Visiting Santa.

Kennadi is at such a fun age where she has finally grasped the Santa concept. She was so excited to go visit Santa. She wasn't scared to go sit on his lap and proudly asked for a Disney Princess Surprise Egg. For those that don't know, Surprise Eggs are Eggs that have treats and toys in them but its a surprise which you get. There are YouTube videos all over of kids opening them. Anywho, they aren't sold in the United States and that (and a Pet Unicorn) is all Kennadi wanted for Christmas and she made sure to let Santa know. Good thing Santa was such a good sport and could handle her enthusiasm! Quincy wasn't scared of Santa but she sure eyed him down. It took a lot to get her to look away from Santa for some pictures. We can't wait for Santa to visit our house on Christmas eve now!

Date Nights.

Austin and I have been fortunate enough to have a few much needed date nights the past few weeks.

 First, we were able to go to a BYU game. We went to the last home game where BYU played Fresno State. It was a blow out (BYU obviously won) and it was freezing cold but we still had a good time.

Another date night was a Utah Jazz game. We got to go watch the Jazz take on the Thunder. It was great because I got to boo Enes Kanter in person (day made!) and the arena now sells Swig Drinks (I'm an addict).

Austin had a work party at Cabelas. Who knew they had a banquet room and held events there! The food was pretty good and Austin even won the Ron Swanson award. He got a trophy to prove it that he proudly is displaying in our dining room (Not cool).

Quincy | 8 months.

At 8 Months Quincy is...

-Wearing 6 month clothes and a few 9 month ones. She also is in size 3 diapers.
-Crawling! And she is fast. I always have to have my eye on her.

-Got her first tooth. Teething was miserable but we survived.

-Took her first long road trip and was a champ! She slept for a vast majority of the time.

-Drinking 4-6 ounces of formula every 3-4 hours. She also loves any little bites of food we give her.

-Loves watching her big sister. She will just follow Kennadi around and loves it when Kennadi will actually play back with her.

Cousin Pictures.

While we were up in Idaho for Thanksgiving, we did an impromptu photo shoot with all the kids. We thought my mom might appreciate an updated grandkid photo plus I loved that Courtnie took some updated pictures of my girls! I think they turned out so cute considering they were taken in Easton's bedroom and the kids were less then cooperative. Thanks Courtnie!

Thanksgiving Road Trip.

For Thanksgiving, we took a road trip up to Moscow, Idaho to visit Courtnie and her family. Kennadi was missing Easton and I was dying to meet my new nephew so we thought this would be a perfect opportunity to go visit. We left the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and drove up half way to Boise. We stayed the night in a hotel. Kennadi was in heaven. She loved sleeping in a room with two beds, eating the hotel breakfast, but most of all swimming! On Wednesday, we finished the drive up to Moscow (but not without a quick stop in Oregon so I could mark another state off the list). Austin may or may not have gotten a speeding ticket on the way up. Curse you small, rural towns where the cops have nothing better to do but pull over tourists! 

The next couple of days spent at Courtnie's place was enjoyable. Kennadi loved playing with Easton. They would be often found in Easton's room with the room locked, not wanting to be bugged while they played. Quincy spent most of the time following the older kids around. I enjoyed snugging with Mckay. And Austin loved shooting his new gun and attending a Vandal's football game. 

Thanksgiving dinner itself was delicious. Dillon and Courtnie were great hosts. It was nice to just have a small group for a change. Courtnie and I also ventured out to do some Black Friday shopping. I was amazed at how quiet the stores were. It was so nice to be able to browse and take our time instead of the usual push and shove to grab what you need. I wish stores in Utah County would be that dead every Black Friday! While we were out and about, Courtnie also took me over to Washington so I could cross another state off my list! She is a kind soul.

When it was time to come home, we took a different way and ventured up to Coeur D'alene and Montana. We did the drive home in one day and it was a long day! Luckily, the kids were rock stars. Quincy who usually hates her carseat spent most of the day sleeping. And Kennadi watched lots of movies, ate lots of snacks and was perfectly content! I am confident that we had to take more stops for Austin then the kids. I am glad we took the trip up even if it was a long drive!

Quincy | 7 months.

At 7 months Quincy is...

-Wearing 3-6 month and 6 month clothes. She also is in size 3 diapers.
-Finally sleeping through the night. Thank you sleep training! Will sleep from 7:30 pm -7:00 am each night.

-Still hasn't learned to crawl but we are so close. She can get up on her hands and knees and rock but whenever she tries to move forward she ends up face planting it.

-Is a talker and loves to squeel. She loves to just gab away and hear herself talk.

