November & December 2013

Yes, I'm going way back in time to November and December.  We did so many fun things I can't just skip over them!  I'll be playing catch-up for a while.  What can I say, I'm still trying to catch up from newborn life.  :) 

November and December were 100% survival mode months.  In many ways I don't wish to remember them.  Mostly I remember trying to get some kind of sleep, trying to get Max to gain weight, Andy watching lots of TV, trying to buy a car and a house...etc. But as I look back over pictures, we did make some fun memories! Most of November was spent in Texas trying to adjust to a new baby, coordinating a move, and starting a new job in Utah.  We did have a few fun goodbye parties. I had a girls' night, and we also had a little dinner party with Cameron's work friends he'd started FDP with.  We celebrated Thanksgiving with family back in Utah after the move.  We had a nice dinner at my house with immediate family.  Cameron's family did a big dinner the day after Thanksgiving with his Baker side.  (Can you tell we were a little out of it that month?  We're a little lacking in the picture department.)

Goodbye Dell!

Hello, Instructure!

I think we snuck in a zoo trip somewhere in November.

December was full of fun Christmas traditions. Andy loved building our mini-snowman.

Andy's favorite part of sugar cookies was pressing in the mold.

Sledding with Grandpa.

We also celebrated my beautiful Grandma Ruth's 90th birthday with the whole family.

We I made this masterpiece at a little party with our friends Dima & Monique.

We had a great time at our Lee family annual Crab feast. It was so fun having Dave and Wyatt in town! Andy sure loves all those cousins.  

Our little family the Sunday before Christmas:

I WON! I won the annual Messick family gingerbread man decorating contest.  This is a major deal.  Sara was in a really bad mood the rest of the night.

My winning cookie.

We took a family trip to see the lights downtown.  I was SO GREAT having Ben, Christine, and Sam in town!

Christmas Day!  The pictures are really lacking.  I had a particularly rough night with Max the night before (I think I had 3 hours of sleep?), so I was a little out of it.  Luckily, Andy had a great day!  (Despite our gift to him never arriving the night before like it was supposed to. His basketball hoop finally came 3 weeks later.)  He got some great legos from my parents and a bunch of great things from Greg & Kathy.  I think his favorite things from them were his football toss thing and his car track.  We spent the morning with my family and the afternoon and evening with Cam's family.  I gave Cameron a coat.  (That also didn't come on time...we were cursed!) He gave me an amazing spa day: massage, facial, pedicure.  Best. Present. Ever. 

Another Christmas Day pic.

We have loved having G.G. close!

We also had a few other fun outings.  We went to breakfast and went bowling on New Years Eve Morning.  Andy loved bowling. He couldn't stop jumping!  What I mostly remember from bowling is that Rachel lost and was in the worst mood about it.  Guess we have a competitive family. ;) New Years Eve was fun!  We met up with a friend from Amsterdam, Allen, and had dinner with him at Tarahumara in Midway (our favorite!).  We spent the rest of the night at Paul's and Christie's house in Midway partying!