Merry Christmas

There's snow in the city - the first flakes of the season! Connor couldn't wait to get outside and play. I decided to just put the whole picture folder in the slideshow rather than select a few - you can decide which are your favorites. Connor's kind of sad in a couple of them because Daddy had to leave and take the neighbors to the airport.

These were taken just a little bit ago.



Don't forget to click on the photo to enlarge the image.

Okay, so Connor didn't like Santa at the zoo - nothing new there. But amazingly, at last night's Christmas dinner at the church, Connor wanted to be with Santa. As you can see, he was a little shy at first. I think the difference is that this Santa was actually giving out candy. O - the power of candy!

Clause and Paws at the Zoo

As you can tell by the pictures, Braden was interested in Santa's beard and totally comfortable with him. You don't see Connor in the picture and that will tell you that he refused to be in the picture. The picture you don't see is the one the zoo took where Connor is screaming and crying because I am forcing him to stand next to Santa with me, Braden watching Connor and wondering what is wrong with him, and me smiling like nothing is wrong. I'll have to see if Rich can scan that one in. However, Connor did have fun on the slides and toys at the zoo. We also got to see the new giraffes and lions.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE - ENJOY OUR HOLIDAY PLAYLIST

Thanksgiving in the country - we love to go home and see grandma. Clean, crisp air - no noise, no traffic; the best way to spend the holiday.




Click on the slideshow to see larger images.

Don't forget to click on the slideshow to enlarge the images.

!!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!!



CLICK THE SLIDESHOW TO ENLARGE THE PHOTOS

CLICK ON THE SLIDESHOW TO ENLARGE THE PICTURES

sleep eat, sleep eat

From eating to sleeping. Braden loves the food mesh bag. Banana is his favorite. Think he had too much fun jumping?

Drivin'

Just a fun picture of Braden playing. It snowed here on Friday. The earliest on record for Boise. Don't know if this is a sign of the winter we're going to have. Connor was so excited and was running around the house.

Kristen has asked to the see the ring. The old ring is on the left. We took the wedding band from the old ring and then had it soldered to the new ring.

The Proposal

The proposal with my new ring. I totally had no idea what he was doing. Great job honey!
You can catch the whole story and catch up on blog dates Sept. 19 and Sept. 27-#5

Melt in your mouth not in your hand

Braden got his first taste of an m&m. He actually ate the whole thing. Connor went and told Rich how he had shared an m&m with Braden. I booked it out to the livingroom and found no m&m, but did find pink drool coming out of his mouth. So he either swallowed it whole or it really did melt in his mouth. Either way we still have Braden and I am very thankful for that. I thanked Connor for his willingness to share, but reminded him what Braden eats. He seemed a little crushed and then wanted to feed him some applesauce.

I've Been Tagged

So apparently I was tagged a couple weeks ago by an old college roommate. You can tell that sometimes I don't get on the computer much due to a hectic life. I'm supposed to list 5 things that no one else knows about me. Here goes.....

1- I get migraines quite easily. I have my mother to thank for this. I get them a couple times a month. Thankfully mine have never been as bad as hers. Smells like someone with too much perfume can set them off, not eating every few hours, being in the hot sun all day will give me one the next day. The only time in my life that I don't get them is when I'm pregnant. Go figure. I don't think I want to be pregnant for the rest of my life. Why can't they figure out the hormones from pregnancy and inject me with them? I would go for that.

2- I sometimes wonder if I am A.D.D. I will be working on something and then think, oh I have laundry to do and then go get a load going. It is really bad at work. I will have paperwork I am working on, start typing something, go shred stuff, go talk to my boss, etc. I have to really make myself focus to get things done. It's like I don't know what project to work on first. Yikes.

3- Unless you grew up with me I don't think most people know that I still have a horse and I used to do quite a bit of showing. I did the whole English jumping and Western thing. I even got good enough that I used to jump bareback for fun. Oh the days.

4- This one is kinda quirky. I actually like filling out paperwork. Like when you go to the MD for the first time and they make you fill out your name, address, etc. If I get it in the mail I fill it out right then and there. Can't explain it, don't even want to try.

5- My husband just proposed to me for the first time last night. It was in front of the Boise Temple. He asked me to be sealed to him in the Salt Lake Temple. He even had new ring for me (I love it). To make a long story short he never proposed the first time. He basically handed me the ring and said "here." I still can't figure out why I didn't hand it back and tell him to do it the right way the first time. He likes to point out that if I had I would not have this new ring. I will post some pictures later once they are downloaded.

