::::BUSY SIGNAL::::

December was one BUSY month!  It always is isn't it?
The best kind of busy in my opinion.

::::WARD CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST::::

She was the first one in line and hopped right
up to let Santa know she wanted an Elsa doll.

Elliott wasn't too sure...

Several weeks ago Mabel straight up asked me if Santa was real.

A long time ago Nate and I decided we wouldn't lie to our 

kids about Santa. I felt pretty betrayed as a kid when I found out. 

However, before you freak out, we aren't total scrooges!!

We love the magic of Christmas and Santa and gift giving, etc...

we just wanted to find a way to help Mabel feel that without

lying to her. I started thinking about the movie Frozen. Mabel loves 

Elsa and Anna, but she knows they are just characters in a movie.
But they are still totally and completely magical and wonderful to her.
So I wanted to try to  have the idea of Santa be that same way.
We don't really focus on if Santa is "real" or not...because I don't want
my kid to be the one that goes around blabbing that Santa isn't real to
all the other kids.  Although she probably still will. Sorry.
Anyway, I found the letter below on Pinterest

and thought it summed up the whole Santa issue really well.
It's been our model for Santa discussions with Mabel.

::::BOOK CLUB::::

I hosted our discussion for the book, "The Invention of Wings"

by Sue Monk Kidd. Such a great book, plus I love my book club ladies!!! 

I made grit cakes and southern punch.

::::FAREWELL DINNER FOR JOCELYN::::

My dear friend Jocelyn moved to Draper! Sad day around here.

Especially when we drive past their house everyday and Mabel

says, "There's Emri's old house."

BUT, Draper is only a hop, skip, and a jump away so 

their family can't escape us that easy!! Janai organized a girl's 

night out to say bye to Jocelyn. It's a good thing we were some of 

the only people at the restaurant because our conversations

got pretty wild. I love me some good girl talk!

::::KEYRENTER COMPANY DINNER::::
We had our annual company party at Cantina Grill at Jordan
Commons.  I was only able to stay for about 20 minutes
before our babysitter called and before she said anything
I could hear Elliott screaming his head off in the background.
He wouldn't take his bottle or calm down so I had to leave.
I cried on the drive home.  It's hard sometimes sacrificing
the things you want to do for the little people who are still
so dependant on you. Nate stayed and had a good
time for us, he even scored a Buddy the Elf bobble head
from the white elephant game - sweet!

Andrea had some fun games planned:

Nate and Aaron gave out team member awards:

::::TEW FAMILY PARTY::::

Bryan and Jenna graciously hosted our
annual Tew family Christmas party!
We had a tasty brunch to start the day:


I had some yummy Jack chub for breakfast!

Lindsey got the games started with some

kid bingo:

The boys played some ping to the pong:

We started with our picture matching game:

Then we got to open a package that came all the way

from our missionaries in Austria!

It had presents for everyone including some tasty

chocolate treats!

(the girls are eating their chocolate umbrellas)

Mabel's kinder egg had a Tinkerbell fairy toy inside!!

Then we played bingo:

And of course we couldn't leave out the candybar game!

Mabel and Myah both got ring pops which they were

very happy about!

I didn't get any pictures of the white elephant game

but it didn't disappoint! 

This picture is dark and blurry but it was so cute

how Uncle Bryan was making Elliott laugh!

Christmas isn't complete without Rick singing Rudolph in German,

this time all the way from Austria.  He didn't have his red nose so 

he was using the computer mouse for the first half. 

We can't wait to have our missionaries home in THREE MONTHS!!!

::::NEIGHBOORD UGLY SWEATER HO DOWN::::

Our neighborhod had an ugly sweater party and white elephant 

gift exchange again this year. It gets better every year!

True vintage ugly sweaters are hard to come

by these days!! I found some treasures at Goodwill

and made Nate's lovely swan turtleneck.

(Elliott came to the end of the party because he was

being a stinker and wouldn't go to sleep at home!)

Amanda got the coveted "Not Tonight" pillow that Michelle

made - so funny! The other side says "Happily Ever After."

