A Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a really fun Thanksgiving weekend! Thanksgiving day we spent at my parent's house - the food was delicious and the whole day really relaxing. Landon LOVED his first Thanksgiving dinner. He ate as much as the rest of us and then took a long holiday nap :)!

That night Ale spent the night at our house so Jeff and I could do some early morning (crazy) Black Friday shopping. We were at Target at 3:45! There were two HUGE lines - one from each door that wrapped around the entire parking lot (so clearly there were a lot of people more dedicated that we were!). Jeff had to park in another parking lot and meet me in line. As soon as the doors opened people started running ... it was a madhouse. Luckily there were a lot of security people there to make sure no one cut in line. Once we got in it was crazy! Carts should not be allowed on Black Friday - people are seriously vicious. We got both things we went for, which was great! We wanted an external hard-drive (for Christmas) to back up our pictures and we got one!! And Landon's "big" Christmas present was 50% off as well there!! We were pretty proud of ourselves! And we even got home in time to sleep a little more before Landon woke up!

Landon had a cold all weekend - it was quite sad! And apparently Benadryl doesn't sit well on his tummy. We had our first real throwing up experience with him. And if you know me ... you'll know how traumatizing that is. Seriously if I know someone doesn't feel well I will avoid them like the plague (so if that is ever you please don't take it offensively!) and to have him sitting on my lap throwing up about sent me over the edge. But luckily we both survived! Apparently it was just the medicine, because he was so happy after ... he took a bath and then he drank another full bottle! And then went to sleep for the night as if nothing happened.

The rest of the weekend we had Jeff's parents in town for a visit! It was fun to have them up to spend time with us and with Landon. Landon was really happy to show off for them and to watch football (seriously he actually watches it) with them. We were so happy and thankful(!) to spend our weekend with so much family!

Eight Months

Landon is 8 months! I can't believe this first year is going so fast ... I feel like tomorrow he'll be driving and in a few weeks off at college! He is almost crawling ... and trying SO hard. He rocks and rocks, and he understands he can reach things he just hasn't quite gotten the motion down. I don't mind waiting for him to figure it out! He LOVES to eat baby food, Cheerios, puffs and yogurt melts (shocker!) but it still a bit unsure about what we give him from our plates. He got his first two teeth within the last week and a half. You still can't see them when he smiles, but I assure you they are so stinking cute! He loves to shake his head no (although we are praying he doesn't know what he is doing ... surely he can't learn that word for a while!), clap and play the "where's Landon?" game, and he gets pretty ticked off when someone else is playing "his" piano. Naturally we think he is adorable and brilliant :)!

What a Day!

Today was one of those days that didn't quite go the way I had it pictured in my head.

I'll start at the beginning ... a couple of months ago I applied to throw a House Party. If you don't know what they are you can check them out at: www.houseparty.com. Basically companies are marketing their products through consumers who apply to host a "party" for friends and give out/demonstrate their product. There isn't actually any selling per se just fun, coupons and free stuff (it's pretty sweet). I was selected to host a Gerber Generations party and set the date for today.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when Jeff found out he had to get 6 crowns done. Today. Well, we knew he would be sedated, but neither of us really pictured how today would go so he insisted that I still host the party since changing it would be a pain and we arranged for my mom to pick him up after he finished.

I assumed he would be about as loopy as he was when I dropped him off. Totally able to walk, but saying silly things and talking about how he could see double and then laughing like a kid when it turned out what he was looking at was really just one of something. It was a pretty amusing drive to the dentist :)!

I just figured he come home the same way and head upstairs to take a nap ... right? Wrong. My mom went to pick him up ... and almost literally had to pick him up. It took the dentist and her to get him into the car. He was chatting like a 6 year old to her on the way home (he has NO recollection of anything ... which really makes me wish I had the foresight to video this and post it on youtube ... he had some awesome lines).

The party was in full force when they got to our house ... but luckily we were up at the playground so no one witnessed any of this! After giving Jeff strict instructions to stay in the car (she was worried he would fall) my mom tracked me down. I was still in la-la land of what I thought he would be like so I just assumed she was coming to let me know he had put himself in bed. Wrong again.

It took both of us (and a nice party-attending neighbor holding Landon) to get him up the stairs and into bed. By this time the party migrated back to our house. So my mom took over grandma duties and stayed with my guests so I could finish getting a VERY out-of-it Jeff settled. The whole time I felt terrible! I felt like I was rushing to help Jeff to get back to my guests ... but neglecting him by doing so!

After another hour or so of chaos things started to calm down a bit. Jeff was sleeping peacefully, Landon went down for a good afternoon nap, and happy guests (at least they claimed they had fun ... I've never thrown anything kid-focused so I really have no idea how it went) were on their way home with goody bags and full stomachs.

As he woke up intermittently Jeff and I continued to have the same conversations off and on throughout the rest of the day. What time did he get home? What really happened when he was there? And most importantly: Did the dentist gave him a free toothbrush (when I told him no, Jeff gave a few colorful responses ... because naturally he asked this question multiple times. He must have really wanted that toothbrush is all I have to say!)? And when I complimented his new teeth he asked "Do I look skinnier?"

