January in review...sort of

So we finally got around to buying a new camera which means maybe I'll start blogging again. I just hate blogging without pictures. I need a visual. In past years January has been the month when I make homemade doughnuts to get me through the grey, cold days after Christmas (because really I can't think of a better pick me up then deep fried sugary goodness). When we lived in Alaska I made a huge batch - the kind where you use real potatoes in the recipe (so good) and then ate them all and made my pregnant self sick. This year I made the annual batch of doughnuts on New Years Day - before everyone made those resolutions, before we left the coldness of Utah (therefore denying me the opportunity to eat 63 doughnuts myself) and headed down to the reason I love it here - sunshine year round.

A thus we have been taking a whole bunch of these kinds of pictures.

There have been just the right amount of cold rainy days.

Enough to make us enjoy playing with each other at home.

Enough to let us concentrate on our budding artistic talent.

Enough to let us curl up and read some good books from the library (hence the messy playroom - when reading all else comes to a stand still) while waiting for yummy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies to bake (pumpkin for Zina, chocolate chip for Wilson).

Enough for us to actually turn on the heater in the mornings.

And enough for us to be just happy when the rain stopped.

Christmas 2009

Christmas Pictures 2009!

Hot Chocolate after some sledding fun.

Wilson LOVES the 4-wheeler. He kept asking, "Mom, can I go on the motorcycle?" And after he got his Diego Christmas present he kept taking Zina's Littlest Petshops for sled rides behind Diego's 4-wheeler.

Christmas Eve Nativity. Kate as Mary and the three boys, Wade, Lincoln and Wilson as shepherds and wisemen.

I love this picture. Cutest wiseman I ever saw. :)

Grandpa Jay reading the Christmas story.

Zina was adamant that she be an angel.

Christmas Eve pajamas from Grandma Judy. Lincoln, Wade, Zina, Piper, Kate & Wilson.

Christmas morning breakfast. Don't I look happy - just a starving hungry PREGO!

Wilson giving Zina loves after he opened up the Diego puzzle that she gave him.

Thank you Santa!

Merry Christmas Everyone and Happy New Year!

Excuses + Thanksgiving '09

So these pictures are from November when my mom and Adam came. We went hiking one day and there were so many silly pictures of Uncle Adam with the kids that I had to post them. We are so excited for the adventures that he will have as a missionary in Boston Massachusetts! This trip was the last we would see him until he gets home two years from January 20th. The kids loved silly uncle Adam - because really, that's what he is silly!

We also went the Phoenix Science center. The kids have been wanting Mark to go for a long time now.

Picnic Break.

This game is so funny. It measures your brain waves (or something?). You put on headbands and then stare and the little silver ball. The ball will move away from the person who has the calmest brain waves. If you push the ball (with your brain waves) to the other persons side you win. Well, we forgot to read the instructions and we thought that Zina was beating ALL of us. I was so amazed that she was doing it. Then at the very end of the day she went up against Mark and Adam who actually read the rules and we realized that Zina was in fact losing to all of us (phew - my brain waves are calmer than my 4yr old). We still let her think she won because she was SO excited about it and SO proud of herself.

My cute mom. :)

Bed of nails anyone? While pregant? Ya, it wasn't that comfortable.

So after after my Mom and Adam flew out we headed up to Utah for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately our camera broke while we were there so I only managed to document a few of our adventures, but it's better than nothing!

Visiting the Cemetery. Zina was tracing Dylan's name with her finger and getting an alphabet lesson from her dad.

All bundled up - something that we are not used to, but he sure is cute.

Visiting the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point

And that's when my camera gave out - most of the pictures from the museum weren't clear either. So sad. How about a camera for Christmas Santa? Oh ya, I already got a computer which is my other excuse.

When we got home from Utah our computer crashed soooo, we got a new one. :) But it's still no fun posting without pictures.

Thanksgiving dinner was super yummy and we loved seeing all the family, shopping with Judy and Marilyn for 10hrs on Black Friday, watching BYU beat Utah (they did win right? Mark would kill me for that comment.. :) Cleaning up 4 bouts of throw-up (ya we forgot that Wilson gets carsick - but not for long) and playing in the little bit of snow that there was!

Happy Thanksgiving.....at Christmas time. :)

Puerto Penasco, Mexico

Mark and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary in October, but Mark's TWO week break for Thanksgiving started last week. So for that 5 year anniversary we headed down to Mexico for a little relaxation. Thanks Mom & Adam for being the best babysitters ever!

We stayed at the Sonoran Spa Resort and pretty much had the whole place to ourselves since it is off-peak season. Which also meant that a few restaurants weren't open but since the hotel "room" included a kitchen, bedroom, and living room, we headed to the local Ley's grocery store and made our own yummy breakfasts every morning.

Look at all those tourists on the beach with us. Oh ya, there weren't any. It actually took a little getting used to. All those big resorts and no one there. It was a little eerie at first.

Mark loves the Ocean. It might be his first love - along with me, mexican food, and football.

I have to admit. I have a hard time doing foreign. It takes me a while to adjust (especially when I'm pregnant). I just worry about everything! Safe drinking water, getting the car stolen, swine flu. Our first night there our waiter is chatting with us and says, "I spent all morning taking care of my 11mth old son who as the flu." Sweet. Just what I wanted to hear. Although, I'm pretty sure we have just as good a chance catching the flu in Arizona. :)

I felt like a did a relatively good job of squelching my worries and relaxing and enjoying my sweet honey, the beach, the sun, and no kids.

We are definatly going back with the kids though. They would LOVE it. I say we all go during next term break. Any takers Arizona friends?

Here is your first belly shot. Taken at 2o weeks. Half-way there!

Thanks for the great trip Mark. I love you!

P.S. When we got home we walked in the house and called for our kids. The response from both kids was, "what?"

I think that must be a sign of good babysitters. :)

Zina

Last night Mark came home for dinner around 5:30. Since it is finals week we had Family Home Evening Sunday night so that Mark could study. After dinner he said we could have him until 7pm. We were so excited! We spent an hour playing hide and seek (it really is a lot of fun). Towards 7pm after I had found Zina and we were looking for Mark and Wilson, Zina said to me, "I know just where they are. If you look all over the place & you missed somewhere THAT'S where they are!!"

Every night Zina makes us close her closet doors. One night Mark asked her why and she replied, "I'm just scared of the things that aren't real in there."

Love that girl.

On a side note check out my rain gutter bookshelf. I LOVE it. I actually put up another one on the other side of the craft drawers. No more clutter on the playroom floor and all the coloring books are easy access for my cute kiddos! Thank you blog world for the fabulous idea. I totally recommend this cheap alternative.

p.s. If you can't tell the picture of Zina is a self-portrait. Did I mention I love her. She is tender, bossy, sensitive, giggly, opinionated, and SWEET!