Snow..Snow...Snow... Snow.....

This past December brought with it a lot of Snow.   The girls enjoyed every minute they could being outside playing, building and sledding.   Jane would often ask me to help her with her snowsuit, gloves, coat, hat etc... and then spend 15-20 minutes outside and then come in and religiously ask me to make her a cup of hot chocolate.  I sometimes wondered if she went out in the snow just so she could get a warm cup of cocoa.   One afternoon we ran out of chocolate Quick and I told her I couldn't make it.    I suggested she go wrap up in a blanket or go sit on the heater vent to get warm.  She looked at me and pointed to the inside of her mouth and said "But it's in here that is cold".

We also enjoyed a few days in the crisp clean air of Teasdale.  While there we took a ride  up the East End of Boulder and enjoyed some sledding with the cousins.

Big Boy hair cut

Around Christmas I noticed Aaron having a few long fly away strings of hair in the back.  Just enough to worry me that it would soon turn into a mullet like this.  

Cute on Jane but not so on a little boy!!

Bart was against the idea of cutting Aaron's hair.  I resisted for oh maybe a week or so and when the chance came up at my mom's house and Bart wasn't around I took advantage of a free hair cut and  soon the strings were gone and Aaron got his first big boy hair cut.    

He was such a champ and so like Aaron he didn't put up a fuss.  Although he did attempt to figure out what was going on that tickled his head so much.  

Aaron loves moments when he recognizes he's a big boy now.  This was one of those times

The lights of my life at Christmas time

Santa Photo opts 2013

Lately I've seen the cutest photos of little ones and Santa on facebook.  You know the professional studio looking ones where they there is a close up of them holding Santa's hand or playing with his beard.   As nice as those pictures look, here in the Richards "cheapskates" household we head on over to the Neighborhood Grocery store "Harmons" where the kids tell Santa there wishes.   

Jane refused to tell Santa her wishes.  She had her guard up and frankly I don't blame her.  He did seem like a weird Santa

Emily had no problems expressing her wishes since she rea....lly wants the American Girl doll "Emily" before it is discontinued at the end of the year.

Aaron wasn't quite sure what to do.  Whenever I point a camera at him he knows to smile but he was sure nervous sitting on this strange mans lap.   I'd say if Aaron had the words he'd tell Santa he wants lots more cutie oranges and bananas

I heard a saying from Big Budda on the news the other day as he was advertising something free.  He said we in the Polynesian Culture have a saying that says "If its free take three".  I'm indeed grateful to have 3 free Santa photos but common Harmons can't you at least find a "fat" guy and put some Santa glasses on him. 

I believe!!

Emily told me she wanted to write Santa a letter.   The day after Thanksgiving my kids each wrote one while shopping at Macy's and mailed it in the mailbox they provided.  So with her wish list complete she decided to write another sort of letter.  Emily thought the fastest way to get her letter to Santa was for our Elf Zoey to deliver it when she heads back to the North Pole tonight.

Emily ever so carefully so not to touch the Elf Zoey placed the letter close by to be taken back the the North Pole

 Here is the cutest letter ever. 

 

Stay little a while longer Emily O.K?

Rub a dub dub, 3 kids in the Tub

Pilgrams or Indians

Both Emily and Jane came home with Pilgrim costumes they made and wore at school.

 Soon Jane put the hat on  Aaron and he was a Pilgrim too.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Better late than never

Yesterday I was thumbing through some old blog posts and all the suddenly it accured to me that I totally forgot about our special family tradition of ice cream at Baskin Robbins to celebrate the day Bart proposed to me.  I felt really sad that it this important date completely spaced me so I texted Bart saying how sad I was.  He responded we can still go tonight.  On the spur of the moment we loaded up 3 unobjectionable kids and headed to Baskin Robbins.

This was the first time Aaron partook of the family tradition.  Something tells me he's going to be a fan of Nov.20

It's sad to admit that I'm either to overwhelmed or getting old but I've already put a reminder and alert in my i phone for next year.  This tradition will go on!!!!

