Thanksgiving Weekend has been a fun one for us! On Thanksgiving, we headed over to my parents' house to celebrate with them & with my sister, Kristin, and her husband Dan. Whenever my mom puts on a party of any sort, you know there's going to be all kinds of yummy food. When we showed up at 10:00 am, she already had some food out for us to munch on until dinner. Here are the men doing what they do best, grazing...

This is Aiden's favorite (and in his mind, the only) way to eat olives...

Here's the spread that my mom put on. She made everything on this island except the green bean casserole...that was my contribution. What's that...do I hear a "woot woot" for Daughter of the Year??? ;) We could have fed a small army...and yet, there were only 9 of us...

It was a great Thanksgiving...even though I had to work.

Friday through today consisted of decorating, decorating, & more decorating (oh, and a double shift yesterday with a 3 hour "nap" turnaround)! I love the way my house looks at Christmastime, but it is torture to set it all up! I talked a little bit about this last year at this time...I always think that decorating for Christmas is going to be a wonderful experience...like a scene out of "It's a Wonderful Life", but it never is...it's more like "It's a tired, stressed out, why-aren't-these-lights-working Life". I HATE setting-up-the-Christmas-decorations day! I've decided that it is my second LEAST favorite day of the year...only to be topped by taking-down-the-Christmas-decorations day! I know I sound like a Scrooge, but here's a big "Bah-humbug" to all the work it takes! Anyway, thought I'd show you some of the fruits of our hard-labor...

The boys decorating the tree...they had a really good time this year (and I only had to "re-decorate" a few ornaments that I thought were a little more appropriate for the BACK of the tree).

The finished product. Sorry you can't see it very well...next year I'll take the picture at night so you can see it better...

I have a little tiny tree that my mom bought Mike & I when we were first married. A few years ago, I gave it to the boys...it is now THEIR tree to do what they want with it! This year, they wanted it in their room. They think they are pretty hot stuff because they now have a Christmas tree in their bachelor pad...

Okay, so here are a few new additions to my decorations this year. First of all, I redid my garland. The old beads and ribbons were so faded that they just looked awful, so I made a trip to Roberts to spruce it up a bit. The picture really doesn't do it justice...you have to see it in person. The twig berries are just too cute & fun for words...

A few weeks ago, my mom & my sister, Ashlee, did our annual Christmas Shopping Saturday. At the end of the day, my mom pulled out a bunch of stuff & told us we were going to do a "craft project" together. Neither Ashlee or I are very crafty girls, so we were a little nervous...but with a little help from my mom, this is what we ended up with...

It's actually not quite done yet. I'm taking it over to my mom's house tonight to etch snowflakes into the glass. I think it is super cute! Do I sense a Super Saturday project for next year? Hummm...

And, last (but certainly not least) my mom gave me another decoration this year...and it's one I've wanted FOREVER...

It's the Willowtree Nativity. I absolutely love it! I put it with a tile that I made at last year's Super Saturday that I think is very appropriate. Thanks mom! I love it!!! By the way, don't I have the greatest mom on the planet?!? I just realized that this entire post is about nice things that my mom has done for me! She pretty much rocks!

Anyway, so that was our weekend in a nutshell! It was a fun, but very busy, one! --Lindsay

Cohen is growing up...way too fast for my liking! Today is his 4 month birthday! And, how did we mark this momentous occasion? With a trip to the doctor's office for a checkup & immunizations! Yippee!!! At Cohen's 2 month checkup, he was in the bottom 5th percentile for everything (height, weight & head circumference). But, today we had moved up in all areas! Cohen is now 24 inches tall (25th percentile); he weighs 12 lbs. 9 oz. (10% percentile); and his head circumference is 40.5 cm (10th percentile). So, as you can see, he's still not a big baby by ANY stretch of the imagination...but he's gaining!

This past month has been such a fun one! I wish I could just freeze Cohen in his current state! I seriously LOVE this age! He is now sleeping through the night most nights, which makes for happy parents. He loves to "talk" any chance he can get. He will "coo" & "goo" at you for hours if you are willing to listen. We have started feeding him rice cereal just this past week & he seems to really like it. And, he has started to "play" with toys. If you hang toys in front of him, he will sit and bat at them like a crazy man! Connor and Aiden love him to pieces! Cohen is quite fond of Connor and smiles at him probably more than anyone else. However, Cohen is still a little leery of Aiden. Whenever Aiden comes around, Cohen gets slightly worried and begins to freak out. It's as if Aiden's reputation has proceeded him...maybe Heavenly Father gave Cohen a heads up about his big brother or something! ;)

Over the past several months, Cohen has developed quite the list of nicknames! When Mike & I decided to name him Cohen, my one concern was that he wouldn't have any nicknames...but, boy was I wrong! Here's a list of some of the nicknames that we (and others) have started calling him:

Co
Coey
Coke
Coconut
Nut
Cocoa
Cocoa Bean
Bean
Dude
Dudey
Babycakes
Bebes
And those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head...

