Happy Birthday, Preston!!!

Preston has waited soooooooooooo long to turn 5!!!  He was a little disappointed to find out he didn't get to start kindergarten that very day, darn it!

Preston is go-go-go, all the time!  He loves being outside, climbing, playing video games, watching movies, building Legos, and having books read to him.  He is my VERY good eater and will eat just about anything, except for potatoes, unless in french fry form!  He can write his name, knows simple math facts and can't wait to start real school like his big brothers and sister!

The birthday LOOT!

When I saw this fart gun from Despicable Me 2, I knew instantly Preston would die over it!  

And I was right!

 A new Razor scooter, just like the big kids'!

The fart gun is out of the box!

SKYLANDERS SwapForce!!!!  He wanted this so badly because both brothers have other versions of the game and he "needed" his own.  It's amazing, at 5 years old, the knowledge he possesses about these little gremlin guys!!

Happy 5th Birthday, Preston!!

5 yr stats

Weight: 42 lbs

Height: 44.75 in

Merry Christmas!!!

We had a very nice Christmas this year.  I still remember the excitement I had as a child, not being able to sleep on Christmas Eve, and being anxious to get out and check out what Santa had brought!  It's fun watching my kids do the same.

The TRAP 2013 - BeLLs

 The kids did a great job slithering under the net so the bells wouldn't jingle!

 Ready to come down the stairs!!

Brooklyn got a camera!!

Aaaaaaaaand, we're 0/2 on the horsey gifts.

Cowgirl hat, new horsey "packpack," and Minnie panties

Lots of Lego mania over here!!

 Duct tape creations are all the rage with the tween group~

 Blake has been reminding me that he's the only one that didn't have a couch or chair to lounge on...

And he's been bugging for forEVER about getting Minecraft, which we made him think there wasn't a chance ;)

Ahh, this girl!!

 Matt got me just what I asked for- a Garmin running watch :)

This is my "you-blew-the-budget-we-agreed-upon" face.  He spoiled me with an iPad mini, too!

I was kinda stumped on what to get Matt, but ended up getting him a meat smoker.  Can't wait to try it!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Matching jammies

Holiday Festivities

December is ALWAYS such a busy month!!   Along with the regular Christmas traditions, we always have performances for school and extracurriculars, friend parties, etc., etc., etc.

Brooklyn had her first performance with the Freestyle Dance junior company team at Dance in the Desert at Queen Creek High School.

Brooklyn, Blake and Gavin had their winter piano recital.   

Our ward party was the evening of Hayden's birthday.  It was a Polar Express theme so everyone came in their pajamas.  We had amazing carne asada tacos, had a little program, then saw Santa and rode a train outside.

Hayden in her cute gingerbread girl jammies!

Sitting with Santa.  Hayden wasn't too happy, obvs.

Nativity at Matt's parents~  Hayden tolerated the sheep costume for only a few minutes.  And it got a little rowdy during our reenactment of the nativity scene.  Giving the boys "staffs" may have been a bad idea. ;)

Brooklyn & Blake had a singing performance at the school.  Interestingly, it wasn't holiday-ish at all!  Entirely patriotic.

We visited the Mesa temple lights as a family.  It's always wonderful to feel the peace that is found, especially during the Christmas season!

In our "spot"

Kiddos all dressed up in their Christmas church attire~  I love matching the girls any time I can get!

The kids got to see Santa at the Palmer family party!!!!!!  Hayden CRIED because she wanted to sit on his lap ASAP!  Everyone got their final gift requests in, just in the knick of time!

Hayden turns 2!!

Oh, I can't believe my baby girl is two years old!!!

Instead of a birthday cake, we did birthday mini pancakes with sprinkles and whipped cream on top.  She loved everyone singing Happy Birthday to her and blowing out the candles.

Sweetie pie with her blankie and finger!

Funny story- she has developed an obsession with "horseys" and so when I saw this little horsey that walks, I knew she would love it.  When she unwrapped it, she immediately wanted it out of the box so Matt opened it for her, set it on the ground and pushed the button to make it walk.  She FLIPPED out and was TERRIFIED of the thing!!  It was pretty hilarious.  It took a few days before she figured that it wasn't going to attack her.

Minnie Mouse is another obsession!  She loved this little dress up Minnie.

Playing pretend with her new kitchen

Hayden is such a wonderful blessing to our family.  She is full of sass and sweetness!  And of course we think she's the most beautiful baby on the planet!  She is starting to talk a lot and I love her cute little voice.  She can also be VERY loud!  Afterall, she has to be heard above her 4 big sibs!  She absolutely adores her daddy and says, "Can I get him?" as soon as she hears the garage door open, then runs out to greet him when he comes home from work.  They have a nightly ritual of him singing to her in the rocking chair before bedtime.  Although Preston loves to torture her, she follows him everywhere and calls him "Do-do."

Happy birthday, Hayden!!!  We love you to pieces!!!

2 yr stats~
Weight- 24lbs
Height- 33in