Christmas at the English House

Christmas has come and gone and once again, I feel like we got too much stuff. I really need to learn my lesson on less is more for the kids. I heard someone on TV suggest to give your kids only 3 presents just like the 3 wisemen. I think that is a great idea and I might start that next year to avoid the excess.

I got a bunch of new clothes and new perfume.

Santa brought Lyndie a Tinkerbell doll and she also got Bratz Babies and other toys.

Santa brought Logan a Red Light Saber. He also got Lincoln logs, Batman motorcycle, Star Wars action figures, Dinosaurs, etc.
Santa brought Mallory an Easy Bake Oven. She also got Troy and Gabriella from HSM3. Princess drawing thing, a radio and CD, books and games, etc.
and Jeremy got a snow shovel. Just kidding! He got a couple of video games, a movie, cologne, etc.

It was literally a blizzard on Christmas Day. We got dumped on anywhere from 1 to 3 feet depending on where we shoveled. The wind created several snow drifts that were very deep to dig through. It was a very fun day for everyone. We got up early and opened presents and spent the rest of the day trying out presents and playing games together. 

Fun Day in December-5 days 'til Christmas

This is Mallory behind the camera. Not too bad actually. 
Mallory made this Gingerbread house at school this week. She was really excited, because Dad came into her classroom to help her make it and Dad going to school is a real treat for her. Jeremy said that was one of the funnest hours he has ever had.
This is Logan's cool trick with his gun. He is spinning it around fast "like a bad guy" as he would put it. Is it bad that he always wants to be the bad guy?
This is my attempt at a nap yesterday. It never really happened, but Jeremy took a picture to use as leverage.:)
Lyndie's idea of a fun day is to read books and tell what is on the page. It's fun for her, because she knows so many of the Disney characters from our vacation and she can go through this book and point them all out.

All in all, kind of a quiet day at our house. Although our kids definitely feel the Christmas excitement in the air, because they are always hyper and running around lately.

The Snow Finally Came!....Now It Can Go Away.

The kids all had a great time yesterday afternoon running through the snow. We even tried to build a snow hill to sled down, but I think I will leave that to Dad next time.
Logan was trying to make snowballs and attack me with them. Can you say BOY!?
Even Lyndie got in on the fun with us. She loved it until she took off her gloves and touched the snow. I had to hold her after that and I let her keep her hands around my neck inside my hood. Yes they were freezing little fingers, but we do that for the ones we love.
This is the first thing Mallory wanted to do when she went outside. I think she did a pretty good job of making a snow angel.

Where Have I Been?

I feel like I haven't blogged in a while, so I thought I would update all those who read this. I have a new calling now in my ward as Beehive advisor and I am so excited about that.

I forgot to take my camera with me to Thanksgiving, so there are no pics of that, sorry. I spent it with my Aunt and cousins on my Mom's side of the family. We had a lot of fun and it was nice to catch up with everyone. I promise to take my camera with me to all future events we attend.

Hope everyone is having a great Holiday Season!

Twilight Midnight Movie Premier

Okay.....so my friends and I went to the midnight movie premier of Twilight! It was so worth staying up late to go see it! Edward is hot hot hot! When I got home, Jeremy surprised me with a life size cardboard cut out of Edward standing next to my bed. It scared me at first, but once I realized it was Edward, I was fine.:)
We saw Alice there in line.
We also saw Edward and Bella in line.
My friends and I made T-shirts the night before. I was Edward's midnight snack, and the others are in the next picture.
There is Edwards Candy, Edwards Forbidden Fruit, Edwards Dessert, and Edwards Cocktail. We are all standing in Chili's where we ate before getting in line at 7pm.

**By the way, I went to see it a second time and it's just as good or better than the first time you see it.**

Tagged! Times 6

I was tagged! You need the sixth picture you took in the sixth month of the year. I don't label all my pics like that, so I did the sixth folder and the sixth picture in there.

This is our most recent Halloween. This is the group that we Trick-or-Treated with. We stayed out for a good couple of hours. The kids could have gone more, but I figured they got enough candy.

I tag Charlie Jaffa, Kelli Bramble, and anyone else who reads this and wants to try this tag.

What the........?!

I have no idea what game this is or why the Barbies legs are in the printer, but whatever keeps the kids entertained is ok with me.

Hanging' Out at Home

It's been a few days since I have blogged, so I thought I would do a quick post. Mallory is back on track, so my afternoons are peaceful and quiet with Logan. I am excited today because I just got my tickets to Twilight for the midnight showing.  Lyndie is doing pretty well with potty training today.  She hasn't had an accident all day and she is actually telling me she needs to go potty. Now if we can just get her to do that when she has clothes on we'll be set! That is my disclaimer that at any given time there could be a naked baby running around my house! Sorry! 

I Made Bread!(All By Myself)

This was the first time I made bread that turned out great! I followed my sister-in-law's recipe word for word and what do you know, it actually worked! I made 4 loaves and they all look this good. And they taste good too! I think this is my new hobby. Heather the bread maker.:)

It Can Be Done!

