Christmas in Pictures

Layla made the Nice List this year and Santa remembered to come to our house. Santa brought Layla a walker, bath toys, diapers, clothes, and the book The Polar Express.

Bug loved riding her new walker/stroller on Christmas morning. I love how she puts her feet up while she rides.

We spent Christmas Eve at the Bott's, where we were all spoiled. We had fun surrounding Layla with wrapping paper.

Layla had fun playing with the adorable kitchen set that G&G Bott gave her. She loves it.

We took a lot of pictures.

Including pics of Bug in the Christmas Dress I made her. (My grandma made the jacket.) I was very pleased with the way it turned out. Doesn't she look adorable?

We spent part of Christmas morning with the Botts at our house for breakfast, which was fun. Then we spent the rest of the day with my fam. And yes, that means these two crazies. Don't you think Jordan looks like a giant garden gnome? Ha,ha!

Let's not forget how funny Layla looked in her new sunglasses!

Too cool for school.

We made her wear them the next day too, just so we could get a good laugh.

Layla had fun pulling Uncle Brockie's hat off his head ... but it's even more fun when he gets a new hat for Christmas and she gets to pull off two hats at the same time...

You know when you get someone the perfect gift? We had a few of those this year. For me, it was the Kindle my parents gave me.

All of Layla's gifts were perfect, including the money for her college fund, her walker, her kitchen set, and ... her dinner tray puzzle. My uncle gave it to her. I've never seen anything like it before and I think it's super cool.

Also, her Baby Einstein Activity thing from G&G Miles was a perfect gift. You should see her go crazy in it. Super funny.

I thought the U of U gear we gave B&N was great. (You should see how awesome those spirit fingers are when Natalie shakes her fingers. It's hilarious.)

But my mom's gift to my grandpa definitely takes the cake for the perfect gift. You see, my grandpa's first name is Kermit (weird, I know, but he's from Panama). So naturally, when we were kids we called him "Grandpa Kermit the Frog." Well, Grandpa Kermit the Frog enjoys meditating and learning about Buddha.

So what better gift to give him than a meditating Kermit the Frog statue?!?!

Holy cow, we all laughed so hard when he opened his gift.

It's perfect.

And finally, I can post the pics we took of Bug to give as Christmas presents. We took about 70 pics, so I'll just post a few of my faves:

Isn't she gorgeous?

Last but not least, we got family pics done. They turned out great! Check out our photographer's site here.

the whole fam damily.

only grandchild.

our little family.

what a stud.

handsome couple.

look at that face.

We had a very Merry Christmas. I'm glad that we can celebrate the birth of our Savior with our loved ones. I'm thankful that a small baby was born thousands of years ago, and that through Him, I can be with my hubby and our little baby forever.

Woot Woot!

My parents gave me a Kindle for Christmas. Totally awesome.

Thanks, Padres.

If you don't hear from me in a while, it's because I'm busy. Reading.

Pony Tail

Here's a few things I want to remember about Layla at 8 months:

• I put Layla's hair in a pony tail for the first time today. It makes her look older, which makes me a little sad, but it's still cute.

• I had no idea an 8 month old could have so much energy. Seriously, she's crazy. Most nights, around 7 pm, she gets a huge burst of energy and goes crazy for about 30 minutes. I can't figure out where the energy comes from.

• She goes to bed at 8 pm and wakes up at 7 am. Then takes two naps during the day, varying in length from 45 minutes to 2 hours. I love it!

• Layla is such a cheese ball. When we're out in public and a stranger says hi to her, she gives them a cheesy grin and waves or gives high 5. If you say, "High 5!" and put your hand up, she will put her hand up too and wait for you to give her a high 5 (as long as she's not distracted by something else).

• Actually, her wave and high 5 are more like a "hail Hitler" motion. Ha,ha. She reaches her hand out straight in front of her at an angle. This is how she waves and gives high 5s.

• She's ticklish on her sides and belly and has the cutest laugh. Lately, we'll set her in her crib or on our bed, she'll roll over, and just start laughing. At nothing. Or at least at something that we don't know about. I can't figure out what is so funny ... And I make it a point every day to take a few minutes to make her laugh.

• Also, she now has her two bottom teeth. I think the top two are on their way.

Here's some pics of her during dinner time. It's kinda hard to see her pony tail against the blue of her chair, but it's there, promise.

