Shakin' it.

We finally got out the Christmas music after Thanksgiving.  I wait until after Thanksgiving out of respect to my sweet husband.  I'd listen to it all year round if it were up to me.  I think Tate feels the same way.  He just could not hold still once we turned it on.  I have no idea where he got these moves, but I can't stop laughing when I watch it.  I love that this is what came out when he felt like shakin' it.  Hilarious.

Picture Wednesdays, Thanksgiving, and Family pictures

I got busy last week and forgot to post Picture Wednesday.  So here are two in a row.
Finny at 48 weeks old.

And little man today at 49 weeks old.

Finny took his first of what I'm sure will be many tumbles down the stairs last night and ended up with a little goose egg on his fluffy little head.  Poor kid recovered really quickly but it was still pretty sad.  I cannot believe he's going to turn one in just a few weeks!  It blows my mind that a year ago I was huge and pregnant, we were living in Houston, had no idea that we'd be moving to Denver, and were getting ready for Christmas and playing with our one little boy.  Lots of changes this year.  All good ones, of course.
Last week my mom, dad, and Kenzie came to stay for Thanksgiving.  I wish I had taken more pictures but, as usual, I forgot to bring my camera around and only ended up with a couple of photos of our time together.  Tate spent much of the time snuggling with Grandpa on the couch.  He sure loves his Grandpa.  Finn loved having more people to follow around the house and smile at.  It was SO nice having them here.  Tate discovered Talking Tom on Nana's phone.  I've since had to upload it on my phone as well. I'll have to video him playing with it.  It's pretty great.

They got here Wednesday night.  On Thursday we went for a nice little jog then got to work on the food.  We had "dinner" at Aunt Nancy's house at 1 so it was a full morning of cooking and watching the parade.  Dinner was wonderful.  Everything was perfect and the conversation was great too.  Brady and Kenzie were even able to peer pressure Tate into trying some of his ham at the kids table.  A huge feat.  And we only heard one loud gagging noise from their table, which we consider a success for Tate when trying new foods.  Maybe we should have them eat dinner with us every night.
After dinner we vegged on the couch and watched a movie while Tate settled down to watch Star Wars in the other room.  We've been watching Disneyland rides online in anticipation of our disneyland trip and he was really excited about Star Tours.  The robots, the space ships, lasers and light sabers.  All things awesome.  I snuggled with him while we watched the whole movie then he ran around the house  for the rest of the evening humming the theme song.  (hmmmm hmmmmmm hm hm hm HMMMMM hmmmm) and every day since he's been R2D2, C3PO, or Chewy.  A great discovery for little Tate.

Kenzie and I decided to brave the outlet malls on Thursday night for some early black friday deals.  We both bought a couple of things and I found some great deals on clothes for the kiddos.  It was really fun.  The lines weren't too bad, the crowds were friendly.  I think I'd do it again.  Kenz and I had fun, even though I made her listen to Bing Crosby Christmas music in the car.  She survived.

Friday and Saturday were spent going for walks and drives, going to movies, and watching movies at home while snuggling little kids.  At one point there was a game on ESPN 3 (?) that Glenn and Dad had to watch and since we didn't have it on cable they relocated to the office to watch it on the computer.  Of course they couldn't watch a game without a couch so that had to come with.

On their last night we made tons of food again, just for fun.  Tate enjoyed watching the ice cream maker do it's thing. 

It was a great, relaxing weekend with the family.  I miss them and I love that my kids love having them around, though it is always a bummer when they leave and Tate starts crying, "I don't want them to go!  Nooooo!"  It was a very nice and chill Thanksgiving.

A little over a month ago we made a quick trip to Utah for a BYU lacrosse alumni game.  Glenn really wanted to play and we found a great photographer (actually the wife of one of Glenn's former teammates) to take our family pictures while we were in town.  It worked out perfectly.  The kids were in pretty good moods, which was lucky, the weather cooperated, the light was beautiful, and Victoria did a great job.  Her rates were really nice and she sent us a disc with all our pics which not many photographers will do anymore.  I'll definitely be calling her again in the future!  Here are a few of our favorites:

Picture Wednesdays

Picture Wednesday got away from me last week so here's two in a row:

Finnster at 46 weeks old

 He wants to start climbing the stairs.  I want him to not.  I should just break down and buy a gate...but I haven't yet, so we just keep a really close eye on little scooter.  It is pretty hilarious watching him when we're upstairs and he gets sight of the stairs and absolutely bolts toward them to see if he can get there before we catch him.  I wonder if we let him fall a couple of times, if he'd find them as exciting...

And here's Finn today at 47 weeks old.  

Guess where Finn and I spent the morning while Tate was at preschool?  At our darling booth at the Grandmother's House Boutique.  

It opened yesterday and, if I do say so myself, it's pretty darn cute.  Yesterday was kinda slow, today seemed slower, but supposedly the last three days should pick up.  I hope it does so we can sell all of our beds!  

Recent Ponderments

Here's a list of my brain's recent ponderments.  Perhaps if I write it all out some space will be vacated...sort of like fluff coming out of a popped seam on a really overstuffed teddy bear...at least that's what it feels like in there.

- It's election day.  I voted a couple weeks ago.  I think I'll always vote early.  There was no wait in line, Tate helped push all the buttons and got a sticker which was pretty cool for him.  I'm loving living in a swing state.  I had people from both camps knock on my door asking who I plan to vote for.  The commercials are annoying and CONSTANT.  Seriously, which women do these guys thing they are winning over by bludgeoning their opponent?  I'm turned off by the aggression and character slandering on both sides.  It's lame.  Just tell me what YOU are about, please.  It makes you look dumb when you tell me what a loser your opponent is.  Of course you think he's a loser.  I already know you think he's a loser.  This year is the first time I've watched the debates.  Judge if you must, but I just haven't been that interested until this year.  I found them fascinating...and also kind of ridiculous.  Sometimes it felt like the conversation went like this:

 "In response to that question let me explain to you the nonsensical way that he would answer this question.  I know, right.  Of course that wouldn't work!"

