Christmas Eve

This Christmas we decided that we were going to stay home here in Washington DC for the Christmas season instead of going to our parents houses. This is our first Christmas away from parents in the five years we have been married, so it was a little different. We decided to make a gingerbread house again this year, but we learned from last years mistake, and we bought a kit instead of making it from scratch. It doesn't taste as good, but it is a lot less stressful, and much less clean up afterward.

Aaron and Logans favorite part of making the gingerbread house was eating the components.

Every year from the first of December through the first of January the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints puts on Christmas concerts for the public, and also decorates the temple grounds that you can go walk through just like at Temple Square. We had a nice evening as a family listening to a choir concert and looking at the lights. It is a great missionary tool.

Rebecca has an aunt and uncle who live in Chantille, Virginia, which is about half an hour from where we live, and they invited us to spend Christmas Eve with them.

We had a wonderful night, filled with activities. We made pizzas in the shape of the letter of our first name, then then we read Luke 2 in the Bible, and acted out the Nativity story. Paul was Joseph, Rebecca was Mary, Logan was a shepard, and Aaron was the baby Jesus. It was a lot of fun, mainly because we were spending time with familiy, and Paul's family used to do this same thing by recreating the Nativity.

Happy Holidays!

After three long weeks of being lazy with our blog, here we go with another installment of pics. The unfortunate thing is that we don't have any pictures of the really cool things we have done lately. For example, Paul and I went on a date to see a christmas concert by the army national band. Afterwards we walked around downtown DC and saw the white house all lit up at night. We also saw the national christmas tree and yule log. What a great evening to spend with my best friend. It is too bad that we don't have pictures of any of this. We do have some christmas pics of the boys, though...

Aaron is getting so big, and is still quite the smiler. He is also getting some teeth. You can probably see them on the bottom if you look really close. He is also starting the squirmy stage. It is hard to keep him in my arms as he squiggles (is that a word?) this way and that. No crawling yet, but he is getting closer.

Logan is a hoot to have around. When he wants something but is sure I'll probably say no, he brings it up in a matter-of-fact way. He won't look me in the face, but rather looks off to the corner of his vision, and says something like "let's have chocolate, okay?" And he acts like this is a perfectly reasonable request for 7:00 in the morning. It just makes me laugh the way he does it, and then he laughs too. I can then can easily distract him towards oatmeal instead of chocolate for breakfast.

It took a lot of bribing and a few minor tantrums to get the boys to hold still for this picture. Here is another I took that more closely matches the reality of the experience.

I just thought this was comical. Logan thought it was the coolest thing to put the sticker on his forehead. Little did he know what was written on it. He is sure worth a whole lot more than that to me! Our children are truly a priceless treasure to us.

Thanksgiving Week

Last week we went to California to visit Rebecca's family for Thanksgiving. But before we left we took some family pictures in beautiful DC while the leaves were still changing. This next one is one of my favorites. Everyone is actually smiling! It was cold that day, so it was had to stop your teeth chattering long enough to snap a shot.

Our time in California was wonderful! We spent a few days each with Rebecca's parents, her brother Scottand his family, and her brother Jeff and fam. And for a special treat, her sister Emily and her family flew out from Idaho to see us! We had such a great time visiting family. I love my siblings sooo much and it was really hard to say goodbye not knowing when I would see them again.

We went on a triple date to the temple. Scott and Kim watched everyone's kids while Jeff and Gina, Tony and Emily, and Paul and I went to the Sacramento Temple. What a neat experience to sit in the temple with my sisters, brothers, and husband. I'll treasure those moments.

At Scott and Kim's house we had the chance to decorate gingerbread houses. It was a competition between the girls, boys, and my family. Our house is in the middle. We won the "most unique" prize, the girls won the "most decorated" prize, and the boys won the "most candy eaten" prize.

In case you're wondering what the pictures below are all about, our gingerbread roof has a message for santa on it.

I bin good

Pleez stop heer!

We had so much fun, and hope it doesn't take so long to see everyone next time.

Halloween

Halloween is SO much fun when you have kids!!! It is a hoot to dress them up in their costumes and hear them say "chick er cheet." Logan loved the jack o lanterns on display. He kept trying to blow out the candles that kept the pumpkins glowing. Aaron didn't have a clue what was going on, but he was sure cute in his lil' monster costume. Logan was a caterpillar. He really could have used some extra pairs of legs when he walked his own set off. He was exhausted when it was done, but elated with his full basket of candy.

I can't help but throw in a picture of my sweet baby boy. He is starting to roll over really well, and is a pro at sitting up by himself. He only tips over when he gets dive bombed by his big brother.

Paul loves having little boys to play with. He and Logan have a Sunday night tradition of wrestling on our waterbed. Logan has no fear as he jumps through the air to tackle daddy. He then usually gets a head lock and tickled, but comes back for more grinning from ear to ear. Boys. *sigh*

Here are some more costume pics.

Aaron trying to eat Logan's costume

So proud to be a caterpillar!

Honest Abe

This last weekend we decided to go visit Honest Abe Lincoln. We parked at the Arlington National Cemetary and walked across the Memorial Bridge to the Lincoln memorial. As you can guess, Logan loved walking up the stairs and down. He has way too much energy. Aaron enjoys the lap of luxtury and riding in the stroller up the elevator. After that we went and looked at the Vietnam memorial. There was a tour there with a park ranger, and he probably talked about the memorial for half an hour; some of the history behind it, how it was chosen, what it is supposed to mean, etc. It was very touching and very informative. I gained a lot more of a perspective of the Vietnam War from the presentation, and a greater respect and reverence for those that fought in that war.

