Entertaining Kids

Joshua (almost 18 months):
-Says "please" ("bee") and "thank you" ("dee doo") without prompting
-Responds to requests or instructions with "ok" ("ah day")
-Responds to questions he can't answer with "hmmmmm"
-Will spontaneously hug and kiss Mama and Daddy
-Tries to imitate his big sister all the time and loyally follows her everywhere
-Has a sense of humor

Kara (almost 4):
-"My heart was beeping really fast."
-(trying to sing along with a Christmas song:) "Do you eat what I eat?"
-"There's three things that are bright outside: Jesus, Heaven, and the sun."
-(while praying:) "We thank you for we love Santa Claus..."
-Said to me in an exasperated tone, "How many times do you have to tell me to do something?"
-Can be a great helper

Happy Birthday, Jonathan!

My brother is 21 today. He's currently serving a mission in Northern California and loving every minute of it. We hope he had a great day!

Christmas Photos

(taken at Portrait Innovations)

22 Weeks

and feelin' great!

Happy Birthday, Trevor!

Brian's little brother Trevor is now an old man of 23 years. He's a great brother-in-law and uncle and lots of fun. We hope your day was great, Trevor!

Happy Birthday, Jenna!

My little sister turns 19 today! It seems like only yesterday she was 9. Jenna is alotta fun, and she's a great sister and friend. Have a wonderful day, Penna!

We're having another...

GIRL! and are so excited. The ultrasound was today, and everything was measuring-- to the day!-- exactly right. It was fun to see the detailed images and to be able to see (while feeling) her moving around.

Little Daddy

Halloween & Ward Fall Festival

I made Kara's costume last year, and it fit her this year, too. I finished Joshua's costume in the nick of time and got lots of compliments on it (a neighbor even wanted to take his picture while we were trick-or-treating!). He won 3rd place in the (youth category) costume contest at our ward's Fall Festival/Trunk-or-Treat last night. The kids seemed to have fun this weekend, but we now have WAY too much candy.

Joshua hated the hood (so we took it off after the pictures).








pretty princess


dancing



silly Kara


cute little scarecrow

What a Day!

Wednesday morning I took the kids with me to a 2-hour Primary presidency meeting at someone else's house. As we were leaving, Joshua pulled a console table over, and it fell on top of him. Everything that was on the table came crashing down, including a wrought-iron basket that landed on Joshua's head.

Here's a picture of some of the damage (taken the next day):


I took the kids home, fed Kara lunch (Joshua refused to eat and was very lethargic), and was debating whether to take Joshua to the doctor's when Brian called, requesting that I come pick him up from work and take him to the ER because he was choking on a carrot. So, we all went down there (by the time we got to work, the carrot had gone down), and went to the ER where we waited for the next 4.5 hours. (Brian was referred to a gastroenterologist; he'll be seeing him this Thursday to have a probe stuck down his throat. Joshua quickly came back to his usual self, so we ruled out concussion and didn't have him seen.) Then we got to drive all the way home in rush-hour traffic. I quickly threw together some dinner and then rushed off to go visiting teaching. I think Wednesday was the longest day of my life (and definitely in the bottom three)! I'm sure glad it's over and everyone survived.

USAA EBO Family Picnic

This was our third year (out of three) going to Brian's work-sponsored annual family "picnic" at the Don Strange Ranch, about 45 minutes from San Antonio. Everything is free to those that attend, and we always enjoy our time there. Our family photo that was taken should come in the mail in a few weeks, so I'll have to post it then.

feeding the longhorn cattle




pony rides



the petting zoo


Joshua was wary of the fowl




face painting




dancing



the fam (plus a random lady)


Kara making a necklace; Joshua making a mess


waiting in the (very long!) line for the Ferris wheel


riding it





caricatures

Happy Birthday, Kaylin!

Today our sweet little niece turned one. It was fun to finally meet her when we went to Maryland. She's an easy-going, mellow baby who is (so far) the only child in her family. Hope your day was great, Sweetheart!

Our Maryland Vacation: Week 1 (Sept 27- Oct 3)

Kara, Joshua, and I flew (non-stop, thankfully) to MD on Saturday. We went to storytime at Borders bookstore and went to a couple parks during the week. The weather was gorgeous! That first week we all got colds for a few days, which was the only major downside of the whole trip.

Aunt Victoria, Makayla (one of their foster children), Grandma, and Kara


listening to a story


playing with a chair at Borders


giant swings at a park



Joshua's favorite: a bouncing seahorse


Grandma and Kara watching boats in the harbor


Madison (the other foster girl) and Joshua wishing they could be in the bath, too (again)




Joshua's "cheese!" face