I slept like a baby on my patriotic pillow case.

Right under my head it says, "Life, Liberty, and the 

Pursuit of Happiness." Sweet dreams for me!

::::PRESCHOOL PROGRAM::::

Mabel sang her little heart out in her preschool program!

She was a pretty cute jingle bell elf.

Nate was able to sneak away from work for the program and

she was so excited to see in him the crowd!!

::::TEW TALENT SHOW::::

We went to Park City to have another little Tew get together
at Nate's Aunt and Uncle's house. Mabel practiced for the talent show
the entire car ride there.  

Christmas and Cali Trip Posts still to come!

...seven months...

Um yeah, somebody needs to be strapped in

from now on!

(actually he doesn't really want to be in the 

bouncer at all anymore. sad day.)

Crinkle paper bliss!

Four Tews Family Photos 2014

~twenty fourteen~

I wanted a cute picture of Mabel and Elliott together

 but the chair, the black background, and their faces 

WERE NOT WORKING for me.

All three of those pictures remind me

too much of this:

So we came home and I set them up in our bedroom

and had Nate make them laugh while I snapped a few shots.

Much better!

The best wink ever!

Mabel's dance class had a mini Christmas performance 

and she did such a great job! I cried! Her wink is something else.

She wanted to pose in front of the Christmas tree:

Me and Elliott waiting for the show to start:

They did the dance twice:

I love this little dancing girl!!

She really worked hard learning all the moves.

Great job Mabel!

Grandma Naylor turns EIGHTY!!!

We had a birthday party for my Grandma Karmen Naylor

who turned 80 on November 14th! When you turn 80

you have to sit in the birthday chair with HUGE numbered balloons

behind you. It's necessary. :)

We had soup in breadbowls, fizzy drinks and my

Aunt Koreen surprised my Grandma and flew in from California.

Elliott and his high rise jeans

were in balloon heaven.

I think she is a beautiful eighty year old!

Facetime with family...

I made her one of her favorite desserts:

lemon ice cream cake.

My mom contacted everyone in the family and had them

submit reasons why they loved Grandma. Nate compiled

all the reasons (which ended up being waaay more than 80!)

into a cute little book.  We had Grandma read them all

out loud when she opened it.  It was a lot of fun hearing

all the different reasons and memories.

We LOVE you Grandma!

...six months...

treinta y tres

Nate's 33rd birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year so we celebrated

all weekend long!! He had pumpkin pie every night for a week...

his dream birthday! :)

Mabel and I made him pumpkin pancakes:

Birthday Go Fish Game

Later that day we had a 2nd Thanksgiving dinner

over at Kristy and Dave's house...I was too 

busy EATING AGAIN to get any pictures.

On Friday we went to Nate's favorite birthday lunch 

spot: Tucanos Brazilian Grill

Mabel was so excited for them to sing to Nate!

We did a little shopping and Elliott took a nap on 

Nate's shoulder. When he woke I caught these two 

having a moment. LOVE my boys!

How great is this giggle?

For Sunday dinner I made Nate homemade

chicken chimichangas with guac.

This was a keeper recipe.

Mabel was so excited to give Nate the present

she got for him and wrapper herself:

GUMMY SHARKS!!!!

It was a great weekend celebrating the day our favorite

guy was born!!

Thanksgiving...

...or maybe a better title for this post would be, "That one time Nate ordered a 42lb turkey for us and we only had 6 people coming for dinner."

AGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Nate ordered it from a farm up north and they smoke

it for 10 days. It was huge and tasty!!

My grandma Naylor planned to spend Thanksgiving with

my mom and Kraig in Colorado so we had an early dinner

with her, my aunt, and cousins the week before.

November 13th, 2014

Cranberry taste test:

Costco's (on the right) won.

It was also Anna's birthday:

After dinner we went around the table and had everyone say a 

person, place, and thing they are thankful for. When it was Mabel's turn

she didn't hesitate:

1) Kelsey 2) Rita's Water Ice 3) My family