December

I just love December.  The excitement that's in the air, the spirit of Christmas, spending time with family and friends, and all the fun activities we always do with our own little family.  We started off December by putting up our Christmas decorations.

 Mia loved putting the ornaments on the tree.  After she went to bed we had to spread them out a bit.

 When I was a kid, every year we got a new Christmas ornament. If we went somewhere fun that year we would get an ornament on vacation, or we would pick out one based on what was going on in our lives or just one we liked.  We decided to do the same thing with Mia and Monty and I are trying to get ornaments from where we go on vacation.  Mia's been in love with the Toy Story movies this year and Buzz is her favorite so we got her a Buzz Lightyear ornament this year.  When Monty and I were on our cruise we got a turtle for the tree in Costa Maya, Mexico.

 All lit up. We have 4 stockings hanging by the fireplace because our stocking holders spell NOEL.  Guess we need a 4th family member so they can all be filled by Santa.

 We had our first snow fall so of course we had to go out and play in the snow.

 Sadly there wasn't much snow to play in. Mia really wanted to build a snowman.  We finally got one put together that was about 3 inches tall.  It was even too small to get a decent picture of it.

 The first weekend in December we had a bunch of old friends over from out student ward. We just got together for dinner and catching up. It was lots of fun and it's amazing how far we've all come from being a bunch of newly weds in the student ward.  I didn't manage to get any pictures with everyone there but we had a great time and Mia even managed to share some toys with her friends.

 Every year the NICU where I work does a Christmas party for all our graduates.  It's so fun to see the babies I've worked with growing up.  No Christmas party would be complete without a visit from Santa.  He gave all of the kids a bell.  Mia wore hers as a necklace on a very regular basis and would tell anyone who would listen that it was from Santa.

 We also wrote a letter to Santa at the party.  Mia asked Santa for a big bike, more blocks, a bell, and a lion.  Don't know where the lion came from but OK.  We then took the letter and mailed it at her preschool and Santa sent her a letter back.  That was pretty cool.

 Monty's family are huge RSL soccer fans.  This year RSL made it to the MLS Cup (the super bowl of soccer).  The whole family got together at Monty's Dad's work to watch the game.

 Aunt Trina ended up having to entertain the nieces for a bit.  It was a VERY long game...and sadly didn't end the right way either.

December brought some seriously cold weather so we didn't know if we'd make it to Temple Square to see the lights.  We decided to bundle up tight one night and give it a try.

It was super cold and started blizzarding after we'd been there about 20 min.  Mia told us the snow was hurting her face so we decided it was time to go.

Mia LOVES make-up. Whenever I've getting ready she wants me to put make up on her too.  She also likes putting gel in her hair, spray on her neck, and anything else girly.  One day this is how I found her in my bathroom.  She looked up at me and said "Look mom, I'm pretty now."  I couldn't help but just laugh. 

 Mia also got to sit on Santa's lap at our ward Christmas party.  This time she just asked Santa for a big bike.

 My Mom's extended family that lives in Utah usually tries to get together for a Christmas party every year.  This year it was at Aunt Carol's house.  Julie was a big hit with the younger crowd.

 Mia and Samantha.  Second cousins...I think...It's my cousin's daughter.

 We painted Mia's nails all festive for the holiday before she went to Nana's for the grand kid Christmas party.  Mia got to spend the night at Nana's too while Monty and I went to dinner and to the Forgotten Carroll's.

 Mia at Nana's for the Christmas party.  They had dinner, decorated cookies, made a little craft, acted out the Christmas story...

 And buried themselves in teddy bears,

Starting a couple years ago all the girls in Monty's family started getting together for lunch.  We did that again this year and in addition to our normal ugly socks, we had ugly sweaters this year.  They were shiny purple or pink (depending on what one you got) and the most awful fit ever.  I still need to get a copy of the picture of all of us.  We ended up with a lot of people staring at us and even some asking us what in the world we were doing.  If I ever get a copy of the picture I'll add it in.

We finally got a decent snow fall so we were then able to attempt a little bit bigger snowman.  We couldn't get the snow to pack very good so it's kind of a sad little snowman, but he has a carrot for his nose and that is all that mattered to Mia.

 The snow was slick enough to sled down the driveway.

 We went to Idaho for Christmas this year so Mia got to open a few presents before Christmas so we didn't have quite as much to take up and Aunt Trina wanted to watch Mia open a few presents.

 Mia got boots (for walking according to her) and a puzzle from Aunt Trina.  The puzzle is pretty cool because it's made up of 4 pictures of Mia with various family members.

 Aunt Gina gave her Minnie Mouse.  She has to sleep with it every night now.

 A couple days before we left for Idaho we went to Ogden to see the Christmas Village.  Mia was much more excited about it this year.  However she kept spilling her hot chocolate and that led to a few melt downs.

 We picked the right day to go because they had 2 of Santa's reindeer there.

 Mia also got to ride on the train.  She kept saying over and over how Awesome it was.

 No Christmas would be complete without an adorable new Christmas dress.

