Off to a good start....

Okay, so my new years resolution to keep up on my journaling via my blog....not going so well! Better late then never though, right? Right.


First off....Mack's Birthday! My baby turned 2 on Dec. 28th! I'm seriously trying not to cry. I can't believe how fast time flies!  I get the feeling that having a birthday right after Christmas is not so fun....fortunately he's still too little to know the difference.  We will have to start having 'Half-Birthday' parties for him in the summer when he gets older!

We were all so burned out from Christmas that we didn't even buy him a birthday present! We just put together the music table he got for Christmas from Grandma...he was none the wiser and he loved it! 

I absolutely love this age!  Mack says the cutest things and provides constant entertainment for the whole family.  

A few of our favorite Mack-isms are:
- "Hold This!"  (speaking of himself, every time he wants to be held)
- Cameras are referred to as 'Say Cheese'
- He walks around singing the 'Corn Dog' song by Ryan Shupe
- Every time the door to the garage is opened, he runs out yelling,"I call middle!" (the coveted spot since no one wants to jump in the back - you'd think by now he'd realize that his car seat is a permanent fixture in the middle row!)

We love our Macky-man! How I wish I could freeze time and keep him right here! Here's to the Terrific Two's!

 Next up...Snow Day!  The weather reports had been stating that we would be getting snow on the morning of the 30th, but when the kids woke up that morning there was not much more than glorified frost!  They were so disappointed that we decided to take them up towards Pine Valley that afternoon to play in some real snow!  What a blast!

Sky and the kids packed some snow down and made a small hill for the kids to sled down. That became the fast favorite!

What a fun day! We didn't last long in the snow, but it was fun just to have the day to spend together.

I thought I was 'safe' being the photographer, but Skyler had other plans! He pelted me, but not before I got a great picture of his snowball headed straight for me. (I told him if he busted my camera, he'd be buying me a new one - that stopped the snowball assault!) 

Although we are VERY grateful not to live in the snow, it is fun to play in every once in a while!

Last but not least... New Years Eve! A few years ago, Skyler's brother McLane started a tradition of 'auctioning' off his Christmas gifts for our kids.  He gave each of them fake money and would put a 'gift' into a box and they would bid on it.  Sometimes it would be a candy bar or a small toy, sometimes it would be an old sock or a roll of toilet paper!  They never knew what they would get - they absolutely loved it!  It became one of the things they most looked forward to at Christmas.  Last year Uncle McLane was living in Austin, Texas and not able to come out, so Skyler hosted the auction at Mom's house with all the cousins.  It was such a hit, that we decided to keep it as a yearly tradition. However, because Christmas gets so hectic, it has now become the focus of New Years Eve!  McLane even came into town from Vegas to be the official auctioneer!  Auctioning with that many people was chaotic, but hilarious!

The girls showing off their loot!

The kids were so warn out from all the excitement, they came home and went straight to bed!  They were all asleep long before midnight. 

Sky and I rang in the New Year with McLane and a very pregnant Kim!  Happy New Year! It's bound to be a great one!