Too stinkin' cute

All geared up and ready for the cold weather.  This little one is honestly too cute for words.  We are completely and utterly in love with her.  Especially when she gives a big cheesy face for the camera or squints her eyes for it because she knows she's getting all the attention!!

All About Kamri

Kamri got to be the class leader and had to put together a poster about herself.  We decorated it with a tutu skirt at the bottom along with pictures of her, our family, things she likes, things she doesn't like, what she wants to be when she grows up, and other facts.  Here's her list....

Three wishes:   I wish...I kood bee a perint (parent)

I wish...I wuz a prinses (princess)

I wish...I kood doow balae (do ballet)

I am 45 inches tall and I weigh 36 pounds (no joke).  My hair is red blond and my favorite color is penk and prpl (pink and purple).  I am 5 years old and my name is Kamri....

A few of my favorite things:  Elmo, drawing, cookies, playing house, dolls, riding my bike, princesses, cheese, yogurt.

Things I don't like:  sharks, tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, soda

When I grow up I want to be a doctor and a mom

Cub Scouts

We went and got Evan's cub scout shirt and patches.  He was so excited and super bummed when the two meetings after were cancelled.  He was so looking forward to wearing his shirts.  I think he looks so handsome.

I have absolutely no clue about any of this.  It's going to take some time for us to get going.

Thanksgiving

Some of us started the day off with an early morning run at the Utah Human Race.  It was a bit cold, but atleast it wasn't snowing this year.

We did something different this year.  We left behind all the work and clean up of Thanksgiving and enjoyed out meal at Tucano's.  We still got to have out Turkey dinner but didn't have to deal with the mess - all twenty-seven of us.  

Awesome!!!

Asia was so tired she just plopped her head right down on the table.  Ethan followed suit.  

Just adorable!  And her big cousins love these little babies to death.

We went to Koy and Cassie's a few hours later to enjoy some pie, football, and good company.

Grandma and Grandpa sent a neat, hand-carved keychain with their names on it to each of the kids so they could be a part of the celebration.

Piano

The Saturday of the snow storm Sara and I braved the weather to get her to a Young Artists piano competition she was competing in.  She was really nervous because as of her lesson that Tuesday she was still trying to memorize the last page and work on getting the rest just right.  But, we went and she played and  felt like she did ok.  They called us about an hour later and told us she had placed and would need to play at the Honors Recital that night and be present to claim her prize.  I was not excited to venture out in the snow again.  Oh the things we do for our kids....

Turns out she placed third which was what she got in the competition last year (and interestingly enough I had to face a snowstorm that time as well.)

Here she is with her medal and $20 check.

This is one of her teacher's other students who also placed. There was also a boy student but he hadn't come out yet.

And with Bridget - her teacher.

Although some months are on internal struggle to keep up the expense of piano, I'm really glad she has this talent for piano.  I'm grateful for an awesome teacher who teaches her so much but also gives her lots of opportunities to perform and compete and use her talent.  Sara loves the piano and enjoys being able to play for others which is a long cry from where she started when she made other people stand in the hallway when she played for them so she couldn't see them and they couldn't see her.

Snow day...s

A couple weeks ago we had three days of non-stop snow.  It literally snowed from Friday morning until Sunday afternoon.  I'm pretty sure we got more snow with that one storm than we did the whole season last year.  The kids went out and played for a little while on Friday but Saturday they were out there almost all morning.  Friday they tried to make a snowman and were so proud of it.  But it actually fell as they were coming inside and Sara was completely crushed.  She had worked so hard and was excited to show Dad but couldn't.  

Saturday Ben was out with them and helped them build an awesome igloo.  It stayed around for a while but it was no match for the warmer weather we've been having.

Miles and Kamri and Asia sat at the back door getting snow off the deck and putting it into their play kitchen pans and eating their "food".  It was so cute.

We measured the snow on our roof.  It was 10 3/4 inches deep.

Girls Nights Out

I love Girls Night Out and I have seven best friends who love them and need them just as much.

This was our 2nd annual weekend out for Time Out for Women.  It's so nice to be able to go and I love Ben for realizing how important it is for me to go.  Two days of uplifting talks and music in a room filled with women who are just wanting to be filled with the spirit and knowledge.  I really don't think you can get better than that.  We missed my mom this year and Trista was unable to attend but here are the other six of us who were able to make it.

We also got to take my mom's friend out for her birthday.  We went to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner.  She is taking care of us while my mom is gone.  She makes sure she sends birthday cards to all the kids and grandkids and makes our birthdays special like my mom wishes she could do while she's gone.  We love her and were so happy to get to spend some quality time with her. 

How do they do that?

How in the world do kids sleep in some of the positions we find them in?

Every night Ben goes downstairs to check on the kids before we go to bed.  The other night he went down and found this....

and this....

Apparently Miles has been waking up from a dream and getting into bed with Evan.  And Evan is so good to take care of him and let him sleep with him but how in the world did either of them stay asleep like that?

And Kamri?  We always find her in awkward spots.  Here she is curled up in the corner of her bed inclined on the pillow.  What is up with that?