This and That

We have had so much going on lately that I have been so bad at blogging, so here is a catch up of what we have been up to before Christmas comes and I have a whole other set of posts to do! (PS one of my New Years resolutions is to be better at blogging again and start Tasty Tuesday!!)

*I love putting up our tree and Christmas decor together as a family. I think this stems from years of my mom having us decorate together the day after Thanksgiving while rockin' out to some Christmas tunes.

*We are going on week three of big boy undies with no accidents, so I feel like I can say we are pretty much potty trained. He tells us when he has to do his business, but we still remind him some to go pee, which my doctor said is normal for awhile. He does big boy undies when he naps and pull ups at night, but he always wakes up dry so maybe after some time we will drop the night time pull ups! I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders!

*Emerson is just oodles of fun now. She rolls tummy to back and back to tummy now. She is learning how to blow raspberries. She loves her feet, Dawson, the animals, playing with toys, and cuddling. She is napping in her crib and doing tons better. You look at her and she smiles....and her laugh melts my heart. I love this girl to pieces! PS I don't know how she got her foot out but she is constantly moving those legs so I am guessing one popped out!

*Christopher and Dawson have loved going to the BYU games together with Chris' dad and sister. Dawson got so excited this year to go. Christopher taught him to say the Utes are bad guys when you ask him what he thinks of the Utes. He tells you the Cougars won and the Utes lost. Can you tell these two boys bleed blue?

*I have an addiction. I am a craft-aholic. I dunno why but lately I cannot get enough of crafting. Here are a few of my favs lately- wipe cases, material flowers, and a feather wreath for Em's room.





*Christopher and I volunteered for a few years at Festival of Trees, and while we haven't lately because of kids, we participate by going to it each year. The kids corner and Santa were so fun this year for Dawson. He loves his "elf wand" and going in the bubble booth. He was hesitant about Santa but swallowed his nerves and sat on his lap (on two different occasions) and told Santa both times he wanted a yellow race car. The trees at festival were beautiful and the scones delish like always!



*On December 3rd Christopher and I celebrated our 7th anniversary! I am so grateful to be sealed to him forever! What a wonderful husband he is- love you hon! We decided to keep it simple this year and just go out to dinner. We had Mrs. Call babysit for us and had a quiet dinner just the two of us...it was fantastic to just eat and talk just us!

*Last but not least, we have had tons of snow here in Utah and unfortunately when it started Dawson had a cold that lasted about a week. Everyday he asked to go out and play and every day I had to say no. BUT FINALLY yesterday Christopher was home and Dawson was better so the two of them bundled up and headed outside for some snowballs, snowman, and Christopher being Dawson's personal sled puller. I was laughing so hard as I watch that kid flying around the back yard at high speeds giggling with glee!

How...

...does one get in this predicament??

One Year Older and Wiser Too...

Christopher had what he calls his 1st 29th birthday a little over a week ago. He wanted to keep it simple, so that's what we did. That morning Dawson and I headed out to do a little shopping and brought back Star Trek from the redbox because Chris has been wanting to watching it. We pretty much hung out that day and took it easy, just how we like it! That night we headed out to dinner with Christopher's parents, his sister Jen, her hub Jeremy, and his sister Heather. We dined at Texas Roadhouse and got our fill off of rolls, salad, steak, and potatoes...yum! We sang to him, ate Coldstone ice cream cupcakes, and he opened his goods which included some games, fishing stuff, golf stuff, Rock Band stuff...pretty much all guy stuff. The kids and I are so lucky to have such a great Dad and husband in Chris...he is always right there supporting us and loving us. He works hard so I can stay at home and he is right there helping me with the kids when he is home. We love you!




