Snow play

The snowstorm that trapped us in Wyoming during our trip left an inspiring amount of snow to play in when we got to Utah.  Bruce and Leesa live in a cul-de-sac and it makes for a wonderful playground when the plows choose not to stop by for the fourth time in 24 hours.  We threw on the girls' snow suits, threw them on a sled, and pulled them all over the place.  McKenzie was so bundled in her snow suit it reminded me of the little brother from "The Christmas Story."  She lasted for a few minutes but was more relieved when we put her down for a nap. 

First it was simply Nana giving them a little pull. 

Then we tied the sled to the back of the four-wheeler and got a little speed. 

Whether this pile was from a previous snow plow visit or if it's all left over from the Rogers' driveway, I don't know.  Regardless this is probably the only way Cambrie will ever touch the net of a basketball hoop. 

She had carved out a little seat for herself and sat there happily for quite some time.  

Then she moved her seat to another location so that I could plop down next to her. 

Even Nakita got all bundled up to come join the fun. 

We tried making a slide down the snow pile....it was about a successful as making a rock float.  This picture of Bruce shows his actual speed....0 MPH.  

Gingerbread house extravaganza

Jeremy's family has a tradition where each family makes a gingerbread house every year.  It began as a simple family gathering with simple gingerbread house, but has since grown to more and more extraordinary creations.  This was my first year being able to attend and I have to say that they are super creative and very talented.  I really had my work cut out for me if I was going to stand up next to them.  The process begins days before as patterns are created, batches of gingerbread are baked, candy is carefully chosen, sugar windows are poured, and special boards are built to support the houses that hold lights within to illuminate the final designs.  It is a big deal.  The Roothoffs really could enter their houses into some type of competition and win.

My mom was sweet and made Cambrie a gingerbread apron to wear at this event, and Cambrie couldn't wait to be part of the action.  We made some little gingerbread men, snowmen, and stars for her to decorate however she pleased.  She was really into and wanted her guys to look perfect.  I was shocked that she could operate that frosting bag.

  

Here is just a sample of the Roothoff's living room and kitchen.  Tables fill up ever corner of the floor and they are piled with mounds of candy and little elves working away on these houses.  It is total mayhem in a controlled and sugar-filled kind of way.  

Papa and Cambrie were working on a star Christmas tree with lights for the front yard.

  While candy is an important aspect to these houses, it's more about the frosting and the small details.  We set up an assembly line for our house, Bruce took care of the windows while I worked on the snowflakes, chimneys, and foundation for the house.  Some of the work is so fine that you literally need tweezers to get things right.  

The house wasn't going up quickly enough for Cambrie and she really wanted her cousins to play.  Sammy made a gingerbread train, and Mackady made a small house.  Cambrie helped wherever she could just so they could get done and play with her.  They are really sweet with her.  

Ah...the moment of truth.  Do all of our pattern pieces actually fit together?  Almost.  We had to rig some roof supports since they were a little small, but really it wasn't too far off.

  Once the house was assembled it was time to work on the landscaping.  By this time we had been decorating for five hours and my hand was exhausted from squeezing that frosting bag.  

Here is the team that made our house possible.  Cambrie made the figures who live in our fairy tale gingerbread cottage, and McKenzie did her best to grab and destroy anything within reach...luckily the cottage survived.  

I'm pretty proud of this house.  It has character and turned out great.  Leesa wants us to take it home to Colorado to proudly display it this Christmas season....I don't think it will make it.  Bruce and Leesa will just have to enjoy it for us.  

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was spent in Morgan with Jeremy's family.  It was actually really weird not having Thanksgiving at the Farnsworths with our friends in Philly.  But spending the holiday with family is still a great way to celebrate.  It makes me really grateful for the wonderful families both Jeremy and I have.  

