A Merry Christmas

It was a great Christmas for us in Logan with Justin's family. Grandma Kathi and all of the grandparents really spoiled us. We had a party at the Campbell's house (Justin's aunt and uncle) where we did white elephant gifts. I think everyone wished they could have taken home my signed 8X10 headshot. Okay, at least it got some good laughs. Christmas morning was definitely a magical one for Nolan, but sadly we couldn't find our camera for half of the morning. He sure loved what Santa brought (a train table and a green garbage truck). Ezra enjoyed his first Christmas, especially the wrapping and tissue paper. Here are some pictures of our happy morning.

Aren't these zipper ties so handsome?

While in Logan, we took a ride up the canyon to Hardware Ranch where they have a wild herd of elk that congregate during the winter. Our sleigh ride through the herd was a fun one. Nolan was mostly interested in looking over the side of the wagon and checking out the wheels. I was so wishing my Dad was with me. He would have loved it. Dad, these pictures are for you!

It's been great to be home because Ezra had some rough nights. He seems to do better in his bed with his normal routine. It has also been good to store some of Nolan's old toys and make room for the new. We'll cycle through his toys so that hopefully he won't ever get too bored with anything.

I'd like to report that I have gained about 2 lbs. since my last post! This is wonderful news and I'm sure it will be a great relief to my mom. On Christmas Day she said, "I can't stand the thought of you wasting away!" I started taking fenugreek (an herb) for my poor milk production and it has really helped. It makes me smell like maple syrup. I've been drinking lots of Ensure Plus, extra water, and I've bought some Clif bars to start eating. There is rarely an hour that goes by that I don't make myself eat something. Believe it or not, it gets annoying. Thankfully, Ezra seems much more satisfied!

Little Thoughts

I'm sitting here just waiting for Christmas Eve to come. I thought I would jot down a few thoughts before I head to bed.

First, Ezra had his 6-month well visit last week. He weighs about 16 lbs. (I can't remember the exact weight) and is in the 24th percentile. He is in the 30th percentile for height and the 50th for his head. He is turning out to be a little guy compared to Nolan at this age. I told the doctor that Ezra continues to wake up around 1:30 a.m. even though I have fed him oatmeal and nursed him at 9:30 p.m. He is concerned that I'm not making enough breast milk. Well, if you've seen me, then you would obviously agree. I certainly don't look like a nursing mother. I've tried giving him formula in a bottle and a syringe (given by the doctor) but he won't put up with it. I'm losing weight (about 3 lbs. in the past 2 weeks) so I'm trying my best to eat lots of food so that I will make more milk and stop wasting away. Thank goodness it's the holidays, right? Love that food!!! Anyway, Ezra is healthy, he just needs to eat in the night for now. I guess for Christmas I'm dreaming of a full night of uninterrupted sleep (along with a lot of other moms out there, I'm sure).

Nolan's vocabulary is really incredible lately. Yesterday he was telling me all about the gears inside of his Grandma K's oven. He said something like, "there are gears in that oven at Grandma K's house by the cookie jar. It gets hot. Not gears in the clock but just in the oven right there." When asked what he wants for Christmas he rattles off this list without taking a breath: "a red semi truck, a green garbage truck, a bumblebee transformer car (how does he even know about that?!), a fire station with a helicopter and the building." Last week my mom was visiting with him just before he was going to bed. They talked for a moment and then during a lull, Nolan said, "So, what's happenin'?" And after sitting on Santa's lap last week, he kept singing his own song: "It was a special day..." We just think he is so much fun. At night we sing him several songs. He sometimes continues to ask for more. Well, one night Justin got up and said, "No more songs. Daddy is too tired to sing. Good night, love you." Before he could get to the door Nolan says, "Don't sing any more songs, Daddy. Just cuddle with me." He is clearly starting to negotiate. I wish I could jot down all the things that make me laugh, bottle them up in a jar, and pull them out for later when I can't remember anymore.