Anyway, we all just LOVE this little guy like crazy! Here's some pics of my little fella from the past few weeks...

Cohen has discovered that his hands are a good thing to suck on! They are always in his mouth...


See what I mean...


A rare picture with them OUT of his mouth...


So I quickly snapped another...


Cohen's first rice cereal feeding. He really liked it...


Even though more of it ended up on his bib than actually went in his mouth...


But, he still liked it...

Cohen playing with the toys on his swing...

And in his bouncy seat...

And, sometimes he tries to swat at things that aren't toys...like the camera...

Such a stinkin' cutie pie! Love him to pieces!!! --Lindsay

Okay, a little background...so my dad usually gets tickets to Utah Jazz games on a fairly regular basis through his job. He is kind enough to sometimes share these tickets with his children. My sister, Ashlee, and her family went earlier this month...and then my sister, Kristin, and her husband went just last week. I was feeling very "unloved" because I had yet to be invited to a game...not really, but I definitely used it as ammo in my ongoing the-oldest-child-always-gets-picked-on debate! Hehe! See, my sisters and I always go back and forth about who is the most spoiled by our parents. Each one of us has a different opinion...and each one of us thinks we are "the most deprived". (This is all in good fun, and none of us really feel like we were ever deprived...it's just a fun little ongoing war we have.) Anyway, so when both my sisters wrote about their awesome trips to Jazz games, I may or may not have left some snide comments on their blogs about being "so deprived". Maybe one or two of these supposed comments, that I may or may not have left, made my dad feel bad because he called me today and offered his "deprived child" two tickets to the game tonight that were ON THE 6TH ROW...right behind the Jazz bench!!!! Holy cow!!! At first, I was just going to let Mike & my dad go, and my mom and I were going to hang out at my house and play with the kids all evening. But, when my parents showed up, my dad said he was pretty tired and really didn't feel like going to the game, so he thought I should go with Mike, and he & my mom would babysit the kids for us. AWESOME!!! So, Mike and I headed off to the game... Here's our attempt at a self-portrait.

Please excuse the lack of makeup on my face...I only had time to throw on my shoes and coat before running out the door. Anyway, this was the view from our seats...

Pretty nice, eh? I've only been that close to a game once before...it was a Portland Trailblazer/Washington Wizards game during my college years with my then boyfriend who, how should I say this...wasn't very poor, and was a HUGE Trailblazer fan. I had forgotten how AWESOME it is to watch a game from that close! I love it!!!

See what I mean?!? Totally flippin' cute! Anyway, a big thanks to my mom & dad for the tickets and for watching our three little monsters so that we could go! I think I'm really starting to like being the "deprived oldest child"! --Lindsay

1) Apparently, good movies aren't allowed to come out until this upcoming weekend!

2) None of us felt like wasting $9 to go see a lame-o movie.

3) Because of #1 & #2, we vetoed the movie portion of our evening.

4) The seats in the middle row of my car are apparently stationary.

5) Because of #4, the 3 unlucky girls in the 3rd row got to know each other quite well!

6) Seven girls in one car makes for great conversation.

7) Because of #6, it was discovered that our neighborhood has a history of bizarre men. What's up with that?!?

8) The Cheesecake Factory doesn't take reservations.

9) Everyone else in the Salt Lake metro area must have heard that a bunch of hot women (a.k.a. us) were planning on going there to eat that night, so they all decided to go there as well.

10) Because of #8 & #9, we got the privilege of chatting with one another for an additional 45-60 minutes.

11) The Cheesecake Factory in SLC doesn't have a big waiting area.

12) Because of #11, we are all slightly bruised today.

13) The Cheesecake Factory menu is a small novel.

14) Half the pages in said menu are advertisements for high-priced jewelry and cosmetic dentistry.

15) Hart Dental does NOT have an add in the menu...but is now planning on placing one.

16) If you try to order one of the diamond rings shown in the menu, your waiter will laugh at you and look at you like you are nuts.

