The whole family in their matching pj's. Handmade by myself and my sister Celeste. Yes, while she was here visiting with her 2 toddlers we decided to make 10 pairs of pajama pants. Not that either of us had ever made a single pair of pajamas, but we do love a challenge :)
Granny and Papa flew in Christmas eve, we loved having them here!
Getting ready for Santa by putting out the stockings.
I just love Sundays in December when I get to dress the kids up in Christmas colors all month long. (Yet why do I always forget to take the picture until AFTER church when everyone is tired and cranky? Especially mom...lol)
Jaycie was not so sure about this guy, but was promised a candy cane :)
The boys with Santa. Lovin Kimball's santa socks. Of course I missed getting a picture of Aubrielle, and when I tried to she ran out of the room gagging on a cookie. Apparently she doesn't like those little round ball cookies covered in powdered sugar, who knew.
(Campbell weighs 1lb more than Davis and they are 21 months apart)
**Yesterday we officially took Campbell out of the crib (yes, he is almost 3 and he was still in a crib) and put him on a mattress on the floor (no, the poor kid does not have a bed because we don't want to have to move it, and because I want to buy the boys bunk beds which we really don't want to have to move). Anyway, he loved sleeping on the floor in his "new bed" (aka mattress on the floor). He was exhausted and went right to sleep but then around 1AM he climbed... er... rolled out of bed and walked out to the balcony where he announced to the entire house in his loudest voice, "I wake up! Hey errybody, I wake up!"
**We were in the car this morning when out of nowhere Campbell said, "I cant' see the Holy Ghost. I can't see the Holy Ghost mommy!"
** Campbell came up to me sticking his finger out and said, "Mommy, Tinkerbelle scratched my finger." I said, "Oh no, are you okay?" He said, "Yes... Tinkerbelle said sorry."
Here are some more pictures of my little sister. I have enjoyed having her around thus far and can't wait until she is old enough to play with me. Mom is doing well with the adjustment with having 2 children and is pretty much recovered.
"Nothing touches our soul but leaves its impress, and thus, little by little, we are fashioned into the image of all we have seen and heard, known and meditated; and if we learn to live with all that is fairest and purest and best, the love of it all will in the end become our very life." --David B Haight
I love this quote. It reminds me that as a mother I must do all I can to fill my children's lives with all things good and pure. I truly believe that in the end they will love and they will seek after what they have known best.
Campbell found a new hiding place and invited Davis to join him inside. Today he said to me, "Let's go to space mommy! But... but, where is my rocket ship??" Megan decided she wanted a haircut and insisted on "bangs". I was nervous about cutting bangs on her but in the end I think she made a good choice... she looks so cute with bangs. :)
Hallie is learning how to play the recorder and loves it. She practices faithfully and learns so quickly. She also started "STOMP" this week.
Campbell is always doing something to keep himself (and me) busy. He is a sweet boy and LOVES to be funny. He will do something silly and then ask, "I funny Mommy??" and of course I say, "YES, you ARE funny!" and he grins from ear to ear.
The other day I was working out and he walked in the room with a little cup of water and asked, "You firsty mommy? You need a drink?" What a sweet boy. :)
I just love this little... er... big guy.
Davis loves to eat and to talk on the cell phone. If I am on the phone he grunts and moans and cries until I give in and let him have it then he holds it up to his ear and kisses it (i.e. sucks on it).
Oh, he also loves purses. ;0
Trevor has had a great month of elective and his schedule has been more flexible in January. He is studying ultrasound and has to do 100-300 ultrasounds this month which is a lot but he is getting them done.
Davis likes to jump on daddy when he is studying... daddy just loves it. ;)
Last week my family and I went on a vacation to Mexico! My Mom, Dad, Halverson Family, and Brown Family were all there. We missed the Shamo Family, Morris Family, and Brandon! Hopefully next time we will all be together. It was a lot of fun and I thought I would share some of the pictures I took on the trip.
For the first couple days we hung out on the boat. We ate lots of ice cream and pizza. On Wednesday we made it to Puerto Vallarta. Clint, Brigham, Dad, and I went on an outdoor adventure where we ziplined and repelled in the jungle. We did this a few years ago and it was a lot of fun. They added a few new lines and obstacles. We had a good time! I got eight bug bites on one of my legs. And those crazy Mexican mosquito bites itch like crazy!!
By the time we got back to the boat everyone was ready to go to the beach! This beach had big strong waves which the kids loved to body surf.
One of the main attractions on the boat was a huge waterslide for the older kids and a slash pad for all the little kiddos! Here are some pictures of the kids playing around on the ship.
The next day we were in Mazatlan! This was our big BEACH DAY!! We took a taxi to a hotel which had access to the main beach. They had chairs and an umbrella for us. The waves were not quite as impressive as the day before but we had a lot of fun in the sand.
Crazy Isaac loved to play in the sand and even put it all over his face. Josh was completely covered in sand except for his finger nails which wouldn't let the sand stick.
Here is the big hole and burying Isaac and Josh. Josh jumped right out after we were done. Isaac had to be pulled out by his dad.
Josh is such a cutie even when he is covered in sand.
After the beach we went SHOPPING! The girls bought some beautiful swim suit coverups. Kail got a T-shirt. I think the beach and shopping wore Grandpa out and he slept on the bench as we waited for everyone to make their purchases.
Here are some random pictures of us around the ship. Every night we would come back from dinner and find a towel animal on our beds. We had a lobster, frog, dog, and flower. And look at poor Alicia's burned back...ouch!!
Friday we went to Cabo San Lucas! We didn't go to the beach that day. Instead we just went walking around the docks and shopping at the flea market.
To get to Cabo we had to take a tender. Here are Greg, Lisa, Dad, and Mom on the tender.