Paul was recently called to be the Webelos leader in our ward, so now we all go to the church on Tuesday evenings, and Logan shoots hoops for an hour. There are only three boys, so it is really easy to work on projects they need for their advancements. It is also nice that they are eleven years old, and enjoy participating regardless of what is being taught and what they know about it.

Today Logan and Aaron were supposed to take naps before going to church, and it was really quiet for quite some time, so we thought that the were both sleeping, a parent's dream come true! Well Logan decided to try a new canvas for his art work, and we began to hear laughing coming from their room. Never a good sign during nap time. Behold, part of the results....

To Know Me is to Love Me

Paul had this shirt when he was a baby that reads "To know me is to love me." We took a picture of Logan in the shirt when he was 6 months old, and recently did the same for Aaron now that he is around the same age. I just get a kick out of it whenever I put them in this shirt. I sure love my little boys and am so proud to be their mommy.

One of our latest adventures was to the Natural History Smithsonian. Logan really liked the dinosaurs. It was amazing there, and lots of fun. We had a hard time keeping Logan in one spot long enough for a picture, so we don't have many to post from the museum.

Here are my sweet boys. I love it when they play together. It makes my heart melt. They just love being around each other. Aaron positively lights up when Logan walks in the room, and Logan delights in making Aaron laugh. They're a great team.

My Projects

I did it! I actually did it! I finished my projects! These projects have been in the works for YEARS.

I made this quilt for Logan's bed. Logan had been sleeping in a hodge podge of bed coverings.

His original sleeping arrangement?...

Comforter with blue zebra stripes

Pink rosebud sheets

Snowflake print pillowcase.

It was rather comical to see those patterns together like that, not that he minded in the least. But his MOTHER minded. So I did something about it. I have to say I am very proud.

I have been working on these stockings for years. I think I started the one on the right before Logan was born, and the one on the left before Aaron was born. Needless to say, we're buying the remainder of our Christmas stockings.

Thanks to everyone who donated jeans for the quilt below. I think it turned out rather well, but you'll have to look at it up close to really do it justice. I used all sorts of jean parts in it. I am excited to use it as a picnic blanket for the great outdoors.

So that's it for my episode of Shameless Showoff. Next week should be about the boys again. Stay tuned!

Air and Space Museum

With the nice weather, Rebecca has been taking the boys to a water park that is close to our house. They seem to enjoy the sprinklers and the new little friends that they make while they are there. We also went to the Air and Space Museum in downtown. It was exciting. Logan enjoyed the interactive section where you can learn about how winds work, weight, and simple physics. Mostly he likes to push the buttons. Aaron just enjoys the free ride of being carried everywhere. We have also been feeding Aaron solid foods which he seems to enjoy immensely.

Leaping Logan

Logan is growing up very fast. He is enjoying just about anything he can get hishands on. Lately he has been enjoying playing golf in the grassy area behind our apartment. Last weekend, Pauls parents were visiting from Utah, and we all went up to State College in Pennsylvania to visit Paul's sister Jackie, her husband and new daughter. While we were there, we walked around Penn States campus before the Penn State vs. Notre Dame football game. While some went to the game, others went to the park and had a barbeque. This was the first time Logan had had a smore. Needless to say, he never let the marshmallow sit long enoughfor it to be placed between a graham cracker and chocolate, but he enjoyed himself none the less. The next day was the blessing of Jackies and Jareds new baby. It was a great event to be present for.

Adorable Aaron

Here is a glimpse into the life and personality of our little Aaron. Aaron is probably just as smiley as Logan was as a baby. His little grin lights up his little face. Aaron is starting to sit up by himself, and only tips over after a minute or so. Aaron loves his brother! Even if he does get pushed and poked and man handled by him. He and Logan are going to be great buddies and playmates. Aaron can also stand up by himself if you prop him against a couch or hold his hands. All babies can do that, but it is fun anyway. Wiggling is his newest passion, and he does that constantly. What a cute baby boy.

The county fair came to Arlington last week, so we decided to venture out for some fun. It was the first fair for Rebecca, Logan, and Aaron, but old hat for Paul. Logan liked the ride where he sat in a car.

Logan was absolutely terrified to ride the carrousel. It took all of Rebecca's soothing influence to keep him from bolting. He looked stressed and nervous for the whole ride. When it was over, he hopped off gladly, then looked back and wanted to ride it again. Go figure.

As you can tell, once again Logan got into my makeup. This time, it was the lipstick he got his hands on. He'll need to work on his aim. None of it ever touched his lips.

As for the eye patch, I took Logan to an ophthalmologist this week. We had noticed Logan's right eye wandering regularly and decided to check it out. It turns out Logan has Amblyopia, or Lazy Eye. Occasionally his right eye stops working because it doesn't see as well as his left eye. To correct the problem we need to patch up the good eye. This forces him to use the bad eye. He will also need glasses, which he will start wearing sometime this week. Wish me luck keeping glasses on my active toddler. My guess is that we're going to end up spending a small fortune on replacement glasses. :-)

Here's our smiler in action.

Aaron started solids this week. He loved the rice cereal, so it was an easy transition. He also loves to smear it all over his face and hands. Logan wanted to eat the rice cereal too. I let him have a taste, which he promptly gagged on and ran to spit it out in the garbage can. Apparently it wasn't as big of a hit for Logan as it was for Aaron.
Look how great Paul is with the kids. They absolutely love him. What a fantastic husband and father! He is doing well and is enjoying his work as a dentist.