merry christmas...and a happy new year!

Merry Christmas, once again it has taken me awhile to post another large bunch of pictures, but here we go.

On Christmas Eve we spent the evening at the Gollahers. Kate thought she was so grown up eating with the big kids.All of the grandkids got matching pajamas and they were just so cute that we had to take a million pictures! We also got to talk to Chads brother Landan on his mission in Mexico. We are so proud of him!!!Grandma and Grandpa Gollaher gave Kate the cutest little dora play tent and we could not get her out the entire night. She absolutely loves it!
Much to my suprise on Christmas morning I found myself waking up both Chad and Kate to go open presents! But Santa treated us very well this year. Kate loved her build a bear ballerina bunny that she picked out herself, she also got a new cell phone and lots of dolls!After we opened presents at our house we ventured over to my parents house for some more fun and presentsKate got spoiled with a new red wagon from Grandma and Grandpa Christiansen. We could not get her out of it all morning long. This will make a great entertainer this summer!Here is Chad showing off his crazy new jacket, what a funny boy!The rest of the day was spent with my Grandparents and family. Each year we have Christmas brunch and a gift exchange at the Markhams, and then we head over to spend time with the Christiansen family. Chad got to go snowmobiling with my cousin and uncles. While I stayed warm with the girls. Kate got some new silky princess jammies and she has also adopted her cousin Avery's dress up box. Silly Kate!Every New Years day my family has a dinner, and each person gets their own mini turkey. Kate absolutely loved the idea of ripping apart a turkey all by herself. It was delicious.By the time New Years Eve came around Chad was in need of a serious nap, apparently it was too bright and so he improvised with Kates doll to cover his eyes for a good new years eve nap.E
Earlier during the day on New Years Eve we joined Chads sister Amber and her husband Jeff and little Avery to have some fun at bouncin off the walls. Kate was a little hesitant of the big slides.Amber and I enjoyed our time hanging out on the bench while the husbands took the girls out to jump!Kates favorite part was the jumping room where she could jump all by herself (because she is all about being big and doing things by herself!)During the break I loved spending time with the family, and especially Kate. She helped me make chocolate chip cookies one night while chad was at work. What a good little helper!

She has also found a new hobby of putting random things on her head.We also took a snow day and I dressed Kate up all warm and we went out to play in the snow.She made such a cute little snow bunny! She helped me make a snowman... well she was more interested in walking on the shoveled sidewalks out toward the road. So unfortunately we never finished out snowman, but it was fun while it lasted. I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays, and have a great new year!

december fun!

Sorry we have been so slow in posting, here is a readers digest version of everything that we have been up... we'll start with Kate. She has been very busy taking care of our christmas tree (she loves to bang the glass ornaments together until they shatter).

She has also enjoyed lounging around in boxes...

and kitchen cupboards, what a silly girl!

Chads cute sister Amber and her family have come to Utah for Christmas, and Kate has reunited with her favorite partner in crime, her adorable cousin Avery.

Kate has also found better ways to get around... it's called slave labor. She put Anna to work pulling her around the store in her basket.

She has also mastered crazy faces! We went out to dinner for my Grandma's birthday and she played a long game of peek-a-boo with the couple that was sitting behind us. I got a really funny video of it!
And now for Ashley
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I got brave a few weeks ago and had Sydney chop off my hair! It is so easy to do and I absolutely love it!

I went to get pampered with my mom and sisters for my sweet Grandma Betty's birthday. Earlier that morning I had my first clinical rotation at a rehab center in Sandy, and I absolutely loved it! The nurse that I followed said I did a great job (thats always a good sign), and I look forward to many early morning- well not so much the early part.

Kate and I got to spend an afternoon at my cousin Chelsies house, Kate was entertained by Dakota while Chelsie and I made cute blocks for Christmas. It was a blast!

Here is another one of Kate's cute picture poses.

During the first week of December Kate and I ventured out with my friend Crystal to the Festival of Trees at the South Towne Expo Center. This was my favorite tree!

