Flashback Friday: Andrew's Comforts

Andrew was a binky baby....at first.

And I have several more pictures to document that we did try.

But then he started to experiment....

And then he got pretty good...




Then it became a full-blown addiction....

Then came the White Onesie....

That lasted for a few months until the "Feet Blankie" was discovered....

From my research, children usually outgrow this before the age of three....

We're still going strong.

This is "Cool Blankie." Equally as loved as "Feet Blankie." There's nothing wrong with your screen, "Cool Blankie" is pink. It used to be orange.

It sleeps with him and watches TV with him. On occasion it will go on errands with him, but most of the time, it stays home.

My favorite move, the Covert Operation. Suck fingers with the left hand, cover it up with Blankie with the right hand.

Sunbeams & Swimming

Andrew is a SUNBEAM!!

He entered the Primary room and was excited to find his very own chair that had his picture on it:

This was the actual photo. He likes to cheese it up for the camera. What a goof.

He was happy to be there.....as long as I was by his side. He didn't want me to leave (I tried), so I got to sit with him for the whole time. At first I was annoyed by his clinginess, but now I'm glad I got to be there to see him interact and sing the Primary songs. He's in a class with ALL BOYS. Boy, do they have their work cut out for them! Two of the other boys are in his preschool class, and let me tell you from firsthand experience, when they get together-watch out! During class time, one of their teachers held up a picture of baby Moses and had them repeat the name Moses back to her. Well, they thought that was a pretty fun word and kept saying "Moooooses!" over and over and over again.

I didn't know Andrew was going to be "one of those kids" that sang a bit on the irreverent side. When they got to "I am a Child of God," he sang it loud and proud. I would describe Andrew as a mild-mannered kid, but when he gets around his friends, he's a bit of a clown. His teachers did such a great job of keeping him focused on the task at hand.

I was baptized a member of our church when I was 19, so I didn't experience Primary as a child. When I was first baptized, I was called to team-teach a Sunbeam class with one of my best friends, Tanya. And for 5 consecutive years now, I've served as 2nd counselor, president, secretary, and stake secretary in the Primary. I know this organization well and I love it!! It's so fun to see my child partake of its goodness.

Now on to the Swimming part:

Andrew started swim lessons this week and I discovered that Andrew is indeed a fish out of water. To say he loved it would be an understatement. He did exactly what his teacher asked him to do-blow bubbles, dunk his head under the water, float on his back, kick & paddle. When his lesson was over, he threw a very nice fit because he didn't want to leave! It's been fun to watch him really love something.

The Family Dinner Lives On

The dinner hour at our house is very busy, as I imagine it is for every one of us moms. Studies show that the family dinner helps to keep the family together, so I thought I'd share with you what I've learned after 7 years and over 2000 dinners on the table (by 6 pm sharp!):

1. Once a week:
I make a list for a week's worth of meals and I only go to the store ONCE a week. I'm in and out in an hour or less (and usually with 2 bumpkins in tow). Next to sorting the laundry (another thing I only do once a week), making a grocery list is my least favorite chore.; it's tedious work. The payoff is that I don't have to think about it for at least another 7 days.

*I used to plan a month's worth of meals, but that went out the window once I had kids. It's simpler for me to plan a week at a time.

2. Write down the menu:
I plan my meals according to what's going on that week. For example, on Card Night, I plan something very simple. I usually designate one day a week for leftovers. After planning the menu, I write it down on our white board in the kitchen. Randy loves this because he can dream about the hot-cooked meal awaiting him upon his return from work. I love it because I don't have to wonder what I'm going to fix for dinner that night, all I have to do is execute! Another good thing about making a menu is the peace of mind of knowing that my kids get at least ONE nutritious meal a day (as opposed to the chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, and hot dogs they get for lunch!)

3. The Crockpot is my friend:
When I know I'm going to have a busy afternoon, I cook as much as I can in during lunch time or naps and then stick it in the crock pot to cook. When you get home, it's ready to go!

4. Set the table in advance:
I learned this from my mother-in-law--she sets the table WAY before the meal (sometimes even the night before). I've started making the habit to set the table during nap time. It really makes the dinner hour much simpler.

