Christmas 2011

Here are the new Christmas Sunday clothes.  Bryce is holding his "Kno-knock."  No idea where that name came from, but it's what he's been calling guitars for forever. Anyway, my dad, the guitar nut who has a whole room dedicated to his guitars, thought it was high time Bryce had his own.  So that was Bryce's Christmas present from the grand-parents.  His first ukulele.  It's actually a pretty nice instrument.  At first I thought I'd get it down for him when he asked for it and just let him play around with it.  But now I take it down when Brynn practices piano and I teach him how to hold it, and he can actually play a few chords!  He loves it!

A little home-made Christmas gift for Brynn.  It's a sensory box full of mermaids, buried treasure, and the best part - Boulder sand!! Boulder is a tiny town in Southern Utah where my Grandpa owns some land and we spent  time every summer.  It's the softest sand in the world and since I've only been there a couple times since I've been married I get homesick for it.  I've had fun playing with this toy with Brynn.

And an ocean-themed sensory box for Bryce.  Not quite so much of a hit - sorry, Buddy. :)

 But the real present is behind the wrapped windows and doors...

 wait for iiiiiit..........

 Ta-dum!  We got a screeeeamin' deal on this playset on Craig's list.  And thank you to Marty, who put in an exorbitant amount of time on it, sanding, staining, other repairs.  Plus re-landscaping the lawn so we'd have a place for it.  And I might add, this is all in the last week or two of the pregnancy and the first couple of weeks of the baby.  Got it kids?  We must love you.

 Even sweet baby Gabe got to try it out.

 We had picnics for lunch out on the picnic table for weeks.  We still do multiple times a week.

 He already loves his sister. She treats him like gold, and in return he responds so well to her presence and her voice.

 Sigh.  I love this picture.  I know it's not great photography, but it's my sweet little cherub.  Looking, again, SO much like his brother and sister.  Wait a minute...didn't I already raise this baby a couple of times?  All my babies look alike.

This is where he spent most of Christmas, in Grandma's arms.

Chandler Train Museum

We recently discovered the Chandler Train Museum.  It was basically the thrill of the life time for our little ferroequinologist.  It's funny how much two-year-old can pick up on.  He was pointing out the caboose, freight car, coal car, boiler, engine, electric train...and a bunch of other things I can't remember off the top of my head.  It was pretty adorable.


Rockin the mai thai.  I have hardly used it this time around because Gabe is so ok with being put down when I need to get something done (as opposed to Bryce, who lived in this thing)/

These are a bunch of cars you can walk through on the Santa Fe train.  The picture right below me is hard to even look at.  It was this long, skinny hallway and I got about ten steps down the hall and starting having a panic attack.  I seriously started shoving Marty and the kids backwards saying "I gotta get outta heeere!"  Yep, claustrophobia.  Don't worry, it only took me two more tries to take a deep breath and venture in. :)

"What'll it be, little lady?

Dead to the world.  Which I am just fine with considering what a germophobe I've been having a newborn in the winter.  I liked having him nestled safely inside without ever even having to touch him. :)

My angel.  Have I ever mentioned how much I love having a little girl?  One of my favorite movies is "White Christmas," an old Bing Crosby musical from the fifties.  Well, during quiet time one day in December I popped some popcorn and we watched it together, thinking she'd get pretty bored.  But she loved it!  She asked me several times, "Hey, can we watch your favorite Christmas movie again today?"  Which made me so happy.  We would ooh and ahh over the pretty dresses and she wanted to sing "Sisters" together all the time.  ANYWAY, she sat down, pointed at this picture, and said, "Hey!  This is just like the "Snow" song from your favorite Christmas movie!"  And it does look just like the club car on White Christmas.  So we sat down and started singing it together.  It was pretty fun. :)

Here he driving the train: "All a-BOARRRRD.........the Polar Eckpress!"

Marty caught me lovin' on Baby.  Which isn't hard to do, I suppose, considering it's what I do with most of my time these days.

Up on the freight car:  "Ok Dad, I'll be Rapunzel, and Bryce will be Flynn, and you'll be Mover Goffel and climb up my hair!"

This was a cooool train....

We actually got to ring the bell...

Let me explain this picture:  The museum is only open from 12-4.  You got it - right during nap time.

If you've ever seem Thomas's Misty Island Rescue, you'll understand why Bryce was so exited to see the jobi logs.  He's usually using pencils or something as jobi wood and putting them down on his toy train tracks to block the tracks.  Thank heavens for tractor, who always comes to the rescue!

A gooooood afternoon.

First Smile!!

 Six weeks

 Reminds me of someone.  Hmmmm....BRYCE!

Gabe at 7 weeks

 That is ONE scrumptious baby!!!  HUGE thanks to my good friend Lucinda for this photo shoot!  I just can't get over how much this little guy resembles my other two babies.  The biggest difference is his lighter and thinner hair.  So far it's looking to be about Marty's color.  Which I love.  He is as sweeeeet as can be and almost never cries. He has chunked up fast and I love to squish his chubby little legs.  At his last check-up his weight was in the 75 % and his height was in the 85%.   Love love love love love this scrumptious baby.