Ward Christmas Party & Tree

Ellie wanted absolutely NOTHING to do with Santa this year.

We would ask her what she wanted Santa to bring her for Christmas. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she would cry, "I don't want Santa to come to my house."

"But he'll bring you presents," we would reassuringly apply. "Santa is a nice man."

"I don't want Santa to come to my house and I don't want Santa to bring me presents."

Well, then came our Ward Christmas party. She would not sit on Santa's lap. His only redeeming quality in her eyes was that he gave her a candy cane. She was a little more curious, but still kept her distance. Before Santa left, he was so nice to come and kneel down next to her and talk to her for a little bit. I think she felt better about Santa, but still said that she didn't want him to come to our house.

We tried to take pictures of the girls by the tree after the party.
Julesy was more interested in destroying the tree.

Happy Turkey Day!

We had a wonderful vacation to Utah for the Thanksgiving holiday this year. It was so nice to be able to go and see family and share in the holiday spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving. We also had a mini-Christmas where the nieces and nephews exchanged their presents to each other so we wouldn't have to send them. It was a great trip and Ellie is already talking about getting on the airplane to go back to Utah.

Ellie loves playing fish at Uncle Bryan and Aunt Lissa's

Armed and dangerous


My mischievous little piggy


Jules with Great Grandma and Grandpa at Emily's swim meet


Jules with Aunt Nanny


Our little pumpkin


I just love Ellie's smile in this picture


The girls loved playing with Grandpa


Ellie's studious side


Julesy loved to cuddle with Grandma


All bundled up and ready to play in the snow


The cousins had fun playing in the snow...even if it was only for a little bit


Julesy chillin' with her Aunts Lissa and Nanny


Addy, Dawson, and Ellie had so much fun together


Julesy loved playing "BONK" with Uncle Bryan


Our happy family on Thanksgiving


Ellie and Julesy played with the Little People Nativity set


The kids sang while Grandma played the piano


Julesy has so much fun with her mega blocks from Bryan, Lissa, Addy, Dawson, and Kyler


Ellie LOVES her Toy Story 3 Lego set from Bryan, Lissa, Addy, Dawson, and Kyler


Ellie got a cash register that scans from Grandma and Grandpa


Julesy loved her cube with a bead maze on top from Grandma and Grandpa


Julesy got a drum full of instruments from Aunt Nanny


Having a last In-N-Out before heading to the airport



Hope you all had a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Cute Sister Pics

Here are some cute sister pictures of Ellie and Jules taken this past November. They can be so cute together...but sometimes they act, well, like sisters...and this is only the beginning.

The day after Julesy's birthday party

Hanging out at Uncle Bryan and Aunt Lissa's house

In their matching shirts Aunt Nanny brought back for them from Sweden

Dancing in the kitchen...too cute!

Julesy is 1!

Happy 1st Birthday to our little Juliette! We celebrated her birthday three times: once on her actual day (November 4th), once for her little birthday party on November 6th, and then once when we were back in Utah for Thanksgiving! We can't believe that it has been a year since little Julesy came in to our family. Julesy is totally walking now and I think her favorite thing to do is eat. She's not picky at all and will eat ANYTHING she gets her hands on...especially since she can chew just about anything with her mouthful of teeth. She had nine on last count...and she seems to be getting a new one every week. She loves to dance and bob her head up and down when she hears music...especially "Once There Was a Snowman." She still likes to be held a lot of the time; she is a strong baby and will wrap around your leg and cling to you if she doesn't want to be put down but when she wants down, she will fight and squirm out of your arms until she gets her way. She loves to play with whatever toy Ellie is already playing with and is a pro at climbing up and down the stairs. She can say mama and dada (although not all the time) and loves to mimic sounds like "Uh-Oh" and when Ellie blows raspberries. It is so fun to watch her laugh and play and be happy. She truly brings such warmth and joy to our hearts and we are so blessed to have her in our lives.

Juliette's One Year Statistics:
Weight - 17 pounds, 12 ounces - 6th percentile
Length - 28.3 inches - 27th percentile
Head Circumference - 17.3 inches - 21st percentile

Here are my favorite pics from her one year photo shoot taken by my fabulous cousin, Julianne. (juliannewinzenzphotography.blogspot.com)















Here are a few pictures of her actual birthday:

1st Birthday, 1st Picture.

I'm the Birthday Girl!

Enjoying her cheerios at Olive Garden

Here are some photo highlights from her Texas party:




Special thanks to Mike and Melinda for their help with the cake decorating!


It was nice to have Nana and Tata come up from Houston for Julesy's special day




Hmmmm...what is this?


I don't know...but I like it!


Yummy cake face!









And here are a few photo highlights of the party in Utah:









Happy Birthday, Julesy!
We love you so much!

♥ Mom, Dad, and Ellie