Here are more pictures and stories from our awesome month in Utah.
The day Clayton was to return (late at night) the Firth side of the family decided to take an outing to Temple Square via Trax. So we bundled up the babies and headed out.
Audrey & Winston in their matchy-match animal coat-suits.
I had a front carrier to hold Win and lots of helpers to corral Eleanor. Here is Clayton's sister Monica helping me with baby-man.
Eleanor wasn't as pumped about the train as I thought she'd be. She talked of nothing else all day, but once we were on she started getting grumpy and lamenting the lack of apple juice in her life. I had water and apples (and everything else) but she wasn't having it.
"Oh mommmmm, I just wants appow juuuuuuush."
Luckily we set a meeting point and time as the second we were off the train, we became the weakest link in the journey. I told everyone to go on ahead so I wouldn't feel stressed trying to keep up. Good decision. And wow, Temple Square never fails to impress. Look how lovely.
We made our way to the temple, stopped to see the end of the large nativity and then headed in to the meeting place as it was good and cold. I set up camp to wait for everyone else, thinking we'd have to wait a bit, but everyone else showed up pretty soon. Eleanor was pretty much breaking down from the minute we left the house (Note the Rapunzel dress over her winter clothes, pick your battles, right?) And after about twenty eight trips up and down the escalator I figured my little family was done.
Yeah, tantrums in front of the Christus are only cute in pictures and hindsight. No, make that only in pictures. I still can't laugh at it quite yet. Oh my little drama queen.
We decided to head back before the family and Eleanor perked right up about going home to where we keep the apple juice. We stopped by the reflecting pool as she was suddenly interested in the stuff around her. Winston was a peach the whole time. Just look at this blurry picture of him in the Snugly. By the time we left the pool everyone else was leaving too and we were able to travel back home together after all.
A smile! A spazzy smile, but a smile nonetheless!
Clayton could not have come home a minute later. We got an icky storm that night but he arrived safe and sound. The next day the family put on the nativity. Eleanor was cast (ironically?) as an angel again. I made the cast as well, if only to keep her in line. Remember last year she kept stealing baby Jesus. That's sooo not part of the story.
Go angels!
Sooooo so so so so so happy to be with Daddy again!
All together, and loving the lazy good times while we exchanged presents.
Rachel looked super bad-A with her new gun. Yep, a real one.
Grandma Selman stopped by and we tried for a generation picture. Eleanor blinked. Eh.
Winston loved his great grandma.
See!
Autumn and Natalie got their nails done by yours truly. Of course. Like we wouldn't do nails.
Then we had family pictures taken! Eleanor seemed to think she was needed in setting up the boys shot.
The cute girl-cousins shot with Natalie, Autumn, Eleanor (digging for gold) and baby Audrey. This might have been the most successful one. Yikes.
Asher and Winston both got pj's from grandmas! Asher from Grandma Kathy and Winston from Grandma Judy. Awesome grandmas think alike.
Autumn let us see what Win would look like as a redhead. Cute, is what he'd look like. You all know how much I want a redheaded baby, right? Alas, it's probably not in the cards for us.
Autumn also drew this cute picture of baby Winston. I don't know why, but I seriously love it.
We enjoyed our Firth time but sadly Clayton's brothers and sisters all had to go back to their respective homes before the big day. On Christmas eve we went to Red Robin with a huge mass of Howell family (where I was too busy to get a group shot, or eat most my food) but not before stopping at the Gap, where E was less than enthused.
Back at Tom & Jenni's, Clayton was ready to get his game on. This is how he looks for a lot of our vacation time. Either manning the games or waiting for someone to come play.
Eleanor and Allie decorated gingerbread houses. A total home-run as far as activities were concerned.
They both did a surprisingly good job.
Winston liked his new Christmas eve pajamas.
And was shocked at... ??? He's a pretty expressive little guy.
Eleanor, Megan, Allie, Winston and Tommy in their pajamas.
The magical glow of the tree and my two cuties!
Eleanor crashing the cousin's turn in front of the tree.
Getting a lift from Tommy.
Tasting her gingerbread house, we could barely keep her from it the rest of the vacation.
Christmas morning at the top of the stairs. This is Tom & Jenni's tradition, they make their kids wait up there until they say it is time to come down.
Once the unwrapping began, Winston found someone's pack of gum from a stocking and was good to go.
Eleanor was so excited to get her Angelina Ballerina dolls. I wonder if she remembers that she was the one to find them almost two months earlier, brand stinking new, for $2.50 at the thrift store. Score. We bought them and then hid them away for Christmas. I hear that works less and less the older they get.
Jenni got Winston the cutest book ever made. It's Dr. Suess's "Oh Baby, The Places You'll Go!". It's a baby version of the classic, "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" The little pictures of the baby inside even look just like Win. He freaking loves this book.
Allie got a bike! And a cute lion hat.
We went to Church and then to my mom and dads for dinner and more presents. I seemed to have not gotten any pictures of all that. Oh well. On the 26th we drove up to Tremonton for the annual Firth Christmas dinner with all the cousins. Here is a picture of a few of us.
Eleanor with 2nd (? 1st once removed?) cousins Nicholas and Waylon.
After the holiday excitement died down I got the chance to see my friends Heidi and Shauna. Eleanor got to see Heidi's daughter Emma. They are just 3 weeks apart and get along famously.
We went out for ice cream after lunch.
And Eleanor learned that ice cream can change your tongue to blue. If you order blue, that is. She still thinks any ice cream is making her tongue blue now. It's kind of funny.
Winston learned to Zombie-crawl over Christmas break. He also climbed up his first step. The one pictured here.
After a few attempts, that is.
He also got his first tooth on Christmas day, poor guy. Bottom middle, and a second joined the first before we flew back to Michigan.
For Clayton's birthday on the 30th we played games, went to dinner with his parents at Tepanyaki and had cakes and trifle. But apparently I didn't take any pictures of that either. Sorry babe. Just know that he totally looks 31 now.
The next day we chose to have a super chill New Year's Eve.
Around 10 we celebrated with the kids.
We had horns, hats and poppers. Eleanor enjoyed the poppers quite a bit. You can even see some of the streamers mid-air in this picture.
I loved the last week of our visit. It was nice to just do nothing. You know, after the holidays are over how you just strip down and eat handfuls of Swedish Fish. Oh wait, just Eleanor does that?
No visit is complete without a trip to Outback. Mmmm.
More time at Tom & Jenni's. Home away from home (away from home).
We headed up to Park City on the 4th to see our friends Brandon and Mandy Woods. We went for sushi and ice cream. It was so nice to see them again!
I love her!
Allie has an impressive collection of costumes for dress up. On one of the last few days of our trip Eleanor found a kitty costume that rocked her world. She proceeded to wear it for the rest of the trip. Jenni even let us bring it home to borrow for a few months. In fact, as I type this Eleanor saw the picture and is now digging in her room to find it.
Julie got to meet the kitty.
And Julie, Win and I on another night. I miss living so close to all my favorite people. P.S. My hair is too short. I hate it! I loved the haircut I got about two months before this one, but I told my gal to go shorter in hopes that it would last a little longer before trims. My bad. It's weird how just a few inches can make a world of difference in self esteem, but I'm shallow like that. For the record, it's a good cut- she did a great job, I just feel like it makes my head look too small for my body. And please don't comment on this, I'm not fishing for compliments, I just want the record to show- so years down the road when I ask "What was I thinking?" I will have the answer right there.
Here is Adam saying goodbye to the kids. We have missed him at each of Winston's nap times. And in general of course.
Well! We have reached the end of our Utah trip! Now I just need to catch up on January and we will be on our game. Go me!
