Up on the Housetop

After helping Joseph string lights last year, Bentley has decided it is his new tradition.

And Cares has too.

Bentley loved practicing his "hohohos" and dropping toys down our "chimney."

My kids are sooooo excited for Christmas--are yours? ;)

**Just adding that no one was hurt in the hanging of our lights this year...and it freaks me out to have my kids up there but doesn't seem to worry my hubby one bit. He's the one in trouble if we ever break our kids...

Our Thanksgiving

It was an off year for both my family and my in-laws--and luckily for me, we combined efforts and enjoyed our feast all together up at my parents' cabin. Then we all spent the night in the mountains and enjoyed games, yummy pies, silly kids, more pie, cooing babies, turkey sandwiches at 10:00 pm, Beatles Rock Band, and finally some sleep.

Ruth Ann and Mary

Grandpa Neil and Bentley

Tillie, Bentley and Caroline

Thanksgiving baby

Marshall, Bob and Joseph

Jim, Mary and Seth

Cousins cuddling up with Nanny

Classic apple turkeys (made this morning before we all headed home)

To live a life of gratitude is to open our eyes to the countless ways in which we are supported by the world around us. Such a life provides less space for our suffering because our attention is more balanced. We are more often occupied with noticing what we are given, thanking those who have helped us, and repaying the world in some concrete way for what we are receiving.

-- Gregg Krech

Happy Thanksgiving

The End

As of Monday night, I am finally done nursing this gorgeous baby girl. It's time, I'm ready and I am kind of amazed we made it 9 months when I only lasted 6 months with my other 2 kids.

But oh my goodness--I am in a world of hurt right now. Why do I always forget about the pain of weaning? I even took it super slow this time around by cutting out one feeding every 3 or 4 weeks, giving myself plenty of time to adjust to a change in milk flow. So, for the last 3 weeks we have been down to just 1 feeding a day--but after 48 hours of keeping it all in I feel like I am carrying around 2 solid rocks on my chest. Solid, sore, swollen, heavy rocks. Does anyone know when I will feel like normal again? I can be patient...but really not that patient. Tell me it will be over in a few days ok? And by a few I honestly mean 3 at the most (but 2 would be better...:)

And I'm always up for any advice or tips on how to manage "the girls" while they're drying up. Seriously, haven't I done this before? The memories elude me (and you know you want to turn that last sentence into a pun...admit it. I do :)

Puzzlers

My team of puzzle fans. The 3 of them played like this for a good 20 minutes yesterday. I thought it was so cute to see them all doing the same thing (if you count eating every piece in sight as Olivia "doing" puzzles...)


Unrelated: I saw New Moon last night and it was v. good. Much better than Twilight and those awkward special effects and drawn out looks of longing. I do feel like they left out much of the apologizing and explaining on Edward's part once they left Italy--something he totally owed Bella. And I seem to remember more of a resolution between the two of them in the book. But maybe that was smart movie making and supposed to leave things more in Jacob's favor before the next movie hits...as if we don't yet know how it will all turn out in the end ;)

Blue & White...and Dark Brown

Blue & white cougar fans ready for the game

and a mama with a dark, new hairdo

Grandkid day at the game

as well as Caroline's very first football game--she was so excited to go and had a ball (especially because she got to wear her cheerleader dress among all her warm layers)

9 Months

Today's stats from her well-baby visit:

Weight: 18 lbs 12 oz
Height: 28.5 inches

Olivia's newest love is food. And not so much pureed baby food but anything that the big kids are eating. The only problem is that she hoards bites in her mouth and suddenly has way too much in there at once. I swear she's like a little hamster :)

Our Livvie Lous is still a content little sitter. I love this stage where I can put a basket of toys next to her and she thoroughly entertains herself emptying the whole thing. When she is on her tummy she scoots herself backwards or spins in circles--I suspect she'll be crawling before Christmas.

Olivia loves all sorts of books (to flip through a page or two and then eat any part of them she can), her cuddly blankies--and Bentley's and Caroline's, watches, earrings and bracelets, fingers for gnawing on (just ask my Dad if she is a biter) and drinking water from a sippy cup. And my new favorite--playing patty-cake. She is figuring out how to clap her hands together and loves trying the "pat-it" and "roll-it" parts too. Such a sweet little girl who is growing up way too fast. Do I say that about her every month?

58 Days

In 58 days my hubby and I are jetting off to paradise to celebrate our 10 years together. We have booked our stay here and plan to soak up plenty of sunshine and sleep. But we are also planning on doing a session at the Kona Temple, taking a helicopter ride over those famous, active volcanoes, and snorkeling, hiking and exploring the island every day.

