Christmas 2012

We had a wonderful Christmas this year, as we do every year.

We started off with a big Christmas dinner the Saturday before Christmas with my family before we headed down to St George Sunday to spend Christmas with Chris's family. The kids got way into helping set up the table and even made name tags for everyone.

Chris and I tried our hand at making our very first Turkey. It turned out pretty yummy. I realized as I was setting up the table that I was missing a lot of dishes most people have when hosting a formal dinner. So the turkey was served on a plastic green Christmas plate and instead of a gravy boat we used a large measuring cup. :) It all still tasted wonderful.

The kids in their new Christmas Sunday clothes before we went to Church.

For Christmas Eve I-hop is the tradition. Here is most of the group getting ready to order.

Another Clayton tradition is matching jammies. The pictures are a horrible quality but I just had to post them. Notice the girls in the front row hardly move yet in all the pictures we took we could not get one with all the boys looking at the camera with smiles and eyes open. Come on guys....

Kaden and Taycee had matching jammies too but by the time we got around to snapping a picture they were far beyond asleep. In fact as soon as we got home from dinner Kaden crashed on our bed and we couldn't get him back up for anything.

Grandpa and his girls.

Christmas morning came with lots of excitement. Having little kids sure makes Christmas fun. I was totally lazy this year and didn't take any pictures on my camera. Luckily the I-pad was handy and we got a few snapshots on it.

As you can tell by the pictures there was more than enough presents to go around and we were all spoiled rotten. Chris had the Christmas of his life and got every electronic toy a man could want. The kids all came home with more toys than we have room for. And I spent 4 days laying our in pajamas which is exactly what the doctor ordered. 

Grandma and Grandpa Clayton gave us an extra Christmas present and kept the kids through the weekend so Chris and I got 2 whole days of freedom, we walked around the mall saw a movie and wondered what we ever did with all our free time before we had kids. 

Hope you all had a very merry.

xoxo-

me

Two thousand and thirteen

I really can't believe that 2012 is over. It was a good year for us. We had some ups and downs as every year does but I think our good times far surpassed the bad. Memories were made, firsts occurred, hundreds of load of laundry were folded and put away, and we enter a new year a little wiser and a little more grateful for what we have.

2013 is going to be a good year for us. Lots of big changes are happening we will embark on a new adventure, I will officially be married to Doctor Christopher Clayton and hopefully we will  pay off the mountain of school loans the we have been accumulating the last 6 years.

But before we take off into the new year I have to finish documenting 2012.

I have been terrible at taking any pictures but luckily I captured a few of the highlights on my phone.

These pictures make me laugh. This was back in November when Addison was just starting to walk on her own. She would take about 10 very wobbly steps before falling on her rump. She wouldn't take slow carefully steps she would always take off running.

She has come such a long was since then. On Christmas day she decided it was time to start walking. And she did. She literally stood up by herself in the middle of the room and started walking. She is funny that way, she doesn't do anything slowly she just waits forever and then decides to master it in one day.

We had a ward Christmas party during the beginning of December. I was in charge of a few primary numbers for the party. For one of the numbers I had a small group of girls playing jingle bells on the chimes. One of my girls backed out last minute but she was playing a chime that only got hit 3 times through the entire song so I figured Kaden could probably fill in. We practiced a few days before with all the girls and he did great. He hit is note right on time every time. I wasn't worried at all about him. When it came time for the performance I handed out the chimes and had all the kids stand on the stage. Kaden immediately started running back and forth across the stage ringing his chime. When I finally wrangled him down and got him to stand in line the crowd was giggling a bit. I started the first chime and the girls were doing wonderfully then it came time for Kaden, he paused for just a second before hitting his chime AS HARD AS HE COULD. A few snikers from the audience but the girls were pros and carried on without missing a beat. Note two came around for Kaden and he paused for just a moment longer than the first time and pulled his arm back up past his head then smacked the chime again as hard as possible. More snickers from the audience. The girls carried on and finished the song, Kaden had the very last note and this time he paused pulled his arm back wound it up in a circle a few times and then crashed his stick into his chime with a sense of victory. The audience broke into laughter. Kaden had his proud "I just did something awesome" face on. I shook my head and helped them all of the stage. My son the comedian.

Later "Santa" visited. He was the youngest skinniest Santa I have ever seen, but he sure tried. After Kaden sat on his lap he said "Mom, that is not the real Santa, his beard kept falling off." I suggested that maybe he was just a helper to which he responded "no that was definitely just a guy in a costume."

Taycee had a dance recitle in December. She was so excited for it. She was lucky enough to have both sets of grandparents and Aunt Kelsey and Uncle Ben come to watch. We sat through a 90 minute concert to watch her 2 minute number. But boy was she cute.

She got more roses than any other dancer there I am quite sure. She felt pretty special.

Here she is with her cute friend Stevie who lives down the street.

So although much more happened in December, that is all I captured with my phone. I DO have some Christmas pictures somewhere that I will round up and post... tomorrow perhaps. 

