Slow Goin'

Not much to report on here.  We've been laying low, fighting colds and stomach viruses, and just trying to stay afloat.  Poor Owen has had the chicken pox, a cold and a stomach virus in the past month.  I'm hoping we'll be much healthier in February.

Tie Dye Time!

Checking out "a million Jeeps" with Dad.

Adler treats the dogs like her babies.  She often feeds them and puts them down for naps.  She occasionally brings them tea and coffee as well.  They're good sports, most of the time.

My boys enjoying the great outdoors!

Now you know why we call her "Sandy"

Chicken Pox

Well, we were stuck at home for about a week while Owen fought the chicken pox.  That's right....the CHICKEN POX!!!!  Yes, he had the vaccine when he was younger, but he still caught it!  Luckily, it was an extremely mild case, with only about 10 pox on his entire body and no other symptoms.  This was a wonderful thing, but it was hard keeping him entertained at home, with no outings and no school.  So we got creative with tie dye crafts and giant tents taking up the living room.

We're still waiting to see if Adler gets it or not and we should know by next weekend. Time will tell......

Tadaa

We have recently discovered a cool app for taking and altering pictures on our iPhones.  Here are a bunch of cool photos we've taken with our iPhones, using Tadaa.

Micah's Pop made this knife for Owen a while ago.  Micah recently showed it to Owen and now he likes to get it out every now and then to admire it.

Thanks for the awesome Star Wars hat, Matt and Jami!!

mid-day hike with the crazy dog

I love these sleeping pictures of Adler.....she looks so peaceful. 

My little cuddle-bug

Micah and Owen out hiking the hills

I can't believe how big this kid is!

Ahhhh......my boys.  Love these guys!

Crazy Sandy!

Having fun at the park!

You can probably expect more fun photos using this cool app!  How addicting!! 

Check out our new ride......

Micah's Jeep gave out on us again, so we decided to get a new car.  Meet our 2011 Toyota Prius.  It's a bummer that we now have a car payment, but at least we'll be saving a lot of money on gas!

Adler Joy

My baby girl is growing up....she's not so much a baby anymore!  She talking in full sentences, potty trained (for the most part), and finding her feisty personality.  She is a girly girl, loves her baby dolls, and acts like a little mommy. 



Here she is nursing her baby doll.  As you can imagine, I LOVE this!



She and her baby have matching clothes!

 

I'm not sure what's going on here.



She found the Dumbo at Trader Joes!  So proud!

Last weekend we took down the crib and brought in the toddler bed!  Then I had to buy a storage shelf to organize all of her toys we had hiden underneath her crib.  Today we took down her changing table.  All of these changes make for a real big girl bedroom.  She is thrilled about it!  We are keeping the rocking chair for now because she still loves to rock to sleep (and I love snuggling with her)!

 Micah built this toddler bed for Owen and as you can see it's still blue.  Maybe we'll paint it, maybe we won't.  It might not match perfectly, but it's still pretty cute.

So excited!!

As much as she loves her new bed, she's still waking up in the middle of the night and wants to sleep with us. Yes, it's sweet, but we can hardly wait for her to sleep all night long in her own bed.  Our bed just isn't big enough for 3 people!

Sleeping in her big girl bed!

Welcome 2012!

We had a low key, kid-friendly New Year's Eve this year!  Owen's buddy Ryder spent the night, so we played games, put together puzzles, and celebrated the East Coast new year.

 On New Year's night we hired a babysitter and went to Reno to see Adam Carolla's stand-up show.  Micah is a little obsessed with Adam Carolla and his daily pod cast, so this was a treat for him.  The show was hilarious and it was nice to have an adult night out.

Micah and Adam

We got lucky with our seats, front and center.

A day or two later we took Owen ice skating for the first time.  I actually took care of Adler while Micah and Brian skated with Owen.  This is the first time he's put on any kind of skates, so it was a bit of a challenge for him.  I think we'll have to go back and keep practicing. 

Yup, she's got him wrapped around her finger!

 Brian left this week so our house is quiet now......or as quiet as it can be with 2 kids.  I guess this is where we get back into our routine.  I'm having a hard time believing the holidays are over and the new year has begun.  Vacation time always goes by way too fast!

My favorite boys.

Christmas Fun

We had a wonderful Christmas celebration this year.  We always have company for the holidays and this year my Mom, Fred and Brian joined us. 



Owen wrote this at school, with the help of his teachers.  Such a sweet brother!

This is Hattie, our House Elf that watched over the kids before Christmas.  This was Hattie's first year with us and he was a HIT!  I had no idea how much Owen would enjoy having Hattie around and wondering where he would show up every morning.  This is going to be an annual tradition from here on out.  I just wish Hattie could stay all year long!



Making sugar cookies with Uncle Brian

Early Christmas morning

Yes, my kids are definitely spoiled.  I even attempted to get the grandparents to tone it down this year.....as you can see they didn't pay any attention to me!  I'll try again next year.

Kids make Christmas such a blissful day.  I absolutely loved watching the joy and wonder on their faces.

 Owen's big gift was a new Razor Scooter, which he has been zipping down the street on.  Probably his most used gift was an animal floor puzzle that's he keeps piecing together over and over again.  Adler received ceramic dishes for her kitchen and lots of baby doll clothes.  She adores dressing and re-dressing her babies!

They also make huge messes!

Adler loves her new dishes

Adler and Grandma at the Discovery Museum, a few days after Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Last weekend we took the kids on the Polar Express!!  The V&T Railroad started their Polar Express rides this winter here in Carson, and it was such a fun experience for the kids.  We all wore our pajamas and robes (just like they do in the book)!

Amazing that Adler didn't scream here.  It helped that her brother was thrilled to see Santa!

Someones got their Golden Ticket!

Owen, Sofia, Orrin and Ryder

The train we rode on was 100 years old. 

Drinking hot chocolate and reading the story

Adler looking at the North Pole

Owen and Ryder checking out Santa and the Elves at the North Pole

When we left the North Pole to head back to Carson City, Santa and a few of his Elves boared the train to say hello to all the kids and pass out bells. 

Tessa & Adler playing after the ride

This year we went up to Tahoe to cut down our Christmas tree.  We really couldn't find much, but after an hour of looking we found one that was good enough.  It's not the most beautiful tree, but it works.

My family carrying the tree back to the car.