Christmas in Colorado

I always forget just how busy the holidays are. So much baking to do, little gifts to buy, deliveries to drop off, events to attend, cards to send out, packing to be done...trying to keep in mind what it is all about and not get over stressed. Thought I better quickly document what we have been up to before we head out of town and it all gets blurred together.

I dragged everyone to the Candy Cane Festival at Hammonds Candy Factory. It was insanely crowded but the girls got a ride on the Christmas train so it was worth it.

Ben and I went out for a Christmas date in Denver and saw the Christmas Carol. Our babysitter came late and there was a ton of traffic so getting there was stressful but we still had a great time. The show was wonderful and it was so fun to be out.
We went to the ward breakfast and nativity. Santa came at the end and we got another picture of the girls refusing to smile...still cute. This pic with the free ward Santa is quite a bit better than the $25 one we got at the mall that I abandoned at my moms. Santa pictures have not been our strong point this year. We bundled up snug and went to zoo lights at the Denver Zoo. It was (again) unbelievably crowded but awesome once we were inside. Rosie kept us busy pulling off her mittens and boots constantly and throwing them overboard. I ended up getting her out of the stroller and dancing around with her to the Christmas music and our camera went flying out of my pocket and broke. boo. But all in all it was a great night.
On Sunday we had a mini family Christmas because Cindy and Chris won't be able to make it to Maryland for the holiday and we didn't want to drag too many presents back east with us. The girls got some lovely presents. The favorites were awesome radio flyer push bikes from their grandparents and teddy bear leash backpacks for the airport from their daddy. We had a big Christmas feast, put together plates of goodies for some friends, went caroling, and watched the George C. Scott version of the the Christmas Carol (we can't get enough). The girls have had a blast playing with their presents all week and dragging gift bags around the house and filling and emptying them with all sorts of stuff (their absolute favorite thing to do). Christmas is only three days away and I can hardly believe it. We have been so busy and I've been so panicked to get everything done that it seems to have come faster than any other year. We have had a ton of fun and done everything I wanted to do but I'm still not ready for it to be over. I'm ready for some quiet moments to just take it in and reflect on the true reason for the season. Hope you find that time too.

Have a very, merry Christmas!

Dining Room

The dining room is finally finished! I have some plans for hanging stuff on the walls and maybe an area rug under the table but other than that, we are done. A few months ago when I was feeling really crafty (which has since subsided) I started hatching a plan for the dining room. This was supposed to be my little project but it ended up being far too complicated and Ben had to take over. All I ended up doing was painting the gray on top and Ben did all the paneling, the squares, the chair rail and crown molding, painting over all the primed pieces and finally hanging the new chandelier.

He did an amazing job. It's hard to capture in the photos but the room feels so much bigger and brighter. It feels like it's own distinct room rather than blending into the living room. Ben is very handy but more importantly, he is so hard working and willing to start and see through home projects even after being at work all day. I had a Christmas Brunch on Wednesday for a few of my favorite mamas just to make use of my lovely new dining room. Thank you Benny.

BEFORE: (after I started taping)

AFTER:

Rewind

I'm in one of those blogging ruts where I try to get to it everyday but it always falls last on my list...and the longer I let it go the less I want to do it. Busy, busy time of year.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday in Salt Lake. The meal was of course fabulous and both I and the girls ate an enormous amount of the best sweet potatoes I've ever had. Thanks mom.Daniel, Ben's brother, joined us for part of the day and it was great to see him. We also found out the exciting news that he is getting married December 27th in Maryland. We had been planning on staying in Colorado and having everyone out to stay with us for Christmas but plans have changed a bit. Lots of packing up and wiggly airplane rides ahead but we are looking forward it. I haven't been out there since I was barely pregnant with the girls and am overdo for a visit. Traveling with the girls at this age is a little terrifying but things usually go better than expected. Fingers crossed.

Thanksgiving night I went with my sisters and Emily (third sister) to Breaking Dawn and actually found it quite disturbing. I had a seriously upset stomach the first half hour of the movie so that may have had something to do with it. Must see again. Then we hit up Target for the midnight Black Friday sale (first timer!) and had a blast in the long line trying to get the crowds to sing carols. It was completely insane but I did make out with a double screen car DVD player for the girls at almost half price. Awesome.

Saturday night we went down to Temple Square with the fam in the freezing cold and fought the crowds. Came home for pizza and loved being with my siblings. Ben took off Sunday and I spent the rest of the week hanging out with my fam and some wonderful friends.We spent most of Monday going back and forth to the Expo center helping my sister decorate her gorgeous tree in honor of Charlotte and Lily. The theme was "Meet me at the Fair" and it turned out perfect. Erin does an amazing job. I don't think I was much help with the girlies in tow but it was really fun just to be apart of it. LOVE the Festival of Trees and the tribute it gives to two perfect girls and so many others.Shelley graciously accompanied me to Rosie and Evie's very FIRST professional haircut which I have been putting off forever and butchering them myself (with Benny). I was impressed with what a good job they did and am enjoying their tidier little do's. Evie loved it until Rosie started screaming bloody murder and then she was completely distracted with concern for her sister. All survived.
Spent an evening with my girl Tami, the day with my roomie Jen, and had dinner with a bunch of darling ladies from our old avenues ward. It was so refreshing to see so many of my favorite faces and catch up. Also went out to the zoo with my parents and sister and all the kids. Fun, fun week. While we were gone Ben worked tirelessly on finishing up the dining room and it's beautiful. Pics to come.

