A magical birthday

Aubrie LOVES birthday parties. Last year, she didn't have one because of our move and cruise. So, for two years she has been planning the perfect Harry Potter birthday party!

Her sweet friend allowed her to borrow her "Sorting Hat" so all the girls could be sorted into the proper house.

And classes began with a teacher for each subject. Professor Snape taught potions. Perhaps the favorite teacher was Hagrid for Care of Magical Creatures (I got on Dave's shoulders, wore a trench coat and taught the class!). Don't you love their Harry Potter glasses they made out of pipe cleaners? I think Dave and I ended up having as much fun as the kids!

       

We had a special "Honey Dukes" candy shop. During the party, the kids earned galleons for winning games, participating in class, etc., and then they were able to use their pretend money to buy their favorite treats at the candy store. The girls loved this!

                 

Who knew that my doll cake pan would eventually be used for a broomstick cake!

I can't believe my baby is 10!! A whole decade!

 

We decided 10 was a good age to allow Aubrie to pierce her ears! This has been so exciting!

Her siblings were concerned and interested!

About Aubrie at age 10:

She is having a wonderful fourth grade year. She has great teachers and friends -- both of which seem to really like Aubrie. She appears to be happy with herself and content in her life. She is being appropriately challenged in school; she was placed in 5th grade math, reading, writing and spelling classes. She seems to have a strong sense of right and wrong and a desire to be kind to others. She is very self driven. We enter her room and see Post-it notes on her mirrors each week of her personal goals -- some of these goals have been to study the scriptures, write in her journal, be kind to others, etc. This year she has continued to dance ballet and has started on a competitive volleyball league. We are so proud of the young lady she's becoming! Now, if she would just be 10 forever!

CES craziness

This is Dave stepping in to share about my experience at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. For years, my dream has been to attend CES, because I love new gadgets! When I accepted my latest position at 3M, I knew I would finally get my chance to check out the big show. The show exceeded my expectations with over 30 football fields worth of amazing, bizarre, and cool gadgets making their debut to the world. Here's a little sampling of some of the crazy stuff I saw...

Electric powered roller shoes,

Laser virtual keyboards,

Neck massage robots,

"HapiForks" that buzz and light up when it senses you are eating too fast and too much,

And of course the iPoddy for the little Junior that has to have an iPad in reach wherever they go.  Other than these great creations, here is the list of my personal top 10 favorites from the show.

10. Synchronized dancing robots to Gangnam Style

9. The 1st ever see-through, 3-D TV

8. Smart Appliances - kitchen appliances that you can control with your cell phone

7. Cleaning Robots - robots that glide along windows and floors and suck up everything in its way

6. Medical Tracking Stuff - watches, bracelets, etc that tracks all health related activity

5. 4K TVS - Super, super, super High Def TVs

4. 20 touchpoint Tablets - bigger tablets that several people can touch

3. See-through Touchscreen Walls

2. Nekomimi - "cat ears" you wear that wiggle when they sense excitement from your brain waves

1. 3D Printing - create three dimensional objects anytime from your home

Aubrie's Locks of Love

Aubrie wanted to grow her hair long, but I didn't. So, we made a deal. Because her hair is as thick as it is, I'm not a fan of it long because it is so much work! But we agreed that she could grow it out until it was long enough to have enough inches to cut and donate to an organization that makes wigs for kids without hair. 

I decided it was way past time to make the big cut.

The hair stylist cut about 8 inches. 

Tadaaaa....she was thrilled with her new look. And so was I!

We mailed the hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

And then a couple weeks later she received a letter in return. I'd like to say this was all Aubrie's idea, but even though this was one of those things that I pushed on her, I think in the end she felt good about it, learned from it, and was glad she did it.

Sledding Splendor

This winter we have been treated to some picturesque snowfalls -- where our backyard looks like a beautiful snow globe.

Luckily our new house is equipped with a perfect little sledding hill where the kids have been learning how to snowboard.

Even Teyah and Kyler tried it out.