Consider yourself greeted

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year and all the rest. This is our official holiday greeting card since we only send out a few real cards. Getting a family picture just never happened so here are some pictures of our visit to see the temple lights.
It's been a great year for us. We think next year will be even better: we're pretty much done with landscaping, Ezra is starting to sleep through the night (it's about time), and we're going to Disneyland soon! Justin's job is going well. We're really grateful for that. We have good health, our beautiful boys, a cozy home, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. What more could we want? (Other than that new flat screen TV... but we're not going to give into that one) We're certainly excited for Christmas to come. Nolan keeps asking for a red semi truck and a green garbage truck. Um, I'm not sure if Santa got that memo. Sometimes Santa puts in toy orders too early in the season and then kids up and change their mind!
We hope you all have a wonderful time with your loved ones. We're glad to have you in our lives.

We love SWEETS

Yesterday we toured the Sweet's Candy Factory. Nolan seemed most interested in the huge air vents and pipes in the ceiling. Go figure. I was most interested in the free samples. I was really worried as we started out because I had to use one of their umbrella strollers (wouldn't let me use mine) for Ezra. Luckily he sat happily slumped the whole time. And they told us that we had to stay in the yellow lines and not touch anything. Oh boy... this was going to be real fun with Nolan. Well, he did so great that I bought him a box of chocolate cinnamon bears. Turns out he doesn't like them. Oh, that's a shame. The funniest moment was when they handed out a hair net to Ezra. Nolan didn't want to hold Ezra or put his hair net back on for this picture. He kept yelling, "NO, I don't!" But I couldn't resist:Ezra is nearly 6 months old. He's so good natured that sometimes I hardly think it possible to have such a sweet baby. I love kissing those chubby cheeks. You should see his "hip fat." Maybe I'll take a picture and post it some time. All that chub just pops out of his diaper! I love it when I see him just waking up from a nap. He looks around, makes eye contact, and then gives a big groggy grin. I hope he wakes up that happily as a teenager. I won't count on it. As you can see, he has recently discovered his tongue! We love you, Ez!

Our Thankful Weekend

We spent our Thanksgiving break in Alton at "the cabin." As we piled into the car, Nolan looked at Ezra and said, "Oh Ezra, you're so sweet. You're so strong." What a good start to the trip! I must say the food was more delicious than ever (which I didn't think possible)! It was a group effort but well worth the fuss. I especially enjoyed that both of my children went down for a nap just before it was time to eat. Finally a peaceful meal for Justin and me. Nolan had had an especially rough day. Justin had been telling him not to touch the gas stove because it's so hot. Well, I came along and turned the fire off and within a few minutes Nolan took hold of it. I'm sure that he thought it was okay because there were no longer flames. It was a miserably painful burn (his first) and for a solid hour all he wanted was "Mommy blow on it!" I eventually got lightheaded so we found a fan that would do the job. It turns out he was also coming down with a cold so it wasn't Nolan's happiest holiday to date. Here are the pictures we took that day. Check out the pies... I made the apple one under the direction of my sister, Lacey. I was just a bit proud of myself!

That evening, the kids all begged for Lucky Charms. They were much happier with that than the huge feast!

The next day we went for some short hikes at Zions National Park. Before we left I told everyone I would not be taking Nolan on any hikes that have cliffs higher than 3 or 4 ft. Well, my Dad found the perfect place. It was a little canyon where Nolan couldn't run away or fall. We all had a good time and the weather was beautiful. I'm so thankful for gorgeous places to get away from it all. At one point, Nolan looked up at a huge rock formation and said, "Look! Daddy Nolan rocket!"

One night, we all filed outside to see the space shuttle and the space station pass overhead. It looks like we're looking at a huge full moon in this picture. But no folks... that's just lint on the camera. It really was fun to see, though!

Here we are playing noses. It's like spoons, but you touch your nose instead. It's sly, I tell you. We kept saying, "One, two, three, pass" over and over as we played and Nolan joined in by saying "One, two, three, ass" plain as day. He's so helpful!

