Merry Christmas!!!

Will was very excited to open his presents, as you can see by the expression on his face!

He got the coolest book from Grandma JoLynn that has music and lights. He was mesmerized!

"More books? I better learn how to read quick!"

Sweet! A train!

Check out my new wheels! I got this Cadillac walker from Grandma and Grandpa Newbold.

Opening his presents.

Will playing with Dad.

Naughty or Nice??

Will's first encounter with Santa. I think Santa could see the word

"trouble" written all over this kids face...

"Hang on Santa, I gotta sneeze."

"I want a firetruck, a red one."

Better leave, Santa's getting sleepy.

I was proud to play a part as a "Who" in the ward's version of
The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Actually, I was
embarrassed. It was fun though.

Will is a Pill.....

So, my dear friend and former roommate Jen, got married a few weeks ago. We were invited to attend a small luncheon for friends and family. We got there a little late, but slid into a table where some other guests were seated, most of which were strangers to us. No sooner had the salad plate been placed in front of me, than Will had a sudden bowel explosion. It was running out the bottom of his pant leg and all over my WHITE skirt. Lovely. I was so shocked, I just sat there for a moment and then quietly nudged Blair. He wrapped the baby up in a blanket and escorted him to the bathroom. Meanwhile, I had to pull the tablecloth over my entire lap. We managed through the lunch, and when it was time to go congratulate Jen, I held my coat over the main area and hoped no one would notice the side of my skirt. As I quickly said my congrats and was readying to make a dash for the exit, the photographer pulled towards the stairs and said, "Hurry and get in the picture. She wants one with all the former roommates. So, there I was, sitting sideways behind the beautiful bride. Will laughed all the way home.

A House Divided

I think these pictures speak for themselves. Don't ask me how we are able to make this work...it just does.

Of course, the son sides with the mom...at least for now.

Sorry this one's blurry!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We were lucky enough to have TWO Thanksgiving feasts. Thursday we go to the Newbolds' and Friday is round two with my dad's family. This is the whole family gathered around at Grandma's house to play a little after dinner game.

I LOVE solid food!!

Will was tired out after all that turkey and mashed potatoes. Grandma was content to hold him as long as necessary.The aftermath...Will get's ready for church after a long Thanksgivng weekend. It is obvious he over did the pie just a little. He'll have to hit the gym come Monday.

Going Cold Turkey!!

My sister decided that it would be a great idea to run a 6k on Thanksgiving morning to jump start the old metabolism before gorging ourselves on turkey and stuffing. So, we ran in the race in downtown and boy was it cold! I actually felt my nose run and then stop...because it froze halfway to my lip! Okay, mabe that is a slight exaggeration. We all did have a great time though.

Before the race: Dad, Steph, Steve, Lisa, and me.

Me crossing the finish line.

Steph and Dad crossing.

Our cold, but devoted fans.

Trick or Treat...We're Off to See the Wizard

Tin Man, Dorothy, and Todo. We're not in Kansas anymore.

Here we are off to follow the yellow brick road...or the interstate to visit Dave and Shauna.

Then we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Newbold.

Todo and the Tin Man became fast friends.

Eric and Grandpa trying to get the puppy to stick out his tongue.

Todo: "I feel ridiculous in this get-up mom."

Tin Man: "I look HOT in this get-up."

Check out those paws!

Recent Roll-Overs...

So, Will recently learned the art of rolling over. At first, it was a really huge effort to get his chunky thighs to swing over to one side. However, after several successful trials, he began to roll over on various surfaces. In fact, now I cannot put him down anywhere without him rolling over. So, this first video is when he was just barely starting to learn.

This second one is Will after having rolled over in his little rocking chair. One day he did it while I was making dinner. I kept hearing grunting noises, but I didn't think to turn around and survey the scene since grunting is commonplace for him. Suddenly the grunting got intense and I turned around to discover him face down, hanging on for dear life as his feet dangled off the front side. This kid takes, "Live on the Edge" very literally.

The Good Old Days are Gone for Good....

