Ice Skating

One of the things that the girls really wanted to do over the Christmas break was to go ice skating.  They had been practicing on Nellie's roller skates and were dying to go.  We found a rink down in the ghetto that was really inexpensive so we went.  Who knew we would have so much fun!  It was a blast!

They thought they would need to get all bundled up but it wasn't that cold and almost immediately they took off their gear.

Lizzy wanted to skate with us at the beginning but then went off with Jacob soon after.

Nellie was very independent.  She did SO good I am so proud of her.  She became such a great little ice skater.  She would get going so fast and even when she would fall down she would get right back up.  It was really cute how she would skate.  She would keep one leg in place and just use the other one to get moving, kind of like pushing a scooter.  It was really cute.

Lizzy spent a lot of time with Jakey just messing around.  They had so much fun together on this trip.

Kevy was so cute out there skating.  He had never been ice skating before but it isn't too much different than rollerblading and he did just great.

The kids had so much fun going.  We are going to have to go again soon.

Janie didn't do very well.  She would  just sag and you had to hold her up to skate with her. It was really hard to do.  She is just a little too young I think

Mr. Russ did so good just hanging out in his seat and watching everyone.  Of course a lot of people came up and told me what a cute baby he is.  One little girl kept coming up and grabbing his hands and getting in his face, I didn't want to be rude but I really didn't want her touching him.

Christmas Day

We had another really great Christmas this year.  But seriously how can you not when you get to spend it with loved ones.  I just love the Christmas season and I am always very sad when it is over.  Watching your kids and all the wonder and excitement really is the greatest thing ever.  I think it gets more fun ever year with the girls.  Next year Russell will be getting in on the action too.  I think we can officially call Christmas 2011 our Hello Kitty/Dora Christmas.  Pretty much everything that Nellie got was Hello Kitty and everything that Jane got was Dora. Lizzy is getting grown up and is starting to ask for bigger kid stuff, which is fun but weird to see her getting so big.

Jane asked for Dora skates and Santa delivered.  She was pretty excited about them, but will not wear them with shoes like you are supposed to.  They are too slippery for her as well, so who know if she will wear them very often

Nellie asked for Hello Kitty roller skates, and when I told her they didn't exist she just said, "But Santa and the elves can make them. They can make anything."  I had to explain that sometimes they can't make some stuff and they buy some stuff.  She was very happy with the roller skates and has used them nonstop since.  She is almost always wearing them around the house, and when she isn't Lizzy is.

Lizzy got an ipod for her birthday, actually not a real one just a cheap mp3 player, but she thinks it is as good as an ipod so that is all that counts. She wanted a speaker for it so she could listen to her music with her sisters in her room.  Santa managed to find a barbie one that Lizzy was just thrilled with.  And I am thrilled with too because it doesn't go up very loud.

Jane was so funny because she had to unwrap a present all the way before she would even look at what it was.  She was almost done unwrapping one and I said "Jane what is it?" and she said "I don't know it isn't unwrapped yet!"

Nellie loved her Hello Kitty jacket we got her.  Like I said pretty much everything she got was Hello Kitty.

Lizzy's favorite gift she says were these boot we got her.  I found some cute inexpensive ones at Old Navy and I bought them kind of last minute.  She loves them.  We thought this really fancy dress we got her would be her favorite but I guess not.  It is funny how you never can tell with kids.

Lizzy a really pretty watch from Grammie and Papi and she loves it.

Russell wasn't too excited about Christmas, but we are so glad he joined our family this year.

Jane loved her Dora stuff she got from Grammie and Papi.

And Nellie loved her Hello Kitty stuff she got from Grammie and Papi.  After opening stuff at home we went to my parents for breakfast, I had made muffins and my mom made a breakfast casserole.  It was yummy!

Janie was thrilled about more Dora stuff from Grandma and Grandpa.

Uncle Joe did quite an amazing job with getting presents for the girls.  He got Janie a whole bunch of puzzles and  Nellie some movies about Jaguars and Lizzy he got these friendship bracelets to make.  He sure knows the little gals.  Plus he got Kevy and I a gift card to Cheesecake Factory (my favorite!) it was so super nice of him.

Brett took quite a liking to Russell and vice-verse.  They both were just so tired that morning.  After breakfast and presents at my parents we went to church for a lovely Sacrament Meeting, and then came back for dinner at my parents.  I really love having a big dinner on Christmas day because then it doesn't feel like you open presents and then that is it, Christmas is over.

Look at that spread!  We had such amazing food this year.  My mom made Prime Rib (my favorite!) and it was sooo good.

Christmas is over now, it makes me so sad every year when it is.  I just love this time of year and spending it with  my little family.

