A Bleak Thanksgiving..

We had such a fun Thanksgiving this year.  Dan was able to work at home Tuesday and was off the rest of the week!  Our cousins/friends Nathan and Stephanie and their two boys were able to spend the holiday with us and we had so much fun catching up.

After getting the house all spiffed up for guests Wednesday morning, we headed out to our favorite park for a picnic and some play time in the beautiful weather.

Candy at the park (Nov. 23)

Sisters! (Nov. 23)

Look--I finally displayed my table runner and 4 placemats (a pattern I bought 2 years ago at the quilt show)--cute, huh?  And I was in charge of rolls for the big day (hence the flour everywhere) I worked on the rolls Wednesday afternoon while Dan picked up our guests (Nov. 23)

Mmm, love those crescent rolls (my mother-in-law's recipe)

After finishing the rolls, we packed up the kids and went out for some delicious bbq with Nathan and Stephanie.  We stayed up chatting and weren't sure if our friends would join us for the early morning parade (we needed to leave around 7:30 am).  But they did! My dad, little bro, big bro and his fam beat us there and saved some seats for us.  I always underestimate how cool it can be--and my kids were freezing and so happy to snuggle with cousins.  

Chloe and Megan...

Nathan and Stephanie and their boys (Henry and William) ALMOST liked the parade.  Except for the part where Henry threw up all over the car about halfway to downtown Houston.  Hence why he is sporting a fleece jacket on top (with nothing underneath) and an upside-down fleece jacket as pants.  Poor kid.  Poor Nate and Steph.  They were troopers though and stuck it out for the whole parade.   

 Megan was more than a little excited...

Candace and I...

Grandpa treated the kids to some cotton candy--Brooke's favorite part by far!

I didn't take any pictures of the feast itself, but here is proof that we had enough pie.  Nathan and Stephanie headed back to our house with sick Henry after our big meal at 1 pm (after another throw-up episode), but we stuck around with William and our kids and made sure to bring back some pie to share.  I made a key lime pie that was so amazing I plan to make it every year.  My dad's new neighbors (and ward members) also brought a key lime pie.  Theirs was very green and led to my favorite memory of the day.  The wife walked over to look at the pies and said, "Wow Honey, this pie is REALLY turning me on."  The rest of us exchanged a few glances and someone asked her what she said, so she repeated, "this pie--it's REALLY turning me on!".  We then were getting a little uncomfortable with this overshare when we realized that she was ACTUALLY saying that the pie had really turned NEON (as in neon green).  It took a minute to stop laughing long enough to tell her what we thought she was saying--she was pretty embarrassed but was a good sport.  Oh man, it was so funny.

Naps were taken in the afternoon--and with so many people at the house, my kids took them where they could get them!  Candy in the swing...

And Brookie on the couch...

We had a little turkey bowl on the lawn with all the kids after dinner.  They had a blast running around.

Dan's chin and Brooke...

My sweet Candy and I...

Nothing like a big meal, lots of pie, and running around to get you ready to veg out to a movie.  William, Brooke, and Megan...

We returned home at bedtime and enjoyed our second round of pie with Nathan and Stephanie. It was a great Thanksgiving!

4 months old and a Primary Program

At 4 months old, we still can't get enough of our little Candace. She is such a happy, easy going baby! She sleeps most nights from 7 pm to 7 am, with one night time feeding around 3 am. She naps at least twice a day (from 9 to 11 am and from 1 to 3 pm plus the occasional cat nap for 30 min or so around 5 pm). She still spits up a lot but it doesn't seem to bother her. She is getting so much more smiley and social. And despite the amount of sleeping pictures, she is getting more alert and interactive every day! It's so fun to watch her grow.
4 Month stats (from Nov. 28, 2011):  13.4 pounds--29th percentile and 24.3 inches--33rd percentile

Napping in just her diaper in the high chair (Nov. 7)

Still loves to be swaddled with her binky--this was when I checked on her before going to bed (Nov. 8)

I looked over after noticing how quiet she'd gotten in the bumbo and ta-da--the most uncomfortable sleeping spot ever (Nov. 11--her 4 month bday!)

