Miscellaneous Winter 2012

 A few that slipped through the cracks.

Creeeeeeeppyyyy eyyyyyeeess.

 We curled Allie's hair, that's a big day for us.

 

Sweet cousins!

  Winston visiting with Grandma Marguerite.

 

 Oh goody, look who got into mom's makeup!

 She did a great job blending, dipping my mascara wand into my liquid eyeshadow. (Which was a champagne color and is now a murky gray. Yay.)

Luckily I gave her a good talking-to and she learned her lesson. Oh wait, that's right! She totally didn't, she only ramped up her application. Funny girl.

Christmas and December 2012

Last year we missed seeing Santa, despite a few tries, so this year I was determined to make it. We got to the place right before he went on his hour dinner break, but when the kids are dressed up for the friggin picture, I was not going home. My poor mom got wrangled into coming with us so I dragged her around while we waited for Santa and then waited in a crazy long line. Winston does not like waiting in one spot, especially when there are a thousand decorations to try and touch/ruin. Luckily, right next to the "North Pole" they had set up a bell station where you could try your hand at bell playing. Eleanor loooooved that.

 

 She then got to go on the carousel to kill some time.

I didn't trust Win on the carousel, so he got a smaller ride, which he was fine with.

 Hooray for quarters!

 So cute together.

Here is the official picture with Santa, however...

 I loved them all so much that I ponied up for the rights to all of them. I had never seen Winston respond to a camera this way before! Each picture was cuter than the last so all in all, best $5 extra bucks I ever spent. (Although, I do say that a lot.)

 I know, if you aren't blowing them up, they all look the same. Still, SO CUTE!

After the long evening for a few pictures, we stopped at Taco Time on the way home. (Have you had their crisp chicken burrito? No? Go get one, one of the edible fast food options out there.) Eleanor was being hilarious so I took out my camera to take a few pictures. I got a different expression each time.

 

 My favorite.

 The old pirate look we don't see as much anymore. Remember how often we used to see it?

Hey, this is Winston's look.

 For patting myself on the back, December was the month of embroidery. I made this for Shagan for Christmas. The line at the top is from "their" song. They are kind of the most adorable couple ever. Just so you know.

I made this for my mother-in-law, Kathy. There are 7 little seeds sewn on to represent their kids. (I was too lazy to add spouses, and grandchildren would be an ongoing project.)

I gave Kathy this one too. This is what started it all, my mom embroidered dish towels for all of her daughters and grandkids so I did one too. Now I am kind of hooked and think of things I want to embroider all the freaking time!

 

Miscellaneous, little Win (like all tiny people) likes to reorganize the cupboards. He's gotten really good at stacking my mom's Tupperware canisters in ascending order. I'm pretty sure he's a genius.

 I also need to note that he is wearing his guitar shirt. He freakishly loves guitars. He has a little picture book with animals on one page and cars on another and so on. Well, he would carry it around, open to the music page and then sit down and rub his fingers up and down across the strings (on the one dimensional page). My parents got him a ukulele in Hawaii and he is in heaven. He is very into music, drumming, guitars, piano etc... I can't wait til he is a little older to start him in lessons.

 For Allie's present from us, I wanted to make her a balance beam for her American Girl doll that she asked Santa for for Christmas. However, my pathetic and lame skills fell way short and so I had my dad help me out. He freaking welded together a steel support for the wood piece I bought and helped me get it all together. It turned out so incredible! I love it! She loved it too, lamely, I don't have a decent "after" shot. I'll work on that.

 Christmas Eve! The kids got superhero pajamas, complete with capes!

 Fuzzy pictures, I know. It's always challenging to get a shot of them both looking at the camera.

Cute!

The next morning the kids were delighted to open their presents. Eleanor asked Santa for: A toy buffalo?, a doll that looks just like her and a squishy purple heart pillow. (Remember the micro-bead pillow she destroyed?) My mom took care of the heart pillow, Santa got her the doll (Only the hair is almost imperceptibly lighter, so she still wants one that looks JUST like her. Oh brother.) and the toy buffalo was a no-go. I think it's important that they understand they can't get all the things all the time. (She got it instead for her birthday in March, sooo lesson not exactly taught there.) Eleanor said Winston wanted all the exact same things, so Santa got him a basketball hoop that was a total home run!

 As you can see, they also got superhero capes and masks.

Clayton got them both some Thundercats toys online.

 

 And then I apparently stopped taking pictures for the rest of the holiday. Nice. It was all fantastic. The other cute moments from the end of the month, Winston helping grandpa clean the oven.

 I love it when he thinks he's super-helping.

Clayton turned 32! Or giant fire number, apparently.

