A Very Merry Christmas

Santa made it! Christmas morning was the best one ever! After we woke Kate up, Dave told her that Santa left some presents for her downstairs. She replied, "I want to see him!" Well, when we went downstairs, he had left, but there were dollhouses, games, puzzles, movies, and many other toys to discover.This year was definitely a fun one for not only Kate, but for her parents who got to watch her. We had other viewers too. We invited the grandparents over to watch Kate(since none of them have kids at home anymore).

Here's Kate opening her Zhu Zhu pet (the toy of high demand but little supply this year)... After the grandparents left, we made a little adjustment to one of Kate's toys--her new Ken doll. You see, he was a bit of a long-haired hoodlum. Ken is a tough doll to find, and when you want the complete Barbie doll family for Kate to play with, beggars can't be choosers. We had to take what we Santa gave us. Well, the long hair was nothing that a pair of scissors couldn't fix!

You can see the anguish in his eyes looking at all that lost hair...

Sorry, Ken!

But what a happy family now that Ken's a grown-up!

Later that afternoon, we visited Hayden and Parker to see what they got, and then ventured over to my parents' house. They greeted us with way-too-generous of gifts, but then that's how my parents always did Christmas. Grandma Sherrie whipped up an amazing meal as always, we napped a little on the couch, and then got to talk to Mike in Thailand! I was a little sad that Kate was so sleepy; I wanted Mike to hear how grown-up she is. I guess he'll discover that in about 7 months when he gets back!! It made us all miss him, but reminded us of how proud of him we are!

Kate and Papa Lyle

Grandma Nelson, Baby Sasha, and Kate

Anyway, that's Christmas 2009. It will be a tough one to beat on the fun scale, but I'm sure it will happen, year after year. I feel so lucky to have my little family and the knowledge of the gospel; it really makes Christmas time extra special. If you didn't already, read all about our awesome Christmas Eve in the post below...

Christmas Eve

It was another fabulous Christmas Eve to be recorded in the Book of Time! We trade off Christmas Eve's each year, and this year we celebrated with Dave's fam. Our night consisted of a ridiculous feast composed of mouth-watering King Crab legs, ribs, shrimp, ham, turkey, and an assortment of sides. After the feast, the grandkids performed a number of talents in a talent show. Kate had been practicing her talent for a week of two.

Here she is performing "Once Upon A Dream," accompanied by her Grandma Sandra...

(If you watch and listen to the ending of this video clip, you'll notice the applause she gets. She's quite the star. You'll also notice two uncles imitating Kate afterwards; just disregard them)!

Next, came the Nativity. Sandra assigned Dave and me to revamp it this year. Dave worked hard at creating programs and scripts, and then I helped (a little) with the new donkey, camel, and sheep costumes. We made enough costumes for all the (unmarried or unmissionary'd) grandkids to have a role...the older ones were thrilled ;)! If you squint, you can see down on the bottom row a very CUTE angel; we're so proud she belongs to us!Afterwards, we opened gifts. We got a lot of great things. Both mine and Dave's favorite gift was a pen made from a tree on the Smith Family Farm located next to the Sacred Grove. Dave's parents served their mission there last year. A tree was struck by lightning, and when the pruning crew came to clean up the scrap wood, Reese asked if they wouldn't mind him keeping a branch. They agreed, and he has since used the wood to make oil viles and pens for people as gifts.

Kate liked her new jammies, and opening presents side by side her BFC (Best Friend Cousin), Cammie.

Along with many other fun presents, Kate also scored a cute (matching) Cabbage Patch Doll. We had to laugh when we discovered the doll's name--Prudence Carmelita; someone at the Cabbage Patch Factory had a good laugh about that one I'm sure. Kate has since renamed her "Kate." We think the name is very fitting since the doll has the same big blue eyes and brown hair as her new mommy.

After presents, we enjoyed dessert, went home, and got Kate to bed at 10:30pm! Good thing Santa started his journey on the South-Eastern hemisphere this year, or he might have passed us by.

Wants and Can't Wants

Tonight is a special night at the Blackhurst home. Kate is sleeping in a big girl bed for the very first time.

This all came about after a little heart-to-heart conversation Kate had with Dave the other night. As they were in rocking just before bed, she confided, "Dad, I can't want my bed. I'm too big." Dave (caught off-guard) said, "No, your crib is just your size." She then, reaffirmed, "No, I'm too big; I can't want it" (which, in truth, she is too big for it).

There happens to be an explanation for her not being in a big-kid bed earlier. For starters, Kate never mastered the skill of climbing out of her crib (not a lot of upper body strength going on there). Because of this, she's still been good about taking naps. Any parent would agree, naptime is a beautiful thing, and I for one, wasn't in a rush to lose it.

