Snow Day

We got several inches of snow last night and today. We put Lily down for a nap and then went out to play around in the snow while shoveling the walk and driveway. We had a great time and I got some fun pictures of Sam throwing whole shovel loads of snow on Sarah. She was a good sport until it all went down the back of her coat then she was ready to go in and have some hot chocolate.

Later that day, we got to listen to our two little girls running around squealing and laughing as they played together. Then we had a tea party and after that put on the soundtrack for Phineas and Ferb that Sam got for Christmas and sang and danced around together. These are the days when I realize that this is what we waited for all those years.

Christmas

This Christmas season was busy and full of activities. We enjoyed attending concerts and performances for several nieces and nephews as well as Sarah's dance recital. We enjoyed the family parties that we had and are thankful for the many people who were so generous to us. We had a little box of goodies and presents left on our doorstep and someone else did the twelve days of Christmas for us. We received everything from toilet paper to scotch tape, from eggs to a frozen turkey breast. Sarah loved going to the door each day to see what we would get. So, whoever you are, thank you very much.

We had our traditional German meal on Christmas Eve and invited Sam's parents to join us. We have borrowed another tradition where we open presents of new pajamas on Christmas Eve. We tried to tell the story of Jesus birth but with two little ones, attention spans are very short.

It was so much fun to watch the girls open presents the next morning. Lily got the hang of it pretty quick. We would tear the wrapping paper a little to get her started and then she would just pick up the present by the paper and shake it until the present fell out. It was a great day and we hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

It's so nice to have brand new pajamas to sleep in.

Lily climbs on everything.

Lily and her new car. This thing was such a pain to put together. Thanks goodness for 24 hours of a "Christmas Story" to help us get through until 2:30 in the morning.

After we had opened all of the presents Sarah said, "I guess I was a good girl."

I had to add this photo of Sarah later that night. Lily and I went to bed early on Christmas day and Sam and Sarah were playing games. Sarah decided she wanted a bath so when she got out, Sam wrapped her up in her new robe that she got from Grandma Shauna. She wanted to sit next to the heating vent and get warm. Sam went to find her after awhile and she had fallen fast asleep. I guess it was a good Christmas.

A day in the life of Lily

I know I just had a post all about Lily, but we had one day where she was into everything. She is such a busy little baby that I have a hard time keeping up with her. Here are just a few pictures of some things she got into that day.

She got a hold of a cup of water and proceeded to fill it with dirt from one of my potted plants.

She got into my closet and climbed into the cube organizer that I have in there.

This is after eating dinner. She had food all over her, especially in her hair.

One of the things I didn't get a picture of that day was Lily and Sarah running around the house with swim diapers on their heads and giggling.

This is a typical day in the life of Lillian Joyce (and her mother). She is a hand full but a lot of fun.

Sarah's dance recital

The beginning of December Sarah had her first dance recital. For weeks she kept saying that she didn't want to get up on the big stage and dance in front of all those people so we weren't even sure if she was going to go through with it. But once we started getting her dressed in her costume and doing her hair she got really excited. I told her she could put on a little make up and she thought she was so grown up. She got up on the stage and was wonderful. She also loved dancing in pajamas in the Polar Express number. She did such a good job and we were very proud of her.

Sarah with her class before the recital started.

Halloween 2009

I know it's really Christmas but I'm so far behind that I have to hurry and catch up. We had a great time this year for Halloween. Sarah talked about Trick-or-Treating for weeks. When we finally went out she went to about five houses and said she was done. We convinced her to at least finish the block back to our house. When we got home we had some yummy chili and scones and made homemade rootbeer. We tried a new recipe for our rootbeer and it called for five pounds of dry ice. It said to add it all at once so that is what Sam did. We had a little rootbeer volcano. Rootbeer all over the table, window seat, walls and floor. Grandma and Grandpa Hacking joined us for dinner and then Sam's brother Tom and his family stopped by. The kids had so much fun playing and the adults stayed up way too late talking. It was a fun night.

Sarah loved being in a giant bubble at the ward Halloween carnival.

Lily was fascinated with the jack-o-lantern.

Sam

Last but not least, Sam. Sam is a wonderful husband and a fantastic dad. He loves his girls and we love him. Especially Sarah who has taken to calling him her "best buddy". He is the calm center of our sometimes crazy life. Not much ever bothers Sam. He is extremely patient and never holds a grudge. One of the many things that I love about Sam is that he is willing to try new things, especially new recipes. He watches something on the Food Network and has to give it a try. This is why I can never give up cable television. This past August we celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. I am so grateful that he chose me to spend his life with. I am looking forward to many more happy years to come.

Sam has been busy this summer training for several races. He did the Ogden half marathon in the spring, then he did Ragnar Wasatch Back relay and then in the fall he raced in Lotoja. We were extremely grateful to my sister Cindy for taking the girls while Sam raced in Lotoja. I am also grateful to our friends Wayne and Tracy Callister for helping me out and being part of Sam's support crew. I could not have made it through without them. Sam didn't finish the race but he made it all the way from Logan to Afton, Wyoming and would have kept going if he hadn't missed the cut off time. He is already talking about next years race and this time we will be better prepared.

