Christmas ~ 2010

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year. Noah has been counting down the days until Christmas and he was beyond excited when Christmas was finally here.

Noah and Leah gave Doug and I the best Christmas gift ever...they slept in until 8:30! We actually felt refreshed and ready for the fun that comes with Christmas morning.

After opening their stockings... ...the fun really started! I mean, look at Noah rip that present open!
Doug and I thought that Noah would really enjoy Legos...and let me tell you that they have been a HUGE hit!
Leah is growing like a weed, so she was got some new clothes. And, of course, her favorite were the PINK pants!
They just couldn't stop once they started...
And then, Isaac graced us with his presence. He's a smart little boy and decided to *really* sleep in. I'm jealous!
Sleepy, sleepy boy. Man, oh man, I really love my baby! So precious!
It was Isaac's turn to open a gift...a book...Runaway Bunny.
I made each of the kids a hoodie towel...
Being the girly girl that Leah is, she got lots of girly stuff! Necklaces, chapstick, and, her favorite...earings!
OK...I have to share this. Leah was kind of out of control when it came to opening the gifts...she wouldn't stop. Seriously! It was crazy/funny to watch. SO...when we told her that she had to stop, this was the look that we would get. So, SO, funny!
Noah also got some tracks for his GeoTrax. We LOVE playing with GeoTrax...and now we have these beauties to make our tracks even more awesome! I have to admit, I was pretty excited for this gift too. Playing with those GeoTrax is pretty fun!
And then, it was Leah's turn again...DRESS-UP BABY! Oh my, she was happy about this gift!
And I got snow boots! Woot, woot!
Noah's BIG gift was this John Deere Loader. I can't even tell you how happy Noah was when he opened this up! He was definitely one excited boy!
After the chaos of opening all of the gifts, it was time to play.
Oh...and Doug got some gifts too. He got a U of U tie, an extension cord {very practical :)}, and tickets to a Jazz game. He was so excited...
After our Christmas naps...we went to Doug's parent's house for Christmas dinner. It's a tradition to have a Mexican feast, and it was goooooood!

My boys...I love them so much! And, boy, are they CUTE!
And then it was time for the pinata. I love watching all of the grandchildren take a turn...especially the little ones. They were so gentle with the sunny pinata. Noah was a little more tough this year. And...the older ones...they are so hard with their hits! There are no pictures of them because I was trying to help keep the little ones out of their hitting range. This is definitely a fun tradition with the Smith family.
And then the fun of gathering the candy...the joy is written all over Connor's face! Unfortunately, Doug was holding the baby so he wasn't able to dive in and get the goods. It's probably a good thing though, cause he steals the candy from the kids...for real.
It was a WONDERFUL Christmas this year. I'm a little sad that it's over...but I feel that way every year. Now it's time to play with all of our new goodies and enjoy our time together. We hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Eve ~ 2010

We spent our Christmas Eve with my parents this year. I absolutely LOVE going to my parent's house for Chrismtas...it brings back so many childhood memories! My parents always made Christmas very special for me as a child, and it seems as though they are keeping their ways with their grandchildren. It was so much fun when we arrived and saw all of the goodies under the tree...I have to admit that I felt like a kid too and was SO excited!

The kids got lots of treats and fun toys in their "stockings" {my mom gave each of the kids a little tin full of fun stuff}. Leah was thrilled with her chapstick.

Noah showing off his candy. I just love how thrilled kids get when they get candy!
Noah and Leah each got a harmonica. They were definitely a hit...
Noah was so excited that he was sharing lots of hugs! So sweet.

Then the real fun began...

Noah got a car garage...he has wanted one of these for quite some time. He was very excited! Leah got a cool princess dress-up set. She also got a tea set, which she adores!
Isaac got a little toy drum. Now, with the harmonicas, we have a little band of our own ;).
We gave mom a necklace with little charms with the kids initials.
Dad got a mug with the kids picture on it. Dad is seriously one of the hardest people to shop for...thank goodness he loved this gift :).
I was SO surprised with my gift...a jewelry box. I LOVE it!! It's so beautiful!
And Doug got our new favorite game...Ticket to Ride! So much fun!
I continued our tradition of giving new jammies to the kiddos. So cute!
It was a wonderful evening and it really got the kids excited for Christmas morning! Thank you, mom and dad, for a wonderful Christmas Eve!

Christmas Stockings

I have been wanting to make the children some Christmas stockings for years...and this year I finally did it! I totally bit off more than I could chew on this project, but I'm so glad that I did it {that's easy to say now that they are done!}.

I decided to do a different style for each one, but all of the fabric is from the same line. So, at least they were similar in that respect. Leah's was by far the hardest to complete. I have never done a hexagon quilt before, and it was definitely a challenge. You see, everything on the front of this stocking is done by hand...I had to hand sew each and every one of those pieces together! Talk about time consuming! It makes me feel good to have it all done and all of the time really was worth it.

To know that I am going to have these handmade stockings each Christmas makes me happy...I am proud of myself on these little creations. More than anything, I'm happy that I sat down and actually did it! Completing projects is definitely not easy for me these days :). So...here they are :).


Noah's...
Leah's...it makes me tired just thinking about all the time I put into this little creation!
Isaac's...

Fowler Christmas Party ~ 2010

We had our annual Fowler Family Christmas Party last weekend. I'm amazed at how much my family has changed, especially over the past 10 years. It's crazy to think that so many of my cousins are now married and have kids...just like me :). I seriously feel like we were all just kids ourselves, gathering together on Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's house and exchanging gifts. My, how the times have changed. I so enjoy seeing this new little generation and I am so happy to enjoy my time with all of them at Christmas!

