Date Night

It was our turn to babysit for date night last week. The kids were having so much fun running around like crazy monkeys that I just had to take some pictures.

They loved the new tent/tunnel combo. Jeremy and I made the tunnels connect to each other so it was one continuous loop. It took them awhile to realize they could open up the door to get out.

Don't ask me how Ashlyn got stuck in the middle-I have no idea.

Tickle monster!

When all the fun was done they decided to calm down in Cambrie's room. I think they pulled out most of Cambrie's blankets to get this sleepover going.

We have a great group of kids who love playing together. Sometimes I think they have more fun on date night than the parents.

Living Planet Aquarium

(This is me catching up on Utah fun)

Jeremy's mom is great. She absolutely loves Cambrie and is the first to volunteer to babysit when Jeremy and I go skiing. This particular ski trip, Leesa got together with her sister, Lenesa, and her grandson, Parker. Parker and Cambrie are only 10 months apart and seeing that their parents basically grew up as "cousin twins", it's fitting that these two play together a lot also.

Here is a picture of them eating their lunch. Cambrie showed Parker how cool it is to "dip" your chicken nuggets.I'm surprised Cambrie didn't go all the way into the water. I wonder how hard she tried and how wet she got in the process."Where are the fish?" They can barely see into the aquarium. The funny this is that Cambrie is the same size as Parker even though she's almost a year younger.
Playing in the coral reef.Cambrie's new favorite movie is now "Finding Nemo."

Thanks Nana for having such a fun day with Cambrie.

Zoo Lights

I'm not sure how long the Hogle Zoo has been doing this, but during the winter they have Zoo Lights. They have animated light animals all over the zoo. Jeremy and Dantley were disappointed because they thought there would be real animals-but I thought the lights were equally as impressive. Most of them moved in one way or another. The giraffes' necks straightened and then would bend down to cuddle.The mom elephant would switch off giving herself and her baby a good spray down of water.One of Cambrie's favorite parts of the night was the carousel. I think she rode it three times and would have kept going had we not been freezing! I was very surprised because the last time she rode a carousel she screamed in fear and couldn't get off fast enough :)

These heat lamps were absolutely heavenly. It was cold! I can honestly say I've never spent so much time in the reptile house.

Best buds

Cambrie wants a puppy so badly! She has the best time playing with Nikita (Rogers' dog) and Mindy (Johnson's dog). I wish I wasn't allergic because it would really make her day if we had our own. Ah...if only.... Here are some cute pictures of Cambrie and Nikita playing together. Tug of war with Kita's bone is probably their favorite game. Even if it means getting dragged around the house.

To Nikita's delight, Cambrie also loves spoiling her with treats.The two were made for each other.

Christmas catch-up

With family parties, holidays, and pure excitement all the time it's been hard to keep up on our lives. But here it is!

The Stratford side of my family (my mom's side) gets together every year for a cousin gift exchange and to act out the nativity. Jeremy and I were Joseph and Mary again, and Cambrie was a little shepherd. Each year is a little different because I have crazy family. This year was neat because my cousin, Andrew, just got back from a study-abroad in Jerusalem. He instructed us how to wear some of the authentic costumes and even provided real gold, frankincense and myrrh. Here is our cast picture. Christmas Eve came and my family got new PJ bottoms.

Christmas morning my family got presents from Santa. Cambrie was very excited about the "nummies" in her stocking. Can you see that cute smile?

She got a doll from her Great-Grandma Stratford. The carrying case is a backpack, purse, feeding chair and cradle, and the doll talks-what more could you ask for?My dad and brothers got remote-control helicopters. There was some serious carnage with them running into wall, the tree, each other...the dog. Perfect guy toys.Cambrie with her gifts. She was smiling in another picture but this one was too funny not to post.

Jeremy with his gifts (notice the LED light in the brim of his hat).

Annette with her gifts.

After we finished with presents at my parents' house then we traveled to South Jordan for the second Christmas of the morning at the Rogers'.

We got PJs and super comfy socks.

Cambrie got a new puppy!

I know it's stuffed. But I'm sorry, that's all she's gonna get :)She also got a new hat/glove set from Uncle D. They do a good job of keeping her fingers warm.Meanwhile, Uncle D got a new T-shirt that really won't keep him warm.Here is Cambrie modeling her new toys. She got a tent to go with her tunnel and she already loves it.Does anyone want to come over and play Seinfeld Scene-it or Wii Fit? Let's have a party!Our Christmas day ended with a party in Morgan at Jeremy's grandparents'. Every year all of the cousins, aunts and uncles get together to show off their new toys, visit, and eat delicious food. Check out her dance moves.

It was a late night which meant an unhappy Cambrie. Sorry that's she's not smiling for the picture Grandma and Papa Pearce. Merry Christmas!

Ski Trip

Jeremy and I love skiing. We are also pretty cheap when it comes to getting tickets, so instead of buying full-price tickets to the Canyons we instead opt for the Warren Miller passes. You pay admission for the movie to see some extreme skiers and awesome stunts, then get a lift ticket for free. Pretty good deal. This year my mom picked some up for us and recruited the neighbor kids to be our proxies at the movie. Anyway we had to use the passes before December 19th. There hadn't been much snow, but we HAD to go. There were only three lifts open, but you know what? It's better than nothing and we had a great time-like always!

Can you tell it was blizzarding and cold?

Warming up in the lodge during lunch. Festive group eh?

Snow bunny

Maybe it will be a white Christmas this year after all. Today it has snowed, and snowed, and snowed. On our last trip to Utah, Cambrie played in the snow a little, but it melted away by the afternoon. Today was different and there's plenty of the white fluffy stuff to go around. She loves playing with Ryan, but she couldn't figure out why he was laying down in the snow.She also played on the slide with grandma. You can't ask for a softer landing than in powder.