Here are a few random things about Christopher that you might not know about him!
1. He has a love for mullets. Thanks to the lovely invention of camera phones my husband tries to photograph a "good one" on the sly. I take the "do I know you?" approach when he does this.
2. He accidentally blew up a toilet on his mission (he thought the best way to extinguish the lit firecracker in his missionary apartment would be to put it in the toilet bowl water. It didn't go out, and instead blew up.)
3. He makes great ribs and chocolate cookies. Outside of that he isn't allowed in the kitchen because he gets too experimental. Ask him about his Mexitalian dish.
4. He got hit by a parked car on his big wheel in a parking lot when he was little. Gave him a fat lip and everything! He still blames it on the car.
5. When he was 16 he made his car float by driving it into a huge puddle in the school parking lot. Turned out to be a lot deeper than he thought. He had huge waves on each side of his car and knew he was in trouble when water started pouring into his car. RIP Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.
6. He has a ridiculous fear of bees. I always joke the guy will take a bear for me but not a bee.
7. Christopher has never had a job outside of health care. He got his CNA when he was 16 and has been wiping...I mean...helping people since! He currently has his RN and wants to go into nurse anesthetist.
8. He has never broken a bone. Which is surprising from the stories I have heard of him when he was a child.
9. Christopher can pack down food like a 6 foot 200 pound guy. He can eat 28 wings, has his picture on a wall at a mexican restaurant for eating a 3 pound burrito and hopes to be the next hot dog eating champion.
10. The only kind of movies that will bring a tear to his eyes are "touching sports films." Rudy gets him every time.

Parrrrrtteeeeee!

I had so much fun this year planning Dawson's birthday knowing that this year he fully understood what was going on! What a fun age 3 is, I loving knowing that he gets the concept of birthdays, parties, presents, cake, etc. So anyways, this year his birthday fell on a Thursday, so we decided to have his party on that following Saturda1211y. We of course had to make his actual birthday fun still though! Our friend's the Pace's told us how they decorate their kid's doors so when they wake up the morning of their special day they have a decorated door and I fell in love with the idea so I just had to do it (thanks Carrie!) So the night before we decked out his door and in the morning he woke up and open his door and was so excited to see it and the present in front of it. We let him open it (it was Gator Golf from my parents) and then we had his favorite breakfast of juice and cinnamon rolls. After we hit up the doctors then went to lunch and build a bear, which is a tradition we have done since his 1st birthday. We ate at Cheesecake Factory where he got sung too then hit up Build a Bear (he talked non stop all day about it until we finally got there) and he made a dark brown bear that he dressed up like a fireman. He named it Firetruck. After we came home, all took naps, and had a fun relaxing family evening watching the movie Up. I think Dawson would give the day a 2 thumbs up.



That Saturday we had his birthday party at Jumpin' Jacks. Can I just say how nice it was to NOT have to clean before, prepare food, decorate, etc. and just show up somewhere and have them clean up after us? Fabulous!! It was totally stress free for me and I loved it. I made some cupcakes, bought ice cream and balloons and we were set. We had family, friends, and some of Dawson's friends too. Usually Jumpin' Jacks is really mellow and not busy but for some reason that day everyone and their mother decided to come. It was still fun, and the kids loved it, but it was loud and crazy for sure! The kids played, Dawson opened presents, we had cake and ice cream, then we played some more! Dawson came home with a trunk full of toys that has kept him busy for hours since. I decided not only were the presents for Dawson, but me too because he has been so content lately playing it has been great! Thank you everyone who came and supported D! What a blessing it is to know we have such great family and friends that love us and our little man!

Dawson at 3!

Yes, my little Dawson is 3 and I cannot believe it! I am enjoying 3 and all the imagination, independence, energy, and talking that goes with it. It still amazes me some of the stuff he says now, and how he is speaking in full sentences holding conversations with people. At his doctor's appointment, Dawson weighed in at 27 pounds and was 35 inches tall. He hit the 10th percentile for weight, jumping from the 2nd percentile he was in, well, for all of his previous life! The doctor said he is healthy and on track, and was impressed with him being able to identify some numbers and letters (that made me feel better because I feel like I need to work on it more with him!) Everyone has told me 3 is the magical number for potty training, and as of this week I am wondering if it really is true. The last 4 days in a row he has FINALLY started telling us he needs to go poop and has pooped in the potty! Hopefully he will keep up with it and we have turned the corner. He does well with peeing in the potty, but we still need to remind him every hour but now he goes and does it himself. He actually now has to be a "big boy" and stand on his stool to pee. Cross your fingers for us that we have figured it out! As of this week I have started to have "preschool time" with him for an hour twice a week to work on letters, numbers, shapes, songs, etc. I was worried about him sitting for an hour but he seemed to really enjoy it, and it kept him quiet during Emerson's morning nap...bonus! Here is some stuff about Dawson at 3:

*Some of his favorite foods are all fruits, corn, peas, peanut butter, cheese, cookies, yogurt smoothie drinks, chocolate milk, mac and cheese, grilled cheese, lasagna, and bread. He hates sauce and anything that looks saucey he says ewww mom, it's sauce!
*He loves animals, especially cows, horses, dogs, lions, elephants, and giraffes.
* He can identify the letters A,B,C,H,O,R,S,T and numbers 2,5,8, and 9.
*He can get frustrated easily lately. If he is trying to put on his pants or do something and it's not working out he gets angry quickly.
*He is now amused by good guys vs. bad guys and he is a typical boy who likes rough housing, pretending to shoot things, playing chase, and being loud.
*He is really sweet with Emerson and is soft with her most of the time, and he calls her "pretty girl."
*He hates naps and always tells me he doesn't want to take one but always falls asleep.
*He is a mama's boy through and through. He will push limits with Chris and not do things as easily for Chris but the minute I tell him to do something he will do it and not push it.
*He still loves playing cars and dinosaurs.

We love you Dawson!

Emerson at 4 Months!

So, yet again I have some catch up to do. We will start with Emerson's 4 month update since that happened first then move on to Dawson's 3rd birthday (next post!) Anyways, I scheduled a doctor's appointment at the same time for D & E since her 4 month appointment and his 3 year one were less then a week away. It was on the 12th, Dawson's birthday, but it was in the morning and I knew he wasn't gonna have any shots so it would still be a fun day for him. Anyways, so that's why I am later on her 4 month update...but here goes!

I am lovin' 4 months! Emerson is becoming so much fun with all the interaction we have with her now. She smiles non-stop, coos, makes the funnest noises, and laughs. She has a lot more head control now and can roll from tummy to back. She weighed in at 10 pounds 3 ounces, still 2nd percentile, still mini, BUT Dawson was 10 pounds even at this age so she is actually a bit bigger then he was at this age! She is 24 inches long, putting her in the 57th percentile, making her long and skinny, and giving me an explanation why she still can't fit her jeans around her waist! Here are some tidbits about Em right now:

*She sleeps great at night. Naps are a different story. If she is in her swing or we are holding her she cuddles in and sleeps for a good 1 1/2 to 2 hours. If we lay her in her crib, she sleeps 45 minutes then wakes up screaming. We are working on it.
*We have hit the "distracted eater" phase. She eats good for the first 5-7 minutes then wants to eat, stop, talk, eat, stop, look around, talk, eat, stop, etc. When we burp and switch sides I'm lucky if I can get her to eat for 5 minutes with out her wanting to look all over the place!
*She can roll from her tummy to her back.
*She laughs at funny noises, singing, and making silly voices and faces.
*She really has taken a big notice to Dawson and loves watching him. If she is crying and I need a couple more minutes before I can get her, I can tell Dawson to go talk to her and she will stop crying as soon as he does....ahhh the perks of an older sibling!
*She is liking baths more and kicks and splashes.
*She loves grabbing toys and they go straight into her mouth. She will now be entertained by "playing" with her toys.
*She's a drooler.
*She still gets dolled up everyday with a headband and bracelet.
*She likes sitting up and has started sitting in her bumbo more now.
*She does the cutest nose scrunching smile, and does it mostly for her Daddy.
*I dunno if it is a coincidence, but at times if Dawson is playing and he is being loud and rough, Emerson will make this whiny, bossy, loud noise that almost sounds like she is telling him to knock it off. I think she is gonna be the boss of him.

We are loving our little girl and think she is the cutest thing around!

Halloween '09

To end the month of October and finish all of our Halloween festivities, we had a very enjoyable Halloween day. Dawson was a dragon this year and played the part well and Emerson was a ladybug. Can I just say, she cracked me up in her costume. I would just look at her and giggle. She was so round and poofy in it, like a throw pillow. You could sit her up on the couch and she wouldn't move at all because her costume held her in place. Everytime she wore it I swear she would give me a look like, seriously mom, again? Then she usually would just fall asleep because she couldn't move or do anything in it. Too funny. Anyways, we took it easy in the morning, lounging around and doing nothing (so nice!) then went to our ward's Trunk or Treat. Christopher walked around carrying Emerson as Dawson went trick or treating. He loved it this year. Last year was fun, but this year, he totally understood what was up and was 100% into it. After the trunk or treat we headed over to Tammy and Rob's for the Olsen's annual Halloween Bash. Again, it was a great time and Tammy threw a wonderful party with yummy food and fun games. The costumes were a no fail either. Chris and I were from the 80's, Tammy and Rob were the Blue's Brothers, Cassidy and Jared were Jon and Kate (hilarious!), and Dave was a baker and Brandy had a shirt with an oven that read "bun in the oven" (super cute!) There were many more great costumes there too. What a fun Halloween we had!

