Our Little Lilah!

Lilah, Lilo, Lilah Cougar, Little, little, little, and Chuckie.  You have been called many things in your life.  But today, I would like to call you something else......Good Girl!  I know it has been rumored lately that you have been as horrible as the horror show star "Chuckie", in fact this name has been uttered many a times in our home lately.  But this past week, I have seen a change.  Maybe it is the new big girl bed you just got, or maybe the extra attention we have been giving you, having your second birthday or maybe the responsibility of going in the big girl potty you are using.  Whatever it is, we like it.  

It was so fun to watch you soak up all of the attention at your 2nd birthday!  You loved the presents, especially the numerous candy canes you got.  It's a good thing you got a lot of them because that is all you asked for!  You thought your carousel cake was "mmmm nummy" and having both grandparents over for dinner, along with your best buds Cade and Austin with their parents was a blast.

Three days after your second birthday we decided it was time to go to the bathroom on the big girl potty.  We are now on day 5 of potty training and I am pleasantly surprised.  You have had many an accident but you are trying and doing pretty well.  Already you have earned painting your nails, painting your little toy train and going sledding as rewards on your little potty chart.  But your favorite reward is yet to come, lunch at "Donalds".  Each time you have a success we do the potty dance and you get one Smarty.  You especially loved this the other day when Neeley and Kayla had a whole pack of kids over to play and they all joined in on the potty dance with us!!

Thank you little Lilah for wanting to be so good and trying hard to not be such a menace.  We ALL appreciate it and love your spirited little personality!  We love how you want to be in the middle of it all, how you tug at our pant legs saying, "I wuv you", and we also love the numerous  pictures of your crazy hair.  Next on the agenda.... leaving your pony tail in!!

I TAKE IT ALL BACK. WHILE I WAS WRITING THIS POST YOU WERE UP PEEING ON AUNT NIKKI'S COUCH AND THEN CAME DOWN AND POOPED YOUR PANTS!!! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

It's Christmas Time!

Ari and Neeley singing

Ari, Neeley, Kayla and Lilah

Ruby

Jeff and Landon

Nikki and Cade

Clint and Austin

Scott, Xanthe, Freestone and Ptolemy

Mom and Dad with Santa Ryan

Santa Ryan with Collin, Jackson, Isabella, Jennie, and Alexis

Lilah can't wait to rip into those presents!

Santa Tolly, tired after a hard days work with Mr. Clause, Scott

This Christmas was full of traditions, family time and fun.  On Christmas eve we went to Jer's parents for a party.  As always, we started out with a yummy meal made by Mom.  Then we headed downstairs where the kids performed various talents, including Neeley and Ari singing all "I want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth"  which is true for the pair of them!  After that the ripping and shredding of all of Mom's hard work begins as the kids tear into their presents.  And as always, Grandma and Grandpa spoiled us all again, with my favorite being the girls matching pink sweaters with  fur and the scarves she knitted to match (even for Kate!)

Christmas morning was really fun this year.  The girls all came in to see what Santa had brought and before Neeley even peeked at what she got she took Lilah over and showed her all of her fun stuff first.  I would say Neeley's most favorite present would be her I-pod with docking station and Kayla loves her camera.  Lilah is perfectly happy with the sucker in her stocking but also likes her Mr. Potato Head set.  Mom and Dad love the toaster Neeley got the best so she can make breakfast for everyone while we catch a few more winks of sleep.

Later it was time to visit my parents. We enjoyed having them all to ourselves for the afternoon. It always amazes me that they still shop for all 38 grandkids, 2 great grandkids and all 16 kids and manage to get just what we ask for. They really are amazing! The girls loved their webkins and loved going to breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa. They always know just how to make us each feel special!

Grandma and Grandpa with the three girls.

Mom and Dad in front of my childhood home!

Sugar Plums

The girls are all nestled in bed and are already dreaming of sugar plums I am sure.  Lilah was tickled to open her life size doll from her secret elf, Bizzy and was even more tickled to find out she could sleep with her tonight.  Neeley and Kayla heard Santa's bells and ran to bed as fast as they could.  Neeley was even convinced that she didn't have time to brush her teeth.  If you know Neeley, you know she would never suggest this unless something drastic would happen, like missing a visit from Santa!  Five minutes after we tucked the girls in, we realized we forgot to put out cookies and milk for Santa.  Being afraid that they might remember and come back out of bed to do so, I went in to get them.  They really took this Santa thing seriously because they were sound asleep!

Thanks Santa for your visit already!  And thanks for helping us get the girls in bed and to sleep faster than usual!  You just gotta love Christmas!

Dough Girls!

Kimi, Suzanne, Charlotte, Shauna, Mom, me Neeley, Lilah and Kate

Mom and Dad, Lilah and JoAnn's peanut butter balls since she missed the photo shoot.

Shauna and Mom 

"Aunt Zan" helping Lilah make egg nog cookies!

This week we had our annual baking day with all of my sisters.  We all gathered at my house to bake, talk, eat Olive Garden take out, talk, sample goodies and talk some more.

This year we had fudge, peanut butter balls, egg nog cookies, chocolate covered prezels and thumb print cookies.  

Half-way House.

Lately I have been feeling like I have only been able to do everything half-way.  My house is half-way cleaned, the kids half-way cared for, the laundry half-way done (or not at all until Jer stepped in!), dinner half made, thank you cards half sent (sorry if you didn't get yours), scriptures half read, exercise half done, husband half loved, and the list goes on and on.

I guess you get what you ask for.  I have always said that if I could just be half the mom that mine was......

Keep on, keep'n on.

I love the inspiration we can gain at times when we need it most.  Trying to cope with life today, I decided to read the Ensign and found just what I needed.

"Don't you give up, boy.  Don't you quit.  There is help and happiness ahead - a lot of it.  You keep your chin up.  It will be all right in the end.  Trust God and believe in good things to come"

--Jeffery R. Holland

Hellooo Santa!

We heard that Santa was at RC Willey last weekend (Thanks Nik for the heads up!) so we ran over for a visit.  We were pleasantly surprised to see that we were the only ones interested in seeing the red fat man so we completely avoided the lines at the mall!  Neeley hopped right on his lap and told Santa she wanted polly pockets, a radio and some ear rings.  Kayla and Lilah on the other hand were not getting anywhere near him.  From a distance, Kayla told him she wanted a camera and Lilah a babydoll.  I finally managed to have them get close enough for a picture.  On the way home Lilah couldn't stop talking about how fun it was and saying "HO, HO, HO!"