Christmas

We enjoyed spending Christmas with Shae's family. They came and stayed with us. And this year we have a house that everyone could fit in. Thanks for all the presents. We all got spoiled by Shae's parents. We also went sledding at Soldier Hollow again this year on Christmas Eve. We are making it a tradition. One of my favorite gifts from Shae was a new camera. I took these pictures with my new camera.

Happy Holidays!

Preschool Christmas Program

The girls just had their Christmas program at preschool. All the kids were supposed to wear red. They sang a lot of songs, a lot of them with sign language and some with bells and drums. Grandma Bennett got to come and watch too. At the end they went around and said what they like about Christmas, saying and signing it. Lizzy was the first to go and Ali was the last to go. Lizzy said, "We like Christmas lights." And Ali said, "We like Christmas reindeer's." Everyone thought Ali was so cute because she is the youngest and littlest in the class. Their teacher told me awhile ago that Ali is their mascot for the class because everyone wants to be her friend and calls her, "little cutie." But they both did a great job. Afterwards we went to Carl's Jr. for lunch and let the kids play on the slides.

STITCHES

It was bound to happen...one of our children getting stitches. It just happened to be our youngest child who is almost 14 months old. So Wednesday night I was giving Aiden a bath. After the bath I set him on the bathroom floor and put a towel on him. Then he started to walk away and he slipped on the floor and hit his head, right above his eyebrow, on the edge of the tile, where the tile from the bathroom and the carpet from the hallway meet. As soon as I picked him up and saw his cut I knew he needed stitches. Shae confirmed my diagnosis. I then started crying because I felt so bad for Aiden. Aiden, however, stopped crying pretty quickly. Lizzy also started crying and saying that she didn't want Aiden to get stitches. We had to explain to her that stitches will help the wound heal better and quicker than not having them. So I then called my Mom to see if she could come over and watch the girls and Shae called one of the doctors he works for to see if he could stitch Aiden up. So Shae and I took Aiden to their doctor's office. I was still crying a little in the car as we drove over. Aiden wasn't crying at all. But I pulled it together before we got there. Anyway I ended up holding Aiden to my chest while he first got a shot to numb the area and then 6 stitches. The worst part was getting the shot. Aiden would cry off and on during the stitches because he new something was going on. At one point though he actually almost fell asleep because he was so tired! I didn't cry at all while at the office. But Aiden is doing well and doesn't realize he has stitches in. Shae will pull them out sometime on Monday. I am grateful for all the connections we have with many doctors. We didn't have to take Aiden to the emergency room and wait forever and pay that bill. Shae also says that ER doctors don't stitch very well either.

Leaves and more leaves

So we have 3 trees in our backyard that I love! But when it comes to Fall, they are a lot of work! I decided it was time to rake the backyard and clean up all the leaves. But of course in the process you have to let the kids run and jump in them and take cute pictures of the kids covered in the leaves. Fall is my favorite season!

BIRTHDAYS!

Aiden just turned 1 and Ali just turned 3! On Aiden's birthday I made cupcakes. (which worked out perfectly because on that same day I took some to preschool so they could celebrate Ali's birthday since they don't have preschool on Fridays) Aiden wasn't too interested in eating the cupcake since he was full from dinner. Then we let him open his presents. We gave him a new winter coat, a little football, a fire truck, and a couple other clothes. But Aiden is now only walking. He doesn't crawl anymore and when he falls down he stands right back up to walk. He is also a little climber. He recently likes to climb on our little Lego table we have in the playroom and stand up on it. He has also found a new way to annoy the girls by turning the television on and off while they are trying to watch a movie. We have to remind Ali and Lizzy that they also liked to do that when they were little.
Ali's birthday is on Halloween. We let Ali open presents in the morning and later that night we took the kids to the mall to go trick or treating and then to Build a Bear so Ali could pick out an animal. But I am amazed at how smart she is. She is thriving in preschool. She has the Pledge of Allegiance memorized, can write her name, can count to 20 or higher, knows her letters and points them out, and loves to sing and do the actions. She is a joy to have around and I love her smile!
But on Sunday, November 2, we had a family birthday party for Aiden and Ali. It was fun to get all my family together to celebrate. They loved all their presents. I also made my first double layer cake with frosting in the middle. I have to say it was pretty yummy!

The Girl's Haircut

I decided it was time Lizzy got her hair cut because it was always ratty and stringy and not looking too cute unless it was pulled back all the time. I had a couple coupons for kid's haircuts at David Douglas Salon, who had cut my hair and I loved it, so I told Lizzy we were going to get her hair cut. Lizzy was scared and wanted Ali to get her hair cut first. I wasn't planning on cutting Ali's hair, but I thought it would be worth it to get Lizzy's done. So Ali went first and was really brave as usual. She loved sitting on the booster seat on the special hair cutting chair. Lizzy went next and I had them wash her hair since at bath time I had already planned on getting her hair cut so we didn't wash it that night. But Lizzy had to lay on my lap while they washed her hair because she was nervous. Then she got her hair cut. She did really well. Both Ali and Lizzy got an A-line cut. I think it looks great on both of them. I think the haircut really soot's Ali because she doesn't like anything in her hair. I wish they didn't cut Lizzy's hair that short, but it will grow out and I still think it looks cute!

