McKinley Jane and Grant Alan

There is no better feeling than having friends you know you can count on in tough times...the ones that love you no matter what. And I love the fact that my kids now have friends that they look forward to seeing and have fun with when they're together. To celebrate Christmas we had some friends over and enjoyed the beautiful afternoon outside, played with candy cane playdough, ate some good food and swapped presents. Sorry to Lauryn and Tyler who were both sick and couldn't make it so they're not in the pics... Tristan opening his racetrack Grant opening his Tangram book...he loves this thing! We finally got them all looking at the camera!! Making volcanoes with playdough

This has been our favorite activity this Christmas and it's going to be pretty hard to beat! We bypassed the huge electric light parade in downtown Phoenix after battling the crowds one year and decided to do the small one in Carefree. I have never seen Grant so excited! He could barely contain himself and it brought tears to my eyes. He cheered and stomped the entire time! Best of all he was so excited that he kept running over to hug me and tell me how much he loved me because he was so appreciative to be there! I love the unbridled emotions of a 3 year old! The poor man beside us endured many bumps on his legs from Grant bouncing into him! The firetruck...one of the highlights!! Enjoying some popcorn with Daddy before the parade starts

The view from one of the wineries we went to in Sedona This pic cracks me up b/c it totally looks like he's posing but I actually took the pic just as he turned to look at a car! I think he looks pretty hot though! Wine tasting at Sedona Ice skating in downtown Phoenix. Chad was the first and only one to fall! Last Christmas Chad's parents and I bought him a powered parachute ride and he finally got around to taking it! He said it was a blast!

For our December update I'm going to give some of the favorite things the kids have said over the past few months. As they say something funny I type it into my phone so I don't forget and it's hilarious to look back and remember these funny sayings: McKinley: "That's not fair" (said as she ran to her room and slammed her door..oy-vay) "Daddy..do you have your wallet?" (asked each time she gets in car..wonder where she learned that?? :-)) Both: "Booyah" (taught to them by daddy) "Not cool man" (learned from "Tangled") Some things that crack us up: -They love to shake hands and introduce themselves right now and can play the game between the two of them for hours! I don't know where they learned it exactly but they will walk up to each other and say "Hi, my name is ____" while shaking hands. -When people ask them their names McKinley often shortens hers down to Kinley, but it comes out sounding like "Ke...

Grant and Daddy definately win this one! McKinley with her finished product! Notice she's always wearing a swimsuit :-) McKinley's favorite part was putting frosting on table and licking it up!

Why, oh why is she always in a swimsuit.... They really got into the tree decorating this year! They loved hanging the ornaments!

Last year McKinley and I went to the Nutcracker Sweet Tea and loved it so we're going to make it an annual tradition and Grandma Julie got to come along! It's such a fun day of dressing up like a princess and seeing all the ballerinas! Chad took Grant for a boy day, but unfortunately no pictures because I had the camera. They went to the lake and threw rocks, went to a bar and grill and played some pool, went to a small airport and got to walk on the runway and see a plane, went to Home Depot, then on the way home they stopped at the grocery store and there was a firetruck so the firemen let them climb up inside and play! What a fun day!! Even princesses have to pee :-) eating with our friend Molly

It’s been forever since I’ve done an actual update post so I figured I better do it before the holidays hit. We are about halfway done with our first school year and it’s gone really well. It’s actually gone a lot smoother than I ever imagined and feel so blessed for that. They have the routine down so we are able to get through a lot of material in a short amount of time which is awesome! A lot of times we’ll do school and then have enough time to still head out to park or gym in the morning. They’ve progressed well so I’m actually going to start the next level curriculum after the new year. This age still remains my favorite. They are able to play independently so well and get along with each other great (most of the time), but they’re still my cute little babies and love to snuggle and sit on my lap. Being able to reason with them and explain things makes life so much easier! We are pretty much past all things “baby”. No more highchairs, cribs, diapers. But their special blankets wi...