Christmas Eve

We had such a neat Christmas Eve this year.  My sister Janae and her family were here and it was so fun to have additional family to do things with.  We went to my parent's house for dinner and a program.  We had a great shepherd's dinner of sandwiches and soup.  Then we had a program.  I did a little puppet show with the kids that Chanelle had made for me.  It was a huge hit, we had songs with it and I read about the first christmas.  Then we watched a video and then the kids sang a beautiful song about Jesus, that Janae taught them.  The spirit was so strong and it really helped us to remember the true meaning of Christmas.  Afterward the kids opened a present and of course it was pajamas.  They were store bought, I wasn't about to attempt making pjs on top of everything else going on.  I am really trying to not stress myself out with trying to do too much.  And Lizzy got feet jammies and Nellie got Hello Kitty and Janie got Dora.  they certainly wouldn't have liked ones I made more than those. 

I like Janie's gangsta pants.

The girls had so much fun with their cousins.  It is always so exciting when we have cousins come and visit.  I am so glad that my kids love their cousins so much, what a blessing.

Jane was so excited to get a Dora nightgown, her last one was basically a shirt, it had gotten so small her little buns were practically hanging out. This one is so cute it hangs all the way to the ground.  She calls it her "long Dora nightgown" and I have to make sure that it is clean at night or there is hell to pay. She actually will not wear any other pajamas now.

Lizzy loves feet pajamas so we got her some cute penguin ones.

Nellie was over the moon with her new obsession Hello kitty pajamas.  When Nellie likes something she goes all out obsession mode.  I forgot to get one of Russell that night but he got some cute polar bear and penguin jammies from my sister Erica and so we gave him those for Christmas. 

Christmas Stuff

We had such a good Christmas season this year. As always it just flies by. We try and do something fun each night. One of the girls favorite things is turning on Christmas music and lighting candles and doing some dancing. We always have to have a Christmas treat every night too. And if we ever forgot the treat , Nellie made sure that we remembered. The girls love decorating the tree. I love having a real tree, but it is just too expensive, plus you can't beat having a prelit tree.

This is how Russell felt about decorating the tree.

Jane put all of her ornaments right along the bottom. Lizzy tried to boss her and make her put them somewhere else, but I told her to let Jane do it where she wanted.

the girls wanted to take our picture under the tree.

For a family night activity we made countdown chains, The girls each made one. I had to help Janie because she just couldn't get the linking thing. So I had her put the glue on then I put them together. It was funny because after each spot of glue she out on she would say, "fantastic!"

Nellie was at a play date and so Lizzy and Jane were my little cookie helpers. They had fun helping me cut them out and frost them.

Our Sweet Boy

Where does the time go? Russell is already over two months old! We sure have loved having him in our family. The girls absolutely adore him. They want to be holding him and kissing him and cuddling him all day long. He has been a so-so baby. Certainly not my worst but definitely not my best either. Right now he isn't napping very well, just cat naps throughout the day and when he is awake he cries if he isn't being held or doesn't get enough attention. This has just been for about the past week so I am keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't stay this way. He definitely likes me a lot, but at this age that is typical, I do have the goods after all. He does sleep pretty good at night so that is good.
So far he seems the most like Lizzy to me in personality. He seems very social at this age just like she did. He loves to coo and talk a lot! it is so cute because if you talk to him and give him attention he just will coo and talk away. He likes to "talk" more than any of the other girls that I can remember.
So all this hope for a chubby baby is just not going to happen. I took him to his 2 month checkup and he had started to drop in the percentiles just like the girls did. I guess it just is not in our cards to have a big baby. Oh well, he is healthy and perfect. I couldn't love him any more than I already do. He is 10 lbs 13 oz. (30th) and 23 inches (50th)

Such a handsome little guy in his Tux that Kevy's grandma made. It was so special to have him blessed in it. A funny thing about the blessing: Kevin said that right after he started saying it, Russell had a major blowout in his pants that was loud and stinky and Kevin said it really threw him off in the prayer, although you would never know that, it was a beautiful blessing.

What a proud daddy Kevy is. Lets just hope that Russ is into sports.

It is still hard to believe that I have 4 kids!

These girls just love this boy to death. This is such a common sight that I just had to take a picture. They all just want to mother him and smother him. Lizzy was so funny because this morning I was in the other room and he started to cry so I went in there and Lizzy had taken off his diaper because she figured that he must need a diaper change since he was crying. Lets not forget that she has never changes a diaper and she didn't even have a clean one in the room with her. Too funny.

He is our little buddy in the evenings. He hangs out with us after the girls go to bed. But I am looking forward to the time when he starts to go to bed when the girls do and I can have my time with Kevy again. I miss it.

He is definitely a paci baby and I couldn't be happier about it. I love that I can give him something when he is fussy that will calm him down, who cares if I have to take it away when he is older, it is worth it.

I just love that little smile. He is so easy to get a smile out of I love it. Everyone tells me how much he looks like Kevy. I always wondered what a little Richey boy would look like. Now we know, just as dang cute as his sisters! (I am not biased)

I wanted a picture of Russ and me so I asked Nellie to take one. She was really cute but I think I will ask Kevy next time. I just love my little Russell Man! (or as Janie calls him Mr. Buddy)