Busy

Well, life is extra crazy right now, but we're hanging in there. My children's choir has their Christmas Concert tonight. Then I have group lessons for my students tomorrow and a recital next Wednesday night. Our ward choir is singing at a stake thing on Sunday night, and then we're doing a bunch of songs in church on the 21st. Mike's company party was two nights ago, and it was lots of fun. To top off our busy schedule, we all have colds! The kind that lasts for weeks. I am hoping that we are almost done with our turn being sick, but at least we all get to do it at the same time and be done! Anyway, my mom and dad took all the Thanksgiving pictures, so I don't have any to post right now. But here are some other pictures from the last couple of weeks.
We went out and cut down our very first real Christmas Tree last weekend. It was lots of fun. There was no snow, but I think that actually made it easier. We found our perfect tree, and after Mike cut it down he had to take a couple of feet off before we took it home. Then we took it inside, and it was still huge! Too big to fit where we wanted it, because of course the ceiling is lower there. So Mike had to take a lot more off. So here is Mike before the tree fit in the house.

Here are some pictures of us with the tree.

We took Roscoe, so here he is in the back of the truck with the tree.

Here's Mike carrying the tree back to the truck. What a buff guy!

Mike cutting down the tree.

This is the branch where Carson put all of the ornaments. At one point he had so many on this branch that it just about touched the ground.

Our first real Christmas tree.

Here is a random picture of Natalie, trying to carry a ball in her mouth.

Mike on his birthday.

He asked for a German Chocolate Cake, but Carson really thought it should be decorated, so we added the words, and Carson said it needed a "sink" and so here is my pitiful attempt at drawing a kitchen sink on a cake with frosting.

Happy Holidays! Everyone have a great Christmas.

Birthday Dresses

Here is Natalie's birthday dress. It will also double as her Christmas dress. It is so cute! The picture doesn't do it justice.

And here is the dress I got to try on for my birthday this year! It's obviously not my birthday dress, but it was a great birthday gift to myself to put it on and see that it actually fits again! I have worked hard the last few months, and I have lost 14 pounds! It might be one pound short of my Thanksgiving goal, but I still consider it a HUGE success! I'm not quite done yet, but I've made great progress, and I get closer every day.

Belated Halloween Pictures

I know they're very late, but here they are! Carson was an alligator, and Natalie was a chicken.

Birthdays

Natalie and I each had our birthdays last week. She's one now, and I'm a little older...but who's counting? Here are some pictures (mostly from Natalie's birthday, since that's the fun one anyway).

Carson and Natalie

Opening Presents

Eating Cake

My kids don't make messes on their birthdays! It makes for boring pictures.

Natalie's cake (I didn't have one-dieting) was a doll cake-or a princess cake according to Carson. She loves the barbie, and it was hard to keep her from taking it out of the cake before we sang.

Baby stroller from Grandma L, and boy does she LOVE to push it around!

Playing with presents

Carson got her a pony, which she loves.

Natalie in her new birthday shirt-she has a dress too, that she wore today, but I forgot to get a picture of it.

Natalie's cake

Grandma and Grandpa's Visit

Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit over the weekend, bringing all kinds of good stuff. Among that was Natalie's birthday gift: her first doll, and boy does she love it! Carson got a yellow Ferrari, and he was pretty excited about that as well. And, they brought a toy chest that Mike had as a kid, and our two little ones love that! I still need to put it away, but for the moment it is in my living room, and the kids think it's the best place to play!

Halloween Fun

Here we are carving pumpkins! Carson had a good time helping this year.

Natalie is wearing the mullet wig that Mike wore on Halloween. It made her look like a little doll. Carson put on my long black wig, and he thought that was funny too.

This is just an awesome costume we saw. The bag under the toilet lid is where he kept all his candy.

My Early Birthday Gift

So Mike got me a new computer for my birthday, and since it is kind of hard to have a computer delivered to the house without me finding out, I got to open it a week early! I am so excited about this, and we've all been having fun with it. I am hoping it gives me more incentive to update regularly on my blog, as well as getting my scrapbooking done. So we'll see. Anyway, it is much, much easier for me to get my digital pictures on the computer now, so I can put a few new ones on today without it taking me forever!
These next few pictures are of the kids playing outside on the last warm day we had this year, and it wasn't that long ago! I mean, no jackets needed on Oct 30th? Weird.

This arrangement worked out for both kids. Natalie loved to have Carson push her, and since he got to push, he was miraculously willing to share with her.

This is what Carson does when he stamps without adult supervision.

Grandma L came to visit, and the kids were "helping" her pack to go home. Natalie kept pulling all of her socks back out.

Painting the Kids' Rooms

Carson's room: Lightning McQueen red, Sally blue, and a cool Mater and McQueen border.

Natalie's room: Light purple, dark purple and daisy border.These were fun projects, but so much work!

Daddy's Big Helper

Carson loves to help Daddy. Here you see him "helping" Dad bring my choir benches upstairs for my children's chorale. It was so cute.

I put this bench in front of the TV to keep Natalie from touching it. As you can see, it only served to help her reach it!

Canning Done!

That was a lot of work, but so much fun! Perhaps next year we can do some vegetables too.