The Marx Family

The Marx Family 2009

Our family (I'm guessing you care if you're reading this) is doing really well! No really, not much sickness around here YET. . . I know, I know, I just jinxed us. Healthy winter=Happy winter for moms:)

I bet you didn't know we are now a family of 6??? Yep, since our return home from Utah in December my sister Malisa has been staying with us. She is, hands down, the best listener, shopper, babysitter, teaser, makeup "doer," friend, aunt, sister, fort builder, bather, . . . anyways the list goes on--but she is my favorite teenage daughter:) Wink Wink! Just kidding mom--she's yours and YES you should get all the credit for getting it perfect on your last kid:) Because she is truly A'mazing!

We are currently applying for jobs--across the USA. Yes it's true--well, at least the whole left side. WAY WAY left (San Diego---ahhhh San Diego). Craig graduates the third week of May--THIS MAY! I waited a long time to say this, and still it seems like a total joke--but we are moving on in life--no more school?? That just seems like tossing aside an old friend after all these years:) NOT going to miss that old friend.

Moving along to the bragging portion of our blog. . .

Niyah said "da-da" first. She's just copycatting her brother and sister--younger siblings tend to this a lot. Since though--her new babble is "BUH--BUH," as you can see she's already learning all of her letter sounds. When we say "what does the "b" say?" She says "BUH, BUH". . .I think we have a genius on our hands:) Heh Heh.

Niyah taking a bath--she LOVES to "alligator roll" in the tub.















Dallin (baby) Creighton Shirt--This is size 2T--can you believe he got it on--or better yet that he argued "it still fits me!"






Niyah's usual facial expression--she's helping me fold laundry--LOVING how warm it was. (Look how light her hair is).

DALLIN'S ARTWORK

Left--love--mom--love---mom

Right--he made his own "to-do" calendar, funny:)

This is a prime example of the unexplainable things my hubby does with our kids--you might guess Niyah was cold. Nope.

A jumble of photos--
Hartney Has Hair:) Hooray!! She loves purple and pink, eating cheese and meat, and to cut paper.






Niyah loves to be doing things--around crowds, on walks etc. This is our happy camper on a day warm enough to walk.




Dallin and Hartney were going on a special date with daddy--to play basketball at the church, so they thought they needed to wear "workout" clothes. Funny! AND Craig earned boo-koo brownie points by taking ALL THREE KIDS ALONG!!!! It was sooooo quiet I didn't know what to do with myself. . . . . . ..so I napped:)

This one is a sideways--sorry,

I'll learn how to fix that another day.

GROUP HUG!

Forgotten Carols, Christmas party & more

(The best part for a kid - finally getting to play with the presents.)

(My Dad holding Niyah.)

(The kids playing 'Simon says'.)

This weekend we went to Salt Lake to spend some time with the Marx family. My Mom bought tickets to the Forgotten Carols for she and Grandma Miller and all of the girls. My Dad and brothers and I were left watching the 11 grandkids at the hotel where we were staying. We thought it was going to be much worse, but it wasn't all bad. The kids got a little roudy, and I joked that we were going to line them up for 1 oz. shots of Benadryl (that would be an OD BTW) if it got too bad, but we survived. There are 4 kids under a year old, so each of us had a baby to hold and I WON, because my Niyah fell asleep and didn't wake up again until Crystal got back!!

(Hartney with her NEWEST babydoll from Zipporah - complete with her own backpack.)

This morning we all woke up and had a Christmas party complete with the Nativity scene and Miles acting as Sammuel the Lamanite, because my brothers Preston and Sterling took all of the animal parts. One highlight from our Nativity was when Crystal had to sit with Hartney who was acting as Mary, and a comment was made to the effect that mother-in-laws always have to be involved in everything -- seriously, does make you wonder if Mary and Joseph chose the manager just to throw their Moms off?

So after the Nativity we exchanged gifts and that was fun, then we all went to lunch at the Red Iguana in Salt Lake. My mom and Karen had made reservations there for my 30th birthday. The food was really authentic Mexican, and I guess they were on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" on the Food Network. Crystal ordered 'la gringa' which was fitting for her, and I tried a chicken plate with a sauce from southern Mexico. Her food was better.

As for me turning 30, I'm buying a red Corvette tomorrow. Ha Ha...like that would make me feel in shape and younger. I told my Dad and brothers that if having 3 kids, driving a minivan and being married for 6+ years doesn't make me feel old, turning 30 shouldn't phase me. The problem is that all of those things DO make me feel old, and now I'm posting a message on a blog...what have I become?

(Hartney asleep on the way to the restuarant.)

Okay--WE ARE BLOGGERS--or rather "braggers," as I like to say:) We are currently living out of suitcases (a lot of them) at Grandma's house. The vacation will end after Christmas, and then it will be back to RE-AL-ITY. . .or the great Midwest!!! Since I don't have updated pics to put on this, I'm going to try my best at a slide show. . .and of outdated pics. I started a BLOG (with much needed help from my brother-in-law)--but I am NOT aware of all the unwritten rules that go along with it. . .except to KEEP BLOGGING. The idea of daily or even weekly seems daunting. I'm pretty sure dishes and poopie diapers should take precedence over yakking about how hard motherhood is because the dishes are piling up and my baby keeps pooping her pants. ANYWAYS---here it goes. . .