Zoo Lights & Schofield Family Party

On Saturday, we headed to Zoo Lights with the Cornell Family.  Before we went to the lights, we went to dinner at Taqueria 27.  It was pretty delicious!  We'd never been to zoo lights before, and it was pretty cool.  They did a great job with all the lights and the cats were awake, so we could actually see them.  The tiger was pretty cool, and it was fun to see them be more active.

Tony and Becky decided to do the Christmas Party after Christmas this year.  It just made the holiday feel like it lasted longer, and it was fun.  They made prime rib and had other delicious food.  The brother all participated in "feats of strength" and Matt was declared the winner. Dan was off his game and let us down this year! ;)

Gwen got really cute homemade PJs from grandma, a new outfit, and a teddy bear.  She loved it all.  She got a cute minnie mouse doll from Rae, and she was so excited about it.  She didn't really like the idea of giving her present to Abby, and couldn't understand why her cousins wanted to open their own presents instead of letting her do it, and take their toys.  She thought it should all be fore her.  At one point, she came up to me crying.  When I asked her what was wrong, she said, "More presents!" Good thing her birthday isn't too far off!

Christmas!!!

Christmas was for sure a little more fun this year.  Gwen was so excited about all her presents!  We decided to stick with three for the symbolism that that's what the wisemen brought Jesus. I think it was perfect because she wasn't overwhelmed and got to play with all her toys.  Plus, she got presents from grandparents and cousins, so she definitely wasn't lacking.

She got a rocking horse from Santa, some mega blocks, dishes and a cozy chair just her size from us.  When she saw the rocking horse, she started running towards it.  She loves it.  A lot.

She was really excited about her blocks and told us, upon opening, "I build a tower, SUPER TALL!"

As soon as we were done opening presents, she got all cozy in her chair and just relaxed.  This girl is a pro at relaxing and snuggling in.  We love it.

 Later, we went to both parents house.  It was a lot of family and a lot of fun.  Gma and Gpa Cornell got her a pink Jeep, which she loved.  And she rides it all around the house.  She got a fun puzzle from her cousin Josh, and was in heaven all day.

 Later that night, we put her to bed and participated in the first ever Cornell family Reindeer Games.  Tara (of course) put this together and we played a thrilling game of little games against each other.  It was a riot.

I'd say Christmas was a success.  We had a wonderful time with family, friends, and each other.  We are truly blessed.  I really felt the Christmas Spirit this year, and I am so grateful for the Savior who came to this earth in the humblest of circumstances to save us so that we can return to him again.  That is the most amazing gift ever given.

Christmas Eve

Dan had to work a half day on Christmas Eve, but was home about noon.  We wrapped presents, and got all ready for Christmas.  We headed to my mom and dad's house for Christmas Eve dinner, nativity and our annual Christmas Eve present.  Dinner was great, the nativity was sweet (and a little hilarious).  G was an angel, and did a great job.  After the nativity we opened our presents.  New PJs for the kids, a cool charger stick for the boys, and a cute little purse pod for the girls.  And then, grandma surprised all the kids with another present:  Beanie Boos.  Gwen got a little poodle named princess and absolutely loves her.  It's pretty adorable.  She loved opening presents and was so excited to rip all the paper off those packages!

December - Part Uno.

Oh December.  The month of crazy.  There are so many fun things to do, but it does feel pretty busy and a little hectic at times, but we had a great month.

We started off with Advent.  This is a German tradition, so Dan really wanted to do it with Gwen.  So we got her one of those little Advent candy calendars, and she loved it.  We'd make her say "Merry Christmas" before she got it, and she'd say, "Ferry Critmas"  It's the cutest.  She also got her her very first ice cream cone.  We thought:  We'll all share it, but she just loved it so much she couldn't bear the thought of not licking every ounce.  And, she was just being so darn cute saying, "MMM, tastes good" that we couldn't take it away from her.

She loves to play hide and seek in the curtains.  She'll come up to me and say, "mom, let's do hiding seek!" and then run to to curtains to hide.  It's pretty fun.

 The first Saturday in December we went to get our Christmas tree.  Of course it was right after a huge snow storm, so we couldn't get up high enough to actually cut one down. :(  But we had fun playing in the snow.  G didn't have great boots, so I think her feet were freezing, hence the screaming.  And....we stopped at Home Deopt on the way home and picked up our tree.  It's wasn't quite as magical as cutting one down, but hey, we tried.

