December Happenings

As always, December has been a very busy month for us! We enjoyed decorating our new home for Christmas. I actually had a lot more decorations that I didn't put up, but I decided less was better so it didn't all look cluttered. We have enjoyed walking into a festive home all month!

Trenton had his Christmas program at school and did such a good job. They sang about 12 songs, all of which had some sort of movement with them. He sang loud and danced proud! His little red nose was while they were singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.We enjoyed our tradition of Ginger Bread making this year! Braxton enjoyed his first sucker as he sat and watched the mess. Trenton of course spent most of his time eating the candy while Daddy did most of the work. The kit we bought this year was not that great, and the icing was not holding, so we got serious and pulled out the hair dryer to help it set quicker so Josh could feel good about letting go!

Christmas was a little bit different this year. Mom and Dad are still busy trying to move into their new house and unloading from boxes, so they did not have many decorations up, let alone a tree. So this year my Mom, Dad, Paul and Heather all came over Christmas morning to open presents at our house! Heather was on the computer via skype with Nick and Nickolas watching them open presents in California. Nick brought Nickolas up the day after and has been with us this week!

Some of the highlights of the morning was a razor scooter and basketball hoop for Trenton. He also got a couple of costumes! Braxton loved the wrapping paper, but loved his little ball and circus that says the name of the animals that are being put into it. Josh is gearing up to go hunting next season with Uncle Jason in Colorado, so he got a nice set of knives. Josh redid our kitchen table, stained it dark and made it tall and bought some nice bar chairs to go with it. It is not quite done, but I will post pictures once it is in the kitchen! Merry Christmas to me!!!

I can't believe tomorrow is New Year's Eve. It has been a very busy year with lots of changes and many blessings. We are so grateful for all we have, for our health and for our family and friends!

Quick Update

Just a quick update of our busy times. Turkey day was fun...almost the entire family together from my Mom's side. We were only missing Mike, Chandler and Whitney. It was a crazy large group, but always so much fun.
Braxton started walking a little over a month ago. He gets into lots of trouble...and he is quick! Finally had to put baby gates up so I could get things done and he could have some freedom without being trapped down in the living room all the time! He is talking some and signing lots. I think he is going to be a smart little one just like his older brother!
Trenton is a good little helper. He is always trying to make Braxton laugh. He is starting to get into the electronic games, which I am not too excited about. Already putting a time limit on things like the computer and my ipod touch. Crazy how they get into it so young. He is doing well in school and enjoys being with his friends.
Josh is busy studying for his licensing tests. He gets frustrated at times, but he has time to take them. There is no time limit, so he just needs to take his time and take them when he feels prepared.
Me...I am trying to just get thru school while being full time mom and wife. This first semester back was hard at first, but it is nice to get out of the house and do something for me. I aced my computer class and have my business law exam still to go this week. I am honestly just hoping to pass that class...no high expectations!
Mom, Dad and Paul just arrived on Saturday for good! Heather will get here tomorrow, and Nickolas on the 26th. I am so excited to have my whole family together again. It has been 6 years since we have all lived near each other. There will be some adjusting for all, but I really think this move will be good for all. Mom loves her house...we all enjoy the views and I can see lots of memories being made in this new home! Thanks Dad for bringing Mom home like you always promised...glad we ended up moving to the right place to be near too!
So there it is....short, sweet and to the point. No pictures, just updates! Hopefully I will get better at this whole blog thing, take more pictures and take the time to keep a better history of our family!

Halloween Fun

It was so much fun being in our own neighborhood for Halloween this year! Trenton decided he wanted to be a clone trooper, and Braxton was my little pumpkin! We found a home in our neighborhood that made cotton candy in their driveway and gave it to the kids. Mental note made for last year!Trenton had a blast and said he got lots of candy! It was a fun night!

Braxton Turns 1!

How time does fly! I can still remember the LONG day when Braxton decided to come into the world. How grateful I am that we have this cute Little Man. His cute little personality brings joy to our lives every day and we are so blessed to have him in our family. He is walking around, still wobbly, but officially walking. He signs many words such as: daddy, ball, shoe, all done, more, food, please, thank you, and candy. It is so fun to communicate with him. He tries to say the words as he signs, but we definitely know what he wants! He loves to give kisses and is so cuddly when he first awakens. He loves to see his brother first thing in the morning and lays with him to watch cartoons as they take their time waking up. He weighs 18 pounds, and is only about 24 inches long. Small for his size, but still so cute.

We did not do anything too bid for his birthday, after all, all he cares about is the wrapping paper. We opened some presents the night before his birthday since I had school.Then the following Sunday we sang to him at the monthly Family Home Evening so everyone could see him dig into his cupcake. Trenton had to help with the candle. At first he was not too sure about the whole thing, but he quickly decided to get into the spirit of things. What is a first birthday without a little mess? We love you Baby Boy...Happy Birthday!

Some Halloween Fun (warning..lots of pictures)

With Halloween just around the corner, Josh and I decided to surprise Trenton with a little Halloween adventure! Last year we stumbled upon "Boo Barn" at Thanksgiving point when going to the Dinosaur museum, he had such a good time that we took him and Braxton back again this year. Trenton was so excited when he realized what we were doing, and Braxton is always excited to be outside! Our afternoon was filled with:

Story time with a witch name Millie

Bowling

Vampire Teeth (gross)

Face painting...and more face painting since he loved the first one so much. He was told that when he opened and closed his mouth, the snake would open and close it's mouth too!Pony riding (a first for Braxton....he loved it, talked to the pony, and tried to pet the pony as he rode!)

Some good old hanging out time

Baby horse petting, for some reason the horse kept on opening his mouth towards Josh...it was kinda funny and scary at the same time!Cookie decorating...and eating. Trenton just wanted the candy corns.

It really was a fun time. The best part of my day was just watching my kids as they experienced new things. I love seeing them so happy.

Well, when we got home, the fun was not over. Josh has discovered a joy in pumpkin carving over the last few years. He had never carved a pumpkin until Trenton came along. Do you think he could just carve a simple face and call it good?? Of course not. Mr. Creative's first time carving a pumpkin he decided to carve baby Trenton's face into the pumpkin. The next year was Spider Man, and last year he started in on Iron Man...but then Braxton decided he needed in on the party and we had to stop our pumpkin carving adventures and go to the hospital. Anyways, Josh has always showed off pictures of his pumpkins to his friends, and this year they wanted in on the fun. So, we had a few friends and their families over from school last night to dive into the pumpkins. It was a full house of pizza, pumpkins, all sorts of different carving tools, candy and fun. Trenton sat at the table and worked on his pumpkin for at least an hour...he was working on Darth Vader...can you tell? He was very focused! So this year Josh carved Gollum...and once again, it turned out great. I'm not biased or anything, but I think his was the best pumpkin carved!

Josh and Ben were even kind enough to clean the kitchen after the whole thing too!

So, one more week of Halloween adventures until we end with a bang as we go begging for candy!