Happy Birthday Dane

Well we got to go on a little date Dane & I to help celebrate his birthday.  My friend was so great and offered to watch Jada for the night so that we could go out and party.  Our party habits have changed a bit since getting married and having Jada ;)  Not like we were that fun to begin with either!  haha, anyways, we went to Olive Garden for dinner, delicious, and then to Menards to get a few things...including some $15 clearance mirrors!! yeah, they are a great size too!  We came home early and we got in trouble for not staying out and having fun.  Like I said, we don't know how to party anymore.

I got Dane some slippers to wear around the house (his request) and a puzzle I had made of his farm.  

It was hard to put together but a lot of fun.  Dane really enjoyed it.

Dane insisted I got my picture taken next to the cake...
"but it's not my birthday!!!" I protested, "It wouldn't make any sense!"
I made this delicious oreo ice cream and fudge cake.   

it's only half gone because I sent some home with my friend

yeah!  the BIG 27! 

Dane found Jada this morning with pants that could not be found and her shirt pulled half off.
 She likes to be naked.

haha, this was unintentional after that comment, but hence the nakedness :)
She loves to watch pictures and videos of herself

Oh and for fun, 27 facts about Dane
1. He loves to floss his teeth, probably 3 times a day if he could
2. He loves to play rough with Jada
3. He is always first on the scene to shovel and ice after a snowfall
4. He loves to claim "he needs to study" to get out of things...just kidding, he really does have to study a lot
5. He tries VERY hard to make me happy
6. He likes the show Border Patrol
7. He likes watching the show Cops
8. His favorite country singer is George Strait
9. He thinks that trash belongs in the sink
10. He has to have milk with every dessert
11. He likes to eat grapefruit
12. Dane claims he doesn't watch cops, but he does and he thinks its hilarious
13. We have a blanket underneath our cover that Dane just likes on his feet, so the rest of it is hanging off the bed and it drives me bonkers
14. He really likes the song "texas"
15. He also likes the song "love's going to make it alright"
16. He has to make sarcastic remarks every time I watch my shows
17. He likes to eat carrots raw and eats them everyday
18. He doesn't know how to sit still and relax
19.  He has a plan for everything, I mean everything
20. He likes to ski
21. He likes snowmobiles
22. He wishes he could go hunting more often
23. He thinks the geese at the park would be great targets for his "hunting"
24. He likes to sleep as much as he can fit into a day when he comes down with a cold
25. He is fun to play racquetball with
26.  He doesn't really care for Orange Juice
27. He is the best Dad, best Husband, best Person anyone could ever ask for!

Snow Time

Before that....Jada was helping Dane sweep and scoop

 and then eating the corralled food...NOOO, put down that cheerio!!

We are also teaching her how to pray

 

 Here we go, getting ready for her first play time in the snow

 We bought a cheap sleigh to go sledding, but I didn't feel like hauling her in the car so 

Dane dragged both of us around the yard.  That didn't last long so we made a snowman.

patting the snow down 

Christmas in Utah

Our flight went well, Jada did super, and flying into Provo is the best thing in the world!! I hope that airport continues to grow.  We started out our festivities with our yearly ornament exchange, and a dinner of soupes.  Dane got a man holding a gun for traveling to Vegas and getting gun certified.  I got a car full of people for being a travel guide to all our visitors, and Jada got a bear walking for taking her first steps.  It was so much fun to have everybody over.  I love Christmas time!  

We then dedicated some time to make gingerbread houses.  Birgitta and I pre-made all the houses one night so that it would be easier for the kids to decorate later.  I love hanging out with my sister.

Jada kept eating off the candy I put on, so our house never got finished.

We also had a talent night requested by Mom.  Makelle & Audri sang, Zach played the piano while Alaina, Celeste, Noah sang, Jordan, Maya, Ty did a...I don't know how to explain this one, we used to perform this as kids growing up.  You paint faces on your chins and hang your heads upside down while lying on the table and hold up cut out drawings of a cartoon body and sing! Matthew and I did a tahitian dance- except Matthew did the girl part and I did the boy part (hilarious).   I wish I had pictures, but our camera went caput during this section...lucky for everyone!