5. Let the machine get the phone and turn off the TV:
It feels good to let that phone ring. Some of our happiest times have been sitting around the table and eating good food together. It's probably also why I'll never be a size 2.

Making Lemonade Out of Lemons

Here is someone putting January's snow to good use. Every time we drive to Randy's parents, we look forward to seeing the latest creation...

The Cuteness

Oh, Joshua. What are we going to do with you?

Josh has learned the art of throwing baby tantrums. They're not the two-year-old-I want-to-beat-you kind; they're more like the ooohh!-you're-so-cute-I-just-want-to-scoop-you-up-and-kiss-your-scrumptious-cheeks kind. When he doesn't get his way (which usually involves taking away something he can't play with), he bangs his head to the floor and then throws himself down onto his back. Then he's mad because ouch! that hurt! We all get a kick out of it. He's so cute, I want to have 12 just like him.

Actually, I'm quite baby hungry. But don't worry, logic & reason always trump insanity & emotion in this house (if we can help it at least!). I'm still a bit traumatized from my two newborn experiences. Thank goodness Lorena just had her baby, I can just hop across the hall (ok, maybe not hop) to her apartment and play with Scotty's little bird legs whenever I have an inkling.

Here are Josh's stats from his 1-year checkup:
Weight: 21.8 lbs 35%
Height: 31 in. 85%
Head: 18.5 in. 69%

Grandpa Don

Picture courtesy of Randy's cousin, Kelli

We attended the funeral of Randy's grandpa this week. He passed away suddenly and peacefully. It was nice to get together with family and friends to celebrate his life. I didn't know his grandpa very well, but the comments made that day were that Don was a very loving man. Now that's a legacy to be proud of. I'm glad we got to see him one last time on Christmas day...

Daily Herald:

Don Wesley, 82, returned home to his Heavenly Father Saturday, December 29, 2007. He passed away peacefully at his home in Springville. He was born December 22, 1925 in Wales, Utah. The Son of Henry Benjamin and Tenna Ethel. He married Dora of Fountain Green, December 31, 1943 in Moroni, Utah. Dora preceded him in death and they are now together. He later, married Jetta from Lehi, Utah on September 3 0, 1994 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Don served in the Merchant Marines during World War II and was part of the Okinawa campaign, supplying ammunition and supplies to our troops. Don worked for Geneva Steel for 40 plus years and was very proud of this accomplishment. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and remembered being baptized in the Manti Temple. He enjoyed the deer hunt on Wales Mountain, Sanpete County and loved raising cattle on his property in Fairview, Utah. Dad loved spending the hot summers, traveling with his family, on vacation.

He is preceded in death by his parents and three brothers, Bryant, Glade, Charles Burke and one sister Venice. He is survived by his brother Foster, his wife Jetta, two daughters and four sons: Linda (Karl) of St. George, Marlena (Ken) of Genola, Danny (Carolyn), Larry (Deborah), Tommy Jay (Sandra), Eldon all of Springville and step children. Dad was grateful to have 14 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Danny, Jay, Larry, Eldon, Marlena

Dear Future Neighbor,

Ok, we need to get some things straight, if we plan to be friends. Yes, my husband is a doctor. An actual M.D. He's a Pathologist; he doesn't work with actual patients--he looks at their insides under a microscope. Yes, he did go through four years of medical training, but if you have a simple question like:

My kid has a fever and is pulling at his ears, can you look at them for me?

I've been having headaches for three days in a row, why is that?

I get these wierd splinter thingies under my nailbeds-what's that from?

What is a concussion?

He may befuddle you with big words straight from one of his textbooks he had to memorize, but don't let this fool you. He probably just doesn't know the answer. You see, if you want to know about the big offenders such as diabetes or heart disease, he's your man. But for the everyday stuff, you're better off going to wikipedia.com; or better yet, call your family doctor.

Oh, and one more thing--he's not doling out prescription slips at our house. Nope, we go to our family doctor just like everybody else. Well, except we paid $80,000+ in tuition for a medical education.

