Christmas

We had a lovely Christmas.
We spent a few days up at my aunt and uncle's cabin in Heber.

(Steve and Davey)
We went snowmobiling,

had a pass along gift exchange,

and listened to my uncle Newel and aunt Liz sing some jolly tunes.

Davey finally got his gun.
(Think twice before you break into our house now, you'll get a .22 shot to the head)

Adelaide got a ton of cute things that she loved.

We were also able to see the Liechty side of my family on Christmas afternoon.
We wish they could have stayed at my grandma and grandpa's longer, we don't get to see each other very often.

Then we finally came home and found what Santa left for us.
It was a great holiday.
Now spring, you better hurry up and get here fast!

I Can't Sew

These are the two projects I finished today.
The one on the right (an apron) took me way too long to finish.
It is horrible. I can't even sew a straight line.
It doesn't look that bad from the picture,
but you should see it up close and personal. Ugh!

I'm most proud of the one on the left.
What is it you ask?
Rags.
I was thinking about curling Adelaide's hair today
and the thought frightened me.
Two reasons:
One, I don't know if she would sit that long.
Two, what if I burned her beautiful neck or face!
No way, no curling iron yet.
Then I remembered my mom putting rags in our hair
when we were little.
We would sleep on them, wake up, and ta-da!
So I think I'll give it a try this week and see how it works.

Yesterday

We had the pleasure of watching Kade and Addison yesterday.
I just thought this was a really cute picture.

What A Sight

I forgot to post about this house after Thanksgiving.
While we were vacationing in Idaho Falls for the holiday,
we took a trip to the craziest house I have ever seen.

There is a nice man who has transformed his home
into a giant model train world.
Almost every room in his house is dedicated and full of model train towns. He has made holes in his walls and everything for the train to move throughout the house.
The room above seems to be dedicated to the fall season
and random crazy creatures.

This room is Halloween. Can't you tell?

This was Davey's favorite room of all. I thought he was going to cry.

Here we have the winter wonderland.

This was probably my favorite thing in the house
and it had nothing to do with trains.

Silence Is . . . Golden?

Its quiet.
Its never quiet.
Whenever we are at my parents' home in Idaho Falls, quiet is never the norm. Its almost unacceptable. With Jimmy (age 4), Robert (age 2 but the size of an age 6), Adelaide (age 2) and Brenna (age less than 1). Then you throw in a little bit of Davey and a dash of Kip, sprinkled with Big Mamma herself. So you can understand now why quiet is a problem.

I am not sure who first noticed it. But after it is noticed a quick roll call of all the trouble makers is immediately sounded off.
Davey? Ok.
Kip? Ok.
Jimmy? Ok.
Adelaide? Ok.
Robert? Robert?

Its quiet.
Its never quiet.
And with Robert missing, anything could happen. Jennifer takes Brenna and begins the slow scan of the upstairs and downstairs of the home in search of our little Dobbs while the rest of us continue enjoying company in the dining room.

Not downstairs. Not in the computer roo... "RICK!!!"
"Oh my gosh!! Rick, I need you right now!! Rick, you have to get down here now!!"
The sound of multiple children shrieking. Jennifer sounds hysterical.
Rick jumps up and runs down the hall. May jumps to her feet and turns the corner to follow. I am behind May, but as I turn the corner, May is now heading back toward me in panic, "I can't go down there. I don't want to see it. I can't look." Next to me is my mom followed closely by the footsteps of my dad. When Dad has those kind of footsteps, something is wrong.

We can tell Jennifer is back in my parents' bathroom. As I turn another corner to enter their bedroom I see Brenna on the ground crying. My mom stops her running to scoop up Brenna and coddle the young frightened one.

I enter the bathroom and there is Robert. Screaming at the top of his lungs. Blood. Blood on his face. Blood on his clothes. Blood on his hands and arms. Blood in his mouth. On the ground nearby also covered in blood . . . a razor.

The poor boy wanted to be like his dad and took to shaving at the ripe old age of two. We cleaned him up. Turned out to be two razor cuts on his top lip. He didn't feel the pain of the cuts so he didn't worry. He just sat there wondering where all this red stuff had come from when his mother walked in on him.

He's fine now. Just a couple of scabs.

It never good when its quiet.

Happy Hanukkah

Non-Crappy Starring You! eCards on JibJab

"Shweh!"

