Icicles on our Icicles!

David climbed up on the roof a few weeks ago to hang our icicle Christmas lights. Now we have icicles on our icicles. I love Christmas lights. I'm glad that I have a husband willing to hang them. David's dad always goes all out with Christmas yard decorations and lights. While growing up, I remember having Christmas lights hanging around our big picture windows. We had two huge evergreens out in our front yard. I always wanted to put lights on those. Completely unrealistic mind you. They were HUGE and quite a distance from the house. Our neighbors here have commented on how "festive" we are. I'm assuming the last people must have done absolutely nothing, since they are so easily impressed! I do think our lights look beautiful and will be sad when it's time for them to come down. Every time we are pulling out of the driveway Malia goes nuts- pointing at the lights and going "ooh, ooh!". I love that she loves them!

Should Santa bother?

The girl has plenty of toys, not to mention some more on the way! Yet what does she play with? Shoes! I try to keep Malia entertained with the myriad of educational toys we have. Nonetheless it is the fascination of the stinky sneaker that draws her in. She does love her shoes. She is constantly bringing me her tennis shoes to put them on her. Even over footed pajamas! She says "shoo" and we have even gotten her to say "zapato" a few times! Her tennies are a size four and her foot isn't quite big enough yet. However, the threes were too small. We are in that right between stage. I am actually quite proud of her that she has moved up. Her feet are TINY! Obviously NOT a trait she inherited from me! I also made the mistake of getting tennis shoes with laces. We spend a lot of time trying to keep them tied. All the other tennis shoes were velcro, yet were too crazy. Lots of camo and Dora. I am a big fan of plain shoes that go better with more outfits. So there you have it. My dissertation on Toddler's Tennies!

15 Favorite Things....

I was tagged by Traci to list 15 of my favorite things. I just gave a talk in sacrament about gratitude and have been spending the last few weeks thinking about all that I have been blessed with. So I will give you 15 things that are my "favorite" and at the same time am so very grateful for.... (1) I would have to say one of my most favorite things is the amazing man I am married to. DAVID is an incredible man. For those of you who don't know, David was baptized a little over three years ago. He is constantly an example to me. His testimony grows stronger and stronger each day. He recently received his patriarchal blessing and has had his interviews to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. He loves to share his testimony with others and leads our family with love. I am also grateful that he is a great husband. He treats me with love and respect and makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. Not to mention he is incredibly romantic. He brought me these roses on Wednesday! (2) Another of my favorite things is MALIA. She is hilarious. She is 16 months today and this age is FANTASTIC! She has such an amusing personality and is a very happy little girl! (3) Another favorite is LEWISTON, Utah- the town that we live in. I love it because it reminds me of Farley back in Iowa. I love the small town feel. We are only two miles from the Utah- Idaho border, and 17 miles north of Logan. Logan is a good sized town with all the majory stores (except Target- grrr!) Yet we have many accomadations in our own lovely town- a library, grocery store, and even a discount theater! The people are all very friendly and we love being a part of the community. (4) Another of my favorite things is FAMILY. Especially during this season, I realize how blessed I am with a great family (both mine and David's). I miss everyone in Iowa tons and can't wait to have them visit. We have the opportunity to spend Christmas with David's family in Arizona. Malia can't wait to play with her primos! I am grateful for the family that we live near also. It is good to have my brother and his family right in Logan. My aunt/friend Dianne and her family just live 2 hours away in Idaho Falls, Idaho. We went and visited them yesterday. Good times! (5) Another of my favorite things is CHRISTMAS MUSIC. I started early this year in my listening, soon after Halloween. I just love it! I enjoy Hilary Weeks "Christmastime" and am a sucker for the old crooners, especially Bing Crosby. Nobody can sing it like old blue eyes! (6) Another favorite is SNOW. I know lots of people hate it because it is so messy, cold, and wet. However, I think it is beautiful! I don't necessarily enjoy playing in it, but enjoy looking at it. I am excited for Malia to try it out. (7) One of my favorite things is SCRABBLE. It is by far my favorite board game. When we lived in Iowa, I would get together with the Hayes Family and play. I have yet to find someone here that shares my affinity for the game. In the mean time, I occasionally play a game on the computer. Is that sad? I hope not. (8) BLOGGING has also become one of my favorite things. I love that I can keep up with friends and family. Sometimes this girl gets a bit lonely here in Lewiston and blogging helps me remember that I have a lot of great friends and family out there. (9) Another favorite is our CHRISTMAS TREE. David and I invested into a great fake tree when we first got married. It was a tight fit in our old apartment, but fits better in the house. The bottom 1/3 is sparsely decorated to keep the ever curious Malia from being tempted! (10) Another one of my favorite things is my CAMERA. My dad's girlfriend, Sharon, is a great photographer. When Malia was born she was upgrading her camera and passed her old one on to me. I am in no way worthy of such a fine piece of equiptment but am doing my best to figure out all of its great features! (11) Another favorite is Playtex Insulator Sports STRAW CUPS. Brittney used them with Nathan and got me hooked. I have other sippy cups but these are by far my favorite. Malia pulls the lids off of the other one's with her teeth! (12) Another one of my favorite things is my mom's restaurant, . I sure do miss stopping in for lunch. I love their homemade soups and cheesecake. Not to mention her famous hand decorated Christmas cookies! Noboby makes them as good as mom! (13) Another favorite is CHRISTMAS MOVIES. I must admit I have watched "Elf" several times already. I am currently watching "It's A Wonderful Life". Quite possibly one of the best movies EVER! (14) A favorite snack... WHEAT THINS TOASTED CHIPS, Veggie Flavor.. So yummy. Not as bad for you as chips and just as tasty! (15) A final favorite is CARMEX. I admit I am addicted to Carmex. To add to the fun they just came out with Cherry flavored. I don't like the stick, only the tube. YUMMY! Well, there you have it. These are a few of my favorite things..... Now I tag Brittney and Dianne!

