Snow much fun!

Well here in Utah we have certainly welcomed the snow and COLD!  Okay, well maybe I didn't exactly WELCOME it, but it came anyway.  Last winter it barely snowed at all and never even got too cold, but this winter is a doozy!  We've had a few big snowstorms and for the past week if it gets over 10 degrees it's warm!  The boys have had a blast playing the snow, and luckily I can still use Joey as an excuse to not go outside.  I still have to help the boys with their snowclothes.....ugh.  But it is worth it when they show me their cool snow forts and stuff.  

 Eric and some other guys (Tyler and Jake included) went pheasant hunting a few weeks ago.  They had a really good time, the boys thought it was very cool.  I really liked this pic.

 We set up Christmas, and I have tried very hard to let go of decorating and letting the kids have more fun with it.  They do and they love it.  My tree may not look perfect and my stockings don't match but the kids are loving every minute.

Tyler has been working very hard learning guitar.  He is getting really good and played us all some Christmas carols.  He's been saving up for an electric guitar!  Yeah right, like I want one of THOSE around the house!

 Eric and I threw an ugly Christmas sweater party.  It was so much fun.  Adults only, so we were able to invite a lot of friends.  I must say there were some pretty darn ugly sweaters around!

 The Friday before Chrsitmas we spent up in Salt Lake at the Marriott hotel.  They have an indoor pool and sauna--that was the kids' favorite part!  It was very crowded up there, everyone wanting to see temple square lights and all, but it was still fun.  A lot of swimming!

 Joey and his signature "cheeser."

 We took a trip over to the BYU bookstore over the break and picked out some fun goodies for our friends over in Belgium.

 CHEESER!

We spent Christmas eve at Grandma Swenson's house.  The kids all got matching pj's to wear, as per tradition.  It was chaotic but that was mostly because of my kids.  

Christmas morning was great.  The kids were so excited and Santa did indeed come!  I knew he would, my kids are pretty darn great.  Jacob got an electric scooter!

Maggie got tons and tons and tons of girly stuff!  Crafts, jewelry, Barbies, dress up, you name it.  She was in girl heaven.

 Joey got in on the fun.

 Matching jammies!

 Once, again, the CHEESER!

And holy cow, look what Santa brought Tyler!  Well, I guess I can put up with the noise just because of the sheer look of joy on Tyler's face.  And I have to admit, it does sound pretty cool when he plays "Sweet Home Alabama."

All in all a great Christmas season.  I am sad/glad it is over, now we enter the doldrums of winter.  But all is well in the Swenson house so I will go to bed grateful tonight.

I'm back!

It's been a while but I'm back for a bit.  We've had a couple birthdays and some happenings around here.  Joey turned a whopping 2 years old!  Holy cow, the time flies fast.  Joey is a sweet as pie little boy who loves hugs and kisses and snuggles and all things mommies love.  He is a bit (okay, a huge) "getter-in-to-things" boy.  That can make life hard.  He sees his older siblings do things and he thinks he can do them too.  Then I see him standing on the kitchen counter Playing in my melted Scentsy wax and I wish he would just knock it off!

 Tyler is getting to be quite the young man.  He has been begging for a suit for a long time (whaaaaaa?)  I have resisted since he complains enough as it is about putting on khakis and a button up shirt.  But I finally gave in, and lo and behold here he was dressed and ready for church an hour early!  Who is this kid?!

 Halloween was fun as always.  Jacob the vampire....

 Tyler the lion tamer...

 Joey as Scooby Doo and Maggie as Belle.

 Hail hail the gang's all here.  It was night full of candy, fun, friends and good times.

 Now it's my little Maggie Moo's turn to have a birthday.  Okay, her birthday really isn't for 2 more days but we had her party today.  It was a princess party with a My Little Pony cake, per her request.

Making beautiful bracelets and crowns...

Princess dance party!

Oooooooohhhhhh, aaaaahhhhhhh.........   Lots of girly gifts.

Blow Maggie blow!

We love Maggie so much--she definitely completes the family with her "feminine touch."  She is a girl who knows what she wants.  Loves all things girly but holds her own with her brothers.  I told her to stop growing but she shrugged and said, "I can't help it!" Maggie loves to play with hair, although I wish she'd do it a little more softly!  She loves to dance--I will find her in her room playing music on my iphone and having a personal dance party.  She changes her clothes at least 3 times a day.  For all her sweetness and spunk we are so glad she is part of our family.  I always sneak a peek at her after she has fallen asleep--somehow, in the time between tucking her in and when I check in on her later, she has piles of books on her bed, a new pair of pajamas on and a cup from her toy kitchen full of water by the bed.  I look at her while she is sleeping, and I have a moment of quiet to realize how lucky we are to have her.  We love you Maggie, happy birthday!

