Boys and Bugs

Stick bug and Caterpillar

It was my turn today to host Henry's play group. There are five boys in the group and I could just eat every one of them up - they're so cute! I love having Max, Jake, Eli and Caleb over every five weeks for crafts and treats. Today we made bugs and ate "grasshopper" ice cream sundaes.

Christmas Passed

I'm finally blogging about Christmas! I didn't really take any pictures - I've come to value how nice it is to see Christmas morning (waking up, running to see what Santa brought, and tearing through the presents) with my own eyes and not through a camera lens. I know it's bad for a mom to not capture moments like these, but being camera-free once in a while . . . oh, so nice!

Christmas day was awesome. The kids all got exactly what they wanted: ipods and a Wii. We spent the whole day playing games, trying on new clothes and eating good food. Then we packed up to leave for AZ the next day. We made the drive in record time - 9 1/2 hours! We spent the first 3 days with Nathan's family opening presents, relaxing and going out to our favorite places to eat. We finally got to meet baby Duncan. We weren't allowed to get close to him, but we got to to see him through his bedroom window. So cute! We also had the chance to see Kyler play in a hockey tournament at the Coyote's arena. Go Ky!

Next, we spent a few days with my family. First, we went on a hike in the White Tank Mountains. That night, we had the cousins Christmas party and opened more presents. We were able to get Sommer's family on the webcam, so it felt like everybody was there. The rest of the trip included a movie on New Years Eve (wish I had a picture of mom trying to sneak the empty popcorn bucket into the theater under her shall to get a free refill), shopping at Last Chance, the Fiesta Bowl Parade and a trip to Smeeks (candy store). Good times. Here are some snapshots of the few times I bothered to pull out my camera:

White Tanks

Walking sticks from Grandma & Grandpa.

Dad and Nathan trying out the sweet bikes Mom and Dad gave each other for Christmas.

Goodbye, Arizona! We'll miss the Mexican food, desert, shopping, 72 degrees, familiar sites and loved ones - everything that reminds us that we are home. Until next time . . .

Family Portrait

And check out or debut on Youtube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElXzM2RyBuA

Bye!

Leo

In December, Elliot bought a leopard gecko with his birthday money. I was very skeptical about a creepy reptile pet at first, but now I think Leo is pretty cool. He's cute and small, and it's fun to watch him eat.

Ewww!

Here's where Leo lives. He loves to hide in the log most of the time.

The only thing I don't love about a having a pet reptile is having pet crickets as well.

Good thing feeding time is Elliot's job!

Showing Off

Henry thinks he's so cool now that he can read. The books he's reading go something like this..."See it. See! See! I see it." So you see, he's not quite reading novels yet, but he thinks it's awesome!

Jr. Jazz

As I mentioned before, Elliot is playing basketball on the Jr. Jazz League. His team's record is 3-1 and Elliot has made some pretty good shots. These are the only pictures I've taken - too bad they're blurry.