December 2014

OUR TRIP TO TEXAS

We passed right by Arches National Park on our drive down so we took a break from driving and spent a few hours seeing some of Utah's beautiful rock formations.  

We decided that winter is a great time to see Arches because it isn't crowed or hot.

We took another short detour to see Four Corners.  We checked the website to make sure we would get there before it closed, but they had the wrong time on the website; it closed right before we got there.  So here we are frustrated at the locked gate right outside of Four Corners.

AUDREY

Audrey all dressed up for her first party (we took her with us to Jared's work Christmas party).

With me being so busy trying to unpack, it has been wonderful having Abby around to help with Audrey.  She loves to hold Audrey and will even do diaper changes as long as they aren't big explosions.

Sleeping on Daddy.

Nathan loves his little sister and wants to hold her all the time.

NEW BEDS

Since we moved into a smaller space, we sold the girls' daybeds and got them a bunk bed.  They were excited about the bunk bed and I was excited about their new Beddy's bedding.  Beddy's are bedding sets that they can zip up like a sleeping bag which makes it much easier to make your bed on a bunk.  Now they make their bed every morning and I never have to remind them.

Nathan is holding up the number 1 because this is his very first bed (we had him on an mattress on the floor).

CHRISTMAS

Audrey in the same dress Maddy wore for her first Christmas.  So precious!

With Audrey in our family we no longer had enough stocking holders and I was worried about the kids getting hurt if one fell down so we decided to use a curtain rod instead, which turned out to be a much safer (and cheaper) option.

Here are the kids with their plate of cookies for Santa.

They decided to make a gingerbread family to match ours.

The kids had fun acting out the Nativity.  Audrey was our sweet baby Jesus.

Jared as a shepherd and Abby as an angel.

The kids in their Christmas PJs on Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning with their pillowcases.

Audrey on her first Christmas.

Nathan was super excited about his new light saber.

Maddy loved her toy horse that fits her doll Marianne.

Abby with a toy bike for her doll Megan.

Audrey in her new Christmas dress from Grandma.

We had a beautiful day and enjoyed keeping up Grandpa Donaldson's tradition of doing a puzzle.  We did this beautiful one of Salt Lake City.

NEW YEARS

We taught the kids how to play Ticket to Ride and welcomed in the New Year (at 9 o'clock) by drinking sparkling cider and banging pots and pans.