Wednesday, December 12, 2012

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Thanksgiving 2012 in El Centro!
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David shaving Jiggs! Precious!
 Grandma got a bounce house this year because ALL of her kids and grandkids were there this year. It was a hit and a life saver!

 The master chef herself!
 David and Jiggs....LOVE!
 Going through Black Friday ads and planning out our routes!
 Doing what the kids love while in El Centro...which includes taking a trip to the park and feeding the ducks and playing!
 Rachele was amazing in the kitchen this year! She rocked it and cooked like crazy! She's the best!
 Madeline and Sydney hard at work...dying David's hair! Haha!

 Tall, dark, and handsome! Bye bye grays!
 The boys smoking the turkey!
 
The boys playing an intense game! Not sure what it's called, but it sure got heated!

The girls cheering on the boys!

All the grandkids! (well, minus Meg)
It's SO nice having older nieces who can "babysit" the little cousins while the adults play card games! Haha! Found Carter like this on Madeline not long after Thanksgiving dinner!
Poor Brett. Not everyone had "fun" while playing games outside. Brett took on a challenge from Sam and jumped over an obstacle outside. He cleared it the first couple times, but on the third attempt, he completely fell and blew out his knee. Him and Jiggs with matching canes!
Daddy and Carter baby!
Grandkids with Grandpa Jiggs! Oh how they love that man!!
The famous couple!!! 
The girls piled on David, doing something very mischevious I'm sure!
Some of the cousins eating lunch on the day after Thanksgiving. The weather was gorgeous and perfect for being outdoors!
The zipline!!! So much fun!

David giving each kid an extra push! 
Carter just watched....maybe next year he can go with someone down the zipline! Sweet boy!

Andy, Kylee and Navy zonked out on the pull-out bed. Being at Grandma's with cousins is the best!
Carter trying on Grandpa's hat! Soooo cute!


An early Christmas present! Black Friday gave us a smokin deal on these portable DVD players! They have been heaven sent!!
Playing around at the hotel! All of us went to El Centro this year so we had to get hotel rooms, because we didn't all fit at Grandma's. Carter loved playing around on the bed after his bath! Sweet boy!
Black Friday madness!!! Us girls all went shopping after the rush was gone. But Old Navy's line was still insane. So we decided to have a little fun to help pass the time!
Kylee found David's crown from Prom and they were having fun playing dress up! 
Love Black Friday shopping with these hot blondies! I truly stick out in this family! Ha
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Jaime came down a for Thanksgiving and before we took off, we had a movie marathon!! Breaking Dawn and Pitch Perfect! Love her and love getting to spend time with her when she visits! 
I absolutely LOVE how Carter is the biggest cuddle bug ever! He cuddles with us all the time and he loves to cuddle with stuffed animals. Just warms my heart! 
Sweet boy! Loves his baths!
Just before Thanksgiving, I decided to go back to black! I had a light Ombre color/style for about 6 months but went back to my old style for the winter. Loving it!
I babysit the William's kids for a few days and Carter wasn't used to seeing me with another baby. Needless to say, he was a little jealous! 
I got called into nursery last month and I'm loving it! Especially because I get to keep this little monkey with me! He loves it too!!!

Carter telling ghost stories! Ha
I also babysat Quincy recently and her and Carter had a blast!!! 

Sweet boy has such a love for dogs! We were trying to kill time at Fry's while Kylee was at dance, so we stopped and played a while in the Christmas section. There were a ton of different singing and dancing Christmas dogs. He was in heaven!
Loving on Sissy one day before school. He is so sad when she leaves, but the happiest ever when she walks through that door after school! The best!
Family date night on a Friday....to Target and Yogurt Jungle. Fun times! Love my family!

We have been VERY lucky this winter season and haven't had any sicknesses...except for David. He got hit with a little head cold about the 1st week of December. But luckily it didn't turn into anything major and it didn't spread to anyone. Kylee is the best little nurse!
Love this sweet boy in a hat with his curly hair pouring out the sides and back! He is so perfect!
For FHE one night we went out on a Christmas light scavenger hunt with the Walkers. The girls had so much fun and Carter loved looking at all the lights! 
Playing "horsey" on Momma's back! Funny boy!
This was right after Kylee walked in the door from school one day. Just like I said....he can't wait for her to come home! 
Sadly, on December 2nd, Christina's sweet Mom Irma passed away from a heart attack. It was the most shocking thing ever considering how health conscious she was. She will be missed so much! I love my friends so much and our bond has grown 10 times this past month as we grieved and went through this together for Christina. This was the first major loss that we have all experienced together. Here is Heidi and me after the funeral services. I just love them all so much! 
David had a work family picnic for Christmas this year. It was at a park and there were a lot of fun activities set up for the kids. It was fun to have it be with the families this time instead of just the couples. 

One of my favorite pictures of my boys!! Playing basketball with Daddy! 
Welp....I'm at it again! I signed up for my second half marathon! Jodi, Christina, Tausha, Heather and I are all doing it together. If everything goes well and I feel motivated enough after the half, I'm going to sign up and train for my first full marathon at the end of 2013. I'm anxious, nervous, excited, and hopeful for this new adventure I'm embarking on! 
Recently on a Saturday, Kylee and I woke up early and made pancakes together while the boys slept in! I just love these one-on-one moments with my girl!
Daddy and Carter have a new fun game they like to play. They sit together on the banana chair and fall backwards. Carter laughs everytime! So cute and fun!
Reading a Christmas book together as a family. It was talent for me to twirk my arm so I could get the right angle with all of us in this picture! I'm kind of a pro! :) 
Our book of choice....naturally!
Precious moments...Daddy and Carter reading together! 
Kylee has a few dance performances in the month of December and the parents got to come watch their rehearsal in practice one day. I love watching her do what she loves and to watch her grow and learn new things in dance. She makes me so proud!

Taking care of his pearly whites!! So glad he never fights me when brushing his teeth. He actually likes it and laughs! 
Playing with his favorite birthday gift from Gramma and Grandpa Montez. Oh how he brightens up my everyday life! 
We had a busy November and first half of December so far. David is keeping busy with his calling as Young Men's President and I'm loving my new calling in the nursery. Kylee will be moving up to Senior Primary in January...and we can't believe it! Soon she will be 8 and getting baptized. So crazy to me! Carter is loving being a one year old and learning and growing everyday. He is so smart and loves exploring his world around him. Life is so amazing and we are loving this holiday season as a family of four!! Christmas will be here before we know it!