Sledding in Elk Ridge

There is always one big snow at my parents house and then it never goes away the rest of the winter. More and more snow just keeps piling on top and you end up with several feet of snow all over the yard no matter when you go. So we decided to head up for the day and do some sledding even though it wasn't snowing that day. 

There are lots of places to sled on their property but one of the best little hills for the kids is where the driveway splits off down by the bottom. Dad purposely doesn't snow blow it for our sledding enjoyment. Its a perfect hill that isnt too long or steep but fast and long enough to be fun. 

 Lyla did several runs but after snow got in her gloves she called it quits. Mac stayed out and went down a ton more and was happy going with me, papa, or by himself. He would have keep going as long as we pushed him down. 

 After sledding Mac still didn't want to go in even though the temperature was in the single digits. He played around in the garage and "fixed" the golf cart and sat on the motorcycle. Grandpa's garage is a little place of heaven for McKay and it is adorable to watch him putt around in there like he's a big boy. 

Disneyland

 Day 1: Disneyland

We started the day off right by going on the Peter Pan ride and all of the other small rides in Fantasy Land. It was a little more chilly than we expected but still doable. 

 Lyla got to see the REAL Belle and couldn't stop staring at her. It was so cute to see her eyes light up when seeing her. This is one of her top favorite princesses right now so we were lucky to see her today. 

 Lyla and Mac were still exhausted from the long drive out and early morning so they went back to the hotel and took naps. When they got back we got our spot for the parade and ate some snacks. 

 Both Lyla and Mac were really into the parade and standing up dancing and waving the whole time. It was probably the best part of the entire day. 

 Day 2: California Adventure

Josh ran to get a fast pass for the new Cars ride since it is always a really long line without the pass. Then we headed over to Bug Land. 

 Got to see Flik from Bug's Life. 

 After Bug Land we went to the Cars Land and got to go on the Mater ride. One ride she still talked about from last year. She loves the way it swings you around and around. Lyla laughed and screamed the whole ride. McKay went with grandpa and didn't cry but also wasn't too sure about the fast jerky ride. 

 Lyla and Dad plotting out where to go next. 

 Again the kids took naps. Lyla fell asleep in the stroller but Grandpa took Mac back to the hotel for his nap. When they woke up it was time for the parade again. This parade is quite a bit shorter than Disneyland's but was still a lot of fun and a highlight of the day. 

 This guy from Bugs Life came right up to Lyla and gave her a high 5. She loved it. 

 Day 3: Back to Disneyland

Well, to say the least it was a little wet. Ok, a lot wet. We bought ponchos, stuck it out and went on a few rides. After trying to stick it out we ended up spending a little bit of time in the Inventions building back by Space Mountain to get dry and warm. It was still raining quite a bit and long lines everywhere since it was a Saturday. We decided we all needed a rest and went back to the hotel for lunch and naps. 

 When we got back to the park it had stopped raining and warmed up a bit and after long naps everyone was smiles again. 

 Me and Mac on Autopia

We ended the night with a few more rides, and then Mac went back with grandma and grandpa to go to bed. We stayed with Lyla and went on a few rides she had missed and got one last Churro. 

It was a fun, yet exhausting trip. We might take next year off until all the kids are a little bit bigger. Until next time Disney! 

First Snow

 The first big snow came! It was several inches, probably 6 all together, and was amazing. There is something about the first big snow that gets me so excited. We pulled all our snow clothes out and went outside to test out the sled and shovel the driveway. 

 Lyla is king of the rock

It is always a new experience each year for the kids as it seems they forget all about the snow in between. Lyla loved being out there and was having a blast. Mac was still unsure why we were standing out in the cold in clothes that we can't move in but still was a good sport and indulged Lyla and I for a good half hour. 

Thanksgiving

 Josh's parents came to UT this year since all 3 of Josh's brothers are all already here. (Ty still on the mission) We had it at our house and was a lot of fun. We ate an enormous amount of snacks and munchies while we waited for the turkey. We also played Wii bowling and looked at the black Friday ads. 

Before dinner was even served Lyla conked out on the counter. She was pooped out and slept through dinner. 

 The turkey is done! Josh did a great job preparing the turkey and turned out delicious. 

Here we are all ready to eat. A friend from Russia, Ira, (bottom right) also joined us since she was visiting the USA and didn't have anywhere to go. It was a great day, relaxing and delicious. 

Josh, Ira and I went out that night to cash in on the black "friday" deals at Target. We got a few things for the kids for Christmas and introduced the madness and fun to Ira. 

16 Weeks Pregnant

I have made it to the 16th week, feeling better for the most part, but the midday sickness and exhaustion is not all the way gone yet. I have had the best pregnancy I've had yet. I have felt nauseous here and there throughout the day but mostly just super tired. I try and take a nap every day while Mac is sleeping and Lyla is having "quiet time". It has been a nice break though to not be super sick every day all day. I still get my weekly migraines and hoping they will go away in the next month or 2 like they did with the other 2 pregnancies. I thought it would be fun to see a collage of each baby at 16 weeks. I felt like I popped out really quickly and was much bigger than the 1st two but looking back I guess I'm not THAT much bigger after all. 

Swimmy

Our kids want a dog. I can't handle a dog and 2.5 almost 3 children, so we went with the next best thing, a fish. OK, so its not even close to a dog, but it just sounded fun. So we went to Petco and let Lyla pick out our fish. She chose this one and on the way home we asked what his name should be and she thought for a few seconds and came up with "Swimmy". I thought it was an adorable and creative name. He now lives on our kitchen counter and gets fed only once every 2-3 days which Lyla was completely disappointed about and thinks it should be 2-3 times an hour. It has been fun though and we are enjoying our small needless pet.

Meet Swimmy:

Halloween

We carved pumpkins a few days before. The kids had fun getting the guts out. Lyla did a great job helping me outline her pattern and did a little bit of cutting.

We went with Mary Nelson and her family again this year. We were the Mario clan, and thought it came together nicely. Lyla especially enjoyed Halloween this year and ran to each house giggling and laughing with Quinn. At each house she would turn around, hop off the porch and then shout "MOM! Look what I got!" and then run off to the next house. It was so much fun to watch her get excited. 

Mac on the other hand got super excited to get the candy and then sobbed between each house because it had to go in his bucket instead of directly into his mouth. He got about 10 pieces but after that I made him stop and after a few houses of not eating the candy right after he just threw himself on the ground crying. We just laughed, gave him a sucker and put him in the stroller. That was the end of his trick or treating experience for this year. We'll try again next year :) 

Mac's sad face. Its the most pathethic but adorable thing I've ever seen

 Mario was a good theme for us because Lyla got to still be a princess (Princess Peach) but also went along with the family theme 

Mac's overalls from the DI were a little short...at least the hat turned out cute! 

Our "spooky" front porch