A Little Bit of Christmas and a Lot-a-Bit of Thomas

Generally people post their Christmas blog before their New Year's blog...but lets face it, I am a slacker when it comes to getting my photos onto my computer and into a blog. So here is a little bit of Christmas in January.

Matching Pajamas for Christmas Eve. Audrey went first opening her one gift on Christmas Eve, and found these amazing pajamas. Derek saw them and was excited to open his own gift (hoping they were the same pajamas, since he is such a pajama lover). Much to his surprise, and his parents, he opened a pair of new gloves and shouted, "Ooooh new gloves!" Then a little more solemnly, "do I get pajamas too?" I had accidentally given Derek the wrong gift, so he got to open two on Christmas Eve.


Santa brought Derek Tidmouth Sheds with an accompanying turntable and bridge for Christmas.


On the girlier side, Santa brought Audrey a baby doll set.

When we got home from Colorado, we had another little Christmas with my side of the family. Thanks to Nana & Papa, and Baby Kai Derek's Thomas OBSESSION was fed!






Crazy Thomas and Friends lunch foods and accessories from Japan.

What Do Batman, Puke, and Football Have in Common?

Answer: They were all part of our New Year's Day celebration. I don't even need to say more without knowing that you are all so jealous, right? Well I will explain anyway.

Batman: A.K.A Derek. He is in love with his Batman Pajamas. When he is wearing them he runs around the house singing the Batman theme and refusing to answer to anything but "Hey Batman."

Puke: I [Elizabeth] hosted a porcelain party for my New Year's celebration. I had some terrible 24 hour virus that made me nauseous and puking my guts out (I know you all appreciate these details) all day. I thought I was dying!

Football: Bowl Games! It was mostly Christian watching these, as I wasn't in any condition to focus on football, but a day full of football is always fun.

Let it Snow!

We've all heard the phrase "let it snow," and I used to be one to say it and welcome the winter snow. Well...not so much today! Today I left my house with no snow on my shoveled driveway and only a few flurries falling. Two and a half hours later there was a foot and a half of snow all over the mountainside, and no snow plows in sight. I tried to get up our hill, and actually made it up most of the way by spinning my tires and listening to Audrey in the back seat yelling, "I will do it! I will do it!" However, the last two blocks of our hill are significantly steeper than the rest and were impossible to get up without the roads plowed. So we fishtailed a few times, did two 360's, slid back down the hill backwards a couple times, then finally I got the car turned around and we slid back down the hill forward and parked the car to wait for the plows. My two sick children and I walked up the hill (about two blocks) in the snow and waited! What an adventure. Being from California, this was my first real lesson on how to drive in the snow!

For the Beauty of the Earth

As I was going through my photos, searching for one particular amidst the masses of pictures I take, I stumbled across this picture I took from our front yard earlier this year. It was such a beautiful sunset over the Great Salt Lake...I just had to share it!

Mohawks

I taught Derek and Audrey what Mohawks (actually fauxhawks if we are being technical) are in the bathtub, using shampoo to get it to stick up as high as possible. Normal right, and I didn't think anything of it. Until...one crazy day when Audrey and Derek double teamed and they:

1. Ate play dough
2. Climbed our washing machine to get to the "put away" Halloween candy, ate the Halloween candy while hiding in the back bathroom, attempted to flush the wrappers down the toilette and wipe down the bathroom with Ajax and wet toilette paper to hide the evidence.
3. Derek found scissors and a mirror...when I caught him cutting his hair I asked "what are you doing!" He excitedly replied, "I'm cutting a Mohawk!"

Instead of buzzing his hair, we left the notched out Mohawk on the top of his head. So, enjoy your Mohawk my crazy Derek!

"Front Runs"

Every child at some point learns to call "dibs," or "shotgun," or whatever term they are taught. However, I did not expect my three and two-year-olds to come up with a term on their own, and attach to it the normal rules associated with say "shotgun" (the rule being-whoever calls it first gets it without any further debate).
I noticed this when the kids were racing trucks around the house and Audrey suddenly shouted "Front Runs" (or "Front Ones" it is kind of hard to distinguish between O's and R's in a toddler's vocabulary) and Derek immediately relinquished his coveted dump truck. A few minutes later Derek yelled "Front Runs," and the trade off occurred again. Since then they have been using it for everything. Where do kids learn these things?

Bustin' Makes Me Feel Good!

We the Marinos' are doing our part to keep our neighborhood safe by playing the parts of heroes and ferocious beasts. Elizabeth: Wonder Woman, Christian: Ghost Buster, Derek: Dinosaur that breaths fire and has wings like a dragon, Audrey: Tiger

Derek was tired long before the Trick-or-Treating began.

Audrey was very excited to put make up on with her costume...until she looked in the mirror. Then she hid her head in my shoulder and cried "I don't want that...wipe it off" (She was transformed into a tiger so ferocious that she scared herself)

Audrey was the super "tricky treater." Derek was tired and ready to go home after about one hour, but not Audrey. She wanted to tricky treat all night. After two and a half hours, when it began to rain very heavily, I convinced her that it would be okay if we went home. We had so much fun! Happy Halloween!