Sugar Cookie Fun

On Saturday night Brandon's cousin Steve and his sweet wife Vashti came to visit us. We had such a lot of fun making sugar cookies and laughing the night away. Since Vashti and I are both preggo (with baby boys) we had to get a couple of belly shots too.

We seriously had a blast and can't wait until we can get together again.

Preggo tummy

I was talking to my sister Lisa the other day (who lives in Florida) and she said she wanted to see a current picture of me. Blah. But, I love her so I'll do it. Baby Luke (yep, I finally picked a name) is growing stronger and stronger every day. He recently flipped to the heads down position so now I'm feeling him a lot more. So cool in some ways and so annoying in others.

I also can't resist adding this cute picture of Peter. He just learned how to line things up and he decided to line up his cars. Thanks so much Aunt Alli for the cars and the cute hat. Peter loves them both so much (and it made for such a cheap b-day present).

October

This month has flown by so quickly. We have loved our Halloween decorations up, and it will be so sad when we take them down tomorrow.

For Family Home Evening last week we painted pumpkins. Peter had so much fun. As you can see, he got paint on more than just his pumpkin. We also enjoyed going to "Papa's" work and trick-or-treating there. Brandon's co-workers are so sweet and Peter came home with quite the load of candy. Ironically enough, he threw up the next morning from candy overload. I just laughed. I remember doing the exact same thing as a kid.




We also had a chance to babysit Peter's cousin Morgan while her Mom & Dad went to a Halloween party. They are four months apart and they are now to the point where they play together SO well. They both had a blast playing the piano.



Our Halloween night consisted of going to the ward trunk-or-treat, and then heading over to dinner with the Thomas family. Aunt Alicia and Uncle Shawn gave us a wonderful surprise with the news that cousin Morgan is going to be a big sister come June 4th. We are so excited. And, as Aunt Allison pointed out, next year we'll have two more kiddos joining the six that are already here. Wow. What a blast that will be. Even Peter is thrilled with the prospect of all that cousin fun.

While I was sleeping

Peter somehow got a hold of the camera while I was taking a catnap this morning. I awoke to find these pictures on the camera. LOL. That kid is so mischievous.

Family Pictures

Every year our wonderful BIL Shawn takes our family pixs. He does such a remarkable job. His sweet wifey Alicia deserves all the credit for Peters smiles. She is such an entertainer. This year I thought the temple would make the perfect spot for our pixs. I'm so glad we took them there. Peter loved, loved, loved it.












This picture is Peter with his cute cousin Morgan. He is typically annoyed when he has to touch a girl, but Shawn managed to 'snap' this priceless moment. Too cute for words.


P.S. Alli, I'm soooo sorry these have taken me so darn long to get posted. Someday my life will slow down. BTW, you can look at more when you come next week.

Our Denver trip

We just got back on Friday from our yearly family vacation. This year, we decided to go to Denver. I must admit, it's a strange place to go. But, it ended up being a lot of fun. Brandon made all the plans and found enough fun places for us to go that we stayed busy.

While we were there, we visited the Denver Temple, Denver Zoo, Denver Children's Museum, State Capital, Denver Aquarium, and a Wild Animal Sanctuary. Thankfully, we were there for 6 days so we had plenty of time to go and see these sites. Brandon and I also enjoyed lots of rest and relaxation during Peter's daily nap. Thank goodness for a Red Box that was close to our hotel.

It made me cry

For some reason this simple picture made me cry today. Gosh, I'm just so grateful for our soldiers who make so many sacrifices. I'm glad this soldier will be back with his family soon.

Pete

Peter knows how to say his name and it's so darling! It makes sad to think
that he's old enough to know his own name. boo hoo.

Cutie Pie

After church we loaded up the car and drove to the Ponderosa Pines campground in Nephi. You see, Grandpa & Grandma T. were camping there and we didn't want to miss our chance to eat smores around the campfire.

Peter loved throwing rocks into the river with Papa. He also enjoyed playing dolls with his cousin Kiersten. It was such a fun night for us. Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for letting us come up and share the fire.

Telling the Thomas family

Brandon and I wanted to find a creative way to tell his parents and siblings about Baby #2. We talked about different ideas. Then we searched the internet for more ideas. We finally decided that the best option would be to make a t-shirt I could wear to the annual Thomas Family Campout. Brandon came up with the wording and then designed it on the computer. I simply sat back and enjoyed watching him make it.

