Best Santa Ever

It's about a week before Christmas and we finally got some snow. Matt and Asher made the best looking snowman I've ever seen. I'll have to get a picture of the final project in the morning. It's so cute to watch them do things together. Piper loves the tree and can't leave it alone. This is the one ornament the kids can touch, and Asher was at a friends so he couldn't guard it like he normally does. Piper and Averi talk so much, and lately they started singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. It's so cute! I posted a video of it. It's not the best video of her singing, but it's cute.

I took Piper back to Primary Children's Hospital this last week to meet with a specialist about her reflux. We did an X-ray where she had to drink this dye and lay flat, then let them take pictures. This is the worst age to do it, but she did ok. Since I'm pregnant I had to be behind a wall, and I think she did better without being able to see me. We haven't gotten the results, but the radiologist didn't see anything. She might just have reflux the rest of her life. We won't know until after she's 3. There's a small chance that she'll outgrow it by then. If not her odds aren't very great.
The doctor did recommend that Piper drinks her last bottle a half hour before she goes to bed. I usually lay her down with a bottle. But tonight I felt like she was full, and she kind of spit up in her mouth a few times so we did it. We said night night to her bottle and she didn't make a peep after I put her to bed. Now that I've started I'll have to follow through.

Asher is upstairs in his room asleep, but he's crying in his sleep. Usually when he does that he just has to go to the bathroom, but I just got him up and he didn't. So it's sad to just listen to him whimper, but he won't wake up.

This is a picture of Asher at his Christmas program for his preschool. That has got to be the best Santa ever! As soon as a kid sat on his lap he was looking for the mom with the camera, then would hold his pose until you were done. He has that beard year round.

At our ward Christmas party I was helping Santa with the gifts for the kids, and Asher was kind of hanging around me. He looked at me weird for a second and goes, "Is that Brad under that Santa costume?" I didn't know what to say since it was Brad. So I told him to go play, then minutes later he was asking where is sleigh and reindeer were. It's fun that they want to believe. Too bad I have such a hard time telling them there is a Santa.
This is our new Christmas tree. I never really liked our old one, so at the end of Christmas last year we went and got this one. So far we've really liked it. Especially the kids!

I couldn't help but post this. She's just got the cutest butt!

Piper was trying to change her baby's diaper. It was funny because she couldn't figure it out, but the baby was poopy!

The kids watching us put the tree up. All of them looking their best!

They love their counter!

The girls figured out how to climb behind the couch and onto the window frame. They're seriously ALWAYS climbing on something!

Nobody took home the first place prize for our ward costume party. So Asher ended up with it, and possibly ate the whole thing too. You can't tell by this picture but Asher was so happy to be smothered by sugar!

So was Piper.

Whenever the highchairs are moved the girls love to sit in them.

Coloring. That is the latest craze at our house. They have written all over the couches, the walls, the doors, the chairs, my check book, bills, and mostly themselves.

We've been having so much fun with the kids lately. They can communicate so well and they're so funny. They like to play with each other some of the time, and there's nothing cuter than when they do.

I've had a really hard time with Asher lately and I got so frustrated the other day. I don't know if it was me sitting down and talking to him about being good or telling him that if you're on the naughty list Santa will bring you coal. But for 3 days straight he has tried so hard to be good. He tells me all day that he's trying and it's been so nice! He's helpful and sweet and nice. He even holds my hand when we're in a parking lot and doesn't fight me on everything that comes out of my mouth. I've made a really big deal about him being good and he tells me constantly how much he loves me and how happy he is when he's being good. Plus he hugs me like 10-15 times a day. It's really sweet because he's trying so hard!

Last night we were all in the car and Asher goes, "Mom, I want to get you a present for Christmas because I love you." And I go, "Oh, Asher that's so sweet!" Then he immediately goes, "Dad, can you take me to the dollar store tomorrow." It was so cute! I feel like we've really needed this. I was feeling like I didn't know what to do with him, and that he was completely out of control and getting worse each day, and when I'd talk to him it would just be negative. Hopefully he is turning over a new leaf!

He's finally stopped taking naps and he's doing good with out them. He's 4 and a half and just stopping, and Averi's not even 2 and skips her naps a few days a week. I hope this is just a fluke! Piper sleeps like Asher did at this age. 2 and a half to 3 hour naps each day. She goes to bed earlier than he did and wakes up just a little earlier than he did. She doesn't ever wake up at night. I never expected her to be the best sleeper, but right now she's definitely in the lead. Averi's closet just gets cold so she wakes up because she's cold a few times.

We're going to list our house at the beginning of the year, and hopefully it sells quickly. Our neighbors want us to buy their house and we do too. It's a rambler with a finished basement. We hope it all works out. We'll miss being right by the park, but we're outgrowing this house and with the baby coming I don't know where we'd put it.