A Pattern...

I looked back in my blog archives and noticed a pattern- every year I have tons of posts Oct-Dec and then not a single post until the end of January or beginning of February. I guess I'm just on holiday cool-down.

Here's what we've been up to during my hiatus...

We celebrated New Year's with the Thelin clan (minus Jerai and Phil, plus Nathan and Jessica- Jade's cousin and her husband who is also Ashley's brother). It was so fun. We started off with dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Juan Colorado, then we headed downtown to see an improv comedy show at Comedy Sportz. There were 6 comedians- 2 were bad but 4 were good, so it ended up being pretty funny. We got some good laughs. Then we all went back to Justin and Ashley's for dessert and to watch the countdown and have a toast. We had a great night, and we were happy to ring in the new year with each other and our family!

Over Christmas while we were in Las Vegas, our friend Bryce (who set Jade and I up) and his wife Nicole (who we set him up with) stayed at our house. They stayed after the holidays for Bryce's sister's wedding. We had so much fun with them here. We even recreated both of our first dates- at Macaroni Grill. We want them to come visit again.

After New Year's we started to get our life back to the normal routine. Peyton started her 2nd term of ballet and gymnastics. She loves going, and she talks to me about Miss Katie and Coaches Tasha and Alec all the time. It is so fun for me to watch her start to learn little things. We've been going to our favorite indoor play places- Munchkin Playland, OMSI, Pump it Up, Jr. and Bliss (for cupcakes), trying to stay busy and avoid the winter cabin fever. We've had lots of playdates with our friends. I cashed out on my birthday present from Jade and got a massage and a facial. It was so relaxing. What a great birthday present!

My girlfriends and I had a big girls' night out. We went to dinner, saw the movie Country Strong and then everyone who wasn't too tired went out afterward for a snack (of course that means me since I am such a night-owl). It was a really fun night. Jade and I went out with our friends Frank and Lacie for Jade's and Frank's birthday, which is on the same day. We went to a restaurant they both love; Outback (this is I think the 4th straight year we've gone there on Jade's birthday). There was a 13 year old boy there with his parents, sitting across from us. His parents brought a big cake from home for him to have after dinner, and when they were singing Happy Birthday to him, we all joined in, then we talked to him for a few minutes about how all 3 of the guys shared the same birthday. Later on, his parents sent 4 big pieces of chocolate cake over to our table. It was so nice of them (and the cake was good!) Last Sunday we celebrated my nephew Gabe's and Jade's birthday with family dinner at our house. It was kind of chaotic, but so fun; especially for Jade, who got his favorite German Chocolate Cake made with love by his mom.

Happy 29th birthday, honey. (I can hardly believe this will be his last year in his 20's!)

Jade and I at New Year's Eve dinner.This picture makes me laugh. It was supposed to be our "silly" picture, but no one knew quite what to do. Nathan's head was cut off in every single picture.My girl still loves to play in my shoes.I love this picture. My friend Brittney babysat Peyton for me while I was getting my hair done. She sent me this picture on my phone. Peyton and Peyton are so cute! My mom pointed out something funny: they are a lot like me and my best friend growing up- Jordan Mitchell. Jordan was blond and fair, and I was darker, like Peyton. So I looked through my pictures to find one of us close to their age. It's funny- they do remind me of us! Also, I think Peyton looks just like me (I was about 6 months younger than her in this picture).Last old picture... This was me and my daddy sharing a nap. When I saw this I did a double-take. It looks just like Peyton.There is a really funny story behind this picture. Peyton was watching me put together our 2010 blog book, and she was looking at the pictures of Jade and I in Washington, D.C. She asked me what they were, and I reminded her about Jade's and my vacation this summer. She said "I want to go on vacation." I told her we would go to see Noni soon (soon is relative). She said "Okay. I go pack me bags." I heard her roll her little suitcase past my office, thud it up every stair, and since her room is above my office, I could hear drawers opening and shutting. Eventually I went to see what she was doing, and I saw that she had indeed packed her bag. Full of books. She's a girl after my own heart. Maybe I should get her a Kindle! She also was looking in her box of too-small clothes to find the perfect outfits to bring. So cute! Now, we all know how much I love my baby Tink. What no one realizes is that Jade is just as obsessed with her as I am. He coddles her and treats her like a little princess. It is actually pretty cute, coming from such a manly-man as my husband. This is usually how she greets him when he comes home from work: with a full-on hug, lasting for about 2-3 minutes. Seriously.

Peyton is my very favorite ballerina!

Birthday Boys!