Merry Christmas

From our family to yours!

Happy Halloween

Halloween changes once the kid knows how it works. Jamison has been asking "is it Halloween yet?" every day for the last month and a half. Lo and behold, it finally came! Now he keeps asking about Christmas.

Walker's family has their traditional Phamily Phest for Halloween.
We were zookeepers... appropriate, I think.




Walker's aunt had a little story time with the kids.
Can you tell which kid was scared of her?



Quincy was very sweet and helped her feel better.

Thanks to Heidi for the pictures! We were too busy being zookeepers for real to take any...

Click here to see Heidi's blog for more pics of the party!

Preschool

First day of preschool!

Does anyone else have a hard time getting their kids to smile for the camera?

Birthday Girl

Vivienne is 2!

Vivvy Fox is the funniest kid.

She is always pulling funny faces and dominates any conversation.

She loves sugar, dolls, and being outside.

She goes to bed with a doll in one arm and a soccer ball in the other.

She is sweet and loves giving kisses for owies.


Loves loves loves anything with babies.

Vivienne thinks she is as old and big as Jamison and cries every time we drop him off for preschool.

It's a hard time to be little (as Jamison would say).

The Winner

Congratulations to Rebecca!

Birthday Giveaway

The time has come for another giveaway! Simply leave a comment (just your name, if you like) and in one month I will draw a name out of a hat. That person will receive a fun goody package from me in the mail. Hurray for birthdays!

If you can't leave a comment, e-mail me and I will include you.

Book Club

Some friends started a new book club.

We had our first meeting/party last month and it was lots o' fun.

We read The Help.

Read it, I highly recommend it!

I left before the picture was taken, but I was there...

#3

If anyone didn't know (all ten of my readers), we are expecting Ford baby #3.

Due date is February 4.

We will not be finding out the gender.

5 Years

Happy Anniversary to us!

Popsicle Fun

Cabin

We are fortunate enough to have a family cabin here in Utah. Jamison's first visit was last summer, and he talked about it ALL winter. When we finally were able to go this year, he was shaking with excitement.

I have many, many fun memories of the cabin as a child. As an adult taking children, I've realized that it is more work for me. But seeing the enjoyment on Jamison and Vivienne's faces makes it all worth it.

Next time you see Jamison, ask him about the cabin. He can talk about it for a while! And Vivienne learned to say "river" and "rock" last time we were up. Can you guess what her favorite activity is?

Hair

So, I got a major haircut in May:

Vivienne did not want to be in this picture.

A Special Kind of Party

This might sound morbid to some of you, but I assure you it is not.

For the last 8 years, my immediate family has celebrated my grandfather on the day he passed away (death day). Or more affectionately known as "Grandfather's D-Day Party."

We have a big dinner with all the foods that remind us of him. Fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, cheetos, canteloupe, watermelon, diet Dr. Pepper, Fresca, etc. (Yes, we usually have tummy aches the next day.) While we eat, we go around and share funny/sweet memories of Grandfather (or for the in-laws, memories of their own grandfathers). And it is not uncommon that we are all laughing so hard we can't talk for 5 minutes. After dinner we have the traditional screaming contest (usually won by my dad) followed by Grandfather's favorite movie, The Music Man.

I look forward to, and enjoy, this party more than most other holidays we celebrate. Yay for Grandfather! He was tough as a boot!

V Update

Vivienne

Age: 21 months

Disposition: happy, cranky, silly, mad

Likes: anything outside, animals (specifically dogs), food

Dislikes: being told she can't have candy

Favorite food: anything

Favorite activity: being outside, playing with dolls

Goals: learning new words

J Update

Jamison

Age: 3.5 years

Disposition: "I'm really good at sharing my food with the other kids"

Likes: "making cookies, animals (specifically cats), puzzles, singing songs"

Dislikes: "Vivienne"

Favorite food: "peaches and apples"

Favorite activity: "watch Super Why"

Goals: "do better at games and fix stuff with Daddy"

May Vacation

In May, Walker and I were lucky enough to enjoy a little get-away. We flew down to Disneyland for a day, then drove to San Diego. We stayed on a fun resort on Coronado Island, and would highly recommend that cute place to anyone. We rented bikes and rode around, visited Hotel Del (where Some Like It Hot was filmed!), and ate lots and lots.


We left the kids with my parents. I think the kids like them better.
Many special thanks to the parents!

To blog...

...or not to blog? That is the question I have been debating for the last 6 or so months. But here I am again.

So wish me luck in this umpteenth attempt to keep up!

3 Years Old!

Happy Birthday, Jamison!

We had a great party full of cupcakes, pizza, Blocos, and puzzles.

The next day both kids woke up sick.
The day after that, mommy woke up sick.
And 1 week later we are still recovering.

That's what I call a party.

1 day old

1 year old

2 years old