Sincerely,

Your Very-Unconnected Friend

Weekend Getaway

We desperately had the need to GET AWAY from our children. They're cute. They're fun. We love them to pieces, but I don't know, maybe Josh's incessant screaming on the way to Grandma & Grandpa's house, put us over the edge. We ditched our beloved offspring to their very generous and very kind grandparents and hurried out the door before anyone had a chance to change their mind. We went to lunch and then wasted the afternoon away shopping child-free, carseat-free, and meltdown-free. We then made our way to this haven:

We watched movies and ate pizza in bed--it was lovely.

My Christmas Top 5

5. The Mormon Tabernacle Christmas concert with the Kings Singers. Beautiful.

4. Dinner with friends while our children were snug in their beds with their new Babysitter in the next room. We've never hired a babysitter. It was the best and something we want to do more often.

3. Two family Christmas parties. It was fun to see the new babies that were born this year. We look forward to seeing family members that we usually only see once a year.

2. My boys in jammies. Scrumptious!


















1. And of course, seeing one happy little boy open his Christmas presents. If he would have gotten only one toy, he would've been happy; but the Grandmas & Grandpas made extra sure to spoil both our boys rotten. Poor Josh pooped out on us in the middle of the Christmas extravaganza-big brother had to fill in and open his presents for him.












You know when Andrew especially loves a toy. It sleeps with him, it eats dinner with him, it takes trips in the car with him, and it is NOT to be touched by anyone else!







We had a fun Christmas, full of joy and family.

Greatest Hits 2007

Joshua Bryant is born into the world, 8lb. 3oz. 12:18
Josh Sports His First Smile 01:30
We All Get A Full Night's Sleep 03:15
Nancy Starts Her First Veggie Garden 05:11
Andrew Says Goodbye to Diapers 05:31
Andrew’s 3rd Birthday 06:18
First Camping Trip as a Family of Four 07:01
Randy Begins His Final Year of Medial School 7:29
Joshers Gets His First Tooth 07:30
Randy Decides What He Wants To Be When He Grows Up: a Pathologist 08:26
Lake Powell Vacation 09:05
Andrew’s First Day of Preschool 09:13
Randy Goes to India for a Month 09:14
Nancy & the Boys Visit Grandma in San Diego 9:15
Josh Crawls 09:28
Residency Interviews Begin 10:26
Randy Turns 30! 11:06

7 Years of Wedded Bliss 12:16
Josh’s 1st Birthday 12:18

It’s been a fun and eventful year! We wish you a Merry Christmas!

Love,
Randy, Nancy, Andrew & Joshua

Christmas Eve

Every year, we spend Christmas Eve with Randy's grandma, aunts, uncles & cousins.




Good times.

Flashback Friday: Christmas Past

Oh, I have so many wonderful memories of Christmases past. My parents really knew how to make it magical. Here are some of my favorite memories:

When I was 5, my parents told me to look out our window that looked out into our backyard to see what Santa brought me-a giant Sesame Street swing set! I was a firm believer after that.

When I was 7, I don't know what possessed me to do this, but I woke up to find that Santa had been there. I then proceeded to open my presents without even waking my parents! I remember the toy that I wanted with all my heart: a Cabbage Patch Horse. I knew this was wrong because afterward, I wrote my parents a letter apologizing for opening my presents. We laugh about it now, but I remember my parents being very bewildered and saddened at what I had done. Now I can imagine how they felt because I can't wait to see Andrew opening his presents this year.

When I was 11 or 12, my parents came home after Christmas shopping. I was whining to them about something, and my mom just kept saying, "Go get that bag on the table." She probably asked me three times before saying, "GO GET THAT BAG ON THE TABLE!!" Well, I got the bag, and there was a puppy inside.

Speaking of pets, it seemed like that's always what I wanted every year for Christmas-we had many hamsters, guinea pigs, and rabbits through the years.

When I was 13 or 14, we opened our Christmas presents like usual. I received a lot of nice things, but I didn't get the "one thing" that I had asked for (I can't even remember what it was now). My parents asked me if I was happy with what I had been given , and I said yes, of course. Some time later, my parents told us Santa had left some more presents in one of the bedrooms-there was another load of wrapped presents in there.