Since our family is getting so big, we decided to get together at my uncle's work, which was definitely a good idea :). We had some yummy treats, and then it was time for the gifts! All of the great-grandkids got a gift, and then Grandma gave every family a puzzle! Our puzzle was of the United States...which was AWESOME, seeing that learning the states is one of Noah's favorite things to do! We have put that puzzle together SO many times this past week! It was such a wonderful gift for us :). It was a great party!

Noah eating one of the MANY treats.
Isaac chewing on his new little truck...no surprise there!
Leah waiting patiently for her gift. So, SO, cute :).
Noah and his gift...BUGS! The first thing he said after opening this was that he was going to scare Daddy with them. He know's how much Doug *loves* bugs and spiders. Creepy!
My sweet Grandma Fowler...I love her SO much!!

We LOVE Christmas Treats!

Christmas is the time of year for treats...and LOTS of them. I kind of let all of the rules with sweets and treats slide this time of year....for me, not the kids ;). I have eaten SO many treats the past few weeks, and they are all SO good!

We were able to decorate cookies with our cousins...which is always a treat! Noah and Leah LOVE decorating cookies, so they were more than pleased to do it twice :). And, yes, the cookies were all eaten within a day of making them...they were GOOOOD!

Every Christmas, we make chocolate covered pretzels. They are my absolute favorite treat! And what makes them even better is when they have crushed candy cane on top...YUM!

Doug's even a good helper when it comes to making treats :). He's especially good and smashing the candy canes :).

Very focused...

And the thing is, is that I'm tempted to make even more goodies! I just love this time of year!

"Houston, we have a problem..."

Um...ya...a big problem. This is the first time that this has happened. Isaac is still sleeping in the pack 'n play in our room, as we are in the process of painting Noah's new room so that Isaac can be moved. Well, this motivates me even more to get things moved around...I'm thinking that the big boy crib will be a better fit for this little monkey! I'm just hoping that he doesn't learn to crawl out of the crib when he's older...Noah and Leah *never* even tried to get out. I'm thinking that Isaac is going to be the one to give it a go!

1 Fish, 2 Fish

Noah and Leah would stay in the tubby all day long if I let them. They LOVE playing in the water, and this morning they convinced me let them stay in...for 45 minutes! I had to keep warming up the water because it kept getting cold. I'm convinced that they'll turn in to fish if they stay in any longer ;).

Isaac ~ 6 Months

That's right...our precious little Isaac is SIX months old. I can't believe it...in only six more {short} months, my baby is going to be ONE. I don't even want to think about how fast the time is passing. I know I always say that, but it just amazes me how quickly my little ones are growing up. STOP GROWING!

Isaac is growing so fast and is literally changing right before our eyes. It is amazing to watch and to see what he is going to do next. Here are some highlights from this past month:

~ He is rolling everywhere, and he rolls FAST!
~ He can now get up on his hands and knees, and he is SO close to crawling. If he is on his belly, he instantly gets up on all fours. No more sitting on his belly...he wants to be up so that he can see what is going on!
~ He is also very close to sitting up all by himself. He can usually support himself for about a minute before he tips over.
~ He has found his voice, and he knows how to use it! Thankfully he doesn't scream all of the time...just when he really wants some attention.
~ He is SO spoiled! I still pretty much hold him all of the time, or if he's on the ground, I'm usually right there with him. He does *NOT* like to be alone, and it just breaks my heart to hear him cry. So, my solution is give him what he wants, and what he wants is to be with his mama, and I don't mind one bit :).
~ He has the saddest cry ever! And the face that goes along with it will break your heart. I just wish that he would realize that are times that I have to put him down and that he wouldn't cry. We're working on it :).
~ He thinks that Leah is HILARIOUS! She can get him laughing when no one else can.
~ He loves to play Peek-a-Boo. He has the cutest little belly laugh and we can really get him going when we play this with him. The best is when he is crying and we say "Peek-a-boo" and he instantly starts to laugh. So...he'll have tears running down his sweet cheeks, then he'll start to laugh uncontrollably. It's pretty funny to watch...especially when he starts crying again, and then laughs again...back and forth.
~ He's an alright sleeper...I just wish that he would sleep past 5:00 in the morning. Thankfully, I usually just have to feed him, and then he goes right back to sleep. BUT, I just wish that he would wake up at 6:00 instead because the moment I wake up, it's SO hard to go back to sleep. Needless to say, I'm still a bit sleep deprived!
~ He STILL hates being in his carseat. I'm convinced that there is nothing that I can do to make him like it.
~ He is starting to enjoy playing with toys and he is SO fascinated with all of his new discoveries :).
~ He grabs anything and everything within reach. He is constantly grabbing my hair when I am holding him, and he is always lunging for whatever is in my hands {food, glass of water, toy, etc...}. The best is when he's on my lap when we're eating and he grabs my food and throws it on the floor...lovely. And...you would think that I would learn to not hold him on my lap, but no...
~ His hair is coming in darker than we all expected, and it's also really fuzzy! And his eyes...we still don't know what color they are going to be, but they definitely won't be brown like Noah and Leah's.

Words can't explain how much this little guy has changed us all for the good...we definitely has us all wrapped around his little finger :).

Noah loves to hang out next to Isaac...here Noah's showing Isaac how to play Mario.