Merry 22nd of December!

We had a great pre-Christmas Christmas this weekend with our little family.  The boys are at such a fun age!  We did a lot of our own family traditions and it was a fun celebration. 

"Christmas Eve" we did fondue, it was good and cheesy. 

Carter's favorite part was the sharp, blue fondue fork 

(which I was a little hesitant to give him, but he did great).

The boys got to open one present (new jammies and slippers) before we 

continued the festivities. 

We read the story of the birth of Christ and sang Christmas carols, then we watched "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" and got our little peanuts in bed. 

We had a great time playing Santa.  In an effort to be organized, Colby wanted to make sure we remembered which presents were which.  (So the boys didn't open a transformer first and then be disappointed in clothes).  He tried remembering what we had wrapped for the first couple of presents, then he started just writing what was in the present on the tag.  I thought this was hilarious. (I guess there are advantages to having kids who can't read).

Mr. and Mrs. Claus

The boys loved the fleece blankets that I made them.

Ammon was amazed that there were "so many presents."

Our cute little boys with their new transformers.

Ammon trying out the new scooter from Grandma Stewart.

We had a great time, but we can't wait to go to Utah and celebrate Christmas with our families.  I have been a little nervous about the weather, but after watching the local news tonight (where the weatherman claimed that Monday will be such a beautiful day that "Bing Crosby would sing about it") my mind is now at ease.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

We have been getting ready for Christmas at our house.  The boys are having a blast helping with all the holiday preparations and pre-Christmas celebrations.

Carter and Ammon helped me make some Christmas goodies.

And of course Parrot and Cook-da-Book wanted to help too.

For Family Home Evening we decorated a gingerbread train and watched the Polar Express.  The all inclusive kit was great, but the frosting left something to be desired.

The train turned out great!  It didn't look quite like the picture on the box, 

but the boys loved it.

Carter had a Christmas party at preschool that I was able to attend with him.  

They had great snacks.

And decorated their own gingerbread ornaments.

They also played games and sang some Christmas songs.  We can hardly wait for Dec 22nd! (Santa is coming to our house early this year because we will be in Utah on the 25th). We hope you are all enjoying the Christmas season.

A Wintery Blend

Earlier this week I was checking the weather on weather.com when I saw a forecast of 28 degrees and precipitation of a "wintery blend."   "Oh, that sounds nice,"  I thought.  It wasn't nice.  Apparently a "wintery blend"  is code for a hellacious ice storm followed by 3 to 4 inches of snow that will shut down life as you know it.  Storytime and preschool were cancelled.  DMU was closed. The YMCA was closed.  The boys and I pretty much stayed home for 3 days and I cleaned and worked on some sewing projects.  The good new is Colby came home at noon one day and just hung out with us. A couple of days later Ammon said, "Mom, I just keep waiting for a big storm so Daddy can come home and we can all just be home together."  Still, not what I expected from a wintery blend.  This is more what I had in mind:  Here are some pictures of the boys playing outside in the first snow of the season.

All bundled up.

Carter trying to catch a snowflake on his tongue. 

Ammon making a snow angel (or trying, there's not quite enough snow).

Oprah and Obama

Living in Iowa, we have been exposed to politics a lot lately.  Multiple Presidential candidates have come to speak to the students at DMU and Colby has had the opportunity to learn about their agendas (especially their healthcare plans).  Saturday, I braved the cold weather (10 degrees!) to attend a political rally for Barack Obama. Oprah was also here supporting the Obama campaign and we were able to see her speak. 

 I wasn't overly impressed with Obama, he did a lot of Bush bashing and didn't address his own agenda.  We were pretty far away, and the Hyvee center lacked stadium seating, so this is the best picture I could get of Obama. 

This is what the stage looked like from where we were standing without the zoom on my camera.

We met lots of other girls whose husbands also attend DMU. (I have to admit, a lot of us were there mostly to see Oprah).

Thanks to the tall guy in the technicolor sweater who was standing in front of us, most of my Oprah pictures looked like this:

I did get this picture that is pretty dark and grainy, but still proof that I saw Oprah!  Oprah did an excellent job speaking.  I was really impressed with her patriotism.  She spoke a lot about America and what a great country it is, and wasn't too negative about Bush or the other Presidential candidates.

It was exciting to be there with so many other people, to learn more about the caucuses and to discover that Iowa is pretty influential in determining the Presidential candidates.

Hailey, Auprielle, Lisa and I having a great time.  (Saturday with no kids doesn't happen very often!)

