Christmas Pictures

We were able to host Christmas at our house this year. We had a great time with my family and the girls loved all the attention.

The two princesses: Aunt Sarah Elizabeth and Maya Elisabeth


Jadyn was thrilled to finally be able to open a present on Christmas Eve--Christmas PJ's:


The girls in their Christmas PJ's:


Jadyn opening her stocking (she helped everyone with their stockings when they woke up):

Daddy and the girls break in the new kitchen:


Jadyn opening Maya's present with Grandma. Jadyn got the hang of opening presents really quickly. At first, she asked everyone if she could help them open their presents. Then, she just skipped right to the chase and would hand the presents to them and start unwrapping an end.

Doesn't Maya look fascinated by her gift?:

The uncles with their coordinating outfits. Well, the outfits are actually for Maya...but they each grabbed one and I couldn't pass up this photo opportunity.

We gave the girls the kitchen, Christmas PJ's, and one small toy each. They were happily spoiled by Grandma Julie with more toys, clothes, etc. Jadyn loved helping everyone open their gifts. We had a great Christmas.

Let it Snow....and it did!

The snow just dumped on us right before Christmas. Jadyn was able to make her first snowman with Daddy. The little guy turned out pretty well.

This next picture is Uncle Mikey shoveling so I didn't have to. He is a great brother...especially since he wasn't feeling very well.

Aunt Megan is fun!

Jadyn loved having Aunt Megan come to visit. Megan is very creative (it is no stretch of the imagination that she is an excellent 6th grade teacher). She explores different aspects of Jadyn's personality that I sometimes forget about. They played beauty parlor, played princess/dragons, read books, and just enjoyed each other.

Christmas Dresses

Well, I didn't get a better photo than this one. Here are the girls in their Christmas dresses. Jadyn's still fit her from last year and Maya's was a hand-me-down from her cousin Taylor....so I got off cheap this year!

Present for Grandma

While we were in Utah, we had a photographer friend of Aunt Megan's take some pictures of the grandkids for a present for Mom. Here are some of the pictures from our photo shoot!

Our Special Little Blessing

We are so blessed to be Jadyn's parents. She reminds us daily of how to serve and become more like our Heavenly Father.

We decided to serve this year by volunteering to ring bells for the Salvation Army (thanks Sonja for the idea). We thought it would be a great way to start teaching Jadyn about helping those less fortunate.

This morning, we bundled her up (it was below 20 degrees here with a windchill making it feel even colder). Nathan and Jadyn did most of our shift while I kept Maya inside the mall with me. When I came back to check on them, Jadyn's nose was red so I offered to switch them. Jadyn at first agreed, but then said she wanted to stay and ring the bells with me still.

She was so cute. She was telling everyone Merry Christmas and saying Thank you in her sweet little voice. I was amazed at how many people gave money (and larger amounts than I expected...most gave $2-3, many people gave $5, and we had a few $10 donations). I have rung the bells before, but never with this many people giving. I know it was because my sweet little daughter, with a cold, beet red nose was standing there selflessly asking for people to help others.

We were trying to teach Jadyn about how to serve. I think Nathan and I ended up being reminded of what the Christmas season should be about. This sweet little girl is such a blessing.

Mom, please shower before I get up!

Jadyn was "helping" me by showing Maya toys while I was in the shower. I heard Maya fussing so I look out to see that Jadyn had covered her in toys. I meant one at a time babe, one at a time. Maya was just looking at me like, "Please help me Mom. Don't leave me alone with Jadyn anymore. Can you please shower before we get up?". Well, since I like to sleep, I don't see that happening anytime soon!

Pumpkin and Princess Visit the Doctor

Jadyn and Maya had their 3 year and 4 month well child doctor's visit today. They are both doing well. Here are their stats:

Pumpkin Stats:

Weight: 31 pounds (50-75%)
Height: 36 inches (25%)
Head Circumference: 19 3/4 inches (75-90%)

Princess Stats:

Weight: 14 pounds 1 ounce (50-75%)
Height: 24 inches (50%)
Head Circumference: 16 1/2 inches (75%)

Well, it looks like Maya is headed on the same track as Jadyn: average weight, petite height, and big noggin'!!! They must need extra room for their large brains!

Dialogue of a 3 year old

As most of you know, Jadyn is very talkative. Here was a portion of our lunch conversation. Please note that I was only nodding while eating, and she just continues from one thought to the next!

Carrots are healthy.
Pears are healthy.
Santa is nice.
Froggies are nice.
They don't bite.
But tigers bite.
And lions bite.

And on and on. Her thought process is often very humorous. She is one funny kid!

Jadyn turns 3!

Jadyn turned 3 on December 7th. We had a family party for her while we were in Utah. We had one of her favorite meals (Beef Stroganoff), played party games, opened presents, and had cake. It was a fun evening. It is hard to believe she is 3 already!

The decorations that Taylor and Carter helped me put up while Jadyn was napping. Jadyn picked the "Berry Princess" theme this year.

Ready to party with our party hats:

Playing "Strawberry shortcake" memory. Carter was the champ!

The "Pin the missing jewel on the Berry Princess crown" game. Aunt Megan was the winner!

Opening presents. Jadyn got a bike, preschool learning books, and "Let's Go Fishing Game" from Mom and Dad. Aunt Megan gave her Book of Mormon Guess Who Game, preschool learning books, and some colored pencils. Taylor and Carter gave her Candyland and pink fuzzy socks. She also got Lite Brite and an Aquadoodle Mat from Grandma Julie the week before.

