I put the "good" picture from this set on the side of the blog, but really, who doesn't like these kinds of photos that display the real moments in life. Here they are in their new duds on Christmas night. The day didn't go exactly as planned, but still a treasured holiday together.

Okay, so maybe a little ridiculous, but we blessed Tessa over 2 months ago and we forgot to get any pictures. (I know, I'm a horrible mother.) Anyway, it's a good thing we couldn't find this dress in a smaller size and it still fits her. I got some fun shots today. I thought the light in this one made her look especially angelic.

Before the game, we spent some time at Balboa Park in San Diego. Here are a few pics of the family. We all know that Owen hasn't met a fountain that he didn't like!

Kirt & Cal at the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego. Utah beat Navy in a super exciting game. So glad we went! Speaking of bowl games: Did BYU luck out, or what!?

Jon and Abby also came to visit. This is a picture of them and a sleeping Tess at the Poinsettia Bowl. It was so fun to see them. I also have to thank them again for all of their babysitting. I was able to finish all my Christmas shopping while they hung out with the kids.

Just so you can see Aunt Katie. The kids weren't looking, but it was a good pic of Judd and Katie so I decided to be nice. : )

Check out Owen's face. He does this when we say "Freeze!" We make him do it several times a day and it isn't getting old yet. The other dude in this picture is Uncle Judd. Judd and Katie came to visit a few weeks ago. We had a blast with them. They're expecting their first baby in June. The kids are very excited about their new little cousin Herbie.

Christmas Eve is here already. I decided to cut out a lot of non-essential things that I sometimes do at Christmas time this year. Since I'm not working, I didn't have to worry about co-worker's gifts. I kept it simple for Cal's teacher, and just a few home baked goodies and cards for our new neighbors. I'm really just looking forward to a day off with Kirt in the middle of the week, seeing the kids open their gifts and breakfast at Western Bagel. It's really not the big things about Christmas that excite me anymore. I must be getting old!

I've been thinking about my favorite things about Christmas. I think my very favorite thing is Christmas cards. I LOVE seeing all of your families grow so much with every passing year. If you thought you were left off my Christmas card list last year, you're not the only one. With a 1 year old that was into everything, pregnant with our little princess, working full time, and all the other craziness life brings, cards just didn't get out. I have to thank all of you who didn't black-list me and kept us on your mailing list. By the way Shannon, you put us all to shame every year with your hand-made cards! Stacie and Rachel - your custom designs are awesome! Someday I hope to join your creative ranks. Sometimes the cards are a reminder that it's already been another year since we've all seen each other, but at least we all took a moment to remember one another and send our love, right?

Anyway, I know I'm not much of a writer on this site, but I guess the season is getting to me. We hope you all are well and that you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Another slide show...

I've had the camera out a lot lately. I figured a slideshow was the easiest way to display all the pictures. We had a great Thanksgiving. We've never spent Thanksgiving in Utah since we moved here, but I've also never cooked the entire dinner all by myself. After 10 years of marriage, I figured it was about time to figure out how to cook a turkey. Everyone kept saying it wasn't that hard. Well, they were right. Getting everything on the table at the right time was probably the biggest challenge, but it was one yummy dinner. We also love to get to Santa Barbara this time of year. While there, we hit the zoo - which has become our favorite zoo. It's great for little ones. It's not too big, but has some great animals. Check out the picture of the giraffe with the crazy neck!

Happy 2nd Birthday Owen!

Double click on the picture to see the photos a bit larger.

Okay, so maybe the boys aren't always so sweet. This big scratch on Tess's face is courtesy of Owen's fingernail. She'll be one tough girl after surviving 2 brothers. (Look at the adorable "Wendy" dress - from Peter Pan! We love it!)

They were both really sound asleep. What sweet little boys!

These kids are the most precious thing ever. We are so lucky that our lives are filled with fun moments like this.

Tessa

I keep telling my mom that I'll email a picture of Tess in this darling outfit that she gave her, but we might as well show everyone how cute she looks in it. And then we've kept things even with pics of all 3 kids today.

Owen

Would you believe that this is how Owen's hair starts out every day? We really do comb it - sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. But as soon as it dries, the curls come to life.

Cal

Check out Cal's right eye. He took a dive off some climbing bars at the park the other day and look at the result. A real good shiner. We've got some rugged looking boys with Owen's little scar on his lip and Cal's black eye.

If you're a peeping blogger like me, you may see it anyway, but on my sister's blog (click on jon & abby) she has a great video of Owen at the water fountains at The Grove.

All three together. It may just be their ages right now, but they seem to really get along pretty well and love each other so much. Owen always takes his cues from Cal, and although Cal can be a little rough with him at times, he is a really sweet and affectionate kid. (BTW: Go UTES!)

Owen is usually very sweet and gentle with his little "Tetta" but we always have to keep an eye on him. Every once in a while he likes to sneak in a little pinch.

Here are the kiddies in their costumes. We had a baseball player, a monkey and a ladybug. Strangely, these costumes were all very fitting for each one of them. Cal certainly has a love for baseball, there's no denying that Owen is one crazy monkey and Tess is our sweet little ladybug.