This next picture is exciting (for us)... my Dad spent the weekend drawing up our plans so that we can begin work on our basement!

Getting in the Spirit

I'm starting to really get excited for Christmas. Okay, I was already excited weeks ago. I even put some Christmast lights up. Last week I made this:

It didn't take much - just a cheap wreath from Wal-Mart, and some miniature ornaments. So festive!
Last Saturday we went to the Christmas tree lighting at Gateway. We're not sure why they lit the tree before Thanksgiving but I won't complain. We went with Grandma K and Justin's brother's family. They gave away cookies and hot cocoa while we listened to Jon Schmidt play the piano. Luckily we were prepared with hats and gloves even though it wasn't too terribly cold. The tree really is gorgeous! The surprise of the night was seeing Santa drive up in a carriage. Nolan was so happy! It also didn't hurt that we rode Trax to get there. He can't get enough of trains.

Today I made my favorite pumpkin cookies. So yummy and easy! Just a can of pumpkin (15 oz.) and a box of spice cake mix. Throw in some chocolate chips. Bake @ 350 for 10 to 12 minutes. Here are Nolan and his buddy Jaxon enjoying a beater.
Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Thanksgiving. I hope you all have a happy turkey day. I wish you all a glorious nap that afternoon. I doubt I'll be so lucky!

Girls Getaway

I spent this past weekend with my mom and sisters in Park City... a much-needed break away from Nolan is what it came down to for me. The kiddo has been wearing me down and the time away made me remember all the reasons I love him. We started our weekend by going to see Good Things Utah. We're pretty sure it was the most boring show they've had. There were three "on location" segments, a lame craft, and a cauliflower recipe. It panned the audience once and it's obvious that I was holding back a yawn. Bummer that we happened to be there for a blah show. We thought it was interesting that the Good Things girls don't give a hoot about what the reporters or Joy in the Garden are saying. They gab and mess around (or eat) until the camera is on them. I think they were just as bored. It would be fun to go again if I just knew they would have better guests or a musical number.

We enjoyed eating out and shopping at the outlets. Too bad there was a snowstorm. Every time I left a store I had to go out from under the covered area while pushing Ezra in his stroller because there are so many stairs between stores. He was cozy, but I didn't even have a hat. After a while, we left and took a nap together in the hotel room until everyone else finished shopping. While we were all relaxing, we heard a loud glug in the bathroom. A while later, this is what I found:

So while that was being fixed and while the hotel room aired out, we lounged in the lobby trying to decide where to eat. We were still full from lunch and so at 8:30 we finally decided to get Lucky Charms and a quart of milk. It hit the spot. It was so fun to be with the girls in my family (and Ezra was an angel). Thank you, Mom!

The day I came home was my 26th birthday. Nolan was so excited to put candles in my cake, sing, and blow out my candles. While we were eating, Justin said to Nolan, "Since it's Mom's birthday, we should tell her why we love her." Justin got him started by saying that I cook good food, I'm so pretty (his words, not mine), etc. He had to ask again, "So why do you love Mommy?" Nolan thought hard and finally said, "Mommy cleans the floor." It's sure nice to know that my two-year-old appreciates my most dreaded chore.

In other news, Ezra is 5 months old. He's just started eating cereal. It took him 3 days to learn how to swallow, but I think he's getting it down now. Can't believe how fast he's growing!

Never-ending Yard Work

That's the theme of our lives, really. Yard, yard, yard, and the only one loving it is Nolan. If you think you're sick of reading about it, then think how I feel about doing it! This past week was spent planting our last tree, moving rocks to make the creek bed, spreading massive amounts of weed fabric ($$$, ug), hauling bark from the trailer and truck we borrowed, and spreading it out. I worked so hard in the yard that I think I felt my testosterone levels rise (but not that much). Justin took a brief nap while putting Nolan to sleep and he came out to find the trailer emptied. I was proud of myself... it's the least I could do for his birthday! We're really close to being done. If any of you are considering buying a home and putting in a yard yourself, run the other way! If any of you are considering putting in a dry creek bed, just say over and over again like a mantra: I don't need this in my life! We're pretty proud of ourselves that after nearly 3 years of working on our yard, we're nearly finished. Now we can start maintaining it. These pics show our progress:

I look at the picture above and think, "What are you smiling about?"

