McClellan/Robbins Baby Shower & Gingerbread Houses

On December 14th, we had my final baby shower! This one was hosted by Jake's mom and my amazing sister-in-law's Keisha & Macy. Everything was super cute & pink! 

Cupcakes mom made and Keisha frosted. Keisha's work did the flowers - they turned out great! Gerber daisies are my FAVORITE! 

Close up of the flowers

Chicken salad croissants with a veggie tray. We also had hand dipped chocolate covered strawberries & pineapple, done by Keisha, and some amazing cookies {pumpkin chocolate chip & thumb print cookies} made by Macy

The shower was amazing - miss Kaycee got quite a few new outfits, several new blankets including some receiving blankets {she had very few of those!}, a cute bling-y pacifier {her first pacifier she received!}, more diapers, another diaper bag, a few headbands & a $50 Babies R Us gift card! We made quite the haul! And several of the gifts we got were items that I was prepping to go buy, since there were a few items we didn't have yet, or have enough of. And seriously, some of the outfits she got are ADORABLE! She got very spoiled by her McClellan/Robbins family, that's for sure! 

After we were finished with the shower, we started a new family tradition! Everyone came over {all the girls were already there, we just needed the boys} and we made gingerbread houses out of graham crackers and candy! 

Everyone building their houses. We did them all in "teams" - Keisha & Dustin, Grandma Wendy & Hunter, me & Jake and Macy & Clint 

Poor Grandpa was very sick. He still sat on the couch and spent time with us, but as soon as we were done he went to bed. Nearly everyone in the family ended up catching the yucky cough/cold/flu he had, so we all realized just how miserable he must have been sitting with us while we built the houses.

Our gingerbread house! 

Grandma Wendy & Hunter's house

Dustin & Keisha's house 

Clint & Macy's house

After we were done with houses and had cleaned up the huge candy mess, we had Papa Murphy's pizza and talked until it was time to go home. It was a SUPER fun night - can't wait to build gingerbread houses again next year!

Christmas Cultural Night & Knowlton White Elephant Gift Exchange

Last Saturday, after my baby shower, we had part 2 of our new family Christmas tradition: cultural night. To read more about part 1, our fun activity, click here.

For cultural night, we chose to go to Gloria's Little Italy in Provo on Center Street. Their food was AMAZING! And on weekends, they have a live accordion player who plays Christmas songs, Disney songs, hymns - any song you can think of, he can play pretty much. He was WONDERFUL!

Everyone in the family was able to come, with the exception of Sarah {who is on her mission} and Keaton, Matt's son who was with his mom

Richard enjoying his gelato & coffee cake

Jake got some super yummy salmon alfredo, and I got chicken parmesan. Afterwards, we shared a Twix gelato. It was REALLY good, and a super fun experience! Our waitress served her mission in Italy, so after our meal she shared some fun traditions with us.

After dinner, we drove to Brynne & Blake's house and did our gift exchange with all the siblings. Because we never know who will end up being able to come, we do a white elephant exchange rather than assigning who buys for who. This year, we decided to play the "stealing" version of the game. We only had 3 presents get stolen, so it went super fast!

The wrapping for the gift Richard brought - he is so good at folding Origami!

The collection of presents! 

I got a keychain of the eiffel tower that's really from Paris, 2 things of silly putty, 2 little squeezy guys that you throw at the ground and they light up, a mini etch-a-sketch & a mini magnetic doodle pad. Even though Kaycee won't know how to play with those for a while, I am SUPER excited about them!  Jake originally got Oreo's, but then someone stole them so he stole an iTunes Gift card. It was a super fun night! 

For the 3rd part of the tradition, my family will be doing a service project. They are making sack lunches for the homeless up in Salt Lake and then delivering them. Unfortunately, that activity is planned for this weekend, the same time as my final baby shower, so Jake & I won't be able to go. But I wanted to make sure and say what the 3rd activity would be, even if we don't end up getting to go! 

