Homemade gifts

I love homemade gifts. Every year my mom makes us something for Christmas & I just wanted to share this years gift - a nativity puzzle. I especially love this nativity because it is kid friendly & I don't have to worry when Linc or Hazel want to play with it. I also love it because all of the pieces fit nicely back into the stable (if you can remember how to do it!!) and it is easy to store. My mom actually has had a nativity like this for years & she decided it would be good for all of the kids, so she made one for me & my 3 siblings. I think it was a little harder than she thought it would be, but I know we will all cherish them for many, many, many years. Thanks mom!

Holiday Fun!

We had a busy and fun Holiday week last week. One day while Hazel was taking her morning nap Lincoln and I decided to build a snowman. I hadn't built one since I was a little kid & I did not do the best job, but it's the thought that counts, right?? I kept asking Linc what how it was looking & his response was "Not that good mom." I then remembered that last year Tom helped him build a pretty cool snowman and a snowdog. I am not near as artsy as Tommy is. We did our best though and Lincoln was pretty happy with the finished result.

On Christmas Eve my mom, my dad & my sister and her family came over to hang out with us. While we were preparing dinner the dads took the kids sledding & they had SO much fun. The even went on a few good little jumps that added to the excitement.

Then after dinner while the kids were playing a Christmas elf knocked on the door and left jammies for all of the good little kids. Here they are hoping to see the elf after they all put there jammies on.

We were lucky enough to have my dad stay over at our house so that he could be there to watch the kids open their presents the next morning. Lincoln thought it was so cool that Grandpa had a sleepover with us. On Christmas morning Hazel loved the musical jumping/spinning zebra that Santa brought her. She jumps up and down & laughs with a huge smile on her face.

Santa brought Lincoln a pirate ship and a race car track, but his favorite toy on Christmas day was his new octopus playdoh toy. He played with it for hours that day (and the next).

Then two days after Christmas we had a turkey lunch with my mom & sister again & took the kids to a different park for some more sledding. This time Hazel & I got to tag along & Hazel LOVED it! We put her in this little tobogon sled & she laughed harder the faster you went.

We all went down the hill many times & I thought it was pretty funny when Tommy & Ty went down together.

This is our first year taking Linc sledding & we have now gone 3 times. I know he wishes he could go everyday. He never complains of being cold. No cold hands, toes, nose, etc. He could go forever. So much energy, I wish he could share some of it with me.

We had a wonderful Holiday and are kinda sad it is over. The day after Christmas Linc asked if we could make our house "our house" again. So we took down the tree & almost all of the decorations. He was sad for a minute after it was all gone, but when we moved the furniture back in place he ran back and forth screaming "our house is back to normal! our house is back to normal!". Funny kid.

What a character

Lincoln is such a character. Some days he drives me crazy, but other days he can make me laugh all day at the things he comes up with. Here are some of my favorite things that he has been saying lately:

Linc: Mom, do you have a story from your mouth?? (this means to make up a story, not to read it from a book)


Mom: Good morning Linc - How'd you sleep?
Linc: Good. I had good dreams & nobody stopped me. Nobody stopped me.
(I still don't really know what this means, but he says it every day & it always makes me smile)


He really was having fun in this picture, but whenever I decide I need to "capture the moment" Linc decided he either needs to have a funny face or a REALLY cheesy smile. Gotta love it!

Growing Up

Okay, my little girl really is growing up. Last night after dinner Tommy went into the kitchen to rinse his plate off. I was still finishing up my dinner and Hazel was crawling all over me. I sat her down on the floor and said "Hazel, go into the kitchen and ask daddy for milk". To our AMAZEMENT she did just that!!! She crawled into the kitchen, sat on her bum & signed milk (for those of you who don't know, to sign milk you open & close your fist a few times - kinda like milking a cow). I was so proud of her and thought she deserved a little bit of bragging on her behalf - so here it is.

Family night

Last night we all bundled up took the kids on a Trax ride downtown to look at the lights at Temple Square. Lincoln was so excited about riding a train, but I think Hazel was actually the more excited one once the train showed up. She started waving her hands in the air & screaming with excitement!

Here is Lincoln waiting in anticipation for the train. 15 minutes can seem like FOREVER to a 3 year old...

Lincoln was so excited once we were by all the lights he wouldn't ride in the stroller. He had to walk around & look at everything & try to play with every kid he saw. He is always trying to make new friends. Hazel on the other hand was very chill. She just sat in the stroller & didn't make a sound. I don't know if she was more fascinated by the lights or all of the people.

We topped the night off by having some free hot cocoa at Deseret Book & then riding the train back home. I am so glad we were able to do this before the snow began. I love family nights.

Independence

Hazel has been wanting to be more independent lately. She isn't attempting to walk by herself yet, but she does want to feed herself.

If I try to put food in her mouth she just flails her hands around & hits mine out of the way. She has to feed herself solids & liquids (ie: babyfood, applesauce, etc.) It is VERY messy!! To contain the mess a little bit I put the food on the spoon then hand it to her. I am not ready yet for the bowl of food to end up on the floor.

To let us know when she is done with her food she starts putting pieces of it in her hair. Her hair is normally stiff & spiky when she is finished and the other day there was a large piece of string cheese weaved in there. Oh, fun times!

Family Pictures

For an early Christmas present this year my mom gave us a photo shoot so we could get some updated family pics. I am so excited since it has been 2 1/2 years since our last family picture. Here are just a few of what got. (there are also a couple more in by blog header).

Thank you mom!!!

© Melissa Seamons Photography