O Christmas Tree

This year since we will be around for Christmas we really wanted to get a real Christmas Tree and cut it down ourselves. So the day after Thanksgiving we set out with Erik's parents and sister Laura to find the perfect tree. We bundled up cuz it was a bit chilly! But we still had a good time! Lu Le was all smiles!

I think we found it..the perfect tree (after much wandering around deliberating)

Erik goofin around while his Dad is all business measuring our tree! yep this is the one- fits right in! Our first real Christmas tree!
Erik going to town...sawing away our tree.
While us ladies just hang out. Erik's Beautiful sister Laura- and me with my baby girl! (who looks a bit bored)
Our strong man carrying our tree away.

We had a good time picking out our tree this year. The real adventure was getting it home to Richmond. I highly recommend buying your tree in the same county as where you live. A 2 hour drive on a major interstate with a tree not that secure on your roof is a bit scary. We stopped 3 times to check on it and we were holding our breath all the way home.

We must have been quite a sight because i started noticing heads turning as cars passed us with worried expressions on there faces. We then noticed our shadow on the ground and the tree was pointing straight up and tilting back for most the ride...haha. It totally looked like it was going to blow off any minute. I didn't blame people for not wanting to drive any where near us! You live you learn right? I am just happy we all made it home in one piece!

Our little turkey!

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I am grateful I got to spend turkey day with these two cuties!
Her first thanksgiving...the "fox tradition" picture with the Turkey!
She really wanted some...checking that bird out!
We love our little turkey!!!

We had a great thanksgiving this year. It was just us with Erik's parents and one sister Laura. It was kind of nice to just have a small group and to have Grandma and Grandpa all to ourselves. Erik's Mom goes all out! We ate and ate and ate!!! Everything was soo yummy! They also had some of the singles ward kids over which was fun to have people to play some games with. It was a great day and an awesome weekend which I will have to post about later.

Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful!

Support Groups

I am taking advantage of living by all these wonderful women who have great ideas on how to be a better mother, homemaker and crafter! I seriously just feel like a sponge soaking up all these great ideas and skills. There is so much talent round here!

So there are a various groups always popping up round here of girls getting together to do great things like these:

Make adorable yarn wreaths with friends - this was actually my idea (via Lauren...thank you!) I also got this fantastic shutter from a really great...and really cheap re-purposing shop. (also recommended by a friend!)

Have a great BOW PARTY!!!!! (this is my favorite) I am already itching to do another one. (like Lucy needs more bows!) Here is how you do it....each person chooses a bow/flower to bring to teach and bring all the materials to make...then you swap and come away with 12 new and different bows! Look at those adorable things above? And now I know how to make them all! Quite the skill to have with a baby girl this day in age- quite essential. ;) I wasn't able to attend the actual swap...but it looks like it was a party!!? Good look girls! ;) Lastly- this has changed my life-honestly. FHE group. Each person in the group puts together a full out FHE lesson. Complete with visual aids, scripture stories, games, treat ideas, you name it! And-of course an easy outline to follow so you can teach it to your family. I can't believe how these girls come up with these fabulous ideas?!Sara swallowed in a pile of FHE folders!!! So far I have come away with 62 different FHE lessons....it is a lot of work, but it is sooo worth it!

What what I do without all these fabulous ladies and there amazing ideas. I really do feel lucky to live here and associate with these girls and make me and my family better. I know these may seem silly and trivial...but i am learning great skills and i think these things all though they are not the most important things- and you do have to stay balanced, these "silly" things improve the look of my home, my children, and the spirituality of my family and I think those things are priceless. When you feel good and things look good and the spirit is there- everything runs smoothly. i am a big believer in that. So thanks girls for making me better! (and helping me have a blast along the way!)

Whatc'ha doing Mom? And i just threw this pic in for kicks...what a curious cutie!

Family Pictures

November 2010

"Cuz when your 15"...

You love Night games....and maybe also when your 25.

