Friday, January 27, 2012

Anya's 4th Birthday!!!

Anya turned 4!!! It is so crazy to me that she is growing up so fast!! She had 3 parties this year. Grandma Karen and Annie were here on the Sunday before her birthday, so we partied with them. On her actual birthday, she invited some friends over. They played, made necklaces and bracelets, painted nails, and had raspberry cinnamon rolls. That night, we had her last cake with just our little family. She is into Lalaloopsy right now, so that was the theme. Lalaloopsy cakes and presents. She got the bus from Grandma Karen, the playhouse from Mom and Dad, and she is getting the doll from Grandma Shelly. I am so grateful I have my Little Anya Girl (as she calls herself) in my life! She is growing up to be such a nice sweet girl. She is very sensitive to others' feelings and is always looking out for everyone. She is a peacemaker and also a drama queen. She can throw a pretty good fit when she feels like it, and she likes to watch herself cry just like her aunt Jilly. She is a mother by nature and likes to remind people how to do things. She is a great help with Luke, and he adores her!! Huey thinks she is great, but he also likes to tease her. He knows exactly how to get a rise out of her. She takes it quite well. Jess always tells her to fight back, but she never does. She is in Sunbeams now and was so excited to be able to go! She comes home and tells us all the things she has learned and loves to sing for us. This past year, she has picked up sucking her thumb. She is funny about it, though. She asks me when we go places if it is ok to suck her thumb there. Sometimes I say yes, and sometimes I say no. She takes it well either way! She is very smart and loves to learn. She has the best facial expressions! She is very particular when it comes to what she is going to wear and how her hair is going to be done. She is the best big sister! She makes me smile everyday. I am so blessed to have this little girl in my life!

Richy's Wedding!!!

Rich got married on December 28th to Michele in the Logan temple. It was a very nice sealing and surprisingly not terribly cold. We took a lot of pictures and then went and had a nice dinner at the CopperMill. They have are now living in Portaland where Rich is going to Chiropractic school. That is way too far away for my liking, but we are happy for his new adventure. We love Michele and are glad that she is the newest addition to our family!!!

December!!!

Anya's First Dance Recital
Wishing for Santa to come with Papa

Christmas morning
Rice-Crispy Contest
Christmas lights on Temple Square
As you can see, we had a very fun filled December! After all the stress of the Elementary Christmas play was over, we got to have some fun. To start it off Anya had her first dance recital. She was so cute! She dance her little heart out and had a blast. Grandma and Grandpa Huntsman came with their crew to watch. It was fun watching her. I took the kids to see Santa at my parents ward party, but Santa showed up and left without letting any kids sit on his lap. What the heck!?!?! He came read a story and left! I was so mad. Santa never comes to Cokeville, so my kids were so excited to see him. So, see him they shall!! So, they put on the wishing hats with Papa and he told them if they wished really hard Santa might show up. Can you believe what happened next...he did!! They were so shocked and excited when he knocked on the door!! Next was Christmas day. Hugh slept in Anya's room with her, and closed the hallway door blocking them from the living room. Maybe wasn't the best idea, as we woke up to two screaming children. I tried to calm their crying by shoving them into the living room to see what Santa had brought. As you can see from Anya's picture, it may have not been the happiest Christmas morning we have had around here. After opening presents, we hurried off to church. Jess led the choir and I sang a solo for the first time since High School. I was terrified!!! I think it went well though. We hurried to Lyman after church so we could be there when Dave called. It was fun talking to him. He seemed well. The next day we had a Rice-Crispy contest. Much to Mark's dismay, I think Jason's team won the challenge. (Yes, though they are both almost in their 30's, there is still some competition between the two!! Can you believe that?!?!) Mark's team was building Rapunzel's Tower and were doing quite well when it came crashing down. Jill quickly quit their team and joined McKenna and I. Mark's team ended up with a very nice snowman!!! Next, it was time for Richy's wedding. We headed down to Logan. It was a very nice day. More on that later. In between the wedding and reception, we ran to visit Jesse's family in Salt Lake. We had a nice quick visit and got to go see the lights. Overall, it was a very busy, but very fun Christmas season!!!