Are those cheetahs going to kill that zebra?

That was the question that inspired the following photos.  And when Jon and I read it on Facebook, for whatever reason it made us laugh so hard we cried.  And then someone suggested that Jon needed to dress up like his ladies.  And Aunt Abby stated that, "an expectation had been made":

 And that's how this crazy fun ball got rolling.

Can we talk about Lydia's enthusiasm?

Mia's probably wondering how she got thrown in with this crowd.

And Sophie...those kitty claws.  Is she not the cutest cat you've ever seen?

Front Runner to City Creek

 

 We started the Christmas Season off by taking Frontrunner from Layton to Salt Lake.  The train ride was, in a word, magical.  The girls loved sitting on the blue seats and staring out the windows watching the cars cruise along and gazing at the mountains.  The sun was setting and it was warm and comfy inside. 

When we got to Salt Lake and transferred to Trax it was much less magical.  The girls struggled a bit to get on (the steps were big and difficult to manage) and the atmosphere wasn't what it had been on Frontrunner.  I think part of their struggle was that they had dinner on the brain.  Hungry little girls are not necessarily happy girls.  We reached City Creek and enjoyed Chick-fil-A for dinner.  Lydia probably would have been happy with just her lemonade, but both she and Sophie managed to fill up and cheer up.  We then spent 40 minutes in both the Mother's room (taking care of Mia) and in the restroom washing up from dinner.

As we were leaving the food court a woman was standing outside this "lantern" asking passersby if they wanted to visit with Santa Claus.  Did the girls want to?  Of course they did!  So we stepped inside and it was so cozy and inviting.  What's more was that Santa and Mrs. Claus were the real deal.  They'd been doing this for the past then years, Texas and Michigan before coming to Salt Lake City.  Lydia had no trouble going up to Santa and sitting on his lap.  She had a good conversation with him and assured him that she'd been a good little girl before asking him for a Care Bear and a jump rope.  Then she was told that Mrs. Claus had a book for her if she wanted to go over to see her.  Sophie was much more prepared to talk to Santa this year.  No tears from her!  She sat on his lap and asked for a kitty and a puppy before making her way over to Mrs. Claus.  That visit, on top of Frontrunner and dinner made the night a success.  We could have ended it right then and it would have been fine, but we were there to see the lights at Temple Square, so we needed to keep on going.  

On our way there we stopped to look at some of the candy windows.  They were filled with Charlie Brown and Snoopy.  The girls told us that they liked the one with Snoopy the best. The lights were beautiful, but taking a picture wasn't easy and by now the girls were really cold and ready to head home.  Jon took one of the ladies, but we weren't able to get a family shot and weren't about to fight that battle.  We made our way to the Nativity and spent some time there looking at the Manger with Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.  We listened for a few minutes, saw the star, the wise men and the shepherds and realized that going early in December like we did is the way to do it.  There were plenty of people there but it wasn't packed like it is the closer you get to Christmas. We would have loved to stay a little longer but Lydia let us know that she was freezing and we suspected that Sophie was too though she never admitted to it.

We headed back to Trax, Mia in bjorn and the girls in the bob and started stressing that we weren't going to make it back to Frontrunner station in time.  The thought of being stuck in the cold with the girls for an hour before the next run arrived was unpleasant. They were pretty miserable by now and Sophie was refusing to wear her gloves as well as refusing to hold our hands.  The girls hats weren't cooperating either and I'm sure that didn't help.  At any rate, we made it.  And not only did we make it back on time, we made it back with five minutes to spare! Phew!

The ride back went by really quickly.  There was an older lady asking about our girls.  She found out they liked animals and told them the names of her pets.  When she found out they had their own pets (stuffed puppies and kittens) she asked for the names of their stuffed animals.  She found out what they wanted for Christmas, and loved watching Mia light up as she watched her sisters.  That's one of my favorites with these three.  Mia could watch them all day and now that she's sitting up and rolling around it feels like it won't be long until she's running around and giggling with Lydia and Sophie. 

There was another young lady sitting across the aisle from us playing peek a boo with Mia.  Sophie and Lydia enjoying it just as much if not more than Mia did.  Giggles galore.  Sophie hugged Jon all the way home and Lydia saw a dog hop on the train and wanted so badly to go and follow it upstairs. 

It was a wonderful evening and we're excited to continue the tradition in the coming years.

Who wore it best?

