My Best Friend

Over the holidays, Scott, Will & I went to meet Caitlin, Olivia, & Kathy for lunch.  It was so good to see Caity & Olivia since they've been living abroad & will be for the next three years or so. Caitlin has been my best friend since we were born - we started together in Missouri & then moved to California just a few houses away from each other.  When her family moved to Tennessee, she'd come out to live with us every summer.  She then came to live with us our Senior year where we choreographed a bunch of dances together for our high school dance class.  Then we roomed together our Freshman year at BYU.  When we each got married, we were each other's Maids of Honor. Now she is the godmother of my son. We definitley have a lot of history together!

Me holding Olivia & Caitlin holding Will

Will & Olivia loved each other, as they should. They just kept smiling & talking together.

O Christmas Tree & Temple Lights

Tonight, Scott, my dad, Will, the Brad & Rach family, & I went to get a Christmas tree.  We started out going to an amazing Mexican restaurant in Oakland called Cactus.  The food was incredible, & I'm already wanting more! 

Will was very happy that we let him use a normal cup.

Isn't my hubby handsome?

After dinner, we went to get Christmas trees. My dad got a monster tree - it was huge & so beautiful.

Bob (Brad's business partner), my dad, Sammie Lou, Wesley, Rachel, Cole, Brad, Scott, William, & me

Then we went to the temple to look at the beautiful lights & check out the Visitor's Center.

The Oakland Temple: It's crazy to think that about 5 years ago, Scott & I were married here, & now we're back with our sweet miracle boy.

Nothing Like a Fat Man in a Red Suit & a Screaming Baby

We went to my parents' Ward Christmas Party tonight - to celebrate the season, eat good food, visit with family & friends, but most importantly, to see the fat man in the red suit.  Much to my delight, Will started screaming as soon as I sat him on Santa's lap - honestly, I was happy to get a "screaming child w/ Santa" picture - those are always the classics!

Bev w/ Carter (Will's cousin) & Silvia w/ Will

Video of William Walking

Will's been walking for about a month now. He has great balance, is very sturdy, can pretty much turn on a dime, & dribbles balls down the hall.  I'm amazed at how fast this kid learns - it may take him a while to do something (like walk, or clap his hands), but once he decides he wants to do it, he just takes off!

Video of William walking in his squeaky shoes - he really gets cruising at the end.

Nothing Like a Little Nap & Then Cousin Time

Will hardly ever sleeps in our arms anymore, so it was such a treat when we brought him in from the car & he actually stayed asleep. 

After Will woke up, he was greeted by a bunch of his cousins - they played with puzzles & blocks together & then got all snuggled up in their jammies.

Lily, Zach, Will, Cole, Wes, Drew, Timmy, & Sammie Lou

Christmas Time Downtown

Scott, Will, my parents, & I went downtown for the Christmas Tree Lighting (even though we never even saw the tree).  We took off, bundled Will up in his stroller, drank free hot chocolate, listened to the missionaries sing Christmas Hymns, & then looked through the different shops in town. It was a great way to start the Christmas season.

Thanksgiving!

My mom has always gone all out for Thanksgiving, with so many different dishes, you can hardly fit samplings of everything on one plate: turkey, mashed potatoes, candied yams, pineapple & cheese, jell-o salad, carrots & cauliflower, pomegranate salad, green salad, crescent rolls, & stuffing. And of course for dessert, she makes so many different kinds of pie: raselberry, pumpkin, apple, chocolate, coconut, banana, & then bread pudding by special request.

Raselberry Pie in the making

The table's all set

Dennis & Gail came up for the celebration.

My dad carved the turkey.

Will fed his cousin, Carter, in the high chair.

Will standing on his toes, so he can "politely" shove bread in Carter's mouth.

Bev & Gail making the salad

Apple & Raselberry Pies

Two Grandmas = a lot of LOVE

Scott had to work a 48-hour shift the 2 days before Thanksgiving.  He was exhausted when he got home.

Trying to force-feed Will some turkey. I think he's going to be a picky eater.

Will is officially walking.

After dinner, we took a break down by the trampoline. My dad opted for the cement slide rather than taking the stairs down.

It was so much fun watching Will jump on his knees & walk on the tramp - he had really great balance!

Learning to give Carter a high five

Jumping with Mama

Will loves the swing.

Aren't the leaves beautiful?

2nd go-around of dinner

Dennis w/ his picture-taking.

My brother, Brad, has a thing about forcing his kids to learn their abs at a young age. Wes was very serious about keeping his body straight.

Showing Rachel the beautiful new fabrics I bought for one of my next projects.

Nothing says "fun" like a napkin.

Wes & Rach

Cole, Drew, & Sammie wrestled with Scott while he watched football.

Dessert time: Mmm Mmm Good!

All bathed & ready for bed in new Christmas jammies from Nana.