November Wrap Up

In November we celebrated Soren's birthday. I was still dealing with morning sickness/migraines so his party was a little lacking. But we had a delicious peanut butter chocolate cheesecake, blew out candles and opened presents so it counts!

We also had family photos taken. I am so happy with how they turned out! It is crazy to think that the next ones we take will have another member of our family in them!

Thanksgiving was a little stressfull. We planned to have it at my parents, but my Mom had been so sick for weeks. Thanksgiving ended up getting postponed the day before and then reinstated the day of. I thought we weren't going to have it and then sure enough we squeaked it in by the end of the day Thursday. It made for a crazy day of baking for me because I took on a lot of the food and hadn't prepped it yet thinking we were postponing. Either way it worked out and I did happen to make a pretty fantastic looking pumpkin pie. I'd say my best ever. 

The kids were happy to share their dinner and dessert with Broch's dog Leah.

Late that night, at like 11:00 pm, I met friends for Black Friday shopping. The stores opened so early! We did Target and then Walmart. I found mostly movies for Christmas gifts. 

The next morning Mandy and I hit up JoAnns for their Black Friday sales at 7 am. It was crazy with long lines at the cutting counter, but probably my favorite place to shop for Black Friday. Everyone there was a creative person with some project up their sleeve. It felt like we all had something in common and were all in the same club. 

 And I started to grow a small baby bump in November. It felt a lot bigger than it looks.

Halloween 2012

Halloween this year was a big one for us. I took it easy on the costumes- doubled up skeleton jammies as skeleton costumes. That was partly because I have such a soft spot for a tiny skeleton, and also because I wasn't feeling great for the weeks prior. And why wasn't I feeling well?

A little something called baby #3! We announced that we are pregnant with baby number three on Halloween with an even tinier skeleton nestled in my costume's ribs. It wasn't as obvious to onlookers as I thought it would be- probably because I wasn't showing at all yet- but fun nonetheless. 

We took the kids trick or treating at Soren's work and the ward party. On Halloween night I really didn't feel well and we decided to just let the kids pass out candy. We still all had a great time and everyone got as much candy as they could have hoped for. 

Kesler's 2nd Birthday- Curious George Style

I always loved my birthdays growing up and I really enjoy making birthdays fun for my boys. Kesler had a Curious George themed birthday party for his second birthday and it was a hit! He loves the movies and the show (and the books too!). We just had family over, but I tried to do some fund decorations and simple foods. 

Somebody couldn't keep his fingers out of those cupcakes. Those were definitely Kesler's. 

We were most excited about Kesler's birthday present. Soren and I had been talking about getting kittens for a long time and I finally decided that I could handle adding more 'kids' to the family. We searched Craigslist and shelters to try and find the right ones. We got lucky on Craigslist the week of Kesler's birthday and found a little with only two left. They were 12 weeks old and it was a boy and a girl who had been friends/partners since birth. The woman who had them was so nice and took great care of her little farm kittens. She brought them to us with food bowls, treats, fleece blankets and little birth certificates. We couldn't believe how tiny they were! 

My parents kept them at their house for a day and I think we even moved the party up a day so that we could give the kids the kittens sooner. They were 'wrapped' in a big box and the kids opened it up after dinner. They were so surprised!

We named them before giving them to the kids. Soxie is the girl with white socked feet. Gunner is the dark gray boy. Oh they were so cute!

Everyone just wanted to hold them and be around them. The kittens weren't so sure about everything, but they did well under pressure and let us all man handle them. 

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Then we had cupcakes and ice cream and did the birthday party games. It was the perfect birthday for our handsome little two year old Kesler!

Carving Pumpkins with Dad

There is just something fun about carving pumpkins for kids. Soren isn't the biggest fan of the goo inside them, but I love roasting the seeds and eating about 20 of them. The kids love seeing the faces they carved glow. We aren't the best at traditions, but this will be an easy one to continue. We even had doughnuts after which sweetened the deal for everyone. 

