Christmas

We had a great Christmas and we hope you all did too! Sadly, I was so wrapped up in my kids reactions to everything that I didn't take as many pictures as I should have. Oops, I will have to be more careful of that next year. Anyway, we had an amazing holiday! It started on Christmas Eve, we were invited over to a couple from our wards house. They are like grandparents to our kids out here so it was almost like being with family! They have an amazing sledding hill at their house so we did a little Christmas Eve sledding. Clayton wouldn't go (his experience last week was enough to ruin it for him for this season), but Noah had a GREAT time! He went sledding for almost two straight hours, a lot of that he did by himself! He is such a brave boy. Then Sister Besette made an amazing dinner and told a wonderful story about Christmas that Clayton got to help her with. The boys fell asleep on the way home which was nice. We opened our ornaments when we got home and they were so cute! Finally the boys went to bed (it was a fun, but long, day).

Christmas morning started like most others. Clayton woke up at 7:00 ready to eat. He didn't ask about Santa or what toys might be waiting in the living room. I guess he forgot. So he ate breakfast and we waited for Noah to wake up and eat also. Finally we went into the living room. Clayton was so excited! It was a WONDERFUL reaction. He saw all the new toys and yelled, "I love new toys! They are so beautiful!" He got a Hot Wheels city set, some cars, a cash register, a football, a toy sink, and some play food from Santa. He couldn't have been happier. We have hardly seen him since! Noah got some drums, a volley ball, and the toy sink and play food. He didn't really get it, but he sure loved it anyway. Santa was also kind to Justin and me. Justin got a book, a video game, and some candy. As for me, I had the best Christmas of all! Santa got me...a DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY BAND (totally unexpected since our anniversary is in May)!! Needless to say, we were all happy. After a fun morning of oohing and aahing at Santa gifts, opening presents, and playing - it was time for breakfast. We had the traditional Christmas breakfast that I grew up with. I made crepes with vanilla pudding and strawberries, and Justin made cream cheese eggs and sausage. YUMMY! It felt like being back home. We then had a relaxing afternoon full of napping and playing. At 4:00 we had a delicious ham dinner with our good friends, the Goolds. It was nice to visit and spend time with friends. After we put the boys to bed our friends the Zinkes came over and we ended our day with a fun game of Speed Scrabble (such a fun game). It was a great day full of delicious food, great friends, perfect presents, and my guys. Being able to spend the day with my guys is always a perfect gift in and of itself. Being able to see my boys reactions was the best part of my day. I love Christmas as a parent! It's amazing! It was the perfect day and I hope that all of you had as great a day!

Winter Fun!

Justin is finally on Winter Vacation! Yay! We are so happy to have him home with us for two whole weeks! We have been getting a ton of snow lately (we will be having a white Christmas), and yesterday we decided to take advantage. We went sledding with some of our friends. Clayton and Noah had never been sledding before and it was quite the experience. Clayton and I went down for the first time together and, wouldn't you know it, Clayton ended up with a face-full, boot-full, and wrist-full of snow (time for a new snowsuit). Anyway, that pretty much spoiled sledding for him. He did go down one more time with his friend Gracie and he had much more fun going down with her than he did with me, but after that, he was done! Justin and I were so bummed. You plan to take your kids on these great adventures and they just want to go home! What is up with that?!? Noah had a better experience than Clayton did. He went down once with Justin and he actually liked it (he will be my daredevil child). However, after about an hour of Clayton refusing to go back up the hill, we went home. So much for that!
This is Clayton and Gracie coming down the hill (Clayton is in red).

This is afterward. He liked going down with her, but wasn't about to do it again!

This is when Justin and Noah went down together. They had a crash landing and Justin, in true parent style, did everything to make sure Noah didn't end up on the bottom (it was funny to watch)!

Also, Clayton finally wanted to write a letter to Santa. He has been the biggest snoop this year and has actually found a lot of things he shouldn't have! What am I going to do with this kid!! Anyway, he asked for letters and numbers, cars, a cash register, and a football. It was fun to be able to do this together and he was really into it. It will be great this year to see his face when he realizes that Santa has brought him the things he has asked for!

