Christmas day and a little after...

Christmas morning was fun for us this year. Tori is getting what Christmas is a little bit. She understood Santa a little, but didn't really get that he would leave presents under the tree. So when she got up and found presents under the tree she was quite impressed! Tori & Brooke both got Princess dolls with outfits to change them into and a Strawberry Shortcake house complete with accessories from Santa (and some of his helpers...wink wink). Tori & Brooke loved opening all of their presents, but frequently got side tracked with all of the fun new things to play with. Among their gifts were coloring books, crayons, markers, Thomas the train, hot wheel cars, puzzles and a flashlight (that do amazingly cool things like light up like light sabers) for each of them ! Thanks to all of the various Aunties, Uncles and cousins for the plenteous gifts! They will be put to good use!

Needless to say, we need to downsize our toy collection! I am not kidding, I think that I could single handedly run a daycare for 12 children with all of these toys! So I let the girls play while I decided on an organization method and wished for a play room. Maybe when all the girls are out of their cribs/toddler beds, I will cram them all into one room and then they will have a play room. We LOVE the animal masks...and we had to try them all on...I think that I am quite the striking zebra. On to Jason and I...well...I got some amazing slipper boot sock deals from my sister that are super comfy and stylish, a kindle cover from Jason and a purple scarf from the girls. Jason got some games from me, a sweater hand picked by the girls from the girls and some money (with which he purchased two new Wii games: Mario vs Sonic Winter Olympics and Mario Galaxy). All in all...we were spoiled.

Katelyn decided to sleep in... so she was late with all of the opening presents thing, and only two presents lasted her sisters' wrath... she got two new play things to go on her various hanging toy holders...one is this fantastically pink pig that plays music (picked out by Livy) and this vibrating frog (picked out by Oscar). Both are beloved and slobbered on. With some Christmas money from Aunt Michelle she got 2 rattles, 2 pairs of PJs and a warm hat and mittens.

Well, if you couldn't tell from the pictures above, I am still trying to work out the kinks in my new camera. I am slowly getting how to tone down the flash with the exposure... it is a work in progress. And my dang florescent light bulbs... good for the energy bill, bad for lighting. Look at us enjoying our Christmas morning cinnamon rolls! Yummy!

Since Christmas was on Sunday this year the girls got to wear their actual Christmas dresses on Christmas day! Aren't they so dang cute! They all have the same dress!

I tried to take a million and a half pictures of Katelyn with my new camera, and I just wasn't getting it, and it doesn't help that she moves and jerks a whole lot, so most of them came out blurry (also the fault of Tori, I found out later, because she put her cute little fingers all over my camera lens!) and I then turned most of them to black and whites! Oh well!

Our Christmas program at church was wonderful. We enjoyed the music and spoken narration. So here is a funny story: while I was feeding Katelyn after sacrament, the Primary kids got up to sing two songs. After the first song, there was a silent pause while they waited for the next song. Well, Brooke took it upon herself to fill that silent pause with applause and a loud "YEA"! The Primary kids giggled and so did the audience. I missed it all because they turned off the microphone while the kids sang. Apparently after the second song she also applauded and said "Good Job!"

More of the Dinger gang! We went with a black and red theme! Just so you all know...getting pictures with these girls is crazy! But we do it for remembrance sake!

Well...another Christmas has come and gone! I cannot believe it! We really hope to spend next Christmas with family! We sure missed you all this year, but we found out that having Christmas wasn't all too bad with just our own little family (except for the one minor breakdown while listening to Amy Grant's Christmas CD....it made me miss my mom, dad and sister BIG time and there were a lot of tears spilt all over the dishes I was putting away...) maybe next year I won't break it out or I will be celebrating Christmas with them and there will be no need for tears!! Here's to dreaming!

 

Have a Happy New Year!

Have Yourself A Crafty Little Christmas...

 So, as I have mentioned before I have made quite a few crafts this year for Christmas gifts. I also made my anniversary gift and a thank you to a dear friend Dina Gardner, who challenged me to read the Conference Ensign every day for 38 days (that's 1 talk a day)...I was rewarded with some of her delicious cupcakes and I made her a cupcake dry erase board... inspired by something that I saw on pinterest.