On the predetermined day I wore the shirt under a light jacket. We decided that I would casually take my off the jacket when I got hot and we would see how long it would take to get a reaction. Apparently I am intimidating because the only reaction we got was from Brandon's sister who said "Do you really like Math"? It was hilarious. Finally, around 8pm we couldn't handle it any longer and we 'spilled the beans'. What a funny memory. Now if you ever come to my house on a slow day for me you'll know why I am wearing this shirt. LOL.

Sick Peter

This is what my poor baby looks like. I hate seeing him miserable. He is super cranky and moans most of the day. Oh, I hate it so much! Get better soon baby!

Telling my parents

We had planned to tell my parents on Father's Day that baby #2 was on it's way. However, my Mom got really sick so we had to cancel that family party. We managed to get together the next Sunday here at our apartment for dinner and then OFFHE at my Aunt Laurie's house.

After dinner and desert we gave this cheap picture frame to my Mom as her late b-day present (her b-day was on Father's day this year).

Brandon managed to capture her opening it on video. The faces of both my parents are so classic. I love it. Neither one of them expected the announcement so that made it extra fun.

Baby #2 is coming soon

It feels FANTASTIC to finally be able to say that Baby #2 is coming. More pictures and stuff to come. I'm 10 weeks preggo with my due date in February.

Long overdue

Here are some recent pictures of Me and Peter. He is now 19 months and he is turning into a big talker. His favorite word right now is: Grandpa. Only problem is he won't say it when we ask him to. Guess it's a kid thing. He can also say Happy, Amy, Diaper, More, Up, Down, and Amen. It's so darling. Now if only I could get him to practice saying his words with a video camera in his face.





Peter and I are both staying busy with Relief Society stuff. This week we went out and visited a new sister. I enjoyed the chatting and Peter enjoyed playing with their remote control. We also got to go out and visit two new babies. Sierra and Jack are both so cute. I'm glad both of their mommies are doing well too.

Speaking of babies, one of the sweetest ladies in our ward got some extra brownies points in heaven for what she went through this week. Sister Wamsley didn't get released from nursery this past Sunday like she should have. So there she was playing on the floor with the kiddos being 9 months preggo. The very next day her baby girl arrived. I honestly think she is the most remarkable person in this whole entire world. WTG gal! I totally love the sisters in my ward. They ROCK!

Pure delight

Late this afternoon I received a knock on my door. When I opened the door I was delightfully surprised to see a sister from my ward standing there with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. The first thing I thought was: "oh, no, who has passed away now". You see, we had one wonderful person pass away last Sunday and another one pass away this morning. So, death and funerals have been on my mind a lot lately.

However, she was just bringing them by to let me know that she thinks I'm awesome. Wow, I was so happy I practically started bawling right then and there. You see, today has been a "bad" day for me. I just wish I could heal everyone's pain and suffering. Since most of the time I can't I just get down and discouraged. Today the discouragement hit a high point, but thankfully there are wonderful people who help me to realize that sometimes I'm the one that needs the most help. Thank you 'B' for your wonderful friendship and caring attitude for your RS Pres. She really needed some happiness today and you knew just what she needed to make herself 'normal' again.

Life is hectic

It's hard for me to sit back and "smell the roses" these days. Every day goes by so completly fast. Peter wakes up at 6:30 then it's a rush to get ourselves fed and Dad out the door. Play time is next, followed by Peters three hour nap (10-1 everyday). While he's napping I exercise for an hour. I then write my journal, read my scriptures, and a quickly clean up the house. In the afternoon we play with Aunt Amy or go visiting. This week our afternoons have been full with: a doctor appointment for Mom, visiting with Aunt Alli, babysitting Peter's friend Stasha, going VTing, going VTing, going VTing, and playing with Aunt Amy. Seriously who has time to get bored with this much to do. I'm just so thankful that Peter is content to come with me wherever I go.

Today's activity

Today we had an activity over at the Thorneberry Atrium (the Senior Community in our ward boundaries). I was so happy that so many sisters came out to our 'Celebrate Women get-together. The ladies shared funny stories from their past and we ate cookies and had punch. It was simply delightful. Even Peter enjoyed himself.