'Tis the season!

I seriously LOVE Christmas. It is my most favorite time of the year... so magical! And somehow it's even more fun with a baby! It's so fun doing festive things together as a family... Here are some pics of what we've been up to...

Setting up our tree!

Chloe's first visit with Santa

Christmas party with our friends

Love you girls!

Going to the Mesa Temple and seeing the Christmas lights and nativities... so much fun!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

One-year photo shoot

My friend Annie offered to take some one-year photos of Chloe. They turned out great, and I'm so grateful she was willing to do these for us... I love them! Thanks Annie!

Chloe's 1st birthday, bike, and headboard

Well, somehow it happened... my baby turned 1!!! I cannot believe how fast this year has gone by. Her birthday was pretty low key... I made a spaghetti dinner, and then we had some friends over for cake and ice cream. It was really cute to watch Chloe get excited when we sang to her. Here are some pics from the night:

Making a mess of herself

Having at it with cake and ice cream. She didn't care about the cake or ice cream... but she LOVED the frosting. Straight for the gold. Smart girl!

Opening her presents

Some other very exciting news... Danny got a bike. He is thrilled about it, and feels that he now officially fits the med student reputation perfectly. He rides it everyday and loves it.

And lastly, I reupholstered my headboard. I am so proud! My friend Annie helped me, and even though we stayed up until 1 in the morning finishing it, I love it. I couldn't be happier... I think it is darling. Thanks Annie!

The finished product!

Colorado and Texas trips

So in the beginning of November, Chloe and I went home to Denver to see my family. It was so great to be with my parents and see their new home, and to hang out with my brothers and their families. I miss everyone there so much! Here are a few pics of the trip:

Chloe with some of her cousins.

Drinking a green smoothie with Nana.

Chloe with her Nana and Papa.

Danny had 2 weeks off for his Thanksgiving break, so we went to Texas to be with my sisters and their families. It was such a party being there! We spent the first 9 days in Austin with Liz and Brandon, and then we all went up to Dallas for a few days to be with our other sister Courteney and her family. I love my sisters so much... I wish we lived closer!

Dinner and shopping for my birthday celebration.

Love my sis.

Dinner at an amazing modern Italian restaurant... seriously delish.

Liz baked an amazing cake for my 27th b-day.

And more fun things that we did in Austin:

Mini golfing

Go cart racing

Had to take a pic in front of Duffy Lane.

And here are some pics from Dallas:

Our Thanksgiving hike with everyone... it was so much fun, and so beautiful.

Liz & Brandon's family

Courteney & Dale's family

Three sisters

Love you and miss you both already!

White Coat Ceremony, Sea World, and Halloween

Forewarning... this is a long post. Sorry.

Part 1: White Coat Ceremony! A couple weeks ago Danny received his white coat and took some doctor oath. Even though he had absolutely no desire to go, it was actually pretty neat to see him up there. Even though we still have quite the long road ahead of us, I was so proud of him!

Family pic before the big event.

Right after the ceremony!

Danny with a few of his friends.

I know... such a crappy photo, but it's all I got. Here is Danny getting "white coated".

Part 2: San Diego & Sea World! So, we drove down to San Diego to meet Danny's family right after the ceremony. It would be the last time we saw his brother, Nate, before he left on a mission. It was such a fun trip... but way too short! It was awesome hanging out with everyone, and staying up late talking. We miss you all so much!!! Here are some pics of the weekend:

Danny and Chloe petting a crocodile at Sea World.

Walking with her Uncle Josh.

Josh, Nate, Danny, Joel... hanging out at Bob and Kathy's.

Uncle Nate and Chloe.

Part 3: Halloween! We had such a fun Halloween weekend. It started off by going to the ward trunk-or-treat. Danny's sweet mom got Chloe her kitten costume... and she looked adorable. Danny and I dressed up as Peter Pan and Captain Hook (ya, that's what we were 2 years ago... we're lame). It was a fun night full of food, games, and hanging out with friends. Having a baby is the best... you use them to trick-or-treat with, and then you get to be the one to eat all their candy. Sadly, next year she'll be old enough to know that she gets the candy she works for.

The next day we went with some friends to a pumpkin patch and corn maze. There was a ton of stuff to do at this place. We had a blast, and we will definitely be making this a yearly tradition.

Petting zoo area.

Corn maze.

And then finally, on actual Halloween we went to Danny's school where they put on a bunch of activities for kids. We trick-or-treated there, had Chloe's face painted, and ate food. It was way hot that day, so sadly enough Chloe had to go without her tights.

And a couple more pics of Chloe...