Christmas Party!

We went to a Christmas party last Friday. It was such a great time. The food was delicious, the company was wonderful, and the white elephant gifts were interesting! We ended up with a football (which Clayton loves), a candle (which I love), and a Napoleon Dynamite talking keychain (which we ALL love)! Here are a few pics from the awesome event:
This is what Justin wore. He is always trying to win an "ugliest Christmas sweater" contest. He actually got this sweater from my grandma (it used to be hers). I love that he wears it during the holidays! He cracks me up! (His face is so serious because he is always dead serious about that sweater!)

Here are some of the things we got from the white elephant exchange. (Justin is as serious about Napoleon Dynamite as he is about his sweater.)

Clayton LOVES this football. We have been playing catch ever since he got it. Sadly, since it is so cold outside, we have had to play inside. So much for my "no throwing balls in the house" idea! I guess that's what I get for having boys!

This is our family at the party. Clayton doesn't want to sit for a picture (story of his life) so he isn't being too cooperative. It was nice to be able to get dressed up and hang out with our friends!

These are all of the LDS med students in Justin's class and their families (with the exception of one wife and baby - we missed you Kathryn and Joshua)! It is a really fun group and we are so blessed to have such great friends out here. They have helped make Vermont feel like home to us!

Christmas Fun!

We had a busy weekend!
Friday: ward party! I love ward parties. My kids get to run around while all the grandparents in the ward watch them and cater to them. We also have a man in our ward who looks like Santa. Seriously, it was the first thing I noticed about him when we moved into this ward. So of course he was Santa for the kids! As I said before, Clayton loves Santa this year. The ward party was no exception. This time, however, he knew that Santa would be giving him a present so he was a little antsy. He wouldn't tell Santa what he wanted, he just kept eyeballing the candy. Santa gave the kids candy canes and CTR rings this year. Clayton loved his ring. I thought that was a great idea! Noah was still indifferent. He just stared at Santa as if to say, "What do you want from me?". It was cute.
This is Clayton with Santa. He isn't looking at Santa, he is looking at the basket of treats next to Santa. He definitely understands what Santa is all about this year!

Here is Noah with Santa. The picture is a little dark, but I think it is really cute!

Saturday: baking Christmas cookies! I baked ALL DAY! I tried to blitz it this year and I am so glad I did because now I am done baking!! Yay! I made sugar cookies, hazelnut crescents, and chocolate candy cane cookies. They all turned out so yummy, it was hard to put them on plates and give them away. Clayton helped me do sugar cookies this year. I have been waiting for the day when my kids would want to help me decorate sugar cookies! It was so much fun! He had a great time decorating his cookies and they turned out so cute! He mostly used M&M's on his cookies. (He called them beans). He kept saying, "One bean on the cookie, one bean for Clayton to eat!". I tried to explain to him that we can't put our hands in our mouths and then touch the cookies (this is a hard concept for a three year old). He did great though! I loved doing this with him, it made it even more festive and fun!
Here he is cutting out his cookies! (Check out the CTR ring.)

He was such a great decorator!

The finished product!

Sunday: primary program! Justin and I teach primary and we have been practicing for our program for weeks! Our program was a little late in the year, but it was worth the wait! Our kids did so well, they brought a wonderful spirit and made me so grateful that I get to be their teacher. I don't have any pictures or anything (obviously), but it was an amazing program!

So that was our busy weekend. It was full of food, fun, and friends! It was a great weekend (but I am a little glad that it is over)!

Santa and Snow!

I recently took the boys to the mall to get their picture taken with Santa. Clayton LOVES Santa this year, he has seen him four times already. He always runs up to him (even if he isn't first in line...oops) and says, "Hi Santa, I'm Clayton. That's my mom!" It's pretty cute. Noah, however, is very indifferent to Santa. He didn't cry, but he wouldn't smile either. So here is this year's official Santa picture. (I think it's pretty funny.)

