Catch-up

Well, I haven't been blogging lately.  The holidays, along with a stomach bug, and then a cold, had me swamped.  So, I haven't had the time (or energy!) to post anything.  So, although I don't have a whole lot of time right now, I just wanted to let ya'll know (I do live in Texas!) that I'm back, and will post updates soon - since I know your life has been so incomplete without my little posts. :) 

Mud Puddles

Yesterday was rainy and cold. Brr! It still amazes me how fast, and how drastically the weather can change around here. Tuesday it was warm, and a little overcast - okay, I guess it was raining for part of the day, but it was still warm (upper 60's I think). Yesterday the thermostat on the car said it was 36* while I was driving around. Crazy!
Anyway, we had some fun yesterday outside in the cold and the rain. We bundled up and put on our rain boots and splashed in the mud puddles (which are abundant in our yard), and kicked a ball around. We have some drainage problems along our fences, so there are usually mud puddles there anyway. With all the rain, they were nice and deep. Since we had our rain boots on, I told Christopher he could walk and play over there. His eyes lit up at the opportunity to traverse the forbidden swamp lands, and kept kicking the ball that we were playing with that direction. A good way to use up some energy on a cold rainy day. Afterwards we came inside and had hot chocolate together. Very cozy. Don't worry - I wasn't running around with a nine month old baby in the freezing rain. Naomi was napping while we had our adventures.
One of Christopher's favorite things is when David or I make up a story to tell him. For a while he wanted them all to be about Rover (a dog), who loves playing in mud puddles. They would go something like this: Once upon a time there was a dog named "Rover" (said by Christopher). I would continue: his favorite thing to do in the whole world was "play in mud puddles" (also said by Christopher - he would choose what the Rover story was about each night, and more often than not it was about mud puddles, which is interesting since I don't think he himself had ever played in a mud puddle before. Maybe he was secretly wishing he could.) Then I would go on to tell a story about Rover the dog playing in mud puddles with his best friend, Christopher. So, I think that playing in mud puddles yesterday was fulfilling some life-long goal. It must have made him very happy.
He has recently been asking for super hero stories, so we might be entering a new phase. It's fun to be raising a boy, that's for sure! Here are some pictures. His pants got totally soaked and muddy, which must be a good indication of how much fun he had.

Artistic Christopher

Christopher loves being creative and artistic.  He wanted to take some pictures with my camera, so I let him take a few shots.  These are some of the ones he took, and I think they're pretty good for a three year old.   He didn’t have any help with them – he took them totally on his own.  Maybe he’ll be a photographer when he grows up.

Early Christmas Present

We like video games around here.  I should actually say that Dave and Christopher like video games around here.  I think I would like them more if I was any good at them.  I can master the ones with only one or two buttons to push, but anything more than that is beyond me.  We had the original Nintendo growing up, and my brothers were always so irritated with me when I tried to play.  "Moving the controller doesn't help any, Sarah!".  

I decided to work through my video game deficiencies, however, and agreed that a Wii would be a fun thing to have.  So, we ordered one online (they are impossible to find) as an early Christmas present for ourselves.  And, I have to say that I'm hooked.  It only took me a couple of tries to get the controls down (I'm still not as good as Dave at the controls, but that's to be expected!), and the games are actually quite fun.  I even beat Dave at some of them.  Christopher is also having a blast, because he can play them too.  I like that it gets us up and moving, and interacting with each other.  So, HAH Jeff and Todd - now moving the controller does do something! :)

No, we're not playing on Sunday. :)  Dave got a new calling as an early morning Seminary teacher, so he has to wear a white shirt and tie to class.  This is on a weekday in the morning after class.

Holiday Puzzle

My mom's family has a tradition of putting a puzzle together in between Christmas and New Year's.  Dave went and got me a couple of new puzzles a while ago, since he's such a nice guy, so I decided to start mine a little early.  I like putting puzzles together.  It's a nice chance to sit and relax, and chat.  Dave even got in on the action - he's not usually a big puzzle-doer - but he knows it's a whole lot more fun when you have someone to talk to.  I'll probably start another one after Christmas, just to keep with tradition. :)

Sam and Tanya

Dave's brother, Sam, got married last May to Tanya.  We went up to Utah to be there, and had a great time being together, and getting to know Tanya a little better.  They decided to move down here, and Sam was out a couple weeks ago looking for a job.  He found a great one in Dallas, that he says will be a great fit for him.  We're really happy for him, and excited to have them so much closer.  It's great to have family so close.  They'll be living in Plano, so that will be nice to be able to hang out with them on the weekends and stuff.  They started driving today, and will probably be here tomorrow sometime. Yay!  I hope they have a safe drive.

Sam and Christopher, while Sam was here

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.  I love baking at this time of year.  During the summer I usually stick to salads and quick, oven-less stuff, so it's nice to get back in to baking.  I'm excited to start on some of it tonight.  I like to try and get as much done the night before as I can.  I get the stuff done that doesn't matter if it's a day old - like pies, sometimes rolls.  Even still, I usually still spend all day in the kitchen. :)  I guess I'm still working on getting the timing of everything right.  I'm going to try a new recipe for the turkey this year, and I'm hoping it turns out moist and delicious.  I also just learned about brining, so I think I'll try that and see if it's worth the extra work.

I also want to say that I have soooo much to be thankful for.  I am so blessed.  As a kid, we had a tradition of going around the table, and saying what we were thankful for.  We couldn't repeat what anyone else had said, and it was always amazing how long we could go for.  I like that this holiday reminds us to be grateful, and to not take things for granted.  I know there are a lot of things I could be more grateful for.  I am especially grateful for my family.  David is a wonderful husband, and I love him so much!  He really loves and supports me - even when I'm crazy!  I love being a mom to my sweet, happy kids.  They are such a blessing!  I could go on and on, but I think instead I'll write notes to them, and also to the other people who are blessings in my life, to let them know how much I appreciate them.  Enjoy the feast and family time tomorrow!