Christmas by the ocean

We just got home from Mendocino California. It was a long drive but the kids did great. It was so incredibly beautiful spending every morning eating breakfast while looking out at the ocean. My uncle owns a beautiful Bed and Breakfast and it was really fun to stay in these cute little private cottages right off the coast. The Redwoods were absolutely incredible! It was still too cold to really play at the beach but we collected a lot of glass at "glass beach". I wish we lived closer to my family so we could get together more often. But I'm grateful we get the opportunities that we do. It was nice to get away, this Christmas was really hard but it couldn't have been spent with better company. Gavin had a great time being able to play outside, though I missed the snow. I have so many pictures I better make a slide show but here are a few for tonight.I was so happy that they both smiled!

Gavin and his "airpwane"and "nake"

If you look closely Max's onesie says "I'm with stupid"...haha. He was a good sport though.

The view from the window where we ate breakfast...I love the ocean!

Max loves his jumparoo!

Such a happy guy!

Max got his very own train, unfortunately Gavin doesn't care and we are learning to share.

I love this guy! How about his little haircut? I gave in and trimmed it two inches before our trip. It was hard to get him to hold still. I didn't dare go shorter. I love his hair.

These boys are so spoiled!This is my tree, it's nothing like my mom's fourteen trees but we like it. Most all the ornaments have some significance or do something entertaining for Gavin. Andy proposed to me via snowman, needless to say we collect snowmen for our tree.

"a-ca-cop-car"

He's on all fours , and I caught it on camera finally. He has been doing this for two months and should be crawling real soon...then I will be in trouble!The boys and their toys.

Sweet Max, taking in all the excitement.

My dad found this fire truck pedal car, I wish we had room for it at our place...we will see. It is so cute/cool! I had to pry him out of it to eat dinner.

It's not the best shot but Gavin treats his new tub toy, George/dordge like his own baby. He even gave him a bottle and bathed him today. Too cute.

Gavin's "a-ca-cop-car" helicopter is the favorite toy today and I couldn't even pry it from his hands for a nap.

It has been a little while. Let's just say this Christmas will be the hardest Christmas for me and my family. I've had a hard time lately and it's about time I admit it, for my own sake. I hope what other people say is true and that the first year of holidays is the hardest and it does get better. I don't know how it will get better but whatever. It has just been really tough accepting reality. I have tried to focus my thoughts on my little guys, they are so darn cute and they make it easier to smile.
I finally made a few attempts to get some shopping done and we are getting ready to go to California to spend Christmas with my dad's family. It will be nice to get away, but weird to have Christmas morning without any snow. We have been so busy with Christmas gatherings etc. we actually did Christmas gifts last night with my family since we can't take everything to California. Gavin had a blast-enjoy some pics. Hopefully our photographer master Andy will get our family pictures done eventually...

Girl's night out!

My girlfriends from school met up at Chili's this week. It has been a long time since we got together. I wish Carrie could have made it, but it gives us a good reason to do it again soon. Hopefully Lynsie won't be living in Vegas for too much longer, I miss seeing her.

*I was quickly reminded of how short I am (I even wore my heels).

We had a good time laughing about the past, and getting caught up on the present. It is hard to believe we have been graduated for seven years. Time flies! It was nice to get out for a little bit too. When I got home, both kids were in bed -thanks Andy!

My brother's tree

My mom has volunteered with the Festival of Trees since I can remember. My mom didn't want to do it this year, I don't blame her. It has only been six months but it really was a great way to remember Eric. With a bit of help from some great friends we were able to put a tree together. In honor my brother Eric, who passed away in May from an ATV accident. He loved the snow, and almost anything outdoors. We thought a snowman tree would be perfect. He brought so much laughter and light into this world. He truly lived life to the fullest! I miss him terribly. I just wanted to share some pictures. I'm glad it sold quickly, it was really cute. This was one of the hardest things for my mom and I to do. It turned out great and I am glad we did it. I hope the people who bought it appreciate the meaning behind it. Christmas will never be the same without him. (click the pictures to enlarge)

I thought this tree was adorable, and ironic that it was donated by a dentist.

Matt, Karin and Sienna have been in town for Thanks Giving and we were lucky to spend a little time with them playing Nintendo. I wish they didn't live so far away. We have a lot of fun with them. Isn't Sienna a cutie! Max and Gavin will probably fight over her in 16 years...ha ha.

