Baby Blues

Tyson has almost arrived at the age that Jordan and Kya were when they each became a big sister. Well I am not pregnant, nor do I plan to become pregnant in the near (or distant) future, so I am feeling a little baby hungry. To make matters worse, Tyson is no longer "attached" to his baby blanky AND believe it or not--he has gone to bed without his pacifier the past TWO times. So, my baby really isn't a baby anymore (sniff, sniff) AND how can we deprive the world of another adorable "Mike and Anita" baby?! Maybe we should reconsider...

Christmas Surprises

We had a wonderful Christmas with the usual festivities, but this year we DID have a few surprises as well.

The kids loved ALL their presents

The turkey looked flawless

Jordan lost her front tooth

Mom lost her voice

Tyson transitioned from his "baby" blanket to his "big boy" blanket with no problems

Jordan got TWO pair of Christmas Eve jammies

Tyson got into mischeif (okay that wasn't really a surprise)

The "Cars" toy was everyone's favorite

My Artists

Jordan and Kya each drew me a picture of a Christmas tree. I hung them up on the fridge side-by-side because I love seeing them together. How fun is it to compare a 6-year old's tree with a 4-year old's tree?! So sweet and so original.

Christmas Sunday

I have dreams every Christmas Sunday to get adorable pictures of the kids in their church clothes. Well with the craziness that comes with getting the entire family ready and out the door by 8:40am, the pictures never quite turn out the way I plan. Here are this years "Christmas Sunday" pictures (notice Jordan recovering from an enormous crying fit because she didn't want her pictures taken):

The church program was nice. I love that it is always full of music. The highlight of church for me today was Relief Society (as usual). We had a lesson where the teacher talked about each member of the nativity story and what they really must have felt during the Christmas story. It made the whole story more real to me than ever before. What a magnificent event--the birth of our Savior.

Eight Years

It's official, Mike and I have been married for 8 years!! We celebrated our anniversary on Monday. Unfortunately, it was the same day as Jordan's school Christmas concert so we couldn't go out. We did have our traditional cheesecake and sparkling cider though AND this Saturday we are going for a "sweetheart massage"--side-by-side massages, a sauna, and 1/2 hour hot tub. Sounds divine! Here's a couple pictures (is it just me, or do we look happier in the first one? Ahh, newlyweds):

December 1999

(Our Wedding Day)

December 2007

I LOVE this song!!

I couldn't figure out how to copy this onto my blog, so I will just put in the link. I heard this song on Y&R the other day and I am just IN LOVE with it. Take a listen (I hope it works):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIxxATvIcus

It wasn't Chris Daughtry or Carrie Underwood but...

Mike and I saw two American Idol contestants in a Christmas concert last night. One local Presbyterian church holds a concert every year called "Christmas on Main Street". They have George Huff and Mandisa preform Christmas and religious songs along with the church singers. It was a great night. The church's pastor also sat down with George and Mandisa and talked to them about their experiences from American Idol. It was really neat to hear some insights into the show. Before the night was through, we got to hear some inspiring words from the pastor and not to mention, some great singing. I wasn't a huge fan of either of the two American Idol alums during the seasons they were on, but boy can they sing--they put on a great show. We got to sit on the third row, so it was really neat to be so close. It really felt like we were at one of the American Idol shows.

Ballerina Girl

Parents were invited to watch Jordan's last ballet class of the year this past week. I went--and I took the camera. She really is getting to be a good little dancer (although she is in a bit of a roudy class). Her teacher is great and I really like the way she runs things. The only problem I have with the school is that it is SO expensive. I really want to put her in twice a week, but we just can't afford it. I guess California can't be cheap in any aspect!! Here's some pictures of our little ballerina girl (I think you can figure out which one is Jordan):

O Christmas Tree

On Saturday we finally picked out our Christmas tree. I just love going down to the tree lot and picking out a tree--it is just so festive (although I think they raised the prices this year--yikes). We managed to bring it home, set it up and decorate it without any challenges.

The kids decorated the whole thing by themselves this year and it actually looks really nice (usually all the ornaments are in the front and center). The only thing I would have done different is move Jordan's kindergarten ornament--she wanted it front and center and now that is all I see when I look at the tree.

We had such a nice time and I love the colored lights we are using this year--I think it reminds me of when I was a kid. I just love this time of year! (notice the picture below is WITHOUT the kindergarten ornament)

Santa Picture

Yesterday I took the kids to the mall to get their picture taken with Santa. By the time we got to the line to see Santa, the girls both informed me that they did NOT want to get their picture taken with Santa. Well, after a long talk and an ice cream bribe the kids were full of smiles and sitting on Santa's knee. I must admit, I was REALLY disappointed in the Santa. He didn't even talk to the kids or ask them what they wanted for Christmas. Don't you think "friendliness" would be a prerequisite for the job of Santa? Then they didn't even hand out candy canes! And, for $10 you would think they could at least give you a paper frame for your picture. Oh well, the picture's cute--I guess these days that is the most I can ask for. I think next year I will put the kid's in their Christmas best--they look kind of sloppy.