Here are Grandma and Grandpa with most of the Grandkids at the flea market.
All of the Halverson boys bought Mexican wrestling masks. One night while I was watching the kids for Lisa and Clint we had a wrestling match. Alicia was the referee and called the match. It was hilarious! I probably shouldn't show these pictures because then Lisa and Clint will never let me watch their kids again.
On Carnival they had a kids program. It was a big hit and all the kids loved going to 'GROUP.' They would come home everyday with T-shirts, artwork, pens, hats, bags, or FACE PAINT. Here is Josh as a tiger and Isaac as a rock star!
This is the only picture I have of me on the trip. I had to include it to prove I was there. (Thanks for posing with me Brig!)
After Cabo we headed back to California. Because of all the crazy weather in Southern California last week the seas were a bit rough. This made the captain slow down quite a bit which made us a couple hours late getting into Long Beach. I had an 11:15 flight and was already going to be cutting it close before we were delayed. They didn't let anyone off the ship until 10:20 and I was booking it to the airport. I honestly felt like I was on the Amazing Race! I barely made it on the plane but everything went smoothly from there.
Brandon picked me up from the airport and I was so excited to see him. When I walked in the door I saw this huge bouquet of red roses on our kitchen table. Brandon is so sweet. It was a fun week but I was definitely happy to see my handsome hubby!
Thanks for the great vacation Dad! I'm so happy I was able to go and spend time with the family!
He might have a baseball on his shirt but he already loves soccer. Brody would chase the ball for hours if my back wouldn't give out. He especially loves it when he kicks it and Lindsey and I yell GOOOOAAALLL!!! We will see if he continues his love for the greatest game, Pele' watch out!
Peter had the day off yesterday, so he decided to see if he could find his pregnant wife a maple bar. There is one little doughnut shop in town, so he called them, and asked if they had any maple bars. They said they did, but we were still a little skeptical. Sure enough, Peter went down there, and found one maple bar. He returned home as my hero! It was delicious, especially once I scraped out the filling. Mmm . . . Mmm . . . Mmm!!!
Last week, Peter had to go to a San Antonio to attend some work meetings. Brody and I were able to tag along with him. We got to stay in a nice hotel downtown on the Riverwalk. Too bad it poured down rain the whole time we were there, so we didn't do much exploring on the Riverwalk, but oh well, we've been there before.
The first night was a little rough. Brody is so good about putting himself to sleep in his own bed, but it was a little difficult since we didn't have a separate room for him. He stayed up way too late with us, so he was completely off his sleep schedule. He woke up at 11pm, and again at midnight. At the midnight wakeup, he just cried and cried, and we couldn't do anything to console him. I think he was just so tired that it hurt. We finally made him a bottle, and that seemed to comfort him enough that he was able to fall back asleep. Since he didn't sleep well that night, I tried to keep things dark and quiet that morning so he would take a nap, but all of my efforts failed. The downtown traffic was just so noisy. Finally, at about 11am, I was starving, so I decided to get up and get ready, so we could go find something to eat. Since it was pouring down rain, I decided to just go eat at the restaurant at the hotel. The restaurant wasn't too busy, so Brody got lots of attention from all of the waiters. One of them even brought him a helium balloon, which he LOVED. I don't think he had ever seen a balloon before. I love how the simplest things are so amazing to him.
I was really looking forward to taking Brody swimming at the hotel, but unfortunately the pool was closed because it is an outdoor pool. BUMMER!
That afternoon, I knew Brody was completely exhausted since he hadn't had a nap all day. I decided to shove the crib into the bathroom as far as it would go, which was about halfway, and turn the bathroom fan on. He slept like a baby!
That night after Peter got back to the hotel, we decided to go to Texas Roadhouse for dinner (one of our favoriates). We were seated right in the busiest section of the restaurant, so Brody once again got lots of attention. He kept waving to everyone as they walked by. As we were getting ready to pay the bill, the manager came over to our table, and told us that she knew we probably heard this all the time, but she just had to tell us that from the moment we sat down at our table, our baby just stole her heart away. She just thought he was so cute. Of course, I don't think you could ever hear enough of that. Then, when our waitress came back with our bill, she told us that our baby was the Texas Roadhouse baby of the week because all of the other staff kept telling her how cute he was. Shouldn't we get a free meal or something for that?:)
After we left the restaurant, Peter was kind enough to drive all over town trying to find maple bars because that's what I was craving for breakfast the next morning. The one Krispy Kreme that our GPS could find in San Antonio had been closed down. We did manage to find another doughnut shop, but they were closed for the evening. The grocery stores didn't have maple bars. We drove past a little bakery, and Peter flipped a U-turn. We were on a dark street in the pouring down rain, and we ended up in some pretty thick mud and barely missed a fire hydrant, but after arriving back at the little bakery I ran inside, and asked the gal in the bakery if they had maple bars. She gave me a funny look, and asked me what a maple bar was. Are you kidding me? Who doesn't know what a maple bar is? After I explained them to her, she asked me where I was from, and said I wouldn't find anything like that around here. Defeated, we headed back to the hotel to put Brody to bed. Now, of course, all I can think about are maple bars.
It's hard to believe my little baby is 10 months old. He's going to be 1 year old before I know it. He is growing and learning every day. He now has all four of his front teeth. He's had four trims around the ears, but I'm thinking he's about ready for a real haircut. He is getting HEAVY! I can't hardly pack him around any more. I'm really looking forward to him being able to walk, although everyone tells me to enjoy life before he starts running away from me. I'm just tired of him crawling through all the dog hair that Timber so generously leaves everywhere, and I seriously don't know how much longer I can pack him around, especially with a growing belly. He loves walking around while we hold onto him, but I can only do that for so long before my back and belly start to hurt. He is such a happy little baby. He loves to go out for adventures, whether it be for a walk with the dog, or running errands. He sometimes gets a little shy around strangers, but for the most part he loves to wave to people. He is becoming quite the little talker. He carries on quite a conversation, if only we knew what he was saying. He does say "Ma Ma" and "Da Da" all the time now, and I think he's starting to understand what those words mean. He has the cutest little laugh, and his smiles just melt my heart.