This is the one the dry erase board that I made Jason for love notes... it is now located on our dresser. :)

This is the one that I made for Dina! YOU ROCK! Apparently she has a whole room that matches this...I guess I picked some good colors!

Here are some bows that I made for my girls, Livy and Ryah... of course I was inspired by Pinterest!

So you see all of those Gingerbread men! Oh the royal icing! I made these for two parties: The Relief Society White Elephant Gift Exchange & Jason's work party. They were a hit. Then I made another double batch (along with a triple batch of sugar cookies) to give to neighbors around our cul-de-sac and in our ward! YIKES! I am DONE baking for a while!

Auntie Michelle...They are wearing your hair bows! Please note that Tori is eating her bribe... a Gingerbread boy! She let me put up her hair in exchange for a cookie...I bribe my child to look cute! Could you just munch Katelyn! All smiles! They were all a hit at Jason's work party! We scored great gifts at that White Elephant gift exchange! $15 in Itunes! YES! I can upload real music...and not Disney, Wiggles or Ralph!

My silly little girls! Katelyn looks hilarious (and a little blurry), but she is sporting some 3-6 month clothes now! Can you believe that she is 4 MONTHS old?! YIKES! Time flies here! She loves to play with toys, sit in her bumbo and bouncy chair, sleep in her swing and giggle.

That is Tori's hair the day after the party...she slept in it and it became a bouffant! Cutie pie Katelyn and her posse courtesy of Graden Blue. Then there is Brooke hanging out in the bassinet... she thought that was a pretty fun thing to do while I was feeding Katelyn! Ahh...and Jason bought me flowers...just because! TENDER! 

Ode to the Gingerbread (well, really it is made out of graham crackers) Houses! Graden and Burke Blue came over to play. They are my favorite little boys and we have lots of fun! Tori LOVES them both and Brooke is fond of them too (in her own little way...but she was napping while we made these beauties). Anyway, we made gingerbread houses with all kinds of goodies. Check out their snowmen and pink (red) roofs! Oh and the top left picture is of Tori and Graden in a fort that they made. SO FUN! We sure LOVE those BLUES!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Is Coming! Grandpa Lee's Visit

 Well, it has been a while since I posted last, and since then, my Dad came to visit. My mom was supposed to come too, but she had to stay home with strep throat! YIKES! No fun, but I am really glad that Grandpa Lee came anyway. So the pictures are going to do the talking!

Here are the girls! They just keep getting bigger! I cannot believe that Katelyn is going to be 4 months old at the end of this week! Nuts! Brooke LOVES to dress up...my favorite is the combo crock and high heel picture. There was a tragedy in our little family...Brooke's little blanket that we called Snuggly Bunny was accidentally lost at church. She still has not turned up in the lost and found even after multiple prayers. It was a bit devastating for Brooke and she had a few really hard nights with little sleep, but snuggly bunny has been replaced by a cute little doggy stuffed animal named Copper and her new build a bear bunny from Grandma Frann & Grandpa Lee. I am still hoping that it will show up at the church one day...

Grandpa Lee came in on a Friday morning and instantly started helping out with the girls. Tori LOVES Grandpa Lee and was really excited...Brooke is still a little unsure of anyone (but me... I really hope that she grows out of this clingyness!)... so she make sure that she played with him on her own terms. As you can tell by the pictures Katelyn also was quite drawn to her Grandpa Lee! Grandpa Lee sure has a knack for the little ones. Tori went on a walk with Grandpa ans saw all of the lights around the neighborhood! We have quite a few... it is actually an attraction around here!  Brooke joined in with their walk for the last swing up the cul-de-sac. (I sure LOVE their little hats!)

The night my Dad came in we had our ward Christmas party! So fun! Our ward family truly is amazing. We have made some good friends in the past couple of years. Tori is with her little friend Courtney up in the corner up there. Courtney is just a little older than Tori, but they are in Nursery together. Tori LOVED seeing Santa this year. She even gave a real smile! Brooke, however was a little unsure of this bearded man dressed in red! Ha ha ha! Katelyn told Santa all of her secret wishes, that I am sure will all be granted!