 

Temps hovering below freezing ... snow crystals forming on the face ... with fresh powder to play in, it makes it all bearable.

 Hooray for snow! Enjoy this dreamy video that captures the magic of the day.

The Nutcracker Cuties

This year's Nutcracker performance featured these two sweet little rodents. 

But, once the masks came out, one turned into a scurrying mouse and the other a scary rat.

While waiting to take the stage, the girls played card games, ate treats, and got a backstage look at all the show's fancy costumes.

This was Teyah's first year performing in Nutcracker, and she had so much fun! She did a great job as the 'blind mouse.' Aubrie is already eager for next year's performance--wondering if she will be a soldier or a puppet! The Nutcracker is so exciting!

Christmas

Christmas this year was so fun for our family. It was the first one in awhile where we weren't moving, showing our house, or traveling! We had time to do all our favorite activities.

We enjoyed Christmas Eve breakfast in our PJ's...a long-standing tradition with our dear friends.

Christmas is the best with these four cuties!

Of course we had our own nativity. This one was special because Ellie wrote and directed it all by herself. It even included scripts that she typed out!

The only thing Ellie wanted for Christmas this year was glasses. I'm sure we will remind her of that someday when she actually needs them. But her fake glasses have contributed to her sense of style. She decided she better not wear them to school though, so she doesn't confuse anyone!

Santa was pretty crafty this year, making this Lego creation for Aubrie's enjoyment.

I particularly loved finally buying and having all the fun boy toys that we have never had around here until recently. Notice Kyler's cars all lined up nicely. 

We can thank Grandma T. for this adorable dress-up!

These cuties are divvying up the lip balm, to make it fair. Glad they have a smile with that process! It was such a fun, relaxing Christmas! We loved celebrating our first Christmas in our new house!

The Doll band

Aubrie often amazes us with her creativity. We particularly enjoyed this ensemble of band instruments she devised for the dolls. Each doll has its own musical instrument created from an everyday household utensil.  My favorite ... the tuba that prince charming is playing (made out of a pencil sharpener).

Kyler's 3rd Birthday

Life can be hard when you are the youngest and with three big sisters, but this little guy is a good sport. Kyler has grown quite accustomed to being showered with kisses and hugs. As his third birthday approached, his big sisters spent a lot of time planning out his special day.

The girls made birthday cards, picked out presents, and helped design Kyler's special birthday cake. He practiced holding up three fingers.

Kyler was thrilled to have a train cake. Aubrie loved decorating it for him (with mom's help).

As Kyler's birthday falls just before Christmas, he had been out of practice in receiving presents. As he opened his gifts, out of instinct, he would hand them over to a sister or mommy and say, "here you go. This is yorsu." When he finally realized that all the presents were for him, he started dancing with excitement and said, "these are all mine?!" He especially enjoyed his new 'boy' costumes ... he actually chose to wear this "robot costume" to the science museum later that night when we went to see the dinosaurs.

He also loved the Spiderman costume and playing along with his sisters as they tried on the Spidey mask.

Kyler's new superhero costumes came just in time as he started to get into the karate chop stage -- as you can see from his "ninja stance," as he calls it.

Although he is all boy, he also has a very cuddly teddy-bear style about him.  He loves to interact with people and give them high five's and knuckles. He loves to be a charmer.

Here's to you Ky-boy -- a true blessing in our lives.

Thanksgiving in Indiana

Although Teyah would tell you we drove to "India" for Thanksgiving, we actually ventured to Indiana where my little brother recently relocated.

Our kids enjoyed a nice dose of grandma and Lauren time since they both joined us there as well.

This picture captures one of the few times Ellie wasn't toting around her baby cousin Amelie. The kids also loved playing with the turkey leg.

Kyler loved playing with his 'twin' cousin Liam. We enjoyed seeing these two play their first ever football game against each other in the backyard. These boys are just six months apart and seeing them together makes us realize how much they look alike!

And true to our family's Thanksgiving gatherings, the kids shared the stomach flu. I think this made at least three in a row of someone losing their guts. Fortunately, it seemed to be a relatively tame bug.