Elton John?

Maybe he can grow his hair out a little and he might look like one of the Beatles?




My niece, Kelsey, got Ethan these sunglasses over the summer and he found them the other day and wouldn't take them off. Last night when I got home from mutual I walked in and he was still wearing them. Jeff said Ethan kept them on almost the entire time I was gone!




This morning when Ethan woke up he came staggering into our bedroom and he looked so funny because his hair was all messy and he hadn't quite woken up all the way and he had on these silly glasses again!

All Ready For Christmas

Didn't Jeff do a great job? Though I have to take credit for the lights on the porch and the window, but I'm not the one that risked my life by climbing up that ladder! I'm so excited to have the lights up, it really feels like we're ready for Christmas. Which is good, because it's only two weeks away!

Saturday Morning

Last year while we were putting up our Christmas lights, we put them on our front porch and then I wanted Jeff to put them up on the steep part of the house but he said he would do that 'next year'. Well, it's 'next year' and so I held him to his promise and we borrowed a 24 foot ladder and he climbed all the way up there while dad held the ladder. I suggested getting his life insurance policy increased before he went up, but thankfully he didn't fall!

This Week

This week has gone by so fast, I can't believe tomorrow is Thursday already!

Last weekend Ethan and I went Christmas shopping with Grammy and Papa. Ethan did a great job of helping pick out gifts for his cousins, maybe too good of a job since he wanted everything for himself! Later that night we wrapped some presents and Ethan wore his Santa hat while he put them under Grammy's tree.

On Sunday Ethan got to help his Aunt Shelly decorate her Christmas tree after church. In nursery they are having a Christmas party this weekend at our house and Mr. and Mrs. Claus are coming so we're trying to get ready for that. While we were shopping on Saturday we saw Santa in WalMart and in Cabela's. Ethan didn't want anything to do with him in WalMart but when we went to Cabela's I talked him into getting his picture with Santa. I had to be in the picture too, but whatever works. In his prayers tonight he said he was thankful for Santa, so maybe this weekend he'll be more willing to get a picture with him. Or maybe he's just trying to score more points for presents?

Kamden took his first steps yesterday! I had been sitting on the tv room floor and I was working on a project and he'd been trying to get the scissors so I hid them up on the couch where he couldn't reach them. He had a piece of tape in each hand and when he saw me hide the scissors, he stood up and took two steps to the couch! Then, when I went into the kitchen, he was crawling behind me and when I didn't hear him anymore I turned around to see where he was, and he was just standing there staring at me like it was no big deal. He also took a few steps when Jeff got home that night and then later at my brother's house he walked a little more. Pretty soon he'll be off and running.

We've got Christmas lights up on half of the house, Jeff's still trying to decide if he dares try to put them up on the steep part, but last year he said he would 'next year' so we'll see what happens.

This morning Ethan and I made a Gingerbread house out of graham crackers and some leftover Halloween candy. We also had some peppermints and a few candy canes that Santa gave him in the store last weekend, so we put them on, too. Ethan even picked out which window on the house is his, you can kind of see it on the side of the house.

So that's a little of what's been going on here this week, hope you're all well and getting ready for Christmas! It's less than three weeks away!

Rub A Dub Dub

ELF-ing Around

To see us "Elf-ing" around, go to http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1144675897

The voice is actually Ethan saying "Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas" which comes out sounding like "Ho, Ho, Messy Chrissy" anytime he says it, and the website made his voice sound like an elf.

Ethan's Snow Day

We woke up to a little snow this morning and the first thing Jeff told Ethan was to go look out the window. Ethan's response was "Go outside, now!" He wasn't very happy with me when I told him we'd have to wait for awhile so it wasn't so cold. All morning he's been wanting to go outside so when Kamden went down for his nap, I got Ethan all bundled up and we went outside for a little bit. The novelty of it wore off pretty quick and he was ready to come back inside after only fifteen minutes, but at least he was ready for his nap!

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas!

Last night we dug out the Christmas decorations and put up the tree. Miraculously, only ONE ornament was broken! Hopefully it's the last, but Kamden has been pretty interested in the tree.

While we were decorating, we had some Christmas music playing and a song by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra came on. Kamden was sitting on the floor and he got really excited when he heard the music. He started waving his arms around and bobbing up and down as he 'danced' to the music. That's what the first picture of Kamden is, him being a music director.

Ethan dug right in to the boxes of decorations and it wasn't long before he found the Christmas stockings. Instead of hanging them up, he put them to practical use by sticking them on his feet.

Grammy & Papa's Christmas Tree

After church we went to my parents' house and, after eating more turkey, we helped them decorate their Christmas tree. Ethan's favorite part (besides eating candy canes) was setting up the train with papa.

And, of course, Ethan had to squish his

brother while he had the chance...

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving! We had a great day full of turkey, playing games, and being together. And, of course, some football. I love this time of year; watching the leaves change and then seeing the snow fall. The missionaries came and had Thanksgiving dinner with us and one of them is from Florida and has never seen snow! I couldn't imagine that, I love the changing seasons and some of the happiest times in my childhood were spent out in the snow. My brothers and I would stay outside for hours building snow forts and having snowball fights. One year I remember dad helped us build an igloo in the backyard.

This year I am thankful for so many things but I am most thankful for my family. Dan Wilcox once said "I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich." Being a parent myself has only made me appreciate the things my own parents did for me as I was growing up. I wish, somehow, I could have realized that years ago but, like I said, I think it's something that comes with being a parent yourself and seeing exactly what it takes to raise a child.

I'm also grateful for my brothers and sisters and I'm so glad that we can laugh and have fun when we're together."Families are like fudge...mostly sweet with a few nuts."

I'm thankful for my amazing husband and for our beautiful boys. I'm grateful for our health and for a warm house. I often think about others who have so little and wonder why I deserve to be so blessed.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Game Night

Friday night we all got together at mom and dad's. Jeff, Ryan, Joe, and dad all watched the BSU vs. Hawaii game next door at Shelly's house while the rest of us had fun at mom's without them! We played Apples to Apples (I won!) then we played Pictionary but Ethan erased the points before we could figure out who won that game. After Pictionary we played a hysterical round of Charades where my brother, Jeff, acted out 'trying on bikinis', 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles', and 'Making Out'. I had to act out 'Exotic Dancer', which I'm sure was traumatizing for everyone there! Zachary was a cowboy roping a calf and I'm still not sure what Kelsey and Logan were acting out. It was a really fun night, even though BSU lost, 27-39.

Our Engagement Pictures

"When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew."

~William Shakespeare

November 21, 2003

These two pictures were taken on the way to the temple to meet Jeff and his family. I thought they were funny because I look so nervous in the second one, but dad had just taken my picture while I was talking. It wasn't because I'd hardly slept the night before or that I'd thrown up that night, too!