Girls will be girls. Boys will be boys. But everyone has to unleash the little animal inside!

Tuesdays I watch my friend Charlotte's two sweet little children.  Mainly so she can get a break and so I can swap for daycare when she watches my kids while I work.  Anyhow, this precious little girl is my little buddy Alivia.  I once made the comment that I love her and she's like my little puppy because she follows me everywhere I go, has a squeaky, adorable little voice and when I first started watching them in the summer she was so tiny and weighed about half as what my Olivia does so it was easy to carry her around with me where ever I went!

Needless to say, I have grown quite fond of these two children who feels as much like family to me as the little cousins we have.  Brady and Olivia love them too.

Last Tuesday the girls and I made some muffins:

Alivia helped me mix all of the dry ingredients, while Olivia helped me pour in all of the liquid ingredients.

Meanwhile, these two little hooligans kept us safe from villains ... and entertained us as well!

And after the muffins were done and all of the bad guys imprisoned we took some time to get artsy and made these cute masks.  Then we got silly and got out our wiggles with music time!

A movie of the crazy jungle kids (it came out a little dark, but it's cute...and ignore the beeping of my timer for the muffins in the background!)

How many monkeys (er...I mean, cousins) can you fit in a tub?!

Reception #2. Ben & Rachel. Bozeman, Montana

We were able to make a quick trip up to Bozeman for Ben and Rachel's reception.  The trip itself should have only taken about 5 1/2 - 6 hours, but with some snow, ice and a 2 HOUR standstill because of an accident in the mountain pass we got there at about 1:30 in the morning!  So much for leaving work early to try and get there at a decent hour!

We love staying with my cousins Abe and Sarah and Brady and Olivia love playing with their kiddos, Natalia and Jacobi.  Thanks so much for having us guys!!!

My Aunt Donna did a really nice job of hosting the reception at the Triple Tree Owner's Clubhouse.  My Aunt Brenda and cousin Elene were her right hand women for the decorating, cooking and execution.  It was beautiful and I wish that I had taken more pictures!

I finally got to hold my adorable new cousin, Rajon who we had met briefly at the wedding. 

He is so sweet!

Cousins Arison and Sarah...

and their two men...

Abe and Rad

(Arison and Abe are my cousins, brother and sister. 

Abe is married to Sarah and Arison is married to Rad)

Two beautiful chicas:  cousins Ana and Ashley

(married to my cousins Alden (popping his head up in the background) and Alonzo)

Crazy Uncle Mike and Rad steal my camera for a quick snapshot!

Alonzo and Ashley

Cute family of three

And our cute family of four!!!

Poor Miss Olivia had hives...her face was all red and blotchy.  She got hives the last time she was in Montana too so I joked that she is either allergic to Montana or my family!

Chris had the BEST DAY EVER on Saturday.  Abe took him on a ride along for the afternoon in his Police cruiser.  They saw some action, had a high speed chase and Chris even got to witness an interrogation!

Sarah and I hung out with the kiddos, made some appetizers for the reception and had some girl talk.  I also took the kids to meet Aunt Linda and Uncle John, since Uncle John wouldn't be able to come to the reception.  It was a great visit, and although a fast trip it was so worth being with family!

New Years Eve. Ice Skating.

On New Years Eve Day we took the kids into the town of Falmouth for some good old fashioned ice skating!  As a kid I grew up skating on ponds in our neighborhood all winter long so I wanted to make sure that my kids got this experience too.  This was the first time ice skating for Olivia and Brady's second time, as I had taken him this past summer in Sun Valley.  Olivia was very hesitant at first, but once Grammie found a good way to hold onto her (a scarf tied around her waist) she loved making her rounds (slowly, but surely!)

Brady didn't want any one's help and wanted to "do it all himself."  He gripped onto the railing the whole way around!  It was so cute!  We all had fun, sore ankles, toes and all!

Family Luncheon

Right after the wedding we went out for a nice luncheon/dinner before heading home.  The Woodsides joined our family and others would have too if it hadn't been for catching airplanes and getting home to small children!

As you can see we got a little silly while waiting for our food and had fun playing with the camera!

  

These were the "look handsome"poses!

Brady copying Uncle Bryce while Bryce was telling a funny joke

Mom, with her "other son," Ross

Ross and Mattie

AND...the MEAL WORTH WAITING FOR!!!

Teriyaki steak tips, seared scallops and herbed rice pilaf!!

Wedding #2. Andrew & Alison.

We got down to the temple just in time for the sealing (thanks to some road construction).  It was a beautiful ceremony and I am SO GRATEFUL to have been able to be there.  Andrew is my baby brother and I love him so much!  I've always had a really strong relationship with him that has only grown as we've both become adults and watched each other mature and grow.  It meant everything for Chris and I to be a part of this day for him and Alison.

Once they came out of the temple we took a lot of family pictures (coming soon!) and then said our goodbyes as they went back inside to change and leave on their honeymoon.  I didn't get any pictures of them actually coming out of the temple (which I regret) because we were all following them out of the temple!  Hopefully the photographer got one.  I didn't get a picture of just the two of them either because we were all freezing and letting the photographer do what she needed to do.  So, I just took some pictures of people on the "sidelines."

Proud Parents

Bryce and Shelby came down with us to the temple and watched the kiddos while we were in the sealing ceremony.  It was so nice to be all together there and I'm glad that Shelby and the kids were able to see the temple for the first time!

The "Other Sisters"

It's funny because I grew up as friends in the stake with Alison's sister, Anna and I also knew her sister Leah so it was fun spending time with them and loving the fact that we're now all family!  She comes from a family of 12 kids!  Here are all of the sisters (and mom):  Jenna, Tera, Anna, Miriam (mom), Leah and Colleen

Andrews' "Second Family"

The Woodsides

Ever since my family moved back to Maine Andrew has been buddies with Ross, and younger brother Lee (on his mission).  Mattie has grown up as another one of Andrew's sisters and Bob and Terry are like his parents, he has spent so much time and eaten so much food there!

And with a click of her heels off they go!