We're back!

We have been without a computer for the last few weeks and I have felt so disconnected from the world! It is kind of sad how much I enjoy my computer time while Hayden is napping. But, we got a new computer yesterday so we are back online and taking some time to upload the blog.

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Hopefully you ate a lot of yummy food and enjoyed family and friends.

We decided to make the trip to Salt Lake to spend Thanksgiving with some of my family there. The best part was that my sister Erin, who plays basketball for SLCC, had 2 games this last weekend so we were able to watch her in action.

It was so much fun to see family in Utah that we don't get see very often. We had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt and uncles in Park City on Thursday and then spent Friday and Saturday watching basketball. Hayden loved every minute of it. He watched the game, danced to the music, cheered for Erin and pushed his cars around the bleachers. He was such a trooper the whole trip.

We had a great weekend but were excited to get back home, get our Christmas decorations put up and enjoy this holiday season!

So beautiful!!


Thanksgiving day with my brothers Chase, TJ and sister Erin. We missed you Claire! And I think Perry was passed out in the recliner at this point...

Hayden listening to some tunes with TJ's headphones. This lasted about 2 minutes.


He was rocking out to some rap song so we taught him a thug move. He looks pretty tough, huh?

Hayden and his auntie Erin. So cute!

Big Boy

Pacifier, binkie, soother, dummy, paci...call it what you want but we have had them around our house far too long. I kept putting off the inevitable...after a trip, or after our family is in town, after he is 18 months old...Well, I finally decided I had no excuse and with another baby coming in a few months, I needed to break Hayden's dependence on his binkie for sleeping.

My friends Stacey and her boys have been in town this week. I thought it would be a perfect time to have Hayden "give" his binkies to Stacey's new baby, Anderson. So yesterday morning we looked all around the house and found the binkies stashed in toy boxes, under beds, in diaper bags, in closets and drawers and put them all in a little bag for the baby. Hayden seemed excited and kept saying "baby" as we collected them. Then we headed over to baby Anderson's to give him the binkies. Hayden took each one out of the bag and placed them in Anderson's seat as he lay there sleeping. I then gave him a bag full of treats (cars, trucks, bubbles and some candy) and we went our separate ways. When we got in the car I asked him where his binkies were and he said "Bye, bye...baby." He totally understood they were gone. So...last night I was ready for some tears and turmoil, but to my surprise - there was none of that! He was looking for a binkie before bed but I reminded him that baby Anderson has them all, so he laid down with his blanket and we didn't hear a peep after that! Wahoo! I couldn't believe how easy it was. It was a lot better than I expected I am so glad those things are gone!

Today however, when his nap time came - he was not a happy camper! He cried and whined for almost and hour and then finally fell asleep. But, I am glad to say I just put him to bed for the night and he is sound asleep already. We did it!

Today I am grateful for
A binkie-less household! (At least for a few more months....)

Drip. Drop.

Today I am grateful for:
The Rain

Good thing I live in Washington! Many people complain about the rain here in the Northwest, but I really love it. I guess because I know that if I decided NOT to like the rain, I would be pretty miserable living here. I love the smell of rain and the sound of it outside my window when I wake up the morning. I love how it makes everything seem fresh and clean. It is so beautiful, lush and green here because of all the rain we get, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I just finished watching Cars cuddled up the couch with Hayden, drinking a hot chocolate and watching the rain drizzle outside. Love it!

Roses

Today I am grateful for:
Fresh Flowers

"Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful;
they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul."
- Luther Burbank

I have the most beautiful bouquet of yellow roses downstairs on my coffee table! They are from my mom and I just smile everytime I see them. I love having beautiful, fresh flowers in my house. They just make me happy!

A good snooze

Today I am grateful for:
A toddler who sleeps in past 8 am

When Matt and I got married the one piece of advice my mom had for Matt was this: If he ensured that I had a good night's sleep, he would always have a happy wife! :) I love my sleep. I am not a night owl, or a morning person - I like to go to bed at a decent hour and sleep in. I really feel yucky if I get less than 7 hours of sleep a night. I don't function well. So to have a toddler age boy who sleeps until about 8:30 and still takes a two hour nap in the afternoon is so wonderful! Yesterday was my birthday and he didn't even stir until 9! It was the best birthday present ever!! Thanks Hayden!

Be Grateful

I can remember when President Hinckley first introduced his 6 B's. Be grateful, be smart, be clean, be true, be humble, be prayerful. I memorized those 6 B's in orders in young women and have always remembered them and the message they carry. This month, as Thanksgiving is approaching, I really wanted to take time each time to think about what I am thankful for. I could talk for hours about all the things I am thankful for, but I really wanted to narrow it down to a specific thing I was thankful for in that moment. President Hinckly said,

"Walk with gratitude in your hearts, my dear friends. Be thankful for the wonderful blessings which are yours. Be grateful for the tremendous opportunities that you have."

I just started today, so I am few days behind. But I have a chalkboard posted right outside of our back door that leads to our garage. I walk by it 100 times a day and thought it would be a good place to to post my "thankfuls."

Today I am thankful for
MY HEALTH

With so much sickness going around right now, I am so grateful to be healthy! I am feeling great, my baby is growing and developing normally and I am grateful for that. I am grateful that I am healthy enough to take care of Hayden, Matt, myself and this new baby. It really is a blessing. The H1N1 vaccine isn't available here yet, so I have been really nervous about getting that and being pregnant, but so far so good. Today I am thankful for my health.

On a funny note...I don't know if any of you saw the SNL Weekend Update on Saturday, but they have a bit called "Really?!?" that Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler do together. I had heard on the news that some big companies on Wall Street had received the H1N1 vaccine when there is a shortage nationwide! I was upset about it, as were many Americans. Matt told me that the same thing happened in Calgary with the Calgary Flames hockey team who received their vaccines before most Calgarians did. The vaccine is supposed to go to schools, hospitals, pregnant women (me!me!) and children before anyone else. Anyway...here is the clip from SNL. I thought it was pretty funny!

Halloween in Cleveland

Last weekend Hayden and I braved the 10 hour travel day to go and see Stacey, Justin, Jack and their new baby Anderson! We had such a great trip. It was so nice to just sit and talk, make cookies, get a pedicure, watch the boys play and swoon over Anderson. It was so relaxing and the boys had a lot of fun together. The played cars almost all day long, took baths, went to the park, made Halloween cookies, drew pictures and went trick or treating together. Hayden was the cutest giraffe ever and Jack was the most adorable Batman I have ever seen! They loved getting candy and of course, eating it that night!





Here they are with all their loot. When we poured the candy out Jack said, "Oh my gosh! Look at all that candy!!" They were so excited!

We spent one afternoon playing at this fun little park. It was for kids 5 years old and younger so all the slides, stairs and toys were perfect size for the boys. Hayden went on the swings and the slides for a few minutes, until he found a big car he could push around the park and that's what he did for the rest of the time. That boy and cars! Too funny...





Here's sweet baby Anderson after a bath. So cute!



It was so fun to catch up with Stacey. I miss that girl so much and hate that they live so far away! When we see each other it's like no time has passed and we pick up right where we left off. We have been through a lot together and it is so fun to see her married to a wonderful guy and as a mom to two of the cutest boys ever. She is such a good mom and I am so grateful for her friendship and example. Thanks for letting us crash for a few days Stacey! We miss you guys already!!! You'll have to check out Stacey's blog for more pictures of the weekend.