For some reason I have always felt we need to wear nice clothes to Thanksgiving dinner.  I don't know where that comes from, but regardless we all put on our newest and shiniest comfy clothes for the occasion (they can't be too fancy because they still need to fit after the meal).  Cambrie's clothes were particularly cute and I had to chase her around the house with a camera to prove it before they came off after dinner.  It's the best smile of the day :)  

McKenzie appropriately got her first tooth on Thanksgiving.  It didn't mean that she ate any more than usual, in fact she sure was grumpy and clingy during dinner and I couldn't even get up to fill my plate without a major meltdown from her.  Eating mashed potatoes and gravy over an infant's head is not an easy task.  Luckily for her I only spilled gravy on me instead of on top of her.

Is it weird that neither one of my girls likes mashed potatoes?  I think it's strange.  The only thing Cambrie ate for all of Thanksgiving was a couple of rolls.  She didn't even eat pie!  Ah...the joys of toddler-hood. McKenzie fell in love with the yams and cleaned off my plate.  She also loved, loved, loved the pumpkin pudding.  

After dinner Cambrie wrestled with Nana and tried to climb her legs over and over again.  She's just silly.  

By the end of the night she was completely pooped.  Chalyse was a good cousin and cuddled with her while we got things cleaned up and loaded in the car.  I would definitely call it a successful Thanksgiving dinner.

....to Grandmother's house we go

This year we were able to go home for Thanksgiving.  Jeremy had a couple of days off and it seemed silly to cook a Thanksgiving meal just for our little family, so we loaded everyone up in the car and took off.  The days before were filled with calls from concerned parents warning us of the horrible weather that was on its way, but we decided that it was worth a shot to be home with family.  Besides, it was hard to believe that there was a blizzard in Utah when Colorado had blue skies and a light jacket was all that was required to stay warm.  We had a feeling that our trip would be adventurous, so we documented it with photos along the way.  Cambrie enjoyed watching her movies during the drive, and McKenzie kept herself entertained with her singing puppy.

  

The first adventure...getting pulled over by a state trooper only a half hour into our trip.  Apparently it's against the law to travel in the left lane except to pass.  I would call what I was doing an "extended pass" but Officer Joe was very kind and just gave me a warning.  Hence, the happy smile.  

Before Jeremy left work that morning, one of his patients gave him some small toys and this blubbery elephant was our mascot for the remainder of the trip.  Cambrie thought it was rather creepy and refused to look at it.  But Jeremy and I were feeling goofy and thought it was the silliest thing ever.

5:00 rolled around and the weather was still absolutely beautiful.  We could still see clear skies and thought that we were actually going to make it through Wyoming before they closed I-80.  

7:30 rolled rolled around and this is what we "saw" through our front windshield.  Yes...nothing.  

We were creeping along looking for the small reflectors on the side of the road to keep us on the right track.  Then we saw the sign we had been dreading since we left Colorado, I-80 was closed from Lyman to Evanston.  We pulled off in Lyman and were lucky enough to find a room at the Gateway Inn before they were completely booked.  The girls were so happy to be out of the car that they giggled, laughed and played until bed time.  

Unfortunately bed time meant Cambrie on the floor in a sleeping bag, and then McKenzie in-between Jeremy and I on the bed.  Before the night was over we were all crammed in that king-sized bed.  It wasn't a peaceful night's sleep, but it was better than being stuck in the car on the side of the road, so we counted our blessings.  It didn't help that throughout the night we were receiving updates from the Wyoming Department of Transportation updating us on the road conditions..."Droid" haunted our dreams.  

The next morning it was frigid.  So cold in fact that the doors to our Jetta had frozen shut.  Luckily one of the back doors still opened, so we all had to climb in from there.  Jeremy is blessed with strength, but not flexibility, so this was a very awkward and challenging moment for him getting in the car.  

The car started (thank goodness) and we were on our way again.  The snow tires on the Jetta sounded like they were about to fall off, so every hour or so Jeremy had to pull over to tighten the lug-nuts to keep them from rattling.  By this time we could at least roll down the window to get in and out of the car, so that was easier.  Our warm bodies kept frosting up the windows.  We each had a credit card to scrap away the frost from our windows periodically.  

Yes, it was basically snowing inside of our car.  

The windows didn't stay clear until we reached Brigham City three hours later.  By the time we reached my parents' house in Smithfield we were finally able to open our doors to get out of the car.  What an adventure, but we made it!