So, Blair has been really stressed and busy with school. I decided it would be nice to give him something to look forward to, so I planned an actual date. I thought that we could just bring the baby along for the ride because it would be easier than finding a babysitter. I planned to take Blair to this new Mexican Restaurant downtown and then we were going to visit Cabela's--which I knew would make Blair all googly eyed :) I envisioned the fun dates we used to go on when we were dating and just recently married. I was excited and he was eager to find out what I had planned. Well, needless to say, dating with a third party is a whole different experience. First, I had to ride into the city in the back seat with Will, so he wouldn't cry. Then, the restaurant was down a long flight of stairs, so we had to haul the stroller down and then ask the hostess to store it for us while we ate. Will woke up mid-meal and started screaming. Blair was in the bathroom so I was left alone to console my screeching baby while receiving a mix of pitied glances and annoyed glares from fellow restaurant patrons. On the trip to Cabela's, I thought for sure Will would fall asleep since it is a 45 minute drive. Not so. He screamed the entire way, making conversation with my "date" impossible, especially since the only way to drown him out was to turn up Josh Groban. (Not even Josh could soothe him.) Cabela's was fine, except we got there an hour before closing and so Blair didn't have sufficient time to pick something out. It's a little like sensory overload for Blair to walk through that place...so many toys, so little time. Where to start? Anyway, our date turned out to be less than romantic, but of course I wouldn't have traded it for the world. We just have to learn to shift our course a little to allow for our new little tag-a-long. Good thing he's cute!

Checking out the fish tanks.

Blair was SO excited to take his son on his first Cabela's outing.

Dad and Will in nature...almost.

Will and me with a giant Black Bear in the background.

Do you recognize this guy? Neither do I, but I thought he was funny and so the stereotypical Cabela's camping guy.

Look at That Face!!

Will continues to give us those priceless expressions!


This is his Harley Davidson shirt and his dew rag cap. He's tough for sure.

Not one for fashion statements, here Will is sporting his P.J. skirt with his camo socks.

Just hangin' with Dad.

Will's first time wearing pajamas. It's been so hot, that he always just lept in onesies until now.

Definitely "Daddy's little Sidekick." Look at those legs! Can you say "Summo?"

One of These Legs is Not Like the Other....

So, I pretty much haven't touched a sewing machine since I was in 8th grade and my Home Ec. teacher yelled at me for breaking the machine while sewing those infamous hot pads. Since that painful moment, I have lived with an aversion to sewing and sewing machines. However, my saintly neighbor next door took it upon herself to give me "good experiences" in sewing so that I would develop a desire. We took a trip to Wal-mart, bought some cute froggy/camo flannel and set out on our task to make Will some jammies. Problem is...you'll notice that Will would have to have an atrophied left foot and leg to squeeze into these babies. That didn't really matter though, since we couldn't fit the pants over his bum anyway, so I will have to donate these to the next friend/family member who has a newborn baby boy. Are any of you excited yet? Heehee. Perhaps my lot in life is not to sew, but to shop at discount stores. Spend the same amount of money and a lot less time! I have always been domestically challenged, these little gems just confirmed that fact again. Oh well!

Got Your Finger....

Warning: The images contained in this entry may not be suitable for viewers with weak stomachs.

So, last night I was ambitiously cleaning up all the dinner dishes after Will finally went to bed and I learned a valuable lesson. Here it is: Be careful with butcher knives; they tend to be sharp. I was drying off the big knife (the one my mom gave me for Christmas-thanks mom!) and it slipped out of my left hand and cut cross ways into my right index finger. Oh the pain! After the initial shock, I called Blair, who was on his way home from school, and told him I thought I might need stitches. He arrived on the scene about 10:00 and told me no stitches would be necessary, he would just use a tad of super glue to close my gash. Dr. Blair's "tad" of glue soon turned into a bubbling mass of quickly crystallizing blood. Well, you can look at his handiwork for yourself. I'm hoping the scar it leaves won't be any bigger than Texas. :)

Our last Hoorah for the summer

So I (Blair) decided it was my turn to post on the blog. These pictures are of our recent retreat to a house in Park City for a weekend with the Newbolds.

This picture was taken in "The Great Room". The fireplace is huge and the stone work on the fireplace was so nice. The door to the right goes to the massive master bedroom. The blank picture on the wall is actually a huge plasma TV. The vaulted ceilings in "The Great Room" must be about 30 feet high. This house is huge, about 6700 sq feet. Yes, that is my younger brother Ryan and yes, he is taller than I am.

Will loved every minute of the trip! He found himself sleeping on plush pillows and blankets every night.

In case you can't read Will's shirt, it says "My dad is cooler than your dad" and he is!

Will also enjoyed our trip to Strawberry Reservoir even though he didn't catch anything.

My sister Rachel is all smiles about fishing.


So am I.

Jodi at the wet bar downstairs close to the amazing theatre room.

The guest master bathroom shower. Pretty plush! Duel shower heads are a must for every shower.

The jetted tub is a nice touch also!

It was nice to get away for a few days! We played games, watched movies, went to the outlet malls, went for walks and ate great food. What more can you ask for?



We also found time to take a nap!