Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's

Yes, I do know how behind I am. And now, it is 2013........ So, I will mostly let the pictures do the talking. I hope you all enjoyed the holidays, I know we did!

Wesley actually eats baby food (Gavin never would), but we tried some Mixed Vegetables, it didn't go so well. It took a while for him to trust me after that. :)

 We went and walked outside the Idaho Falls Temple while we were there for Thanksgiving. We talked to Gavin about it, and let him touch the walls and the doors.

 I sure do love this boy.

 And believe it or not. These two play well together, on rare occasions.

 And proof, that feeding time isn't always torture.

 Zac and I were asked to be in charge of our Ward Christmas Party. It sounded like it was a great success. We did a story night and asked a few people to decorate a room and read a story. After dinner we divided everyone into 4 groups and we rotated through the 4 stories and then we went back to the gym for hot chocolate and apple cider and to listen to the Nativity Story. And then Santa came. I am glad it is done with, but it was a lot of fun. I probably won't be volunteering to do that again for at least a few years. :)

 Olive, the Other Reindeer.

 The Christmas Candle.

 The Polar Express....All Aboard!

 We also had The Grinch, but my picture didn't turn out very well.

On Christmas Eve we convinced our friends the Hreinson's to come over and celebrate with us. We had pizza and then drove around Highlands Ranch to look at the lights. Then we came back and had hot chocolate and beignets and the kids acted out the Nativity for us. Look at those cute kids. Best. Nativity. Ever. I will have to get more pictures from Rachel.

 And Colorado made me happy with a white Christmas. Snow has been scarce in Denver so far, so I was very happy about this!

Gavin woke up at 3 am ready to open presents. I finally told him he could look at what Santa brought but then we had to wait for Wesley to wake up before we could open presents. Gavin and I ended up sleeping on the couch with Zac on the floor. Wesley finally woke up at 6:45 and then we had to wait until Gavin woke up around 7:20. But it was great. The boys loved all their new toys, and we feel so blessed. No big presents for us this year. We are hoping to make a BIG purchase in 2013, so we didn't need anything too big. :)

 Waiting for Gavin to wake up.

And, last night we had our NYE Party. We had everyone write some wishes/resolutions for 2013 on a balloon and then we set them free.

 Our Family Balloon.

 Hreinson Family

 Olson Family

Palmer's picture is on their phone.
Setting our wishes free. The balloons may or may not have gotten stuck on the tree branches at the top story.

 All the lovely ladies, toasting in the New Year in true Mormon fashion with our Sparkling Cider.

We enjoyed chocolate and caramel fondue with many delicious treats as well as chips and dip and cheese and bread.

It was a great New Year's and I was glad to spend it with my 3 favorite boys as well as great friends!

Here's to an even better 2013!

Gavin's 3rd Birthday

I know I have missed like the last two months, but I figured I would post about one of the loves of my life first.

GAVIN! That's right, he turned 3!
Where has the time gone. I can still remember every part of the day I had him, and I what I felt like taking him home. It seems so surreal that he has been apart of our family for 3 years. He is definitely one of the joys of our lives and brings so much happiness into our home. One thing I have to say about boys, they are SO loving! I love that Gavin still wants me to hold him and love him all the time. He is my buddy, and always tells me I am his best friend. It is hard to think that anyone else could ever love him as much as I do.

Stats:
34 lbs. 4oz (75%)
38 3/4in (80%)

How did my baby go from this

to this?

Here are some pictures from Gavin's birthday. Sorry they are not great, with a bunch of kids running around it is hard to take time to take pictures. We had a Superhero Party and all of Gavin's friends were able to come. The kids each put their capes and decorated their masks when they arrived. We played Pin the Shield on Captain America, matched villains to their superheroes, and knocked down pins(2-liter bottles) with pictures of villains on them. We had lunch and opened presents. I hope Gavin had fun, he definitely was spoiled, but I love to spoil my kids. :)
Invite

Here are some of the capes, we also had Incredibles, Wonder Woman, and Captain America. Thanks Alana for all your help with them! 

 Some friends

Along with their capes and masks, these were the favor bags. A Superhero coloring/sticker book, crayons, superhero fruit snacks, and some candy.

Thank you to all those who came and made Gavin's birthday so special!

Some things I would like to remember about Gavin:

He sleeps on the floor in his doorway and then moves to the floor in our room in the middle of the night.

He chews on anything plastic and eats it (I am hoping he grows out of this soon!)

He loves to sing along to the songs on the radio. He also tries to sing along to the hymns. 

He cries when we leave the church because he wants to play with his friends longer.

He loves the iPad and Youtube

He loves to dance to any music.

He eats chicken nuggets, octodogs, fruitsnacks, apples, milk and juice (that's about it) and anything candy!

He loves Wesley, even when he is ornery, if Wesley smiles at him he is happy.

He always wants you to come in his room, closet, or tent and keep you in there to play with him. He will cry if you try to leave.

He likes to compliment on my clothes and hair.

Potty trained at 26 months.

When he needs to go to potty he is the king of the potty dance.