December 2014

December was such a busy time in our family.  Of course we had Christmas, but we also had Nutcracker, programs, and too many other things to mention.  This year Cortlynn and Tristan was in the Nutcracker and I even decided to be in it as well.  Between the 3 of us I swear we had a rehearsal of some kind every night- Mon-Sat.  Everyone had fun.  We were fortunate to have my parents come visit and help with the little girls while mom performed.  Cortlynn was in 5 performances, Tristan was in 6, and I was in 4.  Kyra wanted to be in it soooo bad but she has to be 6.  She was able to go to one of the performances with grandma, Nicole and Miranda.  She LOVED it.

Tristan was a soldier. This year he was able to "shoot" the cannon.  Cortlynn was in Waltz of the Flowers and was also in Marzipan.  Both dances are just beautiful.

I was a party parent and "danced" in two separate dances.  My partner/date was a 17 year old boy so I was definitely the cougar of the show.

It wasn't just Nutcracker--Kyra had a preschool Christmas program.  It was only 15 minutes but was SOOOO cute!  She is quite the performer.

On the 23rd Kyra turned 4. Where did the last 4 years go??  She was so  excited for her birthday and was happy the grandma and grandpa Swanson and aunt Nicole were here to help celebrate.  She chose to go to McDonalds for her birthday dinner.

Can she look any cuter???

Christmas morning was great.  The kids didn't wake up too early--well, Cortlynn and Tristan woke up EARLY-snooped, than went back to bed.  Hmmmm, Kinda reminds me of me and my brother.  My parents and Nicole were also here to celebrate with us and everyone had a good Christmas.

November 2014

November was a crazy month-just like any other month.  Cortlynn FINALLY went in and got her braces on...well-the top portion.  She was excited about it-but hopefully she won't have to wear them for her entire high school experience.  

 Tristan turned 8!!  Where does the time go?  I can't believe he is 8 and what a big boy/little man he has become.  He is a wonderful brother and an even better son.

With turning 8, Tristan made the decision to be baptized. I arranged to have a special one so more family would be here.  So we had it take place the day after Thanksgiving.  It was a nice program with grandma Swanson and Aunt Nicole speaking; Uncle Josh and Grandpa McIntire saying the prayer, Uncle Dan performing the baptism, Grandpa Swanson doing the confirmation, and we even asked Nicole's boyfriend to be a witness.  With last minute changes, aunt Heather was asked to play the piano and I was the chorister.  After the baptism we came home and had delicious "funeral sandwiches" which I think I ate 6.  SOOOOo good.  I am so proud of Tristan and his decision.  

Bishop Stratford and Tristan

October 2014

 We decided to finally update our family photos and get some with Brynlee in them.  She would look on our wall with confusion on her face trying to figure out where she was.  Of course the morning we had scheduled for an outdoor session-we woke up to downpour of rain and really cold temperatures.  I called the photographer and told her if she was up for it--we were because our weekends were limited.  Lucky for us the rain stopped for 30 minutes and we were able to get some nice outdoor photos with beautiful colors.

 October of course is Halloween.  This year we had a soup "bar" and trunk or treat at the church and I decided to dress up.  I found an ugly Halloween sweater in my closet that was my grandmas and than went for the 80's makeup and hair.  Unfortunately the hairspray today isn't as strong as the hairspray of yesterday.

 Kyra wanted to be Doc McStuffins--we found a jacket at the DI and I made adjustments to it to fit her character of choice.  I thought she was sooooooo cute.  Tristan-of course-wanted to be a super hero and chose Captain America.

 Brynlee was Dorothy and pretty much had the grumpy face all night.  I didn't make her dress up for actual trick or treating.

 School Photos 2014----I took Kyra's in the living room.  She is so photogenic.

In August I began watching 2 little kids 2 or 3 days a week.  They are sooooo cute!  The below photo is of Brynlee and Bo.  They are only 2 months apart in age.