Merry Christmas

I can't believe it's almost Christmas! We have a lot to be thankful for this year. It's been a very busy year which has gone by fast. Christmas is my favorite time of year to be with family and friends.We wish we were able to be with all of our family. We hope everyone has a great Christmas and an even better New year!

I came across this old Christmas card and couldn't resist.

Things really haven't changed all that much.

When Sweaters Attack.....

One of the best parts of Christmas is the parties. We all need an excuse to dress funny, eat yummy food, and hang out with friends. These are a few of my favorite "ugly sweaters" on some of my favorite people. Believe it or not some of these were new purchases, some were home-made and very creative. Chris was a good sport and wore ladies clothing from Walmart. Sarah's light up earrings were my fav. Can't wait to see what next year brings.

Finally we made it to see Santa before Christmas Eve! It's much better when you don't have to wait for 2 hrs in line to visit the jolly old guy. Ella was super excited and Rylee was a little scared. Good thing we went, they give Santa some ideas we hadn't heard. Rylee wants a fur real pet she can walk and Ella wants a house made of blocks. Sounds pretty easy to me. This year Rylee has decided every day is Christmas and asks if it will be Christmas in the morning. The morning after Thanksgiving both the girls came running into our room. Rylee was very upset and sobbing. When I asked what was the matter she said Santa didn't come, he didn't leave us any presents. Rylee why do you think Santa is coming it's not Christmas? But mom you said Christmas is after Thanksgiving..... I guess I should have been more clear. Hurry up Santa we can't wait for you to get here.

It's that time of year again and the girls are back in dance. This is the first year Ella has done dance. We have tried 2 other times but all she would do was cry. We put her in the same class as Ry which has solved the problem. Ella loves it but Rylee isn't loving it so much. She's prepping Ella for when she can be a big girl and get her own class. They love going to dance class but didn't seem to be into it at the festival of trees. We'll see how much longer they do it. They may just turn into soccer and swim girls. They sure look cute though. I guess they really do look a like when they are side by side with their hair pulled back.

It's a little late I know but I haven't been "up to" blogging lately.

I have a lot of catching up to do!

Halloween was a cold wet one this year. Luckily we had our "ellabellas" to keep us dry. The adults were all cold and done but give a kid an umbrella, some candy and there's no stopping them. Rylee decided she wanted to be "good" witch and Ella was her black cat. It was a family affair and some good friends this year. Grandma, grandpa, Jony, Liz, Uncle Kyle, and the Pettit gang all went trick or treating up in Daybreak. Despite the weather we had fun and hope it's better next year!

The Big Ten....

Last Sunday we celebrated our 10th wedding Anniversary. It's hard to believe that it's been that long, I can't believe how fast it goes by. It's funny to look back at old pictures and see how young we look. We really were a couple of kids when we got married. We have been through so much together, I can't imagine being anywhere but here. For our Anniversary we finally took the plunge and got sealed in the temple. It's official were stuck like glue. It was a great experience and milestone, for our little family. I will post some pic.'s another day.

I look forward to seeing what other adventures are in store for us.

Chris, thanks for the journey and adventure. Love you.

PS - some things do get better with age and you're one of them!

Young with lots to learn....

Older and a little wiser......

Our weekend....

Rylee played indoor soccer this summer and Saturday was their last game. She was so excited to get her trophy. She did a great job for her first time playing. She was very entertaining. She even scored a goal this season, too bad it was for the other team! She was a good at playing goalie when she was paying attention. Although she did have a hard time if anyone scored, she would burst into tears every time. Watching 4 year olds attempt to play soccer is a must.

The other big event this weekend was our swing set. We ordered it 3 weeks ago and it finally got here. I can't not believe how many pieces these things come in. It looked like Lincoln logs from when you were a kid. After nine hours of hard work we had a swing set. I am so glad I am not required to build things. It's so impressive that Chris can read a book and put things together. I would not stand a chance. The girls are super excited and have been out playing on it in the rain. If you know our girls that's kind of a big deal. They hate getting wet.


Before.....



After....

I've been wanting to cut Ella's hair for a while now and finally got the courage to do it. She looks super cute and loves it. She has been staring at her self in the mirror. I found a picture of Rylee when she was 3 and we cut her hair. I can't not believe how much they look a like at the same age. I've always thought they look similar but if you take photos from the same age they pretty much look identical. Good thing Ella has her trade mark dent in her chin

or I may not be able to tell them apart.
Rylee at age 3......

Rylees First Day of Kindergarten....

Rylee started Kindergarten today! She was so excited to go to school this morning. She picked out her clothes and told me how to do her hair. Can you tell how excited she is? She did great and was pretty calm until we got around the corner to the play ground, with all the screaming kids. She stopped and said, I don't want to go anymore. Why? Because it's kind of crazy there's too many people. I agree there was way too many people. When I picked her up and asked what they did she said nothing. Of course I am sure they did nothing... I can't believe how grown up she is. Now she's trying to convince me that she needs to ride the bus home. Not sure she's going to win that one. Maybe next year.

Blast from the past... 8-18-08

Ella just starting saying her own name this week! It's pretty cute!

Blast from the past....

So this was one of the many videos that I am so glad I took. I miss Ella at this age. So innocent and sweet. So cute. The video is really dark but still cute.

Blast from the past...

Today we have just been hanging out in PJ'S and cleaning it's been so nice. I decided to get on our blog and read through older posts. Can I just say how grateful I am for blogs! I have been reading the cutest stories and watching the cutest videos. It's been making me a little sad. I realize how much fun I had being home with my girls. It's also a sad reminder of what I am missing. I don't get all those cute moments anymore and I certainly don't have time to blog like I used to. I had so much time to enjoy all the "little" things and enjoy just being a mom. Look how cute little Ella is. She used to be so happy all the time. Now she likes to cry a lot. I am guessing it's for attention that she feels she's not getting. It makes me so baby hungry. I hope I can be home soon and hopefully with a little one. A girl can dream!

Summer Fun.....

One of the highlights this summer was Janeice and her family coming to visit, even though she decided last year Utah was lame and they wouldn't be coming back! lol... They were here for a week over the fourth of July which made it really fun. We had a busy fun filled week with swimming, fireworks, barbeque's, water fights, park city for a One Republic concert, Snowbird, jump on it, injuries at instacare, the children's museum, boating, fishing, and lots of girl time. It was so fun having everyone here and were glad you changed your mind. Rylee wants to become a Switzer and wishes we had a minivan. We had so much fun and can't want to take a trip to AZ.

Of course we all showed up dressed alike whats new.... We're down an amigo and missed Lettie

Fourth Of July rocker chicks...
Yes were wearing jackets on the fourth, it was cold! What a bunch of dorks.

Can you see me....
Poser....

The only boys in the family..... Cousins all born the same year with in weeks of each other.... Rylee, Berkley, and Hadley...
My other half.....

Switzer gang at Snowbird....
Getting ready to go down the slides....

Park City One Republic......

Girls day in Park city listening to great music and freezing our bums off. What a way to spend the 4th!

Our annual water fight...... Janeice fall through the bushes and was still spraying the hose.

We kept showing up dressed a like. We decided our stylist needed to start talking to each other...

Future helmet model....

Big kids play ground.... Yes it was cold here too!

Messing around..... Having a good time and then.....

Nothing like a trip to instacare and a few stitches. Talk about a buzz kill, poor Addy. She was a trooper.