"Oh no. That is not the way I would answer the question at all, but this is what he thinks!  Does that make any sense to you?  I thought not."

"Oh no it isn't!  But this is the ridiculous kind of crap that HE thinks!"

"Oh yeah?!...."

Repeated over and over...and I was never sure if any of it was true.  Interesting, this politics stuff.

I must say, however, that I love having my vote make a difference.  A real difference, this time.  Utah and Texas were voting one way no matter what I did.  But dear old Colorado cares what I think and I like that.

- Two weeks ago we had Stake Conference and sat with the Garvins who helped wrangle our kiddos for 2 hours.  Last week we were driving home from Utah on Sunday and weren't able to attend.  But 2 days ago Sunday, was our first of what will be many many many 3-hour long wrestling matches with dear little Finny.  It was no good.  Do we force the poor wiggly kid to sit on our laps through classes as we frantically try to quiet him by shoving bits of food in his mouth?  He's tired.  It's naptime!  Do we let him crawl around during class, eating mystery nuggets from the floor and giving it a good polish with his nice light khakis?  Is he old enough to "learn" that he needs to stay in class no matter what because going out in the hall is not an option unless he's "naughty"?  I don't want to miss classes.  I like going to church.  But it's suddenly become such a battle and it will be a battle for 8 more months!  Dreading.  It was so hard it had Glenn saying several times, "No more kids, Kim."  I'm not ready to make that commitment so...thoughts or suggestions?  Anyone?  For the good of our procreative possibilities?

- I've been sewing and crafting a lot lately.  Nap times are way too short but it's fun to have new projects to fill them with.  I did a craft fair last Saturday with my cousin Lindsay and it was so much fun.  Did we rake in the dough?  No.  But we made a bit of cash and had a great time people watching and chatting about most everything.  Next week we have another craft fair with our Aunt Nancy.  We're making doll beds and bedding sets for American Girl size dolls.  I think they're turning out stinkin' cute.  I REALLY hope they sell and we make some moolah back.  If not, all ya'll might be getting doll beds for Christmas...or perhaps some of the few people who visit my etsy site will get very good deals on  doll beds for Christmas.  How many do I have?  Let's just say our office/sewing room closet is looking pretty silly these days. This is what I've been doing for the last couple of months:

- I just finished reading "Bossypants" by Tina Fey.  I busted up laughing all. the. time. while reading.  Can I recommend it to any of you?  no.  The language is pretty bad.  Call me a heathen if you must but I could not put it down.  I do not agree with a lot of things she says, her politics, obviously the language, etc.  But there were a lot of jewels in there.  I've found that while I'm not an expert wordsmith, I do have the gift of appreciating the well put together thought.  During conference I find myself writing down phrases that struck me, not because of the novel idea, but because the way it was worded really struck a note with me.  It was like that, for me, reading this book.  She had a way of writing that made me think and nod in agreement while laughing hysterically.  I was constantly badgering Glenn lying next to me at the edge of dreamland with, "Ok, just let me read you one more thing."  "Oh honey, this is so funny, I've got to read you this."  Or I'd just bust up laughing to myself and after a few seconds he'd say, "Well, you can't just laugh out loud and not share it."Here are a few of my favorite gems:

• When talking about how she was respectfully afraid of her father, "How can I give my daughter what Don Fey gave me?  The gift of anxiety.  The fear of getting in trouble.  The knowledge that while you are loved, you are not above the law.  The World-wide Parental Anxiety System is failing us if this many of us have made sex tapes."  I thought of many of my former junior high students when I read that.  Not the sex tapes part, the part about parents being able to let their kids know that they are loved, but still accountable to rules and standards.  There should be a fear, a respect for authority and rules.  I grew up with it.  I hope my boys do too.
• In discussing photoshop and physical standards for women, "'Why can't we just accept the human form as it is', screams no one.  I don't know why, but we never have.  That's why people wore corsets and neck stretchers and powdered wigs."
• In a silly prayer she wrote for her young daughter, "And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord.  That I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 a.m., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.  'my mother did this for me once,' she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby's neck.  'My mother did this for me.'  And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me.  And she will forget.  But I'll know, because I peeped it with your God eyes."

- I'm super food moody lately.  Sometimes I call Glenn and say, "I'm Fmoody, what should I make for dinner?"  I plan meals, write them on a menu board, buy groceries for the week...and I get around to making them all...but it usually takes longer than a week because none of it sounds good anymore. I get hungry but nothing sounds good.  Every option makes me wanna cry or just not eat. I know that sounds ridiculous and lame considering that I am lucky to have food at all.  I realize how ridiculous I sound.  I do.  But I'm bummed about it right now.  It almost feels like I'm pregnant, which I am not, by the way.  But it has reminded me that being pregnant is like a permanent case of the fmoodies with the delightful addition of constant nausea and vomiting and that I am, currently, not ready to wallow in those delights again!

- I have a new niece today.  Adam and Cami had a baby girl named Abigail Marie this morning.  I've only seen a couple of tiny pictures but she is darling with tons of hair and amazing cheeks.  I cannot wait to meet her!  I'm so glad they finally have their little baby girl to hold and snuggle and love to bits.  I'm so happy for them.