Heavy Frost

There are so many things that are beautiful about the winter time in Utah. We awoke one morning to a very heavy frost. It looks like snow, but it is actually frost. It was just beautiful while it lasted before the sun melted it away!

That said, I am an Arizona girl at heart and I am officially done with the cold. I wish we could sign a petition for no more snow and some warmer temps! Oh well. The kids on the other hand are definitely not ready for the snow to melt. They're actually waiting for a great big snow storm so that we can build snowmen and snow slides. We'll see who gets their wish!

Three Little Monkeys

The kids love piling onto our computer chair. On this particular day, they also piled on as many stuffed animals and dolls as they could fit. It was pretty humorous to watch them try to stay on as Brandon turned the chair around with my yard stick. Cheap thrills!

Speaking of too many kids in one place, we enjoyed a visit from Blake and Laurissa and Blake was the brave soul who was elected to take the kids up to bed. Of course they wanted a piggy back ride, and of course Blake thought he could do them both at once. Justin cautiously followed closely behind. I didn't think it would work, but to my surprise they made it all the way up to their bedroom! You're a natural Blake!

Tradition

There are many traditions in the family I grew up in, and many that Justin and I are starting/continuing in our little family. But a new tradition has surfaced since, oh, about September or October last year. My sister Erin has had braces a few months longer than me and we see the same orthodontist. But a few months ago we realized that if we are going to go to apponitments, why not go together? So that is what we do. She eats dinner with us, then we head off with our Advil to the orthodontist at 7:00 (love the evening appointments!). We have a great time at the orthodontist and have sympathy for one another's pain, and then we go get a treat! Most of the time we go to the grocery store and pick up something that we can share with Justin when we get home. This last week we made blueberry shakes and they were yummy! 

It's nice to have someone going through the same thing at the same time, and hey, misery loves company! :)

A few January happenings

Aside from Brandon's birthday, Justin starting school again and trying to get back into a good routine, things have been pretty normal around here. Lots of snow and ice! 

Katelyn has discovered the rocking horse and likes to ride it a few times every day. I especially liked the day when she wore the modified cowboy hat. 

The kids are continually playing with each other, whether that is dress-ups, house, or superheroes. Katelyn likes to tag along and try to keep up. They all decided to pile onto the rocking chair the other day with a blanket on their laps. 

We have also enjoyed catching up with a few people that we haven't seen in a long time. One of them was Justin's old roommate. It has been very nice to reconnect with old friends. The MBA graduate and the soon-to-be MBA graduate. Brandon did a very good job taking this picture by the way!

Then there's the second job that I've acquired....and that is the work of trying to find a place for us to live in Seattle. We've spent a lot of time doing research, trying to understand what this crazy market is doing. Brandon grabbed the camera one afternoon during naptime and took a few pictures from his perspective. Here is what I do every afternoon:

Looking for a house is actually a lot of fun! But it can be frustrating and it is time consuming. I hope that this research will pay off for us though!

All in all, a good start to 2009. And we're all healthy right now so hopefully that continues too!

My 6 Year Old

I think I am still in shock about the fact that we have a six year old running around the house now. The time has just flown by! Why it was only yesterday when Brandon was a little guy 

learning how to walk

And learning how to talk

Now he's getting so big! 

We had a great time celebrating his birthday with some family.

He tried to blow out the candles a few times but finally got them all out with a bit of a breeze coming from Justin's general direction. 

He was very excited about all of the gifts he received.

Happy Birthday Brandon! We love you!!

Snowy Fun

The kids enjoyed some time playing in the snow with the aunts last Saturday. It was a nice hurrah before we all got back to the grindstone this week. There was plenty of snow for everyone!

Brandon most enjoyed making snow angels as well as being king of the mountain on the huge piles of snow on the side of the road.

Lindsey loved running around in the snow, at least the snow that wasn't above her knees. Gotta love those rosy cheeks!

Katelyn thought the thigh-deep snow was a bit much for her. She preferred to be held until we got out to the more shallow stuff. She got into the king-of-the-hill action with a little help from Grandpa.

Gotta enjoy all of this white stuff while we can!

Arizona Christmas

We were able to go to Arizona to visit Justin's family for Christmas. Instead of driving down right after Christmas like we did last year, we decided to take the gifts with us and celebrate Christmas there. I had my doubts that we would all fit in the van, but we didn't have to leave anyone in Utah!

The drive was good....those red rocks in southern Utah/northern Arizona look just beautiful with snow on them. 

The kids did pretty well on the trip, especially considering the fact that our DVD player decided not to work. There were plenty of shinanigans on the way down!

And beautiful Arizona sunsets to boot.

We had a great time with the family! 

The kids enjoyed seeing their cousin Brooklyn

Brandon got to help stack the wood

Justin and his two brothers got to be the 3 wise men on Christmas Eve

And Christmas morning brought lots of surprises for the kids. 

Aunt Luann was very helpful with opening Katelyn's presents. She was very determined to eat all of the candy on her bracelet before breakfast.

Brandon got some special books that only he is allowed to read to others. He got some good reading practice in.

Lots of food, family and Christmas fun!

Then we went to stay with Jimmie and Jill for a few days. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins. One afternoon we went shooting some tin cans. It was cold but fun! It was nice to spend some time with my beautiful nieces.

Lindsey is my little Eskimo with her fluffy hood on, which she just loves!

And my other little Eskimo....

It was a great trip....thanks Maners for having us! And besides Justin catching the flu just in time for the trip home, we're all well and ready for the new semester! Time is sure flying. Before we know it, we will be moving to Seattle! Now that's crazy.

A Fun Date

This weekend we were blessed to be able to go up to Salt Lake with Rob and Marianne for the annual Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert. The tickets are very hard to come by, so we really got lucky. Once again, an impressive, wonderful performance! We just loved the voice of the guest performer, Brian Stokes Mitchell. His voice is so versatile and rich. He comes from Broadway, so very fun performances!

Afterwards, we got to enjoy the beautiful Christmas lights on Temple Square. It was a great night!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

I still cannot believe that we are now officially in the Christmas season. Time has been flying by! But this is perhaps my favorite time of year, mostly because of the giving spirit and the focus on our Savior Jesus Christ.

I just love Christmas music, and I willingly admit that we have been listening to it for a couple of weeks now. But to start off the season the right way, let me share one of my all time favorite Christmas songs. It is "O Holy Night" performed by the King's Singers and the Mormon Taberbacle Choir. I had the privilege of hearing this rendition performed live last Christmas, and it was just incredible. Please take a few minutes to listen to it.

Sit back, turn up those speakers, and enjoy!

O Holy Night

Good Food and Good Times

We enjoyed a fun Thanksgiving holiday with my family this year. It was nice to have everyone there and just do some relaxing. 

The food was amazing and the company was great!

We ate, played games, 

ate more, went on a brisk walk,

And ate more! 

We even had some shopping fun on Black Friday. The person who left the earliest was Justin (thanks Honey!) who went to ShopKo at 5:00 am for Brandon's Christmas present. As soon as he returned, I left for Target and braved the crowds there. It really is nuts, but we still do it for some reason. Some deals are just too good to pass up! 

Thanks Mom and Dad for a nice break!