christmas lights

Last night, Scott & I called some of our friends up to go look at Christmas lights for Family Home Evening. We started at our house where we had some hot chocolate, & then we drove to a neighborhood that is completely decked out for the holidays. We bundled up nice & warm & strolled around looking at all the fun displays.

(me w/ Will, the Taylor's, the Fisher's, & Ruby in her carseat)

Christmas 2009

I was never able to post pictures of Christmas because all the pictures were taken on my mom's camera.  Now that I have my hands on it again, I was finally able to download them.

Christmas Eve:

Scott worked Christmas Eve/his birthday, as well as Christmas Day/my birthday, so Will & I spent those few days at my parents'.

My Aunt Bev's kids came for Christmas, so it was a lot of fun seeing them for a short bit.  Max (Dani & Paul's baby boy) & Will had a lot of fun together. 

Max wasn't really sure how to hold his own around Will - I think Will was kind of shocking to him. Notice the ball flying toward the head.

That's my (hyper) boy!

Cleaning the dishes after our feast: Steven, me, & Amy

Some of the cousins: Kim, Dani, Max & Paul, Alli & Jason, & Adil

Getting ready for bed, so Santa can come!

Christmas Day:

Of course Will woke up & was clueless about Christmas.  But when he saw all the goodies that Santa brought him, he got super excited, especially when he saw the ball!

Later that night, after playing some rounds of Pirate Bingo, we celebrated my birthday with a yummy carrot cake!

New Years:

Since Scott had to work New Year's as well, I headed back down to my parents & spent the exciting holiday with these yahoos.

Cole, Drew, Timmy, & Zach (Lily, Sammie, & Will were already in bed)

Catch up

The reason I haven't been updating is that I've gotten so far behind, that the idea of catching up again is too overwhelming. So a quick recap of what's happened in my life since the racquetball tournament in December.

1. Will & I went to Utah to visit my sister, Susan, & her family.  William loved playing with his cousin, Leah, who is 3 weeks older than him to the day.  I have to admit that I loved that they were able to entertain each other so much, so I didn't have to keep a constant eye on him.  Susan & I went to BYU to check out the bookstore - I stocked up on a bunch of books & BYU baby gear for Will.  Susan & I also started a plan to get our lives organized - something we have both struggled with a lot!  (We've stuck to the plan for a little over a month now, & it has made a HUGE improvement in both of our lives!) While there, I also played the part of "the brave sister who cleans up the dog's nasty vomit loaf" - really, it was shaped like a thick rectangular loaf & was disgusting! Aren't I a good sister?  My good friend, Emily, & her husband Jason, also came over to my sister's for dinner one night, & we were able to visit.

Will kept getting stuck under the gate at Susan's house - he just couldn't seem to figure out that the point of the gate was to keep him out of the living room.

We also decorated Christmas cookies with all the kids.  Every year, Scott decorates a gingerbread boy in a speedo, so I decided to carry on the tradition for him since he wasn't there.  I also got tired of all the boring Christmas trees, so I turned mine into a rocketship.

2. Scott met me in Utah, so we could go to our niece's wedding - Thalia Rae & her new husband, Daniel, looked so happy together! We hung out with Scott's family, ate at The Garden (the restaurant next to The Roof in Salt Lake City), ate chocolate-orange cookies that Scott surprised me with from Ben's Cookies (they're so good!), froze in the wind & snow, went to a beautiful sealing & reception, Will played in the snow for the first time & slipped a few times on the icey sidewalk, we stayed in a great hotel suite with Scott's parents, & then flew home with William the day after the wedding.

All geared up for the snow while waiting for the bride & groom outside the temple.

I caught Will while his feet were sliding apart in the snow - he was a little worried.

I wish this picture wasn't fuzzy because I LOVE it! I love that they're walking in unison - such a cute father & son.

3. Scott worked Christmas Eve & Christmas Day (which also happens to be both of our birthdays), so Will & I went to my parent's for Christmas.  Will got a lot of fun presents from Santa, but of course his favorite gift (at least at the beginning) was a ball.  My brothers, Brad & Steven, & their families came over for Christmas breakfast & Pirate Bingo.  I then drove home on the 26th to meet up with Scott, so we could pack our bags & head off to Oregon to have Christmas with his family.

4. We drove to Oregon to spend a few days with Scott's family. I played "Twilight: Scene It" with my neices the night we got there. I was, not surprisingly, quite good at the game.  I know I should feel embarrassed, but I don't.  Scott & I also went to see "Avatar" with our nephew & niece, & I LOVED it! It is now on my "Favorite Movies" list. On the drive home from Oregon, William threw up all over himself & his carseat, so Scott & I had the pleasure of cleaning up the mess & then driving home for another two/three hours with the stink in the car. My guess is that Will got car sick going through the mountains & just couldn't take it any more - the poor guy!

5. We finally moved everything back to our house & got it organized again - it feels so good to be home!

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

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.

Christmas 2008

Scott had to work on Christmas Eve/his birthday, so I took William to the fire station to visit him. I made a sheet cake & wrapped up a few presents to make it feel a little bit more like his birthday.

When Scott got home this morning, we celebrated our very first Christmas as a family. (Will wasn't very interested in his presents - I wasn't surprised, but still felt like I needed to do something for him.)

After we finished our personal Christmas morning, we packed up & drove to Danville to be with my family.

Susan & Steve came out from Utah: Steve holding William & Leah
Nana & Papa

My niece, Abby The kids decorated sugar cookies: Coleman, Zach, Timmy, Drew, Lou Lou, & LilyMe with Steven

My Edgren sisters (minus 2): Amy, Rachel, me, & SusanMy nephew, ZachWe played Pirate Bingo on Christmas night. Scott & I won an awesome pink giraffe broom, & my dad won a huge dust pan. They really came in handy when it was time to take the Christmas tree down.

Christmas Lights

This is the second year that we've gone with Tiffani & Andrew to look at Christmas lights. We started the night at Andrew's parents' house singing a few Christmas songs & hearing the Nativity story. We then ate dessert, gathered hot chocolate for our walk, & headed out to look at lights. We bundled up in winter gear to stay warm while we walked through the neighborhood - I learned last year that flip flops & a sweatshirt weren't enough to stay warm, so this year I came prepared.

Our little family saying hello to Frosty.

Scott & AndrewTiffani, Carson, & me - I love the look on Carson's face. He looks horrified.