Adelaide would NOT go down for a nap. We tried and tried. She cried and cried. She is at the stage now where her words are coming together. Still slurred and jumbled, we do our best to understand her speech. She needed a nap pretty bad. She is eating a ton lately and sleeping more, so we think she might be on a growth spurt. Then it came to me. She wasn't saying "Shlee!" for sleep.

Rather, it was

"Shweh!"

And that can only mean one thing.

So here she is. Sleeping. She has taken her shirt off and to the side. Her pants off too (she sleeps like her dad). Her little body will only tolerate a diaper before falling asleep. Her baby and bear discarded in the afore mentioned struggle. And with her blanket wrapped sweetly around her, she finally eases the grip she had on her Secret Sleeping Treasure.

Shrek.

The Polar Express

'Tis the beauty of Heber City.
We wanted to visit Santa tonight so we decided the only way
to see him was to take the Polar Express!

It was so much fun and the snow made it even better.
If you know me, I hate snow. But, it was so necessary to create
the proper mood. And oh did it create the mood.
It was beautiful!

Adelaide met Mrs. Claus who gave me her special cookie recipe.

She met Santa for the second time. He gave her a special bell
that everyone on the train could hear.

She even got picked to sing Jingle Bells with our lovely elves
for the evening, Cookie and Sprinkle.

It was a beautiful night.

BLAST OFF!

If God Didn't Want Us To Eat Turkeys, He Wouldn't Have Made Them Out Of Turkey

While you all were busy stuffing your faces with turkey and making memories with friends and family, we were busy stuffing our faces with turkey and making memories ONLY with family. We went to Idaho for Thanksgiving where three of Adelaide's cousins waited with hoping hearts and cheerful smiles for her arrival. I'm afraid Addie might ask for a family transfer one of these days and refer to us as Uncle Daddy and Aunt May. She loves her cousins THAT much. That's why we limit her contact with them.

Anyway, we had a ball. We went to a local park for our Annual Thanksgiving Hike. In the past we have been chased by dogs, shot by members of the Viet Cong and trespassed on private property. Just the park this year. Looks like my parents are toning it down.


Then we feasted as though it was a feast (psst... it was a feast). I kept myself under control and only ate seven deviled eggs. My life is hard sometimes.

Then we did what everyone else did after their Thanksgiving dinner. We opened Christmas stockings. My mom figured that since the grandkids won't be around on Christmas Day, she should have them open stockings a little early. Nice Granny. Tolerant Grandpa.

Then we went to downtown Idaho Falls, saw some decorated trees, took a horse carriage ride, chilled with Santa, made Christmas decorations, helped decorate Adelaide's Great Grandmother's house and then set up Granny's tree.

It was all followed up with a fashionable attendance in Addie's new Holiday Dress at church.

First Haircut

It was a momentous day.

Adelaide had her first hair cut!


I was worried that she would squirm, wiggle,
and hate everything about it.
But she was so good! She just sat there and let Haley work her magic.

She did an awesome job on her hair. Haley Jones, Images Salon, Pleasant Grove.
I love her. I've gone to her for 4 years for my own hair, and she is great with the kiddies.

This was the best smile we could get.

The finished adorable product. It looks so cute in person, even cuter when she smiles.
It makes her look so grown up!

So Sorry Lobos

I have been craving a live football game lately, so thankfully the Ute's had one last home game.
I've never been the biggest football fan, but I'm trying really hard this year with much success.
I haven't asked Davey to turn a game off once, and I do enjoy being at games in person.
We couldn't get tickets to the BYU vs U of U game. This was the next best thing.
They pretty much kicked New Mexico's trash.

Adelaide had a great time. She loves the sports atmosphere.



We invited our friends Brevyn and Angela to come along.















We had a schnazzy time. It was a good game and Adelaide was a peach. I take that back, she was peaches and cream.















(That is a popcorn bucket on her head) Isn't she cute?

The Old Man and The Sea

A photo update on May and Addie's new toy.

My parents passed through town this week on their way back from Vegas where my brother Rick competed in a Firefighter Combat Challenge (and scored his new personal best time of 2:01). We went and played some Australian Tennis today (that's my crude version of tennis when you only have three players). My Dad beat my mom and me 6 (him) to 5 (me) to 3 (mom). I am always looking for players.