We had so many little traditions that I long to carry on with my own little family:

We went to the same Christmas tree lot every year to pick out the perfect Christmas tree. We went out to dinner afterward and then sang Christmas songs on the way home. Dad would put up the lights on the tree (meticulously) and then my sister, Mom, and I would put up the ornaments while listening to Christmas music and sipping hot chocolate. The tackier the tree, the better. I loved seeing my homemade ornaments year after year. We always had colored lights that blinked in splotches-it was such a comfort to me for some reason. We had a red bell that played Christmas tunes that I loved. We also had a very old angel that sat on top of the tree that finally bit the dust when I was in high school-we tried to replace it, but it was never the same.

Every Christmas Eve, we got to open one present to take the edge off of our excitement. That present was always pajamas. My sister always hoped it would be something else. On Christmas morning, we would open our presents in our cute pajamas-perfect for pictures. Even my mom and dad got pajamas and it was fun going with them to pick them out for each other.

Every Christmas Eve we would put our jammies on and then hop in the car to go look at Christmas lights while listening to Christmas music. Then off to bed!

We woke up way before the sun came up. My sister and I woke up around 3 am and would lay next to our presents around the tree until it was a suitable time (like 4 am) to go wake our parents up. Our parents were so good and let us wake up that early-their only stipulation was that we had to go make them a cup of coffee and tea before they'd get up.

We opened our presents one at a time. Santa made our dreams come true every year. I always got clothes (I loved getting clothes), but they were never the style that I wanted! My poor mom tried every year to pick out clothes she thought I'd like, but I'd always want to return at least half of them! The day after Christmas, my mom would take me shopping-she'd wait in the return lines while I scavenged the clothes isles. It turned into a really fun tradition-my mom is the best shopping buddy ever!

We always made M&M cookies and sugar cutout cookies every Christmas Eve. We'd leave a plate of cookies with milk for Santa.

We got my mom & dad the same few stocking stuffer items every year. For my mom, it was Jordan Almonds & bubble bath in the shape of a champagne bottle. For my dad, it was a particular shaving soap and chocolate covered cherries. The chocolate covered cherries (without the cream) were always hard to find. Every time I see them at the store, I check to see if they're the kind that my Dad likes, and they never are. I wonder if they even make them anymore.

On Christmas morning, we got dressed after opening our presents and then headed over to my aunt's house to spend time with her and my cousins.

I remember getting those big huge (poster sized) coloring books-I don't even see those anymore. I loved them!

Farewell

We said goodbye to the bottle today. Doesn't he look so cute and content?

He doesn't mind regular ol' milk or sippy cups. Woo hoo! I dodged a bullet there, didn't I?

My Search for a Fancy Schmancy Camera

I know a few posts ago I was dreaming of the Nativity & Advent sets I'd like to have someday, but what I'm saving up for, hopefully by my 30th birthday (which is coming a little too quickly), is an upgrade from my 3.2 megapixel dinosaur to a beginner-level digital SLR. So I need your help. So many of you own one of these bad boys, please tell me why you like yours and why you chose that particular camera (Kimbur, Lorena, Ruth, Lindsey, Hillary, Danica, Becky, Danielle and anyone else). As of now, I'm leaning toward the Nikon D40. Here are the cameras that I'm comparing (you know me and my obsessiveness):

Canon Rebel XT

Nikon D40
Olympus E410
Pentax K100D

Thanks for your input!

Happy Birthday Sweetness

Joshua Bryant turns one today. We cheated and celebrated 16 days early. Here are some highlights from his party at Grandma & Grandpa's house:

I Don't

Like This Hat!!!!

You can pacify me with a pen, but don't expect me to be happy about it.

Mmmm. Cake is squishy. And so fun to throw on the floor.

Big brother seems to like it.

It was fun opening presents with Dad & Brother helping me.

But the highlight of my first birthday party was....

...hanging out with Dad & Uncle Tyler

Happy Birthday to our sweet little monster. We love you!!

Poor quality, but pretty funny: