"Mommy, I have a joke!"

Today I was getting Landon dressed and he started laughing. Then he said, "Mommy, I have a joke." He was laughing so hard he could barely tell it. I had him tell it again for all of you to hear...

I asked Jason if he had taught this joke to Landon and he said he did not. We're not certain what t.v. show he got this from but I think it's quite funny. Do you really think a 3-year-old gets this joke? Landon sure seems to...

Rock Stars in Training

Lately our kids have really been in to giving concerts. They all choose an instrument and sing songs. It's super cute and I thought I'd treat you to a concert of your own. Nathan was at school so he didn't attend today's performance. I'll try to capture a song from the entire band very soon. :)

Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for Lauren and Landon Weir performing the ever-popular "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!"

More Landon Tumbling-Read Previous Post First

I just realized that Landon didn't get as much air time as his sister on this subject. In order to be fair I thought I'd post another short clip of Landon's other floor routine. Please read the previous post for the full story on our tumbling meet.

Landon was #1 today which meant he was the first of all the kids to do any routines. I remember being shy at his age and he hardly even acted nervous. I don't think my mom could have ever convinced me to do this. Great job Landon!!

Our First Tumbling Meet

Today was an exciting day in our family. Lauren and Landon competed in their very first tumbling meet. It was a "just for fun" meet with the other kids (3 and 4 year olds) in their weekly class. Each student presented their routine one at a time while the other kids and parents watched. It was extra special for the kids because Daddy got to come and see them perform. Lauren and Landon each completed a balance beam pass, a trampoline pass and two floor passes. The meet was complete with judges and score cards and participation ribbons were given to each child at the end.

While we are a long way from earning Olympic gold, I must say that this mommy is VERY proud. Lauren is typically shy during her weekly classes and often won't participate in some of the activities. She'd rather be by Mommy and is a bit nervous to venture out on her own. Well, today she amazed me!! She completed all four of the required passes with minimal assistance from her teacher. She likes the balance beam the best. Here is what is looked like.

Landon's tumbling participation, on the other hand, is oustanding. He loves every minute of his class and asks almost every day when he can go again. Landon has some difficulty with coordination (maybe because he's a boy?) but he is extremely persistent. He must have fallen off the balance beam at least 25 times during his routine today, but he never got frustrated or wanted to quit. He just kept getting back on and going forward until he was completely finished. Landon doesn't seem to have a favorite area but here is a sampling of one of his floor passes.

It's days like this that make me realize my babies are really growing up. I have mixed emotions about this as I'm sure that all mothers do. While I'll miss some of the baby things, I must admit that this bigger kid stuff is really great. I'm so proud of Lauren and Landon. Thanks to their teacher, CeLes for allowing them to participate in this great opportunity.

We love sledding!!

The day after Christmas we went sledding with Jason's sister's family and Jason's parents. One thing that's lacking in south-central Idaho is a good sledding hill. We were excited for the adventure and the kids couldn't wait. Well, the hill we chose was humongous and I wasn't about to let my precious little ones brave it alone. So I proceeded to ride with them each time down the hill. The problem arose when I tried to climb up the very steep hill with our sled and a toddler in tow. You see, I'm getting older and I'm not in very good shape. Whew! Thanks to Grandpa Gordon, Uncle Mitch and Josh and Lucas for helping us all back up the hill. We had a REALLY fun time and can't wait to go again.


Here is Grandpa Gordon pulling Landon and baby Jacob (age 1) around in the sled. Baby Jacob is a big boy and weighs as much as 3-year-old Landon. When Jacob leaned back I thought Landon would fall out of the sled. But he held on and they both enjoyed the ride.

Nathan making a snow angel.

Lauren and Jason

After sledding we all went to Jason's parents' house for a pizza. Here are all 8 of Chris' grandkids enjoying their pizza. They range in age from 1 to 7 and have lots of fun together.

Family Christmas Fun

On Christmas Eve morning we went to Jason's sister's house. We had a yummy brunch and we all ate too much. We had a great time visiting together and it was fun to have Jason's brother-in-law back from Iraq with us. Welcome home Mitch!!

The kids were finally able to open a couple of presents from Grandma and Grandpa Crystal and their cousins. They LOVED their sleeping bags from Grandma and Grandpa.
Nathan put his to use later that day when he took a nap in it. He thought it seemed like the perfect place and he looked very comfy.

Christmas Eve night we went to Jason's parents' house. Once again we ate yummy food and enjoyed visiting together. We are blessed with a fabulous family and I can't think of a better place to spend the holidays. Family is truly what it's all about, isn't it?

On Christmas morning the kids slept in. It was so nice as we were up late being "Santa's helpers." After they awoke they didn't even remember that it was Christmas. We turned on a kids show for them while all of the adults took a few minutes to comb their hair and brush their teeth. When we were all ready I asked the kids if they thought Santa had come. They immediately headed for Mom and Dad's living room. They loved what Santa had brought and were so excited to see it all. Here are a few photos...

This is Landon with his new t-rex. Behind him is his new piano, complete with working microphone. Here is Nathan with his new tool bench and his pirate ship. I think he liked the cell phone that came with the bench the very best.

Here is princess Lauren in one of the many princess outfits that she now owns. She loves her magic wand and her princess shoes. She modeled each of the outfits for us throughout the day and made certain to check herself out in the mirror each time.

Our Christmas was so much fun! My sister pointed out how good the kids were. There was no crying or fighting this year and they played nicely in the living room all day. We enjoyed being together and know that we are so blessed. We hope your Christmas was as filled with love as ours was. Thanks to Mom and Dad and Suzanne and Brent for being with us. We love you all!!

More Holiday Fun

Last year we found the best Christmas light display I have ever seen! It's at a private residence about 45 minutes from where we live. This year we decided to make the trip again to see this incredible show.

We loaded the kids into the car and brought all their cold weather gear because it was a cold and windy night. Everyone was anxious to see the lights and to feed carrots to the real live camel.

This photo shows the kids enjoying the lights. Lauren really did like them, but in this photo she had just seen the "real" Santa Clause and she was worried we'd make her sit on his lap again.

We walked through the lights first and then stopped to see the camel. We didn't get to feed it carrots this year because they had a sign saying the camel was not feeling well. I have a feeling it has something to do with all of the candy canes that Santa was giving to the thousands of kids who had come to visit. After looking at the camel and explaining that we couldn't touch it we got back into the car and drove through the light display. We just couldn't get enough. If you live in south-central Idaho this is one Christmas tradition you don't want to miss!

Another fun project that we took on this year was to build a gingerbread house. My sister had a gingerbread house kit that she gave to us. She ate a few gum drops before she gave it to us but luckily we still had plenty. Whew!

Jason was the foreman on the project. He used the sticky icing to build the house and get it all set up. Nathan was a fabulous apprentice and watched his every move.

The kids and I were the decorators. Lauren and Landon put TONS of candy on the house and the trees. Nathan put a few pieces of candy on and then ate the rest. (I think he takes after his mom.) Check out all of the candy that he has stored in his right cheek.

The house turned out beautifully and it stayed on our kitchen counter until, after a few days, all of the candy was missing. Thanks to Suzanne for giving us this fun idea to do with our kids. I think we'll do this every year.