After hearing this conversation, however, my heart sunk. I realized naptime isn't so important as her self-esteem!!! Have you ever known a 2-year-old to be aware of such a thing? I guess if she's big enough to realize that sleeping in a crib in uncouth, she's big enough for a big girl bed, and old enough to give up naps too.

Anyway, we went out Saturday and bought her a bed. Then yesterday (after going to our niece, Allyssa's, dance recital) we went and purchased all of the bedding. Then tonight Dave set it all up for her.

Here she is trying it on for size

Hopefully, she CAN want this bed. We think it's pretty cute!

The Goose is Getting Fat

I love the holidays; there's so much togetherness and magical memories to be had. This year has been no exception. We've been filling our days plump full with fun, which has been both exciting and exhausting. Through it all, I still can't believe Christmas is this week!!!

Here's a look at what we've been up to this last week:

1. LIGHTS, LIGHTS, LIGHTS!

We were able to visit both the Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork and Holiday Lights at Thanksgiving Point this year. Both places offered perks that the other didn't. For example, Thanksgiving Pt. had live reindeer to pet, hot chocolate to buy, and Ryan, Dren, and the boys as company.

Here's Kate telling Dasher to put in a good word for her with the old man

Spanish Fork, on the other hand, featured Cinderella's castle (that's what Kate called it), and only cost $5 bucks for a night of endless enchantment (I say 'endless' because the enchantment doesn't have to end; they let you circle the place as many times as your little heart desires).

BUT...after some careful analysis and evaluation on mine and Dave's part, we've chosen a winner of the holiday light extravaganzas. Are you ready for this? We dub thee, Spanish Fork, the victor. Cheer, cheer; hooray, hooray!

Here's how we figured...

First of all, it's set in a little cove filled with trees and a serene lake; the setting alone makes for an unfair advantage. The lights are better there too, and we didn't have to line up for 20 minutes just to get in. On the down side, it's a bit of a commute getting there, and you DO have to deal with hillbillies once there; don't think you can avoid them! Let's just say, if your car is new enough to have daytime running lights, you might get a few dirty looks and yells; at least we did. Still, it makes for a pretty fun night.

Here's Kate driving us through the lights. As soon as she got a hold of the wheel she yelled, "Watch out! Coming through!" Oh, our little child; not sure where she came from.

2. FRIENDS

Tuesday night, Dave took Kate to Temple Square with the youth from our ward. Scary, right? It was an extremely nice gesture on his part...all so I could enjoy a night out with my roommates from Slow Knowledge. I didn't see these girls for years, until recently we've started setting up quarterly get-togethers; something that filled a void I didn't realize was there.

Me, Jamie, Tara, Allyson:

I went to Snow with Tara, who happened to be one of my best friends in high school. While there, we met Jamie and Allyson. I now see Jamie and her cheery personality on a near-daily basis since we teach at the same school. And as for Allyson, she is one I wish I could see on a daily basis; no one has better stories than that chick, and is probably the one person I learned the most from while at college. She is hoping for another adoption so if you people know of any babies that need a mom, I'd suggest her in a heartbeat.

Anyway, we met up at the Pizza Factory for dinner and then visited at my place afterwards.

3. PARTIES!

Last Saturday we went to the Argyle Family Christmas party and dinner. We had soups and sandwiches for a fun change this year. Santa and his elf also made an appearance. Kate, of course, had no trouble sitting on St. Nick's lap. From birth, she's had a clear understanding that TRUE FRIENDS bear gifts (a good lesson for anyone wanting to become better friend's with the Blackhurst's). ;)

Then on Sunday, we met with the Nelson side at Aunt Lori's. It was a potluck dinner, and my sweet aunt arranged games and prizes for the kids. Bless that woman...I think that without her, we'd never get to see that side of the family.

On Friday, we went to Dave's Professional Dental party at the new Rodizio Grill in A.F. I hadn't been there for years, and didn't remember the food being anything special. This time, however, I was pleasantly surprised; it was every bit as good as Tucano's, and everyone sitting at our table made for a good time.

So that's last week in a nutshell. We can't wait for Santa to come this week; Kate's been a good girl and will probably score some cool toys, making it especially fun for us to see her reactions.

Mo Tab Concert

It was a cold, but eventful Thursday night. We were one of a few thousand people lucky enough to score tickets to the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert, starring Natalie Cole and David McCullough. This was our first time going (since the show's beginning 40 years ago), and after last night, we'd love to go every year...if we could just figure out a way to get tickets each year.

