It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

 This year I have really enjoyed the holiday season.  (Maybe it's because I'm not pregnant this year). We have done a ton of fun things.  We went to Temple Square with Jesse and Jen, and then again for Maddie's choir performance.  Where are those pictures you might ask?  Good question.  I didn't take any. 

Maddie and I went on a "date" to Harmon's right after Thanksgiving.  Santa was there.  He was very obnoxious.  There weren't any kids there to keep him quiet, so he kept yelling (and jingling his bells) "Come ring my bells, girls!" Over and over every time we walked past - which was many times since I don't usually shop there and we had to keep back tracking.  I finally said, "let's go sit with Santa so he leaves us alone."  She informed me that she was too old for that.  I thought she'd give in if I did it.  Nope.  I sat down and she dug through my purse for my phone to take a picture.  That girl knows a good blogging moment when she sees one.  I have trained her well. 

We decorated ice cream cone trees, made our gingerbread house, saw the lights at Thanksgiving Point AND the reindeer.  We also spent some more time at the dinosaur museum.  When we got there on this particular night, the cute worker girl said, "That's the baby I made cry!"  I didn't think anything of it because well, Lexi cries for everyone.  But then I realized I didn't know this girl and hadn't been to the museum for a few weeks.  The cute girl then proceeded to tell me that she made her cry and the babysitter couldn't get her to stop crying either.  Then I remembered that my sweet babysitter Shelby had taken ALL the kids to the museum one night.  (And I should add that she put "driving a minivan" as one of her new experiences for 2012.  Right up there with moving to Utah and getting accepted to BYU.  I feel loved).  Good times.

This year Lindsay asked Santa for a digital camcorder.
Macie had planned on asking Santa for a Fur Real walking dog.  That was $65 dollars.  She was then taken to Costco to look for more ideas.  She was then persuaded to get a desk. 
Maddie couldn't make up her mind.  We searched Amazon for hours looking for the perfect idea for her.  She couldn't find anything.  I kept saying, "just let Santa surprise you."  Because I was pretty sure Santa had already got her something pretty unbelievable.   She said, "Mom, Santa (yup, we're there already) will get me something lame."  As we stood in line to see Santa (she was told she had to sit on his lap to get something) I kept telling her to just be surprised.  She got up to Santa, sat down, and asked for an archery set.  WHAT??
She ended up being surprised with an ipod touch.  
And Grandma just happened to get her a Nerf archery set. 

Lexi 10 months

Still army crawling at 10 months!

Learned to pull herself up on things and quickly learned how to get up the stairs.  

But not down.  

Learned the joys of pulling things out of "things" and not putting them back in.

Learned how to use a straw.

Got to suck on the core of our family caramel apple.  She LOVED it!

Had her first cold with a fever and cough.  It was awful.

She was miserable and we still had to drag her around for the holidays.  

She was a good sport, and pretty content to be left alone in her carseat.  

Still getting up at night.  

Learning that our food is way better than hers.  Getting really good at eating just about anything.  

Funny story that happened on her 10 month birthday...

I got a crazy bad headache and went up to have a bath.  A few minutes into my relaxing time Jeramy comes bursting in carrying a soaking wet from head to toe Lexi.  He informs me that she reeks.  I inform him I'm sorry, but he's going to have to change it. 

I hear him go in the other room and then I hear a LOT of yelling.  

(And this is when I smile to myself that I'm in the tub and he's changing her).

I then hear the water running in the other bath and I hear through the wall

"You are a naughty little girl!"

When I finally get out, I hear the whole story.

(Keep in mind that at this point, she is smiling and waving and laughing and being pretty dang adorable).

When Jeramy went to change her, he quickly found out that what he thought was pee on her was actually diarrhea.  Bad diarrhea.  Like throw away the clothes and use a pack of wipes diarrhea.

He got her undressed, had Maddie get a bag for the clothes, had her throw them out on the front porch in the bag.  Then he cleaned her up and put her in the tub.  Then got her out and came back down to discover that my sweet Lexi had been army crawling all over the kitchen...with poop oozing from her.  There were...skid marks all over the floor.  I kid you not.  

That's where Jeramy drew the line.  (Not really, the line was already drawn...in poop).

I was called in to clean up the skid marks.  

I used half a container of Pine Sol on the floor.  I scrubbed it twice, until I could do an up close sniff test and not gag. 

I then followed the stench into my pantry where I discovered my brand new 12 pack of caffeine free pepsi.  It had been opened and all the cans were rolling around on the floor...covered with Lexi's...well, you know.  I should add that I never buy soda for me.  I had a moment of weakness earlier in the week and bought them and I have been looking forward to drinking each and every one.  

Not so much now. 
No, I didn't throw them away.  

I soaked them in clean Pine Sol water, then rinsed them off with scalding hot water.

(Remind me not to drink straight out of the can). 

I then brought the bag of clothes in from the porch - wondering why on earth the front porch seemed like a good dumping spot. 
I would have usually just thrown them away, but well, they have become my favorite outfit as of late.  

So I scrubbed and soaked them.  Then washed them.  Good as new.  

And we all survived.  

Many times throughout the night, Jeramy would look at her and say, "You are not my favorite right now!" 

And she'd wave and crinkle up her cute little nose and smile, because she knows we can never be mad at her.  

(Well, we can't stay mad at her).