Our Winter in Review: January

We started off the new year with a sledding trip.  It was freezing, but we managed to enjoy ourselves for a short time.

Our Christmas package from Aunt Linda is always a much anticipated treat each year.

It has somehow become a birthday tradition each year for me to stay up into the absurd hours of the night/morning making a cake for the boys.  As much as I hate it, I really do love it.  This year, with my sister's help, I think we finished the cake around midnight.

It took a couple of years for Troy to accept that, since I am up torturing myself making a cake, the responsibility of decorating after the boys go to bed falls on him.  We've got a good system down now and I think he has taken to his role quite nicely, don't you?

 My birthday boy.  

 I've decided to throw birthday parties for the boys every other year, and just celebrate with our family on the year we don't have a party.  This year, Stockton was lucky to have his cousins in town to celebrate with him.  It's always a party with them around.

Stay tuned for Stockton's birthday post....hopefully it won't take me another 8 months to get around to posting it.  

Our Winter in Review: December

Because I may be suffering from a case of blogging nostalgia, or because I am looking for any reason to avoid making my grocery list for tomorrow, or because I am almost a year behind on my blogging "journal", or because my brother in law, Scott, made me feel guilty for never posting, or because I may or may not have been hit with a bout of insomnia....whatever the reason I, at 1:43 am, thought it would be a good idea to start a blog post.  So here goes....

Since it has been about 9 months, I can't remember why we were at Scott and Lori's house, but I took advantage of their beautiful Christmas tree to snap some shots of my equally beautiful children.  Troy isn't too bad himself either. ;)

 The Star Library put together a little Christmas party where they had a very creepy Santa Claus, Christmas crafts/activities, and cookie decorating.  It was a lot fun and, to this day, the boys ask every time we go to the library if they will have cookies there.

 We heard about a Christmas train up in Sumpter, OR that was significantly cheaper than the train here in Boise so we opted to drive 2 hours to check it out.  We had no idea that we would be embarking on, quite possibly, the BEST family day ever.  Even still, thinking about this day, I remember it being absolutely perfect in every way.  The snowy weather made the surrounding mountains stunningly gorgeous, there was only one other family on the train which soothed my crowd anxiety, the authentic Santa Claus was ideal (he even got Logan to sit beside him), the kind soul that brought his 4 wheeler over, started a fire, and let us give our kids rides on the sleigh was a saint, and the non-existence of whining was the icing on the cake for an impeccable day.  It was truly perfect.  We will definitely be going again and again.

http://www.sumptervalleyrailroad.org/

 We spent Christmas at home in Idaho.  Here are the boys making their Reindeer food before they go to bed Christmas Eve.

Twas the night before Christmas...

Ready for presents...

Stockton has become obsessed with T-Rex dinosaurs and that's all he could think about getting for Christmas.  Well, a T-Rex and a candy cane.

I can't tell if they liked their new truck.  It's hard to tell.

And Logan was undoubtedly thrilled with his Bat Cave.

Next month we get to celebrate this little boy's 4th birthday.  At which time, I will most definitely cry.

Our Fall in review: November

It was our year to spend Thanksgiving with my family so we ventured down to Utah.  Like always, it's a non-stop adventure.

Our after dinner entertainment included a dance party.  Can you tell Stockton is busting a move?

They both got stage fright during their solo performance. 

I always try and take advantage of my brother in law's photography skills when he is around.  I thought he got some great pics of Logan.  I don't know where Stockton disappeared to when the camera came out.

I came into the kitchen one day and this is what I saw...

And this is how I found Logan one day after lunch...

We pretended like we were teenagers for the night and finished of the Twilight saga.  I definitely think Vanessa won the best shirt award.

I surprised Troy with an early anniversary present.  The game was a blow out, but it was fun to get out for the day and eat kettle corn and candied almonds. :)