I can't believe it but I won this ipod shuffle at a work meeting today! I NEVER win anything and was shocked when they picked my number for the raffle.
This past fall Megan joined an after school group called STOMP which is a music group that uses different kinds of things (sticks, buckets, brooms etc) to create rhythms, poetry, and music. She worked so hard and met with this group weekly for 3 months to practice her part.
On the night of the performance we didn't know what to expect from Meg since she is terrified of performing anything in front of a lot a people but SHE DID IT! And she did such a great job. We are so proud of all her hard work and her bravery! Way to go Meg!
...and we are 100% committed! Wish us luck as we train for the full marathon in June!
Brandon really is the inspiration for us running this race. He's been talking about running a marathon together ever since we got married. He's the one that signed us up and I couldn't be more excited. I need a race to look forward to and make me run. I honestly haven't run even one day in the past few months so this should be interesting. But it will be a lot of fun to train and run this race with my best friend.
The course looks amazing. We will run from Tukwila to Seattle along Lake Washington, Lake Union, and the Sound! At every mile along the course there is a different band playing. Then at the end of the race there is a huge concert for the runners. It should be a lot of fun! I just pray for a nice sunny day with no rain!
This picture doesn't do the baby justice. It was so much cuter in real time, and looked much more like a little baby. I can't believe how much it's grown since my last sonogram six weeks ago. The baby was VERY active today. More active than I ever saw Brody during any of his sonograms. Should I be worried? In fact, the baby was so active the doctor couldn't even get a good reading on the heartbeat because every time he would find the heartbeat, the baby would move again. I guess all that moving around must mean the baby is doing well.
My niece and nephew, Aubrielle and Benson, said the last sonogram picture looked like the baby had girl hair, so I'm curious what they think after seeing this one.=)
Of course, we won't be finding out what we are having until the baby is born, but it's always fun to hear what people think the baby will be (boy or girl?).
We had a FABULOUS Christmas in Utah this year! It was packed full of fun activities and being with family and friends. To start off the week we went up to the Cannon cabin in Brighton. We had a little surprise when we arrived and found the water pipes had frozen. The kids loved to 'cook' snow for us to wash our hands and flush toilets. I think Brigham stood at the stove for hours on end boiling buckets and buckets of snow. He loved it for some reason! Monday we went skiing/snowboarding at Brighton. Brigham and Jacob are expert snowboarders and would cruise down the Explorer hill. Alicia had her first skiing lesson and loved the speed! After skiing we came back to the cabin and went sledding before it got dark! The next couple nights we made our way up to Kaysville to watch the BYU and Utah bowl games. This is Brigham's shirt he wore on Christmas day...I LOVE it!! Christmas Eve we went over to my Grandma Cannon's house for food, a program, and a white elephant game. Christmas morning we slept in and then opened presents until everyone got to my parents. My mom and dad gave us Rock Band which Brandon has been wanting for months. (Thanks again!) When everyone arrived we opened more presents and had a delicious dinner. Here's a picture of all the grandkids minus Wyatt and Owen (we sure missed you guys but were glad we could see you on Skype!)
The day after Christmas we went to a brunch with all my high school friends. It was so fun to see everyone and catch up. I sure miss all you girls! Thanks again Katie for hosting!
We had a great time in Utah! We are so lucky to have these fun times with family and friends! The only thing that could have made this holiday season better would have been if we were able to spend some time with Brandon's family.
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths."
This has been my favorite scripture since my seminary days and I have grown to love it more and more as I have witnessed the Lord directing our paths when we "trust in him".
I remember when a prompting came 8 years ago that completely changed our path and Trevor called the Veterinary school in Oregon and told them he would no longer be attending (he was to start in a few weeks!). Then our focus became Medical School and we still can't believe how that all worked out so well. We were led to our house in West Bountiful and we have a tender place in our hearts for our neighbors and ward members there who supported us during a really stressful time in our lives (aka. Med school).
When Trevor interviewed for residencies we prayed and pleaded with the Lord that he would "direct our paths" and when Trevor came out here to interview he said to me, "It just feels like home." I thought to myself- Louisville Kentucky feels like home??!!!
You may remember how we found our house here. We could never deny the guidance we received to buy this home and that experience alone has strengthened my testimony that God lives and loves me. Throughout these 2 1/2 years I have had so many experiences when the spirit whispered in my mind- THIS is why you are here in Kentucky and THIS is why you are in THIS house. Our time here has and still is changing our lives for the good.
So when it was time for Trevor to start looking for a job we felt the importance of "Trusting in the Lord". He has always been so good to us
We had a FHE and talked to the girls about this and memorized Proverbs 3: 5-6 together then we offered a prayed and asked the Lord to guide our search for a job and a home... again please.
Trevor started applying to jobs in Idaho and Utah since we knew we wanted to be close to family but when we went out there we wanted to feel good about it but we just didn't. :( So we kept praying and Trevor kept looking. We thought about staying here in Kentucky since we love it here but we didn't feel good about it either. There were some more job openings in Utah and Idaho but nothing felt right. We knew we had to widen our search. We looked at the surrounding states and there was only one we felt good about... Washington. Trevor kept making comments about "the tri-cities area" but neither of us had been there and there weren't any job openings there until one day when one job opened in Richland and Trev immediately applied for it. He received an email back that day from the Medical Director of the Emergency Department. He was interested in talking to Trevor and we soon found out that he was LDS and has 5 kids (and Richland has a temple!)! We were so excited.
