Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

This is the last chance I have to post before we leave for Idaho. We get to go to Idaho this year and visit Ryan's family. We are going to be spending Christmas day with his mom. Something really exciting about this trip is not only how excited Ryan is to go home, but the environment we are going to get to spend Christmas in. Ryan's mom lives up in the mountains away from everything. She has horses and a cute little home with a fireplace. It just seems like the perfect little Christmas scene. I can't wait to take Paxton there and see how much he enjoys himself.

A couple of weeks ago I was able to get out and get the kids their pictures taken so that I could send them to Grandma and Grandpa this Christmas. I have to share them though because I think they look so cute! It is amazing how much Gauge has grown up just in the past 2 weeks, he already looks more like himself and not like a newborn (like he does in the pictures).

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and a Happy New Year !!

Let it snow!

WOOHOO!! The snow has come and it is sooo beautiful! It must be at least 4 to 6 inches outside! We took a few pictures of the place so that you could see. Paxton and I were able to get outside and instead of building a snowman we played a new game. It goes a little bit like, Paxton will try to smash every snow ball mommy makes for a snowman! It was great!

This was probably the longest time that Paxton has spent in the snow and being an amateur, he began right away by trying to swim. Every chance he got he dove into the snow face first and would come up with a beard of snow on. It was really fun for about 45 minutes and then I think he had had about enough.

Ryan also got outside while we hung out and Gauge slept. This might be how some of you would picture Ryan hanging out in the snow:

Some pictures of Paxton

I wanted to post a few pictures of Paxton for those in our family who don't live close enough to see him very often.

Santa Claus

Today Paxton went to meet Santa for the first time. This was quite the experience for a 2 year old. I have tried to explain Santa to him and the concept of Christmas and I receive a lot of nods and smiles but I didn't really know how well I had gotten through to him.

When we got to the mall I tried to break him in slowly. Next to the line where you went to meet Santa, they had a little train that the children were able to ride. The train circled around Santa and his little area of elves, camera's and eager kids waiting to talk to him. As Pax and I boarded the train, I quickly realized what work this was going to be. While Paxton couldn't wait to get on the train, he suddenly became very concerned about where mom was and what was going on. I had to have him on my lap while he hugged my neck so tight I could barely breath. As soon as we got off of the train, he just wanted to get back on. He kept pointing at it and saying "choo choo" and "please" every time it passed.

As we neared Santa, I kept explaining that this was the man that was going to bring him a present for Christmas. I had him wave to him a few times and he seemed really excited to meet him. When we got to the front of the line I carefully pointed out the other children sitting on Santa's lap and how happy they were to be with him. Paxton kept nodding and saying "aye" (his word for yes, he picked it up from a Scottish puppet on Sesame Street). When it came time for Paxton to get up there, he quickly decided he did not like Santa Claus.

Santa was really cool and you could see he had experienced this before...thus the picture that we got. Luckily they let me choose out of a few shots that were taken. Next year I am hoping for Paxton on Santa's lap!

Today was a great day. I felt like I was on a date with my little boy. Ryan took Gauge and sent me off to have some fun with Paxton which is how we got to go see Santa Claus. He is so big! He held my hand the whole time we walked around the mall. He said please and thank you to people that offered him things. He waved at everyone and most of all he just loved to be with me. While being pregnant I didn't get out with him a whole lot and today I really got to feel a nice connection with this kid. I feel really close to him as it is, but it was just so special just having it be him, and be me. I can't explain what I mean. I just have to say that I am so blessed and I thank the Lord every day for my family!

Here We Go

Okay, here we go. I tried this blog site awhile ago but every time I tried to post, my info was lost. This is my final attempt to keep everyone up to date because I don't know what else to do!!!

I hope you are all doing great. Here is our family update...

Ryan is finishing his work at SL Valley Slingers in three weeks. He will be starting back at School in January and hopefully going until he is finished. He is working on his degree at BYU in Manufacturing Engineering. He has some tough classes coming up, but this is his senior year and we can't wait to be through it!

Paxton, our oldest boy is HUGE. He had his two year Dr appointment and he is still in the ninety-seventh percentile for height and his head measurement, his weight is in the ninety-ninth. That means out of 100 kids, he is bigger than 97 of the 100 and heavier than 99 of them. He loves his new baby brother and is ALWAYS trying to help take care of him.

Paxton loves Motorcycles and Fire Engines like nothing else. Everyday he has to watch the educational videos that we bought for him on both items. We have to pass the fire house when we go to the store and he makes fire engine noises and motorcycle noises constantly. He is such a good kid.

Gauge is also a sweetheart. This kid has been an angel and so easy on me, thank goodness! Gauge basically eats, sleeps and every once in awhile I get a smile out of him. He is five weeks old now and getting big! After only five weeks I can't imagine what life was like without him!

I am at home right now on maternity leave. I can't lie, its been pretty hard on me. I have finally figured a few things out, like how to prioritize my time and how to pay attention to smaller things then the kids, like cleaning the house. I miss work and all of the girls at work I have to admit, but I am sure that feeling will go away when I head back in January.

Right now I am focusing on taking care of the boys and I love every second of it. I miss everyone, I wish we could see you all more! Come visit our site anytime, and let me know how you are all doing too!!