 Mia

 Sophie

Lydia

And one of Mia with her wings... Thanks so much Aunt Abby for alerting us to the fact that she wasn't wearing any!

Halloween 2015

 

 As has become tradition, we start thinking of Halloween costume ideas months in advance.  Great ideas poured in from November to September, but when October arrived Jon and I encouraged Lydia and Sophie to pick a costume and stick with it. We tried to explain that we needed at least a little bit of time so that we could get things to come together the way they wanted them to. 

A week before Halloween we got to go to a party hosted by one of Jon's coworkers.  It was at his family farm and designed for kids of all ages.  There were loads of games to play and Lydia and Sophie threw bean bags, knocked over stacked cups, and tried to pin stickers on a pumpkin's nose while blindfolded.  There was a hayride that was so wild it could easily have passed for a ride at Lagoon.  My stomach was not prepared for the off-roading we endured that night.  I'm not sure Mia appreciated how tightly I held her.  She was pretty tough for most of the ride, but towards the end she'd had enough.  About halfway through the tractor driver stopped to tell some spooky stories.  He said something about puppies turning into werewolves, which has given Lydia lots to think about since then.  Being a dog lover like she is, I'm sure it's a wee bit disturbing to think of a puppy becoming something horrifying.  There was a piñata and a potato sack race.  The sack races were broken up into age groups.  Sophie didn't participate, but Lydia won her age group.  No need to mention that she only had one competitor to race with. ;) There was a also a costume contest.  We were actually going to leave earlier than we did, but were informed that Lydia was winning the costume contest for the kids group.  We couldn't take off early knowing that!!  Lydia did indeed win, and was awarded a medal, which she wore happily around her neck and talked about how wonderful it was all the way home.  She also got to choose a prize and picked out a lovely mask.  Such a fun night.

The Monday before Halloween the girls got to choose a design for their pumpkin (which they would be choosing from Day's Farm later in the week) as part of family night.  Lydia went with a dog, a Beagle to be precise, and Sophie went with a kitty. 

Tuesday night the girls chose pumpkins.  Mia got one as well.  Not as big and not to be carved, but it would look lovely sitting on our front steps.  Thursday night Jon started on the pumpkins with lots of help from his girls.  The plan was to have the girls dig out the pumpkin guts and it was going okay at first... Lydia was about ready to throw in the towel though and just watch either Mom or Dad dig out the pumpkins when Jon stepped in and loosened the insides.  It was just what the girls needed.  Sophie was a little more determined to clean out her pumpkin with or without help, but in her enthusiasm she was getting a little carried away with her big spoon.  We were hoping to avoid dents on our kitchen table so loosening the insides made everybody happy.  By the end of the night the pumpkins were ready to be carved but as it was so late that would have to wait for another day. 

Saturday morning Jon woke up earlier than everyone else and spent his morning transforming our beautiful pumpkins into something more.  He used some pottery tools he'd kept from a ceramics class he took in college and that helped expedite the process.  He's definitely got skills!! And the girls were in love. Also, I'm in love with this photo.  This is what they'd call their working on their "goofball island."

We took some pictures before heading off to Grandma and Grandpa Blackhurst's to trick-or-treat.  We love this new tradition where the girls get to look for a book and a toy in a room at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  They were really excited about their book Wherever You Are my love will find you by Nancy Tillman and Sophie went to bed that night with the cuddly panda bear that went with it.  We stopped by Grandma and Grandpa Dobson, and tried to stop by Grandma Duse's but she wasn't home.  Finally we went to Grandma and Grandpa Frazier's.  There was a mummy sitting on the porch, but the girls weren't terribly bothered by him.  When Grandma opened the door with the bowl of candy she sort of held on to the center of it when she realized it was us.  They have one of those bowls with a green witchy looking hand in the middle.  When you put your hand in the bowl the hand grabs at you and if you aren't prepared for it, it's rather startling.  Frightening, really.  Lydia nearly flew off the barstool when we were all inside and Grandma showed the girls how it worked.

After we ate dinner at home Uncle Tophe came over to pass out candy so that Jon, Mia and I could all accompany the girls trick-or-treating.  So nice of him!!  While traipsing through the neighborhood Lydia reminded Sophie several times, "Soph! You have to say 'trick-or-treat' or you won't get any candy!!" There was sincere concern in her voice each time she said it.  After each house she'd turn to Jon and ask, "can we still go trick or treating?" And, "is it still Halloween?"  Somewhere along the way and in between houses I heard Sophie's little voice say, "and the hand said 'I want some candy!'" Apparently Grandma Frazier's bowl left quite an impression on her.  Sophie also needed to be reassured that, "after Halloween it's Thanksgiving, right? And then after Thanksgiving it's Christmas, right?"