Another fun thing that has happened recently is the snow! It has been snowing here like crazy (there was no snow here last year until after Christmas)! Clayton loves to play in the snow and help Justin shovel the driveway. He has learned how to make a snowball this year and he thinks that they are the best things ever! I keep trying to teach him how to make a snowman, but he doesn't have the patience for that, he just likes the snowballs. So here are some fun snow pictures! Enjoy!
This was from the first snowfall of the year, Clayton is mad at me for making him sit for a picture. He just wanted to play!

Here is Clayton making a snowball.

I love this pic of Noah, he couldn't do too much in that outfit, but he was happy to be there!

Here is Clayton "helping" Justin shovel snow. For those of you who can't tell, Justin gave him a broom. So he is actually sweeping the snow. I think this is good practice for his teenage years!

Another cute one of Noah. I really need to get him snow clothes that fit him! It is actually snowing in these last two pics, sorry about the flakes in front of the camera.

After playing hard out in the snow, what could taste better than a nice hot bowl of Chili! Here is a cute pic of Clayton "making" chili after he "shoveled" the driveway. Say "Cheese"!

The moment you've all been waiting for!

So here are the pictures of OUR BRAND NEW BATHROOM! I know that you are going to look at these pictures and think to yourself, "wait, that doesn't look completely done". Well, it's not. However, it's fully functional which is all that matters to me right now. I will be doing the flooring myself (call me the toolbelt diva), and the next time my dad comes out the walls will be drywalled and textured and then I will paint it. But that is all that needs to be done. I am especially appreciative of the bathroom this week. Here's why: our family room and TV are in our basement. On Sunday, Clayton got the stomach flu. When he is sick, all he wants to do is cuddle on the couch with me and watch TV. This would have been impossible without our new bathroom. We needed to stick pretty close to a bathroom. Without our new downstairs bathroom, Clayton would have been forced to spend the day in his bedroom by himself (or else I would have had to do a whole lot of disgusting cleaning). So thank you, Dad and Justin, for all your hard work. It adds so much to our home and I LOVE IT! I will say it again: I LOVE IT!! So here are some pics so you can love it too!
They literally had to create a room where there was nothing! This is the bathroom from the "hallway". (I know the "hallway" looks ghetto, there is more to be done here too.)

This is what you see when you open the door. The toilet and sink are off to the left and the towel rack is on the right. I know it seems small but, (I say this with all seriousness) it is bigger than our other bathroom.

The thing I love about this toilet is I know everyone who has used it! Yay! Somehow that makes cleaning it not seem quite so disgusting.

Our new sink. Eventually I will hang a ring for hand towels next to it, but I need drywall first.

Here's the tub. Clayton loves to bathe down here now because this is the frog bathroom.

So that is our super cool new bathroom. Can you believe it was created from nothing in just 4 days!?! My dad and my husband are awesome!

Happy Birthday Noah!