Trevor scheduled an interview there and in a few other places in WA and he flew out in the beginning of December.
He interviewed at the other hospitals in WA first and they offered him jobs but he was waiting to see how he felt about the interview in Richland (tri-cities area). Well, to make an already long post a little shorter when he got to Richland once again Heavenly Father answered our prayers and he knew it was the place for our family. The interview went great and they offered him the job.
Trevor called me on the way home from the interview. He was floating on air. I can't remember the last time he was so excited and happy. We knew it was right and we accepted the job a few days later.
Since then we still feel great about the job in Richland and we are excited but we feel so sad that we have to leave Kentucky (in June) and we feel so sad that we will still be 9 hours away from our family and friends in Utah. We never imagined that we would finish residency and then move somewhere away from family where we don't know anyone but it seems that the Lord has a different plan for our family.
We are excited for our new adventure but right now we are just enjoying our home and friends and all the wonderful things Kentucky has to offer our family. We are so very blessed.
Brody has become quite good at getting around by army crawling anywhere he wants to go, and sometimes he's quite fast, especially if he knows I'm coming to get him. So this is the solution we came up with for how to keep him out of trouble when we're not watching him. (Just kidding!) I was putting away his laundry, and he decided he wanted to play with the laundry basket. Peter put the laundry basket on top of him, and Brody seemed to think this was quite a fun game.
"Who needs toys for Christmas?! Just give me a box, and I'm a happy camper."
This would have made a great picture for a Christmas card if we had gotten around to sending out Christmas cards this year. . . Maybe next year. I just thought this picture was too cute not to share. Brody did manage to get one of his top front teeth for Christmas. It broke through just a few days before Christmas, and now he's working on the other one.
From the outside it looks like a regular old box...
But it is full of sweet surprises! (The kids played in this box for half the day!)
For New Years we decided to start a new tradition and do fondue night every New Years Eve. Campbell had never experienced fondue before and he LOVED it! He especially loved the pokey stick and how when he pointed it at one of us we would all scream in fear (2-year-olds are dangerous, they shouldn't have access to pokey sticks).
After fondue a little fun with the wii Trevor had to work all night (he traded Christmas for New Years) so we played hard until he left then I put the kids to bed. Good Times.
I've been slacking on the blog entries lately. I have been SO busy that I just haven't had time.
In early November, it became clear that we would not have enough money to pay our bills and buy food, let alone provide any kind of Christmas for our kids. So, I started a paper route! It is a lot of work, but when I get paid, it makes it all worth it. I deliver The Daily Herald, The Deseret News, The Salt Lake Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Financial Times. At first, I thought I would NEVER figure it all out, but thankfully over time, I've improved.
The biggest piece of news is that we finally found a good Psychologist. He just does evaluations and testing and is an expert on Autism Spectrum Disorders. Marshall has officially been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. I have thought that's what it was for many years, but I just wasn't sure because sometimes he's so different. The doctor is supposed to send us his report, along with a list of things to help us get control over his behaviors. He is SO difficult lately. He jumps constantly and flaps his hands. He doesn't sleep well, and is too busy to eat. But, when he's in a good mood, it's so nice. He can be so sweet. He loves to talk to anyone and EVERYONE!! He runs off when we go places, because he wants to show someone how he can skip, or tell them what size shoes or clothes he wears. People don't even know he's talking to them, but he just keeps talking anyway. AaaaahhhhHH!!!!! It is embarrassing and frustrating when he lays down on the floor (face down) while I'm waiting in the check-out line at Cabelas. He lives in his imaginary world of super heroes, and is CONSTANTLY putting his coat on with just the hood so it can be his cape. He is ALWAYS fighting bad guys, or playing "pretend Toontown", or "Pretend Ultimate Allianace" (his 2 favorite computer/video games).
Well, that's all the update I have time for now. I'm really tired and need to take a nap so Brian and I can go out tonight. Here are some pictures from Christmas though.
Trev and I were married December 29th, 1999 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. 10 years ago yesterday.
We watched our wedding video the other day and we laughed as we watched our younger-selves lovingly look into each others eyes- We didn't even KNOW each other back then! We thought we did but we were practically strangers really. We dated for 6 months before our wedding day and 4 of those months Trevor lived in Provo (1 1/2 hrs away). So how did we get so lucky that we are such a good match and we have a great marriage? I don't know... but I'm so grateful!!!
Trevor surprised me with some lovely flowers, so sweet. :) He scheduled a babysitter and we went out for dinner, did a little shopping, and a movie. It was a really nice evening.
We don't buy gifts for anniversaries, we just go out and do something fun together but while we were shopping we came across this beautiful print and I fell in love. Isn't it wonderful?! Trev said, "Get it!" and I said, "Really??? Okay!". Aaahhh, it just makes me smile. Just like my handsome honey does... Happy Anniversary Trev!! I love you!
Our Christmas morning started WAY too early - but we had fun.
Before opening presents we read all the notes in the "Jesus' stocking". We had a FHE at the beginning of December and talked about Christ's birth and I asked the girls if we gave a "gift" to the Savior for Christmas what they thought he would want and we all agreed that He would want us to be grateful and give thanks for all of our blessings and then serve others. So, throughout the month of December individually we have been writing down service we given (or service that was done for us) and also things we are thankful for. We put the notes into the special stocking. The stocking was STUFFED and it was so fun to read all of the things that were written. It was a great way to start the day and a new Christmas tradition for our family (we did something similar before but this worked better).
Santa spoiled us again this year...