Christmas Fun Activity

After our day at the Sand Dunes, we hurried home to get some warm winter clothes and meet up with my family. My mom heard about a 3 part tradition another family in their ward does that she wanted to copy, so we are starting it this year. Instead of doing gifts, we have 3 family activities together in December that my parents pay for. A fun activity, a service activity & a cultural night where we go out to eat somewhere nice. This past Saturday, we got to do the Fun activity! We went to Thanksgiving Point to see the lights in a horse drawn trailer.

Brynne, Blake, Jeannene, mom, Rick, Dayton {Popper's boyfriend}, Popper, me & Jake

Blake & Brynne

Me & Jake

Our house drawn wagon!

Me & Jake

Brynne & Blake

After we rode through the lights, we all had hot chocolate together under the lights. It was REALLY fun, and thanks to the warmer weather we have been having, it wasn't anywhere near as cold as it could have been thank heavens! This coming weekend is our cultural night - we are going to an Italian restaurant in Provo together! 

A new tradition

So a few months ago, I got this idea. I tell everyone I saw it on Pinterest, but I can't remember if I really saw it on Pinterest or if I made it up and was too embarassed to say that so I told people it was on Pinterest... Either way - got this idea that for my birthday, I should get my parents a gift or I should take my parents out to eat, instead of them taking me out. Without them, I wouldn't have a birthday. Why am I getting celebrated when all I did was stay alive through labor? They got me here on earth and kept me alive {sometimes I am truly amazed - that is a SERIOUS accomplishment since I can be quite a pain in the you-know-what, especially through my teenage years}. So my mom & I decided I would take her to lunch on my birthday and I took my dad to dinner the night before my birthday.

I had wanted to go the "gift" route and give them something... I wanted to be pregnant for my birthday and give them the gift of grandparenthood. What an awesome way to announce it right?? Yep grandparenthood isthat's a word. But nope - not pregnant. So had to settle for taking them out for food :)

My dad has been SUPER sick - he had a double ear infection and strep.  Then he got pneumonia with a little bit of ear infection left and the beginnings of bronchitis. Awesome right?? That's how our dinner date came to be - he needed a ride to get his newest prescription and I decided to take him out to eat afterwards. Jake was at Young Mens, so it worked out perfectly to be a daddy daughter date :)

While we were standing in line at Smith's I saw this - hilarious!!! It's the band "One Direction" advertising for MaxFresh tooth products - because they make you beautiful. Name of their song right now is "That's what makes you beautiful". Hilarious. Probably not as funny now that I explained it. But I thought it was awesome!

Got my dad some essentials to help him get feeling better - crackers, OJ, Kleenex, wheat bread & toilet paper :)

Then we went to Golden Corral - his favorite restaurant

Ok I was doing AWESOME at eating healthy that day. I got a huge salad first, and I probably would have been ok calorie wise if I had stopped there. But nope I didn't. I was looking at my plate after round two and it was ALL carbs. No protein or fiber at all. And then topped it off with like 6 pieces of fudge. Epic diet fail there. EPIC.  I resolved to do better the next day - not so much. Last week was bad for my eating. BAD. Thank heavens it's over and I am back on track. My body was HATING me by Friday.

Anyway, back to my date with my dad.

After we were done at Golden Corral I drove him back to his house and helped him carry his stuff up the apartment. Once we got up there, he was coughing so hard he couldn't breathe. Kinda scary. I hope he gets feeling better soon!!

Love my dad :)

On my birthday, my mom & I went to lunch at Won Won Wok. It's a little Chinese & Japanese Restaurant here in Saratoga Springs. We got the exact same thing - teriyaki salmon with California sushi rolls & egg drop soup. Didn't eat my salad because it was doing the backstroke in Ranch dressing. Seriously, it was drowning in dressing. But the food was delicious!!  

My gorgeous mom eating her lunch!

I love this tradition and can't wait to do it again, both for my parents and for Jake's parents. I want to do a card or a letter next time too - something that says how much I appreciate all they have done for me in my life and for helping me have a birthday. Especially my mom. She went through a really long labor and I was a SERIOUS pain to get into this world. Yay for starting an awesome new tradition!