Christmas Morning

We had a wonderful Christmas morning. The only thing that would have made it better is if Daddy/Tom could have been here too:( Oh well, at least he'll be here to ring in the New Year with us.

Santa surprised Sam with an I-Pod

And Bubba with a dump truck.

Sister got Tommy this car with her own money.

Breaking Dawn--this girl is seriously addicted to the Twilight series!

Helping Tommy open some Kung Fu Panda!

Sam was surprised with this doll from Hong Kong. She'd been begging Tom to get her one for the past two months, but he kept making excuses.

The aftermath . . .

Steve made sure Tommy had no shortage of Hot Wheels.

Cousin Ty-Ty (aka Peter Parker or Spiderman)

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we were invited to a party at the Manning's house. It was great to get together with the Memmotts, Richardsons, Orvins, and Bakers. A special visitor also stopped by to surprise the kids.

Santa Claus and most of the kiddos

Tommy on Santa's lap (I couldn't believe he climbed up there and didn't scream! I guess he was ready to see Santa, since we'd made three trips to the mall, but the lines were ginormous!)


Cousin Susie Q on Santa's lap

Cousin Kalia Sugarbaker on Santa's lap

Sam on Santa's lap

Cousin Ty-Ty with Santa (do you think there's a recorder in there Ty?)

Tommy Tinker coming down the stairs to see Santa Claus

Thank you Santa Claus! And thanks Greg and Kortney for such a fun night!

Christmas Break Activities

Christmas break left time for relaxing activities . . .

Like dressing like Santa

Decorating gingerbread houses

Going to lunch and the movies with cousins

(Susie, you're so photogenic)

Kalia and Sam

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, from our house . . .

to yours!

Maybe Santa Will Reconsider?

By the looks of this video clip, Tommy is probably on the naughty list. Only two more days to prove that he can be good . . .

Every year we take the kids to the mall to get their pictures with Santa. However, it was getting late and the line was VERY long. Obviously Tommy was NOT happy about leaving!

Tis the Season . . .

Tis the season . . . for tantrums that is! Who said Tommy would get better when he turned 3? Um, no, not even close. The tantrums have turned to full-blown meltdowns these days. And Tom has even been here to experience them first hand!

There's nothing like having my socks thrown in the toilet, syrup splattered all over the tile, and a meltdown on the floor at Best Buy to make the season merry!

So my letter to Santa will go something like this . . .

Dear Santa,

Please bring Daddy/Tom home for Christmas, and if you can't do that, I'd settle for a straight jacket made for toddlers.

Love,
Sarah

P.S. I've been very good this year, I promise .

Christmas Lights at the Temple

Tonight for FHE we took the kids to the Mesa Temple to see the Christmas lights. Still not quite as magical as Salt Lake, but pretty nonetheless (and not to mention MUCH warmer!).

Sam and Cousin Kalia

Our little family

My two best guys

Dreaded Potty Training - Let the Games Begin

And no, that's not my toilet. It's just symbolic of my feelings for taking on potty training again.

Anyhow, Tommy just turned 3 and finally acts as if he's ready to give it a try. (At least one of us is!)

Wish me luck! And Lightning McQueen, I'm counting on you and the power of your fantastic racing undies to get us through this next stage of childhood!

Stay Far Away . . .

So we seem to have returned from Utah with a nasty strain of the flu/cold. It started with Sam, who was nice enough to share with Tommy, who in turn was nice enough to share with me.

Tom got back to the States on Friday afternoon, just in time to catch the junk from me. So on this chilly (it's only 61 degrees!), cloudy Sunday, we are hunkered down in the house feeling pretty miserable. So if you're lucky enough to be feeling well, I would stay far away from us, very far indeed.

There's No Place Like Home . . .

After a six-day Thanksgiving road trip with two kids and no husband (flying somewhere around the globe), I'm finally back home and it feels wonderful.

We went over the river and through the woods to visit my family in Richfield (first time there in three years!), then up to Ogden with Tom's family, and made a final stop at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas. The kids were troopers with all the driving, and I think we must have watched Cars nearly twenty times!

Anyhow, we're back home (with colds and all!) and I'll try to get the blog updated from Thanksgiving and Tommy's 3rd birthday in all my spare time. You moms know--in between unpacking, laundry, more laundry, work, mowing the lawn, tantrums, colds, etc, etc . . .