Wednesday night there was an insane wind storm that blew over 4 of the enormous pine trees that surround my parents house. I didn't sleep a wink that night because it was SOOO loud. Woke up to what seemed like a scene from a movie. Pretty spooky.
Friday we loaded up the car and Emily, Alex, and I (plus the babes and Clover) headed out to Colorado. I'm so thankful for the extra time their generous offer let me have in Salt Lake and also for their quick visit. I loved the 8 hour car ride spent talking with these girls and the fun filled day we had why they were here. We had a grand slam breakfast Saturday morning, worked out (shred baby), went into Boulder for a little shopping and hot cocoa, and that night went out for a Christmas evening in freezing cold Denver. I laugh like crazy with these two and love them so. Thank you to my Benny for spear heading baby care so I could really enjoy them.
And now we are home and trying to get back into the grind. I always feel like I'm so behind when we get back in town. Trying to do laundry, finish decorating for Christmas, bake for events, Christmas shop and figure out Christmas cards, see friends I missed, church stuff, get books back to the library....just so many odds and ends to be taken care of. Great to be gone, great to be home.

A few things to be thankful for

I cannot believe this Thursday is Thanksgiving! Time just keeps going faster and faster. I am so excited to pack up my family and head to SLC for the holiday and even more excited that my little sis and dear friend Emily have offered to drive me back home so my little beauties and I can stay a few days longer. I love everyone being in the house on Thanksgiving eating, preparing food, listening to Christmas music, and watching football. It's just a great day. Despite all the naysayers...I have been listening to Christmas music for about two weeks now and am LOVING it. I can't believe that a year ago my little girls were teeny tiny and were just trying rice cereal for the first time and this year they will enjoy a real Thanksgiving feast of turkey, mashed potatoes, and pie. But who knows what they'll actually eat....they've been obnoxiously picky lately. Nevertheless, I am thankful for holidays, music, trips to see family, and delicious food.

We had a very fun visit from Grandpa Meakin who happened to be in Denver for a conference last week. The girls acted a little shy when they first saw him but it only took about 16 seconds before they were climbing all over him and having the best time. I am thankful for wonderful Grandparents.I finally finished the last of the raking and leaf bagging on Saturday. OOooof. I have a major love/hate relationship with it. For the first 45 minutes or so I really enjoy being out there in the crisp air, raking up leaves, and feeling some pride in taking care of my home. But from then on it is pure drudgery. I swear I have spent at least 10 hours out there the last couple weeks...which doesn't sound like much but IT IS. Most of the work has fallen on me because it's dark before Ben gets home during the week and our Saturdays are always very busy. Fall is my favorite season but that has been tainted a bit by all this blasted yard work.

I grew up in a house where we had very few leaves (or so I recall...I probably didn't help much with the raking) but I do remember always wanting more leaves to pile up and play in. I definitely now understand why my dad got mad at my older sister and I for going down the street to the church lawn and hauling bags of leaves back to our house to dump all over the place. Awesome. I am thankful for such a wonderful childhood, my own home, and hard work (kinda).

While I was busy with the leaves, Ben put up our Christmas lights. I wanted them done early because I won't be back in town till December 2nd and that's too late to start decorating. Once the lights were all up, we went and stood in the street to see the official lighting and I was bummed to find out that the white lights we had bought were those bright white LED lights that are more reminiscent of a tanning bed than Christmas. BOO. But because I'm a shrew of a wife and Ben is a champion of a husband, I requested that these lights be taken down and exchanged for different ones-- and it was done with almost zero complaining! It just seemed silly to keep lights (that will hopefully last a few years) that I'm not happy with and Ben agreed. Round two with colored LED lights was a complete success. Ben is the very best and the only one who would ever treat me so well. I'm so thankful he's mine.

Rosie and Evie are absolutely mesmerized by the Christmas tree. Eve was throwing a major fit upstairs because she didn't want her pig tails put back in after nap. When we got to the top of the stairs and she spotted the tree glowing in the front room she went completely silent. They love it. I am thankful for twinkling lights and things that make Christmas magical.We also made it out to the zoo on Saturday and saw the sweetest pair of lions napping together. We stood and watched them for a long time and eventually one stood up, licked and nuzzled the other one, and let out some awesome roars. They reminded me of Rosie and Evie. I am so thankful for my girls and that they came as a pair. It is just an awesome experience being their mom. I am also thankful for the zoo and sunny days that let us get outside as a family. (Here is the favorite stroller that was eventually destroyed from too many arguments and too many little girls trying to climb inside it.)As part of NO Nonsense November, Ben and I have been reading the scriptures together every single night. It has been the most successful run of complete consistency that we have had for a very long time. I am proud of us and I'm loving the stories we are reading and how much I WANT to read before we go to bed. I am so thankful for the Gospel in my life and the power and peace that comes from doing the little things. The simple, daily choices make all the difference.

