Trip to Arizona

Over the Christmas Break we were very fortunate to spend some time with Geoff's family in Arizona.  After Hylie did a superb job handling her first flight, Geoff's sister and brother-in-law, Heather and Lonn, were so kind to pick us up, let us crash at their place, and then we all caravaned down to Tuscan.  We were so excited that Geoff's brother, Todd, was able to come down for a visit from Minnesota the same time we were there.

Hylie was enjoying the chance to meet her Aunt and Uncles and Grammy and Pappy were thrilled to see how much she has grown since October.

We took advantage of the beautiful Arizona weather and went on several walks.  Can you tell which family members are Arizona natives and which ones are visiting from colder climates?  Geoff and I also got a kick out of the Christmas decorations we saw throughout the neighborhood.

Hylie tuckered out from a long walk

 During our visit we enjoyed amazing food by Grammy, lots of time to gab and hang out, Wii competitions, and nightly games.

Geoff showing off his archery skills...and amazing bed head.

Hylie hanging with Aunt Heather

Proof that Hylie did not cry EVERY time Lonn held her

Brothers being brothers

 It was a delightful trip.  Geoff was so grateful to catch up with family, I was excited to get to know everyone better and Hylie enjoyed being spoiled constantly.

Thank you, Woodhouse Clan, for a wonderful week!

Christmas Happenings

A few days before we left for Arizona, Geoff came home with a wonderful surprise.

That's right, he dug out our Christmas Tree from our storage unit!  (Trust me, this was no small feat.)  Apparently, Geoff got the tree over two weeks before, but I was always home when he got off work so he was keeping it in his trunk until he could set it up without me knowing.  He kept asking me if I wanted to go to the gym or on a walk with Hylie, but I was always too tired for the gym, or it was too cold outside.  Finally, one night he came home and told me I had to stay in the Nursery until he told me to come out.  Needless to say I was super excited with his surprise and told him the next time he wants me out of the house, just tell me to go shopping.

We also put together a Gingerbread House.  No, it's not the traditional Nelson graham cracker style, but it worked for us this year.  As we were putting it together, Geoff mentioned this was his first EVER Gingerbread House!  I have a feeling this will be his first of many...

One night I decided to try a Pinterest idea and make Christmas tree waffles.  I think I'm going to log this as my first Pinterest FAIL.  They tasted great, but they didn't stay green!

What Pinterest says they should look like...

How the waffles turn out in real life.

I was also asked to direct our Church Choir for the Christmas program in our new ward.  We didn't start rehearsing until December 2nd but everything came together so wonderfully and we had a fun time singing together.  I arranged a selection incorporating "Hark!  The Herald Angels Sing" and "Angels We Have Heard on High" and also played a violin duet with another gal in our congregation.  I enjoyed being involved and couldn't have done it without Geoff's amazing help and support.  He was always tending to Hylie when I was conducting and even helped make some cookie treats I wanted to give the choir.  Thanks for being a super Dad and husband, Geoff!

Part of the script read for the Christmas program told a story of Elder Holland that I had never heard before.  Here is a link to the story, I hope it will touch your heart as much as it did ours.

Four Months

 Hylie won't stop growing!  She's already four months old.  She's in the 85th percentile weighing in at 15 lbs. 15 oz. and is 25 inches long.

Recently she's been figuring out how her hands work and has been shoving anything she can into her mouth.  It's been fun to finally watch her play with some of her toys!  She's also kicking her legs more and more and I'll find her rotating around on her blanket when she's chillin' on the floor.

She's decided that sleeping through the night wasn't as much fun as she had hoped, so she's back to multiple night-time get-togethers.  When I talked to the doctor about her eating and sleeping habits, he said it was time for "Sleep Training"...which is just a fancy way to say "let her cry it out."  I've decided I'm not very good at that, but Geoff's hopeful that it will bring me more sleep, so he's helping me be strong and not get Hylie out of her crib.

We also attempted a "Christmas Photo Shoot" a few days ago.  Here are some pics:

Christmas Countdown

Since most of our Christmas stuff is buried in our storage unit, we had to get a little creative to show our Christmas spirit in the house.  So I turned our Christmas Advent Calendar into our Tree as well.

Each ornament has an activity for us to do each day such as reading about Joseph and Mary, watching a Christmas movie, or making goodies for our neighbors.  Geoff certainly has been a trooper in participating after his long days at work. It's kind of nice to test out these Christmas ideas while Hylie's a little baby so we know what works well and what doesn't.  We're mostly grateful to be together and learning more about our Savior and how He has eternally blessed our lives.