What do you get?

Thanks to the confidence and tips of friends, I was brave enough to pull Eliza's hair into pigtails.  It looked so cute for church!  

So what do you get when you take cute pigtails out?

A bad hair day.

I know we've had an easy winter compared to many of you.  However, the past day or two has tried to make up for that... what do you get when you have freezing temperatures and precipitation?

A bunch of ice.

Ethan usually parks on the driveway, but last night I told him he should move it into the garage.  When I tried to move the van, the battery was dead, so we had a fun adventure pushing it out, jump starting it and then moving both cars into the garage.  The ice was so thick and solid on his windshield and windows I couldn't scrape it.  We got a thin covering of slate/snow on top of the ice just so I could write a message to my honey.  :)

What do you get when you have roads so treacherous to drive on they cancel school?

A bored kindergartner bugging you to let him have the computer all day.  (In fact, school was cancelled yesterday and again today.  He is currently sitting beside me watching my every move eagerly waiting for "his turn.")

You also get happy little boys who get to play with their brother and a happy mom who doesn't have wake up early to get to the bus!

And finally, you get to spend a day with the man you love because the AFB has been closed too. (although he had to go back today)

I know they pictures of the ice aren't that impressive, but trust me it is plenty cold out there and slippery.  I talked to Ethan around 9:35 this morning to make sure he made it work OK (he left around 8:40) he still wasn't to work, but very close.  It usually takes him about 15 minutes, but there was so much traffic it took him at least an hour.  The traffic was due to the base being closed until 9 this morning, so everyone was coming in at that time and the ice on the roads.  

Crazy!

Luckily, winter doesn't stick around too long and we should see at least 50 degrees today!  We'll be back in shorts and bare feet in no time (who am I kidding, these boys were in shorts and bare feet yesterday).

Our date on Friday (by Ethan)

Yes, I occasionally post on this blog. Kim has been wanting to get me to post on this.
We went and saw a stand up comedian we both love, Brian Regan. I'd never been to an actual stand up act, (aside from ward talent shows), and know that most comedians out there are pretty dirty, but this guy keeps it clean. Hilarious.
Now I love to repeat lines from movies, so Kim told me we could go as long as she didn't have to live with Brian Regan for the next week. So we didn't invite him home to sleep on our couch.
A stand up act is like a concert. The comedian has these bits he does, like songs, except without the singing. At one point, during the "encore" he skipped ahead a "verse" and got a little mixed up. It added to the hilarity. I was laughing all night long. Both Kim and I had sore faces at the end of the evening.
Anyway, I figured I'd include a clip of part of his act. Enjoy.

Announcing...Another Baby Woody...

Yes, that's right the family that just keeps getting bigger just got bigger!  We are so excited for this new baby girl!

Congrats to Tom and Lisa!  Caroline is GORGEOUS!  We can't wait to meet her, sorry we couldn't be one of your 40 visitors yesterday!  We love you and know baby Caroline will be loved and so well taken care of...

Now we just need to get you a blog so we can watch her grow up down here in A-town.

183 days

Our baby is half-way to year already and I can hardly believe it!  She is doing really well, she loves playing with toys and really loves interacting with anyone who will give her a smiling face.  At her check up she weighed 18 lbs 1 oz (pretty close to the 90th percentile) and was 26.77 inches (about 80th percentile) and her head was 17.4 inches (90th-95th percentile).

At 6 months she ...

...can sit up pretty well, as you can see she's a little leaning tower of baby...

...LOVES her mouth, it is in constant action either babbling (she says "mamama" all day long, though I don't fool myself into thinking she's actually saying my name), putting anything and everything possible into it, or (as you can see below) sticking out her tongue...

...really LOVES her daddy (and he's pretty crazy about her too)...

...has found her feet, I love when they play with their feet, it is so cute...

...is still just as sweet as can be...

We are so loving her.  All of us.  I can't tell you how many times a day I have to tell Jonas not to touch her (because 90% of the time, his loves end up making her cry).  Levi even gets down on the floor and talks to her in the cutest baby voice ever.  They all love playing with her in her jumper, getting her toys and making her smile.  She is happy to accept all the doting and rewards us all with fabulous smiles that keep us going back for more.

HOORAY! I'm BACK!

I'm sure you probably didn't even notice I was missing... but I was.  We just switched internet providers and there was a 3 day break in coverage, I know its only 3 days, but I felt like I was totally isolated in my little sphere.  Having no TV or internet to check the weather I had to rely on Bryant's forecast and what the sky looked like to get him dressed for school.  And things happened while I was offline that I SO wanted to post about right then... oh, its good to be back!

Of course, what happens the first day I don't have internet... I have my first kitchen fire!  You know how I like to share my crazy life events with you as they happen, I was tempted to beg my friend to use her computer so I could post.  Its wasn't that big a deal, just another funny little event.  