Boyfriend Bear

For all my girl friends over the years, I thought you'd like to see what has happened to Boyfriend Bear.  This teddy bear was given to me by a boy in my ward who had a crush on me for as long as I can remember (coincidentally his name is also Jeremy).  He took me on my first date and this bear came not too long afterwards.  Even though Jeremy and I never became romantically involved, his gift has been very loved.  He was affectionately named Boyfriend Bear by me and my roommates as we dealt with boyfriend drama through high school and college.  Cambrie loves this giant teddy bear that is bigger than she is.  She has renamed him Jelly and he is her new best friend.  She drags him up and down the stairs every day, and each night he sleeps with her.  Maybe he'll even be there for her through her own boy dramas.

Little Elves

Today in preschool the girls learned the letter E.  They focused on elves...gotta love this video!  Good luck spotting Cambrie, all these girls look the same without their hair :)

Elf Dance

D is for dinosaur, dirt and dough

It was another great week for preschool.  Cambrie's friends came over and we learned about the letter D.  The first day we learned all about dinosaurs.  They made some shape-o-sauruses and fossils.  We played T-Rex tag, ate T-Rex teeth, and dinosaur-shaped cheese.  It was way too much fun. 

The next day we played with dough.  The girls helped me make some bread dough that they spent the next half-hour just playing with before finally deciding on a shape that would be baked. 

We ate our cooked dough and dirt for our snacks (the girls all left with chocolate lip-liner on their sloppy lips).  It was delicious dirt and the girls thought it was hysterical.  To tell you a little bit about these girls; they all have summer birthdays, are in the same nursery class, love chasing each other, love going to preschool together, and get along really well.  It has been fantastic!

Autumn leaves

Autumn here was absolutely gorgeous.  The wide variety of trees meant a wide variety of fall colors.  The reds, oranges, and yellows were the most vibrant I have seen in a long time.  I wish I had taken pictures of autumn's splendor, but I just knew my camera wouldn't do it justice.  Most of the leaves had already fallen as of last Sunday, but we decided to go out and play in them anyway. 

The jumping pile wasn't very big-but Cambrie jumped anyway.  By the end of the evening the pile of leaves had turned to a pile of dust. 

Cambrie has been singing the song, "Autumn Time" in nursery and they have been tossing fake leaves during the song.  She thought it was really neat to use real leaves and loved tossing them in the air. 

McKenzie walking

It was time to get out the video camera to record McKenzie walking.  After many failed attempts, we were able to get this shot, which is one of her longest strolls ever.

10 Months Old

I haven't done an update on McKenzie for awhile, so I thought it was about time. 

Her bottom two teeth are starting to come in.  This means that she's a little bit grumpy and is now best friends with her pacifier.

When we feed her, she insists on holding the spoon.  This makes for an interesting tug-of-war every meal and a very messy baby.

She likes eating everything. If she's not in her high chair when we sit down for dinner, she comes over, grabs at our legs and begs like a little puppy. It's kind of cute actually.

When she wants more food, she just screams.  So we are working on baby signs for "please," "more," and "all done."  She doesn't seem interested at all in the hand motions and her words all sound the same-"ah da."  The sweet thing is that Cambrie tries to remind her and shows her the nice way to ask each time.

McKenzie has many nicknames ranging from Muncher, Munchkin and Destructoid.  And kinder variations that include Miss McKenzie, Kenz, Kenzie, Chicka, Koo Koo, and Koo Koo KaChoo.

She has a new phobia of the tub.  She used to love putting her hands underneath the running water and splashing her sister.  But her sister accidentally dumped a bucket full of cold water on her last week, and now she fearfully screams when she sees the tub and frantically tries to climb out of it.  I sure hope this stage doesn't last or else we will have one dirty baby.

As of last night, she also has a new phobia of escalators.  Don't ask me what happened to cause that.  I was holding her in my arms and she let out the most terrifying cry I've ever heard.  She grabbed at me and tried to climb up me as far away from the escalator as possible. She was making such a ruckus that a sales associate actually came over to make sure everything was all right.  We tried two more escalator rides during the shopping trip and her screaming didn't get any better by the end of the night. 

