New Years Eve

The day after Fatty and Katie were married, we headed up to my parents cabin, where we planned to spend the next 4 days.
The kids were so excited because there was a little bit of snow on the ground. This was the only snow we got to see and play in while we were there and it was the perfect amount.

The kids got to feel it, play in it, throw it and nobody got too dirty or wet. Perfect!Spidey sure was happy and gave me a smile to prove it. Friday afternoon, my parents, sister and family, and my hubby and Petey all went on a walk. I stayed at the cabin with Spidey and my little sister, Candace. Spidey had such a fun time because it was the first time I let him play our Kinect. There is a fun bubble game that he loved to play, where he just popped a bunch of bubbles on the screen. Very appropriate for a 2 year old. :)

That night, the kids were really cranky and we had not gotten a lot of sleep the night before so Boss and I were cranky as well. We ended up leaving the cabin after dinner so our kids could sleep in their own beds and we could get a better nights sleep too. The next morning, New Years Eve, Spidey woke up and threw up all over me. We were going to have a fun day but decided to let him rest and see how things went. We put the kids on our bed and turned Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (their favorite) on the computer. Thank you, Youtube!

About an hour later, my little boy was all smiles and giggles and the kids were playing so well. I find it hilarious that Petey is willing to push her brother around in his Tonka truck. They both think it's funny.
After the kids seemed happy, we gae Spidey a full meal, which he ate quickly and never threw up so we decided to head to the park for some fresh air. This was Petey's first time riding her new bike to the park and she did great! Spidey actually fell over on his bike a minute after this picture was taken and refused to ride it. So Boss gave him a shoulder ride and I carried his scooter to the park. Boss is such a fun dad and plays with the kids at the park way more than I do. I love this picture of my boys.Add in this cute little girl and you've got my 3 favorite people, all in the same picture! :)On the way home, Boss "helped" Spidey ride his scooter home by pushing him the entire way. :) Don't worry, our house is the second house down the street from the park.
That night, our family was invited to a party but because of Spidey's possible sickness and Boss having his brother over, Petey and I went by ourselves. And we had a blast!
There was a bounce house for the kids, tons of yummy Mexican food, a pinata, karaoke, lots of confetti throwing, and fireworks!Petey was so busy picking up candy from the pinata that she didn't even notice the confetti flying everywhere and covering her head. Once she realized what we were doing, she joined in on the fun. Confetti everywhere!This was probably my favorite part of the night and I feel bad for Leyla and the clean up she's had to do at her house since then. It was seriously everywhere and we all tracked it when we came inside. Petey was so excited and wanted to show me her bag of candy.And I was so proud of her for being brave and holding a sparkler. Last year, she wouldn't touch them. :)
I'm glad we got to have a fun New Years Eve. We came home at 10:30, I put Petey to bed, and then I stayed up til midnight with my brother in law and husband. :)
Stay tuned. Tomorrow, I plan to blog my 2012 goals and words.

Fatty and Katie's Wedding

On December 28th (this past Wednesday), my bro in law, Fatty (who's real name is Zachary but really goes by the nickname Fatty) married his beautiful bride, Katie, in the Mesa, AZ temple! We were so happy to be apart of it and welcome Katie into our family.

She looked beautiful in her dress and they both looked so happy.My kids were some of the first to run up and hug them. Katie is hugging Petey and Fatty is picking up Spidey. :)Spidey had to scoot himself down the stairs and we were all laughing because he was going really slow.Uncle Fatty and Petey.Uncle Fatty and the boy who didn't want to sit still for a single picture.Uncle John snuck into the picture I was taking of the girls. :)Petey with two of her 2nd cousins(?). They were such good friends all week and it was fun to see them play. Uncle Dan tried to keep Spidey occupied by swinging him around. It worked for about 3 seconds.Miss B was acting shy but I was one of the only people she would let hold her! It made me happy. I love my snuggly little B and wish I could see her more often.Petey posed for some pictures in her cute little skirt, sewn by Katie's mother.Beautiful Newman family. These two boys were my life savers at the temple. They helped keep Spidey occupied most of the time and were SO good with him.

