All things TRON....

Jason's birthday was yesterday. And with his new obsession with TRON, we had a little bit of a party theme going on. After breakfast, the kids gave him his presents...the TRON soundtrack, TRON the wii game and his very own TRON light-cycle toy. I think Jason loved them all. :)

Jason was able to take the day off of work, which was a nice surprise. So, we got a babysitter and went out on a date. Sushi for lunch (Jason's favorite--I had chicken), and then off to the movies. Bet you can't guess what movie we saw? You're right! TRON! This was Jason's 3rd time seeing the movie in the last two weeks. :) I told you he had an obsession.......

Later that night Jason cooked us dinner. Spaghetti and meatballs. He told me that for his birthday he wanted to cook italian. So either that means I am a lousy cook, or he really likes meatballs. He told me later that he really likes meatballs. :) And for dessert, blueberry cheesecake (which I did actually make for him).

We ended the night with a couple of hours of TRON wii. The boys had a blast. The girls and I played a little, but had more fun watching and giving the boys a hard time. It was a great day for all of us (but I hope especially for Jason). Happy Birthday Honey! We sure LOVE you!

Seth's 1st Haircut....

I'm not sure if this actually qualifies as a real haircut. All I did was trim up the front so that you could see his beautiful eyes. I refuse to touch the back just yet..........how can I possibly get rid of those curls?!? NEVER! Jason is pretty sure that Seth is the youngest kid to ever sport the 'mullet'.......and maybe so. But have you ever seen a cuter one?

Christmas

Wow! This year was AWESOME! (Thanks to Jason--he spoiled me again. LOVE that man!) Christmas was SO fun this year. The kids were so excited and everybody seemed happy....which was SO nice. I think that Santa got it right this time, for each and every child. Whew!

Belle got a HUGE beanbag, and a pillow pet...

Isaac got his own kick bag (so he can practice his Tae Kwon Do at home more), and a pillow pet...

Johnny FINALLY got a scooter of his own, and a pillow pet...(I'm not sure why my kids love the pillow pets so much, but they were certain that they would all die if they didn't get one this year)!Sabrina got the cutest dollhouse complete with a family and some 'fur-a-ture' (furniture), and the coveted pillow pet...

As for Seth, he got a few really cute things, all of which he was totally UN-interested in--including the infamous pillow pet! Oh well. You can't win them all!

Jason got the '12 dates of Christmas' (a year full of fun dates) and I got a sewing machine. Those of you who know me well are probably wondering if you read that last part right......and YES, you did. I asked for, and received, a sewing machine this year. I know, I know, Bethany sewing? It sounds totally unbelievable! But you see, I have this vision of me becoming talented, crafty, thrifty, and even a little self-reliant maybe? And I've got to start somewhere right? So, after spending an hour learning how to thread the darn thing and wind the bobbin, I've had to put it away for a couple of days--it all just seems a bit overwhelming! Just reading the instruction manual gave me a headache! :) But no worries, I won't give up. I am determined.........I WILL learn to sew this next year!

One of my favorite things we did this year, was exchange gifts as a family. Each gift had to be homemade and cost under $5. (We got this idea from Aunt Crystal--her family does this every year). At first I was worried about how this was going to work--I mean, what exactly can a 3-year old make by herself? Better yet, what could I possibly make by myself that someone else would actually want? Oh, but things turned out SO much better than I ever expected--and I think that all of us really enjoyed the experience! It is definitely a Christmas tradition we will continue in the future.