My parents gave the girls Build a Bear gift certificates for Christmas and luckily that day they were having a great deal! The girls each got a bear and a princess gown for their bunny and kitty. After what seemed an eternity, Tori decided to make a kitty and Brooke decided on a bunny. They were stuffed, then cleaned and then dressed. The girls both LOVE Kitty and Bunny! THANKS Grandma Frann & Grandpa Lee!

Saturday night my Dad agreed to watch ALL 3 girls while Jason and I went on a date for our anniversary. We made reservations at Epi's, a Basque (Spanish) Restaurant, about 5 minutes from our house. It is a pretty swanky place around here so we had to make reservations a month earlier! I was excited that although my mom didn't make it my dad was still willing to watch all of the girls! So off we went. (I said quite a lengthy prayer that all would go well for my dad while we were gone on our way to the restraurant!) Epi's is an AMAZING restaurant and we had been there once before with my sister and her family two years ago. We have been trying to go there for the past 2 years since, but haven't been able to get reservations.  Both Jason and I LOVE Spanish food because it I lived there for a few months on a BYU study abroad and Jason served his mission in Southern Spain. Oh and the food and smells transported us back to those days! So we went all out! We had two appetizers (chorrizo with pimiento & croquetas) served with this amazing Spanish baguette, soup (mine was a creamy mushroom soup with a hint of spicy heat & Jason had the red bean soup, also quite yummy) and for the main course I had this HUGE piece of halibut covered in lobster creme sauce served with Basque rice and red potatoes. (I am currently wiping the drool from my keyboard!) It was AMAZING! Jason had Albondigas (Meatballs served in a marinara sauce) served with Basque fried potatoes and  Basque rice. We were so stuffed before we even had our main course that I could only eat a few bites! But it was pure heaven! Jason even tried my fish! It was a great night to be able to have a date and eat delicious food... we topped the night off with Rice Pudding to go! The Rice Pudding was a little piece of Spain in my mouth... I cannot wait until Jason and I can go visit Spain together we will have so much fun! Needless to say, my dad survived the 2 hours that we were stuffing our faces. We came back home to Katelyn and Grandpa sitting just like this. Katelyn was a bit in hysterics because she was so hungry, so Grandpa was holding her. She caught a glimpse of the Wonder Pets and was hooked! She was even giggling out loud! Hilarious! THANKS again Grandpa Lee for the fabulous night out!

This year I crafted most of our Christmas gifts because we were a little tight on money and I think that a homemade gift means more! I made this beauty for my Dad for Christmas. I got the idea off of pinterest and put my own spin on it! on the left side in the middle is a heart with where my dad was born. Above and below him are where his parents were born. Next to that is where his Grandparents and Great Grandparents were born! I added the scripture too... because it was my inspiration. My dad is a genealogy master, so I knew that he would love this! The girls and I made something amazing for Grandma Frann, to be posted about after Christmas after she has opened it! We cannot wait!

Sunday we went to church and we broke out the Christmas dresses! I found matching Christmas dresses for all 3 girls! YES! These are the best pictures that I could get. One day all 3 girls will look at the camera and smile all at the same time!

Monday, for Family Home Evening we started a new family tradition for a December FHE, going to see the lights around our city and then getting a Krispy Kreme doughnut and having hot chocolate as a treat! The lights around our city were great and I put a map on Facebook for all you Meridianites who may want to go see them all! We drove around for about an hour and then went to get doughnuts! Here is a funny story for you all... we were getting out of the car (which is quite a feat with 3 kids in car seats) and Tori was out of the car waiting and squatting by the car. We were going in and Tori was lagging behind, so I said, "Tori, come on, let's go pick out a doughnut." She continued to squat, and as I was about to enforce, the come inside... I realized that there was a puddle forming under her legs and that her pants were pulled down! Ha ha ha! She immediately pulled up her pants and said, "Mommy, I was going potty!" I giggled and said, "Thanks for holding it until you got out of the car, but next time let's wait until we get into the shop!" Ha ha ha! At least she didn't pee in the car! We all picked out a doughnut and took them home to make hot chocolate (maybe when we are rich and famous we can have hot chocolate at the store, but I wasn't about to pay $3 for each of our hot chocolates!) Grandpa mentioned that he wanted marshmallows, so we gave him some, with our marshmallow gun! Stick 'em up!