Although I had a great time at the rally, and found it interesting, even Oprah couldn't convince me to change the sign that is in our front yard. 

I think that says it all.

Rodent Problems

Lately, we have been having rodent problems at our house.  It seems that a little pack rat has moved in to the boys' bedroom.  The other night when we were getting the kids ready for bed, Colby found this under the bunkbed.

After talking to Ammon, we discovered that he had been storing all his "very special" things in this little nook under the bed.  This includes candy wrappers, leftover valentines, a ziplock bag full of paper scraps (which he claimed was a puzzle) anything that he has colored or brought home from school and anything with a picture of a super hero or transformer on it.  Colby went through these treasures one by one and told Ammon he could save the most special things in a shoe box under the bed.  Everything was the "most special."  When we asked Ammon is he wanted to save something he would say, "Oh, fully yes."  We finally made it through this pile and Colby went to put the shoebox in one of the drawers under the bed.  That's when he discovered this.

Apparently,  Ammon has also been saving newspaper ads of everything that he wants for Christmas. (which is everything that he sees in a newspaper ad).  We laughed and laughed at our silly little boy. We knew he liked to save things, but up until now we thought it was limited to the school projects that he hides behind his pillow like this:

  We hope that by limiting the things he saves to what can fit in his shoe box, we will be able to break him of this habit! We love our little Ammon, he makes our home so much fun!

Are these ladies frames?

Seven years ago,  Colby had Lasik surgery.   The last year and a half, his eyes have gradually started to revert back to their pre-Lasik form.  A couple of weeks ago, Colb got glasses for reading and driving.  (Ammon told everyone,  "you know what's so sad- my dad had to get glasses cause he was on his computer too much").  I personally really like Colb's glasses, I think he looks handsome and studious.  Thanks to George Costanza, Colby was more concerned about accidentally choosing glasses that were "ladies frames"  then he was about the fact that he needed glasses again!   As you can see, Colby did a great job- these glasses are clearly not ladies frames. 

Giving Thanks

This year I hosted Thanksgiving dinner for the first time.  My family drove out all the way from Utah and stayed for the weekend.  I started making pies, jello and stuffed mushrooms on Wednesday and finished on Thursday morning.  I had a great time cooking and Ammon and Carter were great helpers, they especially enjoyed making the pie crust.  If anyone feels compelled to come to Middle America for Thanksgiving in the next two years, I would love to host again!

The great Thanksgiving tablecloth that I bought ended up being too small for our table (bummer).  We ended up using placemats. 

My dad and the Thanksgiving buffet.  Virgin river has nothing on me.

The "grown-up" table.  Mom, Dad, Colby, Leslee and Daniel.

After dinner we played Thanksgiving bingo.  The highlight of the day for me was when little Carter was laying on his tummy playing bingo and a space that he needed was called.  He put his  blue M & M on the space and said,  "Yes! That's what I'm talkin about."

We were so grateful that Grandma and Grandpa Stewart could come and visit.  The boys already miss them and can't wait to see them again at Christmas.

Grandma and the boys checked out the black Friday ads on the internet.  We had a newspaper that came up with missing ads.  A few days later we found them all stashed in Ammon's drawer.

Grandpa, Grandma and the cousins.  We are so grateful for our family!  I am constantly amazed at how many blessings I have and am continually receiving. I am grateful for my cute boys and wonderful husband, for our home and for the opportunity that Colby has to get an education. We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. 

Double tagged!

I was tagged by Emily (who is in North Carolina) and Heather (who is in Washington) and it is the same "tag."  This made me realize how easy the internet makes it to connect with friends and how small the world of blogging is!  So here goes, first list six random facts about yourself, then list six friends to "tag."

1. When I was little I loved to go to Baskin Robins and get bubble gum icecream.  I picked all the bubble gum out of the icecream and saved it in a napkin to eat later. 

2. I am really bad at volleyball.  So bad, that at my family reunion my immediate family refused to let me play on their team- they made me sit on the sidelines and sell lemonade. 

3. I have really big, really ugly feet.  In college they earned me the nickname "eagle claws."  Since I have had kids they have only gotten bigger and uglier.  Colby says if we have any more kids I am going to have to special order shoes. It's a good thing we will eventually have a podiatrist in the family.

4. In college I had, and lost, two different scholarships.  I also changed my major three times.

5. My parents tell me as a little girl I was always upside down. This proved to be a positive thing when I won the Utah state tumbling championship in my age division in 1993.

6. I once went on a date with a guy who wanted me to sneak into the movie theatre, it was our first date.  It was also our last date.

I am tagging:  Lisa, Stephanie, Kim, Carolee, Becca and Elizabeth

Pay it Forward

I saw this idea on my friend Auprielle's blog and thought it was fun!

I will send a handmade gift to the first three (3) people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this Pay it Forward exchange.You may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days!The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. (So, you must have a blog to participate.) I can't wait to see who I will be giving to. To join, just cut and paste this on your blog and comment away. So get posting!! 'Tis the season for giving...and blogging.

Growing Up

Today I got a roll of film developed that I have had since before we moved to Iowa.  I couldn't believe how much the boys have grown up in the last year and a half!  It has been a while since I have bragged about my boys so I thought I would post a few stories about the funny little things they say and do...

One day while looking at our fish tank..

Carter:  Your fish named Sylvester Grill died and we flushed it down the twoilet all the way to the beach.  But my fish did not die.

Mom: Nope, your fish is alive and well

Carter: MOM, he is not a whale, he is a fish

One night Colby and I were talking, Carter was sitting with Colby

Shauni: Can you believe how big our little baby boy is getting?

Carter:  I'm NOT a baby!

Colby: (lovingly)  Yes you are, you are my baby boy

Carter: (like he is picking a fight) well, you're a big baby who wears diapers

Some Fun Facts about Carter:

Carter will only color with blue crayons- because blue is his favorite color

Carter knows the names of all of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their corresponding colors

Madison, from preschool, thinks that Carter is her boyfriend.  Carter confirmed this when I asked him about Madison he said, "uh huh, she's my grilfriend"

Fun Facts about Ammon:

Recently, Ammon has started pronouncing his "r's"- for some strange reason this makes me very sad because he sounds so grown up.

Ammon takes after Colby in that he is a planner.  He already knows what he wants to be for Halloween for the next four years, what he wants to do for his birthday party when he turns seven and who he is going to marry.

Ammon is a pack rat.  He brings home TONS of art projects and drawings from preschool and wants to display them all on the fridge.  If I throw away any of these precious works of art, Ammon will take them out of the garbage can and hide them behind his pillow on his bed.

I love both of my little boys, and even though sometimes I feel sad that they are getting so big, I am glad that they are healthy and strong and I hope that they never stop growing and learning.

Let's cook!

Once a month we do a "babysitting exchange" with some friends.  We take turns watching all the kids and the rest of the couples have a date night.   Last night the couple that was hosting did a cooking theme.  The kids made their own pizzas and watched Ratatouille.  I took the boys to Walmart and let them pick our material and I made them aprons to wear to the party. 

Ammon chose Transformer fabric and Carter picked Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

The boys had a great time at the cooking party.

After trying to go to two different Mexican restaurants (one that had gone out of business and one that we thought we may have caught Hepatitis from by just looking in the front window) we ended up at Carlos O Kelley's (which is also Mexican, not Irish). We had a great time with our friends. It's always nice to have a kid-free date night.

Late Halloween Greetings

Carter learned this song at preschool. It is a little bit late but it took me a while to get the video loaded!

Trick or Trunk or Treating

I know you haven't quite see enough Halloween pictures from us yet, so here are some more! These were take on the actual holiday (and beggars night, which is also a holiday in Iowa). We took the boys trick or treating around the neighborhood and the following night went to the ward trunk or treat. Our kids could now eat a diet of straight candy and still have enough to survive for at least a year.



Our cute little Spider Men



I know you can't see it, but there is the cutest little face you will ever see under this Spiderman mask.



In an effort to redeem myself from buying cheap Walmart costumes this year, I made cute trick or treat bags for the boys. My friend Megan embroidered their names on them and I think they turned our darling. The boys were a little mad that I wouldn't let them take the plastic spiderman bags that Grandma Stewart sent so I told them they weren't sturdy enough to hold all their candy- turns out I was right.



Oakley, Ammon and Ashlyn getting all ready to trick or treat.




The kids looked so cute standing on the porches, waiting for candy that I decided to get a picture. Every time I tried to take a picture, someone would answer the door. Colby finally made me stop, I guess he thought people would think I was strange if I took their picture as soon as they answered the door. This is the best action shot I could get.



By the end of the night the boys were too tired to walk. Once again, my sweet husband told me that next year we are only celebrating Halloween on Halloween night. We'll see.