Merry Christmas!

We have been super busy getting ready for Christmas this week, but I thought I'd add one more post before taking a holiday hiatus from blogging. We went to Temple Square last night to see the lights and the "big Jesus". Leah was enchanted by it all, but had the most fun pushing her stroller around the visitors center. The weather was just perfect, and it was so nice seeing the lights, the temple, and the different nativities and reflecting on the true meaning of Christmas.



I think this will be all the blogging I do for 2007, but next year starts with a bang with Leah's FIRST birthday (okay, it's actually Dec. 30, but we'll be celebrating in January)! So for now, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

O Christmas Tree...

We bought our Christmas tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving because I was so excited to get a real one this year. And it was beautiful- for about two weeks. Then the whole thing dried up and turned gray- we will be taking it down tomorrow for fear of housing a major fire hazard in our home. I'm sad to have to take it down before Christmas, but it was good to us while it lasted. I have a feeling next year we'll be back to the fake midget from days of yore...

The tree in better days...

Leah by the tree in her sassy holiday party dress from Grandma Morales. You notice there are very few ornaments on the tree from the bottom to about three feet up!

Just a few pictures of life...

Hey! You play on the computer- I want to play, too!

Dad and Leah taking a stroll around the living room- Leah has taken a few steps on her own, and is getting really good at standing and walking with a helping hand.
This is Leah's new favorite way to enjoy her afternoon snack.

A great place to rest

Like most new moms, I have always been terrified of holding Leah while she sleeps for fear that she will refuse to sleep in her own bed. Of course, that is one of the perks of being a grandma- you don't have to deal with it! I am pretty jealous of my mom for that very reason. Leah, if you're reading this in 25 years, just know that I fully intend to hold my grandchildren while they sleep as much as I can!

Leah: age 6 days

Leah: age 11 1/2 months, and still as cozy as ever!

We love you, Grandma!

Fun Pics

It's too cold to play outside, so we've been entertaining ourselves around the house lately.

Jason's birthday party
Like father like daughter...

Can't a mother get one minute of alone time!?

Lots of reading!
What do other moms do for fun on the cold winter days that don't allow for outside excursions? It's only December, and we're already feeling a little bit of cabin fever!

Happy Birthday Jason!

Jason is a whopping 27 years old today! We have already started the celebrations with a family party on Monday and a great day full of surprises today. Unfortunately, the day is also full of school work and dirty diapers, but that's life, right?

He got lots of help blowing out the candles on his birthday cake!

Leah taste-tested the cake.
And for fun, here are a few pictures of birthdays past...

2003- Dinner in a park

2004- Awesome trip to Las Vegas to see "O"

2005- Aaron and Kirsten got married two days before Jason's birthday (happy anniversary, guys!)
2006- Recovering from back-to-back trips to Chicago and Denver.

We've made a lot of great memories together, and there are lots more to come! We love you, Jason/Daddy!

Family Pictures

We had our family pictures taken in the snow. They turned out pretty cute, but what can you expect with an adorable baby in every picture? Babies just make everything more fun!

Mommy-ism

I laughed out loud for five minutes after I read this... these are my exact thoughts some nights, and probably Leah's, too.

Decorating for Christmas

We decorated for Christmas last weekend, and Leah has been having so much fun discovering all of the new "toys" around the house. She's actually been pretty good about leaving the tree alone- her favorite decoration is the baby Jesus from our nativity (as seen below). To paraphrase the words of Gloria Estefan (or Amy Grant?), it is so neat seeing Christmas for the first time through Leah's eyes. She isn't really interested in shopping or presents, but she loves looking at the nativity and the star on top of the tree. Knowing that has made it easier to remember what Christmas is really all about.

We enjoyed a surprise visit from Grandma Morales last weekend. She was here to help us set up the tree and listen to us argue about whether the lights should be strung from the top of the tree to the bottom or vice versa, and whether the star goes on first or last. It's our fifth Christmas together, and we're still merging traditions!

It's Christmas Time!

We put up our tree this weekend (our first real one!), and I thought I'd start out the holiday posts by comparing this year's Christmas tree photo to last year's... Amazing, I'd say. This year, the tree grew and I shrunk, thankfully!

How's this for a festive holiday face?

Happy Thanksgiving Back

A few highlights from our wonderful Thanksgiving break... We had a great time at my parents house eating tons of food, battling on the Wii, and visiting with family.Leah loved her first Thanksgiving dinner. Jason had the camera in hand all day, which explains why I am in so many of the pictures, instead of behind the camera as usual.
Mom, I love your earrings! Can I try them on?

By the way, the title of this post is a classic line from "You've Got Mail". Gotta love Rose!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a special Thanksgiving Family Home Evening on Monday night where we made "thankful" turkeys. We have so much to be thankful for- I'm always grateful for the chance to reflect on all that we have been blessed with.

Bed Time

A nice relaxing bath and a good book before bed...

Snack Time

Ever since Leah discovered the refrigerator, she is constantly in it trying to get something to eat!

Best Buddies

Leah has really enjoyed spending time with Jason lately. She will now hop out of my arms to get into his. And with a Dad that's this much fun, who can blame her?

7 Random Things

1. I make Jason tuck me into bed every night, and then I come up with excuses to make him stay by my side longer. Last night I had a headache and told him I was having a "brain bleed" (I was too tired to remember the word aneurysm). That bought me a good extra 15 minutes!

2. When Leah falls asleep in my arms at night, I hold her and smell her breath for a minute before I lay her down. I love it- it's the sweetest smell!

3. I am incapable of driving in a car for longer than 8 hours without having a major meltdown. One time on the way to Denver we got stuck in a blizzard in Wyoming, and I was sobbing by the time we pulled into Jason's family's driveway. And that was before we had Leah! This year, we're flying for Christmas.

Self portrait entitled "I hate long roadtrips"

4. I was born in Alabama. I was raised in the military and moved 11 times before I settled down in good ol' Provo. Every spring I have to resist the urge to pack up my entire house and move to another state.

5. Jason is my best friend. I know that's the way it's supposed to be, but lately I'm really feeling it. After he leaves in the morning, I put Leah down for a nap and then get online to chat with him while he's starting up his lab... It sounds weird, I know, but I think it's pretty fun! It's a great way to connect with each other without worrying about housework or bills or kids.

6. When I was in high school, I was in an a capella singing group that won a national competition in New York City. I was the person that blows the pitchpipe and signals the start of the group with a little nod of my head.

7. I am addicted to M&M's (plain). I have a huge bowl full of them in my kitchen that I routinely visit throughout the day. Mmm... I think I'll go get some right now!

I couldn't find the little red guy, so this one stood in for him.
And I guess I'm supposed to tag others now, so here goes: Ashley C., Kristin K., Heather M., Kirsten H., Taralyn, Stefanie E., and Kathryn C.- let's hear what you've got!

Off and running

We tried out a little walker/ride on toy at a friend's house the other day, and Leah seemed pretty interested in it, so we bought one for her. After putting it together, I thought we'd need to give Leah a few lessons in how to get it going, but she just grabbed the thing and practically ran across the living room with it. She can't navigate turns yet, but I am amazed at how confident she is walking with it. We even took it outside today for a longer stretch of a straight path, and she did great. I have a feeling she'll be walking without it before her birthday! I think she knows she'll be able to catch up with me faster this way if I dare try to leave the room without her. Watch out!

And for anyone that might be interested, Leah slept for 12 hours straight last night! Thanks for your thoughts- we're putting the plan in motion!