Try all you want Daddy, I'm not going to smile at your dorky faces ...

Daddy, you are so lame.

Just kidding, Daddy! I love you!!!

Birthday Week

Birthdays tend to last a full week in our house. Here's a few things we did to celebrate my 27th Birthday Week this year:

1. Mitch took me out to eat at the Melting Pot. It was just like heaven. Chocolate Dessert Heaven, that is. Thanks again, Hubby!

2. On my actual birthday day, Mitch brought home beautiful flowers, Papa John's pizza, and an eight layer Coldstone ice cream cake. He truly knows the way to my heart. Isn't he cute?

3. Celebrated mine and my baby bro's birthdays with our fam. We each got a Coldstone ice cream cake (my mom also knows the way to my heart) and we both got spoiled.

4. Layla turned 8 months old. She was also given a santa hat and scarf from GG Ruth. Now I call her Layla Elf. Isn't she adorable? Oh, and she started smiling with her tongue out now. Silly little elf.

5. Celebrated with Mitch's fam by eating out at a delish Mexican restaurant. Thanks again, Kevin and Kathy! It was yummy. We invited them over afterwards for ... you guessed it ... Coldstone ice cream cake (since we have so much leftover). Here's Layla with her messy face after eating her dinner of carrots and sweet potato at the restaurant. This is her other new smile. I can't decide if she's trying to look sweet and innocent or if she's totally annoyed that we keep taking her picture so she's fake smiling to get it over with.

6. Family pics with the Miles fam. We decided to do Layla's hair super fancy for the pics. She ended up looking like an '80s rocker. I will post some of our family pics once we get them. I have a feeling they'll be super cute.

7. Attended the annual Miles Christmas Party. Natalie got the most hilarious white elephant gift ever- a urinary contraption for women to pee on the go. We were all cracking up. Layla sat on Santa's lap for the first time. She liked him. Didn't shed a tear. That's my girl!

8. Ended the week by taking Harvey to the ER vet because he got hit by a car. Poor buddy. He'll be okay though, he's just really sore and beat up. Long story short, he is no longer allowed outside after dark. Now I am definitely more of a dog person, and lately, I've been saying I want to make Harvey an outside only cat, and I rarely allow him in our bedroom, or downstairs at all for that matter, because I can't stand him jumping on the couch or our bed, and maybe I'm not as nice to him as I could be because I believe that he is a cat, not my child, so I should treat him like a cat and not like my child, but all that aside I do feel really bad for the little guy. However, I'm sure he'll be back to his old ways in no time.

Besides the Harvey incident, it was a great Birthday Week. I can't believe I'm 27. I feel more like 20. Thanks, Everyone, for making my birthday great. That's the best part about Birthday Week- you get to spend it with the fam.

Now it's time for Christmas! I can't believe it's almost here... Merry Christmas!

Dear Ensign,

I have always been a devoted fan of yours. I read your magazine cover-to-cover every month. Your articles inspire me and teach me new things.

But this month you went above and beyond.

You saved my life.

I was reading one of your Christmas articles when out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a fly buzz by my head. I looked to my left and saw this Ugly Creature sitting next to me on the couch.

The one I saw was smiling too, just like this one. Immediately, I jumped up and threw you on the ground. Panting, my heart racing, my palms sweating, I grabbed a large book and smashed The Ugly Creature on the couch. I watched him, crumbled, half-alive, literally jump off the couch and land nowhere else but underneath your beautiful pages.

What to do? Mitch is at work. The neighbor's not home. I'm scared it's a poisonous spider and I'll end up in the hospital with an open flesh wound (dramatic, yes, but it could happen). Cautiously, I lift up your pages. No spider. But what's underneath? The plastic that you came wrapped in. And guess what's inside the plastic? The Ugly Creature!!!

You saved my life! Thank you, Ensign! I was even able to wrap The Ugly Creature up in your plastic cover to show my disbelieving hubby when he came home. We looked up The Creature online.

It is no other than the Phidippus mystaceus aka The Jumping Spider. They can jump up to 50 times their body size.

So Ensign, not only did you save my life, but now my hubby will believe me next time I call him at work and frantically tell him that, "the spider jumped off the couch and tried to get me!"

Your Devoted Reader,

Lacey

p.s. Jumping Spiders are not poisonous, thank heavens!, because that's the second one I've found in our house. Sick. They give me the willies.