WOW! There is carpet in our basement! We finally buckled down with the kids last night and totally organized the play room and did a DI run on several toys and stuffed animals that were just taking up space. We also did a battery pile of all the toys that just need batteries. It feels so good, that I wanted to share it with all of you. And I also wanted a picture of it so I can prove to myself that the playroom can be cleaned. Even if just for a few minutes.

Trunk-Or-Treat

We went Trunk or Treating for the first time this year with a friends ward and it was really fun for the kids.
They got to go around and get a lot of candy in a short period of time and yes I am wearing a T-shirt at Halloween time at night in Utah! The weather has been so nice to us this year here.
This is Mallory's "cat" face. She is the cat from Aristocats.
This is Logan's tiger face.
This is Before we left to go to the Trunk or Treat. I made these costumes by myself by the way and without any pattern. Just fabric and a sewing machine. I am pretty impressed with myself because I really am not that great of a seamstress. Mallory has wanted to be a white cat for two years now and you can't find a costume like that, so that is why I decided to make them this year. Lyndie was a puppy again since she really didn't use it last year.

I'm Getting Excited for Christmas!!!!!

This is Christmas 3 years ago! I can't believe my babies have grown up so much! It makes me sad. But anyway, I was in Wal-Mart yesterday and saw all the Christmas stuff out and I have to admit I get sucked right into all of it. I love this time of year when everyone is so selfless and giving. I am always in a good mood around the holidays. Is anyone else getting excited?

Our exciting weekend!

This is Jeremy prior to his Gall Bladder surgery. I can blog about it now because life is almost back to normal now. I took pictures after, but they are not very flattering, so I won't post them. Jeremy had his Gall Bladder out at LDS hospital on Thursday. The night before that, Logan was throwing up all night. Logan went with me to the hospital since he was recovering from the night before. Thursday night Jeremy kept me up with his pain and stuff and then Friday night Mallory started throwing up clear until 4 am. This was really hard because Jeremy was totally unable to help me and I was exhausted after three nights of no sleep. Saturday morning I walked around just crying. I am pretty sure my ability to cope with everything went bye-bye after the third night without sleep. 

I called my Relief Society and they arranged to bring in dinner for three nights. It was a big relief and allowed to me to get my sanity back and now we are doing just fine. Definitely not a weekend I want to repeat, but it did humble me to realize that I can't be tough all the time and take it all on. There is help there, I just need to be humble enough to ask for it.

Witches at Gardner Village

We go to Garder Village every year and walk around to see all of the witches with the kids. Although I never have gone on a Saturday before and do not recommend it to anyone. It was a zoo!
The kids had fun finding the witches all over and having their picture taken.
It was warm that day, so we ended up all taking our jackets off. It was a really nice day overall, I just will go on a weekday next year so we can walk around and maneuver more easily.

Star Wars and more Star Wars

Since going to Disneyland and seeing the "real" Darth Maul and Darth Vader, Logan has completely become obsessed with Star Wars. He has been watching episode 1 everyday for the last week and a half. We never let him watch it before thinking it would be too scary for him, but he loves it. I was worried about Darth Maul, but Logan has decided that he loves Darth Maul. The first time we watched it together and when Darth Maul gets killed, Logan actually started to cry with real tears and everything. I explained that he was the bad guy, but Logan said the "other guys" , Jedi, were the bad guys because they killed him. It was so cute. Who knew that Darth Maul would be his hero. He has some pretty good moves with a light saber now too. He watches the movie and copies whatever Darth Maul does. 

The Happiest Place on Earth! (4 days of Disneyland)

This is me and Mallory on the train. This was one of the kids favorite rides.
Lyndie refused to wear her ears we bought her as did her Dad. (Party Poopers!)
The Jungle Cruise. Another favorite of the kids.
This was the kids bunk beds. They are watching TV together in this picture. It was nice because they had their own TV and we had our own TV.
Getting ready for bed after a busy day at Disneyland.
Buzz Lightyear! The kids loved all the characters.
Captain Jack got a little fresh with me, but Logan was most excited to see him out of all the characters we saw.
Dad and Lyndie on the train.
Finding Nemo Submarine ride. The kids were glued to their windows until we got to a scary part, then they all leaned back at the same time.
Pluto!
Boo's door from Monsters Inc.
Minnie Mouse!

Mickey Mouse!
This is before the gates opened, so we took the chance to all get suncreen on here each day. It was in the 90's when we went.
Dad taking the kids for a walk while we waited for the shuttle to Disneyland.
They had a really cool story time in this room inside Innoventions. We went into this place anytime we were hot because it was about 60 degrees in here.
Jessie!
Woody!
This is Woody's Halloween round up. They had a little petting zoo for the kids. 
A lollipop to keep Lyndie happy!
What's Disneyland without a caramel apple?
Jasmine and Aladdin. The parents at this one were pretty aggressive. We had to fight to get this picture!
I talked Mallory and Logan into going on the Matterhorn with me. We couldn't sit all on one seat, so one of the employees offered to go with Logan in the same car as me and  Mallory. Logan thought that he was pretty cool to get to do that.
The token picture in front of the Mickey Mouse flowers! Lyndie slept a lot in her stroller. We also got one for Logan and that was the best choice we could have made. 

I have to say that this was the funnest thing we have ever done as a family and I actually teared up as we walked out the gates for the last time. I love disneyland and we will definitely go back one day soon.