Today is Noah's first birthday. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. My baby is getting so big! With Clayton I was so eager to see him reach his milestones that I didn't take as much time to enjoy his baby stage. I have to say, I have enjoyed Noah's baby stage! However, he is growing so fast. I thought I would make a list of ten things you probably don't know about my sweet second son!
1. He rolled over at 4 months, crawled at 7 months, and started walking at 10 months. He has been quite a mover and a shaker!
2. He loves to dance! Whenever we hear music he starts to bounce up and down and get his groove on. I love it!
3. He loves his big brother and always wants to be wherever Clayton is. They play together so well! I think they will grow up to be great friends!
4. He actually likes it when Justin and I sing to him! In church, he sits so still and just listens to the music. He loves the music!
5. He was such a laid-back infant. He was content wherever I put him. Justin and I joke around that we can't have any more kids because after a baby like Noah, any other baby could not possibly be as easy or as pleasant!
6. He is a cuddler! I LOVE this. He will sit on my lap and let me hold him for long periods of time. I think he realizes that I need it more than he does!
7. We affectionately call him our puppy. He is into everything. I suppose most babies are this way, but Clayton never really was, so this is new to us. He loves to walk around with things in his mouth, he tries to squeeze into places that he doesn't fit (and gets stuck a lot), and he absolutely LOVES to play with anything we don't want him to (like our stereo, the TV, and any kind of cord or plug).
8. He is a typical boy. He chases bugs (yuck!), he loves to be outside, he prefers to play with balls and cars (I think he gets that from Clayton), he loves to make a mess, and he loves to rough house with his daddy.
9. He has a smile that is contagious. He has a big toothy grin (hopefully the gap will close eventually). You can't look at him when he is smiling and not smile back. It truly melts my heart.
10. He has the best little personality. He is laid back, but he is also very funny and sweet. He is definitely my little comedian. And he is so sweet! He is just so happy all the time. People may think I'm making this up, but ask anyone who knows him! It's true!
I hope you have learned a little bit about my baby, although he isn't such a baby anymore. I am so blessed to have Noah as my son. Sometimes I worry
because I am not as focused and attentive as I was with Clayton, but he will look at me and smile and I just melt. He has me wrapped around his finger (I think he knows it). I am so thankful to Heavenly Father for allowing me to be Noah's mom. He is such a joy and a light in my life. Happy Birthday Noah, I love you!

Thanksgiving and Black Friday!

I was fortunate enough to have my parents come out for a week. They were here for Thanksgiving and we couldn't have been more happy about it. The worst part was dropping them off at the airport. We had an amazing Thanksgiving! Justin made the turkey again. He made a brine and marinaided it for two days. It was delicious! The day after Thanksgiving, my mom and I woke up at 3:30 so we could be to the mall by 4:00. Neither of us had ever done any black Friday shopping before, so it was a new experience. Fortunately, South Burlington is a small town, so it actually wasn't that bad. We got everything we went for (and a few things we didn't)! Some other highlights of my parents trip include: the new bathroom that is fully functional (I will post pictures of it later), celebrating Noah's birthday, and going to the Joseph Smith memorial in Sharon, VT for the Nativity Pagent and lighting ceremony. Here are some great pictures of the trip!

I am proud of my Thanksgiving place setting! I rarely get to use my china (which used to be Justin's Grandmother's), and I LOVE when we use it!

All of us on Thanksgiving!

Clayton and Noah with Grammy and Grandpa.

Me and Justin on Thanksgiving.

Me and Mom at 4:00 a.m. on Black Friday!

Mom, Dad, Clayton and Me in Sharon for the pagent and the lighting ceremony.

There were so many pictures, I couldn't add them all, so here's a slide show of all our fun!

It was such a great and fun week! Mom and Dad, we will miss you!!

Coming Soon!!

I am so lucky to have such a talented dad and such a hard working husband! Our house right now only has one bathroom (yuck). However, by this time on Saturday, we should have 2!! Justin and my dad have been working really hard and the second full bathroom is only days away from completion. It is so amazing to me that they are able to go from nothing to bathroom in just 4 days! Can we say, "Resale value"? Because that is what it is really all about. So here are some pictures of my hard working men. In a few days I will be posting pictures with the final result! I am such a lucky girl!

What a mess!!


My hottie hubby hard at work!!


I can't wait!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tagged

Okay, Natalie tagged me. I liked this a lot because I am supposed to list 10 things I am thankful for. What a great season to do that! As I got thinking about it, I had a hard time narrowing it down to ten, so I may go over!

10. Girlfriends. I don't think guys understand how important this is. I love that I have friends that I can call and say, "Oh my gosh! Did you see the Biggest Loser!?" or "I'm headed out to the park, let's hang out!". My friends out here are amazing! I love my new Vermont sisters! I am also grateful for the friends that I have found through blogging! I am talking to people that I haven't seen in years and couldn't be happier about it!