 Most days, after we get home from the gym, I make us a green shake.  Gwen used to only like them, but for some reason, now she LOVES them!  When we come home, she says, "Make a green drink!" then, she has to sit on my lap, and slurp her drink and touch it, and smear it all over her face, but hey, at least it's healthy!
This is our Christmas Tree all decorated up.  Gwen loved the lights and ornaments.  Every morning when we walk down stairs, if the lights aren't on, she says, "Turn on Chritmas tree"

 *We went to Temple Square for Young Women, and it was cold, but fun.  Dan was at school, so Gwen came with us, and loved it.  All the kids loved it too.  They all took turns pushing her around in her stroller and chatting her up.  She is loved every where she goes.
*We also had our very first experience with TV (at home).  I've never turned on the TV for her before, but in the spirit of Christmas, we got out the old classics and I turned on Rudolph for her.  She loved it for a few minutes, but then lost interest, and I was OK with that.
*We saw Santa at our ward Christmas party, and surprisingly, G did not scream.  She just looked a little confused and was happy to get her candy cane.
*I curled her hair for the first time, and it was adorable.  She didn't really like to sit still for me, but I just couldn't help myself!

 I've been watching my nephews on Mondays, and Gwen and Leo are the same age.  They have fun together as long as the other isn't playing with any toys. :)  They are just so cute in their jammies!  We went to City Creek to play at the Dino play place in the food court.  The kids had a ball!
*We've also been to Discovery Gateway a few times, and G LOVES it.

 The Friday before Christmas we went to Temple Square.  That probably wasn't our best idea, cause it was so crowded, but it was fun anyway, and the lights were amazing as usual.

 *On Sunday, we headed to Catherine's house where G was absolutely spoiled with a dress up kit complete with high heals, a tiara, necklace, purse, outfit and earrings.  She was so excited.
*Today, we went and hung out with Grandma and the Banks cousins.  We made gingerbread cookies, and played toys and made a muck of grandma's house.  G was a pretty big fan of the gingerbread cookie frosting.  Not so much the cookie.

The Christmas Festivities are just beginning and we are loving spending so much time with family and have Dan home a little more, since school is out and He took a few days off work.  That's my favorite thing about the holidays.  Being able to spend a little more time with my guy.

November

November was a blur.  It went by so fast, and I can't believe it's already December!  We did a lot of fun stuff in November.  We played with friends and cousins, and went for an 8 hour car ride to Colorado for Thanksgiving.
Sometimes after I send a picture to Dan of what we are doing, he sends Gwen a picture of him doing something funny...

At the beginning of November, we went to my boss's wedding at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  It was a beautiful view!  Our last walk of the season...Gwen and miss Mia.  They wanted to hold hands while we were walking, and it was just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.  I think they are definitely best friends.  Gwen asks about Mia (who she calls Nia) just about every day.

Dan took a half day early on in November, and we went to Wheeler Farm for the last time of the season.  It was a chilly day, but we had a good time.  Gwen loves to help us cut veggies and make dinner, loves to play with toys, and LOVES to color.

 Saturday morning fun, eating yummy chocolate, and hanging out with Grandpa

I've been babysitting my nephews on Monday's, and they live right by Sugar House Park, so we go there a lot.  Gwen and Leo love to play, but Gwen is kind of a scardey cat, so Leo gets bored with her pretty fast.  But, she's finally mastered the tunnel, which has taken a while for her to do, so she can keep up with him a little better. :)

We headed to Colorado for Thanksgiving and it was a fun trip, despite everyone getting sick.  I woke up on Thanksgiving Day with a fever of 102, Nat had a stomach bug, which got passed to my dad, Tara, Josh, and Gwen, who was up all night throwing up.  Poor kids.  Poor everyone.  That part was not fun, but we did have a great time with family, and Gwen was a trooper on the drive.

While we were in Colorado, we went hiking (well I didn't) on the Flat Irons, walked up and down Pearl Street, and went to Denver for an adults night out.  It was such a great time and we loved being able to be with our family.

Thanks for hosting all of us, preparing an amazing Thanksgiving dinner, and having so many fun activities planned, Tara!  You are awesome!

