embracing winter...

Ok. We live in Utah. It snows in Utah. We like Utah. Therefore we like snow? It sounded convincing in my head. Jenny and I have decided this winter, we are going to embrace the snow. So as part of our new years resolutions, we are including a challenge to embrace winter with at least 20 activities before spring. This does not mean I like snow, but we have decided if we are going to live here, we better love every season.

Activity No. 1

snowshoeing.

We rented snow shoes from BYU Outdoors place and took a hike up Rock Canyon with the boys. We loved it! I am kind of surprised, but I would definately do it again (note- the activities do not need to be 20 different activities, so going snow shoeing again would count as no. 2, or no. 11, whenever it happens).

after renting them we knew jackson would not go for walking next to us, and I did not want to carry him, so after calling all our friends to see if we could borrow their backpacks, I got on KSL and this gal was selling her Kelty for a killer deal!

19 more to go...

our "new" tubby

You need a little back story for this one. (Brief back story, because the blog is not that interesting or exciting, so the back story will be even more of a bore). This old tub in the house has been clogged ever since we moved in. It is a nice tub--big and tall, but it would take a while to drain. A few weeeks ago it stopped draining completely (told you, kind of boring). We called a friend in the ward who is a little more handy than me (that is hard to find) and he fixed it. It was a fun project...to watch. He had to go in through our closet and pull out the lid to a dishwash soap bottle and now it drains like magic. I feel like the water is cleaner too now (even though we did nothing to the source of the water). The boys love it more than they ever have (don't know why). We got them some bath toys for Christmas, so it has been fun to finally use them...every day...at least twice a day...for hours at a time. Yay for our tubby!

(here is jack peering in at the hole in the closet, modeling his new line of semi-modest buzz prom dresses)

mele christmas!

merry christmas! we hope everyone had a fabulous day. we wanted to share a few pictures from christmas eve and christmas day. this was our first time sleeping at our own house and starting our own traditions (even though most of them were borrowed). we missed the fun of being with a lot of people, but still had a great time on our own!

here is jack seeing how santa is going to make it down the chimney...

making cookies (and later tasting the cookies...and then tasting them again)

christmas eve jammies....BUZZ!

christmas morning...

then everyone went to julie and derek's house for the sorensen christmas party

all of us got byu shirts and pom poms to cheer on justin next year

december

well...I was going to use the excuse of it being december as the reason why we have not updated our blog, but it doesn't seem to be stopping anyone else, so...I am out of excuses. Early morning seminary must be taking its toll because it is 9:30 and I am absolutely exhausted! I don't even have the energy to get out of this computer chair and go to bed. Since it requires less energy to type than it will to get up, brush my teeths and get into bed, I am able to get this one blog up for december. Maybe we will do more...ok, I have to end because I have no pictures and nothing to say, I just thought it was annoying to see that same post up about thanksgiving.

i do not like the snow.

Eyes on BYU...

Ha, ha...just kidding. Aside from David applying for school, we've been busy enjoying the start of the Holiday Season. Thanksgiving was a blast - we spent a few days with all of David's family up at a cabin in Timberlakes. So FUN!


A few highlights from the trip...


Christian and Christopher bundled up for one of our many walks in the fresh (& cold) mountian air...

Making my first apple pie (thanks to Martha, of course)...

and enjoying ALL of the pies...

Jack getting his first ride on the 4-wheeler with David. Jack LOVED it!


After the cabin, the boys were SOOOO excited to get out the Christmas decorations - especially the Christmas tree...

They had a fun time decorating with all of their very own ornaments from the last few years...

They also loved to see some of the Santa Claus decorations - I think they especially loved my snow globe...

Next on the list...Christmas shopping, Christmas cards, Christmas parties and trying to figure out how to make a tree skirt.

Eyes on BYU

So my deadline for applying to Graduate School at BYU is December 1st. I am semi-scrambling to get all of my things in for the application. No stress yet, but as the deadline approaches I get a little worried my letters of recommendation won't come in on time...I am sure they will. So this is an odd feeling to be applying for school again. I haven't done it in almost 10 years, so it feels funny to be trying to impress a university again. I also find it ironic that I am praying, paying, and hoping to make my life busier...(I really am excited to go back to school...).

happy birthday jackson

I know this is late coming...get over it. Our little Jack Jack turned three this week. I go back and forth on how I feel about that. Most of the time I feel like he has been around for more than three years...I can't really remember life without him. And then at other moments I find it hard to believe I have been a dad for three years. Ok, I just had another "situation one" moment. It seems like so much longer than three years...well, at any rate, we had fun and we look forward to another great year.


Jack is at such a fun age. He is really starting to talk our ears off. He says some of the funniest things ( I bet all parents say that.) He often gives Jenny and I his idea on how to spend an afternoon, or what he wants to do and ends it wiht, "Is that a deal?" His new phrase is telling Jenny and I, "yes sir!" whenever we ask him something. He still loves Cars, and has a new obsession with Buzz, Zurg, Woody and Bullseye. He tells us who we are so he can play with us. Jenny is Zurg a lot (or Jessie--the cowgirl). I seem to always be Buster (the dog) or Slinky (the other dog). What is he trying to say? These days I leave for work in the morning really jealous of Jenny that she gets to play with him. I will see one of his games out on the counter at 6 in the morning and want to stay home so bad. It makes me sad sometimes. We love our Jackson boy! And I think he loves us, although the other night I was putting him to bed and he reached out and grabbed my arm, and then my hand, so I went to grab his hand and he interlocked our fingers, then put out his other arm to give me a hug and kiss. While I was hugging him, I said, "Jack, I love you." He whispered back to me, "Dad, I love Nana." Then grabbed his lion and gave him a huge hug. Oh well...

he LOVES his new buzz outfit from Grammy and Papa

he climbs on the couch, pops out his wings by pushing the button, the flies off..."to infinity and beyond!"

buzz and woody...