Braids

I am no good at doing hair.   I can barely do my own hair.  Truth be told it's one of the reasons I keep my hair really short. Less to deal with I guess.  I'm pretty sure I didn't start doing my own hair until middle school and seriously how hard was it to put a little moose in my permed hair and with the help of a lot of hairspray rat the bangs up high. See picture below

When I discovered when I was pregnant with Emily that she was going to be a girl I was over the top excited to have a girl.  Funny thing though it wasn't the way most women think about girls with dressing them up all frilly with bows and such.  In fact if anything the cutesy  hair, frills and such has always been a struggle for me.  Pinterest posts like 50 fabulous hair styles for girls give me anxiety.   Sadly my girls have been deprived of having cute styled hair.  It's obvious to me when I'm with my older sisters and their girls are running away trying to avoid the daily chore of getting their hair braided and my girls are eagerly asking them for a cute hair do.     What a blessing it has been that Emily looks super cute in her short hair which falls in place so perfectly.   Lately Emily is on a quest to grow her hair out and since Jane's long golden locks fit her so well I'm trying to overcome my lack of hair skills.   So I present you with the finished french braid I did to Jane's hair. (please don't be too critical it took many attempts to get it to stay)

Day with Bart and a night with the kids

A couple of weeks ago Bart  mentioned if I'd like to go on a date with him.  For a second I got all excited thinking about how loooonnnng it has been since we went on a date with just the two of us.  And then I recognized the intonation in Bart's extra sweet voice and smile and I knew he was up to some sort of autograph adventure.  (Almost 10 years of marriage has taught me when Bart is going on an autograph chase soon).  He knows it's not my favorite thing and he seldom asks me to come with him, although it's mostly because we have 3 kids who need watching.  So when he really wants me to come with him he's very sly about the whole thing.    As much as I'd rather be doing anything else than chasing around people who have egos the size of Mars I'd do anything for Bart (and so would his mom and obviously Suzanne). We all found ourselves stuck in a line for hours waiting for a book signing of John Stockton. It's always nice when these adventures end in success.

Afterwards we took the kids to Classic Skating because they were sponsoring a free night for Emily's school.  The girls had such a fun time and Bart is always game for getting on skates himself.  

Lucky for Aaron Bart pushed him around the rink in his stroller

This is the only picture I got of Jane.  She spent the night zooming past on us on the scooter

 Emily started the night a little shaking

Emily ended the night a pro and wanted to keep skating.  Too bad her parents and Aaron were tuckered out

When your mom's a Speech Therapist......

she'll have a blog post like this..


Aaron's Language Sample age 13 months

momma
daddy, dada
ane (Jane)
dow meanings:  get down out of my highchair, done, hold me,  I want that
Tu (stuck)
Da ie (dog)
ani (candy)
nana (banana)
da (that)
hi air (hi there)
ae u  (thank you)

He also has his own signs like while I am feeding him. Once he has swallowed and wants more he will wave his arms really fast in the air to signal put more in my mouth fast.  When he wants to be held he will grab my knees and turn my body toward him and put his arms in the air to be picked up.


Receptively skills 
Aaron's able to follow directions.  We were at the park the other day and Aaron had scattered his shoes and socks.  When it was time to go I said Aaron go get me your shoes and socks and he toddled over and brought both to me.

Aaron's favorite game is where is ....... Jane and Emily will hide and I'll say where is Emi or Where is Jane and he instantly scoots off my lap in search of his favorite friends.  Followed by big giggles when he finds them

Bart was ready to tuck Aaron in and said "Let's go read a book"  Aaron promptly scooted out of Bart's lap and Bart followed him into his room and watched Aaron grab a book and walk over to the rocking chair to have Bart read it to him.  

Happy 70th Birthday Dad

For my Dad's 70th birthday we planned a surprise birthday party at my sister's Sarah's new house.  The best  part is my Dad was totally surprised!   My dad smoked me at a game of pool then we ate a nice dinner and hung out as a family.

My dad with 10 out of 13 grandkids

Aaron has some big "boots" to fill  after his Grandpa  Dick

Frightmares with the Cousins.

 My Utah sisters brought their families up for a fun day at Frightmares.  In addition we ran into Bart's sisters and Jeff making it a fun filled cousin day at Lagoon.

Bryler and Jane

Aaron loving the couple of stuffed animals his mom won at the games!

How fun it was to run into some of Bart's family

Glad it was them and not me on that spinny ride

Jane and Bryler again

Emily is now to tall to ride the boats so Bentley so nicely took Aaron on the ride!

Halloween 2013

Emily the biggest baby!!!!!

Jane the cutest witch around

">

Aaron the monkey!!  I love that he wore a costume Pauline made and Bart wore when he was around his same age.