Jason made Isaac a 'snowball construction set'--complete with a decorated box, mini-marshmallows, toothpicks and instructions. Isaac made Johnny a 'Batman' secret agent book. This was way cute--Isaac decorated a folder with the 'Batman' logo and filled it with coloring pages, word searches and comics that he created himself. Johnny wrote Jason a poem that he typed up and illustrated all by himself. Belle made Sabrina the cutest pom-pom scarf out of yarn. Sabrina made me a candy cane candle holder (with her dad's help of course)--which I absolutely LOVE! And I made Belle a pom-pom scarf--mostly because she was coveting the one she was making for Sabrina. And to not leave anyone out, I tied Seth a little fleece blanket--which he couldn't have cared less about. :)

I have to say that the funnest thing about opening presents this year, was watching Johnny's reaction to the new wii game he got. The new Super Mario Brothers. I am still laughing as I try to type this.....That kid jumped up and down, screamed, danced, yelled, the works! And when he was exhausted from that, he fell to the floor and started climbing the carpet, arms and legs flying everywhere. He seriously could not contain himself! And when he was done, there was still the "woot-woot" every time he remembered he had it. I am kicking myself for not having the camcorder on.....it was classic! Thank you Johnny for an unforgettable moment. :)

Christmas night we headed up to see Grandma and Grandpa Yeates and the rest of the family that was visiting. It was so nice to be able to spend the evening with them all. Grandma and Grandpa surprised the kids with presents this year. It was really fun and the kids were so excited! I have to say though, that the Mickey Mouse airplane they gave Seth is the CUTEST thing I have ever seen! And Seth is totally diggin it. He has become quite possessive of it too--no one else is allowed near it--it is pretty funny. He can sit on it, or stand and hold the back to walk with it. It has a ton of buttons that make Mickey talk, move up and down, sing, etc. It has a built in shape sorter in the seat, and, it makes motor sounds and has a light-up propeller that spins! Seriously, the CUTEST thing ever! Thanks Mom and Dad! WE love it!

There were a few bummers for us this year though. Like the fact that we weren't able to get down to Vegas to see Grandma and Grandpa Barker. They got to spend the holiday with Corey & Diana, Wendy & Steve and their kids. Lucky them! We sure wish we could've gone down for a visit.....we would've LOVED to have seen everybody. Jerel & Crystal--we missed you too! (We hope that your kids are all feeling better so that we can get together and play soon). And we were also missing Sara & Ryan and their cute kids. Christmas just isn't the same when you can't all be together. Hopefully next year will allow us to ALL be together somehow. We sure love and miss you all! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

For Christmas Eve this year, we took the kids out to dinner and then to Temple Square to see the lights. It was really beautiful--and thankfully not too cold. I remember going there when I was a kid......I have always loved Temple Square at Christmas time! Sabrina made the outing fun. She was completely mesmerized by all the lights, and she had to stop at every nativity to look at the baby Jesus. She was so cute. We really had such a good time and it was the perfect way to celebrate Christmas Eve.
Cute baby.....

Grateful for Great-Grandmas.....

(Great-grandma Burnside hates to have her picture taken.....she wouldn't look at the camera.)
This week we were able to go and visit our Great-grandmas. I feel so blessed to have them both in our lives. And I am so thankful that my children have an opportunity to get to know their great grandmothers and create memories with them. Merry Christmas Grandma Ruby and Grandma Burnside--we love you!

I caved......

I wasn't going to, but I did--I baked. We made fudge, chocolate applesauce cake, gingerbread cookies and chex mix......add that to all the goodies from our friends and neighbors......and it comes out to about 6 pounds! (Merry Christmas to my stomach, hips and thighs.....didn't want you to feel left out!)

Cute Christmas Craft

I was in charge of the Christmas craft for Belle's school Christmas party this year. I found this cute tree idea online and decided to try it out. These are pine cones that I spray painted green. We used glitter glue and sequins to decorate the branches, and topped them off with bells and bows.

As you can see, my kids loved it. We made several of them. They seemed to go over pretty good with the 5th graders too. :)

I think they turned out pretty cute.