I have A LOT to be thankful for- so much more than mentioned here...and a pan of chicken black bean enchiladas that need to be taken out of the oven.

November

Our internet has been funky this week and I haven't had anything too exciting to post about. I thought I would take the opportunity to write down some little things for myself...cute baby things I want to remember.
One Friday morning a couple weeks ago we woke up late and realized we had forgotten to take the trash out for pickup. We had lots of extra bags of leaves to get out to the curb so we both jumped out of bed, pulled on some clothes, and hurried to beat the garbage truck we could hear booming around the neighborhood. While we were downstairs we let Clover out into the backyard. We came back up stairs, Ben jumped in the shower, I got the girls up and let them play while I brushed my teeth and put my contacts in. About three minutes after leaving them in the bedroom I peaked out to check on them and only Rosie was there. I looked for Evie on the other side of the bed, in the hall, the nursery, in the extra bedroom, but she was nowhere. I yelled to Ben that Evie was gone and dashed down the stairs to find out where she had escaped to. That little adventurer had gotten through the gate at the top of the stairs, down the stairs, through the family room, out the door (which I assume didn't get latched shut after letting Clover out), and into the backyard. I found her busy as can be in the frozen sandbox in her pajamas acting like this was all apart of the normal morning routine. Scary at first but pretty funny. Evie is soooo fast and for now is the more outgoing of the these two sisters. She is our rough and tumble girl who loves to clobber and be thrown up in the air and onto the bed. On the flip side, Evie also LOVES to be read to. She picks up books and walks backwards into your lap. Evie is also much more interested in TV. She will sit on the couch and watch an entire episode of Mickey Mouse Club, happy as a clam. She plays hard but knows how to sit back and relax.My sweet Rosie doesn't like TV all that much and will only really watch the opening song before taking off to do something else. Rosie doesn't have a very long attention span and usually won't last an entire book either without trying to wriggle free...but I think she is getting a little better. She is much more content to read to herself. I find both girls everyday sitting on the fireplace with a stack of books jibber-jabbing away. Rosie is also a big cuddler. She has become very attached to one blanket in particular and holds onto it tightly before leaving her crib. She walks everywhere holding it to her face, constantly tripping over it. Rosie also loves laundry and playing dress up. She finds clothes all over the house and is always putting them over her head to try on. Super cute.
Both Evie and Rose have a lot to say and love to talk, talk, talk but neither have very many words at 16 1/2 months old. I've done some reading about this and it is common for twins to develop language a little slower. This is because of their prematurity at birth, their use of Twin Talk (where they are content to imitate each other rather than adults and develop their own kind of language) and because it is simply impossible for parents to give each child as much individual attention as singletons (this last one makes my heart hurt). But in time they will catch up and I'm sure they are going to be just fine. They do say mom, daddy, dog (or do-), hi, and no-no --albeit a little haphazardly. Oh man, it's tough being a mom. I'm constantly tempted to compare my cuties to other kids...other kids who already know dozens of words.Something I really NEED to do some reading about is teaching toddlers about sharing and taking turns. Rosie and Eve are playing with each other more and more and it is so fun to watch but it also means squabbles are starting to be a frequent problem at our house. We were at Babies R Us this week and spotted a little toy stroller that a friend of mine has that the girls always love playing with. So we decided to get ONE...and I'm still deciding if that was a mistake. Our girls have tons of toys including lots of similar things that you can push around the house so we figured one was enough and it's good for them to learn to share. Well, there have been lots of battles since that first night. Evie is most definitely the loudest when it comes to quarrels but Rosie will resort to fighting dirty. She is now officially a biter. Not good. (perhaps the only good reason for letting her keep that binky a bit longer). In other news:
My brother in-law Chris got a job offer which is really exciting. We are helping them move into an apartment this weekend. I'll be sad to see them go and miss all our dinners and movie nights together but luckily they are only a few minutes away. It will be lovely for them to have their own space.
Ben and I have been working on our dining room...or mostly Ben. He is such a hard worker and I think it's going to turn out really great.
Last weekend we went to Ben's annual work party up the canyon and I fell in love with my new favorite treat. They had a chocolatier come up after dinner to do a chocolate presentation and of course pass out samples. These are divine. English Sea Salt Caramel Lollipops.
I actually had lunch with Ben today and we took a special trip to visit the chocolate shop to get me another. It was a gorgeous Fall day and the girls loved playing in the leaves. How perfect my new favorite treat is so close to Ben's work...I'm thinking we may need to have lunch dates more often (even though it is NO Nonsense November and I am counting calories after a horrendous sweet-eating October. But there must be some indulgences.)