Hello February, Hello Running Shoes

• We put up some heart decorations (idea from here) to celebrate the new month. We have had a crazy winter so far, with multiple storms leaving more than 15 inches of snow each time. Today we got freezing rain that left a coat of ice over everything. I don't think the 6-foot pile of snow in our front yard is ever going to melt.
• Thanks to my awesome friend upstairs, I started running. I'm not a "runner" yet, but I have been going running quite a bit and I really like it. I've set some crazy lofty goals for myself in the next two months, so I'll keep you updated...
• Anna is 18 months old now! She doesn't talk much, she doesn't love nursery much, and she is still pretty small. But she is funny and opinionated and loves to be cuddled and copies everything that Matthew does, down to the way he holds his markers when they are coloring.

Christmas Trip

On Christmas Eve, we packed up our presents and food and headed to Pennsylvania with some friends, where we stayed for a week (and thankfully missed the blizzard in NYC that left Staten Island with 18 inches)! It was a super fun little Christmas trip!

fun things: skiing on Christmas day • eating so much food we could burst • matching pajama pants for each family • the guys making Christmas breakfast • swimming in the huge jacuzzi bathtub • watching the kids play and play with each other and their new toys • spontaneous ear piercing on a trip to the outlet mall (I felt like a nervous 12 year old girl, but I love them!) • bowling - and not doing very well • wearing matching yellow sweaters • hilarious "just dance 2" on the wii at night • swimming and sliding at the resort water park • playing card games and board games • laughing all the time •

I'll keep saying this again and again, but having good friends makes being so far away from family so much easier.

Gifts

We had a wonderful Christmas! We spent a week with friends at a resort in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. We ate way too much food and had a lot of fun. I'll post pictures soon.

But first, I thought I'd share some of my favorite things I made for friends and family this Christmas. I had so much fun making all of these things, and in some cases I made a second to keep for myself because I loved them so much!

Top to bottom: felt bird ornaments, rose barrettes, skirt for sister, a tie for my dad, Christmas tree garland, bean bag animals, nyc felt ornaments, shirt for sister

It got just a little bit crazy at times, so I think I'll have to start sewing earlier next year if I plan to make this many gifts again! :)

This Christmas

This will be our third Christmas we've spent far, far away from our families in Utah. But we are slowly creating our own traditions and we really enjoy the relaxing time together. We'll get to spend Christmas nearby with good friends this year, and we are looking forward to a fun little trip of skiing and swimming and playing.

The tree is decorated and redecorated daily. I love our Christmas tree this year, and I love that Matthew helped me decorate it. I have to smile when I look at it and see two or three ornaments on the same branch.

Packages and presents are in the mail on their way to family. And one good thing about being far away from family is that we get a lot of mail and Christmas packages! The kids get so excited every time they see a big box at our door!

Christmas shopping is not done, but almost. The sewing machine is probably going to need a loooong break after Christmas because I have been sewing day and night. I've had so much fun sewing tons of presents. And, of course, lots of oranges and Christmas goodies are being eaten.

Christmas cards are sent out. This year went by so quickly when I look at it this way:

Matthew is finally starting to figure out Christmas and he absolutely loves anything to do with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. We've had fun counting down the days with our advent calendar, and reading tons of Christmas books from the library. There has been no real snow for us yet, but I'm sure it is on it's way. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone!

Letter Wall

We have a wall of letters at our house. Each week we choose a new letter to learn about, and it directs our crafts, activities, FHE lessons, and discussions for the week. Matthew has really enjoyed it, and he can probably list off at least five animals for each letter! We are almost halfway through the alphabet, and some weeks we stick to it better than others, but I think it is doing some good!

S is for snowflake, P is for pig, B is for balloon ... etc.

Thanks

We had a fun Thanksgiving dinner with a couple of Joseph's classmates and their families. The food was really good and we had fun talking and playing games and looking at their cute babies.

A favorite tradition is our "Night After Thanksgiving" event on Friday night when we watch a movie and enjoy leftovers and tons of other snacks. Matthew got to stay up late this year and join us and it was so much fun. We've really enjoyed the long weekend together! Happy Holidays!

Last But Not Least

Joseph's parents came to visit for a few days last week. They are always so good to us, and are so easy to have around. They helped with the kids and the housework and the grocery shopping, but still had a little time to themselves to travel through Brooklyn and Long Island.

We've had so many visitors this last month that it has just flown by! We had a lot of fun seeing all of the family members that traveled so far to be with us. Now it is back to our normal schedules, normal nap times, and making plans for the holidays!

Fall with the Family

Robin, Megan & Kyle came to visit in October and we had a wonderful time. Here is some of what we did and learned:

1. Taking two kids, two strollers, and a few blankets and bags and purses on the bus, ferry, and subway is not easy - even with four adults.
2. A restaurant entirely devoted to variations of macaroni and cheese is a very good thing.
3. Paying only $11 for enough Chinese food to feed four adults is definitely worth two trips in three days. Especially because it was delicious.

4. When walking around the city, comfortable shoes are only a necessity if you don't want your heels, toes, and arches to be in pain. Otherwise, cute, but impractical, shoes are better. :)
5. Searching for shells and crabs on the beach makes for a perfect afternoon. And walking around a lake and seeing the pretty fall colors is the perfect thing to do on a sunny morning.
6. Shopping with sisters is so much better than shopping by yourself.

7. Anna's hair is finally long enough to put in pigtails and it makes her look like a little girl instead of a baby.
8. If you stand too close to a street performer's act you just might get pulled into the middle of it.
9. My sisters and brother-in-law are seriously the best, although I already knew that before this trip.