Halloween

The kids loved Halloween this year, like every year! We went trick or treating in the mall. That was nice because it went quickly and it was warm. We got a lot of candy in a short period of time. Then we came home and did a little trick or treating in our neighborhood. I think the girls liked handing out candy the best to the trick or treaters that came to our house. Lizzy would grab the bowl filled with candy and Ali would open the door and say, "Hi trick or treaters." Then Ali would proceed to tell them what candy she got or about her new stuffed animal puppy she got for her birthday. Lizzy would hold the bowl and let them pick their own candy. We also went to a fun ward Halloween party where they had fun games for the kids to play. Shae and I even got invited to an adult Halloween party. Shae found a great Ghostbuster costume and I was a tavern lady. Ali and Aiden were monkeys and Lizzy was a pirate. Thanks to the Fetters for the great pirate costume. Lizzy loved it! Also thanks to Aunt Camille for letting Aiden borrow Lance's old monkey costume!

Riding Bikes

It was a nice day last week so we decided to ride bikes in the front yard. Lizzy loves riding a bike without training wheels. Ali loves riding a bigger bike with training wheels and Aiden thinks he is a big boy and can ride any bike. He also likes to make everything a push toy since he is learning how to walk. He can make himself stand up in the middle of the room by himself without holding on to anything. He is also starting to take a few steps by himself. He should be walking in no time. Also he has mastered our stairs. He turns himself to go down backwards on his tummy. This is so nice since now I'm not as worried that he is going to fall down the stairs.

Pumpkin Land

Aiden and I went with the girl's preschool class to Pumpkin Land this past week. Lizzy and Ali enjoyed seeing all the pumpkins, squash, and corn. They also had rabbits, goats, ducks, chickens, and turkeys to look at. Ali liked the rabbits the best and Lizzy liked the goats. There was also a big playground and a light alley to walk through. Ali loves preschool and is doing very well. Lizzy is also loving preschool for the second year and enjoys showing Ali the "ropes."

Grandma and Grandpa Fetters

Grandma and Grandpa Fetters came out to visit for General Conference from Ohio. We got to go to the Saturday afternoon session. It was a great experience. That was the first time Shae and I have been to conference as well. But the kids loved spending time with their Grandma and Grandpa. They loved showing them our new house and how they can ride their bikes. We can't wait until Christmas when they are going to come back out again! We love you Grandma and Grandpa Fetters!

Fun in the Sun!

This summer, like last summer, we got passes to a pool that is pretty close to our house. I finally remembered to bring the camera yesterday to the pool. We like this pool because it is very kid friendly. Lizzy likes jumping off the side and climbing the poles on the umbrellas. Ali likes to play in the shallow end and enjoys eating the snacks we bring. Aiden loves to crawl around in the pool and thinks he can go everywhere. We are sad that the summer is coming to an end. This is the last week the pool is open so we will probably go everyday. Preschool starts next week. I can't wait! :)

Boating

For my birthday present my brother Michael took us boating on his boat. I took the kids so Shae could study for the MCAT. My mom and sisters came as well. We had a ton of fun. I tried wake boarding, surfing, and tubing. My brother Michael even got Lizzy up with him on the surf board. We stayed out all day and the girls weren't ready to come home yet. They really loved swimming in their life vests. I liked wake boarding and tubing. We want to go again soon!

ALL ABOUT SHAE

My wonderful husband Shae is turning 31 on August 12th!
Things you might and might not know about Shae:
He was born in Ohio
He is the oldest of 4 siblings
He has always liked his name
He played high school baseball, soccer and golf
He wears a size 11.5 to 12 shoe
He served a LDS mission to the Philippines
He likes to use a fork and a spoon to eat rice
He graduated from BYU in Exercise Science
He works in the operating room, assisting Surgeons
He is very competitive
He has good fashion and decorating sense
He will eat most vegetables if they are sauteed in butter
He does not like canned green beans
He loves to ski, especially telemark skiing
He loves Ebay
He has had many surgeries for his ankle, shoulder, tonsils, and forehead
He loves body pillows
He has a very high IQ
He has better than perfect vision
He is a hottie
He is a great father and husband

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAE! WE LOVE YOU!

AIDEN

Aiden is now 9 months old! Time is sure flying by. So Aiden now crawls all over the place. He likes to bear crawl a lot. He also pulls himself up to stand up. He follows his sisters around the house and can't wait until he can really play with them. Aiden is getting so many teeth in right now, I can't believe it! He will soon have 6 teeth, 3 on top and 3 on bottom. I think I might see 2 more that are about to break out. Even though Aiden is pretty miserable because his teeth and gums hurt, I am kind of glad that he is getting so many teeth right now because he has recently decided he no longer likes baby food and wants to eat what we are eating. He also likes feeding himself. So I try cut the food that we are eating up really small. I just hope he is getting enough calories. Luckily he still likes baby cereal. As 9 month old boys go, I guess Aiden is on the small end. He just had his 9 month appointment. He weighs 18 pounds now, which is only the 13th percentile. For height he is in the 25th percentile. The only thing that matters is that he is healthy. He loves to smile a lot and he still thinks his big sisters are hilarious.

Dinner in Provo Canyon

We have been trying to maximize our summer by going hiking more and enjoying the outdoors, so we decided to have dinner up in the canyon with our friends Gen and Ashton. Shae has known Ashton for many years, they grew up together in Ohio. We enjoy spending time with them, be it playing games or just hanging out. So we built a fire and roasted hot dogs. We also had yummy strawberries, chips, and ice cream. The girls loved the fire, watching the water, hiking, and getting super dirty. That was a fun outing!