Grandpa helped Tori put up her and Brooke's Christmas tree. It has all of their ornaments and twinkly colored lights. Grandpa Lee also left Jason a note, it reads: Jason, My true love said to me, this is our 3 month anniversary. Warm regards, your Heater love, the Furnace. My dad always seems to come when our furnace filter needs to be changed. If you know my dad you know that he has to keep busy which means that if he is visiting he is there to repair all things that need to be repaired which always seems to include changing the heater filter. Jason said that he knew that my dad would mention that the heater filter needed to be changed, and her sure did! Nothing goes unnoticed by super grandpa!

On Grandpa's last day Tori and I made Gingerbread cookies, a tradition that my mom started for our family and friends when we were little. When I was little we would make gingerbread cookies for all of our friends and family. The pregnant people got prego gingerbread girls, the babies got babies, and girls got girls and boys got boys. It was quite the baking feat! So this year Grandma Frann was going to teach Tori. Although she was not here, I taught Tori and we had a TON of fun!

Tori loves to roll out the dough and cut the cookies out. She takes it real seriously! Tori placed all of the little mouths and one of the buttons on each of the gingerbread boys. We made them for two Christmas parties for the end of the week. They sure were a hit and oh so delicious! Thanks Grandma Frann for sending all of the goods and sharing a family tradition with us! But all things must come to an end...Grandpa Lee had to go back home and take care of Grandma Frann. We sure loved having you here Dad! Tori still cries a little and I ask, "Why are you crying Tori?" and she replies, "Because I miss Grandpa Lee!" So cute!

I know, is this blog done?! Well, the same day my dad left we got a package from Auntie Michelle. Tori was very excited to open a present! She ripped it open and inside were these adorable hair pretties! Tori wouldn't sport hers (although I did bribe her into wearing it to Jason's work party, picture to be seen in a future blog. But Brooke and Katelyn were game to wearing them upon receipt! Thanks Auntie Michelle! Deep, breath, I am done...that is it for today! Holiday blogging to ensue again after I have uploaded more pictures...until then, adieu.

Catch Up...Quick!

 Oh goodness...there is a lot to blog.It has been a while, but there were so many things going on (including the stomach flu (YIKES) and family being in town that it just never got done. So here I go.

So one night when I was bored out of my mind, I decided to see if I could put Katelyn's hair in pigtails... it was a success! Ha ha ha... pigtails at 3 months. Ok, so they are more like antennae, but she sure is cute! And Katelyn tried out the Bumbo for the first time.

So here are some of Tori's many photos (like I picked a dozen from the 100 she took). She loves to take pictures and was really excited when there were 3 more subjects (Grandma, Grandpa & Auntie Marie) to photograph.

Here is a major montage of the family fun that we have had in the past few weeks. From the top going clockwise. Brooke's new favorite past time is coloring (as you can see coloring also includes coloring herself!).  Then there is all 3 girls in their footy pajamas on the Love Sac. Daddy and Grandpa doing calisthenics with the girls! Ha ha ha! Then there is Brooke "doing" a cross word puzzle (more like scribbling) and then Katelyn and Grandpa joining in. Above that is the "tree house" Tori and Daddy made. Above that Tori and Brooke in Jason's shoes. In the middle: Jason shaved one day and came out with a 'stache! YIKES! And going full circle, Brooke coloring again!

Ahhh...Thanksgiving! Auntie Marie got in the morning of Thanksgiving and we had a real Thanksgiving dinner...not one at 2 in the afternoon! Gwen and I SLAVED (ok...it really wasn't all that bad, we both know how to manage time well) in the kitchen all day and our spread included turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry jelly, stuffing, olives and of course, pie (thanks Marie Calendar for your amazing frozen pies!). Jason even made his own green bean casserole! What a chef!

