Winter Snow Day

These pictures are from December but with so much to post around Christmas I never go around to it. They are some really cute shots of a really big snow day!

I LOVE to shovel :)

Mommy bo peep has lost her baby sheep! Can you find her?

Oh there she is!!!Why is Alana always the wolf/horse/dog/etc. pulling something? Will she ever grow out of this? Maybe someday she will when we get her a horse of her own?! Oh well, her siblings don't mind

We took the kids to the local high school football stadium where we sledded down the hill that surrounds the field. It is steep and really fun!

Pure joy

Marrick had been sooooo hard! Whining about EVERYTHING! He was actually happy and played outside in the snow that day. Hooray!

Pictures after a few good wipe outs:

Daddy and baby

Am I a mean mommy or what! She was very unsure about this!

And how could I resist a picture of an adorable little lamb in a cute hat and bibs?!

Happy Winter... now we are READY for spring!

"Jesus does NOT want me for a sunbeam!"

Sunday was Marrick's first day as a Sunbeam. We had been praying about it, talking about and hoping he would go without any problems. The weeks leading up they had been going into the primary room to "practice." Marrick didnt want anything to do with it and bolted back to nursery at first chance. He declared to us that there were no snacks or toys in that old primary room and he wanted nothing to do with it. So hence the praying, talking and hoping.
It began with screaming, went to pinching and hitting and ended with kicking. Daddy was the man and took over. He spent 15 minutes in the hallway on dad's lap screaming a lot of things. One phrase was.. "Jesus does not want me for a sunbeam!" Anyone that tried to talk to him he yelled, "don't talk to me!" Or "dont touch me!" Finally dad worked his way into the back of the room and the primary pres. Bribed him with skittles to sit with his class again. He had one more major outburst and was fine when they got to class.
I had no idea that sunbeams could be so traumatic!
Marrick had a horrible case of Giardia in October and has been so much harder since then. Some days i seriously don't know what to do with him! I would never have dreamed of pinching my mom or getting out of bed for the 10th time! Lets pray that it all means he will be one amazing and easy teenager, right? Ill just fantasize for now...
I must update on this little sweet boy of mine. My sister Jenna told me that after she read this post she told her family that they were going to pray for Marrick to be happy to go to Sunbeams. I think their prayers are working because that next week he actually did sit in his class (with some bribery) and went to class. I was very excited about the whole thing until someone told me that he actually bit his teacher on the backside (yes, her butt) because she wouldn't let him leave until a parent came to get him. The teacher was too embarrassed to tell us and didn't want us to feel bad.
Oh Marrick! Today was Sunday again and we spent some time in the cold parking lot while Marrick told me that he did not want to be a Sunbeam and did not like to be a Sunbeam. I think the prayers worked before and that now we must pray again. Like my mom always says, "don't worry, he won't go to Kindergarten in diapers." I'm hoping he doesn't yell when he's 12, "I don't want to be a deacon!" as he goes to priesthood for the first time.

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Halle Grace is 1!

Halle is 1! She looks so grown up.

I cannot believe that this little one is 1! We celebrated on Sunday with daddy in style. Halle got a snowman cake and a few fun gifts from loved ones. All the Gomez cousins joined in on the fun and wanted to see what she got.

Because all Aaron ever wants for his birthday is a date with his wife, we hardly have his cake on his day. So, this year we shared a party and had 2 cakes. Aaron got his yellow cake with chocolate frosting and Halle got a cute snowman.

OK Hale, here you go... Your first peice of cake...

What do I do?

Now I get it!

Oh yeah!

more?

Halle checking out her cute new baby from Nanna, pops and Auntie Rae

I am a dirty mug with teeth that likes to steal cereal!

Halle has been such a good baby. She has slept well, taken good naps and usually sleeps through the night. She is still nursing and will wake up to nurse at 5 or 6 am but then goes back to sleep for another couple hours. She smiles all of the time and loves to play with all the kids. She climbs up the stairs and sits on the top stair and cries until someone comes and gets her. She know how to get down but gets scared to turn around and come down. Like all babies, she loves the bathroom. With 3 older siblings it is hard to keep track of shutting the bathroom door. She usually gets into some kind of michief like the toilet, paper or products. She loves to open the cereal cabinet and walk around helping herself to some cereal. She is really rough with other babies her age. She usually end up hitting them with a toy. I think she is learning too much from watching Marrick. She loves her binky and blanket. She has chosen an adorable cupcake blanky with silky trim as the favorite, a lovey from cousin Savannah. The binkies have to be kept away from the dog or they get chewed up. She thinks it is funny to give her binky to him. She laughs at all funny (and innapropriate) noises, which usually gets the rest of the kids rolling on the floor(especially Ammon). She is sweet and likes to look at books. She dances when she hears music, almost every time. She likes it when anyone plays the piano and will go running for those low or high keys to chime in. She is such a joy to have in our home. We love her so much and are so grateful that we have been able to have her in our family. With her cousin Mariah's passing so close to her birth, we have been extra thankful for her amazing spirit and body that has graced our home this year. We will always remember our sweet angel cousin Mariah Grace.
Halle Grace, Happy Birthday sweet baby. We love you so!

