Holiday Fun

Only ten days until Christmas! We have been celebrating like crazy over here :)

One of our favorite traditions: visiting Santa!

I love this! We take advantage of going early and when it's not crowded because the kids can take their time with Santa (and I can get a photo of each kid separately!). 

Of course we stayed to play in Santa's Wonderland.

Very diligently composing her first letter Santa (because she has written a dozen more since then).

 Look what Santa had for me at his Winter Wonderland!

Ellie and Hunter were lucky enough to see Santa again - but this time we had breakfast with him!

Santa was pretty surprised by the stack of letters and Christmas wish lists Ellie handed him. She had written one for each kid in the family, as well as Mom and Dad.

I just love the back of the letter. Ellie was so specific about where Santa can find her (and when - haha!) on Christmas :)

The kids have been enjoying different winter activities from their advent calendar.

Merry Christmas!

A Dea Thanksgiving

We were so excited to spend Thanksgiving at Nana ana Papa's and to celebrate with cousins and family.

Happy first Thanksgiving to this cute boy!

Coral and Spencer - cousins just six days apart

I managed to get a few shots of three of the kids at a time...

...and then one child refused to participate in the shot of all four kids, so this is the best we've got :)

(Just pretend that my nephew Owen on the left is Hunter - then it's a cute shot of all four! Ha ha.)

Also over Thanksgiving weekend, we took some time to play outside in the chilly weather.

And just for fun, here's how Spencer and Coral feel about *scary* Uncle Jake.

Ha ha!

We love spending holidays with cousins and family!

Feeling Thankful

November brought lots of reflection on our blessings. The most obvious being these four sweethearts.

 I just love watching them interact with each other!

Ellie in November:

 My baby girl is growing up! This was the last picture we got of her with all her baby teeth...

I told her one idea of how to get that first tooth out, but she was too impatient to wait for Daddy to come home and pull it out for her. It didn't work this time around.

Ta-da! Her new "big girl" smile.

And just about 10 days later...

...she pulled out another tooth! Ellie was one happy girl with two visits from the Tooth Fairy in just a week and a half :)

Hunter's November:

 Hunter reads more and more every day - he especially loves reading to me or to Dallas and Spencer.

 Playing outside at a friend's house on a gorgeous November day

 Hunter loves baby Spencer.

Brothers having tummy time together.

Dallas (aka: Chamaco)

 The classic wearing-big-brother's-undies on his head

 Bad lighting -  funny outfit

 Dallas Potter

 Reading and acting out the book with his big brother

 Laughing at me because he'd just drawn on an envelope that needed to be mailed. Stinker :)

Awww...so sweet!

Spencer had an eventful November as well.

Finally big enough for the exersaucer! (Which was good timing since the other kids broke his baby chair...)

 Baby Batman!

 Spencer loves the outdoors.

 He got his first cold in November - so miserable.

Keeping a sick daddy company (one of these guys looks happier than the other...;)

I love a sleeping baby. So sweet. So peaceful.

Other November moments:

Family temple night

"What do you mean I wasn't supposed to play with the hose...and the mud??"

I'm thankful for these four sweet, crazy, fun kiddos!