I'm Dreaming of a...Desert Christmas!

Well, we headed to Phoenix for Christmas this year. We stayed in Great Grandma and Grandpa Ginos' extra home. It was fun to visit our family down there.

We split the trip up and stayed in hotel in Henderson. Robbie loves riding on the luggage dolly.

In the community that Great Grandma and Grandpa live in, most get around by golf cart. They had a few for us to use that week so we all jumped in them on Christmas Eve and toured the neighborhood looking at lights.
riding with Grandpa Wheeler
We ended the night at this nativity scene.
On Christmas we had many great presents to open.
Great Grandma Ginos with Robbie
Robbie entertained everyone going around the house, pushing buttons on all the musical toys that Great Grandma had. This is a Tigger that sings and bounces when you push his tail.
Robbie with his new GeoTrax train.

some new shoes

We had a great Christmas this year. Thank you to everyone who helped make it special!

Christmas Comes Early

Since we are headed to Phoenix this week we decided to open up some of our presents early so they didn't take up room in the car. We did tell Santa that we will be in Phoenix though so he still has a few things when we get there for Christmas. Thank you to everyone who sent gifts!

Robbie with his Mr. Potato Head--he loved this!
a new Heartwood
the first season of Andy Griffith-we have them all now!
trying out his new slide
reading his new Curious George book

Temple Square

I love to see the Christmas lights at Temple Square. We went last night with my brother, Cameron and his family who came to town for a few days. It was fun to see the sites and catch up with them.

the nativity with the temple in the background

Let It Snow!

Today we had some major snow come through so we had to go out and play in it. I know the pictures look like it's night time, but it's only 5:30 p.m.!

He had a hard time walking in it and fell a few times.
walking with mom
having a snowball fight with dadRobbie is so funny in this video. He didn't quite catch on to throwing the snow which is probably a good thing, but it's pretty cute.

18 Months

Well, Robbie's been 18 months for a few weeks now, but I never posted his current stats from the doctor's appointment.

Weight: 25.1 lbs. (25%)
Height: 33 in. (75%)
Head Circumference: 47.5 cm (50%)

He's also been to nursery a few times and has done great! He loves going, and his teachers say he's been fun to have in class. Apparently, he likes to cheer during singing time after each song.

Finals are Over!

Brian had his last final for the semester this week. We sure enjoy having him around more! Here are a few pictures he took before he started his final...notice all the notes and preparation. I'm sure he did great! p.s. It was an open book/open notes test.

Favorite Pastime

One of my favorite childhood memories with my family is getting comfortable and watching a movie while having popcorn and a glass of milk. Robbie and I have done that a few times this week and Brian has joined us when he hasn't had to study. Robbie loves sitting in his chair with the popcorn bowl to the side of him.

Christmas Parade

Provo had a Christmas parade on Center Street on Saturday morning that Robbie and I decided to check out since Brian's been studying for finals. Robbie loved looking down the street to see what was coming next.

the ROTC from Independence High

the Nutcracker
a unicyclist (I think I've seen him on campus;-))
a Rudolph golf cart

Santa came in on a fire truck at the end, but my batteries were dead in my camera ...darn.

Christmas Programs Galore

We must be getting in the Christmas spirit because we went to two Christmas programs on Friday. That morning we went to Christmas Around the World performed by the BYU International Folk Dance team with Kaiya and Kara. It was very entertaining and Robbie loved the music and dancing.

Then later that evening, we went to the Forgotten Carols with Mom and Dad Wheeler. This has been a tradition for us each year, and it was so fun to see again.

University Mall Playground

Our mall finally opened a playground for the kiddies! There is a huge tree with a slide, some dinosaur bones, and rocks for the kids to climb on.

getting ready to conquer the slide
Robbie thought the mouth of the dinosaur was pretty cool.
..and of course we just wouldn't have as much fun without Kaiya ;-)

Thanksgiving Holiday

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. It was fun to see all the cousins together, and with Bobby's surprise visit, all the siblings were here, too! On Wednesday, we took family pictures at this rustic bridge in Alpine. I got in a few shots before the photographer came.

the brothers (Danny, Bobby, Brian)
Grandma, Shannon, Ashley, Breanna
Bobby, Brian, Robbie, Breanna
Shannon, Brian, Robbie
the sisters (Laura, Shannon, Maryn)
We had a lot of fun times playing the new Wii Grandma and Grandpa got. Brian and Danny are boxing here.

piano time with Breanna
story time with Alyssa

Grandpa time with Ashley
back rub time with Grandpa
Brian and Breanna got to jam on the snare drums.
A highlight for Robbie was the singing gingerbread house and snowman/reindeer. I don't think Grandma and Grandpa will ever want to play them again ;-)

Great Grandma, Shannon and Robbie waiting for the big feast.

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a little football time.It was a great week to spend time with family and count our many blessings!