December seems so long ago, especially with all the nice warm weather we are having right now! I swear it's impossible that all this happened 6 months ago, and that some of it is going to happen again in 6 more months!
I was really excited for Makadie to be able to play in the snow this year. She had been walking for about a year by this point and she had gotten quite a bit taller so I knew she wasn't going to face plant it when she tried to walk through the snow. Finally we had a perfect day for playing in the snow. It had snowed the night before, but that day was just sunny enough that it wasn't bitter cold outside. This was a huge plus for me since I wanted to be out there with her and take some pictures and being pregnant in the winter can be tricky when you don't have a coat to fit around your middle. :) It took a little coaxing, but she finally got confident enough to let go of my hand and play around. Towards the end, she kept wanting to take her gloves off because it was hard for her to pick up the snow, so we went inside soon afterwards, but she had a ton of fun and I got a few cute pictures too.
Around the middle of the month, we found out about a Living Nativity event in Alpine, so the Ogden clan decided to try and go together. Unfortunately, trying to coordinate that many people coming from so many directions in the valley to meet at the same time is tricky, so about half made it up and were already half way done by the time the rest of us got there. To top it off, a storm had blown in, which made it difficult to enjoy because the event was outside and everyone just wanted to be inside, especially the little kids. Here I am pregnant and trying to carry Makadie around and up hills and she's tired and cold and doesn't actually want to be held, with Covey trying to help his mom around because she has some health problems and can't walk on uneven, uphill/downhill ground very well. BUT it was still a good experience and there were parts where you could really feel the Spirit, especially at the end where there was a family in a little barn who were playing Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. It was really quiet and I loved watching Makadie as she watched the little family and I told her it was baby Jesus. She just smiled up at me and I think some part of her almost 2-year-old brain understood what her little spirit already knew. :)
Every Christmas since I can remember, my family would make Christmas cookies and take them around to families and friends. Even when I was in college, I would make these cookies and share them. Like I said in my post last month, I always imagined cooking with my kids and making Christmas cookies was no exception. I let Makadie help me roll the dough and cut the cookies, which she really liked and it was fun to create those memories.
While it might look like it, she's not picking her nose. She's putting her finger up to her mouth and saying, "hmmm..." while she decides where to put the cookie cutter. :)
The last few years, we have looked forward to going over to the Riverwoods for their free carriage rides. It's nothing fancy, but it's fun to snuggle up under the blankets and listen to the clip-clop of horses and the bells jingling on their harnesses. This year, we decided to stand in line so Makadie could sit in Santa's lap and get her picture taken. She was totally fine and excited until she actually had to sit on his lap and then she had a spazz attack and wanted nothing to do with him. Typical. But it does make for a funny picture and a good story. Dani, Stephen and Jackson met up with us for the carriage ride too and it was fun to share the experience with them.
Towards the end of the month, the Ogden clan decided to go bowling at Fat Cats and get some dinner at Costa Vida afterwards. I think this was actually the first time that Makadie had been bowling and it was fun to watch her excitement. She was also pretty excited to see her cousins that live out of state.
I was really excited for Makadie to be able to play in the snow this year. She had been walking for about a year by this point and she had gotten quite a bit taller so I knew she wasn't going to face plant it when she tried to walk through the snow. Finally we had a perfect day for playing in the snow. It had snowed the night before, but that day was just sunny enough that it wasn't bitter cold outside. This was a huge plus for me since I wanted to be out there with her and take some pictures and being pregnant in the winter can be tricky when you don't have a coat to fit around your middle. :) It took a little coaxing, but she finally got confident enough to let go of my hand and play around. Towards the end, she kept wanting to take her gloves off because it was hard for her to pick up the snow, so we went inside soon afterwards, but she had a ton of fun and I got a few cute pictures too.
Around the middle of the month, we found out about a Living Nativity event in Alpine, so the Ogden clan decided to try and go together. Unfortunately, trying to coordinate that many people coming from so many directions in the valley to meet at the same time is tricky, so about half made it up and were already half way done by the time the rest of us got there. To top it off, a storm had blown in, which made it difficult to enjoy because the event was outside and everyone just wanted to be inside, especially the little kids. Here I am pregnant and trying to carry Makadie around and up hills and she's tired and cold and doesn't actually want to be held, with Covey trying to help his mom around because she has some health problems and can't walk on uneven, uphill/downhill ground very well. BUT it was still a good experience and there were parts where you could really feel the Spirit, especially at the end where there was a family in a little barn who were playing Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. It was really quiet and I loved watching Makadie as she watched the little family and I told her it was baby Jesus. She just smiled up at me and I think some part of her almost 2-year-old brain understood what her little spirit already knew. :)
Every Christmas since I can remember, my family would make Christmas cookies and take them around to families and friends. Even when I was in college, I would make these cookies and share them. Like I said in my post last month, I always imagined cooking with my kids and making Christmas cookies was no exception. I let Makadie help me roll the dough and cut the cookies, which she really liked and it was fun to create those memories.
The last few years, we have looked forward to going over to the Riverwoods for their free carriage rides. It's nothing fancy, but it's fun to snuggle up under the blankets and listen to the clip-clop of horses and the bells jingling on their harnesses. This year, we decided to stand in line so Makadie could sit in Santa's lap and get her picture taken. She was totally fine and excited until she actually had to sit on his lap and then she had a spazz attack and wanted nothing to do with him. Typical. But it does make for a funny picture and a good story. Dani, Stephen and Jackson met up with us for the carriage ride too and it was fun to share the experience with them.
Towards the end of the month, the Ogden clan decided to go bowling at Fat Cats and get some dinner at Costa Vida afterwards. I think this was actually the first time that Makadie had been bowling and it was fun to watch her excitement. She was also pretty excited to see her cousins that live out of state.