-Loves any and all attention. If you will look and talk at her, you will be her best friend.

-is her father's daughter when it comes to food. When she is hungry she lets everyone know. If she wasn't done eating when her bottle runs out she will let everyone know. And she has to be eating when everyone else is. She hates to be left out.

-Finally has enough hair to rock a tiny pony tail.

Halloween.

Kennadi has been so excited for Halloween and luckily we had a couple of events to drag out the Halloween season. First, Kennadi had a Halloween party with her preschool class. They decorated Halloween cookies, learned fun Halloween songs, and got to dress up in their costumes. Kennadi has known all along she has wanted to be a Disney Princess (surprise, surprise!). The little smarty pants decided she would be Rapunzel so she could get her dress because she doesn't have it already. The next activity was the ward Trunk-or-Treat. Kennadi loved getting so much candy so quick and seeing all of her nursery friends. She was a bit disappointed when it was over.  Now whenever we drive by the elementary school where it was held, she makes sure to let us know that is where she goes Trick or Treating. Quincy (who was the cutest little Minnie Mouse) was also disappointed when it was over because Austin let her have a sucker and she was not happy when we had to take it away. Finally, we spent actual Halloween up in Tremonton. We started Trick or Treating around my mom's neighborhood then made our way over to Austin's house. Quincy opted out of Trick or Treating because she was getting tired and grumpy but dressed up as an adorable Snow White anyway. Kennadi loved trick or treating with her cousins and eating all of her fun candy. She is already planning her next year's Halloween costume....

As you can tell, Quincy had lots of outfit changes!

First BYU Game.

Austin was able to snag some tickets to a BYU game from his work. The game was early on in the season and in the middle of the day, so we thought this would be a perfect opportunity to take Kennadi to her first BYU game. Austin's dad also joined us to cheer on our cougars. There were some moments when Kennadi got into the game and would cheer. She especially loved singing the fight song and watching the cheerleaders and Cosmo the cougar. The majority of the time Kennadi was more concerned about her next snack or walking around though. We did many laps around the stadium, visited the bookstore, and bought a few too many snacks. But Kennadi was happy and Austin was happy he was at a game so it was well worth it. Go Cougars!

Quincy | 6 months.

At 6 months Quincy is...

-is 16 pounds and 26.5 inches long.

-wearing size 3-6 month and 6 month clothes. We have also moved up to size 3 diapers.

-waking up 5+ times a night. This is mostly my fault. When she wakes up in the middle of the night i tend to go straight to her instead of letting her cry and work it out. Mainly so she doesn't wake up Kennadi and Austin. I'm getting exhausted though. We need to start sleep training like yesterday.

-starting solid foods. She hates the veggies but loves apples and pears. 

-is so close to crawling. She will get up on her hands and knees and rock back and forth but hasn't got the forward motion yet. She can scoot backwards like a champ though.

-loves her daddy. She gets upset when he gets home from work and won't go straight to her. She will fuss until he gives her some attention.

-Starting to get preferences on who she will let hold her. Unfortunately most of the time she prefers me when I am busy. Not cool Quincy. Not cool.

Chalk Fest.

The Riverwoods in Provo had a Chalk Fest. This is an event where artists from all over the valley come and fill the parking lot and sidewalks with amazing chalk drawings. We had a fun time walking around and being in awe of all the artwork. Kennadi wasn't feeling any pictures this day so just pretend she looks pleasant in all the photos below....

Birthdays.

Austin and I both had birthdays in September. Due to our Disneyland trip, we opted not to do gifts but we still needed to celebrate somehow! For my birthday, we went up to Logan and had dinner with my amigos (aka Carlie and Josi). We went to Firehouse Pizza and it was so nice to catch up with my friends. We don't get together near enough. For Austin's birthday we went on a simple date consisting of dinner and a movie. We watched The Intern and ate dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Austin was lucky enough to sit on the saddle and have the whole crew sing to him. 

Happy Birthday to us! Now we are one year older and wiser too...

Disneyland Trip | Part 2.

The next three days were spent running around Disneyland and California Adventures. We got there as soon as the gates opened each day and left when they kicked us out.  The week of Labor Day is an amazing time to go Disneyland. The park was surprisingly empty and the lines were short. It was also the 60th Diamond Celebration which made the park extra magical. The only negative was it was soooo hot. We basically melted each day. On our first day, we started in Disneyland and due to the small lines were able to hit most of the rides so we ventured to California Adventure for a bit. That evening we watched the Paint the Night parade and the Disneyland Forever Fireworks. This was my favorite part of our whole trip! These productions are the special evening entertainment for the Diamond Celebration which meant it was new to me. It was stunning! No fireworks show will ever compare to the productions Disneyland puts on!

