The joy of taking pictures.

If there is one thing that I love is taking pictures of my kids.  I have to say that it is the one thing they absolutely hate.  Today I had a rough time getting them together and get them to smile and stay still or look at the camera at the same time.  It is a struggle every year but it must be made so we have cool memories of our little family.  I feel so bad that we didn't get the pictures done before when Kahlan was first born but better late than never.

Kahlan has been sick with a cold (and my mother too) so she was really cranky and was done with pictures 5 minutes later and it didn't help that the weather was in the 50's this morning.  My kids were so cold and ready to go back home.  I tried to go as fast as I could but it was very frustrating to not get the pictures done the way I want them to.  I had been practicing with the camera for weeks now and putting the outfits together.  In the end the pics turned out OK but I really hate being rushed or having the entire family so unhelpful (if that is a word). I can't really edit the pictures the way I want them, so much more to learn but hopefully when I get them printed out they look great.
So here it is our cute family for the Christmas pic of 2011.

Kahlan at 10 months old.

I know I have missed month 8 and 9 but I will try to remember what she started doing since then.

She has been pulling herself up for a while and trying to stand on her own for a few seconds at a time.

 She is still very serious but can easily give a smile if you smile at her.

 We went to the Spanish branch for a Thanksgiving dinner and she loved the music, she loves to dance.

 She is a proud owner of 4 huge teeth, two at the top and two at the bottom.  She also enjoys biting with them.

 I have made her so many cute things lately and here she is with my favorite creation, her cool baby boots.

 She can find all kinds of things on the floor and like a little dog puts them in her mouth and crawls all over the house with them.

 We took her to the playground at the Mall for the first time in her life and she had a blast.  Trying to do what the other big kids were doing.  She is so friendly and everybody likes her too.

 She found a little girl that she probably thought was playing with her and when the little girl left she was kind of sad for a while.

 She looks so big standing up, she is still very tiny but acts like she is all big and strong. ( love this pic by the way).

And when we went to the festival of trees last week I was able to snatch this picture of her, I played with it a little until I made it look the way I wanted it.  She is growing so fast and I don't like it.  She is already saying a few words in Spanish and understand everything that is going on around her.  Her favorite words are "gracias" and "hola".  We love our baby girl.

Festival of Trees

At "Far Away School" as Aaron calls it (SPARK is a program for kids 3-5 years old) they had a Christmas activity this week and we were really excited about going.  Last year we missed all these fun activities since I was so busy with appointments but I tried really hard to get him involved in as many as we could.
So we went to the May Center in Huffman, about 20 minutes from the house and it was our first time there.  They had a nice set up with all kinds of Christmas trees and everyone with a different theme.  I forgot to bring my tripod so I am only in one of the pics but he posed in front of every single tree they had there.  Then he did a cute little craft and my mom took Kahlan for me so we could spend some time together decorating his craft.  They gave him a snack and then we went to the little playground they have there and had a fun time goofing around.  I have to go back with the other kids so they can see it too, it is really nice.

Pioneer Day

Here in Houston they have a Pioneer Day in November and it is a little different from what we were used in Utah.  There is a park close by that has this huge celebration every year and they have lots of activities for the kids and the entire family to go an enjoy.  One of the coolest things we got to see was a reenactment they had between the American people and the Mexicans that came to collect taxes.  It was all very entertaining and also very loud... lucky for me my mom came along with us and took Kahlan away when it got super loud and I was able to enjoy the show.  The kids loved it and learned that in the future Victor could be part of the show when he has the right age to bear arms...
There were lots of people and the kids didn't get the chance to do all of the activities but it was still fun and look forward to going again next year. Best of all it was free!!

 The kids learned how to make wool.  And learned about what kind of toys, furniture and kitchen utensils they used.

 Seems like Kahlan is always sitting in her stroller when we take pictures.

 The kids had the chance to get some corn and use a grinder, that was pretty cool.

 They also practiced the art of doing laundry by hand... something they have seen me do before when Ike came about 3 years ago.

 They had some tents on display and a guy with a horse.  He eventually let us in and we were able to pet the horse, such pretty animal.

 Here is Aaron trying out how to get those stains out.

 Dan enjoyed watching the blacksmith doing his magic, he is always entertained by that.

 Kahlan made friends with guy who was so nice to her and posed for a picture.  Kahlan is very friendly.

 They also had some Native American tent display there to give us an idea of how the local used to live here before they were kicked out.

Thanksgiving 2011

 *This post was written about a week ago and I didn't feel like rewriting it*

So this year once again we had my mom with us for Thanksgiving and it was really special to us to be able to share one more family gathering with her.  I have to say this has been the least stressful Thanksgiving ever for me, I felt very relaxed planning and getting all the things ready for it.  I basically stayed in my jammies until the food was almost ready, I didn't feel like I had to rush or anything like that.  The turkey turned out so good and it was ready about an hour before it was supposed to and that was a first.  I didn't buy a huge turkey this year only a 13 lbs one (and it only cost me $2.38).  I wanted to make most everything from scratch too so I prepared the stuffing which is not my favorite thing but I knew it would taste better if it was home made. I had to start preparations for it the day before so I could have enough space in the oven for everything.  I made the rolls late in the evening and at night I made apple crisp for the first time ever, it was so good.  Dan is not a pie lover unless it is apple pie, so I didn't buy a pumpkin pie this year. I also made so awesome mashed potatoes and I am proud to say that they were the best mashed potatoes I have ever made... there is a secret ingredient in them
(inspired by my SILTashia).  

So all in all I think I did a great job with the meal, everybody loved it even Kahlan and hopefully I can just add more tasty things to the menu next year but the rest will stay the same and now I have my signature Thanksgiving meal that will be our tradition for years to come.  I love making memories with my family I only wish that the table could look a little bit more fancy but thanks to my little kitchen helpers we only had a few dishes left (Shayna broke two more from mys set the day before).... hopefully we can get some new ones before Christmas comes along.
The kids wanted to put up the Christmas tree the day after like we always do, but Dan had to work the day after TG so we did it ourselves, it was the first time for Kahlan and she thought it was fun.

 Shayna was the brave one to put the star on the top of the tree this year... we think she did a good job.

 And Aaron could not resist posing for a picture :)


I am so grateful for everything our Heavenly Father has given us this year, specially for our baby girl and I know although right now it seems like things are not going well for us I recognize the many blessings we have and I know all the material things that we are dealing with right now are not that important and next year will be better because things always work out.  During the lesson at church today the teacher reminded us how the trials in our lives come when we need them, when we are stronger and feel like things are going great.  I really know that we come out stronger from our trials and learn so much from them, I am ready to get up and keep going, becoming a better wife and mother, daughter and sister.  I am grateful for a loving husband who tries really hard to pick  me up when I am down and it might not seem to him that I appreciate it, but I do.  I am grateful for each and every one of my kids who bring so much happines into my life and love me no matter what, I am thankful for having a mother who loves me and my family and for putting up with me even in my craziest moments.  I am grateful for all the people that make a difference in my life no matter how small or big their mark is, even if it is just a simple smile or a hello, to this quiet and shy person it means a lot.
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!