Our Christmas

Christmas Eve.

First try on their new bikes.

The ribbon that I will save.

A Christmas lolly-pop.

Linn Benton Leaf

I am not sure why I take so many photos of plants. I am sure it has something to do with the fact that they don't move.

Fall

Complementary Colors

Working Hard

In the past two weeks or so Kelly and I have changed our tune. Before we would proudly praise Clara and John for the things they would do by focusing on the outcome of what they did. We would say things like "You did a great job!" and "That looks so good." etc, etc... Now we say "You worked so hard." and "You do good work." Stressing the effort, time, and dilligence of their efforts rather than the result. I like that it is about working hard and not giving up. It has done good things. John has been working on puzzles ever since Clara got one for her birthday. He started with a 25 piece puzzle and mastered it, and now is mastering a 100 piece puzzle. I am impressed with his diligence and concentration. Yesterday was the first time he did every piece but two. One because it is lost and the other because i placed it. For a while we were doing it together about twice a day. I think it is interesting that he learns little sections at a time. first the faces then Buzzes feet and Woody's belt. He works so hard and I am so proud of him! And whats more, he is proud of himself and the work he did.

Halloween

Halloween this year was a blast. We had a family in our ward that we have become friends with, the Greaves, come over. While Kelly and Paul held down the fort and frightened off potential T-P-ers, we went out and let the kids practice a form of hunter-gather lifestyle that is only practiced in candyland. We were unsure of the weather as it had rained earlier that day, but the weather held. John was so cute! He would say "trick or treat" so quickly and when asked what his costume was, he would proudly respond "PIDER!" without hesitation(he had changed from the monkey to the spider). There was one house that had a man in a mask that entranced Clara. She was frozen and would not move or break eye contact with the man as he acted ghoulish in the background. I was so happy to be there and that he was kind enough to remove his mask to show Clara it was a regular person. As we were walking around, I was amazed to see the batmobile drive by. With batman driving. I kid you not. I wish I had my camera with me. Someone had built a car to look exactly like the batmobile and was driving around in it. It was so cool. I wish Kelly had been out to see it. Finally we returned home for pumpkin pie. I was so happy to see the kids get just as excited to hand out candy as they were to be given it. All in all, a wonderful halloween despite the sugar hangover the kids had the following day!

Picking out Pumpkins

I'm so Glad When Daddy Comes Home

I know that Kelly plays Daddy's Homecoming just so he can get kisses. It is impressive how well he plays with Clara and John climbing up him, literally hanging on him from around his neck, and "patting" him a little to hard on the cheek. But it is the cutest thing a mother could watch and Kelly doesn't look to unhappy about it either.

New Hair Cut

I was sad but Clara wasn't at all. With some of her friends having short hair and John getting a new cut I think it was just to much. She cut off part of her Barbie's hair, a bit of Rapunzel's hair and then went for her pig tail. I am glad it is still long enough to fix and braid.

Idaho

While Dad was shooting with Uncle Carl, we went on a mid-morning walk. Grandma and Grandpa took us along the irrigation canal. Clara waded and John had a wonderful time throwing rocks in the water. We love Idaho and always wish we could spend more time visiting.

Bank Robbery

We recreated a childhood home video on our last trip to Utah. Using my nieces and nephews as similar characters that my cousins and brothers and sisters starred in when they were preschoolers. Our children had some different interpretations of how it should be acted so it was fun to watch it be filmed. It was filmed at an awesome branch with the coolest vault I have ever seen.

Misc. photos of trip to Utah

Mom's Yard

Two Years

John is two now. As gifts he got a truck, cars, airplanes, puzzle, guitar and an I-spy-quilt that he wrapped himself up in. We love having John around. I love hearing him sing songs and hearing him exclaim "I did it" when he does something of note. He sometimes hits and occasionally falls apart but that is because he is two.

The Swing

I like the complementary colors of blue and orange in these photos. Clara kept asking to go to Taryn's Park this week. I like to make her happy so we went. While watching her I couldn't help think about this poem by Robert Louis Stevenson entitled The Swing.

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside--

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown--
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

Oak Creek Trail Again

John still likes to explore the world through his mouth. I think Clara looks like a little forest gnome.

P.S. You can click to make the three photos bigger.