We love you Sam.

Sam took Sarah camping a couple of times this summer. They got to ride horses at the stake Father and Daughter campout.

Here is Sam before Lotoja.

Our amazing support crew.

At the start of the race.

And this is after he made it to Afton. He looks pretty pumped up for next years race.

Treva

Okay, so it may seem a little self absorbed to write a post all about yourself, but I promised updates on the whole family and I didn't want to disappoint anyone. Also this gives me the perfect chance to show off some of the things I've been learning in my photography classes. Yes, for those of you who do not know, I've been taking some classes on photography. Sam spoiled me for Mother's day and let me buy a brand new Nikon D5000. I love my camera and am having a lot of fun learning how to really use it. Sarah actually said to me the other day, "Mom, go to your photography class. And don't forget your camera!" I didn't have a class scheduled for that day so maybe she was trying to get rid of me. It really made me laugh because this summer I had been doing some photography workshops where we would go on location and get some hands on experience. One of the workshops was out on Antelope Island. I got all the way to the entrance of the causeway where we were meeting up with the rest of the class and I realized I had forgotten my camera. It's hard to learn how to take better pictures if you leave your camera at home. Luckily I had a cell phone and was able to arrange for someone to meet me halfway home with my camera. I guess I'll never live that one down.

In order to push myself to keep learning and using my camera, I am starting a new project. It is called a 365 project and I will be posting my results on a new blog. The goal is to take a picture every day for a year. I would love for anyone to give me feedback on my photos and any suggestions to make my images better would be appreciated.

Go to www.treva365project.blogspot.com

Other than that, I am enjoying my kids and loving being a mom. My kids make me laugh everyday. It's the hardest thing I've ever done but it is so worth it. Being a mom is such a large part of who I am these days and I am so grateful for that opportunity. We have been so blessed with our beautiful girls.

Here are some of my favorite images that I've taken through my photography classes.

Lily

My little baby is one year old. When did this happen?!

Lily is the little firecracker that keeps us going and laughing all the time. She attacks life and makes things interesting. She's been walking for several weeks now and is climbing up on everything.

We had some cake and ice cream with granparents the night before her birthday so that my dad could be there. We handed her a cupcake and she didn't hesitate in the least bit. That cupcake didn't stand a chance, it was consumed and pulverized in no time flat!

Even though Sarah is the big sister, Lily is the instigator. She's the one who is always chasing, jumping on, grabbing and making her older sister cry.

She says "hi" and "bye", and tries to say "mommy" which is fitting because she is such a mommy's girl. I love when she just wakes up from a nap and will tuck her little arms under her and snuggle on my shoulder. I miss the tiny baby already but I'm enjoying her so much right now. She's going to take us on quite a ride, but I find myself really looking forward to it.

Happy birthday Lily!

Sarah

Rather than try to catch up on all the events that have taken place lately, I thought I would instead devote a blog entry on each member of our little family. First up is my Sarah. There are so many things that I love about my girl. I love the way that she doesn't just call us Mommy and Daddy, it's My Mommy and My Daddy. After waiting so long to hear a child call us that, it is even more sweet that she adds that special "my" to the title. She has been such a precious gift to us. She is amazingly smart and she is so funny. A few weeks ago she was in the bathroom and I hear her say, "Um, we have a bit of a poopy situation." Words you love to hear from your three year old. We were driving in the car the other day and she said, "Mommy, look to your right." She wanted to show me something and sure enough it was on my right. She decided that this little area in our yard should become Pixie Hollow from Tinkerbell. She and her dad have been busy getting that spot ready to be transformed into her fairy wonderland. After working on it one night, she and her dad were roasting marshmallows. She turned to Sam after finishing hers and said, "That marshmallow was pretty da** good!" She has used that word a couple of times now and we honestly don't know where she heard it. I swear she didn't hear it from us. We've asked her and she said she made it up. She is also not convinced that it is a bad word. I guess we'll keep working on that one. She has recently started taking dance lessons. She has wanted to be a ballerina for awhile now. It was one of the biggest incentives to getting her potty trained finally. There are few things cuter than a three year old running around in a pink leotard and thinking that they now know how to dance. She dances all over the house and sometimes she'll say, "That's a little tricky. I guess I need more practice." I hope that throughout her life she will be able to pick herself up when she falls and just say "I guess I need more practice." She also started preschool this last month. The first day I dropped her off, she wanted me to stay. I told her I couldn't stay, that it was just for kids to have fun. She was crying "Mommy!" as I left and holding her arms out to me. I cried all the way home, longer than she cried at school I'm sure. This business of being a parent is so bitter sweet. These are all the moments that we have longed for and make all of the rest worth it. I love you My Sarah.

Sarah insisted one morning that we go out and find Pixie Hollow.

Sarah fell asleep in the hammock.

The first day of Preschool.

Wading in the Great Salt Lake.

Sarah is such a daddy's girl.

My little ballerina.