Oh Christmas Tree...

We took our hopefully yearly trip to go pick out our Christmas tree this weekend. In preparation for Grand Jean in January (we are going on a 7 mi snowshoeing trip with you and the Bailly's and Fuller's) we decided to go with the Bailly's and Fuller's in order to test out the bike seat we are going to pull you and Sean in. So, it was quite a troop going up to Idaho City. The more the merrier though!

We actually got our first huge snow fall on Saturday and it was still snowing when we woke up to get ready. So when we got to John and Loren's we bundled you up and let you really experience snow for the first time. You LOVED it. You threw it in the air, you ate it, you fell down in it and giggled. It was the best.

After we were all packed up at the Bailly's we headed out to get our tree. When we got up to the area we decided to look at I took you sledding down the small incline of the road. You thought that was great and we even set Sean on you so you could go together. You didn't like that as much though, as you said 'off' while he was laying on you. Needless to say all of the parents got a kick out of it. You guys did awesome in the bike carrier and even fell asleep on the way back in from getting the tree. Your Dad went all the way up the side of the mountain to pick us out a tree this year and it is beautiful. After our mountain shenanigans we stopped for lunch in Idaho City and even got some huckleberry cheesecake to go. You were one tired boy after the events of the day but somehow didn't sleep on the way back to Boise.

Due to the snow coming this was a very long trip - 7 hours to be exact just to get a tree. It was fabulous though filled with wonderful company.

Apologies to You Marcus and Those Reading This Blog

I'm sorry I have really scaled back on blogging on here. In November I started studying for the CPA exam and it takes up a lot of time. In fact 2 hours a day. When you couple this with full time work, and a toddler it leaves very little time for me to write on here. I will do my best to keep up and catch up.

Thanksgiving

I didn't get any pictures of Thanksgiving unfortunately. I need to get better about holidays, but sometimes I just forget. Plus, this holiday was our normal family so I think that makes me not as inclined to pull the camera out. 

On Thanksgiving day we went over to Uncle Grae's and Janne's for dinner. They hosted our family and Janne's parents. The food was fabulous with turkey, thrice baked potatoes, sweet potato casserole (which you loved and tasted more like pie filling), green bean casserole, rolls, jello salad, and a green salad. Then of course you can't forget dessert - marionberry pie and pumpkin cheesecake from Pastry Perfection. Everything was divine. Although you didn't eat any of the turkey, you did eat all of the sides.

 You played chase around Uncle Grae's house and hockey outside with Popper and Dad. Your Popper loves playing with you so much that he actually brings it with him now for you guys to play. The company was enjoyable and it was definitely a feast to be thankful for. 

A few days later we went over to my parent's house for dinner. Unfortunately Aunt Megan was sick and Uncle Chris was working so it ultimately ended up being just us, your grandparents, great grandma, and Kevin and April. It was still nice nonetheless. Once again you ate everything but the turkey for dinner. 

Seeing as how it is the season...I am going to tell you what I am thankful for this year. First and foremost I am thankful for you! Every day you light me up from the inside and make me smile. Your hugs and kisses melt my heart and make me overflow with love. I'm pretty sure you will get annoyed some day with how much I hug and kiss you and tell you I love you. 

In addition I am so very thankful for our family's health. Not just you, me and Dad, but our extended family. We are so fortunate right now to have a healthy family. I am thankful for my job. With your Dad going to school and staying home with you I know how important my job is. I am thankful that my job allows me to support our family and provide you the next thing I am thankful for; our new home. You love it, the space the location, and the security it brings. I realize all of these things are somewhat cliche' but you will realize one day when you are older that these are the things that truly matter. Happy Thanksgiving!

Goings On

The Village at Meridian opened last month. I took you to opening day and you were somewhat intrigued with the fountains. Last week I wanted to take you back at night so we could see it with the lights. To say that you loved it is underrated. We sat and watched the fountain for an hour with Dad. You cheered and actually ran and sat down right at the end of the fountain criss cross applesauce and with your hands on your cheeks to watch. It was lovely to watch your excitement.

