Winter Fun

This December has been so much fun! We started off decorating the house. Gabby loved laying underneath the tree!

A couple of weeks ago we went to Temple Square. It was so nice! We showed up right when they turned the lights on and it was one of the coldest days so it seemed almost deserted.
The kids looked so cute all bundled up!

The manger scene on the reflecting pond. Isn't it beautiful?

We sure had fun!

This past Sunday, we all delivered neighbor's presents. Gabby was inside my coat in a snuggli and Will just loved being all toasty in his snow clothes. He was so excited to be outside running around!

My 2 year old boy!

Will turned the big 2 years old on the 11th. On the 9th we had both sets of William's grandparents over. He got plenty of books and noisy toys (the best kind, right?).

I attempted to make a Mickey Mouse cake. At least Will recognized it when he saw it!

He sure loved being the center of attention. As you can see, he really liked the books he got. He HAD to hold it in his hand as we sang to him!

And it's not a birthday unless he gets to be a messy boy eating his cake! He had a great time!

On his actual birthday, we went swimming and made mickey mouse pancakes for dinner (what else?). We love our little 2 year old and are knocking on wood because it doesn't feel like he's hit his "terrible two" stage yet!

Natalie's Personal Triathlon

Since my 6 week check-up after having Gabby, I've been training for the Orem Fitness Center Triathlon. As with most people, our finances are a little tight so I decided to set up my own triathlon around Lehi Legacy Center. It's a 3 mile run, 13 mile bike, and 350 meter swim. I felt good about it and managed to avoid being bit by a dog and getting run over ;D My time was 1 hour 35 min.

I'm still smiling when done. Whew!

Just the Two of Us

I thought I would do a post on the good pals Will and Gabby are! We couldn't ask for a better big brother to Gabby than Will is! He'll lay down beside her and show her something or just talk gibberish. You gotta love the bathtime together too!

Gabby is finally big enough to go in the stroller/trailer. They had a ball when Benj and I went jogging. Will was so good to hold her hand sometimes!

Will is showing Gabby the good toys to play with. As you can see, he's holding her hand again! So cute!

Halloween was a blast! We visited both of the kids' grandparents and ate way to much sugar but that's what Halloween is all about right? Here's Will with his pal Tyler and then Gabby with her gal, Kacie!

The whole clan! Benj was a cowboy and I was a cowgirl, Will was a fisherman and Gabby was our little ladybug!

Neighborhood Halloween Bash

Last Friday, us neighborhood gals had a Halloween party for our youngun's. This is Will showing how ready he is to go in his adorable Fisherman's costume. Will had a great time! He got to decorate cookies,

decorate a pumpkin,

listen to Halloween stories,

and take a swipe at the pinata. I told him to hit the pinata and he took his free hand and hit it with that instead of the bat. It was hilarious!

And of course, Will didn't mind the candy that came bursting out either!

The highlight for Gabby was that she got a nice Lady Bug nap!

No Business Like Show Business

Yes, we may look dirty but we were an AWESOME caveman and woman in our Ward Roadshow! We competed against the other wards in our stake and I haven't even heard if we won but we got a lot of compliments and it sure was a blast! This isn't the whole cast but you get the idea!

Cabin Fever!

This past weekend, Benj won the draw for the Deer Hunt. The Cloward's were generous enough to let us stay at their beautiful cabin. We left on Thursday night and had an amazing time till Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, Benj just missed a 2 point Buck! Shucks!

We roasted hot dogs by the fire pit and as you can see, Will got into some Cheddar Sun Chips!

We did a lot of 4-wheeling up there

And Will even did some 4-wheeling of his own!

We sure had a good time!

Applesauce Canning

Benj's parents gave us a "plethora" of apples so I invited my neighbor Julia over and we went applesauce crazy! It got interesting with the kids so we turned on Bolt, the movie, to entertain the kids! Of course, it only lasted about 15 minutes but we'll take all we can get!

Hiking Labor Day Weekend

On Labor Day Weekend we decided to make the most of it by going to American Fork Canyon. We hiked Stewart Falls

Gabby was so good just hanging out in the snuggli

Will sure was a trooper. He loved hiking!

Unfortunately we didn't make it to the falls because it started raining. If you look closely, you can see that we're soaked!

Gabby was pretty well protected in the snuggli. Luckily we had a burp cloth to put over her head so she stayed pretty dry!

Will was out within a minute of driving away

On Monday, we had hot dogs and smores! Yummy!

Then, we decided to go to Cascade Springs. Will loved this toddler carrier Chelsea and Chris let us borrow

Will thought it was pretty funny to play peek-a-boo. Daddy's enjoying himself as well!

The whole clan!

Gabby's Blessing

We had Gabrielle's blessing at my parent's due to the large size of both our families. Benj sure gave a great blessing for Gabrielle. As you can see, he relaxed right away after giving it. This is one of the only happy moments Will had. He sure struggled that night!

Gabrielle got to wear the dress I was blessed in. It was hand-crocheted by my Aunt Joyce! And apparently Gabs is pointing to something very important off camera!

Isn't she gorgeous?