OH THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL...

Winter is officially here! (Ugh.) It started Saturday. Nothing but snow and now ice. So when it looks like this outside...





...we decided to have a snow day and break all the rules! We pulled out the sofa-bed, watched Christmas movies all day, drank hot chocolate, and the kids even ate lunch in bed:



We had a nice Saturday at home while Tyson was stuck in Provo for 7 hours while our car was in the shop. Too much snow and bad roads for me and the kids to go get him. He was so bored going in and out of stores all day. He even ventured into Roberts Crafts for awhile. Thankfully Sportsmans Warehouse is in the same shopping center, so he was okay!

Even though I personally can't stand winter in Utah, at least the kids love it:



One snowman down and dozens more to go!

ELF YOURSELF!

Click here to see a special video of our family.

Enjoy!

OUR THANKSGIVING IN PICTURES

We had fun in Idaho with our family last week. There was a lot of food, football, and Guitar Hero! (Grandma and Granddad rocked the house, even from the couch.)







On our last night together, we decorated gingerbread houses and the Grandparents judged:





Allison got plenty of attention from her cousins too.



We all had a great time together. Thanks to everyone who helped put together a great meal (I never have pictures of the food, I guess I am too busy eating it!). And thanks for all the accomodations for our family. We are so thankful to have so much family, on both sides, close to us now!

FIRST FOOD

Allison is 5 months old! We gave her rice cereal for the first time this week. I think her face says it all:



She was not a fan! I guess we'll try again in a few weeks.

TWILIGHT

Anyone else excited?!! (I'm going Saturday!)

THANKS, SON

It's definitely one of those days. I woke up with a headache that would not go away. Matthew refused to get dressed. Allison decided that napping just wasn't her thing anymore. I have a living room covered in toys and a mountain of clean laundry to fold and put away.

It is one of those days where I just want to crawl into bed, pull the covers over my head, and just stay there. Maybe forever. Or at least until Tyson gets home. 6:00 just won't come fast enough.

I finally decided at lunchtime that if Extra Strength Tylenol wasn't going to work for me, then I needed a little caffeine to kill the headache. So I bundled up Allison and headed to the Coke machine outside our building. (Meanwhile, Matthew is wearing his pajama pants and no shirt; that's as far as we got this morning.) So, I put in my quarters, and the dumb machine eats my money. No Dr. Pepper for me. Or in this case, no Mr. Pibb, but same difference. Right then, the maintenance man walks by and I explained what happened, to which he says "Ohhhh. That's bad." And keeps walking. Thanks.

So I head back inside. Matthew is dressed. Miracle! I sit on the couch, head leaned back, eyes closed while I feed Allison. Matthew is eating lunch and listening to Pet Shop Boys. Great for a headache.

Out of nowhere, Matt says:

"Mom, did you want to be a mom when you grew up?"

I couldn't help but smile.

Yes I did.

Thanks for the reminder Matt. It is just what I needed today.

BAPTISM DAY

Matthew 3:13-17
"Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness, Then he suffered him.
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Last Saturday was a really special day for our family. Corinne got baptized! She was so excited and we were so proud of her! I know you are probably interested in pictures, so here goes:







Thanks to our family for coming and supporting her on this important day!

MORE HALLOWEEN FESTIVITIES

Our Halloween weekend ended with our church Halloween Party/Chili Cook-off. I am on the activities committee, so I had to help plan and decorate. The kids had fun eating and playing carnival games.


Matt decided to be a Jedi and Corinne was happy to wear her Dorothy costume for about the 4th time (I guess we got our money's worth on that one!)


Allison was a pumpkin, and a sleepy one too!

On Halloween night, we went "trunk-or-treating" with family in Draper. This time Grandma was there too. All the cousins were loaded up with TONS of candy. I think we are set for life!





It was a great couple of weeks with Grandma Brown here. I hope we can do this again next year!

BARNYARD BOO

We have had a super busy month, so you get three posts in one today.

My parents have come to town almost every weekend, and Tyson's mom is here to celebrate Halloween and Corinne's upcoming baptism. It is fun to have grandparents around. I think the kids love the attention, and I like the company and the help during the day!

We also had my sister and her family here for a weekend and we took the kids to the Barnyard Boo at Thanksgiving Point.


face painting fun


balloon animals, or in this case, balloon swords and flowers


pony rides


babies


and a hay ride minus the hay

We had a beautiful warm day, and it was great to see Susan's family. The kids had a ball together!

A HALLOWEEN BIRTHDAY PARTY

Corinne's aunt and uncle were nice enough to volunteer their home for Corinne's 8th birthday party. I made homemade macaroni and cheese (Corinne's request) and we carved pumpkins, opened presents, and had cupcakes (chocolate of course) and ice cream.









Corinne got a new Groovy Girl doll, a Littlest Pet Shop Clubhouse, dress-up, a small keyboard, and other great things. Thanks to all of our family!

BOO AT THE ZOO

We went to the zoo for their annual "Boo at the Zoo!" This meant wearing costumes and trick-or-treating at the zoo. I guess the kids thought we would trick-or-treat to the animals because Matt kept asking if the giraffes were going to give him hay. It was actually various companies/organizations that had tables set up, and the kids could get in the mile long line to get a piece of candy. We had never been before, and probably won't ever do it again! It was fun for the kids to wear their costumes at the zoo and get some candy, but I think the whole state of Utah turned out. It was crazy crowded. Here are the highlights:



Doesn't Matthew look thrilled? He only cared about one thing that day, and that was finding his cousin Isaac. We hadn't caught up with them yet, and Matt was not happy about it!