October

Well, it's been a big month!  We've had a lot of fun activities, birthdays, parties, and a fun holiday.  Here's the gist, in a nutshell.
We spent some time at the park, soaking up the last few nice days of fall.  We went to the zoo with a few friends.  Gwen really wanted to ride the carousel, from a distance.  Once we actually got on, she hated it and was scared, so I had to sit with her on one of the benches.  She didn't mind it so much when I was with her, but if I would bring her close to a horse or animal, she would start crying.  She's a funny girl.

We carved some pumpkins...a little early this year, and by the time halloween rolled around, they were pretty squishy and rotten.  We carved with Von, Ash, Jeff and Kat.  It was such a fun time.  Dan put himself in charge of the seeds and stole them from all the pumpkins so he could make us like 100 batches of pumpkin seeds.  They actually turned out pretty good this year, which is a first. I carved a ghost, and Dan free-handed that black widow.  He's pretty talented.
Gwennie loves to "type" on my "puter" and pretend she's working.  It's adorable.  She also loves to read books with us in our bed when Dan's home in the mornings.  Every morning I go get her, and she says, "Daddy home? Read books mommy's bed"  It's really sweet, and we love the little extra snuggle time we get with her since she's so busy, her snuggles are few and far between.

We played with cousins, and friends a few times.  Gwen is really into holding hands, and loves, especially, to hold her cousin Leo's hand.  They were so cute at the park together, just walking hand in hand from slide to slide.

This angel turned 20 months.  I can't believe in just 4 months she'll be 2.  It's so crazy.  She is so sweet and we just love her to pieces.  I can't even remember what I did before I had her.  Who filled the hole in my heart that only she can?

We went to Wheeler Farm with Nat, Jack and Leo to the pumpkin patch, hay maze, and on the wagon ride, and the kids loved it! We also saw the animals, which was also a hit.

We celebrated Dan's 29th birthday for 2 days!  On Friday, the day before his birthday, he took the day off and we went to the zoo with Tom, Darby & Kids.  Gwen loved it.  After that, Darby took Gwen and Dan and I went out to dinner, and to 2 movies.  Darby kept Gwen overnight, so the next morning, on his actual birthday, we went to breakfast, and then went and got Miss.  Dan wanted birthday cookies this year, so I happily obliged. We had a little party with family and a couple close friends.  29 is old, but at least he's not 30....yet. :)

 

We hosted our annual Halloween Party.  It was a blast.  The theme this year was couples.  Von and Ash were a tooth and Tooth Fairy, Jeff and Kelsey were Napoleon Dynamite, and his girlfriend, Cory and Heather were creepy witch and china doll, Dan and I were batman and Batgirl, and Jeff and Kat were the couple from Portlandia.  Everyone did an outstanding job.  The food was great, the games were fun, and the company was the best! 

 Last, but not least, Halloween.  We stuck with the animal theme and Gwen was a penguin.  It was pretty adorable.  once again, Dan made her costume.  I will take credit for her feet though.  I made those myself. :)  She was adorable, and LOVED trick or treating.  She got the hang of it after the second house and would say "trick or treat" after they would open the door.  It was the cutest.

 All in all it was a great month and we loved being able to spend some time outside.  Gwen is getting so big and is learning so much every day.  It's so much fun to be able to do more and more with her.

Family Photos

We had our family photos taken in mid October.  I think they turned out pretty cute, and I'm really happy with them.

September

Well, life keeps getting busier and blogging keeps getting harder, but since this really is my only journal, I'm going to keep at it, at least monthly.

Here's what we were up to in September.  We enjoyed WONDERFUL weather, some days it still felt like summer, which we really liked.  We went to the park a ton, Gwen mastered the slide by herself, and learned how to climb those plastic rock mountain things.  She really likes going, and I really like taking her.  We went for walks on the Jordan River trail, and tried to soak up all the outside time as we could.
Gwen got this adorable blue dress from aunt Dano for Christmas BEFORE she was born.  I've been dying to have it fit her, and it finally does.  She looks like she's floating when she walks in it.  It is pretty much the cutest thing ever.  We went to Wheeler Farm a few times.  We love the farm.  Gwen loves the animals, looking at the ducks, chickens, goats, horses, and everything else.  I love that it's free and gets us out of the house.

 We were able to go up to Snowbird for Oktober Fest.  It was really fun.  Dan's brother Tom got free tickets for the Tram from his work, and gave them to us.  It was really cool up there, but as luck would have it, a killer storm was rolling through right when we got to the top and we were told if we didn't get down right then, we wouldn't be able to get down for hours.  So we were only up there for a couple minutes.  but the tram ride was fun, and being up so high, even for a few minutes, was cool.

