Winter Break

The rest of winter break was packed full of fun things. Before I get started though this is a picture of Maddie I missed from Christmas Day. That outfit is the outfit I wore on my first Christmas and I love it. I'm sl glad my mom saved it all of these years.

Because the weather was so nice, we played outside a lot. Brayden, Tawny and Ethan were too fast to get a picture of. They played in the sandbox, trampoline, football and soccer with their uncles, rode bikes, went on Jeep rides and walks with Grandma and Papa. Maddie was a lot more stationary so I got a few cute pics of her. She is the first of my kids that hasn't freaked out over grass.

This is what Ethan looked like pretty much everywhere after Christmas. Greg and I got him a dinosaur backpack. He loves it and wears it pretty much everywhere.

The weekend after Christmas I took the kids to Phoenix for a fun day. I was a little worried about having all four by myself but it turn out to be a really great day. Brayden and Tawny were awesome about helping with Ethan. He couldn't ask for a better big brother and sister. We went to the discovery museum again. I swear the kids could go there everyday and not get tired of it. 

After that we went to Red Robin for dinner which was a little crazy. The older three were great, but Maddie had a little meltdown and I couldn't take her out because the other three were still eating and I wasn't going to leave them there alone. So I was that mom with the screaming kid that ruined everyone else's meal. Needless to stay we didn't hang around any extra.

From there we went to the Mesa Temple to see the Christmas lights. I wish I would have taken more pictures, but my hands were full with pushing the stroller and chasing Ethan from one display to the next. The lights were gorgeous and they also ha the most beautiful life size nativity scenes. Each scene showed a different part of the story and had a except from a general authority talk being played that pertained to that scene. Brayden really loved that part and was able to name most of the general authorities speaking by their voice. I was pretty impressed.

Ethan LOVED the lights. He ran from one display to the next, shouting at the top of his lungs how pretty it was and how much he loved it.  I was pretty proud of myself for not losing him! He seemed to be a source of entertainment to everyone around us, especially the older couples.  I had quite a few people tell me how cute he was.  I have to agree.

 

We had an indoor picnic and watched a movie for New Year's. We celebrated on New York time, which was perfect for the kids.

On New Year's Day we went for a bike ride together. The church is only a block away and it's parking lot is perfect for the kids to ride around in without worrying about traffic. Ethan really loves the the bike trailer. I think it's the speed at which he gets to travel. It's definitely faster than he goes on his tricycle.

Towards the end of Winter Break the kids wanted to have a party, but we didn't really have a reason. It was raining that day, which doesn't happen here too often, so we decided that was definitely a reason to have a party. We went to the dollar store and bought hats, cups, plates and party favors. Then we went to the grocery store and I let the kids pick food for the party. Let's just say the menu was very interesting. Pudding, Cheese Whiz, Koolaid, watermelon, cupcakes. And Brayden couldn't figure out why his tummy hurt afterward.

Papa didn't really care for the pudding. Ha-ha!

We found these sticky mustaches at the dollar store and had so much fun being silly.

This is how Greg prefers to eat his dessert.  I like his style.

 Maddie also really loves her food.

 Ethan had so much fun at the dentist. I was so proud with how well he did. He sat the whole time and did everything they asked. What a big boy!