Year in Review (everything I missed earlier)

Ella got Academic Student of the month!

We celebrated Daddy passing his MFT (Marriage and Family Therapist Liscense exam).  Isn't root beer a great way to teach our children (after we were like Hmmm this might look a little funny in pictures of what our newly liscensed MFT father is teaching his children...ha ha ha)

We laughed a LOT with family.  

(Boppie was teaching Oscar the Todd families dog to do circus tricks jumping through a hoop)

Ella went on her first real field trip to the Ocean Insitute

(a little anxious about going on a bus on a rainy day without mom, but ended up LOVING IT!)

Asher loving his new preschool class and learning SO much! 

And his fun field trips to the train station and the first station.

yes that's Asher being uber silly, of course!

Lot's of school performances...

Enjoyed life for the first time as a family of FIVE!

 The kids showed immense love for their new baby brother, Tate!

GOOD BYE 2012!

Did I ever say Gobble

Yes I am aware it's almost Christmas...

Before I Forget

So Asher is a sensitive soul (or very wimpy) so we thought it was funny when at our church Halloween party he went through the Haunted House the youth put on and came out and said with the most sincere voice,

"That hurt my feelings and broke my heart!"

He also has been knowing to say, after listening to Ned and my music too long in the car, 

"That's Enough Already"

90th Surprise Birthday Party for (Great) Granny

We all LOVE Ned's Grandma or his dad's mom (Frances Broberg) or Great Granny. She is the sweetest. I love her like my own Grandmother, truly with all my heart!  

My kids just love her too, but especially Asher. He always calls her my buddy. He loves reading Lowly worm books at her old house with her, picking oranges in her backyard, and ALWAYS prays for her.  In fact she recently broke her arm and he was so upset if Ella forgot to pray for her arm EVERY night.

So she recently turned 90 years old and we had a lot of fun throwing her a surprise party at the church.  It was great fun (even though my kids were all pretty sick) and great food (mostly in part to Karen, of course).  But to celebrate this wonderful women's 90 years of life is a blessing we always count!

Milestones

Still just trying to figure out where in the world 8+ months has gone.  Life is FAST!

Our big BOBBLE head baby!

8 months old

LOVES LOVES to play with other kids

Is comtemplative when thinking of what he's thankful for

FAvorite way to talk it with a "oooh" of his mouth. Mommy and Daddy LOVE it!

Yes

Let's us dress him up already, and likes to make us laugh

He still loves his paci and were still ok with that

LOVES to smile and laugh, a lot

Can sit up on his own

and laughs while sitting

LOOK I can cut my own hair (video)

The week before Thanksgiving I went to a baby shower. While I was gone Ned had all 3 kids.  He was bathing Tate when suddenly:

Asher walked in the room with a pair of scissors in one hand and a huge tuft of hair in the other hand. He said, "Dad look I can cut my own hair now."  

Ugh, so Ned tried to repair the hair, but if you have noticed any of the pictures I have posted lately of Asher, they do NOT include hair. He ended up having to shave it all the way to a 1. Asher was less than happy about that, but then maybe he will learn his lesson.

So Ned took a video of him to send to me, which I thought was hilarious, I couldn't stop laughing at how pathetic Mr. Asher sounded.  Turn it up (he is quietly pathetic) and its short.  Enjoy.

This is what he looked like BEFORE:

Missionary Style

Faux Hawk (his favorite) style

Reading Rainbow (Christmas Version)

My kids love to read. So for Christmas we actually pack all our Christmas books with the decorations so we only have about a month to get in all our favorites.  So the list keeps adding up. So again I thought I would share some of our favorites, old and new in case you needed some ideas.

Another tradition Ned and I started was every year we let the kids pick one new book to add to our collection (usually Sam's Club or Costco) and sometimes with a little encouragement on our end. But this year it was a fun book!  (**our books)

*A Pirate's Night Before Christmas 

Philip Yates

They love to gather by the fire (usually upstairs in our bedroom on the floor) and even when its still 75* outside.  But regardless we have fun reading a few books each night.

Here's a few more we enjoy:

The Gift of the Magi by O Henry

*The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story by Gloria Houston

*O Come, All Ye Faithful by David Christiana

A Pirate's Twelve Days of Christmas 

Philip Yates 

*Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas by Jane O'Connor

There Was A COLD Lady Who Swallowed Some SNOW!

*The Night Before Christmas by Moore

Of course this is a CLASSIC in our home:

*How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss 

Most people already know I am a Mormon, so this next one is a beautiful one with pictures, stories, and songs telling of the Birth of Christ.

*A Book of Mormon Christmas

The Carpenter's Gift by David Rubel
 

So if you can take some time out of sipping cocoa, hanging up decorations, or (don't mention the word here) shopping. Be sure to (TAKE A LOOK IN A BOOK!)

Around this time of year...

...our house usually ends up looking a little something like this.

Chickens. Robots.  And wigs, oh my!