What I really want for Christmas

So it is that time of year again. The time where everyone wants a Christmas list from you and all the great ideas you have had for the past 11 months that you thought about writing down but didn't have completely escaped your mind. So I have come up with a few things; a new sweater, a watch (I don't have a single one that still works), a few replacement sets of earrings for those I (read my kids) lost down the drain, all the usual suspects. But as I thought about it her is my REAL wish list:

Dear Santa,
For Christmas this year I would like........
1. An 8 foot fake tree. One that looks real but doesn't need water, or to be cleaned up after each day as the needles fall, or that makes my allergies crazy. And yes I would like little white lights superglued on, perfectly spaced so that all I have to do is roll it out each December.
( I know it is a little bah humbug but this is my list.)
2. One Saturday morning each month when I get to sleep in as late as I like.
3. My kids to like vegetables and want to eat with silverware.
4. Jake to be spontaneously potty trained.
5. Self cleaning toilets and showers
6. A house broken pug puppy (this is fantasy after all)
7. One week of fresh snow on the mountain, sunshine and a baby sitter.
Thank you for your consideration
Kate

Hay You!

The kiddie hay maze is one of our favorite traditions at Halloween. This face on Jake says it all. It is also the face that I seem to see the most these days. It says, "Here I come at about 100 mile per hour, brace yourself!"Along with the hay maze is hay for throwing / jumping. Nothing better than a hay fight. All in all it was a pretty great day out for the Sheffields.

Pumpkin Picking

We pick pumpkins in addition to apples, but only once a year.

Apple Picking: Part Two

We made to Walters Fruit Ranch as a family in time for some of the last apples of the season. Jake was again focused on the eating part of the adventure.











Gabby, of course, insisted on wearing her hot pink cowgirl hat (thanks Mimi). I think my mother does this to torture me!













Finally, we have the annual "box" photo. Each year we take pictures of the kids in the fruit box. Some years are more successful than others. Just for fun (or just for my fun) I posted years past below.

Past Year "Box" photos

Hats, Hoods and Goggles

Dress up is certainly a constant at our house. Gabby wanted to help out Dad in his hat selection. Mat always seems to have a hat for every occasion, but none that match this.

Not wanting Jake to be left out Gabby created a custom look for our little car lover.

Jake was a lion for Halloween (I am still looking for our Halloween pictures by the way.......). The costume was well used by October 31.

Who knew how many uses ski goggles have?

So You Think You Can Dance: The Tour

So Emily and I made it happen. For almost 24 hours we were without commitments, children or any adult supervision...in short we were 16 again! We both flew into Salt Lake and met at the airport. We rented a car and with nothing but the best intentions of getting an outfit for Emily to wear to her sisters wedding, hit the mall. Apparently it had been a while since I tried shopping without children in tow. One pair of fabulous purple shoes, a set a matching jean I would have never bought on my own, and a trendy green coat later we were off to the show. (Thank you fashion guru Emily)
We were both a little afraid that the tour would not live up to our VERY high expectations. We were soooo wrong. It was AMAZING!! Seriously I still do not have words. We cruised back to Emily's parents' place and crashed for a few hours of sleep before our early morning flights back to reality.
Thanks to Matt and Scott for taking the kids and making it all possible. Save the date for next year!!!

Apple picking: Round one

So we do lots of apple picking in the fall. Say it with me: Cheap Road Trip! It burns an entire morning. This year we hit the apples with the Pincock twins and Maddie Rawlins.
Jake was not about to be part of the group photo but he gets points for determination.
As crazy as this sounds this is the coolest thing... It is a giant sandbox of dried PEAS! The kids love it and they actually stay pretty clean. Who thought of this and how do I get one?

Pink Pink Pink!

Gabby lives in pink. Our big clothing break through was the recently she added dark pink (ie hot pink) to the approved clothing color list. The craziest part is that while these pictures are from September, she is still wearing her ballet leotard almost every day! We have snow!!!!

1st Days

Gabby had her first day of ballet last Friday! She has been so excited. She went shopping with Mimi (Grandma Mary Jane) for her leotard last week and has worn it almost every waking moment since. She would wear it to bed as well if we would let her. I think in her first half hour lesson they learned to point their toes and possibly to plie. Can you imagine a class of 3 and 4 year olds? Herding cats is all I have to say. Her teacher is a very brave woman!



Today was Gabby's first day of pre school. Gabby attended pre three school last year (love those fall birthdays!). This year she was off and running, literally, to the dress up pile to steal the best princess dress. Ah yes, experience counts. After 'helping' her remember to share she seemed to adjust quite quickly (as in 60 seconds) to the new class. While I lost the battle of the cute "first day of school outfit" I did win the "no costumes, pjs, or dirty and/or stained clothes" battle. We will call it a draw.