Anywho, the whole show was awesome; the decorations, the music, the entertainment, and the overall ambiance. Natalie Cole was great. David McCullough, did some narrating (he's the history buff author that wrote all those snoozer, but #1 best-selling history books, ie. 1776). He was actually delightful as well. The best part was an organ solo, in which the dude played two different Christmas songs at once; he was really incredible, and got A LOT of applause.

The only negative remarks I could make about the show was, first of all, the ballerinas. I think they were from the U, and looked totally unrehearsed. I kept thinking, "Gosh, they could have practiced like everyone else"; a total disappointment. Secondly, our seats were kind of crappy. We sat on the balcony in the section closest to the wall. It would have been better to be in a more central seat, but I guess I can't complain since we got to go.

fuzzy wuzzy was a...

After the show, we got to walk through Temple Square and see the place all lit up. I couldn't help but be reminded of my sweetie who proposed to me there 8 years ago. Aww, tender.

Once we got to our car, it took like 10 years to get out of parking garage; bleh...

Oh, well, it was a very nice evening out!

***Oh, and while we're being all tricky and uploading pictures, I thought I'd throw in this pic:This is me, with two friends from my ward, Tiffany and Bree, making friends with author, professor, speaker, etc. etc. Brad Wilcox. He spoke at "Relief Society" the other night, and I thought "I may want a picture with this dude someday." I had no shame and here's proof.

Old People & the Pope

After reviewing this weekend's agenda, one might mistake Dave and me for a couple of seniors. I can't believe it, but we actually spent two nights in a row at the Hale Center Theater. Dave's sister heard this and told us she's going to line us up with some younger couples. I think that might be step in the right direction.

Thursday night we went with Dave's parents to "A Christmas Carol." It was a good show except that we had the awkward, front-row seats; if you've been to this theater you'll know what I mean. Dave especially hated his seat; he sat on the corner of the front row where the actors entered and exited the stage. Anytime the women walked past in their big dresses, Dave's head would unfailingly end up underneath (for a show of another sort).Friday night we came back for some more thespian action to see "A Children's Christmas Carol," which was pretty much the same play except acted out by kids (our neice, Baylee, had a part). This time we sat back on the fourth row (Ppphheeewww!) and took our little Kate with us. Kate loved waving at Baylee every time she was on stage, although a return wave was never given. Kate also commented, "I've seen this show!" which she had...only in cartoon form, from "Mickey's Christmas Carol." It was a cute show and Baylee did a great job.

Saturday night we held the annual adult Blackhurst Christmas Dinner & Gift Exchange. We usually reserve the library room at The Roof, but because we were unable to get reservations this year, we scheduled the Pope's Table at Buca Di Beppo. Hate to say it, but it was way better food at much more affordable prices. This year, we mixed things up a bit. We made a rule that all gifts in the exchange had to be gift cards. Dave and I ended with up the gift cards we brought--a University Mall gift certificate, and Williams Sonoma gift card (which we were happy about). Next year, the rule will be no gift cards, which should make for some interesting gifts.

The real icing on the cake from the evening, had to be 8 adults all riding together in Steve and Becky's SUV. I decided we must really like each other to be willing to squish and suscept ourselves to fun little games like "Corners" while driving together.

It was a totally fun night that involved lots of laughs and food (a great combination). I've always been so glad that I married into that family.

One Little Monkey Jumping On the Bed...

She fell off and broke her foot!

So here's the story...

Saturday-We spent the evening at Lindsay and Paul's place. Super fun; adults were in the kitchen eating Olive Garden take-out, while the kids played in the toy room (or so we thought). Along came a 'thud', followed by a little cry, and then we discovered the girls in the bedroom. One monkey (Sabrina) was still on the bed, while our little monkey was on the floor crying about her foot.

The crying subsided after only a couple of minutes, and we figured all was well.

Sunday-Kate had a little limp, but didn't act too bothered by it. She played great at her new "big-kid" nursery class (even spent most of the time playing like she was a kittie, supposedly). Later that night, she ran around with cousins.

Monday-Kate was still limping. Grandma Sandra talked us into taking her to the doc. I was sure it was just a twisted ankle, but took her anyway. After 3 sets of waiting rooms, some x-rays at the hospital, and a very uncomfortable moment in which Kate pointed to an extremely large woman and said out loud, "She's big!" I was very shocked to learn that she had two fractures in her right foot. I immediately felt so sorry for not taking her sooner.

The doc said the fractures were kind of inset on her foot, and in a place where she doesn't put a lot of weight and pressure down...so I guess we were kind of lucky. She'll have to wear her cast for 3 weeks.

Kate was a little unsure about the cast at first, but once she started receiving treats and get-well presents from various people, I think it's kind of grown on her.