Now I'm supposed to tag 5 people: Cristiana, Emily, Kristy, Jeanette, Jill

A Great Find

Got a good deal on this seat for Braden at a consignment sale. After one mishap I decided that I will save it for a little bit longer until he can sit up more by himself. Braden does this hip moving thing all the time and danced his way right out of the seat. "He only had a slight red mark on his forehead for little bit." That comment didn't seem to comfort Rich.

I would like to thank my beautiful wife for being so loving and patient. I am a convert to the LDS church and I have taken my time to truly feel connected. Julie has always felt the connection and has quietly been waiting for the day that I would say, "You know...I truly feel that I have found my place and I can confidently say that I have a testimony of the church ." So on Friday, September 26 at 7:30pm we will enter the Boise Temple to receive our endowments. We are both very excited about what this means for us individually and as a family. We are so grateful to have this opportunity. We realize that it is impossible for all of our family and friends to be there, but we just want you to know that we will be thinking of you as we know we can count on your support.

Moshi, Moshi

Moshi, Moshi! We recently had another visit from Rich's cousin from Japan, Takahiro - whom Connor called Taco. Here is Connor trying on a kimono that Taka and his family had given to him as a gift. I wish we had remembered our camera at the airport; Connor looked so cute. We'll have to have him model it for us again and get some better photos. By the way, moshi moshi is a greeting in Japanese. And yeah, that's the Wonderpets on the tv in the background. Go Wonderpets!

Swimming at the Y

We went swimming at the Y with our cousins Hailee and Mallory. We also met Miss Stephie there from daycare with the other boys. We had a great time and I loved the kiddie area. We will definitely go back with dad next time.

Old Camping Photos

We haven't done as much camping as we would have liked this summer so I thought I would throw in some old photos of camping. These are from 2006 at Warm Lake. Connor was 1 in these photos.
It drove Rich crazy that he kept getting into the dogs water and was making mud (that is mr. clean for you). I finally just had to explain that we were camping and he wasn't going to be clean. He gave up after that.

Quote to Remember

I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.

-Groucho Marx, comedian

The Real Stuff (Almost)

Connor was eating applesauce yesterday and I though, hey maybe Braden would like to try some. He loved it. I mixed a little with baby cereal and he gobbled it right up. My little helper assisted me in feeding his brother. He then wanted me to feed him the same way!

Hey, Connor, pick up your toys please. "No, I'm too busy - you pick them up".
Hey, Connor, get ready for bed. "No, I don't want to".
Hey, Connor, don't play so rough with your brother. "Don't talk to me like that".
Hey, Connor, get dressed. "Don't do that, Daddy".
Hey, Connor, time for a bath. "No, I don't want a bath".

Hey, Connor, I love you. "I love you, too, Dadda".

From Mohawk to Sargeant Major

Braden had his first haircut yesterday. He went from having a nice, lush mohawk to a clean, zipped buzz cut like his daddy. We'll have to start calling him Sarge. He is still so cute. Yes, sir!

Things that make your heart smile.

The other night I went to go to bed and found Rich and Connor asleep hand in hand in bed. I just had to stop and watch them. They both looked so peaceful sleeping.

Ward Camping Trip

You gotta love ward camp outs. They are the best. When else can you camp and not have to cook at all? Connor loved the messy smore and Bradens hair looks like its on fire, yikes!

Bradens Blessing

So we finally blessed Braden. He was only 4 1/2 months old! My mom and other family were able to be there so it was nice.

Happy 3rd Birthday Connor

We attended the open house of the Twin Falls Temple the night of Connors birthday (July 25th). We picked up a cake on the way back to our friends parents house and all the kids literally had cake at 10 p.m. and then went to bed shortly after.

Connors 1st birthday
Connors 2nd Birthday

This is our summer so far....

From hiking the hills of Boise, going on a picnic in the mountains, and spending time with family in Nevada over the 4th, this has been a terrific summer so far. We look forward to our many other plans that lie ahead.

(You can click the slideshow to open it in a larger screen view and see the captions attached.)

What are we up to?

We need to download some more pictures, but I thought I would put an update on here until then.

Braden gets up one time at night and just over the holiday weekend he started reaching for things. It is fun to watch him grab and make that connection. He is a very happy baby and wakes up smiling. Rich can getting him laughing and it is hysterical. He has nicely rubbed most of the hair off the sides and back of his head and still has lots of hair on top that stands straight up. He is closer to a true mohawk.

Connor is very independent and doesn't think he needs help doing anything. He recently came to me excited that he had gotten in the fridge and pored a glass of milk by himself. Yikes, he didn't even spill. I was lucky the milk was only 1/4 full. He is still madly addicted to trains. He has been more cooperative in getting dressed and having his diaper changed. Yes he is still in diapers. He will tell when he is peeing though. RRRRR! He is still very lovey and kisses and hugs all the time. That is nice.

