The big climb

We are able to take the kids climbing on campus for free each Saturday, and we finally did it! The kids love climbing and they are pretty good at it! Traeden got to the top, Jax got up about 15 feet, which is huge for him, and Araleigh liked watching us and cheering us on! It was a lot of fun, and great exercise. In a few months maybe Araleigh will be up there with us!

I am always amazed when the kids are so good at things at such a young age. That's one of the coolest things about being a mom, watching your kids learn and grow all the time! It is so fun to be able to get out and have some time together as a family, it is a rare thing these days!

After his climb, Traeden decided to test out his balance. The kid is good!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year...a little late!!

Yes, I know it's so pathetic that I have had a whole month of zero posts, it's been busy, as I'm sure it has for everyone! So, there are so many updates and a lot of pictures to share! We had a great Christmas, and a busy one! We spent it in Utah, and I am so sorry to all the friends that I didn't connect with when we were there! It was pretty packed full of family events, parties, and we did squeeze in a little skiing, too! I didn't do anything Christmas-ee at our apartment which was a little depressing, so we launched into a full-scale Christmas celebration as soon as we arrived in SLC! The boys helped decorate the kid's tree, and Araleigh helped un-decorate it:) They also made a ginger bread house with Jeff, which Jax enjoyed sneaking candy from for the next week. It was looking pretty bare after that, but they had fun and it was something they were really looking forward to!At the Smith family Christmas party, the kids were able to participate in the Nativity, and Jaxon got to be a lead role as Joseph! He led his little 3 yr old cousin, Lanie around from Inn to Inn, it was so adorable! Traeden did a great job as a shepherd as well. Araleigh just watched this year, but we are prepping her for next year!The kids had so much fun playing with all of their cousins and aunts and uncles! They were so excited about each party (we had 4 in a row...).

I was a little unprepared and wanted to give a picture of the kids to our grandparents, so I attempted a little photo shoot... needless to say, Araleigh was not so cooperative as one would hope, this is the best picture I got from her:

I can't believe she is old enough to be a stinker by choice... she is so funny! But at least she looks pretty in her new dress!!! She loved wearing this dress, she knows she's pretty in it and she would go from room to room announcing herself and parading around. As if she needed to, there was certainly not a lack of attention!So that about sums up our holiday, now for some updates... The biggest one is that we have made a decision and know where we are going to be moving next: back to Chicago! Dave has accepted a position with United Airlines in their loyalty marketing department. We will probably be moving to the Schaumberg area to be closer to his work and the airport, since I'm sure we will often be taking advantage of the free flights! We also get a yearly allotment of buddy passes, which we will be happy to give to anyone who wants to come visit or meet us somewhere fun (Disneyland, anyone?)!! So we are excited for our new adventure, and even more excited to return to the city we love so much! It will be great to see our friends again!

Other updates, the boys are still doing fantastic in school and having a great time! They have the best teachers, we are so happy with the way things have worked out for them! Araleigh is walking and talking like crazy! She picks up more words every day! She LOVES animals. I have never seen a child get so excited about spotting a puppy or kitty. It's a lot of fun! She has all of the animal sounds down pretty good! She also loves to read! She will get a book, sit in your lap and use those big blue eyes as a persuading tool as she so sweetly says "book?" How can you resist? She also likes to sing to her babies and animals. The best news is that we can take her to nursery at church now! We don't have to chase her around our classrooms anymore! It's wonderful! She really enjoys it, hasn't cried yet! That is about it in the Smith household, everything else remains about the same. I hope everyone had a great Christmas, we love you all!