Then when, out of the blue, I asked him to guess what I memorized while at work the other day, he answered, "The Gettysburg Address." There are not many times in my life I can recall where I was left without words. He got me. I had memorized The Gettysburg Address. Some kid had to do it for his school class and I wanted to show him how easy it was. Then, it happened. As I paced the shop floor studying Mr. Lincoln's words I was overcome with all those patriotic warm fuzzies. I felt a renewed dedication to the "unfinished work" left in our hands to honor "this government, under God". So, Monday, I AM GOING TO REGISTER TO VOTE! Then, next November, I will once again submit my write-in for Superman as President. Who would be better than him?


And for your patriotic pleasure:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to theproposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.

Early Christmas To Me

Yesterday was Christmas in November.

I gave Davey a new longboard for his birthday this year. We each had one once upon a time, but some snots came into our garage unbeknown to us, and stole them right from under our noses.
That was a couple of years ago and
Davey has really had the itch to go.
He enjoys having Captain pull him along the
Provo River trail.
Adelaide and I tried to accompany him once,
I pulled her in her wagon.
Well, he took off and we didn't see him until we reached the end of the line.
How boring is that? Adelaide and I should have gone by ourselves. It was pointless for us to even be there together. Mostly because we weren't
really together at all.
Anyway, long story short, I thought about getting another board as well.
Then what about poor Adelaide? What would she do?
We have tried sitting on the board with her while Captain pulls, but she likes to drag her hands on the ground or touch the wheels. Ouch.
It's no longer an option.
Davey came up with an idea so we can have fun and stay together.

Wait for it............













Wait for it...........................














HOORAY! A new bike for me (and Adelaide), set up with child seat and all.

She is going to love it. She has had the opportunity to ride in a bike trailer before, but she couldn't see much. She enjoys checking out her world, so this I think she will love. She is obsessed with bike helmets (now she has one and can wear it), and she can see
what's going on around her.
Now for me, I like that I can get a little extra exercise and keep up with Davey and Captain.
I received this wonderful gift early so I can enjoy the last days of fall before snow falls and ruins my life.

Thanks dear for a fabulous gift.

Fall In The Shadows

Part of the problem of being Batman is all the time my daughter has to spend in the Bat Cave while I work on new gizmos and gadgets. Of late my obsession is "Bat Tax Returns". Getting ready for the end of the year tax statements, I thought it would be cool to rig it so in my tax return envelope a bat would fly out and kill the person who does our audit. Its actually not a bad idea. Hopefully it works better than the "Bat Christmas List". Santa is still kinda peaved that the bat attacked him.

But back to life as Batman's daughter. Today she got out, went bicycle shopping had ice cream and then just strolled around enjoying this lovely weather. Seriously, if you are not out soaking up some sun these days you either need some help or you are some sort of secret superhero and we should meet. All the same, isn't it so lovely?

PS- The Bat Cave isn't so bad.

My Bro is 9

My brother turned nine on Saturday. I can't believe it. I am finally starting to feel my age.

He was born when I was 18. When I would take him out with me, people would ask if he was my own. Crazy! So I must say, I've kind of felt like his second mom more than his sister.
My boy is getting so big!

We went to the Eccles Dinosaur Park in Ogden.
It was really fun.
That would be my brother on the top right.

Adelaide had a good time, considering she had a fever and threw up in the car on the way up.
However, she did not throw up due to the fever. She gets car sick.
If anyone has some advice on keeping your kids from carsickness, I could use it.

She loved uncovering the dinosaur bones and eggs.

I didn't get pictures but, we went and had delicious cake and ice cream at my grandparents after the dinosaur adventure. It was a fun day.

Happy Halloween

It was Adelaide's third Halloween, and this year she was finally able to really enjoy it.

Her intended costume was a princess. Well, really it was a bunny,
but it happened to be too small.
Next on the list was a princess.
We put on the dress (which she hated), then tried to put on her cute little hat that came with it.
She wanted nothing to do with it. She wanted to wear her pink cowgirl hat.
So that's what she wore. I called her my little Rodeo Queen.


My friend Tamsen and her son Owen came down from Bountiful to join us at our ward's
trunk or treat festivities. The kids had so much fun and ate so much candy.
I let Addie eat whatever she wanted so I pray she doesn't wake up with a stomach ache.


Dracula had to work tonight so he wasn't able to join us. Addie did get to go visit him a work and show him her costume though.


Happy Halloween!