Park in the winter

Thanks to milder weather this winter, we've been able to get to the park quite a bit.

"How many spaces can I fit into?"

Sledding

We took advantage of the snowfall early one Monday morning a few weeks ago. I actually begged Kevin to come too--I mean, what's the point of being self-employed if you can't just spontaneously go sledding during the week? Good thing we did too, because all the snow was melted by the afternoon.


Can you see Reed? Sledding is was of my favorite past times. I HAVE to do it every year.


Reed was such a trooper.


Frozen baby. "It's all part of the experience, Taryn."


Reed loved it. Taryn wasn't so sure.


All by himself! He yelled "Wahoo!" as he went down. Made me so proud. :)

Baby Girl is 1!

We had a simple party with family for Taryn's 1st Birthday. We will be transistioning to a half-birthday celebration in the summer (combined with Reed...we'll see how that goes) since her birthday is so close to Christmas. Has anyone ever done this?

We just love our Baby Girl (she barely has a real name). Here are a few things about Taryn:

*She tries to fit any space she can. She tries to climb in the toy wagon, tubs of toys, laundry baskets, buckets, and her latest--the oven drawer.
* She can't go around anything. She has to go over or through it. She likes to create challenges for herself. She has an "I can do it!" attitude already.
*She will only eat baby food if she is holding a utensil as well.
*She was such a pleasant baby; then she started teething. Still a happy baby during the day usually but a demon baby at night! Only has 3.5 teeth....
*You'd think she was a good eater considering her girth. She has become extremely picky. Refuses vegetables, most baby food, grapes, bread, etc. Aren't those staples?? But put her on the ground in the kitchen and she will eat every cereal crumb on the floor.
*Says "Daddy" pretty clearly. Still a momma's girl.
*LOVES bath time!
*Loves her big brother (most of the time). I'm thinking it will be less than a year before she can make him cry. Oh wait...
*Loves being outside and exploring. Is a bit of a "destroyer" inside.
*Can walk holding onto the wall; not quite brave enough to let go for very long yet. Though when she does, she loves the attention!
*Kind of a tease. Totally knows when she is doing something she shouldn't be. She smiles real big, waves, and then crawls away super fast.
*Still has awesome hair. Haircut coming soon--just to even out the mullet in the back.
*WE LOVE LOVE LOVE HER!

Christmas 2011

Festival of Trees--one of our family traditions the past 5 years.



St. Nick's Day


Making cookies with Grandma


Temple Square with cousins






Learning about the true meaning of Christmas



Playing in the snow with friends




Joy School party


1 of 3 Christmas celebrations


A little Rock Band (or Kung Fu Panda and they gave Reed the drums to quiet him)


Baby Santa in her sleigh (completely Reed's idea)



Gingerbread house making ("Bethlehem")


Elfing it up on Christmas Eve (annual tradition)



Christmas morning at Oma & Opa's

Some thoughts

It has been a long time. Along with the holidays approaching, we found out some sad news in our family a couple weeks ago. On Monday, Nov. 21, I received a call that my mom's husband, Bob, passed away unexpectedly. He was 56 years old. He and my mom were married for 8 years, so he wasn't around for my earlier years, but I still considered him a friend and I loved and cared about him, especially for who he was to my mom. He was a great man.

But instead of all the details of what the last 2 weeks have been like, I wanted to just put some of my thoughts down on "paper" about what I have learned. I guess foremost, I realized that family is what it's all about. That is why we are here. And when we leave this earth, relationships are among the only things we can take with us. So shouldn't we be spending most of our energy on improving those relationships and taking advantage of the time we have together? It's funny how we can get caught up with getting things done, or planning outings, etc. when usually, people just want us. I notice that with Reed. Sometimes I will plan these fun activities for him/field trips, etc. when all he really wants is me. Another thing that I thought about was how unfortunate it is if we don't express our feelings and love to those we care about. I learned a lot about Bob the past 2 weeks and there were a lot of people who cared about him. I do believe that Bob was able to hear the wonderful things said about him but, you know, it would have been nice to see his reaction. I have no regrets concerning Bob because I do believe he knew I cared about him, but maybe we need to start telling people in person, or even writing a letter or thank you note before they are gone. Of everything I want my kids to know and learn while I am raising them, I want them to know I love them. And Kevin for that matter too. I'm not sure I tell him enough. And the last thing I have been pondering is that death is a part of life. We all have to go through it. And I don't mean to lessen the grief and mourning that entail it, I am just grateful to know that death is not the end. I know that Bob is in a better place, that he is happy, and that he is healthy. What an awesome reunion it will be when we return to our Father in Heaven and our welcomed there by loved ones gone before. I know Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. I don't know why this happened or why it happened now, but I do know that if we can live by faith and continue on the path, we will be blessed.