A little Super Smash bros. smack down!

He looks so innocent...

Max update!

-Little Max is six months old already. I still can't believe it. He is sitting up all on his own and can get on his hands and knees (as of yesterday). I am not ready for him to be more mobile.
-He's such a happy boy and loves to eat his cereal and fruits/veggies. Now if only he could sleep better at night...still anticipating that milestone! He had his checkup and shots today. This went better than I thought, seeing that I had to take Gavin with me and decided to get him a flu shot too.
-I was surprised he was only 16.5 pounds. Gav was topping the charts at nineteen pounds at this age. Max is still in the 90th percentile for height (no Karin, we didn't use his hair to cheat) and his little head is in the 30th. No teeth yet, but I'm not complaining. He is such a sweetheart and such a blessing in my life, especially right now! It will be six months next week, really hard to believe. I miss him terribly!

Here's a funny picture of Max trying pears for the first time, this brightened my day-

Don't worry he loves them now.

A future escape artist??? This is how I found him after a nap.

Sitting up so well!

These days, I am so grateful when Gav actually has a little "down time".

abc...

Karin tagged me, enjoy

A- Attached or Single? Attached to my incredible husband, who gives excellent back rubs!
B- Best Friend? Andy! He has a special gift. He can always make me smile/laugh even when I really don't want to (or even when we aren't supposed to.) It has been especially helpful these past six months.
C- Cake or Pie? If it's chocolate, I want both. I guess I would choose (cream) pie if I have to, I don't like frosting all too much anyway.
D- Day of Choice? um...I don't know. Everyday is pretty much the same. This answer will change when Andy isn't so busy.
E- Essential Item? I can't choose just one...lip gloss,lotion and baby wipes. I am amazed at how often wipes come in hand.
F- Favorite Color? Purple
G- Gummi Bears or Gummi Worms? Definitely the worms! Andy and I love the neon sour ones!!!
H- Hometown? Riverton
I- Favorite Indulgence? Chocolate and cheesecake, the two of the together...scrumptious! I can't forget ice cream and shopping either. (I'd name more but now I feel a little guilty.)
J- January or July? I would say January because I prefer the cold weather but July has awesome fireworks, definitely July.
K- Kids? I love kids! I have two adorable boys, Gavin and Max. Hopefully one or two more in the future. I guess I can't forget my ten little nursery darlings that I have each Sunday.
L- Life is incomplete without? The Gospel, my family,my Savior and laughter of course. Then again, I don't know if I could live without chocolate, music and dancing either.
M- Marriage Date? August 22, 2002. Five years already, pretty incredible! What great memories and I still can't believe how far we have come.
N- Number of Brothers & Sisters? I have two brothers. Three brother-in-laws and three sister-in-laws
O- Oranges or Apples? I like them both, just depends on my mood I guess. I could live off applesauce if I had to.
P- Phobias or Fears? I seriously have too many to list. I am a bit ocd. We will stick to spiders/bugs, fire and GERMS! I have been forced to face a few of my fears already but it doesn't make them any easier to deal with.
Q- Quote? "Keep moving Forward"...first one that came to mind. I think I have watched Meet the Robinson's a few times...
R- Reason to smile? Gavin and Max! They are irresistible. Trust me, I have days where I don't want to smile but they always know how to break me.
S- Season of Choice? Spring, I love all the flowers and the weather is great. Plus it's when my boys were born.
T- Tag Four Friends - If you read this and want something to do...then TAG your it!
U- Unknown Fact About Me? I can still do the splits
V- Vegetable? I love broccoli and raw carrots. For the most part I love veggies-there are a few exceptions like asparagus, ewe!
W- Worst Habit? I am always late...sorry. I am getting much better though, I promise!
X- X-Ray or Ultrasound? ultrasounds are the best when you are pregnant-so special! X-rays are pretty much a pain. Both are helpful though.
Y- Your Favorite Food? Italian and pretty much anything with cheese.
Z- Zodiac Sign? Aries!

Karin, Texas, Cheesecake Factory,SYTYCD tour, shopping and more!

