Happy Elle

We captured this small clip of Elle and her happiness. Elle enjoys being involved with whatever the family is doing, and often has a smile to share. Happy six months to her this week.

Teaching

I am grateful to be substitute sunday school teacher at church because it is so humbling. I enjoy preparing and searching the scriptures in a very focused way. And then I enjoy realizing how much I have to learn about the gospel and teaching.

Sisters

Today I am sick so this is going to be short with no pictures. I am grateful today for the multitude of sisters in my life. I was lucky enough to be born in to a family with 6 sisters (5 by birth and 1 by marriage, my brother has really good taste). They have all turned out to be amazing women. I look up to them in their efforts to raise righteous families and develop their talents. They are my dear friends. I just wish I lived closer to at least 1 of them so I could see them more often!

I was also lucky enough to marry into 5 more sisters. I can't be close to my immediate family but I'm so grateful to live near these amazing women who have blessed my life in so many ways. They really have become my sisters and I have so much fun getting together with them. They bless the lives of my family soooo much on a daily basis.

You are Special

This is what Thomas' shirt says in the picture but it's hard to see it on the duct tape. He is jumping out of the box for a friend's birthday party in our singles ward. I love this picture.

Today I'm grateful for Thomas. He is my best friend and most loyal companion. I love him more every year. Thomas is a wonderful husband and father and he's mine forever. I look back at our almost six years together and get excited for our future since we have had a pretty great ride so far. Everyday is sweet with this man.

Already Late

Day number 2 and I'm already posting late. That's a bad sign. Today I'm thankful for healthy kids. Elle started throwing up last night. Luckily it didn't last too long so hopefully it's a short illnesss. Generally our kids have been really healthy and I'm grateful for it!

And just because she's cute too

Elle has decided to be an aerobics instructor when she grows up. She has even been waking me up several times a night for a workout. What a slave driver. Of course being the accommodating parents that we are, we hooked her up with the appropriate attire for Halloween.

A month of gratitude

It's amazing, I know, but I'm planning on posting every day this month. It's penance for not posting for so long. It's going to be a month of gratitude so everyday I will share something for which I'm grateful.

Today I'm grateful for the forgiveness of little children. Have you ever had a day as a mother you wish you could rewind and start over? I handled an incident with Jacob poorly today and I have been feeling sad about it ever since. Does he even remember it? No, no he doesn't. But I do and I'm grateful he is so willing to forgive me when I make mistakes as a mother.

I love this little guy.

Out of Hibernation

We thought we would let you know that we are still here. We hope you enjoy this video of Jacob in his Halloween costume with his aunt Amelia.

Merry Christmas!

JacobChristmasMorning from Thomas on Vimeo.

We hope you enjoy these images of our family during the holidays, and hope you have a wonderful Christmas season!

Surprise! It's a girl, and the due date is May 2, 2011!

Fall Means Football, Halloween and Snow

Sorry it’s been a while since we have posted. This fall has been a lot of fun and really busy with Thomas being out of town to Georgia, San Diego and Detroit within a month. In between trips, he managed to take Jacob to his first BYU game.

Jacob had a great time watching the big screen, pointing out balloons as they floated by, or looking at all the fun people around him. He managed to clap a few times as well, although Thomas was pretty sure it was because he heard cheering and not because he actually noticed the game going on. He also thought it was pretty cool that he had his own seat.

We also took Jacob Trick or Treating for Halloween. He enjoyed pulling his candy out of his jack-o-lantern bucket and putting it back in.

We thought he looked pretty cute as a giraffe.

Jacob also experienced his first snowfall (not really, but it was the first time he was aware of snowflakes). It was fun to see him try and figure out what it was as it fell from the sky. He was literally amazed, and would try and grab it, pick it up as it landed, wade through it. It’s so refreshing to see him experience new things that we take for granted. Life is a series of new adventures for him right now, and he really enjoys exploring and learning and discovering.

How Do You Spell ...

I was in Georgia last week and noticed this sign at a movie theater:

(Hint to Movie Theater: I think Expendles is missing an ‘A’ and a ‘B’.) I got a nice laugh out of that.

Here’s a fun picture of Jacob. Is it just me, or does it look like he is posing? He must have a relative somewhere that’s a model.

October: The Great Pumpkin

Jacob picked out his first pumpkin yesterday:

We visited the great pumpkin patch, and let Jacob find his own pumpkin. He enjoyed the cart ride so much, he didn’t want to walk around the patch. We placed him in the patch, he found the biggest pumpkin he could lift, and wouldn’t let go. We also visited some nearby horses and walked through a kiddie maze. Jacob’s Grandma Charlotta also came along. It was a lot of fun!

Thomas was out of town in Georgia this week, so Erin took Jacob up to the Treehouse Children’s Museum in Ogden. They put on a Halloween activity each year where the kids dress up in costumes and go on a quest.

Speaking of October, I have recently reconnected with my favorite music group, U2. It’s been a long time since I have listened to only them for an extended period, but I found myself doing just that over the past couple of weeks. Lots of my memories are etched into their music. “One,” “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “With or Without You,” “Bad,” “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” “October,” “40,” “Pride,” … the list could go on and on. Have you ever “rediscovered” something you have loved: a meal, a book, a TV show, or something else?

Three Short Stories

Story One (from Erin’s perspective): I have a hard time getting a shower in the morning while Jacob is awake and active. One morning this past week I had a brilliant idea. I blocked off the kitchen, blocked off the bathroom door (but left it open so I could hear what was going on), and made sure the barricaded area was safe. Then I jumped in the shower while Jacob played in the living room area. At first he whined by the bathroom door but after a short while I started hearing happy sounds from the living room and congratulated myself on such a great idea. When I got out of the shower I saw Jacob in the living room with an entire package of goldfish crackers scattered on the floor around him. I had accidentally left the package within his reach on the couch. He was having a great time pouring them out, eating some, and pretending to put them back in the container. I caught him red handed as you can tell by the following picture. The picture doesn’t show his delight at being surrounded by his favorite snack and he gave me a big grin when he saw me. It was a small price to pay for a few quiet minutes in the shower.

Story Two: Jacob loves wearing Dad’s hats.

Jacob loves wearing Dad’s hats while sitting in a big person chair reading the paper and pointing out all the things he wants for Halloween.

Story Three (from Thomas’ perspective): During the third hour of Church today, I took Jacob with me to visit the Teacher’s Quorum. Jacob was reverent and attentive the entire time (seriously). Then, during the closing prayer with everyone kneeling in a circle, Jacob passed gas so loud it rattled his diaper. Everyone in the room heard it and could barely contain themselves. On cue, Jacob let off another diaper rattler. That’s my boy!

Jump then Walk

We know our posts have been incredibly focused on Jacob. He's growing and learning so much right now that we want to make sure we capture this time of our lives. We went outside this afternoon for the last warm day of the year and Jacob got his groove on, walking around the yard and "jumping," all while refusing to take Dad's hat off:

Jump Around from Thomas on Vimeo.

Mobility from Thomas on Vimeo.

Clean and Messy

Jacob and the Water Hose from Thomas on Vimeo.

Eating Yogurt from Thomas on Vimeo.