My friends Rock!

Mormon Momma's relief- run around the neighborhood pretending to be fugitives and hope you don't get spotted by the cops. Although i rocked as a cop...and luckily my friends car is still in one piece-im a little bit of a crazy driver when I am on a mission! (and all the time)

Yeeah we know how to have a good time. lol! But seriously it was one of the most fun nights I have had in a long time(not to mention a great work out!)....we will definitely need to repeat this one. And props to Heather for face planting in the mud...and rockin it! :)

Thanks Ladies for a night to remember...how much longer do you think we can get away with acting like we are 15? Not sure- but we better enjoy it while it lasts.

Wart from....

H.E. double hockey sticks!!!!

This may be tmi...and the following picture may not be appropriate but I can't take it....this sucker has ruined me!!!!

Yesterday I went to the worst dermatologist ever....and got 6 warts frozen (some of which I have had for over 5 years...i know I should have gone in a long time ago!) which i expected to hurt...and they did...but this one on my palm has literally made it so I cannot use by right hand.

Because of its location and how it is embedded in my hand every movement of my fingers tugs at it and KILLS!!!! And this is not even going to get rid of it...i will have to go back and do it again and again!!!!!

Anyway I know I am dramatic about this kind of stuff and I know you are thinking really a wart?

But I am serious it is so frustrating and hurts soo bad- I can't do anything, it throbs, I am being a terrible mom to Lucy....

....and then I read nie nie....and I feel better....and pull myself out of my self pity....and it helps for a moment.

So thank you nie nie....and thank you to dear friends who are helping me and letting me cry and be a baby. (and Erik)

the big s-i-x

That's right my baby is 1/2 a year!! Woah!! I am pretty sure this is my favorite stage...this girl makes me smile everyday. I think i might freeze her right as she is. And here are a bunch of pictures to prove how delightful she is. I feel like collages help disguise the crazy amount pictures... maybe a little? Sorry for the overload! I can't even imagine what her 1 year post will be like!

This is the face that greets me after a nice, long afternoon nap! Probably her greatest accomplishment in my book is that she is sleeping through the night!!hallelujah! It took some work...and many tears all around, but it was not as bad as I thought and it was well worth it, for all of us!

Lucy already enjoys family scripture study. She really likes those scriptures! ;) She has started the grabbing phase. Nothing in your hands is safe!
Before mommy went shopping for a hat...we had to improvise with one of mommy's. I think she looks like a little Babushka! The second one-MUCH BETTER! So cute. All decked out for winter!
Oh how I love each and every one of these sweet faces. Lately, she makes funny mouth/lip movements as she is discovering her 2 new teeth. She has had these for about a month now. They are up and poking through quite nicely. It makes her smile even cuter. But she no longer gets to suck on mommy's fingers because those suckers are SHARP! (and no she wasn't really that ornery or anything during the process-we dodged yet another bullet! thanks Luc!)
-She loves watching the leaves fall off the trees out the window- it's so cute. She also will stare at the trees branches blowing in the wind with there bright colors. (the bottom left picture- "get me out of here!" she does get bored!)

She still has the biggest most curious eyes around. She looks and listens very intently! Aww those eyes are my favorite!

She is now officially rolling, scooting and shifting...all over! I got to make sure the floor is clear for about a 6 foot radius or she will get it! We are still working on sitting up...but she does okay by herself-for about 10 seconds.

Here are a few more things she is up to:

-A big one is the Lu Bug is now eating baby food! And loving it as I have mentioned before. In fact she likes it so much she won't really eat the plain ole rice cereal as well. She is soo demanding and impatient (maybe there is a bit of me in her after all) when it comes to food. She sits in her highchair panting like a dog and kicking her legs between each spoonful. We can't keep up with her! I think her favorites so far have been bananas and carrots....but there hasn't been anything that she really hasn't taken to. Oh and she LOVES sucking on pieces of peach in hermesh ring thing...i mean lOVES it! She also is a true baby and loves her cheerios. (also proving she is her grandma J's Grandaughter) She loves Gerber puffs too...a little too much!

see video #1

- She loves music and dancing. If I hold her and pretend we are dancing around-twirling and such she just giggles in delight! see video #3

- I bet...actual I know because it's happened...she can be left in her jumping/bouncy saucer thing for an hour or more and be completely entertained. She loves it! She is a jumper for sure!