Here's our little girl enjoying a bumblebee balloon from her daddy.

Thanksgiving 2009

Another successful Thanksgiving came and went. Here's a few memories we didn't want to forget:

1st- Before the break, my third grade class had a little Thanksgiving feast of our own. We lined up the desks so it was one big table; and enjoyed soup, rolls, veggie sticks, pumpkin pie and punch (not quite your traditional feast, but good, nonetheless).

We took turns going around the table and saying what we were thankful for; a few kids even thought to mention their teachers...

2nd-We welcomed a new niece over the break; she is truly a beauty! Here she is meeting her Great Grandma Nelson for the very first time.

3rd- We welcomed Dave's turkey:

--never a disappointment.

4th- We had our feast at my parents' house. Grandma Sherrie planned a gingerbread house decorating event. As you can see, Kate and her cousins really enjoyed themselves.

5th- Kate broke her foot; more about that in my next post.

In short, mostly a very happy Thanksgiving.

Thankful for...

Our little girl who's 2 1/2 years old today!

Before having Kate, I had forever fantasized about being able to take my newborn baby into my arms just moments after she was born; never happened (thanks for the false hopes, TLC's "A Baby Story"). Instead, right after Kate was born, she and Daddy got to spend some time together while I recovered (alone) from the C-Section. I never knew how special a baby could be until later that morning when they brought Kate into me. For 3 hours straight she slept in my arms and I tried desperately to never forget how I felt at that moment; and I never have.

We went home from the hospital and I began documenting some of Kate's milestones. I recorded them on little slips of paper, and thought I should transfer them onto something more permanent like the blog. So for those of you who like sentimental sap...you're gonna love the endless facts about someone else's kid that lay before you.

From the get go, strangers often commented on how she was the cutest baby they'd ever seen. Having a lot of hair, I think she had the advantage. Aside from her good looks, we were also told how alert she was. She was a very early smiler, had a good grasp, and paid close attention to everyone and everything around her.

At two weeks old, Kate developed some strong opinions. First, she didn't like being swaddled; the very attempt at wrapping her up would very much irritate her. Secondly, she didn't like lotion. After a bath, it was (and still is) a bit of fight to put on lotion; she must be related to her mother, I don't like the stuff either.

Another dislike involved the hours of 7:00pm- 11:00pm. For those 4 hours of each night, Kate cried and cried; once again, she must be related to her mother. I was "apparently" very cholicky too, or at least that's what I've been told. Dave and I had to take turns with her because there was absolutely nothing we could do to soothe her.

After weeks, we discovered the blow drier calmed her somewhat, as well as taking her outside. And the only restaurant we could go out to without people noticing a screaming child was Texas Roadhouse; thank you, Texas Roadhouse! Well, weeks turned into a couple of months, and Kate finally outgrew her upset bellies. Thank you, Similac Sensitive.

At 1 1/2 months old, Kate experienced her first triumphal moment; she slept an entire 8 hours through the night! We were very impressed by her, but mostly by our outstanding parenting abilities ;)

Also around this time, she discovered her love for her left thumb. Nothing brought her greater joy! When naptime rolled around, she wouldn't fall asleep in our arms, but if she had her bed and her thumb--Done! She was out; she knew how to put herself to sleep.

At 2 1/2 months old (on August 13th), Kate rolled over for the very first time. She doesn't have the most athletic parents so she can take all the credit for that one.

It was also around this time that she loved swinging, splashing in her tub, Peek-a-Boo, and playing a little game we called "Look over Here, Look Over There." Don't really remember much about the game now, except the name. All I remember was that it involved two parents (hard up for entertainment), Kate turning her head from side to side, and then us laughing. Lame now, but at the time, priceless.

Her first tooth came at 5 months (Saturday, October 27th, to be precise). I wouldn't know this except that Kate's dad just happens to be a dentist, and these kinds of moments don't go unnoticed. Kate also said her first word at 5 months. Guesses as to what that word was, anyone? "Mom." Yep, mom. It's my one claim to fame, because everything else usually involves Dad.

Also at 5 months, Kate really liked grabbing everything in sight, especially paper. She LOVED animals, especially dogs, and kids too.

She also enjoyed independent time in her exersaucer. Dave called it, "her office" because she acted like she had things that needed to get done.Mom and dad liked this time too; as cute as Kate was, it was nice giving our arms a break.

On Kate's 5 month dislike list-

#1-Her bumble bee Halloween costume; not because it made her all squeezy and cute, but because it made her feel hot and smothered. The zipper was broken by the end of Halloween night.

#2-Mom and Dad in their Halloween costumes. Seeing us with wigs on made her cry.

