Sharing vs. Out right Stealing....discuss...

Collin, Jen and baby Violee are in Salt Lake visiting Jen's family, so we took advantage of the situation and asked if they wanted to meet us at Cafe Rio for lunch. We figured even if they didn't really want to see us, maybe they would at least want to eat at Rio! :)

It was so much fun to see them! I just saw them a few weeks ago in Spokane, but Chris and Bubby had never meet sweet Violee. She is just the cutest thing, and so tiny! We gave them our be-lated Christmas presents. Keric got Violet a new book, which he promptly took away from her. He really does suck at this whole sharing thing.

We tried to get a picture of the two of them, but between me, Collin and Jen's sister Kat, this was the best we could do. Oh well...it sorta looks like he's reading to her right? You can't tell by the picture that he stole it can you?

We wish Collin and Jen lived closer, but are glad for the few times that they are close enough that we can see them even for a little while. :)

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Keric must have been a MUCH better boy than I originally thought, because he sure made a haul this year.

We missed having Cameron and Reagan here this year, but we got to talk to them this morning, and it sounded like Santa not only left some presents here for them when they get back on Sunday, but also left lots of presents at Mommy's house for them too!

Christmas is always a little hard with Pampa Fraig gone. I thought this year would be a little easier than last year, but it didn't seem to be. Of course it's lots harder on Chris than it is on me, but Craig's presence is truly missed, and even though I only got to spend 2 Christmas' with him...it seems like there is still something missing with each new Christmas that he is gone.

We will soon be making the long trek to WY to visit my family, so the madness continues, although now instead of wrapping we will be packing! I'm not sure what I hate more...it's a pretty big toss up, but we are excited to see some of my family in the next few days, and will be glad to get to spend New Years with them.

Here are a few pictures of Christmas Eve at Grandma Anne's house and our Christmas Morning....

Ice Skating

About 3 years or so ago, Chris and I went ice-skating with Cameron and Reagan. It was actually before we were even married, so it's been quite awhile. We went to the Utah Olympic Oval and we had a great time!

Now every year around this time, Cam and Reag ask us if we can go Ice-skating. We have been since the first time, but we missed last year, so Chris promised them we would go this year, so Saturday was the "big" day.

Every year Cam and Reag seem to get a little better. Reagan is now able to just hold onto someones hand and skate along side. For a LONG time, we had to kind of stand behind her and hold her up the entire time! It didn't make for a very "graceful" skate, OR a very pretty sight I'm sure.


Reagie using her "walker" to help her get used to her skates.


No more walker!! Good Job Reag!

Cameron has always been able to kind of make it on his own, and each year he gets faster and faster, and has fewer and fewer falls.


Yea Cam!


Trixy Whammers

Keric wanted to be out on the ice SO bad! He would scream and cry every time he saw them go by us. Chris finally took him out on the ice and let him "skate" with his shoes. He had a GREAT time running around on the ice. He was always very sad when he had to come back and sit with Mommy.


Happy on the ice with Daddy


Mad back on the sidelines with Mommy

As "tradition" goes, we always stop at Leatherby's on the way home for ice-cream. Not sure how that started, because it is AWFULLY cold for ice-cream, but we stopped anyway. I think Cam and Reag enjoyed drinking the Hot Fudge more than the actual eating of the ice-cream. Maybe it was a little warmer in their tummys.





It's yummy hot fudge and all...but I don't know that I could drink it!!

We got home late, of course, and everyone was tired, but we all had a great time! Until next year Olympic Oval...

Dear Santa, I can explain....

Apparently I have yet again learned my lesson the hard way! Do NOT take a shower when Keric is awake! That kid can get in more trouble in 10 minutes than anyone else I know!

"I Want Manny!"

Yesterday Keric pulled one of his "I hate Church" tantrums during Sacrament Meeting. I was the one closest to the door, so I took him out in the hall.

I KNOW that being in the hall is what he wants, but he is so disruptive, that I just can't keep him in there screaming.

So out to the hall we went. Of course as soon as we got there, he immediately took off RUNNING down the hall happy as a clam! I grabbed him and picked him up and made him SIT on my lap and fold his arms. Of course this was not what he wanted, and he was more than happy to let everyone around us know of his disgust.

He screamed and screamed and when that got him no where, he started screaming for his Daddy. I told him that he was stuck out here with me, and that Daddy was NOT going to come and save him. He would have to be good to be able to go see Daddy. So instead of being good so he could go see Daddy, he started yelling for Handy Manny to come and get him!

I about died! Here is this child throwing a HUGE tantrum screaming for "Manny! A Manny! Where a Manny?"

It's a little sad when you are such a "horrible" Mom, that your kid would rather sit outside with a Cartoon Character! He does love his Handy Manny, obviously a little more than I realized.

Snow Suit, or Straight Jacket?

We got a whole bunch of snow recently, so I thought it might be fun to let Bubby play in the snow. He never has before and since he loves being outside so much, I thought being outside in SNOW would be great fun.

We had 8 inches of it, so I figured he needed a snow suit. I thought I would be able to just go to Wal-Mart and pick one up. Not so! They didn't have ANY! I was kind of surprised. I even asked the lady working in the kids clothes section and she was as surprised as I was that there were no snow suits or snow boots in any size let alone a toddler size.

It took some creative shopping, but I did find one, and I think I bought the LAST one too.

So I came home, so excited to get Keric all bundled up and outside. I got as far as the snow suit, and that was about it. He was having a total MELT down in the snow suit, so I didn't push it any farther. Maybe we'll try another day.

Decorating the Tree

I actually love the Christmas Holidays, and all the decorations that we put up, but I have been kind of a "Scrooge" this year about the decorating. I have been afraid to put up very many of them because Bubby is kind of at that age now where nothing is safe! So naturally I have expected the worst from Keric when it came to the Christmas tree. I had visions of him just destroying the tree, and everything on it, but he has actually surprised me. He hasn't been all that interested in it.

Today while I was on the phone talking to Chris, Keric came in with two "Balls" in his hand. I was thinking, Oh great, what kind of destruction has he done while I have been on the phone! So I got off the phone and went in to assess the damage, and much to my surprise I found the tree, and all of it's ornaments minus the two he brought to me, right where they had been before. I did find one thing however that let me know Bubby had been there.

He had taken his little Mickey phone and hung it on the tree. It looked so cute hanging there, I just had to leave it! Such a funny little boy!