And his best line of all "I peed my pants!" said like a proud 6-year-old. He was correct ... he did ... which is typical for the type of sedation he was under. But wow ... was he proud!

Again, there were a lot of great lines, but most of them were a bit too colorful for this blog (apparently that stuff really loosens the tongue!).

Then I had to be the bearer of bad news. All this was just to put the temps in. He has to go back in 2 weeks to have the real ones set.

Really?! This was actually news to me too (it is a good thing I called the office when things quieted down ... I found out a lot of useful info!).

And I can assure you when Jeff found out it wasn't pretty. Pretty funny though :)!

All in all we survived ... and it leads me to the next three things I am VERY thankful for today.

31. My mom. She was the hero of the day! She did so, so much for all three of us ... and then she made sure we were okay the rest of the day. She offered to pick up Jeff's prescriptions, etc. and we had some great laughs about what Jeff said :)! And to top it off she is coming to babysit Landon AND Jeff tomorrow while I am at work.

32. Naptime. It was a sanity saver today ... for me and for both my boys!

33. Our dentist. He seriously has to be one of the nicest people I have ever met. Jeff isn't super nice to dentists and it doesn't even seem to phase this guy. He actually called Jeff at the end of his work day today to check on him and give him his cell phone number just in case he needs anything over the weekend. That is priceless in my book. So if you need a good dentist in the area Dr. Griffiths at Mapleton Family Dentistry is amazing!

Family Pics

Every single day I'm thankful for this guy:
And that I get to snuggle with him! I'm one lucky mama!

I am also so, so thankful for Jeff. I know I technically listed both of these guys once on my list already. But I figure you can never be too thankful for the main men in your life!

Can you blame me?
These are from our family picture shoot. You know ... the one where it was pouring rain so we canceled the actual photographer and took some ourselves. My dad and Ale took turns taking pictures and they both do a pretty good job for being self-taught. We even got one of all of us using the tri-pod!
Another one I just love...

Veteran's Day

Today I am thankful for:

26. Our freedom. What we have is priceless.
27. Our troops - there are so many brave men and women who put aside their own lives to go out and defend our nation and keep us safe. So often they go unrecognized - let's take today to recognize them and keep them in our prayers. This hits home in particular today for our family - my cousin is in Afghanistan right now - we are so proud of him!
28. Our boy scouts. They get up early in the morning and put flags in our yards to help us be a little more patriotic on these special holidays. I love looking out our front window and seeing the stars and stripes proudly flying.

A Murder...

Last weekend Ale threw a murder mystery party. Jeff and I helped out as the "host and hostess" and as the bartenders. It took place in a 1920's speakeasy ... hence the flapper dress and drink in my hand. My friend Laura had this as an old Halloween costume and let me borrow it ... cool huh? I felt very authentic (and didn't know you know that all true flappers wore Shade shirts underneath their dresses?). Especially when serving non-alcoholic specialty drinks to a bunch of over-21 college students :)!

Everyone seemed to have a good time ... and so did we! (Don't mind the pic ... James was our photographer :)!)
And to add to my thankful list:

19. A warm home. Especially at this chilly time of year.
20. Food on our table ... and the ability to know when our next meal is.
21. The library (I am stealing this off my friend Missy's blog because it is so true!). A place to check out free books? Um, hello ... genius!
22. Fresh drinking water. My friend Tamsin did a spotlight on how little clean drinking water there is in the world, the fact that we have it ... priceless!
23. Parties. This might seem really silly and insignificant to some people. But I LOVE to throw parties. Someday, if we live in an appropriate area, I would love to do it professionally. But for now I just love to get our friends together!
24. Our cars. They get us just where we need to go safely. Again, it's those little things that sometimes I think we take for granted.
25. A great pediatrician. He is honest, kind and Landon and I both like him. I think a good one is hard to find ... and something to hold on to!

Dear Aunt Carla and Cousin Maddie,

I did it! I finally learned how to use the sippy cup you gave me!! And now it is my favorite because it says my name on it and is a cool orange color! It's my mom's favorite now too because I don't get as much water on my clothes when I use it. Thank you very much for getting it for me. I can't wait to see you next month ... and show off my mad sippy cup drinking skills.

Love,

Landon
He actually kept posing for us when we tried to take these! What a goof-ball!

In other unrelated news I wanted to add a few things to my thankful list ...

12. Date night! I LOVE going out just Jeff and I (or with friends) ... it reminds us why we got together in the first place, and let's us let loose and have fun. And I have a firm belief that us going out is good for Landon too.
13. Sippy cups! Seriously ... hours of fun for Landon. Who knew?
14. The fact that Landon is a great eater (I'm pretty sure that is obvious from all his pictures). But I always rest easy knowing he has eaten enough to fill him up :)
15. But on a similar track ... I am also very grateful that Landon is eating less formula overall! Wow ... that stuff is like liquid gold!
16. The park. We have so many really cool ones close to us. We spent 2 hours yesterday walking around (or being strolled eating a leaf), playing on the swings (no matter what Jeff says I was totally higher than he was), and having a picnic. Thank goodness for these parts of our city!
17. Sunday Family Dinner. We don't do it every Sunday, but most. And it's fun ... and crazy ... and usually really, really loud. But it's family ... and there is always good food!
18. Chocolate. Do I even need to explain that one?

