Time with family and friends

On 12/8, we drove (in the snow) up to Grandma's house to visit Stephanie and her family while they were here for her SIL's wedding.  Michelle was also there but only brought her baby, who is so cute and getting so big.  The girls had a great time playing with their cousin, Luke!

Playing on Grandma's piano with Luke

Makenna loving Grandpa throwing her around

Avery loved it, too!

They also loved Jason piling the three of them on his lap

I wrote this on FB later that night: Whew! We made it back over the summit and home safely! My hand hurts from gripping the door handle so tight. I did not enjoy the drive there and back but I did enjoy our day with family and the girls had so much fun playing with a couple of their cousins.

12/10--The girls had their 2-year check-up and I wrote this on FB:
So the size difference between my twins (2 years old on the 20th) is:
Avery = 23.6 lbs. (13th percentile), 32 1/4" (15%)
Makenna = 27.4 lbs. (62%), 34 1/4" (66%)

I took them to their appt. by myself today and they did really well--only cried for a couple of minutes after their shots. While Makenna was still crying, the nurse asked if they wanted a sucker and Makenna, through her tears, exclaimed, "Yes!" Never one to pass up a treat, ha ha!

Also posted later that day: I am laughing so hard right now! I was watching TV, waiting for the girls to wake from their nap, when I heard Makenna freaking out all of the sudden. Iturned on the video monitor to see she had pulled her shirt over her head; her arms were flailing and she was yelling, "Stuck! Stuck!" Ha ha! I can'tstop laughing!

12/11--I was asked to play my marimba at the Relief Society Christmas dinner for our old ward in Orem.  I wrote this on FB: So I played my marimba at a Christmas dinner tonight and, during "Silent Night", the music stand gave out and lowered right onto the marimba bars. No way I could continue playing with it like that so I paused to lift the stand up but it wouldn't stay up. While I was leaning over to try to fix the stand, my long necklace got stuck in between the bars! Thankfully, someone sitting right in front of the marimba helped me get the stand back up and I just started where I left off. Pretty funny now but I was really embarrassed at the time! 
 
12/12--Makenna checking out the Christmas tree from behind the gate.  No problems keeping ornaments on the tree here, ha ha!

12/13 on FB: Instead of napping, the girls are CRACKING UP at each other and I think they're kicking the walls. It's pretty fun to listen to but I do hope they sleep soon. They did sleep for 15 or 20 min. in the car on the way home from shopping, though; but they normally sleep 2-3 hours. They are being so funny!

12/17: A young couple, Alana and Travis, from our ward in Louisiana (I'm friends with both of their moms) came and stayed the night with us so they could leave their car at our house and I could take them to the airport for their trip home for the holidays.  Alana was one of the young women I took to girls camp when I was camp director there and she was a Laurel when I was in the YW presidency.  So weird that she is married, ha ha!  Jared was on a business trip but the girls and I had a nice time with them.  They brought a box of Ferrero Rocher and the girls warmed up to Travis right away when he gave them some of it.  :)  I made them dinner that night and breakfast the next morning, then the girls and I brought them to the airport.  They will come back on the 4th and we'll pick them up and they'll stay another night.  Cute couple.

Posted on FB on 12/19: I am driving myself CRAZY looking for the dang Mary from our Little People Nativity. She's been missing for days now. Every time I enter a room, I look around and wonder if there are any spots I missed where the girls could have put her. And I have searched the same places over and over again. Please come back, Mary, for my sanity! Why do I even care so much? Oh, yeah, because I'm nuts!

And later that day...

I found Mary! I went to empty one of the bathroom trash cans and there she was, lying behind it, smiling up at me. And I smiled back. Then I promptly went and gathered all of the other Nativity pieces (which were strewn around the living room) and set the Nativity back up. The trash still needs to be emptied. :P

12/20:  The girls' 2nd birthday!!!  I wrote this on FB:
I can't believe my baby girls are two years old today! I waited so long for them to come into my life and now I can't remember what it was like to not have them and can't imagine a single day without them. They are my everything and bring immeasurable joy to me every single day. I thank my Heavenly Father for sending them to me and I words can't describe how happy and fulfilled I am to be a mother. And I still wonder how I got so lucky to not only have twins but to have two girls who are amazingly beautiful, sweet, well-behaved, smart, funny, and the list goes on. :)

That night, I had 20+ people from Louisiana over for dinner!  We had seafood gumbo (by Kiki, YUMMO!), red beans and rice, salad, corn bread, and bread pudding (made by me) with almond sauce and rum sauce.  Everything was awesome and we had an amazing time and were even treated to some singing--and I was forced to play the marimba, ha ha. 

Aunt Kiki and Avery.  Aaaaw!

I know Jared's eyes are closed in this one but I love Makenna's expression

 These next few pics are of 4 of us girls who spent a LOT of time together my senior year (over 20 years ago!  Ack!)--me, Chani, Amiee, and Kiki:

Doing our model faces--we did a runway show one time in one of our living rooms and the families still remember it

Our Wanda impressions (from In Living Color, which we used to watch and quote ALL THE TIME)

Our Fire Marshall Bill faces, also from In Living Color

Just cracking up at each other. :)

I love those girls and their families so much and it was so, so fun to hang out with them and some of their families that night!  I hope we get to do it again soon!

In the next day or so, I will post about their birthday party.  Merry Christmas, y'all!!!!