Snow Fun

So far this year, we've received a TON of snow! It has really been so much fun and the kids are LOVING it! And, a lot of it just happened to fall on the first day of 'winter break'. So, first thing Monday, the kids were out playing in the wonderfully, cold, wet stuff. Johnny was not feeling too well, so he stayed indoors and played the 'wii' instead. (And really, he was NOT at all sad about that). Seth also stayed indoors, but watched the kids play from his highchair. Isaac was nice enough to bring him in some snow to play with though......of course Seth had to eat it! Hope it was clean! :)

Yeates Family Christmas Party

Yesterday was the Yeates Family Christmas party. We had it at our house this year. As you can see, we had quite a crowd--lots and lots of cousins--my kids were in heaven! We had SO much fun! Aunt KC brought gifts for all the kids and even had a game for them to play. THANK YOU KC! They kids loved it!

My nephew Josh is finally home (from his 2nd deployment) and we are SO glad to have him for the holidays this year. (He's on the right with his girlfriend Jackie). Welcome home Josh! And THANK YOU for your amazing bravery and selfless service. We love you!
Uncle Matt was just happy to be there.....he he he.......:) Cute pic!
Uncle Bridger and Grandpa Yeates.........just hanging out.
Aunt Amy, Uncle Mike and Grandma Yeates.........getting ready for dinner.
Cute, cute cousin Kelly Jayne, joined us this year. SO happy she could come. We LOVE Kelly!!! (Katy and Savannah do to--as you can see).
The two who started it all.....LOVE you mom and dad! Merry Christmas!
And Aunt Megan with her girls......Mia and the one on the way! I know, I know, you can't even tell she is pregnant. Would you guess that she is 7+ months along? Too cute!
We are missing Aunt Sara, Uncle Ryan and their kids this year. They are staying in Texas for Christmas.....and it is just not the same without them here. We did attempt to 'Skype' them into the party......didn't work too well. But, seeing them, even for a few minutes, made everyone's evening! It really was the highlight of the whole night! We sure love and miss you guys!!! And we hope that you have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Funny Baby

Seth found the box of oranges in the pantry the other day. Of course he was thrilled because anything and everything round, must be a 'ball' and therefore, must be rolled and tossed all over the house.

After emptying and reloading the box a few times, he decided to give one a try..........

I'm assuming from the look on his face, that he's not a fan of orange peel. Ha ha ha! :)

A Christmas Carol

Belle was in the school play again this year. She played the part of Mrs. Fessiwig in A Christmas Carol. She had a couple of lines, a dance to learn, and a solo to sing. And she did FABULOUS! I have to say that she is quite at 'home' when she is on stage--she so loves to perform!

Grandma and Grandpa Yeates were able to come to one of the performances this year, which made it all the more special for Belle. Thanks mom and dad for making the trip down!

Say Cheese!

A couple of days before Thanksgiving, Johnny lost his first tooth. He has been waiting a long time to lose one, so he was VERY excited!

Isaac is sporting the braces now too! He looks SO cute. Too bad he HATES them. And too bad the wires are constantly breaking and the brackets are always falling off.....grrrrrr. (He is having a hard time giving up the chewy and/or hard candy). The last break was due to his legos.......he was using his teeth to separate them.......too bad we don't live closer to the orthodontist--all these trips to his office are getting crazy! :)

Piano Recital

The kids had their piano recital last month. And they all did such a great job! This was Johnny's first recital and he was so excited. He wasn't nervous a bit! He was first on the program and I wasn't sure if he would know quite what to do, not having the others to watch.....but, I should have known better than to doubt his confidence. He stood right up, introduced himself and his pieces, and played his little heart out. When he was finished, he sat up front and gave us the 'thumbs-up' sign. He was pretty proud of himself. We were pretty proud of him too. :)

Belle and Isaac have become quite the little pianists.......however, they were both pretty nervous. When Belle gets nervous, she starts playing real fast--so, her fingers were flying (they got away from her couple of times). But, she looked beautiful, and kept smiling. :)

Isaac was last on the program and I thought it was going to kill him. He looked like he was going to be physically sick. Having to wait through all the other performers was really hard on him. Poor kid! But he finished the night with 'Star Wars' and it was a hit!

We switched piano teachers this summer........here is a pic of the kids with their new teacher--my cute neighbor--Carla. She is so talented and the kids love her. Thanks Carla!