9. Enrique Iglesias. Yummy!

8. Sisters. I love that I have two people in this world who know me better than almost anyone. People who call me in the middle of the night because they can't remember the rules to card games. No matter where we go or what we do, they are my best friends. I rely on them for more than they realize. I love you Ashley and Anisha. (Plus, good sister-in-laws are just as great, and I have two of the BEST sister-in-laws ever!)

7. Washable markers. I think every mom is thankful for this.

6. Clayton's prayers. He prays like he is talking to a good friend. I noticed this while I was listening to his prayer at lunch today. He talks to Heavenly Father like they are having a conversation. He knows that Heavenly Father is listening and he fully expects Him to answer. It brought a tear to my eye to think that he knows something about Heavenly Father that so many adults struggle with. What a sweet experience!

5. My parents. They are great. They are always willing to listen to me, help me, and support me. I hope that someday our kids will have the same amount of love and respect for Justin and me that I have for my parents.

4. The Gospel. I am trying to think of something I can say that would be profound enough to express how important this is in my life and the life of my family. But nothing seems good enough. I know that I wouldn't be half as happy as I am now without it. It is the greatest blessing of my life!

3. Clayton. I am thinking about Jen Roper's blog. What do you say about the child that turned you and your husband into parents? He is such an amazing kid. The older he gets, the more blessed I feel that I am allowed to be his mom. He challenges me, that's for sure. But his strong-willed personality is one of the things I love most about him! The other day I came home from the store and he said to me, "Mommy! I am so happy to see you!" There is nothing on Earth that can make a woman feel so fulfilled! What a blessing!

2. Noah. He is my sunshine. He has the biggest grin that is just contagious! No matter what kind of day I am having, he can make me smile. He has such a great sense of humor for such a young guy. He is learning so quickly. I am in awe of him. He walks everywhere. He never gives up. I think that I learn a lot of valuable life lessons by watching him!

1. Justin. We have a very sarcastic relationship and we joke around a lot, but in all honesty I would be lost without him.
He works so hard to balance school and family and he does such a great job. The boys absolutely adore him and I love to sit back and watch them play together. He is my biggest fan and he allows me to feel like I can do anything. I have such a freedom in our relationship. He empowers me. He makes me feel like what I do is the most important thing and I am the most important person. How many women get that!?! The longer we are married, the more I am certain that I married the man of my dreams!

I kept it down to ten! Yay! I am not going to tag anyone because I think, at this time of year, we should all think about what we are thankful for! So, if you feel inspired, make your own list! You will be surprised at how difficult it is to narrow it down to ten (it also makes the things you are struggling with right now seem not so important)! Before I forget, I didn't add my brothers to the list!! Jared and Bub, I am very thankful to have you in my life! Consider yourselves #11!

My Ninja Warrior

This year, I wanted to sign Clayton up for a sport. You know, something like t-ball or soccer. However, the rec centers here don't let you start playing those kind of sports until you are 5. This made me kind of sad because Clayton won't start pre-school until August and I really wanted him to do some sort of organized activity. One day, as I was reading the community newspaper (I love that paper) I came across the parks and rec page and it said that a class called "Tiny Ninja Tots" was now beginning enrollment. So how could I pass that up!! Basically, the community feels that traditional sports are too dangerous for 3 and 4 year olds, but Tae-Kwon-Do is okay! So for the past couple of months, Clayton has been doing Tae-Kwon-Do. He has two stripes on his belt (one for learning 3 kicks and one for listening). It is the cutest class ever and I am so proud of how well he is doing! I just wanted to share these pictures because it is so fun. I really enjoy watching him!

This is Clayton and his instructor Ms. Miller. He learning how to do a chop with a "blade hand".

They have a punch/kick series that they do individually every class. This is Clayton doing his series for the other kids! He does it so well!

This is Clayton and his friend Luke getting ready for a training activity.

I am so proud of my little ninja! He had a slightly rocky start in the class, but he has worked hard and is doing amazing!

Surprisingly, he has not tried to use his ninja skills at home. They talk in class every week about how you are not supposed to practice at home. Thankfully, Clayton has obeyed this direction. What a great kid!!