Temple Square

Sean, Rachel, and Charlie came in town for Thanksgiving. Sunday we went with the Quigley's and Finch's to see the Christmas lights at Temple Square. The temple looked beautiful! James has been saying we need to take the boys and it was the perfect opportunity. I am just sad I didn't get a picture of Rach and Sean.

Six Months

Time is flying by... Lincoln turned 6 months on Saturday. This 18.6 pound chunk is as lovable as ever. He is sweet, squishy, calm, friendly, happy, big, dimply, and smiley.

Lincoln can roll, but prefers to sit calmly and play with his toys. I don't really see crawling too near in the future. He is content with sitting and observing. He is a sweet, mellow baby...except when there is food involved. Lincoln is one LOUD eater. He grunts, moans, and screams the entire time he is eating. We just can't feed him fast enough!

Koby is Lincoln's favorite person. He lights up when Koby walks into the room. If he is upset and you show him a picture of Koby he will smile and flail his arms in excitement. I guess he is quick to forgive all the bangs in the head from toys, pushes, tackles, and help with rolling over that he receives from his older brother.

I love each new stage and development, but time really does fly by a little too fast...

A Perfect Thanksgiving

On Monday my cousin Jason, Laura, and their two kids came over to make Marzipan cornucopias with us and the Finch's. We did this when we were younger and Em had the idea to do it this year. She did all of the prep work too-(Thanks Em!) Although a little crispy, the cornucopias turned out awesome. Emily made a perfect loaf of bread. The men decided to be strangely inventive with theirs- Jas made a fruitcake, James made a pizza and sandwich, and Shane made a turkey. It's was a fun Family Night. We are so excited Jason and Laura live just over the hill from us.

Check out Shane and Emily's awesome Minion cupcakes.

Emily's perfect creation.

We had many offers to join others for Thanksgiving this year and are very grateful for those offers. However, we decided to do it on our own this year. It turned out to be perfect:)

It just so happened that Koby and Lincoln were in need of a nap just before the cooking was done. So, James and I enjoyed a Thanksgiving date during nap time! It was the first really relaxing Thanksgiving in a while. We enjoyed some delicious food, shared adult conversation, cleaned up, watched some football, and napped together on the couch- all while the little munchkins napped.

Our meal was healthy and delicious: cauliflower mashed potatoes, seasoned chicken, fresh green beans, and raspberry vinaigrette spinach salad. It was our first time cooking a whole bird, and my first time cooking pies by myself. It was a success! I think James and I ate an entire sweet potato pie and a banana cream pie by ourselves in like 3 days.

It was a Happy Thanksgiving. Bring on the exercise this week:)

 

We finished the night with some Christmas tunes and decorations! Since we always travel, we have never had a real Christmas tree at our house. This year, we got a steal of a deal, just 30 bucks, on a pre-lit Christmas tree. This will be our first Christmas with a tree taller than 18 inches. Yay! A tree really ushers in the Christmas spirit.

Top 10 things I am grateful for this year:

1. James. James has worked 24 days straight this month. It's been rough, I miss him. We've had the best 5 years together!

2.The Boys. I am so lucky to be a mom. The job involves tears, screams, tantrums, no sleep, pee/poo, no privacy, and 24 hour commitment, but it also includes laughs, hugs, entertainment, smiles, excitement, and love.

3.Family. I am lucky with this one! My parents rock. I must have a good family if I still love to talk to them on a daily basis!  My siblings are my best friends. I only wish I lived closer to them. I am extra lucky I married into the Huntington family too, they love me like their own:)

 

4.The church. It is so nice to know you are never alone. Even moving to a new place, having the church provides instant support and friends.

5.Emily. I don't have many friends and I rarely see the ones I do have. Although I tricked her into giving me the best barbies everyday growing up and then decided not to play when it was her turn with them(I know, so mean), Emily still loves me. If we haven't talked in a few days she calls just to say she misses me. I am grateful she's my best friend. I am so lucky she lives close to me.