 Then it was off to Idaho.  Mia and Grandpa were getting festive in their matching hats.

 This is my little brother's girl friend Kia.  She is also Mia's new best friend.  She calls her Kia Kia.

 And of course Christmas wouldn't be complete without chocolate balls (at least this year the mess stayed in her mouth).

While we were in Idaho we went to Lava Hot Springs.  This time Mia got to come along.  It was her first time to the "warm swimming pools."

She had a blast

Christmas Eve we went to the nursing home to have pie with Great Grandpa.  Mia was a bit scared of Great Grandpa and stuck close to dad. 

When it came time to help make dinner Mia was a big helper. 

 On Christmas Eve Mia gets to open one present and it is new PJs.

 Milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for his reindeer.

 What it looked like after Santa came.  Apparently Santa got the message that she wanted a big bike.

Christmas morning was pretty fun. 

 This year Mia definitely got the concept of opening presents.

 She had all kinds of goodies in her stocking from Santa.  By far her favorite Christmas present was her very own make up kit that was tucked away in her stocking.  She pulled it out, clutched it to her chest, and cried out "Make up."  We all laughed at her.

 She watched patiently perched atop her bike while Daddy opened his stocking.

 She wasn't as patient when it came to opening presents under the tree. She wanted to open all the presents and thought they should all be for her.  After a brief melt down we got her back on track.

 Go Patriots!

 Mia got two dress up skirts from Grandma and Grandpa.

 I have to say this child was spoiled rotten this year.  This isn't even everything she got.  She had presents from Nana and Grandpa and Aunts still at home.  Part of it was I have been earning gift cards online most the year so I really spent very little on Christmas this year.  I maybe spent about $35 out of pocket...not too shabby.

 Grandma had marshmallows at her house that were bigger than Mia's mouth.

 That afternoon Kia Kia came over and brought Mia another present.  Mia really does liker her elephant, she'd just woken up from a nap and is still a bit groggy.

Once Mia was awake she helped her build a tower with her new wooden blocks.

 A trip to Grandma's house wouldn't be complete without sitting in the hot tub.

 Mia and Uncle Shawn.  Uncle Shawn had to take a back seat to Kia this weekend...he's just not as cool as Kia apparently.

 Back at home Mia was all ready for bed in her new PJs from Nana and Grandpa and her new doll that has the exact same PJs.

 Riding her bike with all the snow has proven to be a challenge.  It's hard to get on and off the sidewalk. She's had a few wrecks but still wants to be out riding.

 Santa brought Mia a birthday cake.  That means we had to have a party.  She put a piece of cake on each plate and then got us some tea (water) to go with our cake.  We had quite the party but you aren't allowed to even pretend eat the cake.  I learned that the hard way.

November

We started off November with a carry over from October. A couple days into November we went to Wendy's for dinner and they still had their Halloween kids meals.  Mia enjoyed her Shrek/Fiona mask (it was double sided so you could chose). Sadly it didn't last very long being paper and all but she still gets to wear her Shrek ears.  She likes it when Monty wears them too.

November was my birthday.  Mia asked me if I was 16 and I told her sure.  I don't know if I'd want to go back to being 16 again though.  We went out to Zupa's for dinner (one of my favorite) and then came home for birthday pie.

 For my birthday Monty and Mia got me tickets to the Forgotten Carols.  I am so excited and can't wait to go!

 With the colder weather we are back to doing a lot more playing in the house. We've built more of our super towers.  Santa Clause needs to bring Mia some more Lego's so we can build bigger and stronger towers and bigger houses.

 When it started getting cold Monty moved Mia's slide and tramp downstairs next to her box house.  Now she has her own little playground downstairs where it's much warmer than outside.

 This girl loves to jump!

 One night while I was at work Monty kept Mia entertained forever by making Mia burritos.

 Mia decided she wanted all of her friends to watch a movie with her one day.  She brought out all of her stuffed animals and set them on the couch so they could watch "Buzz" (Toy Story) with her. I had to watch from the chair.  Her friends sat out there for a couple days until I decided it was time to reclaim the couch. :-)

I will confess. I am not above bribery to get Mia to be good when running errands. On this particular day we had a bunch of stores to go to. I promised Mia if she was good the whole time she could pick out a doughnut at the grocery store (our last stop). She was pretty good considering all we had to do and she was absolutely ecstatic that they had Christmas doughnuts!

Monty decided one evening to make cinnamon rolls. Isn't he a sexy baker. :-)

 We spent Thanksgiving with Monty's family this year. Wednesday night before Thanksgiving is always pie night. We had soup and left lots of room for dessert. Then you don't have to worry about leaving room for dessert on Thanksgiving. I think it's the best idea ever!
Monty's mom got the two youngest grand kids matching turkey day dresses. It was impossible to get a picture of both Mia and Sophie looking at the camera in their dresses.

 All the grand kids on Thanksgiving.  HAPPY TURKEY DAY!

 Like I said before I have decided bribery can definitely be a good thing in working with a strong willed 3 year old. Another great bribe...a bubble bath.  We just need Santa to bring her some bubble bath of her very own.