We spent the remainder of the day:
Davis played with boxes/ garbage. Hallie read one of the 50 new books she got.
Campbell ate lots and lots of sugar (btw the buzz light year pez dispenser was his very favorite gift). The girls tried on their new clothes.
Campbell watched movies on his new Teddy Bear's tummy.
Megan and Hallie played littlest pet shop and horses and Polly Pockets and dolls and everything they could think of for hours and hours. They did not fight ONCE! It was a Christmas Miracle. ;)
Trevor installed the replacement DVD player in our truck and realized he can't see out of the rear view mirror now.
We had such a nice Christmas this year. It went by way too fast and we really missed our fam - it was fun last year to visit, but we feel so blessed to have each other and great friends around us and we especially feel blessed to know that our Savior lives and loves us.
We had a nice relaxing Christmas here at home with some pretty nice weather, although we are missing our families and the snow. It just doesn't seem quite right to have Christmas without any family around or any snow. Maybe next year. I managed to get Brody's stocking finished before Christmas. Phew!
We're starting to look like a full blown family with all of those stockings. I guess I might as well get started on the next one because I think life is only going to get more crazy and hectic once baby #2 arrives.
Santa brought Brody this black lab puppy, and he loves it! He wouldn't hardly put it down to open his presents.
He also got this adorable rocking elephant (notice he's still holding onto the puppy).
Remember this picture of Timber in the sleigh from last Christmas?
Here's Brody's picture in the sleigh (notice the sleigh is being pulled by his new little puppy).
Brody got lots of fun new toys and books and clothes, and it was so fun to watch him and help him open all of his presents. The holidays are always so much more fun with little kids around.
Back massage for Hallie and watching Christmas movies.
Megan's turn. Davis and Campbell's turn.
We had some dear friends over for treats, a game of Hilarium (hilarious as always... hence the name), and a nativity with the kids. Davis was a wise man.
Liam as Joseph
Hallie as Mary
Issac as the baby Jesus
The kids had so much fun and did a great job.
Campbell refused to participate... he's two you know.
Ellie made a great wise man er...wo-man too.
Afterwards all the kids gave Issac the ride of his life pushing him around the house in the manger/ laundry basket.
Another shot of our little wise man.
Heavenly Angels- Megan, Eden, and Kelsey
And that's what we did on the Eve of Christmas... it was great!!
Last night we took our long journey to Bethlehem... Kentucky (about 30miles away). We sang Christmas songs and looked at all the Christmas lights on our way to see this live nativity.
It was cold and we were all bundled up in lots of layers.
The live nativity was so neat. The people in the tiny town of Bethlehem, Kentucky do this every year and take turns in the nativity scene (they must have been FREEZING!). The stable even had real animals in it including a donkey, a cow, and two sheep that the kids enjoyed feeding.
I loved that we were able to go as a family and do something fun but also focus on the true meaning of Christmas. As we drove away I felt such gratitude for this little town who do this great service to all who make the journey to Bethlehem.
Again thanks to our dear friends (practically family) Kristine and Brett for leading the way.
When I told the girls we were going caroling at the nursing home they were thrilled (not MY response when I was a kid). Hallie said, "That is my favorite part about Christmas because it makes them so happy and they just smile at us when we sing." We decided to make some Christmas cards for the residents. Hallie and Megan wrote a special message and drew a picture in each of the 50 cards! They did such a great job and the people loved them.
We sang and sang and sang our little hearts out. One lady kept asking for "one more". She said, "I'm one hundred years old and I may not make it much longer!" I think we sang her 10 songs!
Thanks to Kristine and Brett for setting this up every year. It is a highlight of our Christmas.
Here is our Christmas tree! My sister, Lisa, showed me this great idea many years ago. I cut up grapefruit, oranges, and limes and then dried them in the oven (if you have a food dehydrator it works much better). Then you string them together and hang them as garland. I love how the white lights shine through the citrus and make them glow different colors.
Last weekend Jim and Debby came to visit. We had a lot of fun going out to eat, going to the movies, playing golf, talking, and of course....working (at least the boys did)!
This is what Brandon and Jim did Friday night while Debby and I sat on the couch talking.
Brody had his nine month check-up this week. He weighed in at just under 20 lbs. (50th percentile), and measured 28 inches long (45th percentile). It still makes me laugh that people always comment on what a big baby he is, and it turns out he's pretty much average. Even the doctor said, "What a big boy!" when she walked into the room.
He is completey weaned, and is chunking up again. He's discovered that he LOVES cheerios. The other day, all I had on hand was Honey Nut Cheerios, and he ate so many I think he got a little bit of a sugar high. He's still thinking about crawling, but hasn't quite figured it out yet. He can pretty much travel anywhere he wants to go by just rolling across the room though, so who needs to crawl? He loves to give High 5's and open mouth slobbery kisses. He's still working on cutting his two front top teeth . . . maybe for Christmas. He's already had three trims around the ears, and is due for a fourth. This kid has more hair than any of his little baby friends, even the ones who are quite a bit older than him.
It's hard to believe our little baby is already 9 months old. Where does the time go?!
It occurred to me the other day that many of my Utah friends probably think that Louisville is a little town in rolling hills Kentucky full of white fences, fields, farms, and horses everywhere.
That's what we thought before we came here.
So, I thought it would be fun to tell you a few things about Louisville... our home.
Louisville has a population of 1,244,696 in the metropolitan area. To give you an idea of how big that is Salt Lake City has a population of almost 200,000 so just times SLC by 6... it is a really big city. Louisville lies on the banks of the Ohio River and the skyline is absolutely beautiful at night as the city lights reflect over the river and huge bridges. It takes my breath away every time we drive over the bridge into downtown at night.