For FHE Bryant wanted to have s'mores for our treat.  Since we were short on time, I just threw them together and put them under the broiler... well a few minutes later I went to get them out and as I opened the oven I see flames.  I yelled, "fire, fire, fire!" (which isn't the best thing to say with three curious little boys in the next room).  I pulled the pan out of the oven and Ethan blew the marshmellows out.  Apparently they swelled up enough to touch the top burner and the flames flew.  

The kids didn't care about blackened s'mores... they think that's how they're supposed to be (they'll even eat them covered in ash and soot).  They ate them up and even convinced Ethan to eat his... when I asked how it tasted he just said, "black."  Since I'm not eating treats, I guess I shouldn't make them for everyone else, just in case any more sabotage comes into play. :)  

99 things somebody thought it was important to do. hmm.

43/99 I guess I've got some work to do. The travel department needs some work.

If you want to do this, just copy/paste and bold what you have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen an eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be satisfied (oddly enough, when I had less money than I do now)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (technically I didn't have the baby, though)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Harry Potter Puppet Theatre

We owe this gem to a friend who was bored one day and found Harry online.  My kids, who are so smitten with boy Potter quickly memorized it and haven't stopped since.  We get a good laugh out of both videos, hope you will too!  Its probably more funny if you watch the original first.  So cute.

I have to say I love Levi saying "Dumbledore."  All the kids are so enamored with Harry when they got their wands for Christmas (my dad made them) Levi was the first one to open his and the first thing he said was, "Ha Pah" it was pretty cute!

With no further ado, we give you Harry Potter to music.

3, its a magic number...

...because 2 times 3 is 6; 3 times 6 is 18; and the 18th letter of the alphabet is R, yeah.  

Levi is trying to say the "r" sound! 

 Of course, it comes out more like a "w" but its an improvement!  Hooray!

Special thanks to Jack Johnson for writing such an awesome song we can sing in honor of Levi's progress.  If you don't know what I'm talking about... go get yourself a copy of The Curious George soundtrack!

FHE last week

We arrived home just in time for bedtime a week ago Sunday.  Other than Ethan, we all got a nice, easy and relaxing day Monday.  It was so nice to be able to sit back and let the kids play.  I didn't unpack or do laundry... I had a lot of fun playing with the kids.  We played Paddle Pool, Book of Mormon Heros puzzle blocks, and a great new game Bryant got from Brielle Stare Junior (its really fun, by the way... we've played it at least 4 times the past week).  We played with new toys and ate junk, it was like being on vacation from our vacation, just what we needed.

The day before we left Texas we had several friends drop by treats and we weren't able to take them all; we were also given some Condies chocolates for Christmas in Utah.  So, we had yummy treats to snack on throughout the day.  When Ethan got home, he treated the kids to a bit of chocolate too and then they started watching a movie upstairs. 

Ethan and I were doing something on the computer when Bryant comes down and says, "my throat and teeth hurt."  I turned to look at him and his shirt is soaked, completely drenched from shoulder to shoulder and  down to his waist.  I asked him, "Why is your shirt all wet?" (He has a tendency to chew on it sometimes for some reason).  Then it registers what he's just said to me and his mouth does look a bit puffy...

The next question has to be "What did you eat?!"  He tells me just the chocolate the dad gave him, so I call the friend who gave it to us and ask what was in it.  Nothing that should be a problem just as we thought, but is he now allergic to something new?  I'm completely baffled at this new development and I start to get some anxiety... but I'm still relatively calm, I know everything will be alright.   Ethan just goes right into treatment mode and gets out the Benadryl.  

We try having dinner and a FHE talk.  We planned on talking to the kids about being reverent during prayers because we've been having trouble with that, however our minds are quite distracted at present...  Bryant still is having trouble swallowing all his spit, indicating he's swollen through his throat at least a bit.  He's also starting to really itch all over.  Then he throws up.  All the Benadryl that is supposed to stop the reaction is out of the system.  His body is covered in hives.  I'm still trying to figure out how this is happening... what is causing this... I ask him, "Did you eat any of the chocolates from the green bag?"  You know that look your child gets when they know they've done something they weren't supposed to do, that's the look I see on his cute little puffy, red face.  I tell him that its definitely better for me to know the truth and he's not going to get in trouble I just need to know what he ate.  So, he ate a chocolate turtle, you know those candies that are chocolate covering caramel and a pile of pecans.

If you don't know, Bryant is extremely allergic to pecans.  We have an epi pen, but it expired a couple months ago.  Ethan is little unsure if he really needs it anyway.  He gives him more Benadryl and a blessing.  We get a line or two in on being reverent for the special prayer, so much for FHE.  In the blessing he says to Bryant, "that your parents will know what they need to do to help you."  I was thankful for that line.  Of course, within a few minutes Bryant was in the bathroom vomiting again.  That's when I tell Ethan, what he's already thinking, this guy needs to be taken to the Emergency Room.  

