Celebrating the New Year with a new kitty :)

For Christmas we gave the kids a kitty, or a promise for a kitty.  Grant and I had wanted to surprise them with a new kitty on Christmas morning, however, we searched and searched for the right kitty before Christmas and were unable to find one.  So on Christmas morning the kids were still surprised to learn, from a card, that they would be getting to go with us and pick out a kitty.  About two weeks after Christmas we went to a big shelter event at the local Pet Smart store and there we found our sweet kitty Coconut.  We probably held a dozen or more kittens that morning and none of them felt right until Miles picked "CoCo" out of a cage and she just snuggled up and chilled in his arms.  Then Shelbie held her and she did the same thing and that's how we knew that she was perfect for our family!  I am so glad that we waited and found the right kitty cause she is absolutely so perfect for our crazy kids.  She just goes with the flow and lets the kids carry her around,  then she has had enough she will just run away for some alone time.  I am so glad we got a kitty and it is so fun to watch the kids with her! 

Almost every night when I go and check on the kids I find CoCo snuggled up with Fisher in his crib.  I have actually had to start closing Fishers door cause CoCo has started to wake him up during the night.  She will get so close to him, sometimes on top of him close to his face, that it wakes him up and scares him.  I think its so sweet but not when it wakes him up sad.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Christmas Eve the kids got to open the annual new Christmas pjs present.  I probably get more excited about the cute pjs then they do but they still seemed to love them :)

 Coral, Fisher, Miles, and Shelbie

The magic of Christmas morning, especially with young children, is so much FUN!  Our tradition is to look at what Santa brought first and then the stockings.  This year since we had to go to church at 9am on Christmas morning we did only Santa stuff and waited for the family gifts until after we got home.It worked out really well and we had a really fun and relaxing afternoon playing with all the new toys.

Fisher with his gift from his best buddy, cousin Ruby!

Coral with her gift from MaMa and Big Daddy.

Shelbie with her "Doodle Bear" from Leland and Miles with his stomp rocket from Evelyn.

Gifts from Santa.

I had to take a picture of what Santa left the kids just so I could remember.

 Here's Corals pile - A matching night gown for her and her doll, play cash register, barbie, smurf shirt, and play doctor kit.

 Shelbie got - matching night gown for her and her doll (which she ended up putting on her favorite bear YaYa), two new shirts. cheerleading outfit for her doll, and a barbie set with a signing stage.

 Miles got - a new shirt and a game (he has been asking for this game for a while and since it's an expensive game Santa kept Miles' gifts to a minimum)

Fisher got a new piece to his many train sets, most of which he inherited from Miles :)

Our favorite Santa!

Coral and Fisher just love this Santa that is outside a shop close to my gym.  Every time we pass by they have to go up to him and give him a hug.  I would have to agree that he is pretty cool looking.  One morning we passed by the shop just as they were opening and Coral went up to the lady who was opening the doors and asked her where the Santa was.  The lady was so nice and let Coral move him outside.  One thing that my children are not is shy :)

You might have noticed that Fisher doesn't have any shoes on - well every time we get in the car he takes them off and I guess I just don't make him put them on unless it's really necessary.  We walk on a sidewalk all the way to the gym door so sidewalk walking to me doesn't require shoes :)

Cooper Reunion in Washington, DC

Every 2 1/2 to 3 years Grants family has a reunion with his 4 siblings (and their families) and his parents.  This reunion was held in Washington, DC over Thanksgiving break.  It was a long drive to get there but we stopped at my parents house (just a little out of the way) to split up the trip and spend some extra time with them.  There house was a welcomed stop on the way there and on the way back.  I actually talked my mom into going after thanksgiving shopping with me on the way back and that is an experience I will never forget :)  Hanging out with my mom at 2 in the morning was so much fun!

My favorite part of the reunion by far was getting to go to the Washington, DC temple with everyone!  It was definitely a special place to get to be with family!

I found that I didn't take that many pictures with my camera while on the reunion cause I was just so busy keeping track of the kids.  A few of the ones I took are posted below.  Most of them are in museums and checking out the sites.  I don't know if Washington, DC is the best place to take little kids but it was still fun to see family.

 Coral, cousin Hannah, and Shelbie

 Fisher nd Shelbie

 Miles being goofy as usual!  This is one of the only pictures that I got with Miles in it cause he was hanging out with his older boy cousins, Tanner and Dalton, a lot of the time.

 Miles, cousin Jackson, and Fisher

 Shelbie above and Coral below in the Air and Space Museum

 We walked so much that the kids were begging to sit down just for a few minutes.

Fisher asleep in the stroller and Coral and Shelbie hanging out on a huge statue of Albert Einstein.

The whole family in front of The Capital Building.  Notice that Coral is actually asleep in the bottom of the stroller.

Christmas Card Photoshoot

I needed some pictures of the kids together for my Christmas card this year so I just took the kids to the back yard in early November.  I got pretty lucky and they all cooperated long enough, about 5 minutes, to get some cute pictures.  The one in the hammock of all of them is the one I put on the front of the card and then I put one of each of them individually on the back of the card.
I sure do love these crazy kids!

Happy Halloween!

Every year the kids get lucky and get to go trick or treating twice.  First to the church's Halloween activities and trunk or treat, and then trick or treating around our neighborhood.  This year I just took the oldest three around the neighborhood while Grant stayed home with Fisher and put him to bed.  Don't feel to bad for him cause he had plenty of candy and treats at the church party!

 In the above picture you will notice Fishers lack of a costume, however, that is not because I didn't get him one it was because he refused to where it!

 Fisher eating cookies and lollipops :)

I thought Miles looked pretty cool in his skeleton costume! 

Coral decided to change her costume and go as a princess when we went around our neighborhood.