Do you need a new fridge? Yes, you do.

First things first, guess who else started school in the family?  Maggie is an official preschooler now.  Boy, is she ever excited about going to school.  She absolutely loves it!

 Joey wanted to get in on the picture taking action as well.  What a stinker--almost 2 and into EVERYTHING!  And I mean EVERYTHING.  More to come on that in a few weeks for his birthday post.

 Now on to the highlight of my day.  Have you ever bought a large purchase and wondered if you made the right decision?  Well, I do all the time, but I have to say I am in love with fridge.  It is the most awesome appliance ever made.  It even has a snack drawer for the kids so they don't sit around with the fridge open deciding what they want.  Awesome.  Before we moved here we had a teeny tiny fridge, more of a large cooler than an appliance.  When we picked out our fridge I wanted a large one--not like half my kitchen $10K large, but large.  I got this one and have never had to cram or Tetris things into my fridge.  Anyway, So Eric is in charge of getting the breakfast foods for the fathers and sons campout this weekend.  He had quite a large list of things he needed to buy in bulk.  So off I went to Costco.  Let it be known I have a love/hate relationship with Costco.  It is a great place to get deals on all the things you need, from socks to BBQs to digital cameras.  However, who has ever walked out of Costco with nothing but the things on their list?  I for one, have never.  I am good about buying things I will use, but inevitably still purchase more than I went in for.  Sometimes I see people there leaving with only one container of milk and a pack of apples.  Huh?  A feat of strength of will-power I will never have.  Anyway, back to my story.  So I had the task of getting all the supplies for the campout--lots of milk, juice, eggs, sausauge, etc. etc. etc.  By the time I was done I felt like the Duggars (19 Kids and Counting).  I managed to get it in car, home and then I wondered how in the world I was going to fit it all into my fridge!  But I have to say after moving a few mostly empty bottles of salad dressing, a few other things I was able to fit it ALL in!  Can you believe it?  17, count them, SEVENTEEN gallons of milk/juice, 72 eggs, fruit, veggies, and sauces galore all fit into my fridge and the door still shuts smoothly!  I fell in love with my fridge all over again.  Yes, the other stuff is a bit crammed in, but it still all fits!  It. is. awesome.  So I ask you, do you need a new fridge?

Yes, you do.

End of Summer Fun....

End of Summer Fun....

We've had another birthday in the house!  Tyler turned a whopping 9 years old on July 21st.  9!  He had a fun party at home with friends.  We rented an outdoor theater system and had the party in the backyard--the kids watched "Zathura", ate popcorn, had treat bags and punch.  They all had a really good time.  It was a late night though!  

 Look how fast my little baby is growing!  I can't believe he is going to be 2 years old next month.  He is losing his baby face and looking more like a little boy now.  Boo hoo.

 We spent a week down at my mom's house in California.  I decided to fly down this time instead of torturing myself with the long drive.  Since I spent my trip money on airline tickets we made the activities of the week cheap.  That meant going to the beach a couple of times.  It worked out great because the boys had a blast at the beach.  They had a particularly good time boogie boarding!  Tyler was getting particularly brave getting out in the water and riding those waves.  It was so fun to watch!

 My little (big) surfer dude.

 Riding in one his waves...

 Waiting for a good one...

 Jacob like boogie boarding but had more fun tromping around the beach.  He dug an awesome hole--so deep it started filling with water from the bottom!  Cool!  I would have gotten a picture but it got destroyed by a giant wave before I got the chance.

 I got tired of watching the boys so figured I'd bury them in some sand to keep them in line.  They enjoyed it....

 That is, until Joey decided to get some little brother retribution by kicking sand in their faces.

 The boys riding in at the same time!

 We also went to a little mini amusement park called Adventure City.  It is just right--just the right size for spending a few hours, only kid rides and just the right price too!  The kids had a blast.

 Except for the last ride--it is a small drop ride.  I made the boys go on it.  You can tell by their expressions they are none too happy with their mother...

 And as summer break ends, thus school begins.  The boys started school on Tuesday.  First day smiles!

Great summer, great kids, great life!