Thursday, December 29, 2016

Christmas 2016

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! With the move to our new apartment, finances were not available (ahem, two rent payments in December) for us to take the trip to Utah we had planned. We were super bummed (aka hours of crying on my part) but we know it was the right thing to do. We ended up spending Christmas just the 4 of us in our new apartment. We put up a Christmas tree and it was so wonderful.

We woke up that morning and went to church, and got home and opened a meat and cheese tray that we had bought. Yay cheese! We realized the day before that Luke was pretty much fine with me drinking a glass of milk! Best present ever! Helloooooo dairy! I had missed it so much!

While we snacked, we started opening presents. We spread blankets on the floor since we didn't have a couch, and sat on those while we opened. We Facetimed with Sean's parents and sister while we opened gifts from them, and they opened our gifts to them. Mason LOVED opening presents, and Luke really couldn't have cared less. He just liked the paper haha. After we got off the phone with Sean's family, we talked to my parents for a few minutes, and then we put Luke down for a nap.

We turned on White Christmas while dinner finished up. We put a lamb roast in the crockpot, and made ranch roasted potatoes, fruit salad, and Rhoades rolls. Yum!

All in all, it was a very simple, but very wonderful, mostly low-key, Christmas!

I didn't get a picture of the stockings but oh well. Luke got that ball/hammer/keyboard thing, and Mason got Magformers from Santa.
(I want to remember that the keyboard thing is out of tune!! This music snob can't handle it..)

Mason playing with Luke's toy. Because why not.

Before church.

After we opened everything.

Our YUMMY dinner! Sean really really wanted lamb so we found one and it was so good. 
Even Luke ate it!

The best family photo I would probably get.

Rilee is Luke's future wife, and he wanted to send her a Christmas greeting. Snapchat sufficed :)

Mason and Don having a laser gun battle through FaceTime :)

Fall 2016

We had a fun-filled fall! The best part was being in CA and the weather staying perfect, allowing us to get outside and play at the park a lot! And now for a whole ton of pictures...

We go to the zoo a lot!

Stake volleyball: someone brought their totally sweet dog and Mason actually pet her!

Mom probs: toy animals caught in hair

This little hole-in-the-wall sushi place was SO SO GOOD. 
Please come visit us so we can take you here!

We bought Sean a pair of Echo shoes. They are so awesome. The employees were so cool with Mason trying on shoes and moving them all around the store haha!

Jeremiah is the best!

Some of the Waldo and Marian great grandsons.


Love the photobomber in the back ;)

They often have animals out to pet at the zoo!

Mason's FAVORITE. "Mom, we go to the zoo and see the anteater?"

We love the carousel! 

Party in mom's bed in the morning!

New sunglasses that he LOVES

Who seriously looks that cute with a snapchat filter??



There is a river right by our house and I love it!


Petting a snake

The only spider I won't squish :)

My heart!!

He was so tired he fell asleep on the floor. AND stayed asleep through a diaper change.
(Will he ever potty train???)


More river pics

We made Halloween cards for our family members! 

And then we made another one for Tim and Hannah :) 



Farmer's market and park  

It's not often I get a cute picture of him!

Sammy and I got together to can salsa! I love this girl and am SO glad we live closer!
Her parents house is exactly halfway between us... so awesome!

More zoo!

More mom's bed parties

Went to my parents house one weekend so Sean could study


We started potty training! It has since gone bad (he REFUSES to poop in the potty) and he is in pullups but better than before I guess.. 

We went to dinner/dessert with a couple of Sean's classmates and they all got ice cream but I couldn't have dairy so I got a sno-cone and it was gigantic and delicious!













I took Mason (and Luke) to the Dinosaur Expo in Sacramento. We went through the dino exhibit 3 times, and Mason bounced A LOT in the bounce house after each go around. The last time, he went down the huge inflatable slides! He hated waiting in line but did pretty well for a 3 year old! He got to pick out a little dinosaur and he chose the triceratops. 



We went to the Children's museum with some friends. So crowded but fun! (It was Veterans' Day) 





Sure, that's a cool way to eat...

Potty chart! I bought him a stuffed anteater and when he fills the chart he gets the anteater. I made this in November. So far, he's filled 4 circles. (Insert eye roll emoji..)

Making a paper chain for Christmas! 

Sleepy boys

Our ER trip: diagnosis? Mason had croup and Luke was just bored haha 

He's so cute! But I wish he would sleep in his own dang bed!



Christmas cookies!

Daddy's done with half his didactic year!


More zoo! This is Cameron, she is a 26 year old eagle. We stayed and watched her with her trainer for a good 20 minutes. She was so pretty! 

Played my flute for a couple different musical numbers the past month!

Just a few of the many Christmas cookies we baked :)

The Sacramento Museum of Science! Last time we went there was a dinosaur exhibit and Mason cried and cried when we left and didn't get to see the dinosaurs. 

Two of Masons best friends here in Sacramento. I've met some wonderful women who have boys his age and he just loves playing with them!!

We decided after Thanksgiving to find a new apartment. The place we were in was disgusting, smelled like smoke and had cockroaches. It was so gross. So we looked around and found a place in our same ward and moved in on December 19th! The new place is so clean and pretty, smells perfect (haha) and is not ghetto like the last place. We are so much happier here!