And the Walls Came Tumbling Down

When we moved out west, I knew we were getting in "quake" territory. I just never imagined one would hit so close to the holidays and wreck our gingerbread house. Walmart should sell disaster insurance along with their crappy-doesn't-hold-together-worth-a-darn icing. I guess saving money isn't everything. And yes,I followed the directions and let the icing sit the requisite 15 minutes before decorating. I even used a timer. It was the longest 15 minutes of my life with Brenna asking every 30 seconds or so "Can we decorate it now?" Even the icing on the windows ran. Sheesh.
I guess the one good thing that came out of it was I actually got to taste the gingerbread house this year...not bad, so I guess I have to give Walmart kudos for good gingerbread. Normally the house sits and collects dust and I'm all "Um, this is going in the trash and no, you can't eat the gray pieces of candy. Are you nuts child?" Never fear a replacement gingerbread house has been purchased. Construction is slated to begin December 24, 2009. Stay tuned for further updates and photos.

Does this come in pink?

Brenna has discovered her inner rocker playing "Guitar Hero" on the Wii. Sometimes the songs are a little long and she loses interest, but she's starting to get the idea of it. I suppose she'd be more excited about it if she had a pink guitar. Maybe if she ever gets off the beginner level, we'll look into one.

Holiday Sing-A-Long

Friday, December 11th, was Brenna's day care recital called "Winter Wonderland". Her group sang "Frosty the Snowman" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" at the top of their lungs. It was heart warming...really. When we arrived at the auditorium of a local Junior High, I fully expected Brenna to cling to us and need to be coaxed onto the stage. Once again, she completely surprised me and ran off to be with her friends until the director called them up on stage. Our little girl is growing up and gaining confidence and independence. Watch out world, here she comes!

Me and my girlfriends!

Pretty sure she is saying "wish" here.
Either that or she forgot the words
and we're going to have to have a
conversation about "bad" words.

This is a sing-a-long, right?

Santa Came to Carmax

Sunday, December 6th, we attended the Carmax Holiday Party. The man in the red suit made an appearance, and Brenna ran towards him at a sprint, holiday dress and all, when she heard his jingle bells all the way across the Carmax showroom. This is the first year that she has been truly excited to see Santa and it shows! She asked Santa for another baby doll (with curly hair). If she gets another baby doll, this will put her over the state limit for an in-home daycare. I really hope Santa is up on his Utah child care laws. I don't want to have to bail her out of jail.

Hmmm...Have I been good this year?

Why, yes I have been good!

Who needs Santa when I have Daddy's lap
and green paper to crinkle!

The Simple Things

Paper Towel: $.01

Shoe Box: $45.00
Eating a meal in peace: Priceless

All Tuckered Out

It happens to the best of us. One minute you're enjoying a lunch of bananas and rice cereal and the next you're slumped over fast asleep in your high chair.

Stair Master

There is no staircase he won't climb. It's the getting back down that poses the problem, so for now he will have to be content with only going up. He even climbed up on the two step stool in the bathroom today. He wasn't quite sure what to do at the top, and when he made moves to climb on the toilet, I put an end to his adventure. I know, I'm a kill-joy. That's what Mommy's are for, right?


There's really no better reward at the end of a hard climb
than a big old smooch from your doggy.

The posting of this blog was interrupted when Brenna said, "Mommy, you've got to come see this!" I went into the front room and Austin was half way up the big staircase. Oh boy, here we go.

1st Hair Cut

Austin's chick fuzz has grown out to be real hair over the past few months, so we decided it was time for the first hair cut. He wasn't too fond of the clippers. Daddy kept telling him it was just tickling, but he wasn't buying into it. Maybe he thought they were going to take more than hair like an ear or something. Maybe he was afraid he wouldn't be the "cute baby" if he got his hair cut. Don't worry Austin, you're still the "cute baby" to us.


Fighter plane...cool.

What is she doing to me? Daddy, help!

A couple of hits on the pacifier and it's "okay".
Not good, just okay.

It's all over, but I can't stop crying. Someone pick me up!

Do you think it looks good? Really?

