The First Christmas Post

Ok, so my first Christmas post is actually from our last Christmas trip.  I'll back track.  We left Christmas morning to go up to my parents' house for a few days.  We had a great time with the whole family.  Everyone was able to come - that's a whopping 19 people staying in my parents' house!  It actually worked out really well.  They have a great house for guests to be able to stay.  Between my mom, my sister and I, we took over 400 pictures.  Here are some of my favorites!  

 

Griffin has 2 cousins that were born right around the same time as him.  Mom and Dad got all 3 boys this ADORABLE bear outfit.  Here is Tate and Griffin doing their modeling session with Nana and Poppy.

Megan got Ammon and I this game called, SET.  We love it and played it a lot while we were there.  I'm not going to describe the rules right here but, if you know how to play and you see a set in this picture, PLEASE tell me.  We weren't able to find one.

Ok, this picture is horrible but I needed to try and document this.  We were hanging out in the living room and someone noticed all these birds landing in my parents' yard!  This wasn't all of them either.  They kept coming and coming!  It seriously made me think of the Alfred Hitchcock movie, Birds.  I couldn't get my camera to focus because they were moving so much.  I also had to take it through the window screen.  Crazy!  Noah thoroughly enjoyed this part of the trip.

My cute parents!

Me and my Daddy

Ammon's pretending to like me.

2 of my favorite sisters - Megan and Michelle

These two became great friends this trip.  They really love eachother and wanted to be together all the time.  This is Noah and his cousin, Toby.  They hugged a lot this trip.  :)

Our family after church

This is everyone!  We all made it to church on time and interrupted a Sunday School class to get this picture taken.  I can't remember the last time my parents had all their children at church with them.

Poppy loves his grandbabies.  He spent a lot of time holding each one.  Here he is spending some quality time with Griffin.

Here's Noah attempting a handstand amongst the presents.  Good job Noah!

Griffin James

All the grandsons.  Toby is holding Tate.  David is in the middle and Noah is holding Griffin.

All seven grandkids!  Kimmi is holding Griffin.  Then Toby, Tate, and Noah in the middle.  Alli is holding David.

Tate, David and Griffin in their bear outfits.  (i'm not sure what happened to the color in this picture)

Nana and Tate sharing a moment.  So cute!

Nana with Tate on the left.  Griffin on the right.

We went outside for a little while.  Here I am with Toby and Noah.  Toby's face cracks me up in this picture!

On the trampoline!  Kimmi, Noah, Alli and Toby.

A gift from Lolo.  How sweet is this picture?!

Lolo's birth control...  Griffin exploded!

Ammon and I.  Check out Ammon's shirt.  Megan had us reinact it.  I was the one on the left.  Ammon on the right.  It was hilarious!  Too bad Megan was the only one that saw it.

Nana and Poppy gave Toby, Noah, Griffin and Tate all a bath one night.  Noah and Nana after the bath.

Toby and Noah had tons of fun at bathtime!

Griffin and Nana after bathtime.

Pretty blue eyes.

Nana with the naked babies.  Tate on the left.  Griffin on the right.

One of the many hugs I talked about earlier.  So sweet...

After the football game.  Josh, Noah, Ammon, Andrew, and Drew

Making Tate and Griffin smile.

We really enjoyed our trip and we're so glad that everyone was able to make it.  Thanks Mom and Dad for everything.  We love you!

Team Ammon and Jess

Lately, my heart has been full of joy by the words of my 2-year old son, Noah.  My favorite things he says right now are, "Great Job!", "bless you!", "sorry", "you're welcome", "Kee-pa" (thank you) and "please".  Not because he says these in a particularly cute way but because I know he is learning how to be polite and positive because of our parenting towards him.  Ammon and I love being parents and are constantly trying to do what is right for them.  We are always talking about our children and how we need to be teaching, helping and loving them.  I'm grateful for my children and I'm grateful I don't have to parent them alone.  I have Ammon who doesn't just go along with what I say but he defintely has his own ideas on how to parent better.  We are a great team and I am really excited about the future of our family.

Gymnastics!

Noah was enrolled in a gymnastics class before he turned 2. He absolutely loves it and has made real progress. A couple weeks ago I went in and took a few video clips of him doing his thing. It's a parent/tot class so Ammon does the class with him. I was jealous that Ammon got to go instead of me but really, Ammon knows so much more about gymnastics than I do and he will really be able to help Noah more than I could. Plus, now I get to sit back and watch 2 of my favorite boys. The song at the end is something they do at the end of every class. Noah likes to do it by himself and I really hate to admit this but, I get choked up every single time. My little baby is really growing up...



Maybe one day he'll be as good as his daddy!

The One with the Bagpipes

OK. I was just rocking Griffin to sleep and I was watching an episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S (what else?) Anyway, I could not control the laughter when it got to this part! I hope it makes you smile. Hmmm... from my last post to this one, it seems like I really need to get a grip on my emotions.

WXII 12 News Clip

Occasionally Ammon and I stay up and watch some of the 11 o'clock news. Last night, they played this clip about a little 3 year old and her Christmas wish. I could not hold back the tears when I watched this. Her reaction is so pure and genuine and I am so excited that her wish was granted. They played this same clip on the news throughout the day. I think I've seen it a total of 5 times now and every single time I get so emotional... What a sap! Merry Christmas!

Get Well Soon!