At 7 months (January 3rd, 2008), Kate got up from the laying to sitting position. We were sure walking wasn't too far down the line, but were very much wrong. That came at month 14. As mentioned earlier, she doesn't have a whole lot of athleticism in her blood.

Those are the nitty gritties; a big long list of facts that had to be recorded, but in doing so, may have bored everyone but the parents. --We can only hope:)

Nowadays, Kate is our little chatter box. She's very much a little human that can say and do anything that a grown-up can. Kate loves to sing songs and read stories; she'd do this from sun-up to sun-down if she could.

Favorites include: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and recently, Phineas and Ferb (which Dave and I actually kind of like). Kate still loves animals (namely dogs) and someday she'll probably get nice parents that will let her have one. Painting, dress-up's, cooking in her kitchen, nursery, dancing, blowing bubbles, wagon rides, park visits, hotel stays, everything to do with holidays--especially Halloween, and swimming are also on her list of favorites.

Kate loves her friends, cousins, aunt & uncles, and grandmas and grandpas. She's gotten lots of time with them during her short, little life and is always thinking about them. Sundays are a fun day for her because she gets to spend plenty of time with relatives. When she says her prayers at night, she always remembers to pray for them, along with Uncle Mike on a mission. She also prays that she can get married in the temple to her cousin, Hayden.

Kate, you have brought us so many happy moments. We are amazed by you! Mostly, we can't believe we got YOU!

Disney on Ice

We spent Saturday afternoon with Ryan, Adrienne, and the boys at Disney on Ice. Kate dressed up as Princess Aurora, and while there were hundreds of other little princesses all around, no one was as cute as she was.

During the show I had one of those 'Life is Good' moments. I looked over at Kate who was smiling and clapping, and at Dave who was holding her, and thought to myself, "Remember this moment."

.

Well, my happy thoughts quickly subsided following the show. A Narnian blizzard was waiting for us right outside the Melta Center. Lovely. We survived our treacherous journey back to the car...but BARELY. Why any of us choose to live in Utah; I'm not really sure.

We drove to the Olive Garden and had a little soup and salad lunch. After lunch, we did some Christmas shopping at Fashion Place. And, thus, my happy thoughts returned:)

SYTYCD

Okay, so we may have spent the night with hundreds of crazed 14 year-old girls watching "So You Think You Can Dance" in concert... But I loved every minute of it. Don't judge me; maybe Dave's blue cotton candy-stained lips, but not me.

Want to See Something Scary?

Dave's birthday cake made by Moi:(and by 'scary'...I mean in more ways than one)

I found the recipe and a picture for this little baby online and thought, "Pssh. I can do better than that." HMM...turns out not so. Apparently, good cake decorating comes with practice. Who knew? Well, now that I've got one cake decorating experience under my belt, next year's cake will be amazing.

Dave still acted impressed. Thanks, Honey. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I hope you had a wonderful day; I know I did.

Week In a Flash

On Monday we attempted to go to the Pumpkin Festival at LPHS. It was supposed to be like the Festival of Trees; hmm...right. After a quick drive by, we realized we'd prefer going out for icecream at Thanksgiving Point.

Here's Kate enjoying her "pink" icecream, sprinkled with gummy delights.

Tuesday and Wednesday...a bit of a blurr. Although, truthfully, I very much remember going to scouts (but may or may not be trying to supress the memory).

Thursday night, our nephew, Jake, competed for the coveted Mr. Caveman title. He played an expert woman, and an even better lip-syncer, but apparently, real talent takes the cake in that beauty pageant. For my friend, Sara V., your bro. was the clear-cut winner. His drumming was truly amazing.

On Friday we all dressed up for work. Dave took several wigs to work, and judging by his pics that he posted all over faceboook, I'm thinking he quite enjoyed himself. Kate came to my Halloween party at school. She was shy to begin with, but quickly found herself at home listening to stories, pumpkin bowling, and decorating cookies.

Later that night, we celebrated Dave's big 32nd at the Melting Pot. It was a fun restaurant for a change; somewhere we hadn't been since living in Pasadena. Kate thought it was the ultimate meal; bread & apples dipped in cheese; marshmallows, brownies, rice krispie treats, and bananas draped with melty chocolate.

After dinner we stopped in to see Jamie and Aaron's house; a true beauty. Super jealous, but mostly just happy for them. Such good friends; fun talking till the late hours of night.

Saturday, of course, was the day we've been waiting for. Kate was truly the cutest little witch there ever was.We managed to lure in 178 trick-or-treaters that night. How, you ask? We invested in a fog machine and spider webs. Super spooky, huh?