Camilla's Surprise

The second day we went tubing with grandpa someone gave us hot chocolate and cookies. They were yummy. It is my favorite thing about grandpa's house.

SNOW!!!

Of course the road was closed that we needed to take to Idaho because of snow...so we took another detour...not quite as fun the second time around, but not too bad!!! The only thing the kids have wanted to do so far has been to play in the snow...so today they finally got to do that!!! Alex and Emma aren't big fans of the cold...Alex eventually warmed up to it, but Emma chose to stay wrapped up with Grandpa!!!

It's "DOUBLE" Christmas!

My mom flew into Utah so she could spend some holiday time with my family and Jer's family since we couldn't make it out to California this year. So, we had "early Christmas". So, we've got some of the traditional "line up and wait to see your stockings" pictures as well opening up gifts. When we got in the car later that day to head up to Idaho Zach asked where we were going and I told him we were going to Idaho for Christmas and Kate's Open House. It took him just a minute and then he said, "YES!!! We get DOUBLE Christmas!!!"

Enjoying the Reception

We all had fun at the reception afterwards...Alex and his cousin Addison swiped the baby's snacks and gobbled them up. There were old fashioned carolers that sang and then all held mistletoe over Brad and Kate. I love seeing pictures of Alex and Emma...in everyone she looks a little scared! :)

Brad and Kate's wedding

It was (obviously) pretty cold at the temple, but very beautiful and perfect with new snowfall!!! Camilla was happiest sitting in the car bundled up in blankets...my mother-in-law looks beautiful with Zach outside the temple...I should have put a hat or something on Emma's bald little head!!!

Brad and Kate's wedding

The LONG drive...

Since I-15 was closed when we needed to head out to Utah for Noall's sister's wedding, we opted to take a detour through Palm Springs. With the detour, getting stuck behind a couple of snow plows, and all the closed on ramps in Las Vegas, I think the trip from start to finish was 15 hours (normally 9 1/2 hrs.) But the kids were GREAT and we sang Christmas carols, had a belated FHE, actually enjoyed the trip!!! We all loved seeing the cactus, joshua trees, and palm trees with snow on it! I did my best to capture some pics, but they didn't turn out too well out my window going 75 mph. :)

Random, but interesting links

On quoting the General Authorities (these look official)...

http://www.fairblog.org/2008/10/20/talk-by-president-boyd-k-packer-goes-viral/

http://pool.fairmormon.org/wiki/images/d/d6/25_February_2008_FP_Letter.pdf

Playing with Daddy

I don't get it...

I LOVE going to the beach. I don't think it has anything to do with growing up in California because we really didn't go that much as a kid. I just love how overwhelmingly amazing and immense it is...I especially love going during the fall and winter when no one else is there. We get all bundled up and go run around, splash, and play. But, my kids are definitely spoiled that we live just minutes from the beach and don't get what a neat opportunity it is to be so close. All afternoon on Friday I tried to motivate them to get their chores done so we could go play at the beach for a couple of hours before it got dark...they were VERY distracted and chose to play "goblins and squirt guns" in ourtiny little backyard instead. In the video, Camilla is the goblin (with a large pot on her head) and the boys are squirting her. There is a lot of running, laughing, and squealing, but basically she is trying to "get" them while they defend themselves by spraying her (I actually think by this time she had stolen Alex's gun)..at one point she says, "I can smell you very good with my nose"...and puts her hand outside the pot to be a hook nose to smell them with...and then finds them. It's pretty funny.

Uniquely Emma

Noall's Aunt Jill asked me last weekend to tell her about Emma...what things are uniquely her. So, I thought I would post some of them. She loves getting up early in the morning with the kids and then going back to bed after they leave for school. She loves to such on her toes and her feet. She even loves to suck on my face - she grin and get really close and then go after my cheek! Tonight she was hanging out with Zach and Camilla and they were dancing for her and singing for her and she was squealing and loving it (which, of course, encouraged them even further). She really loves her brothers and sister (although they are terribly distracting while trying to feed her!). The other big news is that she just cut her two bottom teeth...you can't see either one of them yet, but you can feel them! All the kids have been putting their fingers in her mouth to feel them...they are pretty proud of her!

We're all Mormons...

I love this piece by a rabbi here in southern cali (thanks, Cathy). Take a couple of minutes to read it when you get a chance.

http://www.ldsmag.com/familyleadernetwork/081203mormon.html

Hudson Hawke Hansen

Baby Hudson is HERE!!!!! For those of you who know my brother, Jeremy, and his wife, Bridget, this is their little boy...much anticipated and born this morning!!!

Emma's TRYING to sit up

My camera must have some sort of magnetic attraction because every time I try to take a picture of Emma, all the others BEG for a picture, too! Her cute little face is just TOO much! So...who does everything she looks the most like???

Thanksgiving

We have a fairrly new tradition of running the Turkey Trot on the morning of Thanksgiving. I LOVE starting out the day with a good workout! I didn't traing as much as I wanted to, but I did the 10K and had fun the whole time. There are thousands of runners, so it's very entertaining if you're not trying to break any records! To add to the excitement, it was raining lightly when I got to the race, and steadily increased until there was quite a downpour. This created quite an obstacle course with people trying to avoid puddles...but soon people stopped avoiding puddles because there were too many!!! I know I'm crazy, but it was a lot of fun!!! Noall was a trooper to bundle up the kids and bring them down to congratulate me...then he stayed to run his race (he survived his race, but I don't think he enjoyed running in the rain quite as much as I did!). And...no, I'm not pregnant again...Emma's sleeping unside my coat!

Elder Wirthlin passes away at 91 years old

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/joseph-b-wirthlin-oldest-apostle-dies-age-91