So, both boys are sleeping right now and I wanted to do a bit of blogging before they wake up and things get crazy again... I have some really cute videos that I wanted to share and some great pictures too but, Ammon virused my computer (love you, babe) so I can't. I have to use his computer which doesn't have card slots for my memory cards. Even if I could get the pictures on the computer, he doesn't want me to download any programs like my picasa because get this, I might download a virus! Also, we use a magicjack for our phone and since my computer is ill, I have no phone either. So, if any of you are trying to call me today, that's what's up. Ammon is super genius with computers so I'm hoping he's able to fix it tonight. Check back soon for some gymnastics videos!

Halloween with Peyton

This is Noah's good friend, Peyton. These 2 play so well together. Noah cries for "Pey-tuh" everyday. We went trick-or-treating downtown with them on Halloween and the boys had a great time. (even Griffin) :)

October @ the Farm

Back in October, we went up to the farm to eat dinner with Ammon's family and paint pumpkins. Noah did such a great job painting his pumpkin. He was so meticulous and didn't get any paint on his paint shirt. :)

Kimmi's Baptism and David's Blessing

I really need to keep this blog caught up... One of the greatest things we've done lately is travel up to Virginia for our niece's baptism and our nephew's blessing! We were able to go spend the day with my brother, Drew, and his family. Steph's dad was in town and my parents, along with Josh, came too! We had a great time with everyone. Noah LOVED seeing Nana and Poppy and really enjoyed playing with Kimmi and Alli too. During sacrament meeting, little baby David was blessed by his daddy. After church, we went back to Drew's place for a little birthday BBQ and party! The baptism was later that day. Kimmi looked gorgeous in her white dress. I was so glad that we were able to be a part of her special day. Here are some pictures from the day.















We were also able to see our good friends, Jared and Jackie, while there. They went to SVU with us and they just happen to be in Drew's ward now while Jared is attending VT. It was super fun to catch up and visit a little with them.

Noah's Nightly Prayers

Can't help myself

Ok so most of you know I have my own blog now where I can talk about things other then how great my family is (they are great). I love this blog the way it is and don't want to clutter it up with the craziness of my head. BUT I think this had to be shared because it will have you wondering what this world is coming too.

READ THIS

Fa-la-la-la-la!

Yep, I changed my blog background. I know we haven't even gotten through Thanksgiving yet but it snowed today on our way to Kindermusik which, in my mind, means it's winter! Winter to me means Christmas, and Christmas means family! I can't wait to spend time with the people we love most!

Story time

A little background... This book is about a frog who goes around to different animals in search of the perfect dance. Each animal has it's own dance and none of them seem right to the frog. At the end, his mother shows him her dance and he realizes that it's perfect for him. This is the first time Noah ever read this book to himself. It's pretty cute! Unless you're a grandparent or aunt or uncle, I can't promise that this long clip will be entertaining to you. We love our little man and love to see him learn like this!

Hello from Griffin!

Locked Out!

You might have read my to-do list from last Saturday. Well, since I had written it down, I was much more motivated to actually do it. I got up from the computer, put a load of laundry in and then went to look at my picture frames. I found one that I wanted to use but I didn't like the color of the wood. I decided to take it outside and spray paint it black. Griffin was asleep in his room and Noah was playing. I walked out the front door and saw Noah watching me through the glass door. I proceeded to put a coat of paint on this frame which probably took about 15 seconds. When I turned around to come inside, the front door was closed. No problem, right? WRONG! Noah had flipped the deadbolt and locked me out of the house!! I tried to talk to him through the door to let Mommy in... He wasn't understanding. He tried to turn the knob but didn't understand that he had to turn the deadbolt. Now, Ammon was out of town on a camp out which means that house was locked up tight. Every window, every door was locked. We don't have a key hidden outside so there was no easy way in. I told Noah that I was going to be right back and I ran across the street to my neighbor's. I told them that I was locked out of my house and my babies were inside. I used their phone to call my in laws. I knew that they had a key to our house. I got up with Will and he said that he was on his way. It's about a 30 minute drive from his place to ours so I ran back to my house to talk to Noah. Luckily he stayed in the living room and I could see him through our front window. He found a bag of fritos, threw everything off the coffee table and played with his flash cards. He talked to me through the window and we did the itsy bitsy spider a thousand times trying to make the time pass. My neighbor came over while I was still waiting and started talking to me about a time he locked himself out of the house in the winter... That was nice and all but all I wanted to do was keep Noah engaged so he wouldn't roam the house or get upset. My neighbor prayed for us and then left. Noah tried to unlock the door a few more times but to no avail. Finally Will pulled up on his motorcycle and gave me the key. Thank you Will!! I spent about 45 minutes locked out and I'm so grateful that Griffin was sleeping and Noah was happy. Things could have been much worse!

Christmas in November

I knew that Ammon REALLY wanted this shirt but was never going to buy it for himself. I went ahead and ordered it and was going to give it to him for Christmas. Well, the little booger found it in the mailbox the other day and realized what it was by the packaging... I went ahead and let him have it early. Pretty cool shirt, eh?

Today's List

I would like to get these things done today... Ammon is gone on a camp out so I'm hoping the kids will let me. Happy Saturday everyone!

• get ALL laundry done

• clean kitchen

• organize scrapbook room

• create new header for the blog

• get a couple pictures framed and hung

Have you ever?

Bold the things you've done:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

39 out of 99.
Copy, paste and join the fun!