Awake again and practicing her tripod sitting (Nov. 11).  She lasts about 5 minutes :)

Reclined and blowing bubbles (Nov. 11)

Megan before her first primary program--isn't that outfit darling *thank you Grandma! (Nov. 13)

Look at that sassy stance.  I about fell over when my timid girl got up and said her whole part from memory!  ("The scriptures teach of Heavenly Father's plan").  Brooke knew Megan's part just as well as Megan did.  And for my first Primary Program as Primary President--I think it went pretty well!  The great thing is--everyone loves it, no matter how polished or un-polished it is.  I wasn't overly stressed about it, but I was glad to have it over with!

Smiley Candy-girl ready for church (Nov. 13)

Brooke passed out right before church..don't worry, she was running a fever (Nov. 13)  but we brought her anyway so Dan could see Megan's part (we didn't send her to nursery though)

Happy, kicking Candace (Nov. 16)

Our tired 2 1/2 year old asleep after lunch (Nov. 18)

My baby...and Brookie's baby (Nov. 18)

My favorite winter outfit--love those ears on the hat!  (Nov. 18)

Passed out (Nov. 18)

UVU vs. U of H

One of Ben's first games of the season was an away game--HERE at University of Houston on Nov. 14, 2011!  We had a pretty big group-Dan, Candy, and I, my Dad, Carrie, Tyler, and Shad, a couple Dan works with, and a friend from our ward.  It was a pretty empty stadium, so we had great seats!  Unfortunately they lost.  But it's always fun to get to see Ben play and have a quick chat with him!

Megan's Party

With Halloween weekend pretty booked, we decided to hold Megan's party the next weekend, on Saturday Nov. 5.  For most of the fall, she'd been saying she wanted a princess party but when it came time to send out invitations, she opted for a good, ol' Halloween bash instead. 

Megan has really grown in so many ways in the past year.  She is so much easier to reason with when we disagree and spends a lot less time in time-out than in the past.  She loves to share her testimony at Family Night.  She occasionally comes out after naptime to tell me she was missing Granny but she said a prayer and now she feels better.  She is awake early most days (by 5:30 or so) and naps about 80% of the time (usually for an hour).  She still goes to bed around 7 and sleeps like a rock.  She loves music of any kind and has this hilarious shoulder-wiggle move that I love when she starts to dance.  She loves to sing and loves princesses, especially Rapunzel as of late (although Ariel is probably her favorite).  She really enjoys primary and joy school and wants to know what is on our agenda each day (she's always asking if it's grocery day or school day or playgroup day or church day, etc).  She's still hesitant in new situations, but she seems to get more brave every day!  She practices her primary part all the time at home and I'm interested to see how she does next week for the primary program!  She can identify most letters and occasionally tries to write her name.  She can count to 13 consistently and after that things get a little sketchy :).  She loves to color and seems to prefer coloring large patches of vibrant color without worrying about where the lines are.  Her favorite playmate is Brooke, followed closely by her good buddy Megan and cousin Chloe.  She loves reading books and is especially adept at doing puzzles.  Her favorite game is hide and seek, especially playing with Daddy when he gets home from work.  She loves to play pretend (usually some form of "mommy and baby") and loves to help me with whatever I'm doing (especially cooking).  She's learned to make her bed on her own and dresses herself several times everyday.  Her favorite color is pink (and purple), her favorite food is mac-n-cheese and pizza, and her favorite toy is her pink bunny.  She tries so hard to make good choices and is pretty devastated when she gets in trouble--she is great at saying she's sorry and she even means it now.  We are so blessed to have such a sweet girl in our family--we love you Megan!

The party was really low-key.  I basically did the same things we did last year!  We did face-painting, dancing, "witch-witch-ghost" (which was MUCH easier with 4 year olds!), a pumpkin craft, lunch, and cupcakes!
Megan loved it.  Who knows--this could be the first birthday party she really remembers!

Attempting the "4" with her fingers...

Got it!

The cupcake "cake"

The spread...

The guests arrive!  Brooke, Megan, Megan, Karalee, and Kate (the rainbow on one cheek/heart on the other was all the rage)

Maddy and Bradley

Craft  time--that's my SIL Amy

Happy Brookie...

Practicing their dance moves while the others finish their crafts...

Megan's "all the attention's on me-I'm a little nervous-I'll just stick out my tongue in an effort not to cry" face--she managed to pull through :)

Halfway there!

Presents!