17) In reference to #15, Dr. Hart must be doing pretty well, because Trish ordered a $28 appetizer! :) Maybe it's because we & our dental insurance just paid them $1400 for all of Mike's dental work. Why did I marry a man with crappy teeth???

18) Said appetizer came out on 4 different plates!

19) There is photo evidence of said appetizer and Trish eating it. When Summer sends it to me, it will be posted.

20) I forgot my camera AGAIN. Hence, why I'm waiting for Summer to forward it to me.

21) Cheesecake Factory makes AWESOME guacamole...unfortunately, you have to ask for the chips to dip in it.

22) Shut the front door!?! Danelle has lost 76 pounds!

23) In reference to #22, Danelle is a total hottie!

24) Because of #23, the jealousy in our neighborhood has increased exponentially!

25) Also in reference to the above 3 statements, Danelle still eats cheesecake. It's the secret to her success!

26) Natalie, however, could not enjoy any cheesecake.

27) The reason for the above statement...she has developed a dairy allergy during her pregnancy!

28) In reference to #27, pregnancy SUCKS!!!

29) The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough cheesecake is TO DIE FOR!!!

30) Cheesecake Factory begins to clear out around 9:00 & your waiter doesn't care if you just hang out & chat for the next hour & a half.

31) We finally got home just before 11:00 pm (5 hours after we left).

32) 99% of husbands recommend that their wives attend girls night because of the big smiles on their faces when they return.

33) In reference to #32, these intelligent husbands also understand the grumpiness & PMS that incurs if their wives don't attend girls night.

34) SUCH.A.FUN.NIGHT!

35) The end!

Connor and Aiden have been fighting lately...a lot. I have become so fed up with it! A few weeks ago, I was talking to my friend, Ashley, about it. She told me about a technique that she does with her twin boys that has worked pretty well. She told me that anytime my kids fight, I should have them do this...

No, not make out with each other (although that's what the picture looks like). She told me that anytime they fight, I should have them put their noses together for a minute or two. She said it works like a charm for her boys. And, I think it has with my boys too. After they have had their noses together for just a few seconds, they start laughing like crazy (I usually do too)...and whatever they were fighting about is quickly forgotten. Don't get me wrong...it hasn't stopped the fighting altogether, but it does tend to end the fight a little quicker. Just thought I'd share my new funny little parenting technique. Thanks Ash! You always have the best ideas! --Lindsay

So, yesterday, I had a bad day. I woke up at 6:00 and didn't stop running until 9:00 last night when I had to go to bed (so I could get up at 3:00 am and go to work). I had a to-do list a mile long and felt like, no matter how hard I worked, I didn't accomplish anything. Just one of those days...

Anyway, so when Mike came home, I started venting to him about my day. My rant went something like this...

"I am so sick and tired of working my butt off. I am sick of running all day everyday and feeling like I have nothing to show for it. I am so sick of being tired all the time. And, I am sick of my muscles aching at the end of every day. And, I am sick and tired of time-intensive callings. I'm sick and tired of cleaning up messes around the house, just to have the kids mess everything back up again. I'm sick of doing the 50,000 loads of laundry that our family goes through in a week. And, I am so sick of having no time to myself to sit down and do something mindless for 10 minutes. I'm so sick of running all day everyday and feeling like I accomplish NOTHING."

Then, from the family room where Connor was watching TV, we heard a certain someone mumble softly, "And I am so sick of hearing you talk!"

Haha! Mike and I busted up laughing! I love that kid! He's always good for a chuckle or two! --Lindsay

The other night, we went out to dinner with my parents. While we were waiting for our food, my dad tried to keep the kids busy by asking them questions. He would ask things like, "Would you rather be a tiger or a turtle?" and "Would you rather be a carrot or a tomato?". Here's a conversation that ensued with one question...

Poppy: Okay Connor. Would you rather be a mom or a dad?

Connor: (Thinks for a second) Umm..I'd rather be a mom!

Poppy: (Surprised) A mom? Why would you rather be a mom?

Connor: Because if you're a mom then you can boss everyone around all the time!

Haha! Apparently, I am "bossy" because I ask him to do things like clean HIS room, pick up HIS toys that HE got out, take HIS plate that HE ate on to the sink, and take HIS dirty clothes that HE wore to the dirty clothes basket.