 

As the night went on the girls lasted quite a bit longer than I imagined they would.  We reached the opposite end of our street and the girls went up to the house on the corner.  We all noticed a ginormous spider leering at us from this family's front porch, but it didn't do anything when we approached it.  It was clearly plugged in, so we asked about it when our neighbors were passing out candy.  The mom came over and showed us how it worked, which nearly sent Lydia flying backwards down the steps.  Sophie's fingers immediately popped into her mouth as she stood there in silent terror.  They didn't admit it at the time, but they were clearly spooked.  We made it down the steps and the girls seemed fine, but as we continued walking home (they were tired at this point and we planned to go home, but the interaction with the spider sealed the deal). Sophie insisted on walking on her own and carrying her bucket by herself.  She was such a trooper the whole night, but I suspected she wasn't doing as well as she wanted us to believe.  After we were more than half way home she finally started crying.  She was both exhausted and terrified of that gigantic spider, and so she finally consented to let Dad carry her. 

All three girls really enjoyed themselves.  I just assume that Mia did... Lydia and Sophie will tell you that they had a great time.  Such a fun night.  Fun week, really. I love seeing them enjoying themselves so much.  And they all slept really well once they finally fell asleep that night. :)  

Black Island Farms

On October 29th Sophie, Mia and I crashed Lydia's field trip along with all the other preschool students' moms in Lydia's class.  The kids got to go to Black Island Farms.  I'd never been before, but had heard fabulous things about it.  Everything I'd ever heard anybody say was true.  Despite the cold, the girls had a wonderful time.

They loved the hayride and learning about carrots and sunflower seeds held their attention for a few minutes.  When we stopped and they got to hop off the hayride to choose a pumpkin, they were in heaven.  Sophie needed to pick a "big" one, so we looked around until she was satisfied.  It didn't take her long.  Lydia spotted the one she wanted almost the instant she was in the pumpkin patch.  After the hayride Lydia's teacher gathered her students for a class picture and I thought I'd take one of them too.  When I reached for my phone I realized it wasn't in my pocket.  After a quick search in my diaper bag I discovered it wasn't there either.  It had fallen out of my pocket sometime after we'd picked our pumpkins.  I was a little panicked.  I hadn't saved any of the pictures I'd taken since I'd gotten my phone last November.  The thought of them just being gone was crushing.  Nearly a year's worth of photos. Gone.  I returned to our tractor and scanned it without much hope.  There was nothing on the floor.  As I was resigning myself to never seeing my phone again a Black Island Farm employee was holding it up as he walked through the crowd.  He'd just brought a group of kids back from their ride and told me that his tire had come within inches of rolling over my phone.  Yikes!! And phew!! I thanked him profusely and rushed back to join Lydia and Sophie so that we could check out the rest of the farm.

 The girls and I spotted these bales of hay piled high with slides built on top of them on either end.  The girls really struggled to climb them on their own.  There was a rope ladder thrown over the bales of hay (that resembled large steps) in between the slides and that certainly made it easier for Lyds an Soph to conquer them, but I still had to assist them the first time up.  Once at the top of the slide the girls were passed up by several other kids racing down the slides.  Sophie just stood there for a very long time.  Lydia finally got up the courage to slide down and realized how much fun it was.  She was up that rope ladder in an instant and tried to coax Sophie into sliding down with her.  It took much persuasion, but in the end Sophie slid down with Lydia and they both scurried off to do it again.  I'm glad they warmed up to it; too bad it happened when I decided we ought to go home. 