I have been blessed...

We're having one of those weeks where I feel like the statement "when it rains, it pours" applies. First Landon got his helmet (which the insurance does not pay for), and then when Jeff was in San Francisco his front tooth broke. When he went to the dentist yesterday we discovered he needs 6 crowns (yes you read that correctly ... 6)! And Christmas is just around the corner. We were feeling a little overwhelmed to say the least. We sat down to talk about it, and couldn't help but marvel at how blessed we have been. Yes, these things came at a yucky time (especially since they happened together!), but we have so much to be thankful for. And this time of year we get to recognize that even more.

Then on my way to the grocery store I heard Blessed by Martina McBride (a personal fave). I bolded the chorus for you.

I get kissed by the sun

Each morning

Put my feet on a hardwood floor

I get to hear my children laughing

Down the hall through the

Bedroom door

Sometimes I sit on my

Front porch swing

Just soaking up the day

I think to myself, I think to myself

This world is a beautiful place

I have been blessed

And I feel like I’ve found my way

I thank God for all I’ve been given

At the end of every day

I have been blessed

With so much more than I deserve

To be here with the ones

That love me

To love them so much it hurts

I have been blessed

Across a crowded room,

I know you know what I’m thinking

By the way I look at you

And when we’re lying in the quiet and

No words have to be said

I think to myself, I think to myself

This love is a beautiful gift

(Repeat chorus)

When I’m singing my kids to sleep

When I feel you holding me

I know

(Repeat chorus)

Hearing it made me smile. Then, in the checkout line the cashier and I were chatting. She gave me the sale price on an item because they were cheaper at Smith's and she figured she would pass that info along and said "you know, everyone could use a little help these days." I thought that was so sweet! The .40 or so didn't made a big difference to my grocery total, but her wanting to help everyone she could inspired me and made my day.

And I'll be honest. I am not often inspired while at Wal-Mart.

Generally I make one huge list of things I am thankful for in the month of November. And I still am going to ... but in smaller groups.

1. My wonderful, sweet husband who is my best friend.

2. The sweetest baby in the entire world. He makes me feel like my heart is walking (okay more like scooting and bouncing currently) outside my body.

3. A wonderful family who is so willing to be there for us.

4. Jeff's family - they are also so wonderful.

5. The gospel. We are very blessed to have it in our lives.

6. Friends. We have so many who care about us and are there for us no matter what.

7. Jobs - I feel so blessed in this economy for us to both have our jobs.

8. Eternal Families - knowing we can be one comforts me more than you know.

9. Book Club. These ladies make my month brighter. I love to read and to share that passion with others makes me really happy!

10. The sunshine! I am looking outside right now thinking about how gorgeous this world is!

11. The Wal-Mart cashier.

That is all for now. But I am going to leave with the these words again "you know, everyone could use a little help these days" and challenge you to ask yourself ... who could use my help today?

An October Review

I can't believe October is already over. It seems like time goes so quickly - and I really don't want it to! We had a busy month with a lot of fun Halloween activities:

We got invited to a Halloween party in the neighborhood. Landon had SO much fun playing with the other kids and the toys. This is him and a friend of his ... playing with a pink oven :)!
We made a visit to the pumpkin patch. We love the Big Red Barn in Santaquin.
They added a lot of fun things this year - like this truck. Landon's favorite book is called "The Little Blue Truck" and it looks just like this one! He liked it so much he licked (yes, licked) the steering wheel. Hence the dirt on his face :)!
He (okay we) picked out a perfect little pumpkin that is just his size!
Then we carved pumpkins! We actually didn't carve Landon's since it wasn't very big. But he LOVED the whole process. There was so much goo he could squish between his fingers, and his belly kept getting in it ... so he had to have a sink bath which was probably his favorite part of all! I have to steal these pics from my family - Jeff and I forgot our camera. But I'll post them soon because they are pretty hilarious!

We attempted to do family pictures TWICE and it rained both times! Seriously ... what are the odds? It was beautiful almost every other day of the month - go figure! So on Saturday we were all dressed up, and it was raining - but we decided just to take some ourselves anyways. In the rain. Some of them still turned out pretty cute! Again ... I will have to steal these and post them soon! However, taking pictures wore Landon out ... and we were able to snap this when he fell asleep in the car seat! His hat fell down like that on its own ...cute huh?
And then of course we had Halloween! We went to a Halloween brunch that morning that was so fun! I forgot to take my camera - but we were actually all dressed up! Then we went trick or treating that night. Grandma & Grandpa's house was best because Landon got a slinky (he thinks they are awesome) which was cool since the whole candy thing doesn't really work for him yet! We went to a few houses in the neighborhood, but it was really cold, so we called it a night.

He is a Cubs baseball player ... you know ... just in case that wasn't obvious!