Of course Louisville is famous for The Kentucky Derby and Derby is a big deal around here. The whole city really comes alive during the Derby.
And if you go to Derby you MUST wear a great hat. Here is Megan's Derby hat.
We live about 15 miles from downtown in a beautiful area.
We do have a lot of horses in Kentucky but one thing Trev and I think is cool is in Louisville the horse fences are usually painted black not white.
We have grown to love the black horse fenced fields.
The beautiful Louisville Temple is only 3 miles from our home. It is not uncommon to run into this guy at Costco or the elementary school or of course at church. He has a son out here.
Fall in Louisville is absolutely GORGEOUS. You don't have to drive up to the mountains to get spectacular views. Kentucky is thick with trees and I took the above photo when I was just running some errands one day. That is a typical road out here (very skinny with trees up to the edge of the road).
The freeways (especially I71) are so pretty. That's right, I said the FREEWAY is pretty. There are rock walls with water trickling down them and moss growing on them. There are huge trees lining the sides of the freeway and green grass (don't need sprinkling systems out here because of the humidity) that grows up to the roads and covers everything.
When we came here from Utah it was the first thing I noticed.
This is our house (before we added the new room above the garage).
Wow, I can't believe our little man is 1 year old! Poor Davis was sick on his birthday so although he enjoyed his cake it was kind of a yucky day for him.
Davis is walking all over the house and follows me everywhere. He says "Mama" and "Dada" and he points and claps and waves and giggles. Davis doesn't play with toys instead he loves cellphones, camers, remote controls, and carries my old stethoscope around his neck (sound like anyone you know?). He is such a fun little guy and he is so happy and content.
I took him in for his one year and here are his stats:
Okay, so I'm a little behind on my blogging. Brody will be 9 months old soon, but this picture was taken when he was just 8 months old. He is starting to babble more and more. He can say "da," "ma," "pa," ba," among other things. Occasionally he'll even put a "da da," "ma ma," or "pa pa" together, but he doesn't quite understand what they mean yet. He LOVES to chew on the tags on his toys, and he loves to pull his socks off and chew on them. Sometimes, Brody will even try to pull my socks off. Him and Timber seem to have the same love for tags and socks. He isn't crawling yet, but he is definitely showing some interest in wanting to be able to get around. The other day he did take a little step while I was holding on to him. Maybe he'll skip crawling and go straight to walking. He loves to wave and clap his hands. Quite often I will cheer for him and clap my hands when he does something "AMAZING" like roll over or something. Then he will spend the next few minutes just rolling back and forth so I will cheer and clap for him. He is the highlight of my day. That is until Peter gets home, then I'm just glad to have an extra set of hands so I can try to get something done.
I'm so thankful to have Peter as my eternal companion. I always thought he would be a great dad, but he continues to pleasantly surprise me all the time. When we lived in Puyallup, the neighbor kids used to come over and ask if Peter could come out and play with them, and he usually would if he was home. So I knew he had the playing with kids thing down, which is a key ingredient for a good daddy. But not only is Peter great at playing with Brody, but he's great at just taking him and doing whatever needs to be done at the moment (feedings, changings, cleaning up messes, etc.) I don't even have to ask him. I especially love that now that he has a glimpse of how much work these little munchkins are that he is still excited about having more. I was worried he might cut me off before I was done, but now I'm a little worried I might be the one cutting him off.
I'm in the process of weaning Brody since I am pregnant. My body is just having a hard time keeping up with the demands of a pregnancy, nursing a baby, and going about my daily life. I had really wanted to nurse Brody until he was 1 year old, but my body just can't handle it. Anyway, the smell of the formula makes me nauseous. All the way from making the bottle, to Brody burping and spitting it up. Ah the joys of motherhood and pregnancy! Brody takes a bottle like a champ though.
Brody has weaned himself off his binky. I used to just give it to him when I put him to bed, and he would usually just chew on it. Several days ago, I couldn't find his binky in his crib, so I pulled out his backup binky. The next day I couldn't find the backup binky either. When I finally had a chance to look for them, I found them on the floor behind the crib. He must have chucked them out of his crib. Well, I can't move the crib in my condition, and I kept forgetting to ask Peter to move it for me. It's been several days now, and Brody seems to be fine without the binky, so I guess we don't need the binky anymore.
Brody seems to be learning and growing every day. He is such a blessing in our lives.
In case you can't tell, that is our little peanut. Yep, that's right, we're expecting baby #2 sometime around July 9th. I got to hear the heartbeat today, and that's the best sound in the whole world. The doctor said it looks like I'm about 7 weeks along. That means that if all goes well, Brody and baby #2 will be 16 months apart. Crazy, I know! We are so happy and excited about this wonderful blessing, especially after all we went through to get Brody here. I always thought I wanted lots of kids, and I planned on being done having them by the time I was 35. I thought I might have to rethink that plan since we got such a late start, but the way things are going, I just might be able to stick to my original plan. Although that plan also included my kids being about 2 years apart, but so much for planning, right?!
Mom is in the process of making me a quite book for church. I think she is wishful thinking but who knows maybe it will work! While she was getting pictures together she found some cute ones of me she thought she would share with all of you. So enjoy!
I just got back from a 2 week vacation in Hartford, Connecticut! I went to visit my sister Janae and help her get ready for the arrival of her little Baby Owen. Brandon was in Alaska for those two weeks working on a new client. It was the perfect time to go!
Most of the time I got to hang out with this super hero. Most of you know him as Wyatt and I think he is pretty cute (I mean cool!).
This is the Staked Coin Quilt I made for baby Owen. Wyatt still uses the one I made him when he was born! Hopefully Owen will like this one just as much.Janae was definitely looking like she was ready to have this baby. Her last ultrasound said the baby was 8lbs 7oz. They were pretty close.I was also there for Wyatt's first day of Pre-school. Janae has more pictures on her blog.I think he is so funny! I love his cross eyes!