6.Our House. Thank heavens for our house. Even if it is in Utah, James and I thank God every night to be on our own in this house.

7.Our car/motorcycle. We have the worst luck with cars! However, we have had some great modes of transportation the last year and a half. No engines dying, car accidents, or people stealing them..Knock on wood.

8. James' Jobs. James is a hard worker and he had two steady jobs right now. Coming from experience with not having a good job, I am so grateful he has two!

9.Great Health...and Tony. Oh Tony I love you. Thank you for providing me with a great workout program that I can do with Koby and Lincoln. And thank you for helping me lose all but 3 of my pregnancy pounds thus far!

10.Nap time. Even though it is nap time right now and I can hear Koby jumping on his bed, I am grateful for nap time. which also leads me to be extra grateful for child proof door locks. Nap time keeps me in the running for becoming a...

*Bonus: I am grateful for my healthy new love, Sweet Potatoes.Where have you been all my life?

God blesses us so much:)

The First Snow

Today consisted of eating snow, having a snowball fight, eating snow, making a snow man, eating more snow, and having an accident in the snowsuit from eating all the snow. Haha. It was a fun day!

 

I wish I had those lashes!

Eating snow of course

Twenty-Seven

James turned 27 on Monday! I asked him what he thought about the big 2-7. He told me he thought he would have accomplished alot more by the time he was 27. I told him he has. So far....he graduated college, has two steady jobs, started his own non-profit organization, has a house, two kids, and a smoooookin' hot wife;) I love his ambition and the choice he made to have us in his life.

James has been out of town the last few weekends. We miss him. Today Koby said, "Mom, do you know who my favorite person is?" I started to guess. He says, "It's my Daddy!"

Things that I love

Life changes so quickly. These are just some of the things I never want to forget.

I love when Lincoln wakes up and I lift him out of his crib, he wraps his arms around my neck and gives me a big hug!
I love when Koby asks,"Are we going to have Family Night tonight Mom?"
I love when Lincoln is tired, he looks at me with the sweetest eyes and then buries his face in my neck.
I love when I walk by Koby's door during nap time, the toys I forgot to take out (so he actually takes a nap) are shoved through the crack under the door.
I love when I go into his room in the morning and see the 20 cars on his mattress and wonder how he slept comfortably on them all night long.
I love when Lincoln gets so excited to take a bath, his arms and legs start moving a mile a minute in a crazy man way.
I love when Koby says,"You know how much I love you Mom?"
I love how Lincoln's eyes disappear when he smiles at me and he gets a bashful look.
I love Koby's random thoughts he shares with me.
I love that whenever we read books with food in them Koby has to pinch at the food and we have to pretend to eat it.
I love that Lincoln just lays in my arms and plays with my hair.
I love when Koby asks, "You gonna play with me mom?"
I love that Lincoln gets so excited when Koby wakes up and comes into the room :)

I hope I remember these sweet moments, instead of the poo I had to scrub off of Lincoln's bum, Koby's hand and shirt, my jeans, and the floor yesterday afternoon.

Oh and I LOVE the random, "I love you"  texts James sends me all day!

Life is good

In spite of the rapid temperature drops, the snow, and the depression that accompanies winter for me, I must say, life is good.  Even though Megan and I are both still tired from the lack of sleep, I am exhausted from not having a day off since October 30th and won't have one till Thanksgiving day, having Koby and Lincoln around always brightens things up. 

Today was rough though.  I was up with Lincoln at 5am this morning.  I hate not being able to sleep, but I can't help but be happy when he starts giggling for no reason.  Koby and Megan got up a little later, so I was finally able to get ready for work.  When I was leaving Koby said, "Have a great trip dad!"  It made me smile.  Kids are hard sometimes, but they sure are fun :)

Opening Halloween packages from Grandma and Grandpa D and the McCalls

5 1/2 Months

It is fun to compare these two. Their personalities are so different. Koby is definitely a mini Megan. Lincoln is definitely a mini James.

