Sledding

With all of the new snow we were aching to take the girls out for a real sledding experience. The Ballings, Wests, Stevens, Sharps united for one excelent day of tub riding.

Texas Road House

Snowmobiling and Pizza Hut

Presents at Dad's

Temple Square Lights

CHRISTMAS

PRESENTS
enough said

Lily asked Santa for a vaccum this year. And not just any vaccum, it really works. It's just like one she played with at a friend's house. We were happy to let her have it since it would really help with the chores. She was so excited and happy when she finally got it. She had been talking about it for weeks. The funniest part about it is that she really hates our big vaccum. She runs and hides everytime I get it out. I think she loves her vaccum because it's quiet enough for her to handle. What a funny girl.

Niki would have been happy just playing with the wrapping paper, but she did get excited about her fuzzy gloves. They are the same fabric as her lovey and she was just thrilled.

Lily's first ski trip

On the day before Christmas Eve we had our annual Balling Family ski trip. It snowed all night and looked to be a perfect ski day. We started with aspirations of going to Alta, but after waiting for an hour in traffic before we even reached the canyon, we decided to go up immigration canyon instead. We made a ski run out of the usual tubbing hill and had a great day.

Lily had a great time and really loved going fast on the skis. We had to carry her the entire way because she's not strong enough to maneuver yet, but by the end of the day she was standing up. What a fun day.

On our way to Utah...

We packed up enough for two months and headed to Utah. Both girls were quite excited about the trip. Niki even practiced her new standing tricks as we waited at the airport.

Niki standing

Yep. It's offical. Niki can stand up. And she LOVES it.

Pre-Christmas Festivities

Niki's Walker and our Anniversary


Trip to see the Lights


A Break at the Park


Christmas Wreath Snacks

From the home of the Invilids...

So we've been sick since Thanksgiving.  Colds, pink eye, antibiotics, and phenylephrine HCL have become our houshold topics of conversation.  The worst day thus far happened on Wednesday the 8th, yes my birthday.  Lily was in pain from her ear infection and it turned her into a kicking, screaming, whining, disobedient, tantrum throwing stinker!  To top it off, Tyler was finally able to meet with a surgeon about his hernia (he's been seeing doctors since early November) and, da da da, congratulations, how about surgery tomorrow?  I'm so tired and I'm tired of us all being sick.  Needless to say, I really really really enjoyed the fact that Tyler took us all out to dinner that night and I didn't have to do anything.  I got a camera, YEA, and a much desired electric blanket for my birthday.  It turned out to be a very happy birthday after all.  If anything, we have learned this holiday season just how grateful we are for our usual health.


Lily's Laundry
   One morning as Tyler was saying his usual good bye he informed me that his shirt on the top of his laundry basket was completely soaked.  "I think it might be pee" he said.  Great.  Later when Lily woke up I asked her if she knew how dad's shirt got wet.
  "Mmm.  Maybe in the washing machine." she stated.  Good thinking Lily, but I don't think so.  I checked out the shirt again and it was definitely completely soaked uniformly, not just a spot job.  Plus I didn't think it smelled like pee.
  I asked her again a while later and again she insisted it was the washing machine.  She then proceeded to show and tell me how she opened it up, put dad's shirt in, and pushed the buttons.  "Then I put it in the dryer" she said "and I put it in dad's laundry (meaning his basket) and folded it", just like I do with his clothes.
  I guess my current laundry routine of every-other-week isn't sufficient for Lily and she took matters into her own hands.

Bye Bye Baby
  Over the last few weeks Niki has outgrown being a baby.  She's into playing and making messes just like Lily now.  After I feed them, they both take off with a mission, usually to the play room.  I'm no longer needed as Niki's constant companion.  It's just play, play, play and then come cry to mom only when needed.  She's just like Lily now except she can't communicate as well.  I love watching her play and figure things out, but I wish she hadn't grown up quite so fast, she was such a cute and cuddly little baby.

Play Skills
Lily was given a bag of blocks for Christmas last year.  All year she's ignored them, 'till we got out the Christmas decorations.  Lily wants a vaccum for Christmas and we keep explaining how Santa will bring it to her if she is good.  Well, she discovered that she can build vaccums with her blocks and then put them under the Christmas tree as presents.  Now she builds with the blocks every day and her towers are getting more complex.  The funny part is, they are always symetrical.  I've even seen her reject pieces because they don't make the tower even.  Silly girl.

Niki is crazy coordinated.  She moves and gets places like I can't believe.  She can walk along with us if we hold her hands.  Unlike most babies who stomp or drag their feet, she's actually walking one foot then another.  I'm excited to see what she can do as she gets older.