Open our Christmas jammies on December 1st. Drink hot chocolate and read Christmas stories every day until Christmas day. Check.

Get out our Christmas dishes and use them daily. Check.

Go on a hayride. Check.
















Decorate Gingerbread house. Check. This one suddenly catapulted to the top of Emma's favorite tradition list when Dave suggested we scrap it altogether. I guess it will see another December.

Play in the snow. Check.

Whisper what we want for Christmas to Santa. Check.

Make lots of Christmas candy. Check.
Adorn the tree with lovely decorations. Yes, that is Nathan's baseball bat. Check.

Read lots of Christmas stories. Check.

Play in the snow. Check.

Attend the greatest Live Nativity around. Bring Grandpa. Check.

Attend the Best Christmas Pageant Ever play. Check.

Go to THE concert on Temple Square. Check.
Go ice skating for the ward Christmas Party. Check.

Cry because we can't' open our presents yet. Check.

I hear squirming. Wiggles. Whimpering. Small cries. I don't even have to look at the clock to know the time. It is 4 AM. I trudge downstairs to make a bottle and then wake myself up as I climb back upstairs to lift a little bundle out of his bassinet. I know we will be awake for at least an hour.

This has become "our hour." We cuddle up in the rocking chair. He settles in with eyes closed to down 3 ounces. I snuggle him up to my shoulder and wait for the burp. Then it happens. His eyes pop open and he is ready to play. I am fully aware that wiser parents than myself would not talk to him, but I can't help looking at those big eyes and carrying on a conversation. I am amazed at how much I love this little guy. I know that by 2 PM the next day I will be feeling this hour and desperately want a nap, but it does not matter. I have decided this is one of my favorite times of the day and will enjoy it while it lasts.

And we are excited.Baby Christopher Carl came into the world yesterday at 4:00 AM. It was beautiful. Today was placement. It was emotional, but also beautiful. We arrived home this evening.

I cannot take credit for this. The idea was not mine. I didn't buy the paint or apply the paint. It was all them and they do look...well...like Blue Men. This was Nate's Idea. Really, it was. I dragged him down several costume aisles pointing out the cute Cars outfits and my sweet sis even mailed me a puppy costume, but Nate would have none of it. Every time we asked what he wanted to be the answer was the same.

Pretty Tink performed well at her school parade. Pretty Tink did not want her picture taken.Pretty Tink sprayed her mom's hair with a ton of purple and glitter paint.Pretty Tink ate A LOT of candy.Happy Halloween!

With no shortage of elaborate pumpkin patches around here complete with hayrides, blow up toys, corn mazes, carnival games, and crowds of people I felt happiness when we drove past Pappa's Pumpkin Patch earlier today. I drove the kids back there after lunch.

It was endearing and lovely and reminiscent of days when people just trusted each other and earned trust in return. We were the only ones in sight. I can't remember the last time I went somewhere to buy something and instead of a person making sure I paid there was simply a box. This box was clear plastic with a handle. Emma acted surprised that we didn't have to pay a person. We were just trusted - complete strangers - to pick our pumpkins and pay $.50 each. It brought warmth to my heart.

I'm pretty sure when Dr. Seuss penned his famous characters Thing One and Thing Two in his book Cat in the Hat he was imagining something A LOT like these two.

I really have no idea what they do when they are visiting Thing 2's house, but at my house they jump on beds, climb on furniture, consume goldfish crackers by the pound and have conversations like this one...

Flush
Giggles
"Uh, oh. I think it's stuck."
"I'll get it out."
"The yellow one won't come out."
Flush

It wouldn't take that big of a stretch to imagine them running from one room to another with a kite flying behind their backs. They must be destined for greatness since they already have a likeness in a well-loved story book.

Do you have a Thing One or Thing Two living at your house? What is your funniest story?

I've had a few meetings lately and Nathan gets to come along. Last week I packed a bag full of snacks, plastic balls and little cars in preparation for a meeting that I hoped would be short. I knew these items would only last for about 3 1/2 minutes, so I also packed a mini-dvd player and two Signing Time videos. The meeting location was 15 minutes away and we had about 20 minutes to get there.

"We're in good shape," I thought as I leisurely fastened Nathan's seat belt and climbed into the driver's seat.

I leaned over and tuned the radio to a station that seemed pleasant. I'm not really a big radio listener other than in the car, so I let Dave choose the preset stations and stick with those.

"I don't like it!" I heard from the backseat. Again, "I don't like it!", he was getting progressively louder.

"You don't like the music?" I asked

"Yeah, don't like it."

"What would you like instead."

"Blue Man Group." He pronounced it with such clarity that there is no doubting what he just said.

"I didn't bring the Blue Man Group CD." I informed my cultured child.

Tears and wails issued from the backseat. The Blue Man Group CD that his daddy bought him was at home in the garage-sale find Karoake machine currently residing in Nathan's bedroom. The CD has become Nathan's nap music.

"Here, I'll try a different station." I started flipping through channels, now ignoring the preset stations. The noise in the backseat increased. I finally landed on a station playing Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. I smiled at my lucky find because I genuinely like this song.

"Don't like it! Don't like it!"

I ignored him for a minute and then the wailing became so loud that it was not ignorable. While we discussed our musical preferences I missed my exit. I took the next exit and headed down to the slightly further North entrance to the road I needed to be on. Wouldn't you know it, this end of the road is not a through road. I make a u-turn and noticed the time. Our time cushion was no longer there. So I backtracked a bit and took the next road that looked promising. I dead-ended into a middle class neighborhood.

I turned the radio off and could feel my face starting to get red. Being late used to be a pet peeve of mine, but now I have kids.

I knew I should have stuck with State Street. We made another U-turn and then hit every red light possible along State Street. Oh, did I mention the construction?

We were 20 minutes late and if I hadn't been in charge of the meeting they probably would have been further into the meeting than they were. They gave me a 10 minute courtesy window before beginning.

I made a mental note to put the Blue Man Group CD into my car and sat down just a tiny bit flustered.