Too Old for This

The addition of Austin has been almost too much for our 10-year-old Border Collie, Chelsea, to bear. She can't even find a comfy spot on the couch without having to maneuver the mine field of baby and Brenna paraphenalia.

Don't Fence Me In

With an increase mobility, comes a need for a heightened state of security in our house. I have no doubt that all of our efforts will be futile.

Happy Halloween

Our "Haunted House"

Gus Gus wasn't sure what to make of all this dress up stuff. It took me longer to fashion the ears and cap than he actually kept it all on. If he looks a little worried in the pictures it's because he thought he saw that mean old cat, Lucifer, in the bushes. It's tough to smile when your nemesis is lurking about. Cinderella, on the other hand, was so excited about Halloween this year. I think she was sure that if she knocked on enough doors, Prince Charming would surely answer. Alas, all she got was a bunch of candy. Isn't that all you really need? It's good to get a reality check, even at five.

Cinderella and her Gus Gus

Not the Wicked Stepmother.
Wicked at times, yes.
Stepmother, no.

Ready, set, crawl!

Austin has been working his way up to crawling, and he finally perfected it today. Watch out world (and Brenna's toys) here he comes!

Hook 'em Austin

Austin got all decked out in his "Go Horns" finery to help Daddy root the University of Texas on to a victory over the Oklahoma Sooners. About mid-way through the 2nd quarter, Austin couldn't take the stress of how poorly the offense was playing, so he sacked out on Daddy's chest for a bit. He did wake up in time to see the Horns prevail.
Thanks to Mimi, Grandad and Nana for providing the game-day gear.

Painted Pumpkin

When you don't want the mess of pumpkin carving, you do the next best thing - pumpkin painting. Brenna did the color work and Grammie handled the details making it one of the most unique painted pumpkins I've ever seen.

Grammie and Pumpkins

The first weekend in October, my Mom (aka Grammie) came for a visit. We went in search of more fall color this time on the east side of the Valley. The Sundance Resort was our destination and it did not disappoint. We ate lunch in the Foundry Grill and took a lift ride up the mountain to see what we could see. The colors were beautiful and the weather wonderful.


The next day of Grammie's visit we went to a local pumpkin patch. Brenna got right to work firing up the old John Deer tractor to get us out into the field.
Next she painstakingly selected her pumpkins and placed her prized possessions in a wheel barrow. Many pumpkins were given the once over and found wanting.

She even consented to pose for a "formal" picture.


This is what Austin thought of the pumpkin patch.

Bum Scooting Baby

Austin decided that being placed in one place and being expected to stay there is no longer acceptable, so he started scooting on his bum. At first it was very subtle. You'd turn away and suddenly he had moved just enough to know that something was going on. Now he really has some moves. Thanks to his diapered bum, my kitchen floor has never been cleaner! This video clip shows his scooting skills, his new arm wave (wax on - wax off), transitioning from sitting to all fours and a special appearance by Jennie.

Falling for Fall

The last weekend in September, we took a drive up a road in the mountains behind our house. The road was paved for about 3/4 of the trip and then went to dirt and rock. Brent and Brenna were very excited to take the Jeep "off road". Brenna kept asking if we were "off road" it was very akin to "are we there yet?"

As we made our way up the mountain, we saw some wonderful bursts of color.

At the top of the trail, we were rewarded with sweeping views of the Salt Lake Valley and the Bingham Canyon Mine. If you've ever wondered what the terrain is like in mountains behind our house, now you know.

Of course there were pictures of the kids! I just decided to make you wade through the scenery before I showed them to you. It was worth it wasn't it?

Utah State Fair

In late September, we went to the Utah State Fair. This is the 2nd time we've been to the fair. The first time we went Brenna was too young to enjoy any of the midway rides and let's face it cows, sheep and pigs only go so far. This year after the requisite visit to the animal barns, she took on the midway and I'm pretty sure the midway lost. There weren't many rides that she wouldn't ride and many that she wanted to do over and over again. Thank goodness we purchased an unlimited ride wristband; otherwise the midway would have surely broken the bank.

First ride - all by herself - did it 3 times.

Cobra roller coaster? I eat snakes for breakfast.

Yes, she's the one in the front with her hands up in the air!