Merry Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We started off the holidays with the ward Christmas party. My 2 older ones were angels in the Nativity play. Alana led the music with her arms the ENTIRE song. We had a wonderful Christmas this year. We spent Christmas Eve at Grama and Pagah's house with an amazing rib dinner. Then Grama read the Christmas story while the kids acted it out. We caught a special someone on camera!, the kids got new jammies and then everyone got spoiled Christmas day. Grama and Pagah joined us this year for Christmas morning. Alana was very worried that Santa wouldn't know where to bring presents for them. Santa remembered and we had a great day.Halle, you will wear that adorable outfit that is way too small for you!

I love this Christmas picture. Typical Cothran shot.

Alana was determined to catch Santa on camera this year. She talked about it... a lot. So, I told her that on Christmas Eve we would set up the camera. I set the "timer" so that when the "motion detector" went off it would catch Santa in the act! We couldn't believe our eyes Christmas morning when jolly old Saint Nick was in our very house! I will upload the video soon. AMAZING! We gotcha Santa! Ho Ho Ho! This is a still shot of the video while he was checking out the goodies on the table.

Our sweet Christmas baby

New jammies from the best old folks around!

What a group. notice that Mac is dressing the chicken?

What a beautiful spread! Yummy.

I need a new camera but seriously, this was the CUTEST thing ever! Halle loves this scripture bag that amazing auntie Jenna made for her. She puts toys in it and totes it around. Maybe we do have a diva after all?

Christmas morning! Santa did remember Grama, Pagah and Zorro! My, what a lot of stockings there are!

Every year daddy gets into something. This year it was "star wars toys." The boys each got their own ship with their own droid? and guy. Dad got the "big" ship and a lot of guys. Thanks dad!

Christmas was kinda crazy this year. Usually I feel like I have some time to relax and enjoy the season. My best experience was giving a talk the Sunday before Christmas. I talked about the condesension of God. I gained a firmer testimony of the reality that Jesus truly was born as the Son of God on this earth to a mortal mother. He truly lived and chose to suffer and die for each one of us. We are here because of our dear brother, the Savior Jesus Christ.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Life...

Life happens so much faster the older I get. Here we are in the middle of December and I don't even know how we got here! I am still in July baking in the hot sun. An update on my mother, she is doing much better and still wearing sexy jammies. As for our non "little" family, we have been keeping busy. These are some random pictures of the last month: Daddy and Halle with the first piggy tails! Oh, I just LOVE it!

Thanksgiving morning with Ammon's own private Turkey bowl. It was seriously the cutest thing ever. I secretly recorded them through a slit in the door.

Run Ammon!

Then I had them "pause" for a photo, so cute.
I love that our daddy likes to play all the reindeer games! He really is the coolest.

Thanksgiving morning, peeling potatoes

Alana set this beautiful spread, great job girl!

Oh, and what would a holiday at the Cothran's be like without some kind of destruction?
Yes, ripping out the downstairs bathroom. The shower and toilet had seen better days.
We are still... working on it. :)

I caught these cuties reading with the flashlight. Busted. But how do you get upset at that? Alana is such a good sister and the boys really love her.

Decorating the Christmas Tree!

And the stockings were hung...
And Ammon learned how to write, a lot!
There are many requests for a 6 year old boy. Santa MUST know about ALL of them.

And then there was this sweet little Halle Gracie. I had the brilliant idea to take pictures of her AFTER church. Such a smart mommy. (Nap time!)
Halle is 11 months old! (on Dec 3rd) She is walking everywhere and gets mad when someone is in her way. She knows what she wants! She has 6 teeth and is already getting her molars! She has the sweetest curls in her hair. She has started to develop her own little Cothran temper but is still sweet as ever. She loves to play peek-a-boo and has a deep little belly laugh. Oh how we love this Halle baby!

Happy Holidays from Halle

Halle at 11 months.

Bum leg

My mom is one AMAZING woman! She has done more in one lifetime than most can do in 2. Unfortunately, she had to have hip replacement surgery last Tuesday. What a horrible thing! She has been in so much pain! It was quite the surgery with quite the scar. (I have been forbidden to show the scar but I do have a picture of it. It is like 8 inches long! oweee) So my Grandma Butler had the same surgery at age 83, my mom now had hers at age 63, and I am preparing for mine at age 43. Seriously, let's all hope NOT. She is just now getting around OK with her walker. She can't bend over past a 90 degree angle and has to be careful not to pop the new hip out or she will have the same surgery again! The Xrays are pretty amazing, showing a new hip socket that is pounded into her bone marrow. They have to cut the leg, then move and cut the muscle in order to cut and take out the old bone to put in the robot one. Amazing what modern medicine can do but still very hard on a body. My boys keep saying she is now a robot :)
I love you mom! So sorry you have had to go through this ordeal. Hang in there!!! We love you and get better soon! (now we are just praying she won't have to do the other leg next summer)