 Gwen had her frist experience with Graham crackers and milk.  She LOVED "dippy crackers" in the milk, and asks for it pretty much every night now.  We went to Adventure Land park with my friend Becca and her daughter Ellie to feed the ducks and Gwen loved it.  She got a little scared when they started coming up to her, but she really loved seeing the ducks and had a fun time with her friend.  One morning, I had the fridge open getting breakfast ready, and I turned and found Gwen with a whole apples, half devoured, just grinning from ear to ear.  This girl loves apples, and loves rummaging through the fridge.

 Mid September, we went to the state fair with our friends Von, Ash, Jeff, and Kat.  It was a blast, but it always is with those guys!  We went down that big yellow slide, and Gwen was pretty scared.  We chased bubbles, looked at animals, ate funnel cake, shared a deep fried candy bar, and got caught in the middle of a downpour.

 This sweet angel turned 19 months.  I still can't believe how big she's getting.  She is changing and growing so much every day.  I can't believe all she knows and learns.  She is still my shadow and follows me around all day.  We went to the park, took chloe for a walk, and got pizza, her FAVORITE food of all time.  Dan was in school, so we celebrated, just us girls.

 More park time with friends, Nicole and Mia.  Gwen asks for Mia just about every day.  It's pretty cute.  I'm glad she likes to play with friends and she likes to play outside!  We went for a Sunday walk to the little park right by our house so she could show dan how she knows how to go down the slide.  She loved playing with her dad at the park for a change.

 We found a little pond really close to our house that has TONS of ducks.  Hundreds probably.  They are super friendly and will eat the bread right out of your had.  It really intimidated Gwen, but she loved watching them swim and fly.  Dan was jealous that we went without him, so we had to go again the next night when he was home. :)  It was pretty chilly, but so fun to watch Gwen interact and talk to the ducks.  Dan took a much needed day off and we took Gwen to this little trampoline place.  She really liked it and loved bouncing on the tramps.  It was fun to do something different and new.

September was a fun month with lots to do.  We aren't really looking forward to winter, we have loved being able to go outside and not sweat after a couple minutes.  Fall is such a beautiful time of year.  It always passes too quickly!

August

Well, the vacations are over, and so is summer.  I always get nostalgic when summer comes to an end, even though I'm not going back to school, or sending kids off to school (yet).  I will miss the heat, and the water, the long days, and the overall happiness and freedom summer affords.  It means that winter is around the corner, and I just really don't like that idea at all.
But, here is what we did with our last few weeks of love and joy and summertime.
Park time, walking Chloe(Gwen insists on holding the leash), and soaking up the last few days at the pool

Gwen went to nursery for the first time!  I can't believe she's already 18 months old.  She did great.  A little hesitant at first, but she warmed up and when I went to get her, she told me "No" She wanted to keep playing with toys.

Dan and I celebrated 7 magical years together!! We went to Brio at City Creek, and it was delicious.  I can't believe how fast the time has gone by.  It feels like we just got married, but at the same time, like we've been together forever.

We've enjoyed playing with cousins, eating all sorts of food, riding bikes, and swinging by herself for the first time.  She thought she was so big!

Gwen got her first haircut!! She doesn't have much hair, especially on the sides, so her long locks in the back were giving her a pretty good mullet, which naturally, needed to go.  So I busted out the scissors and after a few snips, she had a cute little bob going on.

 Gwen is getting to be a master at feeding herself, and now won't let me help her at all.  It's really nice, and kind of annoying at the same time, because it takes about twice as long and makes about 3 times as much mess.  But, she's getting the hang of it, and it's fun watching her learn to be more independent.  I got her this bubble blower, and she loves it.  Every day she asks if we can go outside and do bubbles.  She is a really good talker.  The other day, I gave her a chocolate snack in the car (what was I thinking?!) and turned around to see it smeared all over her face.  Shoulda seen that one comin'...

 We got together with my friend Nicole and her baby girl Mia at the new Provo Rec Center.  That place is crazy!  It's super nice and I am a little jealous that we don't live closer.  I was impressed.  We had a blast, and Gwen (despite the pictures) did have fun playing with Mia, as long as she didn't touch her. ;)  We took Gwen shopping, and she picked out some things that she liked and would hold them up to herself and say, "Cute" and then she wouldn't let it go.  It was pretty funny to watch.  She already knows how to shop.  This could be bad for our bank account!  And lastly, we were at IKEA, and she saw these little owl puppets.  She is obsessed with owls, and HAD to have one.  So we got it for her, and she snuggled it all the way home.  She still loves it and carries it around with her almost everywhere.  Its really cute.

