Santa comes for an early visit!

 I didn't take Wes to see Santa last year, since he was only 9 months old. But this year I figured I would go stand in one of those awful lines, so I could get a picture of Wes on Santa's lap. BUT I didn't have to. Remember our fabulous neighbors the Laytons? Well, they know Santa quite well and they convinced him to come visit our house. It was so nice to be able to get a good picture without standing in line, and I'm sure it was much less scary for Wes. Santa even brought Wes a bag full of candy canes. Thank you Laytons and Santa! :)

You're a mean one, Mrs. Grinch... but no more.

Lately I have been feeling like a grinch. Christmas is my favorite time of year, but I haven't been as much into it this year as normal. Instead I have been feeling sorry for myself because we don't get to spend Christmas with my family in Minnesota. But today, it hit me. Of all things for me to feel, self-pity is about the last one that I should let ruin my Christmas. I have SO much to be thankful for. Obviously, for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I have an amazing husband and son who are here for me every day to make me smile. We have a warm house. We have 2 running cars. We have amazing friends and neighbors. We have the cutest nephews and niece in the world. We have the great opportunity for Bryan to get an education - something that a lot of people aren't able to do. We still get to spend Christmas with family. Bryan's family is nearby and is always here for us, and they have helped us so much over the years that we can't possibly ever begin to repay them. They have always made me feel like I have been a part of their family from the beginning. And even though it's not over Christmas, thanks to help from some family members, I still get to take Weston to see my family. So what have I got to be sad about?

Among all the things I get every day, today I received many little things that just led to a wonderful day. I had the chance to have lots of wonderful kids at my house today, who were so sweet. One of them, a 4-year-old-girl, told me the Christmas story, which she knows by heart. When she talked about Christmas, Santa was mentioned once - and Jesus many times.  I also got to hold her new baby brother. There is nothing like holding a baby to remind us that miracles happen every day. I had the chance to form a stronger friendship with someone who was previously just an aquaintance. Some friends of ours dropped off some spaghetti. it seems like such a simple Christmas gift, but I really needed it today. (As many of you know, I'm not a great cook, so on the nights that Bryan is asleep early, I usually just have a sandwich for dinner.) And as if all this wasn't enough, I got an amazing Christmas gift. Bryan got a call that he won a fabulous new digital camera. You have all seen me complain about my camera on here, but a new camera wasn't really a necessity - so I'm calling it a tender mercy. And just in time to take pictures for Christmas and in Minnesota. :)

Sometimes, when you just need a little pick-me-up, the Lord reaches out and gives you SO many blessings, you can't even count them all in one blog post.

Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you all for being our friends and family. :)

We're leavin', on a jet plane!

That's right! Me and Wes are headed to the promised land! Minnesota! Thanks to the extreme kindness of my Uncle Dave, (who works for the airline) we were able to get a buddy pass. Otherwise, we had no idea how we were going to afford a plane ticket. I am SOOOO excited to see all my family in Minnesota! YAY!

We will be there December 28th - Jan 8th. And I am stoked.

Thank you, Alicia...

For keeping me in line. I recieved an e-mail from Alicia reminding me that I need to update my blog! So here goes:

-Weston has taken to being my little helper around the house. He helps me vacuum, load the silverware into the dishwasher, and his favorite - switching the laundry. He will move clothes from the basket to the washer, washer to the dryer, and then back into the baskets. His favorite part is after he empties the dryer he climbs in. Last time he got in he stayed there for a good ten minutes before I pulled him out, and even then he was not happy with me for doing so.

-Right after Halloween Bry lets me put up one part of my Christmas decorations - my village. I LOVE my village. I take all our pictures off the mantle to make room: 

-Winter has started. We've had a couple of big snowstorms, including a massive blizzard that hit most of Eastern Idaho the week of Thanksgiving. Wes wasn't so sure about the snow at first, but now he loves it. He still doesn't love all the snow gear, but once he realizes why he has to put it on he doesn't mind. 

Me, Wes and Tanyon (a little boy I babysit) made a snowman. I thought I took a picture of the finished snowman, but I can't find it. Oh well, the boys were the cutest part. :)

-I have started having "craft nights" every Tuesday with a couple ladies in my ward. It's so nice having more adult time, and not to mention GIRL time! We made THESE bad boys the week of Thanksgiving:

-Now that Thanksgiving is over, the rest of the Christmas decorations are up! :)

 -We are well aware that our tree looks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. (It's not that bad in this picture. It got worse and worse every day. It is now being held up in the back by fishing line!)

I made these blocks last year. There's also a set that say "Joy", but I figured I'm already posting more than enough pictures.

 -This is Weston's new trick he started last night. He hangs on the end of the table, lifts his legs up, and swings back and forth. Gotta work those big muscles!

Things I don't have pictures of:

-The day after Thanksgiving we went to Downey and had a Lewis Thanksgiving! We love having more relatives closeby! Steve and Vivian (and Ben), Mike and Katie, Grandma and Grandpa, and Dan, Jodi & their kids, were there. We had a blast. We got to visit with everyone, eat a ton of good food, and watch Wes and Ben wrestle over pink fuzzy pillows. (Ben won that fight!) Thanks to everyone for traveling, cooking, and allowing us into your homes to make it all possible. :)

-We have the coolest neighbors EVER. Seriously. The Layton family lives down the street from us, and is also in our ward. Wes LOVES them both. We sit right in front of them in Sacrament Meeting and Wes regularly climbs back to sit with them. This Sunday Kevin (the husband) was passing the sacrament and Wes wanted to go with him so bad. He kept calling out for "grandpa". We never told him to call him that, but Kevin says he doesn't mind. Heather is one of the ladies that comes to my craft nights. It's hard for her to get much done while Wes is still awake because all he wants is to play with her. We are SO grateful for amazing neighbors and friends! (I could go on and on with all the stuff they've done for us... but let's just say they're amazing.)

-Somehow we always end up with great neighbors. Before we moved into our house we lived next door to Karen and Steve, Aubrey and Samong, Kristen, etc.  I only hope we can be good neighbors back wherever we go!

-Remember how Wes did great in nursery the first couple times? Well, since his little trip to the hospital he does not like strangers. We have been trying many different methods to get him to stay in there with no success. The week we let him cry, he ended up wearing himself out and falling asleep. He is finally making some progress (and staying awake), crying less and less when we leave. This last Sunday Kevin (see above) took Wes to nursery so I could get to primary (Bry was home sick). Weston stayed the WHOLE time, and barely even cried! YAY! Hopefully this will continue next Sunday. This Sunday is stake conference so I hope Wes doesn't forget his great progress.

-So far, we have 2 nephews. This month we will be getting a niece. In April we get another nephew! We'll be doubling our aunt/uncleness! We LOVE it! I mentioned to Alicia that if my neice is born on the 11th I would be ok with that. :)

-Weston has loved cars for a long time. Now his favorite thing is airplanes. Whenever he hears one going over the house he runs to the window to try and catch a glimpse. Everywhere we go, he has his arms out and makes the airplane sound. I don't know how his arms haven't fallen off yet, but it sure is cute!