Party like it's 1999...

So are you doing anything fun for New Year's Eve? We're totally gonna party it up at our house. Let's see.... Kids in bed by 7:30 p.m., wife gets to pick a chick-flick to watch, and bed by... oh 10:30 or 11:00? Yep... it's a real party at our house!

What are you doin' New Year's Eve? What did you do in 1999?

I'm remembering a fun trip that Jen and I took to Guatemala. We stood on the streets of Xela and watched the locals set off fireworks. I even smuggled some firecrackers back into the States in my suitcase. How did I ever do that??? (pre 9-11, of course) I remember we were a little worried about the whole Y2K thing and being able to get back in the country. Funny how that amounted to a big nothing. Maybe I'll search for our pictures (someday), scan them, and post them to the blog. Maybe.... :)

So... I wanna hear your plans!

Merry Christmas!

from our family, to yours!

Best Buddies

The other day I took the brothers to their 18-month appointment. Since I'm a regular at the pediatrician's office, the gal at the front desk was chatting away and commenting on how big the twins were getting, etc. She asked, "How is Alex doing with his little brothers?"

I answered, "Well... he does pretty good, but he's just a typical big brother."

She said, "Like right now?"

I quickly turned around to see Alex with Jackson in a head lock, giving him a noogie. *sigh* Yep... like right now. sheesh!

But these boys do really have a great time together, and every morning they are all so excited to see each other. Today they were "snuggling" on the oversized chair in the living room. They barely fit, but they were having a great time. It was a nice little "moment."

A simple way to give...

Have you heard? Macy's will donate $1 for every letter written to Santa and dropped off at any Macy's location in their special Santa mailbox. All you have to do is address your child's letter to "Santa at the North Pole." Write one today! It's fun for the kids and great for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Visit to Santa

Well, Santa came to our ward party again, and this year Alex actually sat on his lap! Hurray! However, he never dared to tell Santa what he wanted. Luckily Santa is a smart fella, and he let Alex know that if they put their heads together, he could read Alex's mind. Phew. (I'm sure Mark wished he had that same power to figure me out... Maybe if he grew a beard and a belly...)

Lovin' Christmas Decorating!

Last night Alex got to have a special "late-night" (oooh, 8:30!) to help me put up our Christmas village. It was truly magical. Kids are the greatest! He was just bubbling over with pure excitement. I don't know how many times I heard the phrase, "Mom! I just looooove the village! And Christmas! Oh... and candy canes!" After talking about that, he'd always throw in a sweet little, "Mom? I just love ya!" Ahhh....

Of course, thanks to a couple of curious and crazy 1 1/2 year olds, we're not putting up half of what we have this year, but that's okay!

Alex is also playing Santa make-believe every day. He's constantly turning the furniture into a sleigh, loading bags full of toys, putting them under the tree, and asking me if I've been naughty or nice. Each night it's the same question... "Is Santa coming tonight?" If only I could bottle up this excitement and spread it out over the whole year! What fun!