Party in the U.S.A.

We celebrated this holiday season 

with some serious partying!

Company Party
12.01.12

We had a catered dinner at the Cantina Southwestern Grill at Jordan Commons.
We reserved the upstairs ballroom and it was the perfect size for everyone.
The food was really good too.
I didn't take a single picture (thanks for this phone shot Bri!)...
I am hoping my friend Robyn will upload some of hers soon. (hint hint Robyn!)

Family Party in Kamas
12.07.12

Nate trying to figure out Grandma and Grandpa's 
latest gift contraption!

He got it! I made him figure out mine too. 
Thanks babe.

Anthony came home from Afghanistan!
It was nice to catch up.

 Church Party
12.13.12

Christmas Fiesta with Homemade Cafe Rio Style Salads.
No pics of all the awesome food and desserts. Oops.

Bishopric and Clerks Musical Number

Mabel and Esther



Neighbor Party
12.14.12

White Elephant Gift Exchange
(Jocelyn - I got all these pictures off your Facebook!)

We actually got two different presents during the switch:
a betta fish complete with tank! and some fantastic fart cards.


 

Tew Family Party
12.22.12

Pool and Ping Pong

Getting the Matching Game Ready



The babies get to open a present first.

Time for:

 ~BINGO~

Silly time with Aunt Kristy.

Dinner

A fun Minute to Win It Style Game
that Georgia Showed Us.

Video Kinect with Brady & Becky in Alaska

is there a
WHITE ELEPHANT 
in the room?

 

 Ralphie Bobblehead.
LOVE.

Peek-a-boo with Aunt Kristy

Georgia and Rick found an exit sign for me,

yaaaaaaaay! 

They decided to take the group shot while I was putting
Mabel down for bed. Thanks a lot you guys!

merry christmas...

...and a happy new year!

we're sure glad the world didn't end,

we still have a lot of living to do. 

 (and we totally aren't prepared for any kind of disaster so it looks 

like my 2013 resolution list needs to include some emergency preparedness. yay.)

 

 

 

 xo,

nate, jess, mabel, charlie & fritz

(and ralphie...our new white elephant gift betta fish)

eighteen month musings

My cute sous chef testing out new recipes involving 

whole avocados and marbles.

She is obsessed with her strawberry hat and insists on wearing it around the house.

Sometimes like this:

One afternoon I came into the kitchen after I had put Mabel down for a nap and saw this:

All she needs now is a can opener.

One of her favorite places to play: the pantry.

Which is why it is constantly a mess!

She really likes climbing up and down this step stool.  

At first I was nervous but she is really good at it and has never fallen.  (yet)

She still loves bathtime each night and always wants some soap on her hands
so she can wash all by herself.
I love seeing her face light up when she can do things all by herself.
It also makes me want to cry. My baby is getting big.

She is a clever little thing.

Figured out how to open the stool and she uses it 

to get into drawers that are off limits.

Mabel is constantly pointing out snowmen and santa.

The way she says those two words is so adorable.

Christmas really is a magical time for kids.  

The first thing she does when she wakes up is runs 

out to the living room to look at the Christmas tree's sparkling lights.
Here she is in awe of the snowman at Target.

The other day we were pulling into a parking spot at the store and she kept saying, "Santa! Santa!"  I was looking all around and couldn't see a Santa anywhere.  I started getting her out of her car seat and she pointed out the window and said, "Santa!" Then I saw his tiny little face.

See it?

 

My book reading audience:

Mabel, Santa, and a Snow Globe

She thinks it's fun to try and walk in daddy's slippers.

Turtle is still her main squeeze.

We went to check out the new Trader Joes in Salt Lake and they had little carts for kids.  Mabel was NOT happy when she had to stop pushing her cart to wait in line. 

(and there were sooooo many people in the store
there was no room for her to push it anyway)

Mabel thinks snow is pretty cool.  

Especially to eat. (I guess that wasn't the best thing to show her, oops.)

• She is talking more and more each day and the past few months she has really started trying to imitate EVERYTHING I say.  She tried to say pomegranate at Harmon's yesterday and it sounded NOTHING like pomegranate but it sure was cute. E for effort!