I was concerned that Mia might be reaching her limit and that getting her home before she realized how hungry she was would be for the best.  We were on our way to the exit when they girls noticed the cow bounce house.  They begged me to take them over to jump for a minute and Mia was being such a champ that I figured why not.  The line was short.  The group waiting consisted of Lydia and Sophie and a little girl around their age.  Stars aligned.  The girls wouldn't enjoy themselves if there were too many kids.  They'd definitely struggle if there were lots of older kids. Conditions were ideal.  They jumped for a few minutes and that was that.  As we were getting shoes and boots back on we were informed that a pig race would be starting across the field in just a few minutes.  A pig race?!!  What on earth??? When would we ever have the chance to witness a pig race again?  Mia still seemed content, so we headed toward the pig race track and found a good spot before everybody else started crowding in.  While we waited we watched a goat walk on a long, thin bridge from his fenced in area to the roof of a little barn where the pigs were waiting to start their race.  The goats started eating some food that had been placed on the roof and we were all very entertained up until it was time for the race to start.  A teenage boy introduced the pigs who would be competing in the first race and the audience was encouraged to choose a pig to cheer for.  If we shouted the pigs' names loudly they were sure to race well, but if not the pigs would stop to eat the clovers and lose the race.  We cheered for Midnight the first go around.  Sadly, he lost, but at least he didn't stop to eat the clovers like some of his competitors.  He wasn't last either.  Second go around we hoped that Runt would win, and he did!  Wahoo!

When I asked Lydia about her fieldtrip she said, "I liked the slide.  And when I got home I liked the snack.  I liked the bouncy house.  I loved the pigs and the goats too.  I loved them very much.  They are cute too." 

Sophie said, "I liked the hayride.  I liked getting on the ride.  I liked picking my pumpkin and I liked drawing (we did that after the fieldtrip) and I liked the bouncy house and the slide."

Seriously, such a good time at the Farm.  From what I saw the cow bounce house was definitely Sophie's favorite.  Lydia loved the pig race!! In fact, she loved it so much that for a solid hour she decided that she wanted a pig for a pet instead of a dog.  We really enjoyed ourselves.  I'm a wimp in the cold and could have left much sooner than we actually did, but I'm glad we stayed.  Mia really was a champ!! She was so chill the entire time.  Just hanging out in her jammies.  They were warm and she just took in the sights and was content to watch her sisters.  She stayed happy while we got a quick picture and then she let me have it.  She'd clearly had enough and was major unhappy the entire car ride home.  Once we made it home and she ate and warmed up it was time for a good long nap.  And that was exactly what Mia did.  She slept the entire afternoon away and didn't wake up until sometime after 7:00 that evening.  What an exhausting day.

Amazon woman- 4 months stats

August 27th

We took Mia in for her four month well child check up on October 21st.  She's been holding her head up well for awhile now and looked the doctor right in the eye while he examined her.  She gave him a big smile at some point and that's when he said, "yep! She definitely has her own look, but now that she's smiling I can see her sisters in her.  Such an endearing smile."  And that dimple. Oh I love it so so much!!

So her stats are:
Weight: 11.5 pounds, 10%
Length: 26.5 inches, 99%

She grew four inches in two months! The nurse was pretty amazed to see such growth, so she measured her twice.  And the results were the same.  Jon and I had noticed that she seemed really long.  One of our neighbors actually asked if she was a tall baby.  Being in the 99th percentile would project her to be 5'11" when she's fully grown. Ha! Wouldn't that be something?! Our doctor says to take these measurements with a grain of salt.  Knowing who Mia's parents are makes him a little skeptical that our daughter could be so tall.  I suppose only time will tell.

October 22nd

I know I've mentioned her dimple before, but I seriously can't get enough! She's got the best smile ever.  When I get close to her she opens her mouth super super wide and flails her arms and legs.  I love that she does that!  Makes me feel like I'm the most important person in the world to her every time she does it. I love that she's such a happy baby.  She's started giggling at her sisters in the last few weeks.  Both Lydia and Sophie are champs at making her laugh.  She loves it when they run up to her or jump up and down.  Sophie spitting in her general area is hilarious, apparently.  Jon made her laugh like crazy the other night.  He started out by looking at her, then away and then suddenly getting right back in her face.  It brought on such a fit of giggles, I wish I'd recorded it!  I love the sound of her laugh!!

October 20th

Also, she seems to love all things white.  I'd feel fairly confident in telling you that it's her favorite color. ;) At least she puts all the white things that she can get her hands on into her mouth.  I think it might be because most of her swaddling blankets are white.  She tried to put Jon's white pajama shirt in her mouth the other day.  Let's be honest, she's not super particular about what goes into her mouth, but if she did get choosey we're pretty sure that if it's white it's gonna make the cut. Just about everything she touches ends up soaking wet.  She is one cute slobber monster.  Her fists are constantly covered in drool.  Her clothes are often drenched under her chin.  Especially if she's able to get them up into her mouth.  I put her in some pajamas a little early one evening and she'd soaked them within an hour.  We found out at her checkup that the drooling and putting everything into her mouth is not an indication of teething. Phew! ;)

September 7th

So she won't take a pacifier.  Lydia didn't until she was six months and it was a nightmare to wean her from it.  Sophie never did take a pacifier.  She still self soothes by sort of sucking her tongue or something...?  It's kind of hard to describe, but she makes these sucking noises that let us know she's either asleep or will be shortly.  Anyway, Mia isn't a fan of the pacifier but Jon hasn't given up yet.  There are moments when it'd be really nice if she'd take one, but I think I prefer it this way. Of course if she changes her mind, I won't object. 

