Santa Claus

Nyah kept telling me that Santa was coming this year and that she was going to ride on his sleigh behind his reindeer. She has been extremely focused on the reindeer. She lets me know that there are 1, 2, 3, 4. And that Santa says 1, 2, 3, 4 all go! And she also has shown me multiple times how he holds the reins to get them to go. It cracks be up.

My work party was at the same time as our Ward Party this year. As a result Milly and Becca volunteered to take them and I was ever so grateful. Here are a few photos from their evening at their house and then later at the party.

 

Nyah and Milly

When the time came for Nyah and Trey to actually sit on Santa's lap, however, it was not as simple as it has been in the past. For some reason they both decided he was scary. Trey was screaming and refused to get close.

 

 Thank goodness Ashley was there, so Trey could at least be in the picture.

Nyah was hesitant at first, but did eventually sit down after being coaxed with candy. Although as you can see by the look that she has on her face it is not her favorite thing in the world.

We did finally get to the party, but it was toward the end.

Fish, Fish, and More Fish

Blake has been fishing A LOT the past few months. He has caught 29 steelhead this season and has loved every minute of it. Just wanted to share a few pictures. It is beautiful where he goes fishing. These first few photos are of Blake and Dave (Blake's friend from college) near the dam. Another fisherman had taken them and passed them on. The next couple are just a couple of the successes and a picture of Blake with one of the big ones. He did catch a couple that were greater than 30 inches and he was pretty pleased about them.

 

 

 

 

  Needless to say, we have been eating a lot of fish, while still giving plenty away.

I Love Fall

The past couple of months have been a bit crazy and as a result I have been lax about posting. Between the holidays, lots of travel, and a funeral this has been at the bottom of my to-do list. Before I get into all of that I thought I would share a couple of photos that I took before the snow hit.

Fall has always been my favorite season. In Saint George it was the best time of year. Summer heat (in my personal opinion) was always miserable. I was NOT made for months of triple degrees. And I do like winter, but only if snow comes with it and, in Saint George, that was rare. As to spring - no thank you. I am sure it all ties back to the horses, but my memories of spring come with flies galore and with the horses shedding there is hair everywhere. So, back to the point - I LOVE FALL!!!!

These were taken early November. We had fun raking the leaves in our front yard. I have decided that it is okay for an adult to act like a child (i.e. throwing leaves, jumping in them, playing ring-around-the-rosies, etc.) as long as other children are around. We did all of these things out in our front yard and it was perfectly acceptable. In fact everyone just laughed and talked to my children encouraging them in the fun. However, I am wondering how they would have reacted if I would have been by myself - probably a bid differently! ;)

We love leaves!

They are fun to sit in.

They are fun to throw at people.

They are fun to lay in.

Did you know that they are also fun to chew on? Well, Trey thinks so.

He was constantly putting the stems in his mouth.

And, finally, of course they are fun to jump in. In this video, Nyah is counting 1, 2, 3, over and over, jumping up and down. It doesn't have sound, but you will see that she jumps in, jumps up, and starts counting all over again. I ended up running out of memory right before she jumps the second time, but you get the idea.

She still loves him. But he still avoids her kisses. Although I know he loves her too, because he is always pouncing on her, laying on her, climbing on her . . . and every once in a while he gives her kisses too.

Ring-Around-the-Tree

Nyah was singing the whole time. My little girl loves to sing and she just randomly bursts into song.
I LOVE IT!

Tidbits from Nyah

Okay, so Nyah just cracks me up. Sometimes she says things that blow me away and I have no idea where they come from. I thought I would share a few of them.

"Grandpa! You better get your cows in the barn or the wolves are going to get them!"
(this was a random comment in the middle of a discussion about Dale's cows.)

"Mom, bears don't eat bunnies. They eat puppies!"

Mom: "Treyson! What are you doing? You are making a huge mess! Why are you doing that?"
Nyah: "Because Mom. That is just what little boys do." (in a very matter of fact tone)

After I had told her that she could not have a popcicle right before going to bed . . .
Nyah: "Daddy! Mom said No! But, I said YES!!!!"
Blake (laughing): "Well, if Mom said no, then the answer is no."
Nyah: "But I said YES!!!!"

And finally, the following exchange happened at Walmart after we had been there forever. She had been great the entire time, but after waiting in line for about 15 minutes she was sneaking ahead up to look at the candy which was in front of someone else's cart.
Mom: "Nyah-bug, please come back here."
Nyah (totally ignoring me)
Mom: "Nyah, come back here."
Nyah: "Mom. I am looking at this. Just a minute."
Mom: "Nyah, come here. One, two, . . . "
Nyah (in a very serious tone with a what do you think you are doing look): "Mom. You can't do that at Walmart. Only at home, Mom. Not at Walmart."

Ahhh, how I love my independent and opinionated little girl.

Spending Time with Dad

This was the sight I met the other day when I came home from work. I walked into the house to find Blake hanging both Nyah and Trey upside down by one leg. My husband is hilarious. Nyah and Trey were both laughing and he was just standing there all serious and said, "I am glad you are home. They are driving me CRAZY!"

Blake really is a good dad. He tries to take at least half to a full day each week to stay home and spend time with the kids. They take walks and seem to destroy my house. In fact, sometimes I think that Blake encourages Trey to take all of the dishes out of the cupboard. However, Nyah has learned to count by playing hide-and-seek with her Dad. Although, it retrospect, I wonder if it was just a way for him to go hide and hope it took a while for her to find him. And there was the time that I came into the room with Blake laughing at Nyah in the dog crate with Zoe and him commenting that it would be easier if she would just stay in there. ;)

 Okay, enough harassment of my wonderful husband. We really are lucky to have him. Besides, who else are you going to get to throw you up in the air? Mom isn't as good at it as Dad. And it is great fun!

 

To change gears a bit, a few weeks ago we were in Malad and I took a couple pictures of the kids having even more fun with Dad (and Grandma). Trey is hilarious. When ever Blake is swinging Nyah in a blanket, he is always right there screaming (happily) away and as soon as Blake sets her down, Trey is unwrapping her, pushing her out of the way, and sitting down in the middle of the blanket so he can have his turn.

 

Blissful Slumber

I know it may be silly, but I am still one of those Moms that loves to watch her children sleep. I love how peaceful and gentle they look. Also, as a side note, I love the fact that Trey is actually holding still. Ha ha. Sometimes I think I have more sleeping pictures than anything. Okay, so that is not really true, but wanted to share a few of them anyway.

This was during a very long car drive to visit family.
I love that they are holding hands.

 

 Nyah still LOVES her kitty.

She packs Annie around like a doll and makes her take naps with her. The great thing is that I think Annie likes her too. Everytime I lay the kids down for a nap, Annie finds them and snuggles up close.

 

 Dads are also great sleeping partners - just in case you didn't know. Nyah and Trey love cuddling with Dad.

And because I feel like being a bit nostalgic. Here are a few more from a while ago. And, yes, I think you can tell that they are related.