My favorite Christmas decorations....

I've seen some of your decorations and thought I would share some of mine. This is my most treasured possession at this point (well.. besides my piano... and my camera... etc.)



I love this nativity and only got it because it was sort of a wedding present. In Lyman (Utah, not Wyoming) they have a little tradition where people don't register at big places like Target, and Bed Bath and Beyond, but you are automatically registered at the grocery store and the craft store. When people come in they just pay money towards your account and all the sudden you have a couple hundred dollars at each store. It wasn't until shortly before Christmas of that year (even though we were married in June) that we finally made it into town when the craft store was open and I knew immediately what I wanted.


Besides my treasured nativity I don't have many decorations, besides these things I also picked up at the same craft store. If it wasn't for that tradition, I probably wouldn't have any decorations!
..... and here's to remembering the true meaning of Christmas.

Little sneak!

After not being interested in his birthday presents less than a month ago, I thought Daniel is the one I would have to keep on eye one as far as presents go. Boy was I wrong. I have had to re- bow most of the gifts more than once and finally caught him in the action.

Little tantrums!

I hope that Chase will someday know what a stink he puts up when we try and change his diapers or dress him. One of these days I will tell him all about it when he complains about his child throwing fits, but then again my parents have yet to rub it in my face.
Good thing he is so cute! (even with a little snot on his face!)



Th

Homemade bread

So this is kinda a lame post, but I was a little more than excited tonight when my bread turned out normal. I started trying to make bread a couple months ago and it kept turning out really flat- good, but flat. It would rise twice, then when I put it in the oven, it would flatten back down.. I borrowed a friend's recipe and voila- It rose clear out of the pan! The only problem is I changed several things along with the new recipe and now I'm not quite sure what did it.



Oh yeah.... Finished my last final this morning- it feels so good!

A visit from Santa....

Santa Clause showed up to our ward Christmas party. Chase was really interested in the guy in the red suit....

...that is, until we set him on his lap. Chase thought it might be ok for minute.


but quickly realized it wasn't.




We let him suffer for a couple minutes so I could get my pictures, then dad came to the rescue

Thanksgiving pictures

Thanksgiving was in Moab this year for the first time and it was fun and good! Chase slept through dinner so we got a chance to relax and eat.

Then Chase woke up just in time to eat my leftovers. He quite enjoyed the mashed potatoes and gravy, but I can't blame him.

I am still a little in shock that Thanksgiving is over, and finals are in 2 weeks. I still feel like it should be August of last year.... and that I should be planning a trip to South Dakota. I have the pictures to prove that we went, but can hardly remember the trip.

Chase is 1!

My baby turned one the day before Thanksgiving. If he were able to talk he would tell you that his birthday wasn't very exciting. We found out at 7:30 in the morning that Daniel's Mission President's Wife passed away and her funeral was that day at 9:30 in Midway. We got everything ready and headed that way at 8:30. We planned to only attend the viewing as we were supposed to head to Moab that day as well, but at the viewing President Smock asked Daniel to sing with the other missionaries that came, so we stayed which was nice for Daniel. He got to see old mission buddies and hear stories about the woman who subbed as his mother for 2 years.

Chase on the other hand didn't enjoy it as much. We lasted through the family walking in to the funeral (the first 5 min.) and Chase had had it. So Chase and I went to walk around outside. I noticed his diaper was poopy and in the rush of the morning I had forgotten to pack diapers! I had to walk back into the funeral with a screaming Chase to get the keys to the car and then back out. We drove to a gas station and bought a small travel pack of diapers for $12.00. Chase screamed bloody murder through the whole diaper change and then we walked around the church a couple times. Then Chase started puking all over.

Once the funeral was over we drove back to Salt Lake packed up the car and headed another 4 hours to Moab. He got to open a couple presents and off to bed.


It was Friday that we really celebrated his birthday. The my whole family was there for Thankgiving so we took advantage of that.

This is his "low riding" tow mater truck. If you ever decide to do this, use 2 cake mixes for the base.


At first Chase didn't know what to do with the cake and started sqeezing it. Daniel had to show him what to do with cake and soon enough he had the hang of it.

This is a picture of him clapping.





And then it was off to the tub.


Chase is now 1 and he:

* loves applesauce and yogurt more than anything else.
* loves to listen to stories.
* has been walking for 2 months.
* hates to be carried.
* knows how to clap.
* can sometime sing ah ah ahah ah ahah ah ahah (ya know the gumdrop song)
* can say mom and dad but doesn't know what they mean.
* can also say uh oh, but doesn't know what it means.
* weighs 20 lbs (14%) and is 30" (78%).
* loves when I brush his teeth and comes his hair.
* can undecorate a Christmas tree faster than we can decorate it.
* hates it when someone goes outside and he has to stay inside.
* loves his dad more than anyone else.
* loves his little red/orange blanket (more to come on that)