We went to many museums while I was there. This is the New England Air Museum.
We played a lot of Rock Band at night!
Baby Owen finally made is debut Friday Nov. 13 at 11:05am. He was 8lbs 9oz and 21.5 inches long. He is very cute and I am so happy he arrived before I had to go back to Seattle. Congrats to Rick, Janae, and Wyatt and Welcome Owen!
Since we've been back, I have been a little sick with off and on fevers, headaches, and congestion since. I blame it on the guy I was sitting next to on the plane (we call him 'the cougher'). Other news is that I got a new calling in my ward. They released me from Cub Scouts and put me in as Mia Maid advisor. I am so excited...and a little nervous. So many things have changed since I was in Young Womens (man... I'm getting old)! Other exciting news is that we are getting the internet on Thursday. It has been four months since we moved into this apartment and we have been 'borrowing' the internet from the coffee shop across the street. It's getting too cold to sit out on the balcony and blog! Our next post will be from the comfort of my warm apartment! Hooray!
Davis took his first few steps earlier in October but on October 31st something "clicked" and he started walking all over the place!
He loves to follow me around the house now. It's so cute... I'll walk into room and then turn around to see the little man concentrating on ever step and going as fast as he can to keep up with me.
...and wiser too!! Brandon turned 27! To celebrate we went to Chipotle for dinner and bowling with some friends. Happy Birthday Brandon! Thanks for all you do for us! This is Brandon's Halloween costume. I made it the night before his work Halloween party. Can you guess what he is? He is a 10-key. (Pretty funny accountant costume, huh?...well it's the best I could come up with at 10:30 the night before)
OH...and thanks to those who voted for their favorite pumpkin carving! The winner was the bat. I carved the bat and Brandon did the spider. Looks like Brandon is doing dishes for a week. Thanks everybody!
When I was a kid my family and I took a trip down the Sabine River in east Texas. We were no strangers to boat trips, but these were uncharted waters for us. The Sabine was full of new things to look at for me, new places to camp, and with it's shares of unknown obstacles lurking just below the surface. I remember one of those obstacles ( a stump ) was hidden from our view as we made our way through the water. I was the first to spot it and yelled to my father who couldn't hear me over the noise of the motor and before we knew it we were thrown sideways on the log looking straight down into the water. I was wondering for a little bit how we were going to keep going if our boat capsized. All of our belongings would be soaked, and it was a long way from where we started. Luckily friends, who were traveling with us, turned their boats around and came back to help. So why do I share this story under the Title "Our New Baby Girl"? Because On the 13th my dear sweet wife gave birth to our sweet little girl, Jade. Once again I have found myself in uncharted waters. When our son James was born I can remember feeling an overwhelming sense of love for him come over me almost instantaneously. It was so strong I couldn't control my tears. I felt that same feeling for our little girl, only this time it was coupled with other feelings. I instantly began to look at the other little boys in the nursery differently and told them in my head that they better watch out if they ever came in contact with my daughter and tried to date her! I can also honestly say that in the past few years since James was born I have learned to change a diaper while being half asleep and being in the dark (I've done it a few times) but now... that's changed as well!! Do you realize you have to change a girls diaper differently than you change a boys? I am certainly in for a learning experience! It never ceases to amaze me how women are built so much stronger than us neanderthal men. My wife is completely amazing. She is my hero! Nothing makes me lover her more than standing by her side, holding her hand as she gave birth to our beautiful daughter. Daughter... wow, I have a daughter.... and a shotgun... watch out future son in law! She was 7 lbs 2 oz, born at 5:35, and 19 inches long. The most special part for me is that she was born on my birthday! Tiffany did great through the labor and delivery and is doing great now! I feel so blessed to have a wife as amazing as her. I'm sure that in the coming weeks and months the tasks of raising two kids compared to just one will not seem so daunting. The uncharted waters that I feel like I'm in now will seem less and less uncharted as our small family rides the current along. How grateful I am to have the love of a beautiful wife, and the love of two wonderful children to help me to see the great blessings that I have been given. Our sweet little Jade is absolutely precious. We are grateful to all those who share in our Joy and are grateful to have friends and family who help this journey so meaningful. Happy Birthday to me and baby jade! And congratulations mommy and James on the newest addition to our little family! Jade's picture at the hospital can be seen by going to: http://www.gsmc.org/services/maternity-services/great-expectations/newborn-nursery/ Just type in her name or birthday (7/13/2009) and click on her name to see her pic. and all her birth info.
We will bless our little girl Hadley on the 31st of this month. So this sunday. It will be done in Spokane at Jim and Debbys ward. We would love to see any one who feels inclined to attend.
This morning was a fly day. Mack, Bill, Camron and I all went flying at the break of dawn....well close enough, it was early. Wish you were here Trevor.
(Campbell weighs 1lb more than Davis and they are 21 months apart)
Enjoying the snow this morning... I'm hoping it will be gone by Monday.
Campbell found a new hiding place and invited Davis to join him inside.
Megan decided she wanted a haircut and insisted on "bangs". I was nervous about cutting bangs on her but in the end I think she made a good choice... she looks so cute with bangs. :)
Hallie is learning how to play the recorder and loves it. She practices faithfully and learns so quickly. She also started "STOMP" this week.
Campbell is always doing something to keep himself (and me) busy. He is a sweet boy and LOVES to be funny. He will do something silly and then ask, "I funny Mommy??" and of course I say, "YES, you ARE funny!" and he grins from ear to ear.
