Update

Well Christmas is over! How sad! I don't have any pictures to put up yet because I'm on my parents computer, but I wanted to run through what we have done up here in Seattle, WA so far. Well first, we dropped everything and left late Tuesday night because we were worried that with all the bad weather hitting the north west we wouldn't be able to make it for Christmas with us driving and everything. We made it here just fine, though because of the kids and hitting a blizzard in Snoqualmie pass it took 14 hours. It was ok though. It's been snowing like crazy up here, acting much like Rexburg, so we haven't been able to do as much as we would have liked. We've played many games with my family, visited Scott's family(more to come!), re-done Scott's parents kitchen counter tops in tile with back splash (Scott and his brothers did anyway), gone to Snowflake Lane in Bellevue Square, went to the annual Farmer family get together on X-mas Eve Eve, and uh, I think that's about it. Like I said we haven't been able to do much. We still need to hang out more with Scott's family and meet up with a bunch of friends, and I'd like to see a movie in the theater. We have still been enjoying ourselves though and are so grateful for this season where we can be with family and focus on what is important. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Thank you to everyone for being such great examples and friends to us. We love you all!

Pregnancy Portraits

About a week ago I got to take some more pregnancy pictures! I haven't done it in over 7 months so it was great to do it again. They are so much fun to take! You can see them at Portraits by Alicia

Saying Goodbye

Since living here in Rexburg I have determined that it's really not all that bad. Certainly not as horrible as I was expecting it to be. It's a great community with fun activities and family events, great parks where I can exercise and play with the kids, and no traffic. But at the end of almost every semester I rediscover something that is really not fun at all! All of our friends basically go to BYU-I, and when they graduate, *poof* they are gone. Off to live their lives far away from Rexburg, Idaho. So many times it feels like we just realize how awesome a certain couple is, and only after getting to really hang out with them for a couple months and getting close, they move. That has happened to us so many times! I could list so many names here. BUT, this semester is worse. The Howard's are moving tomorrow morning! When we first moved here 2 years ago they were our neighbors, our front doors like 8 feet apart and facing each other. They helped us move our stuff in and after that we were hanging out almost every single day. When the weather got nice we'd both leave our doors open and there was no awkwardness in that at all. On the weekends we'd carry a couch from one apartment to the other to have more comfortable movie nights. We all got along extremely well and were best friends almost immediately. Then they decided to move across town. But that was ok because the town is small, and we could still get together and hang out. Tonight though we just had them over for the last time. =( We played some cards, and then Leanna and I talked and did our nails(shocking for me, I know), while the men got their last halo fix together. We said our goodbyes and..... they're gone. I want to cry. They really were our first friends here, and I'm really going to miss them! =( I don't know what I'm going to do when my friend Kelly whom I walk and talk with every day leaves! But that's for another post. I do not like saying goodbye! Hopefully, sometime, we will be able to see them again. I really look forward to the day when we will be in one place for a while, as well as most everyone else around us. So thank you Lance and Leanna for being such great friends, and here's some pictures of some memories with them. Looking through all my pictures I realize I don't have that many! I can't believe it! And I'm kicking myself for not taking one of all of us tonight.

On some random back road we went site seeing on after going to Mesa Falls in May 2007Leanna having fun with David when he was about 5 months old.Pictures of us at the park after we all walked there together.
Flying kites last April!

Sugar Cookies!

Today I had my friend Kelly and her sons over for a sort of play date I guess. The field house isn't open to the community on Fridays so we usually just hang out. I made the dough last night and today we helped our boys use the christmas cookie cutters, and then frost them after they were cooked. We also had The Polar Express on and David actually liked watching that for about the first 20 minutes or so. So here's us with a bite out of the christmas tree one. Shortly after this picture was taken David got the ginger bread man one to his mouth before I could stop him and took a huge bite out of it. He's so fast when he wants something! He was very very excited about the cookies, and kept trying constantly to put the cookies or plastic knives with frosting in his mouth, saying "Cookie! Cookie!" the whole time. The cookies that he helped me with look kinda funky, but that's ok! We had so much fun doing it!

Check it out...

There's a new baby post on my photography blog. I took these while we were in Utah the day after Thanksgiving getting our free couch!