October

We will just call October the sick month at our house.   The beginning of the month I got a nasty case of adenovirus that knocked be down for a good two weeks.  It was BAD. During that time Monty and Mia both got pretty nasty colds and then we finished the month off with poor Mia sick.  November is here though and we are all on the mend (well Mia's still getting there).
The second weekend in October my mom came down for the Gluten Free Expo.  Her and I took the Front Runner and tracks down to the expo center to check it out.  My mom was diagnosed with Ceiliac's disease probably 5 or 6 years ago and now has to eat completely gluten free.  I've seen signs for the Expo every year but this is the first year she's made it down.  My mom was excited to take the train because it was a whole new experience for her.  We had a good time.  They had so many samples you couldn't even begin to try everything and they had TONS of free handouts.  We had quite the pile of goodies. Everything from a t-shirt and water bottles to granola bars and fruit snacks, and grandma even brought Mia a banana from breakfast.

 Mia's favorite thing we brought home was her chicken hat.

 While my mom was here we also went and picked out pumpkins.

 Mia couldn't decide if she wanted a little one...

 Or a big one!

 Once we all got our pumpkins picked out it was impossible to get a picture with the whole family looking at the camera.  This was the best we got.

 Mia eventually decided on a medium pumpkin and was happy with her choice.

 One thing you should know about Monty is he absolutely LOVES Christmas.  He has definitely passed this love on to Mia.  Now that it's October, that means it's time to start thinking about Christmas.  Monty helped Mia write her first letter to Santa.  Seeing as it is only October we figured it was probably a little early to mail it to Santa so instead Mia delivered it to our neighbor Nick who just happens to be good friends with Santa.

Monty also put up our Christmas lights this month so we will be all ready before the snow comes.  Mia's not too thrilled that we can't turn them on yet but she's finally stopped begging for them.

We painted our pumpkins again this year.

Mia's been pointing out the paint in the closet for months telling me it is for pumpkins.  She was excited to finally be able to use it.

Monty hard at work.

Our finished products.  The A is for Utah State Aggie's for those who may not know.

We took Mia mini golfing for the first time this month.  She had a lot of fun.

She didn't quite get the concept but that's okay.  Most the time she teed off then picked up her ball, went and put it right next to the hole, and hit it in.

Mia and her Daddy checking out the awesome eye.

Mia enjoyed all the characters on the course almost more than the golfing.

In the end we hit our balls into the skeleton.  She still talks about going golfing and how at the end we hit our balls into the skeleton.  She has an incredible memory!

October also means Halloween!  This year we went to the FSA (Families Supporting Adoption) Halloween Party.  Doing Mia's hair and getting ready to go. 

 We used TONS of hairspray but the curls didn't last super long.

 Our little Princess!

 We had a pizza dinner with lots and lots of goodies.  They had a bean bag toss.  Mia got it on her first toss.

 They also had pin the eye on the monster.  Mia put his eye on his arm but still won a pencil.

 Then we did a mummy wrap and turned Mia into a mummy.

 A mummy who couldn't see.

 Then it was time for trick or treating.

 Mia was really cute.  At the first door I asked her "what do you say?"  She looked up at the person and said "Please."  I guess we spend more time trying to get her to say please than trick or treat.  After a couple door ways she figured it out though.

 Not too shabby for the first round of trick or treating this season.

We are huge fans of the TV show Big Bang Theory at our house.  Monty told me two days before the Halloween party that he was going to dress up as Sheldon.  I spent most of the day running around town trying to find a Flash t-shirt but no one had one so we had to settle for Green Lantern. I decided if Monty was going to be  Sheldon that I would dress up as Amy Farrah Fowler.  I hit up DI for a skirt and cardigan and got a wig and it worked out pretty good.  Sadly few people seemed to know who we were because they don't watch the show.  For being the #1 comedy 3 years in a row, not many people around here seem to watch it.

October brought a few nice days as well.  We were able to get back outside again.  We've done a few more bike rides.  Mia could ride around in her trailer all day.  I on the other hand cannot haul her around in the trailer all day.

We also did some more kite flying.  This time we only got out the Barbie kite. I have learned to stick with the cheap kites.

Mia likes helping to fly the kite.

I got out of the shower one day and Mia had made a bed on our floor for herself, her frog, and her teddy bears.  I thought it was pretty cute.  She had everyone tucked under their covers.

Like I said before Mia got sick two days before Halloween.  The poor girl had been looking forward to Halloween and going trick or treating so of course we still had to go.  Sadly it didn't go so smoothly and we were all ready to come home once we were on the other side of the block.  Someone asked me what Princess Mia was for Halloween (I'm guessing they were thinking she was a Disney character) and I just told them the Grumpy Princess.  I guess we are mixing fairy tales now.  Maybe she's what you get when you mix Snow White and the dwarf Grumpy.  Here we actually got a little bit of a smile though before we headed out trick or treating.  No denying even if she's grumpy she's still cute!