Moving

As many of you know, next week we are moving to Delaware. Paul is doing an externship with a judge in Delaware for his last semester of law school. We are thrilled for this opportunity to move back East, be closer to family, and see the many historic sights. However, we are sad to leave Iowa. We appreciate all the love, support and friendship we have felt while being here. We will miss our midwest home but are excited to move on to a new adventure!

Merry Christmas!

Here are the girls in their Christmas outfits from Papa J.

Matching christmas PJs! I make Christmas pjs every year and we open them on Christmas Eve. This year I made matching pjs. The girls and I have pink leopard print while Paul has brown leopard print. Paul is such a good sport!

Here is our Nativity cast! Great story, great actors!

Here is Mary laying baby Jesus in a manger.

We had friends over for Christmas Eve and reinacted the Nativity story. Aubrey was Mary, Hailey was a sheep, Paul was Joseph and a shepherd, and one of our friends was the donkey.

Hailey the sheep.

Here is a picture of the Nauvoo temple. This is our last visit to Nauvoo for a very long time and it was fun to be there while it was snowing. The Nauvoo temple is beautiful and we will miss it.

Paul took Aubrey sledding and she LOVED it! I think she gets sad when she has to come inside, but it is so cold that she can't stay outside for very long.

Happy December!

This was our Thanksgiving craft. We made a measuring stick so we can measure the girls' height as they grow. We bought the giraffes already painted from Hobby Lobby so it was a pretty easy activity.

Here are our beautiful Christmas stockings that my mom and sister helped me make this summer. It was so fun to see them hanging on the wall this season and get to use them for the first time! I love Christmas and fun Christmas stockings!

This is Aubrey in her Christmas dress one Sunday morning.

Hailey wasn't quite sure what to think about Santa, but she was pretty certain that his beard wasn't real.

We had a visit from Santa at our ward Christmas party and Aubrey was terrified. Even sitting on Paul's lap she was upset.

Thanksgiving

I know that this post is a little late, but here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving. We invited our friends Jared, Jennifer, and Tanner Jackson as well as Cameron, Bree, and Payton Andrew over for Thanksgiving dinner. We had a great time and managed to go a whole night without spilling anything.

We also built gingerbread houses with the Hachtmans. This year's gingerbread house was different than in past years. It was HUGE!! We used almost a complete box of Chex cereal to cover the roof. It was a lot of fun and we are glad the Hachtmans were willing to offer their house for the festivities.

Ward Halloween Party

We had the ward Halloween party this weekend and had a great time. Aubrey was one of the cutest lions I've ever seen. She didn't particularly love her costume, though she insisted on being a lion, until we put make-up on her face. Then she loved it! She kept looking at herself in the mirror and did not want to take it off even though she was hot and sweaty. Hailey was our cute butterfly, I was a witch and Paul was a gorilla. Paul and I also participated in the donut eating contest! We had a fun time!

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the pumpkin patch and picked out the perfect little pumpkin for Aubrey. It was a chilly day but a very busy pumpkin patch. I've come to enjoy the crowds and the hustle and bustle of holidays!

Latest Obsessions

I have a few recent enjoyments/obsessions. I have been reading Jane Eyre. I can't put it down! Right now I am at the part where Mr. Rochester has just proposed and I can't wait to finish it. What a great book! I feel such emotion, sympathy, and attachment to Jane. I hope the book ends happily...for her sake!


My next obsession is the movie North & South that I recently borrowed from a friend. After watching it too many times to confess, I have ordered the book and can't wait to dive into it! This is truly a masterpiece and is just as good if not better than Pride and Prejudice! So good!!!

Birthday

Paul did such a wonderful job making me feel so special on my birthday. He decorated the house, made and decorated the birthday cake, went birthday shopping with Aubrey, and made me feel like a million bucks! We started the day with special birthday cereal, then one of my dearest friends took me out to lunch for the occasion. After dinner we had a little party with our friends and neighbors who came bearing gifts and balloons! All in all, I think it is one of the best birthdays I've ever had!

Recent Events

This is the first fondant cake Paul and I made together this weekend. It was pretty fun and turned out OK.



Here Aubrey is drying out her hair after bath time.


Aubrey made a tent out of the crib and a blanket. Hailey and Aubrey loved their tent and had so much fun playing in it!

Recent Events

Hailey and I were sick so we stayed home while Paul and Aubrey went boating with some friends in the ward. Aubrey loved boating and swimming!

We rode the little train at the zoo.

Aubrey loved seeing the giraffes at the zoo.

We went to the zoo and Aubrey really enjoyed seeing all the animals. She didn't want to pet any of the animals, but liked to look at them from afar.

When Hailey gets tired and I'm not around to put her down for a nap, she takes things into her own hands and sleeps on her own.

Field of Dreams

On Labor Day we went to northern Iowa to visit the Field of Dreams movie site. It was pretty cool and I'm glad we went.

I made decorations for the girls' room with my sister's help this summer. This is Aubrey's wall.

Hailey's wall

We went to the park and Aubrey loved feeding the ducks.

Aubrey loves to play dress up!