I told Connor he could trade places with me any day he wanted...he can "boss" me around, but I get to play with my friends all afternoon while he cleans the bathrooms, vacuums the carpet, mops the floor, dusts everything, does the dishes, cleans the kitchen, etc. Sounds like a good trade to me! --Lindsay

Well, yesterday, we attempted our family picture for 2008..."attempted" being the key word in that sentence. Can someone explain to me how increasing a family by just one member can exponentially increase the difficulty of taking a family picture? Here's some of the outtakes so you can see what I'm talking about...

Finally, we got a half decent one...

We actually cheated a bit. My photoshop-pro husband cleaned the photo up a little bit. Notice that the cabins that were in the background are suddenly non-existent, the sky is a little bluer, & the shadows aren't as harsh. Ahhh...the talent! (You can click on the picture for an up-close look.) A big "thanks" goes out to my photographer Dad for taking the shot...and having the patience to put up with some difficult "subjects". So, what do you think of our masterpiece? --Lindsay

And, by "the academy", I really mean "my friend Alicia States". She nominated me for this "blog award".

Here's the way the "Blog Awards" work:

1. Whomever I nominate get to put this same picture on their blog.
2. Link back to me on your post.
3. Nominate 5 other blogs.
4. Link up to them.
5. Leave a comment on those blogs to let them know they were nominated. So, here are some of my faves:

Marion: I love, love, love to read my old friend Marion's blog. She and I served in the Primary Presidency together about a million years ago. At the time, we both only had one little boy each. Now, we both have 3 little boys each. She always has the greatest stories about her little guys...and it makes me feel better knowing that I'm not the only one drowning in testosterone.

Tara: Tara is my old stylist who quit this past summer after she had her 3rd baby. Tara and I became great friends over the 4 years she did my hair. Now that I don't get to see her on a regular basis, I miss her terribly! So, I love to read her blog & see what she and her cute family are up to all the time.

Kelli: I love reading my friend Kelli's blog. She is always so happy & upbeat! She & her family had a pretty rough month a few months back, but she was just so happy through it all & was always looking for the silver lining. You can't read Kelli's blog without smiling from ear-to-ear. She is awesome!

Kerri: My friend Kerri is a crack-up! She is flippin' hilarious! After I hang out with her, my abs hurt from laughing so hard. Her blog is no exception!

Karin: I love reading my friend Karin's blog because she always posts the funniest things about her kids. They are always getting hurt in one way or another & she always writes about it and posts pictures of their battle wounds. I love it...and I'm glad I'm not the only one with accident-prone children.

So, those are my nominations. I could have nominated so many more! If I didn't nominate you, don't be heartbroken & cry yourself to sleep tonight. If you do, at least grab a quart of ice cream and start eating while you cry...and call me, I'll come over & join you! I never turn down an invitation for an "ice cream cry fest"! They are the best! --Lindsay

I have been tagged 3 times in the past few weeks, but due to lack of time, I haven't gotten around to doing them until now. I think I've done all of them before, but I figured I'd do them again because I KNOW how much you all want to learn new & exciting things about me! :) I've actually combined two of them because they are very similar. Alicia's tag was to tell 7 random facts about myself; Rebecca's tag was to name 6 of my weird quirks...so I decided to combine them and tell you 7 facts/quirks about me...

Mike turned 33-years-old yesterday! What an old man! :) I asked Mike, about a week ago, if there was anything he wanted to do for his birthday. He told me that he really wanted to go mountain biking. Hum...mountain biking? By "mountain biking" did he mean "something with his wife"? Nope...he meant mountain biking. See, Mike has been obsessed with mountain biking lately. He bought a new mountain bike a few weeks ago because the shocks on his old one were beyond shot. By the end of our Moab trip, his hands were basically numb because of the vibration..hence, the new bike & the current obsession. I decided to grant his "birthday wish". I asked my dad if he would pick a good ride up Provo Canyon...then, yesterday morning, I popped the surprise on Mike. He was flippin' excited...you'd think I had just given him a million dollars, not a bike ride! It was funny. Anyway, I guess Mike & my dad had a great time (I wouldn't know though...I wasn't there...steep narrow biking trails & I don't mix so well). Here's some pics from their ride. They were taken with a camera phone, so the quality is not all that great...

After their ride, the whole family went out to dinner at Carabba's. Pretty darn delicious...

So, that was Mike's 33rd birthday in a nutshell...pretty exciting, huh? Happy birthday Mike! Thanks for being such an awesome husband...even if you ARE old! Oh wait, I'm only a few years behind you! Shoot!!! XOXO --Lindsay