The next day was spent mainly in California Adventure. Soaring Over California, Radiator Racers, and Screamin California seemed to be the favorites. In the afternoon we headed back to the hotel for a dip in the pool and then finished the evening off with the Aladdin show and World of Color. They are getting rid of the Aladdin show in a couple of months so I was so glad we were able to see it one last time. The World of Color was amazing as well. Disney sure knows how to out do itself!

Our last day was spent hitting all of our favorite rides one last time. It was also the first day of the Halloween season so it was fun to see the park all decked in the Halloween Decor and villians roaming around. I will say that Haunted Mansion is really disappointing all decked out for Halloween. The scare level dropped. It looked cheesy. I wish they would have just left it alone. Rant over. We also visited as many Princesses and Characters as we could for Kennadi's sake. That evening we watched Fantasmic. Fantasmic is such a classic, I love it!

I mentioned before that my favorite part of the trip was the Paint the Night parade and fireworks. I also loved being able to sleep through the night with no kids. I would venture to say Austin's favorite part besides showing his family how amazing Disneyland is, was the food. He researched all the must have food items and we indulged. The Monte Cristo sandwich, Cream Cheese Pretzels, and Dole Whips rank at the top of our must-try food items. 

I love Disneyland and can't wait until the next time I go visit. Hopefully it is sooner rather then later! 

 

Radiator Racers.

Tower of Terror.

Disneyland Trip | Part 1.

Since our last Disneyland Trip, Austin was hooked and wanted to go again. I wasn't about to turn that down so we saved and planned for our next trip. Disneyland is always more fun with more people so Austin's family decided to take their inaugural trip to Disneyland with us. Let me tell ya, it was a party! We love our kids but we also opted to leave them at my parent's house. We are strong advocates of taking kid free vacations! :)

Austin and I flew to LA on my birthday (best birthday present ever!). After surviving the airport, the insane rental car building, and traffic we finally made it to Anaheim. Travel Tip: spend the extra money and fly into a LA area airport that is not LAX. We stayed in a hotel right across the street from Disneyland. There is no other way to do Disneyland (unless you are super rich and can afford staying in a Disneyland hotel). After we settled into the hotel, we ventured to Downtown Disney to grab a bite to eat and wonder some shops. After dinner Austin and I headed to the Angels Stadium to watch the Anaheim Angels take on the LA Dodgers. I am not much of a baseball fan but there is something exciting about being in a stadium watching some Major League Baseball. We ended up bailing the game a little early and headed back to the hotel. We knew we had some full days of fun ahead of us!

On the Plane!

Quincy | 5 months.

At 5 months Quincy is...

-wears 3 month and 3-6 month clothes. Wearing size 2 diapers.

-eats 4 oz every 3-4 hours. We have tried oatmeal and bananas a few times but she isn't a big fan. She will just spit it out as soon as it goes in.

-Naps like a champ! She will take an hour nap every morning, a 3-4 hour nap in the afternoon (at the exact same time as Kennadi), and occasionally will take a small cat nap in the early evening.

-is not sleeping through the night anymore. She was doing sooo good until one day she decided she needed to wake up at 4 am and get some more food. It has happened every night since. Not cool.

-Rolling like crazy. She rolls all across the floor and is never quite where we left her.

-Starting to sit unassisted.

-loves her big sister. Kennadi is the best person to get her to laugh or smile.

3 years.

At 3 Years Old Kennadi is...

-is 31 pounds and 37.5 inches tall. She wears 3t clothes but 4t dresses. She is just too tall for the 3t dresses!
-obsessed with Disney, princesses, dress up, and playing doctor.

-goes down for bed at 8 and will sleep until 7. And is still taking a 1-2 hour nap each afternoon.

-Is too social. She will throw tantrums whenever it is time to leave the park, playdates, or preschool. We have tried everything under the sun to get her to stop it, but it still continues. I am hoping and praying she grows out of it soon because it drives me nuts.

-is so sweet to Quincy. Every morning she goes into her room and in a high pitched voice says, "good morning sunshine. Good morning sweetheart." Melts my heart.

-loves her fruit and veggies. She would choose broccoli over french fries or apples over cookies any day.
-loves watching random vlogs and toy reviews on Youtube.

-Is a big fan of Nursery. I would even venture out to say it is probably her favorite part of the week. 

-Is a singer and a dancer. She can be found making up songs or twirling around anywhere we go.

-Loves visiting her grandmas and grandpas.