We found Isaac! Now Matthew can enjoy the carousel!



All of the cousins had fun getting some candy and seeing the animals. We still have a few more Halloween parties to come, so more posts will follow!

IT'S GREAT TO BE EIGHT

Today is Corinne's birthday! She is eight years old, and I can hardly believe it! This is a special birthday for her, and we are so excited to celebrate it tonight with her cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents.


age 4

Corinne's favorite things:

favorite color: pink, pink, PINK!
favorite food: chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, chocolate ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, (are you sensing a theme here?)...
favorite things to do: draw, play with her stuffed animals, go swimming, dance, gymnastics
some of her favorite songs include: "Funkytown" by Lipps Inc., "Space Oddity" by David Bowie (Ground control to Major Tom...), "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles, "Our Lips are Sealed" by the Go-Go's (all 80's songs, interesting)
favorite books: Curious George and Junie B. Jones
favorite TV show: Curious George on PBS


Corinne licking the batter of her birthday cake, age 5

Here are 8 things we love about Corinne:

1. She is a huge helper to her mom, and always willing too.
2. Corinne is super creative and has a great imagination. She loves to re-create anything we do. (Example: The kids went to the dentist recently. When we got home, she turned Matt's bedroom into a dentist office and she gave us all checkups. She does this when we go to the store, museum, doctor, or even just to get haircuts. Recently, our whole living room was a hair salon.)
3. She is super smart and loves to learn. She is an excellent student and her teachers always love her.
4. She is a kind and caring friend and sister. Corinne is definitely a nurturer.
5. She loves ice cream, especially chocolate. She can down a big bowl of it in a matter of seconds.
6. Corinne is very tender-hearted. She hates to see her brother hurting or sad, and she really hates it when Allison cries.
7. She has a great laugh. It is totally contagious.
8. She is a true daddy's girl. She and her dad have the same taste in music and the same sense of humor. They really are two peas in a pod.


a butterfly, age 5

Happy Birthday Corinne! We love you so much!

TWO PIRATES AND A FOUR MONTH OLD

For family night last week, we had a game night. We played Pirates Dice and the kids really got into it and had fun. (Actually, Tyson is the one who got into it and brought out the eye patch, I just didn't get a picture of him, unfortunately!) Game nights are one of our favorite Family Night activities.




Allison is officially 4 months old! She is getting to be so much fun. She has learned to roll over, laugh out loud, and is just a happy, sweet little baby.








Thanks to Aunt Heidi and Grandma B. for Allison's cute clothes in these pictures!

ITS AUTUMN TIME

I love love the fall. Maybe it's the leaves changing to reds, oranges, and golds. Or maybe it's the crisp night air and great "football weather". Or maybe it's the joy of the holidays soon to come with pumpkin carving, chili cook-offs, family, friends, and Thanksgiving dinner. (Or maybe it's my awesome fall wreath I got last year for 60% off, thank you very much.) Whatever it is about this time of year, we are loving it and looking forward to all of our fun plans with family this month!

Happy Autumn!

THE BIG 0-5

We can't believe that Matthew is 5 today! I recently bought him a journal, mostly so I had a place to write down all of the funny things he says. It has made me think about how fast time flies, and how much we love this little boy! Matthew is a real blessing to us, so I thought I would spotlight him a little for his birthday post.



Matthew at age 2

Matthew's favorite things:

favorite colors: orange and green
favorite number: 9,000
favorite food: mac and cheese, crackers (He often says "I don't like healthy things.")
favorite song of the moment: "Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard (with lyrics like I turned 21 in prison doing life without parole...)
favorite hobbies: drawing, playing video/computer games, beat-boxing (He can turn any song into a dance remix.)


Corinne age 5, Matthew age 2


Some of my favorite Matthew quotes/conversations:

setting: Matthew and I sat down at the table to eat lunch.
Me: "Matthew, can you say the prayer?"
Matt: "Yeah. But not right now, I'm just gonna burp."


setting: I am reading one of the books in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.
Matt: "Mom, what are you reading about?"
Me: "Vampires!"
Matt: "Mom, you shouldn't be reading scary things. Girls don't like scary things. They just like makeup and stuff."


Here's my all time favorite:

setting: Matt was learning to wipe himself after using the bathroom. He has just finished going potty.
Me: "Matt, is your bum all clean?"
Matt: (in a very frustrated tone) "Well, I don't know because my head is turned the other way!"

You gotta love that boy!


Matthew with his new baby sister

Happy Birthday Matthew! You are the best!

SICK BOY

Well, our family has battled colds and sore throats this month, and just when we thought we were out of the woods, Matt got a cough that just wouldn't go away. After two trips to the pediatrician, he was diagnosed with walking pneumonia and an ear infection. I have heard of walking pneumonia before, but didn't really know much about it. He had a round of antibiotics for it, as well as breathing treatments a few times a day. He is such a trooper!



I love all the cute little gadgets and things that pediaticians offer. Notice how his oxygen mask looks like a dinosaur (or maybe a dragon)? Matt thought that was pretty cool.



We are glad he finally got the correct diagnosis so he can get better for his birthday!

CATCHING UP

Since I wasn't doing this blogging thing over the summer, I thought I'd post a few pictures of what we've been up to over the last few months.


having a baby


blessing that baby






playing superheroes with cousins




going to Twin Falls


(Somewhere in there we also moved, but I don't have any pictures of that.) We had a busy and fun summer!