For Justin's birthday we got a baby-sitter and enjoyed dinner out together (with Ezra since he's such a little tike). We also went to a free ballroom dance lesson. It was all going great until they asked us to switch partners. I quickly learned that Justin is an amazing dancer! Dan, Preston, and Blair are really no match. Dan seemed to be frightened to touch my hand, I don't think Preston could have moved on the beat if his life depended on it, and I knew immediately that Blair was nearly drunk. Wow, what breath that man had! Justin was disgusted when he looked over and saw him continually trying to hug me. I'm talking long hair, thick cologne (but barely detectible over the alcohol), touchy-feely. Do I need to go on? Luckily, studio-owner lady saw my plight and switched partners so that hubby and me could be together again. She later told us that Blair is their resident alcoholic who installed the dance floor. So thank you, Justin, for sweeping me off my feet in the proper way! You really know how to dance. I'm not kidding though, it was a fun date. We all enjoyed his peanut butter dark chocolate cake. It was so nice of Nolan to sing and blow out the candles for Dad.

Here are this week's random pictures:

P.S.

Here are some pictures from Justin's Uncle Jeff. We've had requests to see our costumes. We were never quite ready for when he would snap the picture (hence the funny post in the first one), but at least you get the idea. My mom did a great job with altering my dress and making the silver "shawl" thing, even if no one knew what we were. Justin even matches! I'm realizing that makeup really does a lot for me! So I give you Justin and Kenzee from Dancing with the Stars! In case you're wondering, I'm the star. ;-)

Spooky Weekend

Congratulations to Daren (Justin's brother) and Noel! They were married on Friday and threw a spectacular Halloween party the next night. It was quite an amazing spook alley they made in their basement. Justin and I dressed up as a "Dancing with the Stars" couple, but no one knew what we were, so we just looked like we were going to prom. Nolan was a cowboy and Ezra was the sweetest little giraffe. Halloween night was crazy because we'd been working in the yard all day. We made a trip to the dump to get wood chips. It was fun until we had to figure out how to tie the tarp down. We did it though without any problems on the way home. That's a relief. Thanks to our friends for letting us borrow a truck and trailer. Needless to say, we were barely able to drag ourselves out the door because of the busy yard day. I'm not in a writing kind of mood so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Hope it was a Happy Halloween for everyone. I'm glad it's now the thankful season!

Enough with the scary! How about a sweet picture?

And here is Rabbi Nolan.

Long day already

Last night, we left Nolan with Rob and Lacey so that we wouldn't have to take him to the downtown Salt Lake health department for H1N1 shots. It's a good thing they were able to watch him. We woke up at 4:30 and were in line by 5:45. Justin did an estimate and figured that at that point we were around 120th in line. There were somewhere around 1,500 doses so we were safe. We were prepared with lawn chairs, winter clothes, and a snuggly sack for Ezra. The line grew and grew and by 7 a.m., there were already too many people to receive the vaccine. It took us one hour to get to the nurse station after they opened. It would have felt like a lot longer if Nolan was with us running around. We watched people get turned away and there was a sheriff at the front doors in case anyone got out of line. So now we just need to stay away from crowds (and Wal-Mart) for another week until the vaccine kicks in and then I'll feel like Ezra is pretty safe. An early morning and two and a half hours in line definitely seem worth it to me.

No messing around

Today I heard there were H1N1 vaccines in Salt Lake County so I rushed in to get Nolan taken care of. No more waiting around for more shipments to arrive in our county. I even got his seasonal flu shot, too. That wasn't pretty because we had to go to a different room and he knew exactly what was coming by then - and the sucker in his mouth was no longer cuttin' it. He was a big boy though so we went out to lunch afterward (or maybe that reward was for me!). Too bad he'll need a booster in a month. And Justin and I are just hoping there are adult doses available soon since Ezra is too young to get one. There are lots of people at Tooele High School with it and they're thinking of closing down. I hope we can keep the little guy safe.