September 17th

She's joined us at the dinner table and seems to really enjoy sitting with us.  She doesn't necessarily seem to be interested in food, but she likes to look at everyone.  We do tummy time quite regularly and she's hurtled the pillow we use to prop her up.  She's on her way to crawling!  She also grabs a fistful of my hair every chance she gets.  One of our neighbors commented that she looks so tiny, but is doing big baby things!  She's fun to watch and there are a few women at church who request to hold her each Sunday.  She sure thinks she's a big girl.  Besides sitting at the dinner table she's become quite the chatty Cathy.  She's made a habit of cooing through movies and babbling about clearly very important things.  Up until last night she's kept her baby talk to waking hours.  Last night, however was something special.  From about 4:00 am to 5:00 she was babbling and cooing in the cutest little voice.  She wasn't upset or sad, as far as I could tell, but she sure was determined to stay awake and tell me all about...life.  What's not to love about this little darling?? I can't think of a single thing.

This was taken just a few days after she reached four months.  I love it.  It's a favorite of these two, and Mia's smile.  So sweet.

Mia's Blessing Day

Little Mia was blessed on September 13th, a week shy of her reaching three months. The day was beautiful.  Warm with clear skies.  Everything came together splendidly.  Both sets of Grandparents arrived at our house before church to stock our fridge and see if they could be of help.  As a result Lydia and Sophie rode to church with Grandma and Grandpa Frazier and made sure that Mia and I had a seat when we arrived. 

Mia cried through the entire blessing.  So uncharacteristic of her!  She has such a sweet personality and is so cheerful and calm.  She smiles all the time.  Perhaps the Grandpas and Uncles bouncing her to calm her during the blessing had the opposite effect.  Fortunately no permanent damage was done.  She was back to her happy self soon after the blessing was over.  I imagine she wanted to get out of her dress sooner rather than later, but she didn't fuss too much.

Grandma Blackhurst took notes of the blessing and this was what was recorded:

Heavenly Father, by the power of the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood which we bear and in the name of Jesus Christ, we take this infant in our arms to give her a name and a blessing.  The name we have chosen is Mia McKenzie Frazier.  Mia, I bless you with health and strength.  You have been given a body and an opportunity to be here on this earth.  I bless you as you grow to develop a love for learning.  I also bless you with a love for gaining knowledge of the gospel and of your Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  Seek knowledge out of the best books.  Look to the examples of your older sisters.  Know that they will also look to you for an example at times in their lives when they will need it.  I bless you to enjoy your time on this earth and to be respectful of the importance of the earth-life experience.  Be a peacemaker and seek to love those around you.  Center your life in the gospel of Jesus Christ and seek to share your testimony with others.  Know of the love that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for you.  Be a seeker of all good things.  I leave these blessings with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Bishopric wives spoke on the family and before  Dori Bowman gave her talk on marriage she commented on how she felt like the veil had been so thin while Jon was blessing Mia.  The meeting had a really sweet spirit throughout and I loved the messages these good women shared.  Family.  What a perfect topic for Mia's big day.

We appreciated all the family that were able to come and support us.  They included: Grandma and Grandpa Frazier, Cathy, Caleb, Brynlie and Brandon. Stacey, Lance, Connor and Eric. Grandma and Grandpa Blackhurst, Will, Summer, Ben, James, and Madison. Isaac and Amber. Jarom, Brittany, Leila and Darius. Uncle Tophe and Uncle Nate. We missed all the Aunts and Uncles and cousins who live so far away.

Some favorites of our little doll to this point include her smile!!!!!!!!! So in love.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️  I can't get enough of her huge open mouth grins. Her kicky legs.  She is so strong!!  I may be biased in saying that, but I can't believe how badly this little lady wants to stand up.  And not just for a second.  All. The. Time.  Her legs really are strong.  She's holding her head up so well and I love to see her watching her sisters.