- She is a social butterfly- she loves being around people. People watching is a favorite pastime of hers. Even if it's past her naptime and she is grumpy-take her out with people and it will hold her off for a good 30 min.

- Having said that- she does already have stranger anxiety. As long as we are in the room- she wants me or daddy to hold her. Good thing she has a short term memory and if we leave she is fine.

- Walks in the stroller or the front carrier are also a good time killer when she needs to be held off for bed but is a little ornery. What kid doesn't love a good walk.

-When she is playing on the floor and usually when she wants something out of reach she makes a crazy screeching noise, she just yells and screams...we call it the Pterodactyl. (that screechy, flying dinosaur) see video #5

These video's are really worth it! (they are not that long..)

the best giggle in the world!! Loves dancing and singing with her mommy! this weird thing she does once in a while. The Pterodactyl

Wrapping it all up with her 6 month stats:

Height: 26 3/4 (85%)

Weight: 15-15 (50%)

Head: 18 (95%)

So she has leveled out in the weight department, had a height growth spurt and has a humongo head apparently!

if you made it through this whole post you deserve an award! :)

Apple Picking in October..

That's right, we've got apple picking down. We know just the spot to go...Carter Mountatin in the beautiful town of Charlottesville. We even got the fancy apple pickin equipment (I almost took out Erik and Lucy with this thing...)
We got rows and rows of beautiful apple trees...
and a very curious (and cute) little Lucy bug.
a way too close up close up of the whole fam!
I think Erik is somewhere in there...what he will sacrifice for the "good" apples at the top. (this was pre- fancy tool)
a chubby cheeked girl! drooling at the smell of those crisp apples.
he got one!
and another...
the one shot we got of the amazing view. This doesn't even do it justice either. Actually I think the best things about Carter Mountain are in this photo...the gorgeous fall view, the delicious apple cider, and cropped out Erik is holding the ever famous...apple cider doughnuts! A-MAZ-ING. Needless to say, we are big fans of the whole Carter Mountain experience. Not to mention that we have been enjoying the benefits for weeks now eating up all the yummy things we have made with the apples. Such as, apple bread, apple crisp, and coming soon- apple baby food for Lucy (if I get around to it!)

Family Olympics...forever ago

So this is late news...but back in September....

What was I thinking? What a problem when you have so many friends!!! So I thought it would be fun to throw a summer send off neighborhood party-Olympic themed. Well I forgot that there are about 30 student families in our neighborhood that also go to our church...and of course I wanted to invite them all! Woah what a task...I think it ended up being about 70 kids and adults! I was a little worried but I think it ended up being really fun! It was a little crazy and let's just say I got an awesome work out that day...and lost my voice. But we sure love all our great friends. I don't think we ever want to leave Dental school! The decorations and our brunch items.

The carrying of the torch and the teams with there team "flags"

you may notice the Dunn family are in a lot of these photos...that's because I had no time to take pictures so I stole Sara's and some of Danielle's. Thanks girls!

some of the games included piggy back parent, call for mother, 3 legged race, relay race, shotput throw and a game of tag your tail!

my little gold medalist! :) (big thanks to Erik for taking care of Lucy while Momma ran the show!)

(and thank goodness I am not this fat anymore...I don't think.)

look at all those people!!!! Luckily we have that great big field in our back yard! But it really was very worth all the work-thanks for everyones help and I hope everyone had as much fun as we did. (but I don't think this is going to be an ongoing tradition or anything...)

:)