Thanksgiving

We had a really fun Thanksgiving. My Mom and Dad were here. They came down to set up their trailer here for the winter. We are so excited to have them here. Rod came and brought Shelby and Ethan. We are so glad they made the long drive here. Jerry and my Mom did the Turkey and we worked together with Costco for the rest of the food. The kids were so happy to have family here. The meal turned out really good and we had PLENTY to eat. We each went around the table and talked about what we were grateful for. The kids did not want to quit and kept asking us to take turns. We have so much to be grateful for and I loved the opportunity to reflect on all those things. We ate and watched the Glenn Beck conversion story. I was touched to hear of his conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He has such a broad sphere of influence and it is amazing to see him using his national recognition for good. For some unknown reason Rod, Jerry and I decided to go shopping at the outlets at 11am. I did get Gymboree pajamas for the kids for under $5 but it was a little crazy. Rod is a maniac shopper and we didn't leave the outlets until close to 3am. We drove by Best Buy and saw lots of people camping out to get the doorbusters. Crazy. So I tried to go to bed but Rod wanted to go to Wal-mart and for some reason I agreed to go with him. I have never seen anything like it. What people will do to get Baby Alive for cheap. I thought for sure we would go home after Wal-mart but Rod drove over to Kohl's. Needless to say we got home around 7:30am. I think I am still recovering from the loss of sleep. We went to Twilight that night. Jerry, Grandpa, Landon and Uncle Rod got to attend a Jazz game on Saturday. They got to enjoy the game from the suite equipped with unlimited snacks. They had a great time. My Mom and I stayed here with the girls and we rented Barbie and the Diamond Castle, painted our nails and had snacks....does it get any better than that for a girls weekend? We were happy to spend time with Lauren and Avery.

Baby

So today a miracle of sorts occurred. Anyone that knows anything about Lauren knows she LOVES her baby. She was given this baby by Mimi Robb when we lived in Texas. Baby has been her constant companion ever since. There have been many times when I have considered buying another baby just for back up and especially when baby has been missing (Once Lauren locked her in her lunch box and forgot. Our life was miserable for one week) but I have never taken the plunge. This particular baby is somewhat difficult to find. I took Lauren to a kids store to look for some ballet shoes. They happen to have not one but TWO of her babies for sale (dirt cheap, I might add) so I bought them both. I feel so much more security knowing I have back up if the original baby disappears. Lauren ran right up and said she wanted to buy the baby so I hope she will adopt one of the new ones. As you can see from the pics.....the original baby is in bad shape. Miracles do happen.

Avery's New Tricks

• found her in the crib sitting up this morning
• sticking her cute little tongue out when you ask her
• clapping when you clap and ask her too.....it is seriously the cutest thing
• saying ma ma more frequently....usually all she says is da da
• pushing up to crawling position more and rocking back and forth
• laughing with the cutest laugh ever...i really need to video it
• saying hi in the cutest sing song voice

Football

This weekend was all about football. On Friday we drove to SLC to watch Nate play in a state championship game at Rice Eccles stadium. Nate did a great job. He had some really good blocks but they did lose the game. Teresa had a party after so we got to visit with Nate a bit. A highlight for Landon was getting to look at Doug's telescope. He was so excited because space is one of his current obsessions. We stayed in Springville that night with the Barson's. We missed Jeannette because she was out of town tending grandkids but sure appreciated Clyde's hospitality. Jerry had an awesome opportunity to attend the BYU vs. Utah game thanks to our gracious friends the Wright's. He had a great time. I was well taken care of in Springville and spent some time with Jill, Brent and kids. Landon had a few mishaps with the treadmill and also an unfortunate accident when he pretended to be a ghost and got hit in the head with a Ronald McDonald doll. We really enjoyed our time together. On Sunday, we met up with my parents and drove back home together. They will be here for a few weeks now and then for January-March. We are so excited.

Primary Program

Landon participated in his first primary program. It was so much fun to watch him. It was definitely one of those rewarding moments as a Mom. He is so bright and works so hard to do his best. I love to hear him talk about the gospel and seeing him sing all the songs made me cry. I am so grateful to be his Mom!

Soccer

Landon had his last soccer game today. He made two goals. He really learned to play well. I started to understand what he was supposed to do and was on fire after that. He was a leader on the team and always wanted to play. He had lots of enthusiasm and I know his coach really appreciated him. We had a great time watching him play and looking forward to next year.

Eleven Months Old

It has hard to believe little Avery is eleven months old! She is becoming her own person and showing her personality. She has started to turn on her tummy so she can face all different directions. She has an opinion about things and is starting to tell us especially when it comes to food. We started her on milk and she is doing great with it! She likes to be entertained and sometimes is not happy when we leave her alone. She is such a cute baby. One of the nurses in the dentists office said she is the perfect baby with the perfect features. We agree! She loves her Dad and always butts heads with him (gently) or buries her head on his shoulder and acts shy when she sees him. Landon still goes to great lengths to make her laugh. We haven't seen any more teeth besides her bottom two pop up but she sucks on her fingers and slobbers constantly. She has her Daddy wrapped around her finger and he has a hard time leaving her in her crib if she cries so he informed me I would be the sole parent who would have to discipline her. She is a darling baby, so happy and easy going. She is a ray of sunshine in our home and brings us so much joy. We love you Avery!

Veterans Day

It's not very often that I think about my involvement in the United States Navy or the fact that I am in fact a veteran. That part of my life although only 8 years ago seems like a dream to me. I served from July of 1995 until July of 2000. During those 5 years of service I learned a lot about discipline, honor, sacrifice, and most importantly God. I've seen many different parts of the world and have spoken with people that lived in those areas. I remember going to Euritria which is a war torn country on the East coast of Africa. When we arrived I noticed that most of the buildings were destroyed by mortar rounds, gun fire, and explosives. The people of Euritria were so happy to see us. They gathered around us as if we were movie stars. We took books to their library and medical supplies to their "hospital". Oh, I will never forget that scene. It was concrete building with rooms opening up to the outside. As we walked around the floors we witnessing medical basins outside the doors with blood and amputations. Blood stained the concrete floors and there were very few clean practices being used. However it was all they had and they were grateful for anything we could bring to help them. Another experience I witnessed was one night as I was walking down the main streets I noticed a hole in one of the buildings that resembled a door opening but only about 3' wide by 4' tall. As I walked by I noticed a person peeking out the "door". As I got a closer look I noticed 10 -15 people in the 1 room 'house' huddled together. The floor was dirt and it looked as though they only had one light in the room and no furniture.

The point I am trying to make is, well I guess a couple of points. First, I am so grateful that I served my country and was able to do a little part in the world to help others in need. Most of the things we hear about the war and military is so negative. But I am here to tell you that most of what we do as a country in other countries is good. War is ugly, I do not deny this. But I feel it is our duty as a free country to help others who have the same rights to freedom as we have. Second, when things are hard and it seems our economy is falling apart I doubt many of us will ever live in the deplorable conditions our brothers and sisters live in other parts of the world. I am grateful to live in this free country and enjoy the blessings I have.

God bless America and God bless those who are sacrificing their lives so we can enjoy ours.