58 days still seems pretty far away at this point...but I am getting super excited. Any suggestions on what we should see or do? or where we should shop or eat? I have visited Oahu, Maui and Kauai but never the Big Island (although my husband has--when he was a teenager he and his dad took a trip there together--just the two of them. Lucky.)

Cabin

What we did up in the mountains:

I hung out with my little girls a lot (while Bentley played non-stop with big boy cousins.)
Sweet Livs was teething and tried her best to have fun despite the discomfort
(and oodles of drool and snot...)

The kids prepped for the snowstorms

and took ATV rides with Grandpa.

Will and Bentley crafted with Grandma

Cares and Maddie worked on their snowflake ornaments

We all roasted marshmallows and made S'mores

Cares posed for many darling pictures

Connor crawled and played and crawled some more (usually over and around his buddy Olivia)
He is such a content and smiley little guy--and I love his solid, snuggly body.

All the kids created a Leaf Man

And they tried their best to be silly, laugh a lot, run themselves ragged jumping into pillow piles, work on puzzles--both small (24 pieces) and daunting (1000 piece Corvette jigsaw...of course I got totally drawn in and loved helping with it), and enjoy being together.
Maybe it needs to become a tradition...but only if my kids learn to sleep away from home :)

Missing

We have checked-out of real life. On Wednesday after Beans was done with school we came up to my parents' cabin with my sis and her 4 kids and with Grandma Bobbi and Grandpa Sherm. We haven't really done anything the past few day except play with the kids and let the kids play with each other. Bentley and Caroline have been in cousin heaven up here so it has been really fun for them. Although, all three of my kids have had serious sleeping issues each night--meaning I end up sleeping for about 4 hours each night (it hasn't been pretty in the wee hours of the morning...not pretty at all...but my hubby arrived up here this evening so I feel renewed...)



More to come later...

Closet Project

My hall closet is a mess. A dark, scary, overcrowded mess. And with winter approaching, I need it not to be. This closet from Real Simple is my new inspiration:


Just a thought about daylight savings time: why do I feel like I have to be home in the evenings now that it gets dark so early? Come 5:00 pm and I simply do not want to be outside anymore. I even hate running my kid free errands at 8:00 pm simply because it looks so much later (and colder) Oh--and my little girls cannot help but fall asleep if we are driving anywhere after 5:30 pm and their cat naps ruin our lovely sleep schedules. This whole time change is really cramping my style! Why is it such an adjustment every year?

Kangaroo Kids

Much to the dismay of our little ones, Joseph and I had a date night on Friday night. To save the kids from serious tears we promised them a fun playdate of their choice on Saturday. And they decisively chose Kangaroo Zoo.

We didn't get down to Pleasant Grove until dinner time so we grabbed some Los Hermanos, and then got to bouncing. The timing wasn't the greatest for our baby girl but it was ideal at the location--we were the only ones there for the first 3o minutes and by the time we left only 2 other families had arrived. The kids had a fabulous time--as witnessed by their sweaty, red faces--and cannot wait to go back.

Let Us Give Thanks

"And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive."

Alma 7:23

Our thankful family home evening this week:

Cares is grateful for "Twyla & Black"

the Oquirrh Mountain Temple

her dancing body, baby sister and snuggling

Bentley is grateful for the Draper Temple, ears to listen with, parents, his baby sister, and going on a mission when he is big.

"Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever."

Alma 26:8

I love this season of thanksgiving. I am constantly reminded to see all the good that I have in my life and remember how much my Father in Heaven has blessed me. The bounty of His goodness overwhelms me and I am truly thankful for all that I have--namely those whom I love and love me in return, and for the knowledge I have of my Savior and His glorious Gospel. Plain and simple and yet everything to me.

Trick-or-Treat

Halloween 2009:

I wanted a chance to head out with the big kids this year so Joseph agreed to stay home with our little miss. We started at 6:00 pm, got in a good hour, and then felt done. It was a lovely evening and we were done before anyone even had the chance to feel cold (especially Bentley--who discovered the fun of running full pace to each door step along with the older kids) Cares informed me that her legs were tired after 5 houses. And surprisingly, a sucker from her bag renewed her energy completely. A sucker, and then Skittles, and then some gum...she is a candy eating machine :)

meeting up with neighborhood kids

Noah and Bentley

the loot

Cares was too tired to sit-up for this picture. Curiously, she was not too tired to keep shoving candy in to her mouth...