WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO...

while we have been away from blogger, our lives have been full and busy...

Kathryn Anne turned two.  We spent her second birthday with one last trip to see Grandma and Grandpa before they left for their mission.  Here she is clutching the Pooh and Minnie she got for her birthday.  Minnie she named "Sarah" for reasons only she could tell us...

Anne is a spunky, determined, affectionate and sensitive little soul.  She talks up a storm and says the best prayers I have ever heard.  For example, last night she thanked god for her bottle (baba-wee-wees as she calls it), her pajamas, Heather's pajamas, Cameron's pajamas, her pillow pet and Mommy's pajamas.

Heather turned five.  Here she puts the death grip on the ever requested and finally obtained "pillow pet."  Heather is a bright, imaginative, silly, girl with a fabulous sense of humor and deep need to nurture what ever she can get her hands on (usually stuffed animals and dolls).  She prays every night for help to "grow up into a righteous woman" which I only just learned from her means "have lots of babies."  If she had it her way I would have dozens more children for her to love.  She is a doting and (mostly) patient older sister who openly includes Anne in her imaginary world.  She has an imaginary friend named Sally.  Last week we had a sleep over with Sally's imaginary friend named Morgan.  This girl's imagination is on overdrive!

Kathryn Anne made her last trip to the hospital for bladder reflux.  She was tested and declared "reflux free!" Hooray!  

We had Cuh-razy fall weather that included a bunch of snow the week before Thanksgiving.  Anne was dying to get out in the snow the first morning that it a appeared and positively indignant when her hands touched it for the first time...like I had played some kind of cruel trick on her.  The kids and Evan built a giant snowman complete with the requisite carrot nose.

We had our first Thanksgiving with just us...Ev, the kids and Mom in the kitchen.  It was quiet and stress-less and delightful, actually.  The kids missed getting to see their cousins but Evan had to work that morning and that meant any kind of travel was out of the question.

Ewan started taking violin this year and played in his first Christmas show at the mall.  He was positively dashing up their with his decorated violin (for which he won the best decorated violin contest!)

We drove to Montana to spend the week of Christmas with my mom and dad.  It was perfect weather, perfect company, a perfectly wonderful Christmas.  We did a lot of sledding and little Anne was FEARLESS!

Visions of sugar plums danced in their heads on the night before Christmas!

It was a lovely magical morning with some very happy and grateful children.  We heard lots of "this is the best Christmas ever!"

Papa carrying on the tradition from his childhood of Christmas sugar cookies...

Nanny was covered in smoochies the whole week we were there. 

I feel so very blessed.  My life is full.  My heart is full.  My days are FULL.  My house is full. 

Even when my days are rough, as they often are...

I love my life.