Charlotte talking.

I know I know...I haven't even posted about Christmas day or my time with my sister's family yet. But in 11 months time, the primary will be giving their presentation and I am just so worried about it. Crazy, but everyone gets to speak and sing and I don't know what Charlotte will do. I've been trying to have her say, "I am a child of God" but it seems that it's a bit too long for her. So this morning I tried "Jesus loves me". And that's what she says in the video. I am just so darn proud of her. I don't know if this is really what she'll say in November but I am working on one good phrase with her so that she has something to say. She goes into Sunbeams on Sunday. Apparently she was teary-eyed when they went into the Primary room to practice going in there (funny, huh? but I'm so grateful for that! It's probably standard too but this is all new to me). She never wailed or cried out, just one tear fell down her cheek after her class helped with the song "Saturday". I saw her hold a tin can (others a brush, towel, etc.) and she looked so grown up. I hope she has a good time in Primary. I'm just happy that she's not the only one going through this on Sunday. But poor Sunbeam teachers! I bet there will be a lot of crying kids...

P.S. don't forget to pause the music so you can hear her!

Christmas Eve

Tradition in the Ardern Family is to hold a family Christmas Eve party on Christmas Eve. We only took pictures of the food! Oh well. Here's Chandler looking at the yummy food. It was so stinkin' good. Then we read the poem "Twas the Night before Christmas" and Luke 2. Then the kids opened up one present each which turned out to be new pajamas for them to wear.

Jack in his new pjs. Forgot to get some of Charlotte on Christmas Eve! I'm bad. OH well. Tons for Christmas morning though.

Wade reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Christmas morning.

Hardware Ranch

I didn't realize how close I was to the horse. All of a sudden there's this huge horse breathing and making noises down my neck. I jumped. And high-tailed it out of there. I was told by someone when I was little that if you get too close to a horse, it'll bite your hand off. It probably isn't true but I didn't want to risk it.

Do you feel a draft, Bill?

Jack was there...just in the carseat on the floor of the sleigh.

Olivia, Becky, Davis and Hitler...er Chandler. (Chandler got a bloody nose and he looked like hitler. It was so funny.)

My sister and her husband and kids came out for Christmas. We had such a fantastic time! Jason came out on Christmas Eve because he had to do some work but I was able to enjoy Becky and the kids a few days before he came out. We headed out on Monday for a place called Hardware Ranch. We took a sleigh ride around some elk (we told the kids it was reindeer he he). Didn't expect it to be like a little sleigh ride that went in 3 circles and a huge lecture on Elk. It was pretty intense going there too. A huge snow storm happened on our way there (took 45 min. which is normally a 15 min. drive) and there wasn't a good spot to turn around. It was actually scary but we made it to and from safely and had a fun, crazy memory to remember!

A few pics. from the holiday.

Sun. Dec. 21---I decided to put Charlottes hair in rags the night before to have it curly for the nice Christmas Sacrament program. Never done it before. I've seen Elle (New Zealand) with her hair in rags and it came out in perfect ringlets. That's how I thought it would turn out. I don't think so. It came out so stinkin' curly but you know what? I LOVED it.

My little Jack-a-roo

Charlotte and Jack play with each other all the time. They really are become such good friends.

(Christmas pictures will come soon. Don't wanna bombard you with a zillion posts)

Snow on Wade Lane

So, snow has never landed on Wade Lane before! We had to take a picture. (To those who don't know what we're talking about, this is the sign that is from an actual street in New Zealand. Wade's family moved there when he was a little boy).

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! We hope that you have an enjoyable time with friends and family. I can't wait for Santa to come. I've been a very GOOD girl! ; )

Flashback Friday

Wade (and me) excavating two pit houses called Dos Casas in 2001 for our BYU Field School. I'm in the back, bent over with a purple bandana and aqua blue shirt...

This is me during our Field School while on survey (the first week of the dig, my crew was on survey). We surveyed all the way until the edge of the canyon. Had to take a picture. At the very bottom is the Escalante River.

Here is a bit of reminiscing for our dig/survey in Escalante. It was before Wade and I started dating. It was a blast, we got great tans and learned so much. I really do have a passion for Archaeology.

Christmas 1993.

Ode to a Car Seat....

