We had SO much fun in Utah! I had to start with this favorite picture of little Nyah and my mom... love those two girls so much!! Mostly it was a lot of activities at home and that's where I'll start... Mom had so many crafts and games prepared for all the grandkids. (Did I mention that ALL my siblings were in town together?!! It was crazy fun!! :) Lots of people at Grammy and Papa's house, especially when Matt and Mindy's families would stay late, but it felt soooo good to be with all my wonderful siblings again.) Anyway, here are a few cute pictures of all the cousins together! First there was stockings to decorate:
Hey, what does she think she's doing... sneaking up on the table to eat the treats?! That little stinker!! :)
This one was a really fun scripture story game... and check out those awesome prizes! Every kid was frantically racking their brain!! haha! (btw, I love Cannon's face in the foreground... he was not happy about something!!)
This was a night of Christmas bingo - oh ya!!
I had to add a cute picture of Papa cuddled up with his only two grandaughters reading books. 
And of course there was also lots and lots of trampoline time!
What a cute kid Gabe is!! He was really proud of that cupcake. I love how creative he is.
And here is our bday princess with her pretty mama (and Sam) at a playland for lunch.
Then we read the story of Christ's birth out of the bible, sang some Christmas songs, and read some Christmas stories. At this point we let Gabe and Nyah open a gift each - pjs plus a new Christmas book. So we read the book and made a plate of goodies for Santa and the reindeer then popped the kiddies into bed! Eric and I enjoyed a fun evening of preparation for the morning (wink wink!) and watching The Christmas Carol with George C Scott (a personal fave of mine...and hopefully Eric's one day)! It was such a fun night! The next morning the kids were up early (not so unusual for our Gabers) and ready to go see what Santa brought! He was so cute, getting Nyah all excited to go downstairs.
Gabe was THRILLED with the awesome garbage truck that Santa brought for him!! This was one of the only pictures I could get of him looking at the camera! He was all eyes on the truck all day. :)
Nyah got a baby doll and stroller from Santa. It took her a few minutes to warm up to it but in the end she loved it! Here is her funny little "CHEESE" face!
I decided to add to that gift by sewing her baby doll a little bed and some blankies. I think Nyah liked it! 
We had a delicious breakfast (if I do say so myself!) of Christmas cream eggs, bacon, fruit and homemade pastry.
Then it was back to opening presents and playing! Daddy decided to take a rest on the couch and Nyah came right over and made herself comfortable... right on his head! haha! 
"Oh wait, there's someone under there!" :)
The week before Christmas, Eric and I went on a date and walked around beautiful downtown Seattle, enjoying the lights and hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. It was a fun to get out and have a relaxing evening with my honey. 
We took the kids to Snowflake Lane in Bellevue again this year and it was a ton of fun. The only pictures I have are from Eric's phone so I'll have to add them later. I love love love Christmas and everything that comes along with it!
I feel him every day kicking and moving around (yes, it's a HIM!!) It is so fun to be pregnant again because with it comes all the excitement and anticipation of another child joining our family. I catch myself wondering all the time what his little personality will be like, what he'll look like, will he be a good baby (please), what will his little quirks be? I learned with Gabe and Nyah that siblings can be polar opposites, so I have no idea what to expect! :) All I know is that I am thrilled to add to our sweet family!
Nyah thought the party was all about her. It was like she was a teenager already... as soon as we got there she took off like she needed to socialize with everyone! If I turned my attention away for a moment, she was gone. I even found her once on the pianist's lap while she was trying to play! 
Of course the highlight of the evening was SANTA!!! Gabe was so excited he kept asking me in a whisper when Santa would be there, almost like it was a secret! It was adorable. That little man is just the cutest boy. When Santa finally did come, his face literally lit up and he raced to the stage to get in line! He was so quick that I missed a picture of him on Santa's lap, darn it! Eric was there though and told me that Gabe wouldn't really look into Santa's face but talked to him and was really happy to sit on his lap. (I remember last year I captured a picture of him talking out of the side of his mouth to Santa! Luckily Santa has good hearing because he still brought the gift Gabe really wanted!) 
The funniest part of the night was Nyah with Santa though. She LOVED him!! She would NOT leave his lap and the other kids were having to sit on Santa's other knee until I finally dragged her off his lap kicking and screaming! It was hilarious!! And she wiggled and squirmed her way back onto his lap again (of course cutting in line) before a very embarrassed Daddy finally put a stop to his child monopolizing Santa! Who ever heard of a 1 year old that adored Santa! Most are terrified! :) She would sit on his lap grinning from ear to ear and looking up into his face now and then. Mostly I think she just loved being the center of attention!! Uh oh, we're in trouble!!
Nyah has been a little sick, poor sweetheart. I think it hit right after Thanksgiving and has kind of lingered for awhile now. On this afternoon she woke up sad from her nap (very unusual for our bouncy girl!) and so I bundled her up and went downstairs to make her a baby cup of Grammy's special 
Here are my two cuties playing make believe. Gabe transformed Nyah's cushion from her changing table (it was laundry day) into a pirate ship. He made sure there was room for her aboard too. They were sailing the seas - well actually he got them both oars so I'm not sure what kind of boat it was! Then he ran off and brought back a pen and paper to make a map (like in Dora the Explorer)! It was so creative and cute!! Of course Nyah disappeared soon after and came back with a scavenged pen from somewhere and a scrap of paper to scribble on! I just sat on the chair and enjoyed watching them play. :)
Gabe's fantastic gingerbread house!! This is the first time we have attempted it...and I'm not ashamed to admit I bought the premade house at Costco!! Hee hee! It was so fun to open it up with all the different candy right there, the frosting in tubes ready to use, and a house all put together and waiting! We got to focus on the fun stuff - where to put all those yummies! We did all this art work at a luncheon hosted by a good friend with a whole bunch of other ladies and kids. It was a blast and we enjoyed a delicious lunch, to boot. What a way to kick off Christmas Time!
We went on the "Bus Trail" and found out why it was named that! Gabe and I had fun wondering how on earth this old bus ever got this far up the mountain!
Thanksgiving morning the kids kept busy by painting and painting and more painting... a new, passionate interest for both! Of course Nyah just wants to do whatever Gabe is doing so I'm not sure that is accurate! But Gabe's face always lights up when I suggest he paint!
We had a fantastic Thanksgiving feast with friends at the Paternosters later that afternoon. Absolutely everything tasted heavenly! I can't believe I forgot to take a single picture. Probably because I was enjoying myself so much! Eric and I are so happy to have such wonderful friends here. It's like having family around you, even when your family is really so far away.