Davis loves to eat and to talk on the cell phone. If I am on the phone he grunts and moans and cries until I give in and let him have it then he holds it up to his ear and kisses it (i.e. sucks on it). 
Trevor has had a great month of elective and his schedule has been more flexible in January. He is studying ultrasound and has to do 100-300 ultrasounds this month which is a lot but he is getting them done. 
The next day we were in Mazatlan! This was our big BEACH DAY!! We took a taxi to a hotel which had access to the main beach. They had chairs and an umbrella for us. The waves were not quite as impressive as the day before but we had a lot of fun in the sand. 
Here are Grandma and Grandpa with most of the Grandkids at the flea market.
Thanks for the great vacation Dad! I'm so happy I was able to go and spend time with the family!
He might have a baseball on his shirt but he already loves soccer. Brody would chase the ball for hours if my back wouldn't give out. He especially loves it when he kicks it and Lindsey and I yell GOOOOAAALLL!!! We will see if he continues his love for the greatest game, Pele' watch out!
It's hard to believe my little baby is 10 months old. He's going to be 1 year old before I know it. He is growing and learning every day. He now has all four of his front teeth. He's had four trims around the ears, but I'm thinking he's about ready for a real haircut. He is getting HEAVY! I can't hardly pack him around any more. I'm really looking forward to him being able to walk, although everyone tells me to enjoy life before he starts running away from me. I'm just tired of him crawling through all the dog hair that Timber so generously leaves everywhere, and I seriously don't know how much longer I can pack him around, especially with a growing belly. He loves walking around while we hold onto him, but I can only do that for so long before my back and belly start to hurt. He is such a happy little baby. He loves to go out for adventures, whether it be for a walk with the dog, or running errands. He sometimes gets a little shy around strangers, but for the most part he loves to wave to people. He is becoming quite the little talker. He carries on quite a conversation, if only we knew what he was saying. He does say "Ma Ma" and "Da Da" all the time now, and I think he's starting to understand what those words mean. He has the cutest little laugh, and his smiles just melt my heart.
...and we are 100% committed! Wish us luck as we train for the full marathon in June! 
This picture doesn't do the baby justice. It was so much cuter in real time, and looked much more like a little baby. I can't believe how much it's grown since my last sonogram six weeks ago. The baby was VERY active today. More active than I ever saw Brody during any of his sonograms. Should I be worried? In fact, the baby was so active the doctor couldn't even get a good reading on the heartbeat because every time he would find the heartbeat, the baby would move again. I guess all that moving around must mean the baby is doing well. 
Monday we went skiing/snowboarding at Brighton. Brigham and Jacob are expert snowboarders and would cruise down the Explorer hill. Alicia had her first skiing lesson and loved the speed! 
Brody has become quite good at getting around by army crawling anywhere he wants to go, and sometimes he's quite fast, especially if he knows I'm coming to get him. So this is the solution we came up with for how to keep him out of trouble when we're not watching him. (Just kidding!) I was putting away his laundry, and he decided he wanted to play with the laundry basket. Peter put the laundry basket on top of him, and Brody seemed to think this was quite a fun game.
Trev and I were married December 29th, 1999 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple.
We're starting to look like a full blown family with all of those stockings. I guess I might as well get started on the next one because I think life is only going to get more crazy and hectic once baby #2 arrives.
Santa brought Brody this black lab puppy, and he loves it! He wouldn't hardly put it down to open his presents.
(Notice he's still holding onto his puppy).
Last night we took our long journey to Bethlehem... Kentucky (about 30miles away). We sang Christmas songs and looked at all the Christmas lights on our way to see this live nativity. 
When I told the girls we were going caroling at the nursing home they were thrilled (not MY response when I was a kid). Hallie said, "That is my favorite part about Christmas because it makes them so happy and they just smile at us when we sing."
It occurred to me the other day that many of my Utah friends probably think that Louisville is a little town in rolling hills Kentucky full of white fences, fields, farms, and horses everywhere.
Of course Louisville is famous for The Kentucky Derby and Derby is a big deal around here. The whole city really comes alive during the Derby.
And if you go to Derby you MUST wear a great hat. Here is Megan's Derby hat. 
The beautiful Louisville Temple is only 3 miles from our home.
It is not uncommon to run into this guy at Costco or the elementary school or of course at church. He has a son out here.
Fall in Louisville is absolutely GORGEOUS. You don't have to drive up to the mountains to get spectacular views. Kentucky is thick with trees and I took the above photo when I was just running some errands one day. That is a typical road out here (very skinny with trees up to the edge of the road).
This is our house (before we added the new room above the garage). 
Louisville got its first snow last week. It lasted about an hour. ;)
We've had lots of fun with gingerbread this Christmas season.
And then we got some gingerbread men to decorate as a family from another great friend.
Thanks friends!
December 2nd 2008
December 2nd 2009
This is the Staked Coin Quilt I made for baby Owen. Wyatt still uses the one I made him when he was born! Hopefully Owen will like this one just as much.
Janae was definitely looking like she was ready to have this baby. Her last ultrasound said the baby was 8lbs 7oz. They were pretty close.
I was also there for Wyatt's first day of Pre-school. Janae has more pictures on her blog.
I think he is so funny! I love his cross eyes!
We played a lot of Rock Band at night!
Baby Owen finally made is debut Friday Nov. 13 at 11:05am. He was 8lbs 9oz and 21.5 inches long. He is very cute and I am so happy he arrived before I had to go back to Seattle. Congrats to Rick, Janae, and Wyatt and Welcome Owen!
This is Brandon's Halloween costume. I made it the night before his work Halloween party. Can you guess what he is? 
He is a 10-key. (Pretty funny accountant costume, huh?...well it's the best I could come up with at 10:30 the night before)
. . . and passed away five years ago.