Our tradition is to put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving and we decided to put it in our Living Room this year because our den has now become the catch all room. The girls love it because they get to see the Christmas tree all the time. Brooke really wasn't all that interested in decorating the tree (maybe because she had the stomach flu) but Tori took over like a champ and decorated the tree herself. As you can see most of the ornaments were placed at her arm's length all in a clump, but I kept it that way because they were so cute. I knew they would be rearranged a few days later anyway. I LOVE the 2nd picture of the star going up. Tori wanted to put it on so bad, but her death grip on Jason's hair wouldn't allow the use of 2 hands! Ha! So jason had to take matters in his own hand but Tori continued the death grip on the hair.

Another tradition is that we have Christmas with our family that came for Thanksgiving a few days later so that they can see the girls open their presents. Tori got her own camera from Grandma and Grandpa Dinger and some clothes and Barbies from Auntie Marie. Brooke got a picnic basket from Grandma and Grandpa and some Strawberry Shortcake movies from Auntie Marie (among other things, but I am not listing it all!). I got a new camera! Bye Bye Fuji Film Fine Pix with only 5 megapixels! Hello Olympus VR-330 with HD/3D capabilities and 14 megapixels! YES! Can't wait to start taking pictures with it! Jason is really creative this year and only asked for money. Well, alas, our family off and went back home (just after I had the stomach flu and right as Tori caught it). I have just had about enough of this stomach flu junk and luckily Katelyn hasn't gotten it! As we know well, babies and stomach flu are a scary mix.

 

Last, but not least, Miss Katelyn keeps growing. Here she is in the infamous purple outfit. She is the only one that has fit into the outfit at the appropriate age (3-6 months). Lately she has learned to stick out her tongue, to blow bubbles, to grab toys and to have giggle fits! As you can see, she is a doll. Oh, and she still hasn't chosen what color her eyes should be. My guess: Hazel. She sleeps like a champ. I feed her between 8 and 9 and she goes to sleep right after until 3 or 4 in the morning! Sometimes even until 5! Then she eats again and falls back to sleep!  Her hair is getting long enough to stop sticking straight up and lays down well, but she did get the bald spot in the back of her head and we sometimes call her a monk.

DunnDinger November 2011 & Other Treasures!

The Dunns were here! :) Oh how the Dunns lift our spirits. Too bad they can't stay forever! Well, we had an exciting weekend that, as always, went by way too fast! The boys hung out together while Tiff and I got our crafting on! WOW! It is quite amazing how much we cannot get done with 4 kids... oh well, we definitely wouldn't subtract any of them, but we always try to stuff so many things into such a short amount of time that we never get to it all!

BUT....as you can see, I did actually managed to get a picture of the Dunns (all of them together) this time! Sure they were about to leave out the door, and Brooke wouldn't cooperate, but Katelyn and Ryah were wearing twinner outfits so we had to document! It was just coincidence that they had the same outfits! The girls LOVE Adam and there was lots of rough housing up in here! All good things have to come to an end though, and alas they returned to Utah! SIGH!

Here are some pictures of the Hooligans! Please note the LARGE bandage on Brooke's thumb! Tori was taking a bath while I was putting a roast in the crock pot while Jason was at a meeting. Brooke was playing in the bathroom and I hear this blood curdling scream. At first I thought that Tori had bitten Brooke (this happens occasionally), so I just kept on cutting veggies and screamed a scolding message to Tori....then Brooke (still crying like a lunatic) comes into the living room covered in blood! YIKES! Luckily I was wearing my red apron over my church clothes and I swept in for the rescue. I quickly called Jason... the conversation went like this: SCREAMING cries in the background; Kendra: "Jason, I need you to come home NOW!"; Jason: bewildered, "What's wrong?"; Kendra: trying to keep Brooke's gushing thumb in a towel so that it will stop bleeding while holing the phone in between her shoulder and ear very unsuccessfully, "Just get home NOW!".
Well, it turns out that Brooke got a hold of the razor that I shaved with from behind the shower curtain and shaved a large chunk of her thumb off! YIKES! There was blood everywhere and with the help of my amazing husband who came back from his meeting, we were able to get Tori out of the tub, everyone dressed for church, the roast into the crock pot, and I was able to thwart getting one blood stains anywhere on my body although I had to hold Brooke's finger for 30 minutes until it finally stopped bleeding enough for me to put a Band-aid on it! Shame on me for leaving the razor in the tub!
PS. Aren't those pictures with Brooke and Katelyn so TENDER!