6 months

Sydney turned 6 months old yesterday and I just can't believe it! She is learning new things each and everyday and just changing so fast. Where did my baby go? She's pretty good at sitting up until she starts wiggling and then she falls over(of course I catch her!). She loves to put things (like fingers, arms, toys) up to her mouth and blow. She's also discovering spitting is pretty cool. In the video below there is something else she is amused with. And she also has this cute little smile and laugh she does when she is watching herself. She's able to rotate in a circle but has yet to go forward or backward. David never scooted either so we'll see. She won't stay on her back for longer than 5 seconds. She almost immediately rolls to her belly which is a nice change from David who hated being on his belly at all. She loves it when our family is all together in one room and notices everything that's going on. David has started trying to play with her a little more and she loves it. She's a very observant little girl. She's also to the point where she will push away from me and grab for the thing she wants which makes it hard to hold her while I'm at the table. But no matter how frustrated I get about her night sleeping habits, at the end of the day I don't care. She is the cutest little girl ever(smiling constantly!). People are constantly telling me that she is SO beautiful and commenting on how strong she is, and how aware and observant she is for her age. I have to say I don't know any different because David was the same way. But anyways, I feel so blessed to be her mother. I love her so much!

This is a funny video of Sydney doing her newest thing.

JOY!

Our ward had an enrichment on Saturday where we made these adorable JOY letters. Well, our bishop actually cut them out and sanded them previously, and we just had to buy scrap book paper of our choice paint the wood that would show, and stick the paper on and mod podge it. It was fun to see what everyone's looked like. Even though we all went to the same store to get our paper they were all different. I really am not a crafty person at all (I am too much of a perfectionist and don't have the patience), but sometimes the Relief Society comes up with crafts that I know I definitely want to do and this was one of them!

I am so grateful for this time of year and what it represents. Joy is a state of mind that I have been really striving for in the last couple months. I used to get so discouraged about things that would happen, and then one day it finally occurred to me while studying my scriptures that I was not showing faith in my Savior by feeling that way. Not to mention I wasn't having fun! I don't remember the exact scripture, but I am so grateful for my Savior, and that because of him I can have joy in my journey through life.

Baby Pictures Again!

I took some more pictures about a week and a half ago. She wasn't very happy to be having her picture taken but she sure is cute! I love that I have had so many opportunities to take photos for so many different people. It has been a great experience and a lot of fun! I hope it keeps working out to do more!

Starting Our Christmas

Sorry, I don't have time to say much! I feel like I just don't have enough time to do all the millions of things I have to do! Ah! But I think it's pretty much self explanatory. There are some pictures of David's aunts and uncles and cousins. Scott took a lot of pictures and these are the best ones. The tree is growing on me too. Not for every year but it's still fun. David loves it and is actually being very good about not tearing it apart. Yay!

This last week...

...has been a busy one! First of all I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We sure did. Scott's older sister and her family are now living close by and it was great to be with them and others of Scott's family. It wasn't an extremely large crowd but we sure ended up with a lot of food! Besides the basic Turkey and mashed potatoes I think everyone had their own dish that they always had growing up at Thanksgiving and had to have there. I brought banana bread(from Annalise's food blog), jello, and a ham. Everything was good!

David in his favorite place the day before Thanksgiving after my walk.

Heidi holding Sydney. Sydney LOVES her aunt Heidi! She's always so good for her! Scott with his Grandma. It was great to see her there!Out of all the pictures I took of these two this is the only one where Russ has a normal (kind of) face. lol.We showed David the trampoline in the back yard and even though it took him a while to warm up to it, he didn't want to get off even though it was like 20 degrees and dark!

Jumping with his cousin Naomi here.Fun picture! Thanks Hilary!

Then on Friday we left David behind at his cousins house, took Scott's boss' truck, and drove to Utah just for the day so we could pick up my sister's couch that she didn't need anymore, and also so I could take pictures of my cousin Stephanie's new baby. It was fun to see some of my cousins that I hadn't seen in over 4 years! Because I was busy taking pictures for Stephanie's baby I forgot to take pictures of anyone else, but that's ok. But here's a picture of Auntie Annalise with Sydney while I was taking pictures. Thanks for entertaining her! Once I got started taking pictures (actually I think a little before) Scott disappeared to the theater room with most of the guys to watch the Bourne Ultimatum. Saturday Scott and David went out with Russ and Hilary, and Rick and Heidi and kids to chop down a christmas tree in the Targhee National forest (permit of course). I opted to stay behind with Sydney because Russ and Hilary went last year and said there was 3 feet of snow and that it took them 3 hours of tromping in it to find a decent tree. Turns out they were able to find another spot with almost no snow and trees right near by. Oh well, Sydney and I had a good time and I was able to get some things done. Like get Scott's christmas present!

Scott came home with a doctor suess tree and we put it up with the lights last night and are going to do the ornaments tonight for FHE. I love decorating the tree! I love this holiday season! I'll post pictures of it later.