Birthday Week

It's not really our birthdays yet, so don't feel bad thinking you forgot. (Maybe you didn't even feel bad when you saw the title... in which case, shame on you!) But our vacuum has really been giving out on us over the past few months and it was time to upgrade. We went with the Dyson 25 Ball vacuum. When Justin put it together his exact words were, "It's an engineering work of art." I said something less intelligent like, "oooohhh, it's so neat." Believe me, I wanted a less expensive vacuum but the Dyson is the only one recommended by the allergy association, and Justin has horrible allergies 3 seasons out of the year. We're hoping it will help. It's so fabulous to use the hose and have it actually suck! It really is so easy to control and empty, and we don't have to replace filters or bags. Woohoo! Just as an experiment, we vacuumed with the old vac and then with the new one to see how much our old vac had missed. Well, you can see for yourself. Gross! Every day Nolan says, "where's that new vacuum?" And then he answers himself by saying, "oh, in the closet." Here's the new little beauty. It was such fun!

The next day, Justin received his ham radio in the mail. It would have been the perfect Christmas present because it's the kind of thing that takes a lot of fiddling with and learning how to use. It would have been perfect to lounge around with near the fireplace. O-well. He couldn't wait and I didn't have the heart to make him. Now we have the sweet sound of radio static permeating the house.

The funny thing is that my Nana called me to wish me a happy birthday the day I got the vacuum. She was one month early but it seemed fitting!

Ezra's 4-month well check-up was today. Here are his stats: 14 lbs. 2 oz. (40th percentile); 24.7" tall (60th percentile); 16.5 cm head circumference (60th percentile). I had an appointment to get Nolan a seasonal flu vaccine and of course they called me this morning to tell me they were out. So an appointment does not reserve your vaccine? Even when you made your appointment two weeks ago and they had plenty? NO! Really annoying if you ask me. So then I had to scramble to find someone to watch Nolan so that I didn't have to take him. Thanks, Lacey!!! The doctor seemed irritated with his staff that it happened and promised they'd call as soon as it gets in.

Lastly, we've been planting trees and putting in our dry creek bed. It's good to see that there's an end to the landscaping in sight - not really soon, but we'll get there. We now have a crabapple, a plum, and a pear tree. Work, work, work!

And here are my boys this week. Ezra is starting to really pay attention to Nolan while he is playing. I'm glad Nolan is a nice brother and brings him toys every now and then.

If anyone lives in St. George and needs an awesome photographer, check out my cousin at http://www.errinandrusphotography.com/. She does such a great job. I just need to find a time to get down there and have pictures done. You can enter a contest to win a free photo session.

Pretty Mommy

Today was a cleaning sort of day... the type of day that I don't do my hair or makeup. I let down my ponytail tonight and "stored" my clips on the side of my head until I went to bed. I was feeling quite homely, but Nolan made me feel all better. As I tucked him in, I was hurrying him along, saying "Come on, get into the covers!" He looked up at me, paused meaningfully, and said, "Oh, pretty mommy." I said, "What did you say?" (I figured I couldn't have possibly heard correctly. He looked up and said, "Mommy so pretty." I told Justin about it and then Justin asked Nolan, "How pretty is mommy?" Nolan said, "Soooo pretty!" Now that's what I call a great mom moment!

What a visit!

I had a great time with the little boys in St. George. Justin had a short business trip in Virginia and loved his time there. He said it was beautiful! He didn't so much like staying home alone the rest of the week, eating an assortment of frozen foods. I can't stay home alone unless I take a good dose of Unisom (which isn't good when baby wakes to nurse) so my parents were kind enough to help us get down there to stay. Thanks for driving with us! Some of the best parts of the trip included:

1.Going to Tuacahn to see Aida, my favorite musical, while my Dad watched Nolan. Ezra was the perfect baby during the entire show.