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Mom and the Boys at Home

Being a stay at home mom gives me a lot of time to spend with my boys- which sometimes is difficult, but most of the time is rewarding and really fun!  They are frequently in the kitchen with me helping me bake. Kesler cannot keep his fingers out of ANYTHING we are making but otherwise they are great helpers!

Putting the kids in bed every night is always something I look forward to, but watching them while they sleep always erases a lot of the frustration from the day. How could anyone stay bugged at these sweet faces???

Easton takes after Soren in so many ways, but even in his love for gear and mountain climbing. He loves to get dressed up in gloves and hats and coats. He got a new coat in September and although it didn't get cold enough to wear it for months, he sure wore it around the house!

We try to do kids crafts and projects a few times a week- but it doesn't always happen. This homemade silly clay was a fun one to make. 

And we have been known to stop at McDonald's for an ice cream cone every once and a while too. Nothing like a fun place to play and a cheap treat.  

Last Swim

We got in one last swim in September before the pool closed for winter. It sure is fantastic having a pool that we can use so easily- especially since we can often go with my parents or brothers. I can't imagine trying to go swimming without their help! We are totally excited to go again next year!

Time Out For Women

In September I had the chance to drive to St. Louis with my mom and a friend to go to Time Out for Women. We left on a Friday afternoon and made it just in time to go to the opening session on Friday night. We also met another good friend there that had moved to Tennessee. St. Louis was the perfect halfway point for her to meet up with us. We all enjoyed the speakers and the music- and the time away! I picked up a few books for the kids and myself and took lots of notes. 

Friday night we enjoyed late night pizza and talking. There were also events all day Saturday. We were worn out of sitting and listening by the end. I am so out of practice with sitting still for a long time and listening to someone teach. In college I was a pro, but as a mom when do I ever get to do that? I'll admit my attention was not always directed at the presenter! 

It was a long drive home on Saturday evening, but we made it more bearable with a stop at a mall for a little browsing and a smoothie. I was the only one who got a kick out of our smoothies matching our outfits- but how cute is that?

We all had a great weekend away and I came home to an incredibly clean (and reorganized!) living room. Soren typically DEEP cleans something while I am gone and although the rest of the house was sketchy- the living room was clean!

Cody Got His Mission Call!!

In August, a much anticipated event finally happened! After working and saving and waiting for months, Cody finally got his mission call! Friends and family came over to the house to watch him open it and we were all so excited to find out where he was going. He opened it to reveal that he would be serving in the Taiwan, Taipei Mission! Not only was that his number one choice- it is also where his best friend was serving too! Cody and Evan had both taken Chinese in high school and Evan had left a few months earlier. We were all so shocked and thrilled for Cody! He was told to report to the MTC on December 18. He quickly got busy calling family and friends to share the good news!

Shooting

So over the summer Soren really wanted me to learn how to shoot a gun for some self protection. I dragged my feet about it, but we finally went to a range on a Saturday afternoon. Boy- was it a wake up call! Who knew guns were so loud and powerful!?! After my first shot, my reaction was- I never want to do that again! But I had to finish my round and each shot was a little less shocking. I think it will take a LOT more practice to get used to shooting anything, but it was good to have a try at it. Definitely an eye opening experience!

Preschool Co-Op

This year four other Mom's and I started a preschool co-op for the kids Easton's age. We each take two weeks at a time hosting/teaching on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We have an assigned topic/number/letter for each week. About half of the time is spend just playing and the other half is lessons, crafts and snack. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it has been fantastic for Easton. He loves having it at our house and he loves going to everyone else's. I am amazed at how much he learns about different topics and grateful that I don't have the stress of planning lessons on our own each week. 

Kesler and I usually run errands, go to the pet store or the park or spend time at home while Easton is gone. Kesler is always sad that he can't go, but the poor guy has three more full years before he starts school. He won't even start preschool for a whole another year after this. 

Next year we plan to continue with the kids and do it for 3 hours instead of 2.5. We'll try to follow more of a kindergartner prep course and see if we can get them school ready. I can't believe that Easton will be starting summer school in June 2014!