then on Saturday, we started out the morning at Shannon and Travis'. The best part was that McKay hitched a ride down from Rexburg and was with us! We had a halloween breakfast and carved pumpkins (a little late, but better late than never!). Travis didn't like the smell or texture of the pumpkins so he was a bystander of the entire ritual. The rest of us, however, just went to town.

Yes, that is a bag clip on his nose.


The words "Slimy hands" in a munchkin voice with a Utah accent comes to mind.

The final result.

Then after the pumpkin carving, we changed into our second set of costumes for the holiday.

Meet the Flinstones:

And here is little Pebbles:

From Shanni and Travis' place it was over to Joe's cousins' the Wilcoxes for a little party. While we were there, we saw Joe's cousin's twins Aubrey and Devon. They were adorable in their little Halloween costumes.

After the Wilcoxes it was off the ward Trunk-or-Treat for some hot soups and lots of sugar high little children trying to see how many times they could come around and take candy from you without you noticing. What happened to door to door trick or treating? There really isn't any effort required anymore for Halloween Treats...especially when all the treats are concentrated in the vicinity of half of a parking lot. How sad.

Then we got back together with Shanni, Travis, and McKay, bundled up, and went to Joe's parents house for a hay ride. Joe's dad pulled us around on the tractor while Joe's older sister Liz told everyone scary stories. It was especially cool because of the full moon that she had behind her. We loved it!
It was also fun to see Shannon and Travis' costumes.

It was a great Halloween. I really do enjoy this holiday. Well, now it is back to normal weeks for a little while....