Koby is so much fun, he is full of life, rarely sits still, and will keep us running all day. It is rare to find a picture of Koby as a baby not smiling. The kid would laugh at the wall if you set him in front of it(which really makes timeout pointless, haha). He is always so energetic and happy to be awake. He is our entertaining little ball of energy. He is full of love and will let you know!

Linc is our sweet, relaxed little one that will snuggle on his mommy's lap all day long:) I was hoping for this. He is usually calm and enjoys observing what is going on around(mainly Koby being Koby). One thing I love about Lincoln is, if you make eye contact and smile at him his entire face will smile back at you-his eyes disappear and his dimples pop out! It makes me feel warm all over and it makes it impossible to be annoyed at him when he won't go back to sleep at 5:45a.m.

They couldn't be more different and they couldn't be more loved.

 

So proud of James :)

Look what randomly came in the mail this week.  The word is getting out.  Hopefully Run for Innocence can help change some lives:)

Conversations with a 2 year old...

Koby: "Hey mom, you know how much I love you?"
Me: "How much?"
Koby: "Uh...Five years and a week ago."

Me: "Hey Koby I'm going to cut your hair today."
Koby: "OK, but don't cut my tail off."
Me: "You have a tail?"
Koby: "Ya, like the Cat in the Hat."
James: "Really, what does you tail do?"
Koby: "It has a gun."
James: "A gun?  What does it shoot out?"
Koby: "It shoots pirate hats.  Catch one Daddy!"

Koby: "Are Lisa and Dave getting married in the temple Mom?"
Me: "Yes."
Koby: "Did you get married in the temple?"
Me: "Yes, I married daddy."
Koby: "I'm gonna marry Emily in the temple."

Me: "What are you doing Koby?"
Koby: "I'm just fishing mom."
"Oh yeah! I got a fish!"
(pretends to eat it) "Mmmm. It's yummy! It tastes like a sandwich. "I'll catch one for you mom."
Me: "Oh good."
Koby: "I caught you a shark mom! Eat it. It tastes just like a burrito!"
Me: "Thank you, it tastes good."
Koby: "Now it will go into my tummy and then into my 'intestins' and then it can go into the toilet now mom."

Koby: "There's a baby in my tummy cooking food mom."
Me: "What's your baby's name?"
Koby: "Charlie....The doctors gonna get Charlie out of my tummy."
Me: Oh yeah, then what?"
Koby: "Then he puts my tummy back on. Then he goes back to the doctor place and he puts all of the babies in my tummy. I wanna eat some babies mom."

The Church Bag

It took me too long to realize if you want to be able to listen in church, the kids need a church bag. I made one when Koby was about 2, but I have been trying to come up with new ideas to add to it ever since. As we all know, Koby is an active little guy and it takes alot to make him sit. The church bag buys us a little time of peace and quiet in church. Anyways, I hope this helps some young mom trying to make it through a plane ride, or a church meeting. It has definitely helped our family!

I don't know why I didn't think of this one sooner! I bought some cool stickers, magnet paper, and a cheap magnet board.

I made file folder magnet games at our Mother's Club (Thanks to my friend Crystal and our host, Laura)

Wooly Willy! Target party favor isle. This keeps Koby entertained for at least 10 minutes:)

Pony beads and yarn

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa DeFreese for the sticker book!

Finger puppets

Crayons in the shape of dump trucks and a sticker book. Koby's friend Nixon handed these out at his party.Thanks Kandis for this one!

I just finished these today! Felt Mr. and Mrs.Potato Head. I'm pretty proud of my clever idea here:) Just don't look too closely at my sewing job...

I let Koby test them out before they went into the church bag. He loved them!

*Important: DO NOT put silly putty in a church bag for a 2 year old. It makes for a MESSY lesson:)