Give Thanks

Our Thanksgiving looked a little like this

So thankful for food and family and home.

Then she was 4

Taycee Lynn turned 4. Her birthday was actually on Thanksgiving day this year so we made Tuesday the 20th her birthday. A few weeks prior I asked her if she wanted to have a party for her birthday and invite her friends over. She said "no, I just want to go to the store that paints your fingers and toes", so we did.

The day started out with pancakes topped with strawberries and cream. 

It's her very favorite breakfast can you tell?

Then somehow I totally stopped documenting the day. It went a little something like this,

Dance at 11:00

Hair and makeup done at 2:00

Shopping with mom at 3:00

It was a pamper Taycee day and she LOVED every minute. She actually fell asleep in the chair when they were doing her hair, and she beamed at everyone who walked by because they all would say something like "she is the most adorable little girl I have ever seen!" To which she would smile and say "It's my birthday, I am 4." 

The whole day I kept thinking if this is what she wants when she is 4 I am in BIG trouble when she is 16!

I was running way behind my "schedule" all day. So by the time our pedicures came around I hadn't even started the cake, which I knew was going to take me a long while because Taycee had requested a "Frapunzle" (Rapunzle) cake and although I had a vision in my head I really didn't know exactly how I was going to pull it off.

Luckily grandma Clayton was able to come up for our little party and she saved the day by taking Taycee to get her mani/pedi while I created the cake. #grandmasarelifesavers.

I was actually pretty sad that I couldn't go with them because I knew it would be Taycee's favorite part of the day. She asks me every day to paint her toes and fingers and I knew that her first experience at a nail salon would be like heaven to her. It was. She LOVED it. Grandma snapped a few pictures on her phone for me. 

While she was getting the finishing touches on her pamper day. I was home piping vines on rice-krispies treats...

And 2 hours later we had our razpuzule cake done. Complete with Flynn his horse and a few extra princess cupcakes.

I had to include the picture below because after finally finishing the cake I put it aside to finish the soup and then I heard my sister say "STOP KADEN! what are you doing? He had taken a candle and was poking holes into the frosting. He looked at her and without blinking said "I had to make Flynn's footprints for the horse to follow." Good call buddy, good call.

Jenny was my cake assistant. She was an excellent help.

Here is the princess all dolled up in her new clothes with her hair and makeup done and her nails painted.

Dear Taycee,

  You are 4! I can't believe it. You are way smarter than any 4 year old I know. I have said it for years but you really are too smart for your own good. (and mine) You have more spunk and personality in your little finger than a lot of people have in their whole body. You LOVE to be the center of attention, and most everywhere we go you are. Your big blue eyes and pretty smile win over most hearts in seconds. You are such a good helper with your little sister. When I need a diaper or a blanket you are always the first to run upstairs and grab one for me. You are a quick thinker and you don't let much get by you. You love to learn. You are already reading short stories and you remember everything you are taught. You love all things pretty, you love to have your hair done and you ask everyday to use my "nakeup" it is so cute that I still haven't corrected your n to a m. You know what you want in life. For your birthday you wanted 1. a booster chair so you didn't have to sit in a baby buckle anymore. 2. a cat that walked and talked (but that was still a toy because your mommy would die if it was a real cat) 3. A new pink dance outfit.
You also got some sparkly lip gloss and it was gone in a week because you carried it around and put it on your lips every 5 minutes.
You are a sass...A MAJOR sass, some days you stop me in my tracks because I don't know how to respond to your attitude. But you have a sweet side too. You don't like to see people sad, I was talking to daddy one night about my feelings of inadequacy and you saw I was upset. ( I didn't know you were nearby) The next day you said "mommy why were you sad last night" I said "sometimes I just don't feel like a good mommy" you gave me the biggest hug and said "I think you are the greatest mommy". You keep me on my toes, we will have a few rounds you and I... I am sure of it. But I think in the end we will be the best of friends! I wouldn't trade you for any other 4 year old out there. Not even the sweet obedient submissive ones.

I am so excited to watch you grow and learn. Be nice to your momma though... okay?

Happy Birthday my Taycee Lynn Boo.

xoxo- momma.

Double cute

On November 5th two of the cutest guys I know came into this world. They are tiny and darling, and just so stinking lovable. 

I was lucky and got to take a few quick shots of them. However our time was limited and they were not too excited about the whole ordeal, so the pictures we got were limited... but they are precious none the less!

Welcome to the world Cooper and Bennett, your auntie loves you lots and lots!

This is a little video I put together of the actual day they were born.
Cooper and Bennett from Jill Clayton on Vimeo.

Hello December

How is it that I posted EVERY day in November but am a month behind in blogging? 

It is December now and I feel like Halloween was last week and then we just skipped the month of November... yet SO MUCH happened in November. 

- - -

I became an Aunt of twins

Addison took her first steps

SO many job applications went in

The future became a little more decided ( more on that later)

Taycee turned 4

We had a fabulous turkey dinner

Double ear infections

colds

coughs

- - -

So I guess November really did happen.

I will try to get around to documenting it sometime in the very near future.