So, Ethan sets off with Bryant and I'm left with the others.  Its funny to me that I didn't really feel stressed and panic until Bryant was gone.  I wanted to be there with him and make sure the doctor knew every detail... I'm such a control freak.  Of course, Ethan did a great job and Bryant got a couple of shots (for which he was very brave).  They were home by 10 pm and our little guy was tuckered right out.  He was still itchy for about 24 hours, but by the time bedtime came on Tuesday he was pretty much back to normal.  

I'm so thankful for the knowledge and medicine we have today... I'm so thankful for a great husband who provides for our family (how great to be able to to the ER and not fret about the cost!)... I'm so thankful for Bryant, nothing really reminds you to be thankful for one of your kids like the threat of losing one of them... I'm thankful for the priesthood and especially for a Heavenly Father who loves us and watches out for us.  We have been so blessed in so many ways, there is no question in my mind where those blessings have come!

Needless to say, our FHE last week was pretty exciting, but Jonas and Levi felt left out of all the fun.  So, what do you like to do for your FHE?  Blessings?  Vomit? Anaphylaxis? Anyone?

Levi, Levi, Levi

I have a theory that kid #3 is trouble in most cases... one of Ethan's cousins actually nicknamed their third that very thing!  No offense to our brothers, but the #3 in each of our families has many stories to  be told of their childhood "adventures."  I know its not the case for every family, but is sure seems to fit with a lot of our friends and family.  We are, as I'm sure you can guess, no exception.

Levi is so much fun.  He is such a sweet heart and a good, smart kid.  He is also full of mischief.  I know you've all been waiting with baited breath the "story" I alluded to below, well the wait is over... (I know you're all relieved... its been hard to go on living each day, right?) :)

We drove all day last Saturday.  The kids eventually fell asleep, but we knew from past experience that as soon as we stopped and got them into the hotel they were stir and quite possibly get completely woken up.  When we pulled into the hotel around midnight, just before Albuquerque Bryant surprised us.  He didn't bother with waking up, just curled right into the bed and was out.  Jonas was still pretty out of it, but more awake than Bryant.  Levi, however, was completely awake and throwing a fit that Bryant got into the bed before him.  We made Bryant slide over and there was plenty of room, so Levi climbed in.  

Like I said, completely awake.  So, he proceeds to giggle, then push, then climb over Bryant.  Soon we hear the giggles coming from Jonas too.  Ethan and I are tired!  A week with family, especially during the holidays will do that to you.  Not to mention all the driving... we were exhausted, so this just wasn't going to work. 

 So I pulled Levi into our bed.  If I can get him to sleep then the problem is solved.  After wrestling with him for what seems an eternity (though I'm sure it only seemed that long because I was so tired) I give up and put him on the floor.  Its about 1:30 am now.  Ethan and I both conk completely out!  

However the sweet slumber is rudely disturbed at 3:07 am with a strange pounding sound.  Surprisingly, Ethan figures out what the sound is before me... its someone pounding on our door!  As he walks to the door I am think Who on EARTH is knocking on our door at this hour? I was thinking it was someone knocking on the wrong door and let me just say don't go knocking at doors in the middle of the night unless you are absolutely certain it is the right door.

This person was at the right door though... it was the lady from the front desk and she was returning something pretty important to us... LEVI!

I don't know how we didn't hear the door slam close (they all seem to do that, don't they?).  I don't know how she knew he belonged to us.  I don't know how long he'd been outside our door.  Really, the whole thing is quite a mystery to  me, I wish I could have spoken with her to gain a bit more info, but she was gone in the morning.  All I know for sure is that it could have been so much worse!  We were really close to the outside door, he could have gone out that door and gotten lost, been kidnapped, or frozen to death for goodness sakes!  We are so thankful that the Lord was watching out for our little guy. He may be trouble, but we'd hate to have anything bad happen to him!

As an update on his speech... he is using more words but still just the same consonants.  I don't think he's added any new letters to his vocabulary.  Since he's using more words, though, and actually putting words together in almost sentences, I'm less concerned.  We'll still be taking him for another evaluation in a couple weeks.

Those "Wild Berries"

We had such a fantastic time seeing family so much for the holidays.  Here are some random fun pictures from Christmas afternoon with Ethan's fam.  

Scott and Jane and grandparents were all incredibly generous, as always.  Thank you so much for everything you do for us!  Scott was really excited about getting us all Paddle Pool.  Did any of you play that as a kid?  I guess Ethan's family loved it, and as soon as it came back into print Scott bought a slew of them for all of us.  So far, it has been a family favorite for us as well!

Ethan and I worked really hard on our Christmas gifts this year, we had a great time putting together a family history cookbook and a CD for both our parents.  Thank you everyone for contributing recipes for the book, I couldn't have done it without all of your help!  I can't wait to try all the new recipes too!  If you want a copy of the cook book, I can email you the recipes in Word, you can print it and bind it how you like.  Just let me know!

It was especially nice to see A and J.  We don't know when we'll see them again, but hope it will be sooner than later.  Amelia and Conrad are absolutely gorgeous!  We love you guys!