The Zoo

For Christmas this year my mom and dad got us a year pass to the zoo. We are super excited. So when one of my friends asked us to go with her we of course agreed. We are going to be going a lot this year. Emery is thrilled. She loves it. She has asked me multiple times a day, every day since if we can go back. She talks about it constantly. 

These girls had so much fun together. They walked around holding hands the whole time. 

The traditional head in the lions mouth picture you have to take at the zoo! It isn't a drinking fountain anymore though :(

Kilmer Christmas Party

The Christmas party was a little more somber than usual. But we were all glad to still have it and be together, even though most of it was spent planning a funeral. One fun thing was going through tons and tons of pictures of my grandpa of when my dad and uncles were all babies. And Jake and I figured out who Harley looks like. We found a baby picture of my dad when he was about 6 months old and you honestly couldn't tell Harley and him apart. I have always thought he looked the most like my dad, but that sealed the deal. We found about 3 different pictures that looked just like Harley. We did the usual gift exchange, the boys went shooting, we ate lots of yummy food, and the girls got to play in the snow!

Emery and Amber had SO much fun being together for those 2 weeks. They played and played and played. They play so well together, they don't fight AT ALL. It is wonderful. She loves having cousins to play with!

Little Man's First Haircut

Macie hasn't even had a hair cut yet, but this guy has been in desperate need, pretty much since he was born...haha. But at least it was manageable back then. It had gotten to a unmanageable point though. So we cut just a little bit, about 1 1/2 inches. 

He did great until the end...and then we was very very done. 

But boy did it turn out so handsome! Love this guy! 

Fabricadabra Designs

One of my friends from high school started a bow and bow tie online store probably about a  year ago. We absolutely love her stuff and buy it all the time! It's so cute. So when she asked me if she could send me some headbands for the girls and have me take pictures for her website with them, I of course said YES! So the girls got to play model for a day. They did really well, and I loved being able to get some super cute pictures of them!

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam!

Since these the kids were so sick last Sunday, these guys didn't get to start in their new classes. But today these two were at least better and able to go to church! We have been worried about how Emery would do in Sunbeams because she absolutely LOVES nursery. Like she asks to go to church every day just so she can go to nursery. So for a few weeks now we have kind of been getting her excited about going to Sunbeams and she did great! She loved it! I thought once she got in there and saw that they go to sing songs and stuff that she would be okay, but I wondered if she would be upset when she had to walk past the nursery, but she wasn't at all. Afterwards she told me all about singing head, shoulders, knees, and toes, and getting to walk reverently to class, and coloring a picture. I'm glad she loved it! Macie got to officially go to nursery too! She did great too, no tears which makes me so happy. She still seems too little to go to nursery...I really can't believe it. But it is going to be soooo nice to only have 1 kid to wrangle during Sunday School and Relief Society/Priesthood! 

On the left...the "give me back my binki!" face. On the right...the "pouting because I didn't get my way" face. haha!

Christmas 2014

The days leading up to Christmas were really hard. But we were able to still have a really fun Christmas. The kids make it so magical. More than one tear was shed (mostly by ME!) The hardest part of the night was when Emery kept asking my grandma where grandpa was. She did not understand what we were telling her, and she did not understand why he wasn't with grandma. She absolutely loved him, so that made it really hard to not have him there. But on Christmas Eve Jake's brother Matt flew in to spend Christmas with us. So Jake went and picked him up from the airport. The day wasn't spent doing anything too exciting. That evening we headed up to my mom and dads for our Christmas Eve dinner. After dinner the kids opened up their Christmas Jammies from Grandma.

These two are the CUTEST I tell ya. 

Harley got super cute jammies too. 

After a while it was time to get the girls to bed so we headed home, and they opened their jammies from us. Macie is OBSESSED with this nightgown ever since. The smallest size they had was 2T, so it is way too big on her, but she insists on wearing it. I took it off of her on Christmas Eve and put the other jammies back on her and she freaked out. She has worn it to bed every night since. She hunts for it if she can't find it in her drawer. She has to have her Anna nightgown on.

Daddy and Emery tracking Santa! 

Christmas morning we hung out in the girls room until Dad was ready for us to come out!

Emery was thrilled when she saw everything. 

Elsa and Anna dolls and a stuffed Olaf. The girls have hauled those dolls around every where they go. 

For weeks Emery had been telling everyone that all she wanted from Santa was a Rapunzel doll. She was so excited to see that he brought her one!

I also got Emery a baking set so she can help me in the kitchen. She loves to help me but I didn't have a rolling pin or anything she could use, so I got her one and I am really excited to make cookies with her and let her use it!

Macie got a baby and a stroller so her and Emery don't have to fight over Emery's anymore ;)

Harley got some dinosaur and safari animals, and some small toys that he can play with now. 

Emery also got this blanket that I made her. When she was a baby my mom made her a flannel blanket that has always been her "mimi" she hauled that thing around everywhere. Well it is basically in shreds of fabric now so we new we had to get a new one. I searched everywhere for the original fabric and could not find it. So I took Emery to the store and asked her to pick out fabric for a new one. All she would tell me though is that it had to be orange. She didn't care about anything else. So I did an orange backing with this cute flower pattern on the front. She absolutely loves it, I am so glad!

After opening presents in the morning we went up to my mom and dad's for Christmas Brunch and to open presents up there. Jake got a leatherman pocket knife from my dad. They also gave us a present that I am SO excited about. A year membership to the zoo. I can't wait to take the kids a lot this year! 

I got Jake a Garmin GPS watch, entrance in 5 different races this winter and spring, a 5k, 10k, 10 miler, 1/2 marathon, and a 30k, and a running jacket. He got me a Blendtec blender that I have been wanting for ages! And some money to go buy some kitchen stuff that I have been wanting/needing, and a new book. I also got him and his brother a remote control helicopter. Jake really liked his! The girls love watching him fly it.  

Every year growing up my mom always did a "family gift" that was something for all of us to do together. So I have continued that tradition and did one this year. We only had 1 game that Emery could really play so I decided our gift this year would be a bunch of toddler games. We got Mousetrap, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Cootie, Don't Spill the Beans, Don't Break the Ice, and Operation. So far Hungry Hungry Hippos is the winner. 

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!!