Seasons Greetings

Here's wishing you...

JOY

LOVE

and PEACE

Love,

The Jacobs Family

Do You Ever...

Find things where you did not leave them?

Go to buckle your baby in her car seat and find a horse buckled in instead?

Or have you ever gone to put away your folded laundry and found a princess in every fold?

Isn't it wonderful?

Cutie Patutie

Latest photos of the precious one are in high demand for the Grandmas.

Baby Blessing

It's Hard to Be a Baby

Why must I wear and bonnet and bracelet? Life is so hard!

Ahh! Much Better!

Dear Utah

Something great about Utah? You can go from here...

to here...

in 290 miles. Can you do that, Idaho?

FREE Weight Loss Solution

Trying to keep that New Year's resolution to lose your holiday weight? Don't "weight" any longer! Come on over to the Jacobs residence and catch our stomach flu bug. Reap the benefits of only 1 WEEK of misery and lose up to 10 pounds! All of this for FREE!

Heavenly

Falling asleep rocking my newborn today=heavenly. There is simply nothing better.

Bedtime Battles

Every night we put Kiara and Kate to bed and try to guess how long they will play before drifting off to dreamland. To them going to bed=unsupervised play time! From the video monitor in our room I can watch Kate swing like a monkey from Kiara's bed. I can hear Kiara teasing Kate, "You wear diapers" and Kate screaming back, "No I don't!" And tonight I heard Kiara say, "Kate, I love you." Maybe sharing a room isn't such a bad idea after all.

A couple of days after Christmas I heard Kate crying in the next room saying, "Santa ate my cookies."

The Verdict

A lot of people ask us who Ava looks like. Kiara or Kate? What do you think?

Kiara

Kate

Ava

I think the verdict is that they are all unique!

How Kiara Grew Up in 5 Easy Steps

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Happy 5th Birthday, Little! How did this happen? The passage of time is most evident when you are raising children! It seems like I was just holding my firstborn and marveling at how one tiny human being could could change my life so much!

Thank you for all that you teach me every day, Little.

Welcome Back, Sara

I nearly forgot about Sara. I almost sat on her once because I couldn't see her and Kiara burst into tears. Today Kiara started to talk about Sara again. Dereck and I asked where she has been and Kiara said she has been staying at a condo. So, welcome back, Sara...I hope you are better behaved than you were before. When Kiara used to disobey she said that Sara told her to. I'm glad Kiara has a friend, even if none of us can see her...

Reminded

Yesterday when Kiara ate a red styrofoam berry off of the floor because she thought it was an M&M it reminded of the time my sister Alicia ate our bunny Cuddle's dropping off of the car floor because she thought it was chocolate cake, and I laughed.

Christmas Scenes at My House

The precious Ava Mae playing Santa Claus:

Kate & Dereck playing with the new dollhouse:

The beautiful miniature nutcrackers my sister Alicia painted for Jessie's family:

The Christmas tree, Kiara painting on her new easel, and Daddy having the traditional Christmas afternoon nap:

And after opening all of the Santa surprises, Kiara held Ava and said, "Ava is my favorite toy."

And to You the Merriest!

I happened to capture a photo of our living room right after Santa went up the chimney.

This is when we finally let Kiara come out of her bedroom. She woke up at 2:30 and 4:00 and wanted to know if Santa had come to our house yet. Kiara very patiently waited for Kate to wake up to open her presents (It was 9:00).

A Mary Christmas

On Christmas Eve we went to my mother's house and dressed up the little ones for the acting out of the nativity. We had a perfectly sized baby Jesus this year and two little girls eager to be Mary.

This is Mary and Joseph are saying to the wise man, "Hand over the gold."

Kiara and Kate had to take turns pretending to be Mary.

Although it seemed more like the story in 1 Kings where the two harlots fight over the baby and the king had to threaten to cut the baby in half to reveal the mother's true identity.

Kiara cried when Kate held the baby Jesus.

Family Photo Shoot

On December 5 (when Ava was 2 weeks old) we went on a search for indoor natural light for a family photo shoot. Thank you to our very talented neighbor and friend Travis Richardson for taking our photos at the Salt Lake City Library downtown. It isn't too often that we get all of us together in one photograph! I am posting some of my favorites here and a lot of you will be seeing us in your mailbox. Check out Travis's talent here and his very talented and lovely wife Taryn here.

This One Goes Out to the One I Love

Tomorrow Dereck and I will celebrate 11 years together! My love for him knows no bounds. Each year that passes I think I just couldn't love him any more, but it just keeps growing. I am thankful for his endless kindness and patience. He brings me my baby in the middle of the night just so I won't have to get up. He made the family german pancakes this morning and then exercised on the elliptical machine in the basement, where the ceiling is much to low for his tall body and he nearly hits his head on the light. We got to cheer for him at his ward basketball game last night. I love what a good sport he is.

I love to watch Dereck when the girls need help putting clothes on their Barbies. My man is not to proud to dress a Barbie. What a guy! The other night I woke up foggy eyed and in the darkness I could see the outline of Dereck standing up in the nursery with our newest born on his shoulder. I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest because of all the love in my heart for him.

He rode his mountain bike to the top of the tram at Teton Village with my Uncle Tom last summer and the tram operator asked how they got their bikes up there. He has steel determination and perseverance when he puts his mind to something. He is a determined goal setter. He is a worthy priesthood holder and blesses our home daily with his goodness. I am so grateful for the feeling I had inside when I met Dereck; I felt a "brightness of hope for the future," as long as my future could include Dereck.

What a ride it has been, not lined with perpetual hollyhocks, but a ride I wouldn't give up for ANYTHING!

Kiara Writes to the Man Up North

Dear Santa,

I really want a dollie for Christmas. If Katie be's naughty don't give her a present. I love you. Kate might want a present too. I will come sit on your lap. Don't forget that I love you.

Love,

Kiara