So I'm such a sentimental freak. I get so attached to things when there really isn't need to be. I feel sorry...yep, SORRY for Christmas trees that have been cut down and don't get picked and then all the trees that are picked are just tossed out like garbage once Christmas is over. It's hard to throw things away like a doodle from Charlotte even though she has 100 pages of the exact same (well, close to it) doodles. I think (not literally) that objects have feelings and I need to hold on to them. When I was labout 8 years old, I got a pair of hand-me down jeans. They had the zipper at the bottom of the leg. You know what I'm talking about...those cool zip jeans. Well, of course I wore them all the time and got holes in the knees. So instead of throwing them out, I decided to make them into jean shorts! But that's not the crazy part. I kept the part that was cut off from the rest of the jean. Isn't that just dumb? I found them in my keepsake box a few years ago. Of course I put them straight in the trash....but it took a bit of courage. WEIRD, I know. I think I have that hoarding syndrome...but a small form of it. Anywho. So Jack's carseat started to break at the top of the handle. So we decided to call Evenflo about it. They are going to replace it (actually it just came today!). I was so excited. We needed a safe car seat when hauling him around but couldn't afford a new one. But the sad thing is...they don't have the same fabric/style anymore. I was so bummed. They sent out the closest looking thing...which isn't close at all!!! But I'm sad. I was going to just keep the same cover and put it on the new one but the new one has a new feature...you can put a seatbelt through the top if you don't have a base (like for a second car, etc.) so now if I put the old cover on...it would cover up that area. And part of the deal for the replacement is that you return everything from the old car seat to Evenflo. Sigh. I'm excited for the safer car seat but sad to get rid of the old one. I actually got teary -eyed when Wade packed it up in the box. I'm teary-eyed now. Isn't that silly? It's just a car-seat...but it's not any old car-seat. It's the seat that Charlotte and Jack were taken home in from the hospital, the seat that came to New Zealand with us. A seat with memories. Oh well, time to make new memories. Goodbye, car seat. Farewell, you were loved!

And one more...

I needed another picture of Jack on here. Searched for one and found this. I hate blogging more pictures of one child over another...maybe it's just me being crazy. Just have to let you know I love both kids! : )

Bouncer

Charlotte loves her bouncer...now it's Jack's though. She goes all out rocking that thing like crazy! But you should see Jack in it too. He gets his leg going. It's so funny to watch him in it. I need to get a video of it sometime.

Charlotte's Christmas Program

Peeling the Santa gift, shred by shred...Hurry up!! ha ha

Random picture of Charlotte...just had to show off the dress ;). 1.99 at Kmart when we found it March of this year!!! I love deals : )

The magician came...the kids loved it!

Charlotte read the program during the program.

Here is the best picture of all the kids in the Sound Beginnings Program (minus a couple). Too bad there was a large head in the bottom of the photo. Argh.

Charlotte's school had a Christmas program. The kids sang (well, the older ones did) We just sat in the audience. During a story time, the kids helped with the puppets of "The Gingerbread Man". Charlotte helped with the river shaking. My pictures came out blurry. I can't stand the camera!! I need to figure out how to take a picture that isn't blurry (or if it is on auto...not to make it dark in NATURAL LIGHT. So lame). The kids gave the parents a gift (a rag tied Christmas tree), Santa gave them a gift (Charlotte got a coloring book) and Sound Beginnings gave each child a stocking full of presents. It was awesome...even the refreshments were great. She had a great time and looked dang cute in her "Santa" dress!

I know I know...Charlotte's are blurry...but she MOVES. ha ha. Had to add them in anyway since she so is against having her picture taken now.

Sleeping babies

About a week ago after Charlotte and Jack went to bed, we checked on them. Charlotte just looked so dainty while she slept. Like many pictures, it was cuter in person but hey, she's cute no matter what! Had to add a picture of Jack-a-roo too : )

Charlotte walking.

I've got two videos of Charlotte walking. They're pretty much the same except one is shorter. But she's doing better and better everyday. Go Charlotte!

Santa and the kids.

We had a ward Christmas party on Saturday night. It was a lot of fun! Santa came so we had the opportunity to get some pictures. We had just received our new digital camera (thank you black friday deals! 89 bucks!!) and so the ones with charlotte are blurry since we didn't have time to think to get the proper settings right. The moment she was put on Santa's lap she did NOT want to be on him! It was so funny. And Jack, he just didn't care. That was the first time both kids got on Santa's lap. She had a blast minus the Santa incident!

Charlotte and Jack together.

Jack in the exersaucer.

He's so dang cute if I do say so myself! Here are some cute pics and a video for you.

Poor guy...likes to scratch when he's sleepy or feeding. I use socks but he's mastered getting them off of his hands...hopefully this ends soon.

I seriously love this picture! He's so cute! Can I say it enough??

Charlotte just loves playing with Jack. And he's really starting to enjoy the time she spends with him.