"Ya"

Tenley has been saying "ya" for a few weeks now. You'll ask her a question & she says "ya" in the cutest little voice. She is getting so smart & is a total girl & diva still. She loves to follow me around, put on make up, sweep, do whatever I am doing. We love having a little girl around the house!!

Christmas Tree

This year getting a Christmas tree there were no catastrophes, thank goodness! We had a safe trip & Carter loved hiking up into the mountains this year with daddy searching for the perfect tree {as long as dad stayed in his site}...It was a workout for dad carrying the saw, tree, & Carter down out of the deep snow :)We didn't want to get a tree too early knowing Tenley would be a handful trying to keep her away from it daily...The kids had fun hanging the ornaments on the tree! I love doing a real tree & letting the kids do their own thing with it {we will have many years of older kids & "nicer" trees later in life, mine as well let the kids enjoy it while they care to} It was one of the funnest things for the kids to do & Carter was so excited when we told him he could do whatever he wanted with it!! He loved plugging the Christmas lights in every night, & having the tree light up the front room!
I didn't end up taking a final photo because Tenley is a little too energetic to say the least, but it ended up being just the right size & the kids did a great job & only 2 or 3 ornaments got broken between the first of Dec & Christmas :)!

Santa Claus

My mom & I took the kids to Wendi's parents cabin to see Santa! Carter was really excited & had been waiting all day...When we walked in Carter got a little nervous & started to cry {little cabin, so pretty close to Santa right when you walk in}after I explained 'santa' to him for a minute-he calmed right down~was brave & went over & talked to him!Carter told Santa he wants an RC car & a gun... Tenley on the other hand- wasn't a fan at all... I kind of figured she was at the age where she would freak out~but with her being so friendly I thought she'd maybe give him a chance...NOPE! Even with me holding her-she didn't want to be close to him :)!We love going to see Santa every year & seeing what kind of reactions we get out of which kid!!!

Tay sleep-over!

Justin & I took the boys {Dac & Trent} to the USU Football game, while my parents watched the kiddos. We told Taycee she could sleep over & it seems like everytime she comes to sleep over its night time & we pretty much go to bed, & then she goes home the next morning. So even though Carter was REALLY exhausted. I decided to take Tay & Cub bowling while Justin stayed home with sleeping Teners. After Carter had woken up from sleeping the whole way home, Tay & I finally got him talked into going bowling. We get to the bowling alley & he wants George & Woody {very random because I don't ever let him take them in ANYWHERE}...we drove back home to get them & I let him take them in {even though right as we walk thru the door , he wants me to hold them} Anyways, ended up being a really fun night for the 2 of them & Taycee actually got to do something fun this time when she slept over!! Love ya Taytor Bug!

Festival of Lights

Friday night we went to the Festival of Lights. We got bundled up in snow clothes so it wasn't super cold & got us a hot cocoa. Both of the kids actually got really into the parade & lights this year...We tried to keep Tenley sitting on the curb because she liked to get a little too far out in the road saying "santa" & "pretty" while following after the floats!!

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving this year we did our own family dinner on Thanksgiving day-both Justin & I were a little nervous to cook our very own turkey dinner, but we decided to go full out & did it all! All the food turned out delicious & we got to spend the day relaxing doing what we love~watching the Packers {beat the Lions}!!!It was really nice to be at our own house, letting the kids nap when they wanted & just being able to be together as our little family!! We're thankful for so much! That night we sat down & watched Charlie Brown Thanksgiving & Ice Age Christmas. Love that kid! & then we did my families Thanksgiving on Sunday. Ate another yummy Thanksgiving dinner, then spent the rest of the day playing the wii. {trying} to dance & mainly playing mario! We're so thankful for close family!

Boys Night Out

Justin took Carter on their first official boys night out on Friday, they went to see Cars 2 & played games at the Fun Park! Carter was extatic & couldn't wait for daddy to get home from work -he kept telling Tenley "your not coming sis, just me & dad- its okay -maybe you can come next time" They got their pictures taken in the little photo booth!! {Carter's first time as you can tell, he kept looking at the numbers counting down instead of the screen- after Justin was trying to show him where & when to look}These two are like peas in a pod & always have SO much fun together! Boys night is a monthly routine from here on out! Tenley & I of course love the girls night to ourselves, she's one entertaining girl...Glad the boys love bonding time as much as us girls do :)!!!

Daddy's Girl

Just this past week Tenley has turned into a total Daddy's Girl! She wants him to hold her constantly when he gets home from work, she wants to go with him where ever he goes, & she runs to him first thing when she gets an "aww ehh"... She will sit & beg for him to hold her until he gives in :)!Helping him put his boots on~ cause she knows she gets to go with!It's too cute to see daddy with his little girl after rough & tough Cub!!