• She loves to say hi and bye to people wherever we go and she blows them kisses as well.   She also hugs and kisses pretty much everything she sees.  The grunt when she gives a hug is the best.

• Her favorite songs are Wheels on the Bus, Popcorn Popping, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, and If You're Happy and You Know It.  She doesn't really try to sing much but loves dancing and doing all the actions.

•  She knows all her animal sounds and I think hearing her make a monkey sound is my favorite.  

• She likes to go up and down our front steps without holding my hand.

• She loves pointing to her body parts when asked and this week she learned eyelashes and eyebrows.

• I think she will be ready to potty train pretty soon.  She has gone pee on the potty 4 or 5 times already and she always comes to me and points to her diaper when she goes poo.
 

• She takes one nap in the afternoon around 12:30 and if we are lucky it lasts about an hour and a half.

• We got some Baby Einstein DVDs from the library last week and she in is LOVE with them.  I say a prayer of gratitude every night for Baby Einstein.  They are 20 minute videos and she will sit and watch one in the morning so I can shower or one in the evening so I can get dinner started. I know I know....TV before age two is discouraged but those 20 minutes are a lifesaver. So I'm not going to feel guilty about it. 

• When she gets really excited about something she says, "Ooooooooooo aaahda".  We have no idea what that means but it's pretty cute.
   
•  One of her first words was "UP!" and it's definitely still her favorite.  I hear that word about 50,000000000000000000000 times a day.  

The recent tragedy in Connecticut has been so upsetting.  I have hugged Mabel extra tight these past few days thinking about the mommas whose arms long to hold their babies again.  I keep praying for those families, that somehow they will find peace.

I think every dish in my house was dirty.

We celebrated Thanksgiving this year at our house with my grandparents from Kamas, my Aunt Koreen and Uncle Kim from California, my Aunt Kristy who lives in Salt Lake, and lots and lots of cousins.

This was my FIRST time cooking a turkey! 

We got it from the Wight Family Fresh Turkey Farm in West Haven.

No hormones, no additives, never been frozen, 

allowed to roam free, happy turkeys.

(Mabel is digging for some serious gold in the backgound)

Prior to cooking the turkey Nate put on a latex glove and got out the neck (so gross and sad to think about...yes, I have meat issues.) and he couldn't find the bag with the other stuff.

We just assumed they didn't give it to us.

Fine with me!

So the turkey has been cooking for about an hour and a half when I heard my grandmother and my cousin's girlfriend in the living room laughing about a Thanksgiving commercial they saw where the girl cooks the turkey with the bag of giblets still inside it.  

Uh-oh. 

I confessed right then that I thought I might be cooking my turkey like the girl in the commercial!

I told them we took out the neck but couldn't find any of the other stuff.

I took out the turkey and my grandma lifted up the skin towards the front and lo and behold there was a bulging bag of grossness!  She pulled it out (thanks Grandma!) and man I wish I had a picture of my face at that moment.

 How was I supposed to know there is a secret neck flap where they put the bag of organs?

Needless to say this didn't help my meat eating situation.  

I tried a few bites but was very content with all the other dishes.

 Moving on.

Everyone decorates for Thanksgiving with pool balls right?

Done to Perfection!

thankyouverymuch.

 We had a faulty pop up timer so we tested it 

with our meat thermometer and it was just right.

Plus, read here about pop up timers drying out your bird.

Maybe that is why our turkey was so moist!

Peeps patiently waiting. 

(and napping)

Getting ready to stuff our faces.

All my serving spoons were being used, 

hence the lovely measuring cup.

Grandpa didn't mind.

Full and exhausted.

Nate got right up and started doing dishes...

he is a good soul.

I am so thankful for the chance I get to spend every holiday with wonderful family and friends.

We always have an abundance of food and good conversation.

I truly have a lot to be grateful for.

A few days later we feasted again at my in-laws house.  

Sitting with Great Grandma Gayle:

 Eating. Again!

 We also celebrated November birthdays: 

Our niece Brenna

  and Nate.

 Happy 31st birthday babe!