Catch Up!

So I have a bunch of catching up to do so make sure you scroll down to see all three new posts and check back soon for some more!

Fall Festivities- Part 2

Here is Part 2 of our fun fall activities!
1. Library Halloween Story Time- The library does a Halloween themed story time for the kids that is always fun. The kids get to come in costume and read a few Halloween stories, sing some songs, then make Trick or Treat bag. After the kids get to Trick or Treat around the library. This year we were joined by Summer and Reece!



2. Halloween Playgroup Party- This year my friends Summer, Stacy, and I threw a little Halloween Party for the kids. We had lots of spooky food like mummy dogs, deviled eggs, bones and blood (breadsticks and sauce), mummy pizza, and a TON of goodies! The kids got to make a visor craft, play games, and run around and scream. Us Mommies got to chat!









3. Carving Pumpkins- This year we had dinner and pumpkin carving at our house. We enjoyed Taco Soup, Rolls, Salad, and an array of goodies then got our carve on. Dawson was absolutely disgusted with the pumpkin guts and I wish I got his face on camera when I first lifted the top off my pumpkin and a bunch of goop came with it. It was priceless. I would say we have some pretty good lookin pumpkins! After we got out our costume box and goofed around...I think Dawson makes a pretty cute girl, and I got to see what Emerson might look like when she is a bit older (but with blonde hair!)

Fall Festivities- Part 1

We have had a busy October. I LOVE all the fun activities there are to do around here during the fall time, I try to take advantage of it all! Here are some of the things we did this month:
1. Wee Witches Weekend at Gardner Village- This is the second year they have done this and the second time we have gone. This year we went as a family and it was a great time! The kids get to wear costumes, walk in a parade, do crafts, get their face painted, they have food, all the witches are out, and this year they had a scavengar hunt that ended with a cookie.



2. Ride to a Witch at Gardner Village- This is our third year doing this, and it is becoming a tradition to go with Jen, Jeremy, Selina, and Cameron. Unfortunatly, this year Selina was out of town, so we will catch them next year! It used to be Ride With a Witch and you took a carriage ride with a witch who told stories and did "magic." This year, you took a wagon ride to this old train car that is the witch's home. You go inside and they talk to you, then you go outside and it's all decorated with lots of fun stuff.





3. Witches Night Out at Gardner Village- Every year I go with my dear friends Tammy, Brandy, and Cassidy to Witches Night Out. This year unfortunately our lead Mama Witch Tammy was sick with swine flu, so we had to go without her and it just wasn't the same. We were joined by Cassidy's two sisters and had a lovely time eating dinner at Winger's then enjoying the festivities of music, sales, cackling, and a butt load of witches at Gardner Village. PS This year Tammy got us these super sweet long eyelashes. I opted for silver ones....they were a bit catastrophic, but the black ones that Brandy and Cass had were great! Note to self, get black next time :)

4. Pumpkin Patch at Wheeler Farm- This year we went to Wheeler Farm to pick our Pumpkins...for the fabulous price of $7 a person you get a hayride, corn maze, hay maze, and a pumpkin of your very own! Who can beat that? We were join by the Fuller's and Dawson and Parker even walked away with some sweet sword balloons. We also checked out all the animals, and got to feed a cow some grass, which I think made Dawson and Parker's day. This thing would seriously slurp the grass with half their hand. There was some major disinfecting going on after...we don't want to start a cow flu epidemic now do we?! Sorry, bad joke.

Let Me See Your Cheese!

So as I blogged recently, my awesome friend Carrie took pictures of our cute little fam (if I do say so myself!) She is a great photographer and so fun to work with...I think she took close to a million picks of us (ok not that many, but a lot and we have a ton of cute ones!) It was so hard for me to decide which ones to print for my house! Here are some of my most favorite ones (I love the ones she posted on her blog too but I left those ones out since you've already seen them :)