after the boys started throwing any object they could find (their toothbrushes, a wood nativity, etc.) in the tank and squirted about half a bottle of hand soap in the tank.
I was worried someone would turn me into PETA or actually sad no one did despite advertising on Instagram, so I brought them to my office. Sadly they died about a week later. Whoops!
Here are the kids the Sunday before Christmas (when you tell Camden to smile he always smiles huge and squints his eyes like so):
Christmas was fabulous we stayed home and had a houseful of visitors. We had Mom and George, Nathan and Benazir, Alex (George's son), Christine (George's daughter) and her boyfriend Jared. All the camping mats, beds, and couches were full, but everyone fit. And, everyone was such a big help with the kids.
We were blessed with a White Christmas. It started snowing on Christmas Eve and by morning the ground was covered with snow.
Speaking of White Christmas, I introduced Olivia to White Christmas (the movie), and she loves it. She now wants to dress up as Judy, one of the Haynes Sisters, for Christmas in a blue dress with a blue fan. Any volunteers to sew that outfit for me? She also wants to dance like Judy. So, we moved from gymnastics back to dance for the new year.
Babi and Papou and Alex all arrived first and we loaded them in the car and drove to Heber to catch the polar express.
They served Mrs. Clause's chocolate chip cookies, and hot cocoa and sang Christmas carols including "Let it Go." They passed around the mic and when the little girl in the seat behind us shied away during the chorus Camden totally took over and belted "Let it Goooo! Let it Goooo!" much to the whole trains' delight.
Christmas Eve was movie day. Babi took Liv and I to see the new Annie movie. It was fun, but not sure if I love it more than the original. Liv kept wondering where the red-haired Annie was. That night we had a fabulous roast dinner divvied up by everyone
Then, we opened presents from each other. Carter excited about a snow shovel and someone's wool sock:
Liv excited about ballet shoes:
Babi excited about a pineapple corer:
Nathan and Benazir arrived that night dressed festively:
Christmas morning Santa delivered and brought Olivia Maleficent panties just like she asked for:
Then later that day, Derek and I went to see the Exodus movie. I was unimpressed, then he and George went to see Unbroken later that evening (two movies in one day for Derek).
The day after Christmas we all went cross-country skiing
Well, I guess I should say all except Derek because he has this huge trial he has been working on at work and has been working his butt off. (A lot of late nights and some weekends and holidays- but today is his last day in court YAY!) I had never been cross-country skiing only downhill. It is work! But, I rather enjoyed it. I pretty much attached myself to Nathan and we went all over the Sundance cross country paths.
Way fun. Fell a ton.
Then that evening one of Derek's clients paid us in limo service.
We did a limo and lights tour mostly down in Spanish Fork area. It was neat, but the boys were not big fans of getting back in their car seats after we let them out for the slow drive through the light park. So we all had to endure a screaming Carter for most of the ride home.
Christine did this neat little art project with the kids making butterflies out of their painted footprints.
Olivia added to the beautiful art work the very next day with permanent marker. She was actually re-writing everyone's names herself.
At first I freaked out, but then realized it was nothing a little white paint couldn't fix.
Lily was kind enough to have all of us over for dinner one night:
Derek and I took advantage of free babysitters again and used the groupon Christine and Jared had given us for Christmas to Chef Table the night before Alex, Mom and George flew out. My Mom helped me put all the Christmas decorations away before they took off.
Derek was still overwhelmed at work which made it so we were unable to drive out to Reno as expected for the New Years weekend. So, call me crazy but I took the solid week of no plans and obligations as a reason to try potty training twin boys.
(Just kidding). They have been loving to sit on the potty every chance they get for the last month which resulted in a tiring amount of putting diapers and clothes on and off all day between the two of them. Then, the week before Christmas Carter actually started peeing every time he sat on the potty and when the trip got canceled, I jumped. It is exhausting potty training twins,
and honestly that's about all I am doing right now. The rest of the house is completely disheveled and we have no food in the house because I fear a grocery store run with potty training twins. They are actually individually doing really well...it just seems less so because there are two of them.
I hate potty training can't wait for a few months from now when it's hopefully a little less intense. But, to look at the bright side...at least I don't have to buy any more diapers. YAY!