We're in the HOOD now! Oh and hats! Tori loves her new winter hat and takes it out of the hall closet quite frequently to wear it. She also likes to use my coat as a robe and she pretends to be Mary. Once again...my girls are getting bigger right before my eyes. SIGH!
Well, here is a little snip-it from Jason's journal...I LOVE how he writes about this cute little moment:
I have to share an experience that I had the other day. Most mornings my wake-up calls are as follows: the tune of “Where is Thumbkin?” playing from the girls’ alarm clock and ringing through the baby monitor in our room; the sound of Tori and Brooke shuffling their feet, turning on the light switch, and running through doors to make it to mine and Kendra’s bedroom; little voices calling “Wake up Dad!” while I ignore them in playful silence; followed by a THWAP! to the face from a little hand that somehow seems more like a giant bear paw clubbing its prey into oblivion.

Gratefully, that is not the experience that I wanted to share. Nope, this morning was a special morning. The routine was similar until it got to “Wake up Dad. I have a treasure for you!” This I had to see. So Tori took my finger in her little hand—not bear paw—and gently guided me into the living room. There she took me to a window and had me kneel down between her and Brooke. “Look,” she exclaimed, “it’s the moon!” She then sang “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” for me. In contrast to my paycheck (which I probably obsess and worry over more than I should) or any other monetary treasure trove someone could give me, Tori’s treasure for me that morning was priceless! Like I said, this morning was a special morning.

TENDER!

A Birthday Girl! Brookie is 2!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy BrOoKiE!
I cannot believe that she is 2!

We celebrated Brooke's birthday on a Saturday although it was really on Monday. We were supposed to celebrate this birthday with the Dunns, but poor Ryah had a double ear infection! Sad day! Luckily with a little pink medicine, Ryah mended up and they came last weekend! OK...back to Brookie! The birthday girl donned her Tinker Bell costume and we opened her presents. She got a haul this year gift wise. Add up all the grandmas, grandpas, aunties, uncles and cousins, and this girl got so many fun things, I now officially have no clue what to get her for Christmas! She got a Cinderella crown & Princess shoes (4 high heel sets) from Grandma and Grandpa Dinger; a little computer from Grandma and Grandpa Lee; an Elmo music video from the Olesens; a Cinderella dress up dress & Princess hair set from Auntie Marie; Mrs. Potato head from Jason and me; 2 new Princess Barbies from Aunt Michelle; and Princess Barbie clothes from Tori and Katelyn! YIKES! Lets just say that Brooke (and Tori) LOVES all of her new toys!

Ahhhh! Dina Gardner's cupcakes are AMAZING! We had Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cupcakes! Delicious! We sang Brooke the birthday song and she blew out the candles 3 times during the song! Ha ha ha! Tori was Rapunzel at this birthday fiesta and happily got butter-cream frosting all over her face! After cupcakes and presents the birthday girl played with all of her toys! We dressed all of the barbies and she put on her new Cinderella costume.

So as with tradition, on her real birthday we blew up balloons and let the birthday girl play all morning with balloons! Again...I cannot believe that she is 2! But she sure is getting bigger... look at those dimples! They make me melt. Her 2 year stats: 26 pounds and 33 1/2 inches! (Tori is now 37 1/2 inches and 31 pounds. Tori had to get in on the weighing and measuring too!)

Which one do you want on your mantle?

We recently got our family photos taken by my marvelous friend Julie Shepherd. She did a great job with our kids...and it helped that she brought along her beautiful assistant Maddie (whom Tori and Brooke adore) to help out! Which one would you pick? Cast your vote. Would you choose fence, waterfall or wall?


fence standing

waterfall

wall...(dang! you can see my stinkin' cell phone in this one!)

Tender....you can just make out little Katelyn's head!



all of them in a decent picture!

here are some bonus pictures!