Catch-Up Continued

In January we continued to have fun with family in town.  Grace likes sweets...so I couldn't help but encourage the sugar overload, even if it didn't help with the "new year weight loss" ideas I had.  We made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and cream puffs (among other things).  They were all soooo good!!

Mara got a little thirsty and turned vampire on us, but she's back to normal now :) 

The red velvet cupcakes were especially for Daniel and Ashley's return since they are her favorite cake...though we are not Alabamian nor do we make it as good as grandma(granny?)....but, she still smiled and licked her lips :)  

While they were here, the kids had dance parties and had a blast hanging out together.  

During another trip they exercised together.  I tell you, these kids know how to bond :)

The first part of the year brought an awesome snowfall.  Levi was napping so I decided to shovel the driveway while Mara romped happily in the snow. 

It was pretty deep and she eventually ended up in a ball of tears when she fell down in waist deep snow, lost her glove, and realized how cold she was.

 Ian took a few more business trips in January.

During one of the flights he was able to get a picture of the nasty inversion that kept us all in stuffy heads and drippy noses for the better part of the month.

Staying inside wasn't always fun, but we made the most of it. 

 Levi discovered the best way to watch Sesame Street.

Mara spent much of the time teasing her brother.  Here she put the step stools (which he needed to climb onto the couch) on the back of the couch, intensifying his distress. 

On one day she begged and begged to go outside.  She put all her jewelry on and then retrieved her boots from the garage and told me she was ready.  How could I say no!?  So I let her walk around on the 4x4 deck until she got cold.  It was a perfect solution and totally satisfied her.

January ended with another good snow storm and the kids and I played while Ian shoveled.  The snow piles were awesomely high and the kids made the pictures of it much more exciting.  

And just before going inside we made snow angels.  Just about the only thing I like to do in the snow.  I blame my brothers' many, many, whitewashes for solidifying my dislike of truly playing in the snow :) I guess with young kids, I'm going to have to get over it, at least for a little while, and January gave me plenty of opportunity!

Wow!

So I just realized we have about 4 months of catch up to do...I apologize if this causes your brain to explode, but I'm going to inundate you with pictures instead of just telling you what happened.  If its worth it, I'll add in a story, but as you know, a picture is worth a thousand words!

 Sorry, we've been a bit lazy with updating.  Its exhausting to have as much fun as we do.

Halloween was awesome!! Mara was a cute cow for the second year (at her insistence) and Levi made an adorable lion- if I do say so myself :)

Next comes November

 Ian took a business trip, and out of sheer boredom at the lack of me and the kids, tends to take pictures of his beautiful surroundings.  

There is never any boredom here at home.  Mara spent November making me laugh.  Especially when she got stuck in her pj's, haha, still gets me!

Ian's parents came to visit and we all enjoyed that! Here, the kids enjoyed the ducks at Gardner Village.  I enjoyed the sweet shop....yum!

Levi liked November because it comes right before December, and that means Christmas!!!  

Also, He bit his tongue.  That was scary for mom.  Now I'm in the "my kid bit their tongue" club!!

 The final November hoorah was to Temple Square with the Pierce parents to see the lights.  Fun (and shivering) was had by all.

They were gorgeous!!

On to December

 It was a busy month! The kids helped with the housework,

 And the visitors began on my birthday!! (Funny story, no pictures of that, but I promise it happened!) Levi and Lilly had a blast together, and he also enjoyed having Uncle Daniel to hang out with.

With all the visitors, we also had lots of treats.  Mara liked that :)

 Levi was funny, as always.  Dressing himself up as a cross-dressing safari guide, playing guitar while waiting for cookies, learning how to eat without a restrictive tray, and of course, showing off his curls.

 With all the visitors, we still managed to go to the Discovery Gateway with our friends- tons of fun!

When Ian was home, he taught the kids how to make an awesome fort.

 Unfortunately, he was gone a lot towards the end of the year.  100+ days gone in 2012.

 While he was gone he missed this tender moment- Levi imitated us at prayer time.  So cute!

But when he was home, he definitely made the most of it.

He also used his time to make this sweet rocking horse for Levi for Christmas.  Its a family favorite.

 Christmas was awesome, but not quite well pictured.  The kids loved the lights, insisting that we "drive special" to look at them.  The presents were enjoyed, and the new kids nativity was carried around, played with, and the lamb even took a quick trip to Alabama with Daniel and Ashley, haha.  Mara liked to line them up in such a neat symmetrical way that I decided it should be documented. Grace spent the whole break here since she was at BYU this year.  (Not sure how she avoided the pictures...) And of course, when reading the Christmas story on Christmas Eve, we had our own Mary and Joseph.  Super cute.  Even though Joseph seems to have a sparkly girdle....eh, no matter :)

And this little cutie finished off the year by getting a haircut- her first real cut since she was 5 months old.  I've been keeping her bangs in check, but thats it!  She donated her 10 inches to locks of love, and thought it was just about the best thing.  I agreed, until I realized how unruly her hair is.  It wants to curl, but not fully- it just flips funny in the back....so if I don't style it, she looks wild.  Thats ok.  I like wild :)

And that was 2012!!  

Sorry it's been a while.  Anyway, here you go.

We're all good.

Life is exhausting.

Vacations are over, Levi is a year old, Mara turns three at the end of the month, Fall is around the corner, the Pierce bed and breakfast is in full swing, and we can't wait to start the holidays. Life keeps us busy, but someday we'll catch up on the blog :)

Forgive the nudity

Not even a year old, and he can reach the bottom of the countertop while still standing on the ground. We are in for an exciting few years- nothing will be safe!!

Nine months and change :)

This little cutie has arrived at yet another milestone- he turned nine months old on the 16th!! 
He is now 30.25 inches tall (95th percentile) and 18.8 lbs (21st percentile) - tall and skinny, just like his daddy! 

However, before we get to that, lets talk about some change. There's been a lot of change around here!  Mara is fully potty trained, day and night!! When she went two weeks with no accidents, she was able to get a bike, and boy was she happy! 

Since Mara got to learn how to ride a balance bike, Levi got to learn how to drive a car. "Like this dad?"

Dad's been doing a lot of teaching! He also taught Mara how to partner dance- awwwww!

 Speaking of change, the general atmosphere at home has changed too- its a bit more wild now that Levi is fully mobile!

 Did I say wild? I meant messy...

 And its more than just the house. In contrast to his big sister who still says "good!" when given puréed food, Levi refuses just about everything from a spoon (with the exception of green beans, peaches, and pears) and much prefers finger foods. String cheese is by far his favorite, although, those cinnamon maple puffs keep him pretty interested too. (Can you tell I try to avoid the mess at all costs?!)

He started crawling a little before 7 months, and has been given the name explorer boy. I frequently turn around to find him on the opposite end of the house than where I last saw him.

   When on hard surfaces, he almost always prefers to bear crawl though!

 He got his daddy's curls, and he's so precious when he's sleeping :)

 We've all been waiting for the weather to happy up so we can leave the house.

Sometimes the kids kill time with dad at "daddy's store." Its amazing what you can find there!

 The sun decided to cooperate for mothers day weekend and we had a picnic!!

 Mara loved blowing bubbles,

 And Levi had a blast just hanging around outside.

And thats all the change from around here!

 Whew, who knew blogging could be so exhausting, I'm pooped!