I just got back from another visit to Texas! We started out with a trip to the mall and had dinner at the scrumptious Cheesecake Factory...might I add that we only had to wait fifteen minutes on a Friday night. Rumor has it that the new one in Salt Lake has an average three hour wait. I think it will be a while before I can convince Andy to go to the new local one and wait. I guess it would help if Andy actually liked cheesecake...but they have really good food too!
Karin and I had a great time shopping. We ate lots of yummy food and watched a lot of The Office. I love that show! But one of the best parts of this trip was going to the So You Think You Can Dance tour. It was an amazing night! The dancers were fantastic. I was so glad they performed most of my favorite routines. This season was a really talented one. I hope we can make this a tradition..but that probably depends on the dancers each season.

I tried to take a few pics but they didn't turn out. I wish I had a better camera with me, trust me, the show was incredible live.

Aren't these the cutest kids ever?

One thing I learned from this trip though, the grass in Texas SUCKS! It is awful, full of crazy bugs that attack you even when you are wearing jeans. I walked through some grass one time and I have six bites on my feet up to my knees. The itch is driving me insane! It is still pretty warm there too. Now I am just anxious for some snow! More pictures tomorrow- good night.

Dog Fishing in Washington

Here are some pictures from the fishing trip I (Andy) just went on with my cousin Ben and my friend Tyson. We caught a bunch of fish and one seagull (yes, I said seagull).English Sole (flat fish), caught two at a time.

Spiny Dogfish Shark

Ben with mystery fish

The seagull was a real fighter.

Tyson with another Spiny Dogfish Shark.

Halloween

Here are some pictures from Halloween. We spent a lot of time helping my parents out with their spooky house. My parents have done it every year for as long as I can remember. They weren't up to it this year but they didn't want to let the neighbor kids down. It ended up being a bit of fun. I wish I wasn't so busy, I didn't get pictures of their house. Oh-well, it was quite a sight and Gavin actually liked hanging out with his spooky grandparents.

Me and my boys

A scary vampire decided to join the party

Gavin was a little hesitant but then he realized it was his grandma.

Gavin wouldn't leave the hood on but we managed to get a few pictures of the dragon.

There's a happy dinosaur!

The witches at Gardner Village

My family goes to Gardner Village every year to see the witches. We really like Halloween at our house! We went on a carriage ride with a dressed up witch that shared some fun Halloween stories. Gavin and Jerett were a bit more hesitant this year, but I think they still had fun! It is really fun, if you haven't checked it out before, I recommend it! Andy forgot his business camera,bummer. At least the pictures turned out. This year the weather was really nice too. Afterward, we had pizza and carved pumpkins at grandma and grandpa's house. The pumpkins we grew this year were humongous!
I also went to see Thriller by the Odyssey dance company with my mom tonight. It was a lot of fun. I finally had a girls night out(a much needed one at that). There were some pretty great routines. I love the makeup artistry, so fun! I really miss dancing. Not that I ever did the bizarre stuff but, ballroom is pretty different. I just think if you are a dancer it stays in your soul forever. I am still in shock that Sabrina went home tonight on DWTS too. Wow! She was good. Oh-well. Good night!

That's how he rolls

Max has been able to roll over from his tummy to back for weeks. He has managed to go from back to tummy occasionally,but he always gets his arm stuck and then he gives up and rolls to his back. Today he did it, while I was watching. (He has probably done this several times before but I can never remember which way I laid him down...thanks to a mommy mush brain.) Yay for Max! He is getting so big.


Andy was really sweet last night(with a little hinting). He got his parent's to tend the kids and he took me out on a date. It has been a while. He has been so busy with more weddings than anticipated this Fall,which is great, but we rarely get out together. We tried the Texas Roadhouse Grill. The food was pretty good but we couldn't get over how loud that place was. I don't have a very loud voice, so Andy had trouble hearing me. I think we will stick to Famous Dave's etc. I would complain some more but really, I was just glad we got to spend time together without our little guys and enjoy some ribs. I really needed the break. We also did a little shopping and rented a movie. It was nice!

Happy Wednesday!

tasty toes!

Max loves to eat his feet-don't all babies? He throws little fits whenever I put him in footed pj's. He's always got something in his mouth, but no teeth yet. (thank goodness)

I was trying to get both boys in this one, apparently Max is a camera hog...

I hope everyone has a great weekend!