Hallowahoo!

happy halloween

Fun times at the turnk or treat! Our ward does a really good job, so we spent our whole "trick-or-treating" time here. We had a fun visit by Jake and Loopy and Josh and the Cheat...

the stash...

this was the night before...carving pumpkins....

does everyone like my new boots?

before

after

i thought this would be a little awkward to blog about...but now that I've done it, it is rather refreshing...

i just bought them. they were kind of expensive, but worth the money. they are a little sore right now, and will take getting used to, but i think they are great! i wonder if anyone will compliment them...is it wierd to compliment someone's new boots?

can we get some sympathy

Does anyone know of a leaf cleaning service??

fun in fall

with the dread of an approaching winter looming in the backs of our minds, we have been trying to enjoy the transitional season.

picking our pumpkins at Vineyard

(Yes. He crawled all the way through the hole after getting stuck halfway. He didn't get the whole idea...that wasn't a pun )

fun in the leaves with Grammy!

Yes...this much more is yet to fall...anyone wanna come roll in the leaves?

we will fight day or night, rain or snow

whoever wrote the cougar fight song wrote it before they had children. Last year I took Jackson to a BYU game. Afterwards I vowed to never take a baby/toddler to a game again. It was miserable. We were crammed, students were trying to push us out, it was cold, Jackson went poo and I didn't have a diaper, he wouldn't stand on the bleacher so I had to hold him (So then my arm smelt like poo). So...this year I don't know what came over me, but I agreed to take Jackson and Christian to the BYU game on Saturday (with Jenny of course--and Jessie's baby Emme- but she was an angel). We were lucky to get tickets from Jenny's fam (BIG THANKS! really!) We couldn't go until half time because I took the 3 hour long GRE test (that should be a post in and of itself--don't get me started). Right when we entered the stadium it started to downpour. It was soaking everyone and it was cold rain that quickly went to slush then snow real quick. We were going back and forth on whether to go in, and then thought it best not to when Christian started freaking out because of the cold. This was only the beginning. What we thought was a let up in the storm turned out to be a calm before the blizzard. By the time it was really coming, we were at the beginning of our mile long trek back to the car. (This is not an exageration, we parked far away). I started to run and the snow and hail and whatever was pelting the boys. Both of them were screaming. I wish I had a word for one or two steps above screaming, because that is what it was. Blood curdling. People thought I was stabbing them. My hands were frozen to the stroller handle, I was soaking wet, I felt like a horrible parent because I thought the boys were in hypothermia, I was getting stuck in the gravel and mud, by the time we got to the car they seriously looked like little snowmen- covered in snow- then they were crying so hard they started vomiting when I put them in the car and the car was covered with snow with no scraper because I didn't think we would get half a foot in OCTOBER!!! I have said this before and now I say it with assurance. I could not have made the handcart trek west. I would have laid down in Iowa and just died. Just bury me here. There is not enough mention of the children in these stories. I have never read about children just screaming from cold. I shiver at the thought.



This is long, but I think some frustration was still bottled up in me. It feels good to get it out. So yes Mr. Cougar Fight Song Dude I will fight...in the day...with a babysitter...when it is sunny...
tickets to Hawaii are $303. US Airways. One way.

we want to viva in las vegas

We just got home from a getaway to Vegas! We had a blast while we were there! We had Fall Break at school and decided if we stayed home we would probably just lounge around all day, so we called up Jenny's cousin Jana and her hubby Joe and decided to go spend the weekend with them. They were such great hosts and their house was awesome and it was fun to spend time with them...

The first night they took our kids and let us spend a night on the town. We ate at Cheesecake Factory (of course!) and walked through the malls on the strip and watched the fountain show at the Bellagio (that is my favorite part! There is nothing naked in it)

Vegas has the best parks! This one is the one right by her house! Isn't it cool?! It reminded us of the Bug's Life Park in DisneyLand...

Zoey and Livy (Jana and Joe's girls) have one of those motorized Barbie Jeeps and Jack was OBSESSED with it! He wanted to ride it any time we were at the house. He had a great time on it... (although I disapproved of it's color--he had the best time giving Chunky rides)

We went to a really cool aquarium in the Mandalay Bay casino. It was a "predator based aquarium", which means sharks! So we took this picture for Josh-- thought it would be his dream job if law school doesn't work out--shark tank cleaner.

(Jack was afraid of the sting ray--we had to hold Chunky to keep him from diving in)

We took the boys to the Lion Habitat at the MGM hotel (right in time for feeding hour). Jack LOVED it! He made sure Nana saw his brothers.

m&m world

Vegas is a fun place for hiking...we went to this desert conservation hiking place--it was cool.

(This is the cactus that falls on Lightning McQueen in CARS)

We got tickets to the UNLV vs BYU game. We sat by some obnoxious UNLV fans, so it felt good to win! Yeah baby, Rise and Shout!

This is the gas station in Beaver where we stopped on our way home. Jenny and I took a picture in this chair when we went down to Vegas for Sam Thorley's farewell.

It is good to be home. We are putting out the suggestion to the family that we all move to Vegas! We LOVED it! It was warm and fun and central to so many thing like skiing and deserts and red rock and the beach and DisneyLand and Mexico! (Ok, the last one is wierd, but it would be a fun place to live...not as fun as Hawaii)

Oh...P.S. Our close encounter with death...