Rich is active duty at Gowen Field here in Boise until September and will then go back to Costco. He will also start back at NNU the end of this month for Business Admin. He will be done December of '09.

I am working 3 days a week at Journeys Hospice and will start again this month on my clinical hours for my clinical social work license for counseling (LCSW). I have to do a total of 3000 hours of counseling under a supervisor. I have about a year left I figure. I hope to do counseling for the adult population focusing on, Alzheimer's, caregiving, bereavement, and some mental health.

That kind of sounded like a Christmas letter. I have never been a big fan of those, but oh well. At least you know what we are up to, in case you were wondering.

Cowboy Hats

These are the two latest additions of hats for the boys. Have you ever seen a cowboy with a sword before?

IdaHome

It is so nice to be home in Idaho. We took the kids and went for a picnic and hike in the hills just above the city. It was such a beautiful day and the scenery was terrific. I totally missed the mountains while I was in Texas. The boys are doing well - Connor is his energetic self and Braden is growing quite fast. So far, Braden has the same quiet demeanor that Connor had at his age - could we be so lucky as to have two terrific boys? I couldn't be happier that I made it home in time for Father's Day.

Finally, the sun is setting on Texas and I'm coming home!

My training in Texas is over Wednesday morning. I finally get to go home. I have enjoyed my stay, but I miss my family. I got to see a lot of Texas, and I think it's a pretty fine place, but it's not anything like the beauty of Idaho! I'm anxious to get home to Julie and the little guys, but I'm taking the opportunity to fly my oldest son, Tyler, down to Dallas on Wednesday evening and he will accompany me on my journey home. It means a couple extra days on the road, but it's going to be a good time. We'll catch a soccer game and a couple of baseball games along the way and we'll just have some fun. It's just one of those father-son trips that all guys should have; and since Tyler lives with his mom I'm really looking forward to this trip with him. But the best part will be when I see that Boise City Limits sign.

(I do love the sunsets in Texas - I took these photos on the highway towards Lubbock)

The Grand Canyon and Train Tracks

Not much to say besides it is truly amazing and breath taking. One of the few group photos of the whole trip and as you can see Connor wouldn't look.
Trying out moms new hat, but don't take a picture of me.
There is a train that runs from a nearby town to the Grand Canyon. Connor was so excited, but nervous, to walk on the train tracks. We had told him it is dangerous to walk on train tracks, but then told him it was ok to walk on these because the train was gone for the day. He still wasn't quite sure and kept looking for a train to come.
Grandma and Braden, and Connor.

Volcano Crater

One picture Connor did cooperate with.

These are pictures of an old volcano crater (the picture with me in it) and all the lava rock below it. People were allowed to climb it until the 70's when Hollywood wanted to blow it up for one of their movies and people protested and then it became protected. You can still see marks on it from where people used to climb it. You can now walk on a one mile path below it. You can only see the crater from pictures taken in the air.

We're dying to know....

Julie and I have been racking our brains....our little globe tracker is fun because it let's us know how far our blog travels among friends and family - but we can't figure out who lives in Hawaii. We apologize if we've forgotten someone, but it would be fun to know who our Hawaii visitor is - my guess is that it could be family from Japan on a nice vacation to the islands. Am I right? Julie has ruled out her friends that used to attend BYU-Hawaii. Anyway, it's fun to guess. Thanks to all our guests for visiting.

I was too young to get to see Pele (one of the best soccer players in the world). At least now I can say that I've seen one of our generations very best, David Beckham (sorry, no sighting of Posh). I have played organized soccer since I was six so you can imagine my excitement to watch this game - FC Dallas vs. LA Galaxy. I can't believe my luck that I scored a front row seat right behind the LA Galaxy bench. I was literally ten feet from the action. Beckham played up to his reputation perfectly passing the ball to his teammates and leading the Galaxy to a 5-1 route of Dallas. So glad I had my new camera for these amazing photos.

Old Indian Dwellings

The Flagstaff area of Arizona has some beautiful scenery and rich history. These are some amazing old Indian dwellings and living areas we were able to see on our travels.

Another new baby

Here are a couple pictures of the new baby bird literally just hatching out of his shell. Caught this by chance. I think all babies come out with their mouths open. Three more eggs to go.
This is what it is like when big brother shares with little brother. My mom and I weighed and measured Braden. He has grown four inches in two months and gained 6 lbs. He now weighs 15 pounds. I thought the car seat was beginning to get a little heavy.