What better way to start a new year than with family, snow, goodies, movies and sleding! Yeah for 2011!

Before a semester starts we try to spend some significant time as a family. We decided to take a day and go to the Veterans Memorial Park in Boulder City and feed the ducks and walk around the ponds. Maddy LOVES animals and always gets excited when we go to feed ducks. On our way she crashed so Josh and I ate lunch in the parking lot of the park while she caught a few zzzz'ss and then when we finished we decided to wake her up and this was the first face we got. Haha!! She is such a beauty!

I thought this was so funny. Josh was holding the popcorn that we were feeding the ducks with and he was trying to get to a different side of the pond. While he and Maddy walked the ducks kept right on their tail. They stayed with them until Josh and Maddy decided on the perfect feeding spot. :)

Maddy kept wanting the ducks to come eat out of her hand and she would chase them saying, "come here duck, come here, I pet you." Needless to say they kept their distance. I LOVE these simple pleasures, it's a great reminder that time together is what is needed and valued.

Maddy was invited to a birthday party for her friend Layla. It was so fun, the kids had a total blast. It was an art party and Madelyn was in heaven. Maddy LOVES Layla and it was so fun to watch them together. (Even though Maddy would NOT leave Layla alone) Layla was so patient with Maddy being all up in her business. :)

Maddy had to be right by her almost the entire time. It was so funny to watch but we really are grateful for a friend like Layla and her parents. We consider them both family and friends. Thank you for inviting us Layla!

Happy 2nd Birthday Layla!

She's Growing Up

Christmas Eve day we decided to change Madelyn's crib into a toddler bed. I had caught her twice climbing out and at night time it became routine to let her (she would throw a fit if we didn't let her) climb into her bed. I wanted to get a picture of her on her new bed and it turned into a little photo shoot. I would take a picture and she would look at it and say she wanted to take another one. It was hilarious, but I was going to take advantage of a happy 2 year old.

It is so hard to believe that it has only been 2 years since we had Madelyn. Life with her has brought so much joy to our lives. We thank Heavenly Father every day for trusting us with her and we only hope we will be able to teach her and share with her our testimonies and the important things in life.

We love you Pretty!

CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmas is always wonderful, full of family, food, games and the Christmas story. We spent Christmas Eve with the Mangum side and Christmas day with the Moser clan. This post will be mostly pics because I just can't decide which one's I wanted to share so here's a bunch. We love all of our family and friends and feel so grateful to have shared this last year with you!!

My mom always does the Nativity with the grandkids and this year she got a couple adults involved. It was wonderful!

Clint worked Christmas Eve but was able to come eat and spend a little time with us while on his break. He played a song on the guitar for Emma, Lily and Maddy while they sang. It was so cute. I had no idea Maddy knew the song but Josh said the girls let her come in with them while they practiced earlier in the evening. :)

In my family we pick names for gift exchange. My parents picked us and we got an AWESOME movie basket from them. So FUN!

My mom made blankets for all the grandkids and then my parents got all the kids a pair of pajamas. The kids were so excited!! Krissy and Ryan gave eachother jammies so they jumped in the picture also.

All of us siblings went in on a gift for my parents where we got all of their 8mm reels converted to a DVD. It turned out sooooooo AWESOME!! They were thrilled about it and all of us couldn't wait to see it. Home movies are such a fun thing to watch especially when they are ones we haven't seen in years.

My parents got all of us couples these beautiful picture frames.

Millie is just too cute! Love her!

Miss them! :( But were so glad they came for a whole week!!!

They're growing up too fast!

Christmas morning was wonderful. Maddy was so funny. She actually woke up around 4am but Josh was not ready to get up so I had to try and confine Maddy in our room for 2+ hours. Then just before 7 she crashed and hard! Krissy came in and I was ready and we woke up the hubbies but it was so hard trying to get Maddy back up. It happened though and as we walked out of the room Maddy looked over the banister and saw a quad sitting by the tree for her. Her eyes got big and she said "mommy my car!!! my car!!" Josh was video taping and Maddy took off for the stairs. He had to run to get ahead of her so he could get it on tape downstairs. It was so cute.

The quad was a hit! That face was PRICELESS!

I got an ADORABLE new purse! I was so excited!

Krissy and I got Josh and Ryan matching remote control helicopters. They were totally stoked. They played with them all morning. :)

In preparation for Christmas we started asking Maddy what she wanted Santa to bring her and for the longest time she would say a computer in that oh so adorable 2 year old voice. Josh and I would just look at eachother and we knew we are going to be in real big trouble if our 2 year old was already asking for electronics. But Santa came through for her and she now plays with her computer daily. :)

Love them!

For Christmas this year my mother and father-in-law made everyone's gifts and they were so GREAT! We LOVED them! My father-in-law made Mia and Maddy rocking chairs and my mother-in-law made cushions for them. The girls just loved them!

For all the rest of the kids they made these super soft blankies with their names embroidered on them. I think the kids absolutely loved them. They stayed wrapped in them most of the night.

For all of us couples they made aprons. They are so rad! I only got a picture of the girls but others got pictures of the guys too so someone send them my way. :)

The Payne family picked our family this year and they got us the perfect gift. Hot chocolate, a SUPER cozy blanket and a beautiful Christmas book that Maddy LOVES! Thankyou Payne family, we LOVE you!

All of us kids also went in on a gift for my in-laws. Melissa found these adorable signs, the first says Grandpas Workshop broken toys fixed here and the second says Grandkids Welcome parents by appointment. Then we were able to get them a fantastic date night package (a very well deserved date I must say) and then we put together a Heritage Makers book for them in hopes it would help them know and remember how much we love and support them!

Gingerbread house making is always a blast and the older my nieces and nephews get the better the houses are. And it doesn't hurt to taste your project...:)