Christmas in Full Swing

Nay-Nay

making cookies with Grandma


I just don't get how the girls can love being tickled so much?

Well last weekend was Thanksgiving-warm, balmy, relaxing. Things change quickly. The weather has turned freezing. The first of the week it snowed, and its been so cold it hasn't melted yet. We've already done much to celebrate the holidays... breakfast with santa, ward Christmas party with a Nativity play done by the primary kids, made a gingerbread house, decorated the house, holiday girls night out, weinachs krants- a Rigby family tradition done each Sunday in December, and most of our shopping. I love the holidays and making traditions just as much as Addie and Oly do. Naomi was afraid of Santa when she sat on his lap.

Thanksgiving Weekend...

This weekend we got to spend a little bit of time together. Jer worked from home wednesday. Thanksgiving, Thursday, was at my Aunt Sue's church (the Slagle family is way too big to fit into anyone's home these days). Then dessert at Jer's Aunt Jan's (she is the most wonderful cook). Then games @ Bosey's. Friday we did one of my favorite family traditions... We drove to Evanston, purchased a permit for cutting a Christmas tree, and then drove into the Uintahs. We found a quiet spot to pull over, all got decked out in our snow clothes, loaded Naomi into the sled and went to find our family Christmas tree. We had with us Nancy and Larry, Grandmommy and Grandaddy, the Gannuscios, and my parents, Jerald and Sherrie. Each family went off on thier own in search of the perfect tree. I was more distracted with keeping Naomi face up in the snow. I heard grandmommy screaming in the distance. She had fallen over and no one was there to help her up! I ran to her rescue. How many 85 year olds do you know that are that great of sports to come along on all sorts of crazy adventures? I'm glad to have them. Anyways, she just needed help walking in the snow. Can you blame her? So, we all found great trees- the sparse, Charlie Brown type that has more trunk than boughs, but comes with pine cones, and a homey Christmas feeling and a memory- instead of a mowed, pencil-sharpened bush from a tree lot. My favorite part of the day was doing snow angels with Jer's Grandmommy, and eating lunch in the car with my parents. We drove home, went to a dumb holiday movie- I chased Naomi through the theatre and Jer stayed home to study. Jer hunted pheasant yesterday in Cache valley, and brought home 4 birds that are floating in salt water in the fridge for dinner tomorrow. Tonight Jer and I enjoyed Handel's Messiah (another favorite Christmas tradition) with Nancy, Larry, Ben, and Granddaddy and Grandmommy @ symphony hall.

Another Goal Accomplished!

The "U" biking to Mimi/Papas

hiking to Ensign Peak

At the beginning of each year we sit down with the kids and write goals. Its been fun and random. We hung those lists up in various places throughout the house and we read them often. So, we've been trying to cross everything off each girl's list. Recently, Addie rode her bike to Mimi and Papa's (about 4 miles) with Jeremy and Olivia (on back of Jer's bike). Oly rode her bike to Grandma's house, we've hiked to the U, and yesterday morning we enjoyed a balmy fall hike to Ensign Peak in Salt Lake. They have been fun activities, and very attainable goals, but its been neat to watch the girls cross thier goals off and feel like they are accomplishing great things. Also, something finally clicked with Naomi, and she is finally starting to talk up a storm. I think she said 30 new words this weekend, including: Pooh bear, ball, thankyou, Naomi, ear, nose, happy, hippo, dog... just to name a few!

Halloween

We had a fun Halloween yesterday. Well, we've been celebrating since last weekend. We watched Adeline march in her school parade in the morning, visited GG and grandpa Bud, met Jeremy for lunch at my favorite spot -- Eat a Burger, trick-or-treated the block together, and had butternut squash soup in pumpkin bread bowls, and played ghost bingo with my parents.

A day in the life...

So, the girls love to dance. In fact thier favorite activity is to have a dance party. Addie got a mini cd player for her birthday, and the girls are dancing to the music in this video.. They miss daddy.

the beginning...

It all started because Jeremy is away at school. Addie's birthday was yesterday, and of course, we wanted to share it with him. so, I'm trying to find a way to upload videos, photos etc. more easily than attaching them to an email. The videos still won't attach, so anyone knowing a way to do so, please advise...