In Between the Holidays

I have been on major organization overhaul around here. I have been so antsy to get re-organized and re-vamp and start anew. It feels so good to put away the Christmas decorations and get rid of things and clean out closets and de-junk. Everyone says that things look dreary and empty after the holiday decorations get put away but it is my absolute favorite. I love how clean and uncluttered everything looks.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I get my jollies out of organization. Much to my husband's (and children's) dismay, being organized has kept my sanity in tact. I kind of live by the mantra that "there is a place for everything and everything has its place." But December (and 2010 in general) was such a whirlwind that all the "stuff" seemed to multiply faster than I could sweep it away!

I still have barely made a dent in my January to-do list, but I'm taking a break to document the rest of the holidays before they race further into the past.

Troy took the week off work in between Christmas and New Years because he had some extra vacation days that he was going to lose if he didn't use them before the end of the year.

We spent the week at the Tanners' cabin and basically stayed home bound most of the time. We were completely snowed in one day, and on the day that Troy and others were going to go skiing, the temperature was -10°F and the wind chill was ridiculous. So, staying indoors seemed like a more desirable option. We played games and baked goodies and watched movies. It was a pretty low-key week for all of us.

However, for Blake, it was one of the best weeks of his life.

He's used to the same hum-drum of every day life at home with me. So, with the combination of new toys from Santa, aunts and uncles galore to play with, and activities that were different than the norm, it was a pretty spectacular week for him (discounting the fact that apparently he forgot that he was potty trained).

We never got to the gingerbread house (or train should I say) before Christmas this year. So, we tackled the project a few days after Christmas. We cheated and used the pre-made kit this time around, but it was a million times easier and Blake didn't care either way.

Going in the jacuzzi was one of the biggest highlights for Blake. Words can't even describe how excited he was beforehand, during, and after the hot tub experience. He ran around the cabin at top speed telling everyone to get their swimsuits on when I suggested the idea. Once he was inside the water, he could barely sit still because he was so amused with the waterfall and jets and swimming from person to person. And afterwards, he must have mentioned that he was grateful for the hot tub four times in his prayer that night. I think it's safe to say it was a hit.

Remember those aunts and uncles galore I mentioned? Man alive it was refreshing for Blake to have some new people to interact with.

We did make it out of the cabin for one outing. We all went bowling which was a first for the boys.

Nashy enjoyed crawling around the dirty floor.

Bowling was another hit with the three year old.

Eleven Months and {finally} Crawling

It turns out that I had no need to worry, because Nash finally got up on all fours and stopped dragging his belly inchworm-style. It happened in a matter of minutes. We were at the cabin on Christmas Eve and he figured out how to go from scooting to crawling just like that. Since then, he has perfected his crawling ability. His increased mobility has allowed him to dart across a room or up an entire set of stairs in a matter of seconds. Now that I don't have to worry about enrolling him in learn-to-crawl-therapy, I can enjoy the footage I took of his inchworming. It was pretty funny while it lasted.

We are so proud of his new skills.

Say Hello to the Sunbeam

I can hardly believe that my baby is in Primary! He cheerfully mimics the hand motions to the songs and sits still in his miniature chair observing the actions of all the big kids. I am so happy that my church responsibilities are in Primary now and I get to watch the excited expressions on his face. He makes sure that I see every action he makes. And I wouldn't have it any other way for my little beamer.

2010 In Review

As a mother with young children, I often have the feeling that "I didn't get anything done today." However, when I looked back through our happenings in 2010, it helped me realize that we have actually done a lot this year! I have already posted about all of these events, but for my own record of this eventful year, I enjoyed putting the memories together in one place.

January

At 9 months pregnant, I began my yoga teaching journey. We spent one last getaway as a family of three with our friends from college. We prepared for our second baby, barely finishing the preparations before his arrival.

February

Our sweet Nash Ryan arrived three weeks early. We made a lot of adjustments. The entire month became a blur.

March

We blessed Nash and started to get into more of a routine. Blake begged for m&m's.

April
We spent Easter in Arizona and stayed a few extra weeks while Troy spent his first 2 weeks out of 10 in total working in New York.

May

I reflected on motherhood on Mother's Day. I got back into crafting when the boys' naps started overlapping. Nash and I both lost a lot of hair.

June
Troy spent 5 more weeks working in New York. We talked to him on Skype. Nash and I joined him for a week and loved exploring the big city. I painted the Laundry Room.

July

We went to a Tanner family reunion with 150+ people. We celebrated the 4th of July with the Stadium of Fire and saw fireworks. We went boating. I hosted three bridal showers.

August

Troy spent 2 more weeks in New York. We went to the splash park and enjoyed other summer activities. We celebrated the mission homecoming of Troy's brother and the wedding of Troy's sister.

September

We road tripped to California for a wedding reception. Blake started mackin' on the ladies. Nash had his first surgery and Blake managed a head injury a few days later. I hosted another shower.

October

We spent a week at Disneyland with our best friends from Michigan. We trick-or-treated three times. Nash tried to eat the pumpkins at the pumpkin patch.

November

We began the task of potty training Blake. We made a slew of rolls for Thanksgiving at our house. Blake started attending a co-op preschool.

December

We could barely keep up with all of the holiday mayhem. We attended plays and parties and concerts. The boys met Santa. We celebrated Blake's third birthday with a balloon party.

2010 has been wonderful, challenging, and eventful. Most of all, it has been a blessing.

Christmas Morning Take Two

We started off the actual Christmas morning with matching pajamas as is our tradition.

We all paraded down the stairs singing Jingle Bells and someone was pretty excited to see what Santa brought.

Santa didn't disappoint. Blake's favorite part about Santa coming to the cabin was that he ate the cookies and the carrot we set out. Blake squealed with excitement to find the evidence that Santa was here. And he didn't mind finishing off Santa's crumbs for breakfast either.

There were a lot of fun toys involved.

And a few mix-ups. Todd received this present from "Grandma and Grandpa." Oops, wrong tag.

Todd showered everyone with Jamaican souvenirs that exceeded the weight requirements for his baggage on the flight home from his mission. He left all of his clothes behind in order to bring us these treasures.

Nash woke up from his morning nap towards the end of the unwrapping to enjoy his first Christmas!

Not that he understood what was going on, but he enjoyed getting into the new toys and little tiny shreds of wrapping paper and ribbon. 

I have fished many small things out of our little puppy's mouth since the Christmas extravaganza. One day, he shoved 7 or 8 minuscule sparkly silver balls in his mouth. That was a fun one to tackle.

There's nothing better than enjoying the excited expressions together on Christmas morning (and I like how Nash crawled on top of the present to get a better view).

The best gift of all is the love these two have for each other. I am so lucky to spend Christmas day and every day with our darling boys.