End of December?!

Oh man, has it really been 3 weeks since my last post? Looks like I know what my new year's resolution needs to be... updating this thing more often! I just found out that my cute little Grandma knows how to access my blog, so this one is for her. Love ya Grammie! :)

My mom & step-dad came in town for a visit. Of course we had a blast. They spent half their time with my sister and the other half with us. The kids got to maximize their cousin time because my sister and I kept trying to spend every minute together while the grandparents were in town. We got to go to the temple visitors' center and see some beautiful statues, celebrate birthdays, go to Whitney's preschool play, and lots more.
I love this picture of Whitney standing by the well in her preschool play. It was somewhat of a random performance, and Whitney didn't say a word (the kids just acted while the teacher narrated). But at the end of the performance Whitney took about 4 dramatic bows. I wish I had gotten a picture of that. It was awesome.

I had a wonderful birthday; we crammed in lots of fun things. I was kind of dreading it because Tyler was working his 30 hour shift and he wouldn't be around. But never fear with the grandparents here! They spoiled me like a grandkid with all of my favorite things -- a trip to the "paint shop" (as the little girls call it) for a relaxing pedicure, a trip for the kids to see Santa, eating some delicious Mexican food, checking out Christmas lights [we went to a house where you turn your radio to an FM station, and the lights blink on/off to the beat of the music], and to top it all off, a classic cookie cake. It was a super day. Thanks again for all the treats guys!

After Grandma & Grandpa left town, the we did some of the other traditional things: gingerbread house, nativity scene, and Christmas Eve pajamas...
And yes, Tyler was the mastermind behind Joseph's goatee.

Tyler was working his long shift on Christmas Eve which meant we didn't know what time he'd come home on Christmas morning. So Santa put all the Christmas presents under a blanket and put a note on top instructing the kids to wait till Daddy came home to open them. The kids were very obedient and patient waiting for Tyler to get home. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait long because Tyler got home around 9am, and we got to spend the rest of the day with him.

Whitney got just what she wanted for Christmas... a beauty kit and her Hello Kitty camera. As you can tell from the pictures below, she is in heaven with her new makeup. Thankfully, she understands the rules that she can only play with her makeup at home and not outside our place! Cole got his much anticipated "Optimus Pri-YUM" action figure, and Annie got a baby doll.

We topped off Christmas night with a nice get together with Tyler's two other 2nd year oral surgery residents. The one resident hosted our herd so graciously with a delicious meal and entertainment for the kids. Cole & Whitney were watching a movie in the other room when out of nowhere we heard a big THUD and then Cole crying. Sure enough, Cole had split his head open on the coffee table after doing a summersault from the couch. The 3 oral surgery residents assessed the situation and then went to work stitching up Cole's head right there in the kitchen.Ah, what a way to end our night... We truly are a walking circus!!

Since then, we've just been doing some post-holiday recovering. We're looking forward to this next year! Happy New Year's Eve! :)