After the temple, we had a luncheon together (no pictures) and then we got to rest for a while before the reception. As soon as we got to the reception, Leezer and Petey wanted a picture with Katie. They followed her around most of the night. :)

Besty cousins. :)Cousin love.Uncle Will (my little brother) was there too, since my family is friends with my husband's family.Ginger's sticking together. :)See? The little girls kept following Katie around. It was cute at first but after a while, we made them stop. :)Uncle Ben danced with Hayley and actually let me take a picture of him!These skirts were made for twirlin'!Toward the end of the night, Spidey was doing a lot of this..."sigh". Poor boy was so exhausted and tired of being told he couldn't run around. Best picture of my little B. She is soooo adorable! Doesn't this picture just make you want to squeeze her?This is the only picture I got of the 3 girl cousins. haha. Better luck next time, I guess.Petey found her Guthrie cousins and played with them for a while. S is so funny and it made me laugh that Petey was trying to copy him.The end of the night, Spidey wouldn't stop doing this and so we left. Boss stayed to clean up and I was left with two screaming children the entire way home.
It was a LONG day but oh so worth it. We are so glad that Katie is a part of our family and that we got to share in their special day...and also that my kids' cousins got to come down from Utah and play with them, if only for a day. :)

And that's how Suze sees it.

Christmas 2011

Even though I already blogged today. I was determined to get my Christmas post done before the weekend so I don't get too behind.
Christmas was a blast this year. The kids understood and enjoyed it and we always enjoy seeing their faces light up and teaching them about our Savior.
Santa was very generous this year and brought Petey and Pinkalicious bike and Spidey a Toy Story scooter. One of my kids REALLY loves their gift, while the other doesn't like it because HE hasn't figured out how to ride it yet. But I'm sure he'll figure it out soon. :)The kids were so exhausted because their silly Uncle Fatty decided to wake them up at 7am. Spidey wasn't quite sure what to think of his stocking and I had to take everything out so he would look at it all. :)Petey, on the other hand, is a pro at this stocking thing and was practically throwing her presents out of the stocking so she could see what she got. Santa knows how much our girly likes Fancy Nancy and put a new book in her stocking!Then it was time to open the first present, which was from Nana and Papa. Can you tell what it is?Mr and Mrs Potato Head! The kids love playing with them. We gave Petey a tag reader (her need gift) but unfortunatly, I got the wrong kind of books so we have yet to use this present. Nana and Papa got the kids a HUGE bin of play doh. The kids have already spend hours playing with this and love it. Spidey's spiritual gift from us was a vinyl sign that I made that reads, "Did you think to pray?". Petey also got a spiritual gift but I didn't get a picture of it. It is a pink CTR necklaces that I made for her with her initial on the back. Petey's favorite gift (her want gift) was this special Rapunzel doll. I've hardly seen her without it ever since she opened it. Spidey's need gift were these fridge phonic magnets. He loves putting the different letters in and listening to the songs. Nana and Papa got our family a waffle maker with circus animal shapes. I can't wait to try it out.Of course, what's Christmas without a new homemade dress from Nana. She always makes the cutest dresses and we love getting them and putting them on our special girl.Uncle Sam got our family some kids games. We got Dont Break the Ice......and Candyland! Petey was most excited about Candyland. :)I had to post this picture of the enormous monkey Uncle Fatty got for his fiance (now his wife), Katie. The thing is huge!Spidey's "want" gift was this awesome John Deere tractor that he can take to the park for some digging. For now, he enjoys pulling it around and around and around the house. :)Isn't this picture of Spidey with his potato head adorable? I love his goofy grin. :)I'm sorry, Katie, but I HAD to post this one. A while after we were finished with presents, Fatty called me into the living room and pointed to Katie, who had fallen asleep spooning with the enormous monkey. It was hilarious. She still doesn't know I took this picture. :)

Christmas was fun and we enjoyed being around family all weekend. We are so blessed and lucky to have so many people that love and care about our family.

And that's how Suze sees it.