Carter's "Chart"

A few weeks ago we made Carter a little chart because there were a few things we thought he could "work" on. He wasn't fully potty trained at night {still had accidents randomly}, mean & too rough with Tenley sometimes, Going thru the 'didn't want to listen stage' & working on being more polite ~the main things~ So Carter & I sat down & made him a little chart... -each night after Tenley was in bed we'd decide what he deserved a sticker for that day {it was so cute to see how excited he would get when it was chart time & through out the day he'd say things like, "i'm being so nice to Teners mom, so I get a sticker"} The chart definetly worked & he was rewarded! We let him choose & of course it was pool, arcade games & bowling! {his fav} with a hot choco afterwards...He is a definite 3 year old but it seemed to help & we'll be making another chart soon :)

Tenley

Tenley is at the adorable stage where you could just sit & watch her all day long - laugh & adore all the cute things she does. She has been playing "peek-a-boo" for about a month now & she can say it clear as day in her innocent little voice. She loves to rock a bye, she'll get her babies & pack them around singing "bock a bye baby"- loves to sit in the banana chair while she sings & we rock her. My mom gave her this little bed for her babies but every since she's had it she thinks its funner for her to be in there 'bock a bying' :) -saying cheese in this pic-She's been saying "MOMMY" for awhile, its not a quiet little "mommy" its a high pitch scream & she especially loves to do it while we are driving in the car- She is getting better though & is actually only saying it when she wants me or needs something :) She waddles around like a pegiun when you say "peguin walk a peguin walk" -not sure where she came up with that one- She loves to pack her lotions around, she carries them around with her constantly {trying to eat it} She loves hot dogs, cheese, & bananas, she isn't a picky eater at all but she harly ever wants to eat anything! She still loves to dance, its cutest when she is in her car seat & she wiggles her little body back & forth while shaking both of her hands. We're trying to break her away from the binki right now {it stays in her crib} hoping to have it gone soon! Whenever Carter tells her "no" almost 99% of the time, she will cry-even if he tells her nicely... she is such a drama queen!! She is very smart & very independent {knows what she wants when she wants it!} But we love having a little princess running around the house & all the girly stuff :)!

Halloween!

This year Halloween was kinda chill compared to previous years, it was nice to not be driving all over town to family members {they seen kids the night before} & Justin's parents came to us! We actually were able to just let Carter & Tenley run around & Trick-or-Treat {what halloween is all about}. We met up with some of our friends & their kids & let all the kids run wild up & down a few blocks! {perfect Halloween weather}Tenley is obsessed with bugs & is always saying "bug" so we thought a lady bug would be perfect & {warm} for her. Carter chose to be Buzz, since he's been watching Toy Story quite often! "Infinite & Beyond" {his favorite saying}Carter had a lot of fun running around with all of his little friends! Trick-or-Treating gets funner for him every year! He was glad it was finally time to be outside going house to house!Tenley kinda just hung back & looked at the decoration & pumpkins in peoples yards! She wasn't afraid of any of it, even the scary people in masks! She was all about checking it all out!Had to get a picture of big brother helping little Teners Trick-or-Treat. He really is the sweetest brother around {when he wants to be}- Satisfying Halloween with way too much candy to eat now!!!

Qwest Trick-or-Treating

Friday night we went trick-or-treating at Qwest. My cousin Mandy works there & has invited us for the past two years, its so much fun for the kids to be inside, be able to stay warm, run around & just have fun!! Tenley was hilarious~she carried her own bag the whole time {got pretty heavy towards end} & everytime they'd put candy in it, she'd stair down in the bag while walking {waddling with her big ladybug bum}! Carter was really cute with her~making sure she never got left behind!All the (great) grandkids that were able to make it! The kids got lots of candy {handfuls at each stop} Grandma & Grandpa Johnson & Buppy both got to see the kids dressed up- so this year we'll be able to stay in town & just trick-or-treat instead of driving all over! We're excited about that! Thanks for inviting us Mandy! Our kids had a really fun time!!!

Carving Pumpkins!

Its funny how much kids change in just a year! Carter was pumped {understatement} all night long & kept begging us to get carving, so finally we let him draw a face on the pumpkin with daddy to chill him out for a minute:)Its so cute how excited he gets over holidays now! Daddy was the carver & Cub & I were the gutters! While Tenley just pulled on my legs saying "mommmy"... :) Carter actually didn't mind the guts this year & would dig right in! We gave Tenley a few seeds to play with but she wasn't about to stick her hand inside the pumpkin!Tenley was happy just sitting there playing with the pumpkins, she of course didn't get the whole carving thing!Proud Carter with his pumpkin!By the time we got them outside & lite up , Tenley was beyond tired {7 bedtime} so she had had enough!Carter can't wait to actually go trick-or-treating! Should be a fun Halloween!!!