The cake. I cannot claim credit for this masterpiece. Since we were on vacation, I decided to not even attempt making the cake. We had Uncle Brigham's sister, Aimee, make the cake. It turned out beautiful....and was very tasty!

Blowing out the candles. Carter ending up helping Jadyn blow them all out!

Oh, and if you are wondering about Jadyn's face. She took a nasty fall onto the concrete a couple days before. She was a trooper about it though!

Happy Birthday Pumpkin. We love you more than words can express.

P.S. I hope to have a slideshow done soon....it was easier to get them done with only one kid :)

Jadyn's idol

Jadyn loved visiting with her cousin Taylor. She followed her around everywhere. As soon as she woke up in the morning she was wondering "Where's my friend". It was so cute because since Jadyn still doesn't say "L's" very well, it was "Where's my Tador". Taylor was great about having her space invaded and was a great playmate for Jadyn.

All suited up

Jadyn loves the snow this year. She had fun making shapes in the snow with Daddy. When she came in, her cheeks were all red....yet she was begging me for "5 more minutes"! Who would have guessed she would actually enjoy the snow this year!

Whew...all caught up!

Well, I am all caught up with my blogging of the Thanksgiving holiday. Enjoy the pictures...we had a great time with family!

Grandpa's Girls

This is Jadyn and Maya's great-grandfather. He enjoyed being around the girls. I think Jadyn was still a little confused after my explanation of how he is my grandpa so he is her great-grandpa!

Aunt Sarah is a hit

Both of the girls loved Aunt Sarah. You could hardly get Jadyn to give Sarah a moment of peace. Maya loved having Aunt Sarah hold her and "chatted" back with Aunt Sarah.

Jadyn loves the attention

Jadyn loved playing with Uncle Jeremy and Uncle Jakey. She loved that they laugh at all her craziness!

Maya chillin with her Uncles!

Thanksgiving playdate

Jadyn had her friend Brynn over for a Thanksgiving playdate. The girls colored Turkey coloring pages, made a turkey with feathers, ate Turkey tracks (http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=40571), and made Pilgrim hats (http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=40570).

The Pilgrim hats were kind of scary looking as a finished product. The chocolate did not melt well so the hats were a little "blobby". Oh well, they still tasted yummy and the girls didn't care. Although, I better master holiday snacks though before Jadyn gets too old, or she will start reprimanding me for a poor job!

Trimming the tree!

Jadyn loved setting up the Christmas tree this year. We started setting it up on a Sunday. One of our light sets was faulty so we had to finish putting the ornaments on for FHE on Monday. Jadyn did not want to wait to put the ornaments up, and couldn't wait until Monday morning to purchase new lights. She is so excited for Christmas this year.

Daddy Daughter Dish Duty

Most nights, Jadyn and Daddy do the dishes while I feed and put Maya to sleep. They always have fun and sometimes Daddy gets a little wetter than he bargained for! I am not sure how long it will be before Jadyn realizes that chores are not actually fun. For now, we enjoy our little helper who loves to clean!

Matchy-Matchy!

Well, I was able to match the girls in black velvet for Stake Conference this last Sunday. Maya is wearing a dress from Grandma and Papa Parker that was Jadyn's. Jadyn is wearing a skirt that Grandma Julie bought her from a garage sale. I put the skirt on Jadyn (it was a 4T size) and it looked like it fit fine.

Well, on the way into Stake Conference I was holding Jadyn's hand. She wasn't moving fast enough for my taste (it was freezing outside and I wanted to get in the building quickly). I finally turned to look at her and ask her to hurry along. I looked over and saw her skirt down around her ankles. I was laughing so hard as I pulled it up quickly. It fell down once more before I noticed it had an adjustable waist and cinched it up tight. Thank goodness or we would have had troubles all day. Oh well, at least the girls matched!

A little bit of Maya!

I can't get enough of this sweet little baby girl. Here are a couple of recent pictures of our little princess. Lately she has been giggling a ton and does these deep belly giggles. It is so cute and it ends up making Jadyn laugh so hard she is almost crying....which in turn gets me laughing too!

Come on, my friend!

I love my daughters. Jadyn is such a sweet little girl. She has really grown up in the last few months since Maya was born. She has stepped up and learned to put Maya's needs first (well, most days :)

She is my best friend most of the time (hey, Nathan works a ton...so almost all the time!). She is such a good little companion. It used to kind of annoy me that she would not play independently. However, now that she has grown into a little girl instead of a baby, this is a good thing. I have an instant buddy anytime. She is always considerate of me and Maya. She gives me "kisses and luvs" when I am sad, tells me I look pretty/smell nice, and always wants to be with me. I always tell her that she is my friend. Tonight as we were heading up the stairs she said, "Come on my friend!". Oh how I love this special little girl. I am so blessed to be her mother.

And the Election goes to....

I think Jadyn picked an excellent candidate (I didn't prompt her on what to say). I should have written him in seeing as I was not impressed with who we had to chose from this year.

Maya wasn't too thrilled with the Election either!

Halloween fun!

For Halloween dinner, we had a pumpkin pizza. Then, we took the girls trick-or-treating. Maya and I went for two blocks and then came home. Nathan continued with Jadyn for another 1 1/2 hours! They were having so much fun that I had to drag them home. Jadyn got a nice "stash" which I am seriously considering throwing away so I am not tempted anymore :)