She's been really fun lately.  She finally likes to play, and is getting a pretty good imagination.  She still likes to play with me, and doesn't really do it too much on her own, but is is so interactive.  She is still our little sass, and the other day at dinner, I was trying to give her a bite of something, and she looked at me and said, "no mom, not want it."  Um, I don't think she is big enough to talk to me like that.  Seriously.  But I couldn't help but laugh, and now, she says it all the time, trying to get a reaction out of me.  She is goofy and weird, and we love her to pieces!

A Feeling I want to Remember

Today, life began again.  Dan is back at school, and our vacations are over.  I've been dreading this day since he started his break.  It's hard not having him around much, it's hard watching him miss Gwen, and it's especially hard watching her do new things without him there to see it.  I try to fill his school days with activities and outings so we aren't stuck at home, but today everything kind of fell through, so we were home most of the day.  And I'm really glad, because if we weren't, I would have missed this feeling.  I've been overwhelmed today with a feeling of gratitude.  I am so grateful that I get to stay home with my angel.  I am so grateful that I get to see her sweet spirit develop.  I am so grateful I get to watch her grow and learn, and make mistakes, and try new things.  Somedays it's hard, but today it was gratifying.  It was just a day where we meshed and I noticed it.  I noticed the little things that I sometimes miss or take for granted.  Like the way she crinkles her nose when she's mimicking my smile, or the way she always cranes her head around in her high chair to see exactly what I'm doing at the sink.  The way she tramps around the house, following my every footstep, never being more than 2 behind me.  The way that she teases Chloe, and tries to copy everything I say to her.  She truly is my miracle, and I cannot even imagine my life without her.  It would be so empty.  She brings so much life and love into our home.  Today there was a special spirit with us, and I don't want to forget it.  It was so powerful, and I don't know why it was there today, but I needed it.  And I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for sending it.  Today when I put her down for her nap, she looked up at me and said, "song?" and when I asked her if she wanted me to sing her a song, she said, "yes!" which is kind of rare.  So I sang, and when the song was over, she said, "more?" so I sang again, and she fell asleep.  She is getting so big and so smart, and she is starting to not be my baby anymore, and I hate it.  But I love watching her grow and learn, and become her.  She is amazing and has a world of potential.  I've been feeling nostalgic today, for those first newborn days, where she'd snuggle for hours, and I'd never get anything done because I couldn't bring myself to put her down.  For the days when she was my baby.  But she's not.  She's my toddler now, and I'd never trade it, but I sure wish I could slow it down.  I'm not ready for her to be big yet.  I still need her to need me, and she's getting so independent.  But, today I am grateful that she is my baby, that she is my toddler, that she is mine, and that we can be together forever.  I want to remember this feeling, and carry this spirit with me into all my tomorrows.  Today, I am grateful.

Bear Lake 2013

Summer can never come to an end without the official Bear Lake Family Reunion.  We had a great time.  We were able to stay in a huge cabin/house all together, and it was a lot of fun!  I hardly saw Gwen, since she was enthralled with her cousins, and they all wanted to play with her.  She was in heaven, and it was nice to have some awesome babysitters. :)

 We had a blast riding the jet skis, boat and water weeny.  Gwen loved playing in the sand and with the shells we found on the shore.  She also enjoyed chasing the seagulls and stealing everyones snacks. Grandma floated her in the tube a lot, and she loved it.

 All the brothers had a short race.  It's not a Schofield family gathering without some sort of competition between the brothers.  Dan was pretty far ahead on the way down, but got cocky on the way back and let his brother Tom catch up to him, so sadly, he didn't win the race.  He was pretty devastated about it for the rest of the trip.

 Our theme was "Things" from Dr Seuss.  Technically, there are 9 things - but we have some "adopted in" "Things" that bring us up to 11.  Aren't all those kids cute?

We made a lot of fun memories, soaked up a lot of sun, played until we were exhausted, laughed until our stomachs hurt, ate until we couldn't eat any more, and went home a closer family than when we arrived.  We are fondly looking forward to next year!