The other day you were being your silly self and proceeded to take two of your binks and put them in your mouth at once. You loved that you made me laugh. I got you to somewhat pose for a picture for me while doing it. 

We got our family pictures taken this weekend. The shoot was delayed about 15 minutes and we were early so we had about 30 minutes to kill. We proceeded to head to a local restaurant for a quick snack. I took this pic and thought you looked adorable sitting at your own table drinking your milk and killing time. 

Hockey

This picture is proof that you love hockey as much as your Dad. We went to our first game of the season for Popper's birthday. You clapped, screamed, yelled, and cheered for a good 20 minutes before you started to get a little restless. Then we proceeded to tour the arena for entertainment.

Happy Halloween!

Since this year was the first year you were really able to understand what was going on in your surroundings I had fairly low expectations of what Halloween would bring. My low expectations were greatly surpassed though. 

You didn't like wearing your costume much which was the hardest part of the whole holiday. We had a Bob the Builder outfit for you and a firefighter outfit and you weren't really keen on wearing either one. Once you realized that you got candy for leaving your costume on though you were willing to wear it for a while. We went with Bob the Builder since the firefighter coat was a little big. 

The weekend before Halloween was Boo at the Zoo. Being the eager new mom I am this has always sounded appealing to me. Loren wanted to go too, so the Bailly family went with us. The zoo was crazy, but you had fun. We visited the animals, rode the carousel, and played with the bubble machine. Since it wasn't much different for you from any other zoo visit, we decided we will wait until you are older and actually WANT to go to Boo at the Zoo before we take you again. 

We took you trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood and were amazed at how much you got in to it. You loved running around with the other kids and going up to the door. It only took you one house to figure out the hold your bucket out to get candy idea. You even were saying trick or treat! Granted we only went to about five houses, but it was fun. Then we stopped off at Grandma and Grandpa's house to say Happy Halloween and visited Great Grandma also. 

The day after Halloween your class at the daycare went to the hospital to tour and say trick-or-treat to some of the parents in your classroom. So, I took the day off of work and we met up with your class (you aren't going to school on Fridays). You had a blast and ran all over the place. 

Speeding Towards Age 2!

You broke my computer by stepping on it almost two months ago and thus I have been incognito on writing blog entries. That doesn't mean I have been slacking on the picture taking though! So, I will do my best to try and get caught up on the blog posts on what we have been up to. In the mean time though I do want to jot down some things about you that I don't want to forget.

Words... You are adding a new word to your vocabulary on at least a weekly basis. New words include: Love you (wa wu), Nana, Popper (Pop -po), Scout (Cout) , Me , Mine, Cars, Bailey (lee, or Balele) , Go, Ball, Puppy, Great-Grandma , Jessica (Yes-ya) , bubbles, bink (bee) and I'm sure more that I haven't thought of.  Your most recent word is Elmo (Mel-mo) and I find it adorable.

Things You are Doing Right Now That I Love:
* Learning to jump in the air - you actually successfully did this for the first time yesterday and your Dad and I cheered loud and proud for you.
* You've begun responding when we ask you a question with 'uh-huh' instead of yes. The tone of voice that you use just melts my heart. I can't get enough of it.
* Snuggling like crazy. You have been a momma's boy as of late. Don't get me wrong sometimes it can be exhausting, but for the most part it is so wonderful to have you want to love up on me. I know these times won't last forever.
* Running and exploring everything. I'm not sure that I love this one but it is certainly part of being a boy. You run around and get into everything and we are working on listening skills at the store to ensure you stay close by. Your punishment is having to go back in the cart if you start to run off.
* You love the bath and bubbles. For the longest time you hated it, so it is nice that you actually want to be in it now.
* Make believe cooking is something you love. I have been having you practice cooking with me and we stir the food, drop ingredients in, and taste the food. This has gotten you into doing this on your own. So we will stack up bowls give you a few seasoning shakers, spoons, and cheerios and let you go to town.