I got to go snowshoeing on Saturday and it was so great! Growing up in Latin America certainly afforded me lots of amazing experiences, but snowshoeing was not one of them. My friend and neighbor Jody (a school teacher and park ranger) took me out to show me the ropes. She’s awesome and we had a lovely time.

Gorgeous scenery.

Did you know that a group of aspens is all part of the same tree? I had no idea! The individual trees are actually all connected to the same root system or something. Ask Jody--she knows all about it.

Proof that I was there!

The snow kept clumping up in my clamp-ons, but other than that it was great. So wonderful to get out into the snowy woods!

Sometimes I feel like Easton gets all the attention on this blog. That’s probably natural, seeing as he is the baby. But, just in case you were wondering, here’s what the rest of us have been up to.

I have been keeping myself busy with homeschooling, teaching a handful of violin students, participating in city business as the secretary of the Pleasant Grove Arts Commission, teaching a Spanish class to Amelie, Calder, and two of their friends once a week, my primary calling, and taking violin lessons myself. I’m loving taking lessons again. Sometimes it’s a bit like learning how to walk again as I work to correct bad habits and learn better technique, but it’s wonderful and I’m excited to improve my musical skills.

Bryce is enjoying his job at HandStands and continues to get rave reviews from his boss. He’s done some great things for the company in the time he’s been there–lots of new products and lots of budget-saving measures. He’s also teaching himself Objective-C, a computer programming language, training for a half-marathon, and performing his duties as a member of our ward’s bishopric.

Amelie is having lots of fun these days–learning to read (she’s gotten quite good!), taking a dance class, doing science experiments, and learning some gymnastics at the weekly homeschool PE class we go to at one of the local rec centers. Her favorite thing at the moment seems to be somersaulting. She literally somersaults from room to room around our house and often stops whatever she is doing to somersault across our living room.

Ta-da!

Calder is also a big fan of the PE class. A room full of trampolines, obstacle courses, balance beams–heaven for a three year-old boy! He also loves to be read to, play “Nice Guy, Bad Guy,” and do puzzles.

See?

And we can’t forget the cat! Little Dinah has been a wonderful pet so far. She’s patient with the children and a bit kooky–a perfect combination in a cat. She is the best lounger I know. We often find her completely relaxed on her back, just asking to get a tummy rub. She enjoys hiding under the kids’ bunk bed at bedtime, forcing me to spend about 10 minutes trying to cajole her out. And then there’s her “Off to the Races” moments during the day when she runs at top speed from end to end of our little house.

Little Dinah and a toy from my childhood. Isn't the resemblance amazing? I think it was meant to be.

So, life is wonderfully busy. I guess that was kind of like our Christmas letter. Just pretend you got it in the mail with a nice family photo.

One last picture for the road:

Helping Grandma Brenda practice.

In honor of Easton’s 10-month birthday, some pictures:

On the rare occassion that I am in the passenger seat and not driving, Easton loves to watch me from his seat. In other news, Amelie is in the process of being celestialized in this picture...

Easton's been working on the whole crawling thing recently. So far, he's figured out how to push himself along backward, but no forward motion yet.

I think it's kind of frustrating for him.

Okay, maybe it's REALLY frustrating...

In truth, he seems quite content to sit and let his brother and sister run circles around him (literally). He doesn’t seem in a rush to move on his own. He does, however, wave and give the best smiles. For the most part, he’s a very cheerful baby who loves to be held and played with. He’s loving the world of real food. At his 9-month check-up, he was measuring a bit small, so we’re trying to transition him off of baby food and on to table food. As long as he’s healthy, I don’t care what size he is, but he does seem to enjoy “real” food and does have quite the appetite.

So, happy 10 months, Sweet Boy!

Today, I found a cute series of interview questions to ask their kids about their Mommy. I videotaped their responses, but wanted to write them down here, too. Enjoy!

Calder

M: What is something Mommy always says to you?

C: Uh, you have a consequence.

M: What makes Mommy happy?

C: When you give a kiss and a hug to you. (He had a hard time with his pronouns here in the beginning–pretty darling, I think.)

M: What makes Mommy sad?

C: When you hit you.

M: How does Mommy make you laugh?

C: Uh, when you do this (insert silly face).

M: What was Mommy like as a little girl?

C: You laughed. (I came to realize that the whole concept of me as a little girl makes no sense to these little ones yet.)

M: How old is Mommy?

C: Zero.

M: How tall is Mommy?

C: Very tall.

M: What is Mommy’s favorite thing to do?

C: Play with me.

M: What does Mommy do when you aren’t here or when you’re asleep?

C: She asks Daddy where we are.

M: What is Mommy very good at?

C: Standing up. (High praise indeed!)

M: What is Mommy not very good at?

C: A somersault.

M: What is Mommy’s favorite food?

C: Spaghetti.

M: If Mommy was one of the people in one of your shows, who would she be?

C: Mulan. (The similarities are obvious…)

M: What do you and Mommy do together?

C: Uh, play.

M: Where is Mommy’s favorite place to go?

C: To the zoo.

M: How do you know Mommy loves you?

C: Because you kiss me and you hug me and you always don’t take me to one of your trips. (He lost me on that last bit.)

Amelie

M: What is something that Mommy always says to you?

A: I love you.

M: What makes Mommy happy?

A: When we hug and when we kiss you.

M: What makes Mommy sad?

A: When we make bad choices.

M: How does Mommy make you laugh?

A: You tickle us.

M: What was Mommy like as a little girl?

A: Played with toys.

M: How old is Mommy?

A: 15?

M: How tall is Mommy?

A: This tall (stretching arms up).

M: What is Mommy’s favorite thing to do?

A: Read the scriptures. (I love that this was her answer.)

M: What does Mommy do when you’re not around or you’re asleep?

A: You have a date with Daddy.

M: What is Mommy very good at?

A: Playing with us.

M: What is Mommy not very good at?

A: Headstands. (Okay, okay, I get it. I’ll give up those dreams of being an Olympic gymnast!)

M: What is Mommy’s favorite food?

A: Cereal. (I know some of you will laugh because I used to have a thing for cereal. But, honestly, I never eat it anymore. Wonder why that was her answer…)

M: If Mommy was a character from one of your shows, who would she be?

A: Minnie Mouse.

M: What do you and Mommy do together?

A: You play with me.

M: How are you and Mommy similar?

A: Well, some people think I look like you.

M: How are you and Mommy different?

A: I have brown eyes and you have blue eyes.

M: Where is Mommy’s favorite place to go?

A: The grocery store. (I think a little part of me just died.)

M: How do you know Mommy loves you?

A: Because you kiss me and hug me.

Love those kids.

It’s hard for me to believe my baby is almost 9 months old. I am overwhelmed on a daily basis with my love for this little one. I am just in awe of his perfect little body and his sweet baby emotions and his attachment to me. I love that he loves me best. Of course, that might be pure survival instincts talking on his part, but I’ll take it.  I apologize for the poor quality of some of these pictures. I’m still figuring out how to take good pictures with the iPad.

There's that smile!

Who could resist those puppy dog eyes?

Worried Easton.

Surrounded by wonderful Christmas chaos.

He likes to tilt his head to one side sometimes. Pretty cute.

So happy.

I know I’ve said this before, but I just can’t believe how the amazement doesn’t fade with each child. I am as excited and thrilled about everything Easton does as I was with Amelie. Babies are just the best.