We then had an early Christmas Eve so that everyone could be there.  We had a thanksgiving dinner and a nativity performance.   We just chatted afterwards, sent kids on a scavenger hunt, and the boys played basketball once the gym cleared out.  I went home sick with a 24 hour flu that later got passed on to about nearly everybody, but Jada (luckily).

Makelle, Alaina (best cousins)-these two get so giggly together

Daniel, Matthew

Cynthia, Kirie

Mom

Daniel, Heidi, Logan

Joe, Paula, Tori, Jake, Nick, Naomi also came
 Paul, Mary, Austin and Mary's two kids also came  

Dad narrated the story from our famous giant Bible

I directed as Cynthia & Zach played the piano

Good Job!

Next came my birthday on the 23rd.  We did our usual dinner at brick oven with the entire family.  My Dad & Matthew gave me a novelty present.  Matthew thought it would be funny to give me a bathroom on the go because I always complain about having to go the bathroom when camping when there are no toilets.  So, yeah, totally funny gift...nobody got it.  Matthew had to explain, but by then, the joke was over.  Oh well, I thought it was great.

it's pretty much a rubber funnel.  Gross.

Christmas Eve, anyone who could came over to eat posole and just hung out, Christmas we opened presents, went to church, then everyone came over to hang out and play jeopardy.

her pink BYU hat, sooooo cute!

BYU beanie, love!

Clothes from Grandma, they are so adorable!

I love my Mom's face, little kid :)  Neil Diamond concert tickets

Jada had snuck into her crib a package of kleenex, got her up in the morning to find this...shredded kleenex everywhere, including the floor!  Like a puppy had been in there or a tasmanian devil!

playing in the cabinets

playing football with cousins.
Had a video with this one, but once again, too large to upload

You Big Goof

Just a quick post before I do one on our trip to Utah.  Jada has been doing a few things that just make me laugh and smile.  First, we have been teaching her how to pray thinking to get started now since it might take months until she even picks up on any of it.  Well to our surprise she picked it up the moment we tried.  Now she goes throughout the day and stops what she is doing to fold her arms, kneel, and speak jibberish or wait until I say it.  It makes me smile, she is too cute.
This one makes me giggle.  So, I sometimes notice some boogies in Jada's nose and sometimes I don't feel like getting up to get a kleenex, sooo, I pick it...that's right, I pick her nose.  Now, Jada thinks to herself, you know what? I think I am going to help Mom out and pick her nose...so yes, Jada happily sticks her finger up my nostrils to dig for gold!  AWWW!  I think I can handle this one on my own, but THANKS!
She is also a big tickler, she must tickle everybody she sees, including babies :)  There are animal commercials that come on and she gets so excited and decides that the TV screen needs to be tickled too! She is too funny.
I bought her a sing-along video that have kids singing to popular kid songs.  She eats that video up!  She loves to try to copy all of the hand motions.  She is getting good at "if you're happy and you know it" by clapping her hands, stomping her feet, saying hooray!  She also is great at the "itsy bitsy spider" and loves to do the hand motions to it, and saying shhh shh shh with her finger by her mouth (wheels on the bus).  She can sing these songs all day every day.
That's all I can thing of right now.  She is a riot and just love her personality!

Santa Came Early

she loves football, i need to get her a smaller ball to carry around

We decided to have a Christmas here before going to Utah.  Mainly because I didn't want to lug  presents with us.  So, "Christmas Eve" Dane & I played a game that I came up with using bells and an empty apple container...haha, I know, I am the game Queen.  Dane kept trying to change my rules because he didn't like them, sorry bucko, my game, my rules!

"Christmas Morning" 

Dane got James Bond, it was a little for me too :) 

I got my yearly calendar

Black Friday purchase of a huge play-do set 

and of course a dog movie for Jada

the best gift ever! My early birthday present, straightener.

And then Jada got a wooden puzzle full of animals that makes noises. The first thing she did was give them many many kisses all over.  too funny. Oh and I also got socks for the gym since Dane thought mine were disgusting!  I don't know, I thought they were fine!