Winston watched me shovel snow from his desk.

 Gave us more frowny looks.

And more darling ones, too. 

Hot dang! I finished the year! Now I am only 5 months behind. WOOO HOOOO!

December 2012

 December was lovely.  Early in the month we got to join up with some of our Greencrest friends at Temple Square. We took the kids over to City Creek before hand to check it out. Poor Winston, our stroller seat was pretty much worn off, so he had to kind of perch on the end of it. (We got a new stroller.)

 

 The Disney store is magic and chaos. Too many people for a curmudgeon like me, but man-oh-man. If I were ridiculously wealthy I would have a problem there.  Eleanor loved the little movies they play in the back.

 Temple Square Lights! Making families fights since... Just kidding, sort of. I do not like it all. I don't know what is wrong with me, yes it is beautiful, but I don't like being herded around and it's stressful when no one will wait for me, the slowpoke. Also, losing speedy one-year-olds was making me nervous. Does anyone remember  last year's fun run? Yeah, I'm calling it: No more Temple Square until the kids are older.

 However awful a mood I was in, it all truly melted when I saw these sweet faces. I love my old neighbors so much. I forget how much so and then when I see them I get instantly homesick for them all. Here is dear Eliza. She is always so sweet to Eleanor.

 And Maddie. I payed her and Spencer a dollar to chase my kids when they got loose. Best money I ever spent.

 E and E.

 And little Benny! I can't believe how big he's grown. He talks and stuff!

 Our family!

 It really did turn into a special night with our friends, so we left in a wonderful mood.

 We tied the balloon to his belt so we wouldn't lose either one.

 Ann, me, Ruth and Benny. (And Maddie!)

 Back at home, Eleanor loved decorating the tree. And redecorating and redecorating and redecorating...

 Clayton grew his usual winter beard. He shaved it off into disgusting phases as usual and we took a few shots of the "suspicious van owner" version.

 Or I suppose "gross hipster" mustache would work, too.

 One day Eleanor tried on all of her swimsuits. ALL. Of. THEM.

 Dressed up for the ward Christmas party. I love the coat she is wearing. It belonged to her cousin Abby (not Allie) who is now 15. Jennifer was going to sell it at a yard sale about 10 years ago and I stole it, kept it forever, and now she finally gets to wear it. Worth the crime, I am telling you.

 This December Jack got baptized! He's such a doll, we just love him to pieces and are so proud of him for making this step!

 Jack and my boys.

 Winston playing with all the cars he could find. How he found so many in a house without little kids is beyond me.

My kids love Hannah's cat, Phoebe. Phoebe quickly tires of my kids, however, and escapes to a safe place. Can you find Phoebe in this picture?

 

 Another night we had Allie over for a sleepover. The girls fell asleep in the car, well, one of them did. Can you guess who is faking? Hint: she could barely stop smiling for me to take the picture, also, it's not Allie.

 Playing outside in the snow.

 One night Eleanor says to me, "Mom. I've made a huge mistake." I was so proud of her for quoting Arrested Development that it took me a moment to see what she had done. Oh, just split the seam open on her micro-bead pillow and made it "snow". Aw, crap. 8 billion statically charged styrofoam beads the size of a pin head all over the carpet. (6 months later I am still vacuuming them up.)

 Yet, for all her shenanigans, she looks like an angel as she sleeps.

 At one of Abby's dance recitals, hugging Jack til he pops.

 Keep on hugging! (Man, Abby is so photogenic.)

 We also got to go to Allie's gymnastic recital. That kid is bendy!

 She's the tall one in the middle of the bottom row.

 The girls with grandma Judy.

 I LOVE THIS PICTURE! It wasn't posed, neither one is looking at the camera, but it just cracks me up. This is pretty indicative of their relationship. Allie is patient with her little kid cousin who wants to follow her around like a puppy.

 Allie is just the sweetest!

 Shagan came to cheer her on as well. (Shane, and Megan... Shagan. Get used to it.)

 The whole gang.

 How freaking cute is this shot, I ask you.

 And on another day, my cute neighbor, Muffin was over and we got visiting. Winston was being very quiet, too quiet. She went over to check and was like, "Um, Marianne? You might want to come check this out." Lo and behold, Winston had found my mom's pin cushion and was methodically poking each pin into the carpet. Pins and needles are truly Clayton's very worst phobia, so I had to REALLY check to make sure I got them all cleaned up. Winston had been at it for probably 10 minutes or so, I am really impressed he didn't poke himself once.

A close up shot so you can see what was going on here.

 And Eleanor, being Eleanor.

 Later in the month Clayton's parents took us out to Red Lobster for his birthday. So good!

More December to come!