Visiting Friends

On Thursday Malia and I were fortunate to have some friends come all the way out to the boonies of Lewiston to visit. My sister-in-law Lori (the one in red) brought out my favorite nephew in Utah, Caleb, to play with Malia. Whenever Malia tries to say Caleb it sounds like she is calling him "Bubba". It was great to visit with Lori and watch the kids struggle with the concept of sharing. Okay so the last part wasn't "great" but kids have to learn sometime! Caleb just entered nursery and Malia goes into nursery in February. Playtime together is a great way for them to get ready for nursery. Later on in the afternoon my "roommate" from BYU, Janelle (Williams) Day, brought her girls out. She has a 3 year old named Camille and a 7 month old, Madelyn. Cute girls! We had lots of fun and I hope we can do it again soon.

We're Famous?!?

So it turns out the "La Familia Mata" is a TV series that just started this year in Spain. I was googling our blog name to see if it would come up and came across this stunning revelation. It is a comedy and all of the websites are in Spanish, so really I have no clue what it is about. David watched a clip from it and said it was a comedy, but had really foul language. Too bad. Too bad we can't get a cut for using our family name!

A Typical Hair Day

Malia has CRAZY hair! I try my best to keep it in clips or in ponytails. However, she loves to rip them out and hand me the hairpiece. She does so with an innocent look on her face, as if to say, "Hey, look what I found!".

Here Fishy, Fishy!

On Saturday we had a family trip to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy, Utah. Malia had a great time looking at all of the different fish. She even almost pet a sting ray (her arms were too short, the water too deep!). David and I really enjoyed it also. Lots to look at. We'll have to make the trip sometime without the munchkin so we can actually read the display signs. Saturday was a horrible day to be traveling through Salt Lake City. So much snow! Nonetheless, we made it there and back safely. Everything looked so beautiful covered in white.