Weekend Fun

We had a pretty good weekend. On Friday, Shawn and I were able to go on a date. We went at grabbed a bite to eat at Pei Wei's and then headed out to watch "I am Legend." It is that new movie out with Will Smith. It was a pretty interesting film. It kinda has the same feel of Cast Away...lots of silence, not alot of music, and of course...only one main character. Will did a great job of carrying the role. I didn't like the ending as much, but the movie was an interesting concept. Apparently it is a remake of some 70's flick. I could never imagine living in a world where I was the only survivor. You will have to go see it and tell me what you thought.

On Saturday we woke up early and set up to tackle some projects. First I cut the boys hair. I really wish I knew how to do it a little better, but Shawn never seems to complain. In in end it saves us alot of money, and I guess the more I do it...the better I will get. It was so cute when we were finished. Sydney got up on the stool, and said "my turn." I guess that she felt a little left out. I wet her hair down, and then combed it out. She wanted me to use the clippers, but I refrained. We still haven't even trimmed Sydney's hair!

After haircuts we set out to put up our outside lights. We had meant to do them a few weeks back, but with Shawn out of town, and the rain...it never happened. So we finally drug out the box of lights, and set to work. Shawn did the majority of the work, and Sydney enjoyed hanging out with Dad for a bit. We still need to buy some more lights for the outside, but atleast we have some.

Later in the afternoon, we headed over to Tori and Tracy's for "Take Two" of our gingerbread houses. We hoped that these would fair better than our last attempt, and we are glad to say that it was a success! Caden was more into eating the candy this year than actually decorating it, but we still had fun. Tori and Tracy live right down the street from the Mesa Temple so afterwards we bundled up and went to see the lights. It really is one of the most beautiful light displays. At one point, Sydney didn't want to be in the stroller anymore, and all she wanted to do was "walk with Abby." They were so cute walking around hand in hand. It has been so fun watching Sydney...she is getting so independent, and just loves spending time with others.

One thing that has been different this time around is being pregnant during cold weather! Both Caden and Sydney were September babies so I never needed a jacket that would fit around my growing belly. Luckily it doesn't get too cold here, but I may have to go out and by myself a maternity jacket. I feel like it had taken forever for me to actually "look" pregnant, and not just fat...and then it seems as if I woke up this week, and now I am huge! The sad thing is that I know I am only going to get bigger! Oh the joys of pregnancy! Anyhoo, I had Shawn take some pictures of my fat self so you all can see how I am progressing, and be thankful that you aren't has fat as me! :) I am now 7 months along, and March is just around the corner! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by. (Oh...and BTW...No, we haven't opened the envelope yet! :)

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show! :)

Pre-K Christmas Party

Today was Caden's last day of pre-school before the new year. They had their Christmas Party, and all the parents were invited. In the past, Caden has had a really hard time adjusting to all the different people there. This time I tried something a little different. I made sure that Sydney was watched by a friend (Thanks Melanie!) and then we arrived there early. I thought that maybe he wouldn't have as much of a hard time if he was able to adjust to each arrival rather than all at once. It proved to help a little bit. Caden was still a little bit clingy, but was much more ready to participate. Hopefully over time, he will get better at it.

They did alot of fun things today. The first thing they got to do was decorate sugar cones into Christmas trees. It was a really fun craft. We plastered the cone with green frosting, and then Caden went to town decorating it will all different sorts of candy. He was really proud of the final creation.

They also got to make reindeer food for Santa's reindeer. It has been fun this year because Caden is really getting into the concept. He is excited to sprinke it onto our lawn so that they reindeer can eat it when they get to our house. He is sure they will be "so hungry."

Their next activity was a gift exchange. Everyone brought a small gift to give to someone in the class. Caden had gone with me to pick out a gift, but he didn't quite get the concept. He was so excited when we wrapped it last night, and made sure that we brought it to class. I had explained to him that he would be giving it to one of his friends in class....that is the part he didn't quite understand. His teacher tried to play a game where everyone was supposed to pass it to the person next to them while she played some music. As soon as the music stopped the present you had in your hands was the one they got to open. It was hilarious to watch. Caden wouldn't let go of his, and some of the others wouldn't either. One of the kids started opening every gift that was passed to him. In the end they threw all their gifts to the center and then they each picked a different one. That is when Caden lost it. He thought he was getting the one that we had bought together, and didn't want to have anything to do with the "new" gift. I guess in time he will understand the importance of giving rather than recieving.

Towards the end of class they had a special visit from Santa. It was pretty funny to see how excited the kids got. The costume was lacking, but the kids still ate it up. They each got a picture with Santa, and a treat from him too. Caden loves Santa, but is still afraid to approach him by himself. So I took him up there, and he was able to get his treat.

The best part for me was when they gave us our "parent" gift. This isn't the best picture, and it is impossible to get a picture that captures the whole thing. Obviously...it is an ornament. They had put Caden's hand in white paint and then had him grab the ball. Caden then decorated each finger to be a snowman. It is the cutest thing ever. It made his hand look soooo tiny, and I will cherish it forever. It also had a little poem attached to it that read

These aren't just five snowmen,
As anyone can see.
I made them with my hand
Which is a part of me.
Now each year when you trim the tree
You'll look back and recall
Christmas of 2007
When my hand was just this small!

We really had a fun time together. I love this boy more than words can express. This week he has been a pill, but in the end he just melts my heart away!

Gingerbread Mishap

One of the traditions that we have with Shawn's family is getting together and building Gingerbread houses. We started it last year, and Caden never stopped talking about it. Well, the day arrived on Sunday for us to enjoy in the festivities once more. We had gathered loads of candy, the gingerbread was cut and ready to piece together, and the cement (frosting) was loaded.

For those of you who don't live in Arizona, we have been having some crazy weather. It has actually been raining off and on for the past week. It has made it very cold (atleast for AZ), and provided lots of moisture in the air. Well, that moisture proved to be our detriment.

As we started piecing the houses together we noticed that the roof's were having a hard time staying in place. We discovered that even though the gingerbread had sat out all day on Saturday it was still soft! All of the roofs started to bow in the center from the weight of the candy. In the end each house slowly began to fall apart, and only one house managed to make it through. The kids enjoyed pilfering the candy stash, and we had fun as a family.

We all laughed at the mishap we had this year. Last year the roofs were not wide enough so we had a huge gap at the top. It is something that we can look forward to every year, and as you can see creates a different memory each time. Gingerbread House making TAKE TWO will take place this Saturday. Hopefully those will turn out!