2.Eating a Feta Bleus Burger at Jazzy Java (where my brother works). Of course, I loved all the other places where we ate as well! Thanks to Kamrie and Ethan for watching Nolan last Saturday.

3.And going shopping by myself for an entire afternoon while my mom babysat.

Here are some pictures from the trip:

When I first told Nolan 3 weeks ago that we'd be going to St. George, he said, "Nolan go on that fire truck." I was amazed that he remembered the above fire trick from 3 months ago, so we had to go see it again.

Nolan had his own baby to take care of while we were there. I would find "her" in the Bumbo seat or the bouncer, and do a double take because I always thought Ezra wasn't where I left him. Wrong baby!

This was the Swiss Days parade in Santa Clara. He was so sweet to leave his hand over his heart for the first 5 minutes of the parade. And there was complete rapture on his face when he saw that army tank. You wouldn't know it though, because he wouldn't take his eyes off of it to look at the camera.

This praying mantis was on his last leg and Nolan found it fascinating. At one point he bent down and gave him an eskimo kiss. How sweet that he is more affectionate with an insect than his mother!

And here's Ezra with his "new" used Bumbo seat, which it turns out he really doesn't like yet. I've also captured Nolan in his new habit: biting toenails and fingernails. Believe me, I've offered to clip them.

"Good job, honey!"

With my terrible memory, I thought I'd better write some recent quotes from Nolan:
"Good job, honey!"
"Mommy pee pee on potty, good job sweetheart!"
After burping: "Gross one!"
While looking up in the sky: "Nolan eat that moon!"
When he was feeling attention deprived: "Put Ezra down right there."
"Mommy do it!!!"
Looking up on the hill at the TV antennaes: "Antennae lights come on night time."
Most nights while looking up at the temple picture on his wall: "Mommy Daddy married in temple."
Being tucked into bed: "Daddy leave. Mommy cuddle."
When I turned on the blowdryer, he yelled, "Settle down!"
Looking at a picture of he and Ezra: "Sweet boy."
Looking for a snack: "Make you something."

Nice melons

We've now had two cantaloupes from our garden. They are so yummy! Soon our watermelon will be ready, too.We're not getting much else right now except basil, a few strawberries, and a handful of tomatoes. I don't go out too often. It's a jungle (of weeds) out there!

And calling all Grandmas and Grandpas: Here are some of the most recent pictures that we've taken of the boys. It's hard to believe that Ezra is already 3 months old and Nolan is 2 1/2! Before I know it I'll be wrinkled and looking back on this time with warm feelings of nostalgia. But for now, one of the best times of the day is nap time! Here are the little toadies:This is Nolan's personality lately: a tantrum-throwing thief! He stole that big Donald Duck from the church nursery while I was exercising. He ran out to the doors with it and I was too pooped to take it back since I was carrying Ezra and all my stuff. So he got to take it home for the weekend. You can see it in his eyes that he knows he got away with something. And of all the toys to steal... that?! Really. Speaking of eyes - check out how scared Justin is of Nolan's tantrum. In case anyone forgot, click to make the pictures bigger.
Ezra is a dream baby. I'm sorry for those out there who think it's obnoxious that I keep saying stuff like that. But it's true. He's so good. I just want to munch on those cheeks! He is so yummy! I'm expecting giggles and rolling over any day now. He's getting too big!
Whether naughty or nice, we love them both at the end of the day... because by then they're sleeping!
Last Saturday was Justin's open house at work. His company only does this every few years because they do a lot of military contracting. Nolan got toy rockets, airplanes, cars, balloons, otter pops, coloring books, and treats. We hung out in Dad's cubicle (while Ezra ate) and Nolan drew on the white board. We even saw small explosions outside. The free lunch was great, too. The next day we asked Nolan what his favorite part was. He said, "Color Daddy's markers." Maybe we'll get him a white board for Christmas!