December Happenings

December was a little crazy as December usually is getting ready for Christmas. 

 

 Brooke gets a lot of Daddy time as I help the other kids with things. 

 

One night I came downstairs after putting the kids to bed and this is what I found.  I couldn't resist a picture.

 

 

 So the Saturday that Utah played BYU we all wore our Utah Clothes.  Caitlyn has a Utah Basketball poster in her room and so she keeps track of when the games are. She likes to wear her Utah shirt on the days of the game.  Before Wade and I  had woken up that morning she had put her Utah shirt on and helped the other girls find theirs. It also was our Ward Christmas Brunch that morning.  There are a lot of BYU fans in our ward and only a handful of Utah fans.  So we all wore our Utah clothes to the Ward party.  We only got a few comments.  That night we all watched the game. I know we lost but it was a close one.

 

 

 Another night I cam downstairs and Brooke was asleep.  She looks so peaceful when she is sleeping.  While we are putting the other girls to bed Brooke is hungry and tired so she often falls asleep during the bedtime process.

 

 

 

Every year my mom would make gingerbread houses with the grand kids.  Since we live away now we have carried on the tradition with our kids.  Wade really did these with the kids.  I was doing dishes again.  These things try my patience. I want to be a fun mom but sometimes it is hard to have happy attitude when I do these things.  We did sugar cookies on Christmas Eve and that had me asking myself "Why do I do these things?"  It always goes much better in my mind.

 

 

Here are the girls in their Christmas Dresses.  Yes, I know I am missing a daughter.  I was playing the piano for the ward choir so I left early for practice and Wade was bringing the kids later. I had these three ready before I left so I snapped a quick picture.  Brooke was not in her dress yet so I asked Wade if he had time to get one of all 4 of them but he ran out of time.  I thought that is okay I will get one after church.  That plan didn't happen cause Brooke had a blow out at church.  So next time they wear their dresses I will get a picture of all four of them.

 

 

 

 Here are our pictures from Christmas Day.  The girls had a good Christmas.  The older they get the more fun Christmas is.  Caitlyn was so excited and had a hard time waiting for the rest of the family to wake up to open gifts.  Sam didn't like waiting for other people to open their gifts.

 

 

 

 We decided to invite all of Wade's family to our house after Christmas.  Wade's parents brother and Sister drove on Christmas day from Utah. His other sister drove on Thursday from CA.  We have not all been together in four years so it was fun to be together.  His Sister Tristen's 30th birthday was while they were here so the girls got pedicures and manicures and then we all went to Claim Jumper for Dinner. The kids have a lot of fun together.  We took some pictures since we had everyone together.  Here are a few of them. 

 

November Happenings

In November, Wade ran the Ragnar Race in Las Vegas.  The girls were on Track Break so we decided to go with Wade to Vegas.  I stayed there for a week while Wade went back to work. He came back for Thanksgiving with my family (we celebrate it the weekend before Thanksgiving) and then we drove up to Utah to celebrate Thanksgiving with Wade's family. 

 

While in Last Vegas we blessed Brooke. Like all of my girls Brooke was blessed in the same dress that I was blessed in.  My Grandma Martenson made it.  Here are the pictures from the Blessing.

 

 So I always like to have the girls pictures professionally done in the blessing dress.  My friend Ashley Callihan took these pictures for me.

Here are some other random pictures of Brooke.  In November she was starting to smile a lot.

While we were in Utah.  Caitlyn got to go to the Utah Basketball games with Wade.  They let all the kids go down to the floor when the players are coming out.  These are pictures from that.  She had a lot of fun.

 

 

When we were in Las Vegas we took Family Pictures with the Barlow side of the family.  We hadn't taken them since Sam was six weeks old.  We also took some individual ones as well.

October Happenings

 

October was spent trying to adjust to life with a newborn.  My mom stayed for a week and then Wade's  mom came for another week.  After that I was on my own.  Life doesn't stop just because you have a baby.  The girls still had to be to school everyday, the house had to be cleaned and meals had to be cooked.  It has been quite an adjustment with four kids.  I just have to remember what is important and to slow down.  Brooke has been a really good baby but has required a lot of time and attention.  The other girls have been pretty good with her.  Sam gets jealous but she is learning.  Her are some random snapshots of Brooke.

 

With October comes Halloween.  It is not my favorite holiday.  I have never enjoyed dressing up even when I was younger.  My girls love it though.  This year with a new baby I just went to a costume website and said pick what you want to be.  Caitlyn picked Sharpay from High School Musical,  Elsa picked a crayon and Sam wanted to be a dog.  Brooke was a pumpkin cause I had it from Sam.  Wade usually wears his Kilt on Halloween.

This is a picture from our Ward Trunk or Treat that was a few days before Halloween.

Here are the girls on Halloween.  Brooke did not want pictures taken.  Caitlyn went Trick or Treating with a neighborhood friend and Wade took Elsa and Sam out.  Brooke and I stayed home and handed out candy and did the dishes.