One of her favorite games is chasing her sister around the house.  I will hold McKenzie and surprise Cambrie around the corner, McKenzie just laughs and laughs.

Her second favorite game is pulling all the books off the bookshelf.  We have put up a banana chair to block off the entrance, but she has figured out how to squeeze around the back side of the couch and go under a side table to get there anyway.

After every nap she is sockless and pantless.  She manages to wriggle out of most her clothes in her crib.

McKenzie is fascinated by Cambrie's princess night-light.  If it is ever plugged in while she's crawling around on the floor she will make a beeline straight for it and pull it from the wall. 

She has learned to open up the bathroom and kitchen cabinets.  Rats, I guess it's time to lock everything down.

She is loving the stairs.  She will climb up four stairs and just sit and watch what is going on from her high perch.

And probably the most exciting thing going on right now, is that she is learning how to walk!  She can stand solo for a good five seconds before she decides to sit down or starts moving.  She's pretty good at taking three-to-four steps.  But before she went to bed tonight, she took close to eight steps.  She stopped a couple of times to check her balance, but once she straightened herself out she just kept right on walking.  I can't believe how ready she is to walk.  This was her idea and she's determined to learn.  I have a feeling it is going to come very quickly.

Today we ate...

Today we ate cereal for breakfast.  McKenzie ate something we couldn't identify.
Today at the park Cambrie and I ate teddy grahams.  McKenzie ate bark.
Today we ate quesadillas for lunch.  McKenzie ate a cotton ball.
Today Cambrie and I ate cupcakes for a snack.  McKenzie ate a rock.
Today we had shake n' bake for dinner.  McKenzie ate a piece of a pinecone.

And recently she has also eaten hair elastics, hair clips, safety pins, thread, carpet fuzz, leaves, marker lids, toothpaste, Construx pieces, puzzle pieces...I just can't keep up with that girl!

On the job

Jeremy's first day of work was today.  After all of these months of knowing it was going to happen but waiting for things to fall into place, he's finally a workin' man.  His shift this morning started at 7:30, so he was up bright and early.  I took an official "first day" picture, but he looks so tired I just couldn't post it.  He slept horribly, waking up every hour afraid of missing his alarm.  The guy was nervous.  And I can't blame him; first day as Dr. Rogers DMD in his own office, knowing that if anything goes wrong it's his fault, learning all of the ropes of the existing practice, and just getting used to everything.  The funny thing is the office manager, Erin, couldn't sleep either because she was worried for him too.  We both got a kick out of that.  Apparently the day went pretty smoothly.  He is the youngest of the partners by far, and even younger than some of the office staff.  In fact, one of the hygienists has worked at this office for 12 years.  Even though Jeremy is now the "guy in charge," it's going to take some getting used to.  At Temple, he had to ask for each step to be checked off by the professors.  Apparently that's a hard habit to break because he had to bite his tongue multiple times to keep from asking the hygienists if it looked right to them.  As a patient, that's not really the kind of thing you want to hear from your dentist.  Besides that annoying habit, he said he felt really confident and is excited to really get in the swing of things.  I am too quite frankly.  His schedule it going to take some getting used to, but it seems really manageable.  He works five days a week.  If one of those days in Saturday, then he gets another day off during the week.  Each shift is six hours long, so it will either be 7:30-1:30, or 1:30-7:30.  Every couple of weeks he will have a 12 hour shift...that will be long.  Luckily they're not very often.  Regardless of which shift he has, that means he's home half the day.  Can you believe it?  The only thing that is going to drive me crazy, is that it changes every week. So I never know, for example, if he's free Tuesday night so I can go to a Relief Society activity.  I'll just have to keep an eye on the calendar.  I'm just grateful that he's finally started working.  I had no idea that we'd be here six weeks before that happened....but I guess having him home all this time has made up for being apart during the summer.  I'm so proud of my hard-working husband.  Great job hun.