Three For One

We're going to go ahead and do Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all in one post because I'm so efficient....or a slacker....one of the two.

Here we have a Secret Service Agent, a Baby, and folks, he's back again for another year in a row...Mike Wazowski.

A little Thanksgiving fun in a pumpkin patch....

"Skipping Hippo" at his preschool Thanksgiving Feast. (Of course it would be my kid who would come up with "Skipping Hippo.")

Here's Carter at his Thanksgiving Pie Taste Testing Party at school. (Our chocolate creme pie with graham cracker crust won by the way...hoo hoo ha ha ha!)

Finally, a little bit of Christmas...we have a family tradition of making gingerbread houses every year.

Here's Taylor playing "Jingle Bells" on our $78.00 piano that I LOVE. (You heard me right...$78.00!)

Taylor set up a nice little registration table for Santa with a tissue paper table cloth, letters, cookies & a centerpiece.

Below are a few pictures of Christmas morning. I have no idea why I have no pictures of Carter. Perhaps he wasn't there? I will have to put a fake one in because once again I am a slacker.

And the best Christmas present of all....a visit from Great Grandma Reel from Dallas, Texas! The kids adore her.

Our yearly four-generation picture...

And that's all folks. Hopefully in 2010 I can become a better blogger. :)

Too Bad for Joseph!

Here's a conversation Tate's pwhetty pwheschool teacher shared with me.

Teacher: ....and then Mary and Joseph had to travel all the way to Bethlehem! It was a really long journey. Mary rode on the donkey and Joseph walked....

Tate: Too bad for Joseph!

Yeah...too bad he wasn't 9 months pregnant riding a donkey.

Merry Christmas 2009

2009 Nikolaus Family Top Ten

10. Over-scheduling: baseball, soccer, gymnastics, Scouts, piano, preschool, church activities, softball, races and occasional sleep.

9. Taylor’s Thoroughness: Don’t forget if you visit her room to sign-in on her color-coded white board attached to her door. You can also read her word of the week and her insightful “Taylor Tip of the Month.” (i.e. October’s Tip: Never super-glue your hand to the phone.)

8. Carter’s Loyalty to His Clothing: He wears the same black suit EVERY SUNDAY, the same gray Underarmour shirt twice a week, and the same Show Low Cougars baseball hat at every outing...and yes he does have other clothes.

7. Casanova Tate: He had a thing for his “pwhetty” swim teacher and his “pwhetty pwheschool” teacher. He also says that when he marries his friend Madelynn, he’ll get them a limo, and she’ll make him Eggos for breakfast.

6. Park City Vacation: visited family & friends, temple square, saw the Mormon Tab perform, hiked Timpanogas cave, did the Alpine slide, and took some amazing pictures for life-long memories...then I accidentally erased all of them. Uh-oh.

5. Cultural Arts Appreciation: We went to Wicked as a family. (Note to Self: Should have brought Kleenex for our high-elevation nose bleeds. )

4. Endurance: Our 2000 Isuzu Rodeo WILL...NOT... DIE! Will somebody pleeeeeease make it die?!?

3. Perspective: Being 30-something is completely underrated. The muffin-top and spare-tire have seriously never looked so good.

2. Milestone: Carter was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We are so proud of our handsome, sweet boy.

1. Knowledge: With the loss of our sweet baby Crew in August, we can testify to all that the Lord is with us in all of our hardships, and that because of Him, we will have the opportunity to be reunited as a family for all eternity.

Each year we become more grateful in our hearts for our dear friends and family. Thank you for touching our lives in 2009. Merry Christmas!

Willy, Leslie, Taylor (9), Carter (8) and Tate (4) Nikolaus