Sweetness

Our sweet Kora Kathleen is already 20 weeks.

We've had 20 weeks of sweetness and much more to come from our adorable, chubby, snuggly gal.

Tree time

After I picked Kali up from school on Monday we turned on some Christmas music & got the tree set up...it started out a little sideways.

 

 Kai made an Obi Wan Kenobe ornament, Hulk & Ironman out of paper

I decorated the mantle with our new stockings

 These two were a big help and pretty much did the tree all by themselves this year. I only had to put the star and a few ornaments up top.

Busy Kali

 

Kali is one busy little gal.

She goes to hip hop during the week...here she is in class

and tap, ballet & jazz on the weekend.

She has been busy working hard on her reading. Kali in one of the youngest in her class and ended 1st grade a little behind in reading. We worked on it all summer & she has caught up to grade level! I am so proud of her & each night we try to read before bed. She loves Kyle Jean books & anything non fiction about animals, planets, or rocks.

The week before Thanksgiving she had a field trip at school to Pioneer Village.

Daddy got to go with her & she had a good time.

Her only complaint was that her feet hurt.

 and for some weird reason I can only make the first few picturs of a post large and the rest are small....what is that all about??

Kali pics

 

This is what I found on the memory card after Kali took the camera outside

A rainbow

 birds flying

 Kai hanging out in the box house/fort

 Kali's art on the box house

Kali's witch painting on the box house (which I might add is my Mom's cat's favorite place to be so there is some serious cat pee on the outside of the box-yuck!)

 Kai being crazy with a weapon made of tape

and a chalk handprint

Thankgiving Week

We spent Thanksgiving week in Utah with Fran's family.

It was the first time I've even met two of his cousins & his other Uncle.

We stayed in Duck Creek Village. It was on the top of a mountain & very muddy & pretty cold.

I bought the kids new warm snow clothes so they would be snug-warm-little bugs.

It was a LONG 6 1/2 hour drive but the kids kept busy watching movies.

 We were SO happy to get out of the car when we arrived, especially little Kora.

 Kali was SO happy to see Aunt Sue again

 We had SOOO much food at the cabin (so Mr. Becker was VERY happy)

 We had lots of yummy family dinners

 Kali and I made some Thanksgiving banners to decorate the cabin

 Kali and Kai had fun playing in our little snow patch

 but mostly we stayed inside to keep warm watching movies & playing card games and board games

 I got to read an entire book and spend lots of time laying in bed snuggling Kora...who looks pretty mad in this pic :)

Our friends the Turners came by (they were also vacationing in Utah)

 There were snowball fights

 lots of calls to Yaya & Granddad back home in AZ

 some cozy nights in bed

 a little cabin fever

 acrobatics

 pool shooting

 and more time in the snow

 Relaxing by the fire

 and LOTS of eating

 The kids saw these tractors at the gas station and had to hop on for a ride

 we visited the coolest rock store

 and drove to Zion National Park

 took a family picture

 and saw some deer

 went on a little hike down to the water

 enjoyed the view

 skipped rocks & found some sticks

 

 

 There was a really LONG tunnel in Zion Park

Then we were all exhausted & time for a rest

 We went into Duck Creek for the holiday parade

 The kids were happy because they scored a LOT of candy

 On the last night Kali stayed up playing card with the adults, she is such a fun little gal.

We loved seeing Fran's Uncle Joe & Aunt Sue and getting to spend time with Aunt Mel & Grandma Kathi but we were all SOOOO happy to get off of that cold, muddy mountain.

We are definitely warm weather & sunshine people.