Each year the group for children with Trisomy 18 decorate a beautiful tree in memory of the children who have passed away. This was my sisters tree, and they did an awesome job on it! They usually have an angel theme, because these children truly are angels! It is a great way to comemorate their lives!
I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!!!

more crazy kate

Happy late Thanksgiving! Chad and I spent our evening at Wal-Mart for black friday sales and we got a new 50" plasma tv for way cheap! It was awesome!

Cute little Kate loves to put funny things on her head, this one she picked up at chad's work while we were visiting.

She has also picked up a new hobby... Driving cars!

It seems that only Grandma and Grandpa are crazy enough to let her drive though!

We visited the lights at temple square this week and Kate absolutely loved it! The weather was perfect, and the lights were amazing!

Among many of Kate's nicknames the latest, and possibly the most appropriate is Katezilla! (no explanation necessary). She has now learned to climb on the sink and brush her teeth, and also climb onto the countertops in the kitchen.

We are trying a new teaching method... garbage time out. Ha ha just kidding but it did make a good picture!

kate update

well its been a little while since I posted some Kate pictures so I thought I would share.

One of our new favorite things to do is visit the library and Kate gets to choose some of her favorite books!

She has also learned a cheesy new smile that she now demonstrates for the camera every chance she gets!

2 year anniversary!!!

This last tuesday Chad and I celebrated our second anniversary! Time flies! It seems like it was just yesterday that we were married and now its been two years! I am so lucky to have such a sweet husband and a beautiful baby!

But now i'll tell you a little about the day (November 11th). The night before I realized that I hadn't really gotten anything for Chad for our anniversary, so I packed up Kate at 10pm and trekked over to our neighborhood wal-mart. I made my way back to the electronics dept to find a movie or something... and then my curiosity got the best of me and I asked the sales manager if they would be getting any wii's in soon. Much to my delight he showed me over to the case of newly delivered wii's. I am very weak when it comes to shopping and I decided that would be a great present for Chad (and when he decided that it was too expensive then we could just return it and I would look like a good little wife). Ha ha. Well at 2:30am Chad came home from work because he forgot his dinner and I proceeded to tell him that I had a really cool present for him, and being weak once again I gave it to him. Need less to say he had a really hard time leaving to go back to work.

Early the next morning I headed off to school (before Chad was even home from work). I took my test and all kinds of fun stuff! After I was done with school I met up with Chad at his familys home and he suprised me with a cute homemade card and a lovely bunch of roses :)

We then went to the Melting Pot in Salt Lake for dinner (if you haven't tried this place you need to go, it is so much fun!). We both ate so much food that we had a hard time walking back to the car, ha ha. But it was so good! Once we picked up Kate we made another stop by wal-mart because Chad insisted on getting some new games for his wii, and we stayed up until 1am playing mario party, ha ha. It was a really fun day, and I am looking forward to one more year with my sweet hubby!

Family Pictures!

We recently had our family pictures and Kates one year picutures taken and I am so excited that they turned out so cute that I have to share!

photosbyfiona.com/kate

I need help choosing which ones to have enlarged, so let me know your favorites! Thanks!

happy days!

Well I have finally turned 22! I know, I know, I am so young to be married and have a baby, I have heard it before. I have come to the conclusion that birthdays are not all they are cracked up to be. I went to school and took three tests, then came home and took care of Kate, but the good news is that I did get to go to my favorite restaurant (Outback) with some of my favorite people (my family). It turned out to be a good day after all.

and Chad surprised me with a new camera so I can post even more pictures on our blog!

Happy Halloween! Kate dressed up as a beautiful fairy this year and made her trick-or-treating rounds with aunt Anna and Camille.
We also took her trick-or-treating down center street into some of the little shops, on the way Kate and Chad stopped to shake some leaves off the tree, and Kate loved it! Unfortunately we learned not to give babies lots of candy, later in the evening Kate threw up all over someones driveway, and me, and her costume! Yuck
Here are the pretty fairy princesses dancing in the street!
Last weekend as a final celebration of Halloween and my birthday Chad and I and some friends went to lagoon, it was a blast (except for the part when chad dragged me through the haunted house, ha ha)