Doug+Mackenzie

Gilmer, Texas

2012-01-16T16:05:00.020-05:00

Lucas had a few days off of school so we decided to go see my Mema in east Texas. My grandmother, who I call Mema, lives in Kelsey, Texas, but the nearest town on the map is Gilmer. She lives in a very rural area where the boys can roam free. My childhood was filled with memories of exploring around her house. I want my boys to have the same experiences:

Four generations of hands - Sam, Mackenzie, Great Mema, Mema (my mom), and Lucas:

We had a great time playing at Great Mema's house:

She let the boys help her build the fire and roast marshmallows on it:

She bought donuts for the boys in colors they had never seen:

The boys played with her toys, many of which I played with as a child. It was fun for them since they were toys my boys had never seen:

We played on her porch swing, where I spent a lot of time as a child:

My mom got to look through some of her father's belongings. Ray died when my mom was a teenager.

This was a Hershey box from World War 1:

This is my Mema's bathroom. That license plate and wall paper have been there for as long as I can remember:

Great Mema took the boys out to saw wood for the fire:

We visited with Uncle Ronald (my mother's brother) across the street:

The boys played in this hamper, which I played in as a kid too:

I wanted to go to the Kelsey Cemetery and see some of the headstones from relatives. The boys have never been to a cemetery before. Lucas had a lot of questions and at first was pretty uncomfortable, but after awhile, the boys went and explored on their own:

Lucas found a headstone with his middle name on it:

We visited with Aunt Lana (my mother's sister):

Then we went to her house to see all of her chickens, guineas, and peacocks:

My cousins - Brian and Nathan (Lana's sons):

The Heaps met us at Mema's and that was so exciting. Lucas and Alex were inseparable as usual:

Cheryl (another cousin) came to see us too with her darling daughters:

We all took a trip up to the old schoolhouse that Great Mema owns:

Great Mema has made the inside of the schoolhouse into a museum, all about the history of Kelsey, Texas. The history there is pretty amazing. Kelsey was home to the first Mormon settlers of Texas and many pioneers in my family:

We visited with Aunt Linda (mother's sister) and her daughters, Summer (pictured) and Misty:

Aunt Linda made her famous cobbler:

All of the kids played for hours (Lucas, Layla, Aiden, Sam, Rocco, Alex, Aiden, Kasie):

Sunshine (another of Linda's daughters) came to visit with her family:

Sam was worn out:

We spent the last day at Mema's house:

Lucas and I played this game, which we played at home when I was younger. It's a question/answer game and it was very fun:

My cousin, Toye, came to visit us as well. I hadn't seen her in a long time!

We said our goodbyes and drove home.

It was a wonderful trip. I am so glad we were able to make it there before the baby arrives. Doug was working, so he stayed home, but my mom went and helped me with the boys (since I am supposed to be resting). We made some priceless memories while we were there. I hope we can visit often and I hope my boys will love it as much as I do!

Happy New Year

2012-01-15T22:34:00.007-05:00

I am excited for 2012. A new year and a new beginning. A few things have changed for us. My belly is growing quickly, I am consistently measuring 3 weeks ahead (yikes!). Here I am at 29 weeks (last week):

I am having a lot of contractions, so in order to take it easy a little bit, Sam has started preschool. I debated whether to put him in something, but he does love it. He begs to go every day (even though he only goes twice a week). When Lucas leaves for school, Sam puts on his backpack and asks constantly when it's time to go. The transition has been easy and I am grateful for that. Of course, Sam has had the benefit of watching Lucas go to school his whole life, so it is not something new to him, as it was for Lucas:

The boys are taking a sports class at a local kids' gym. Lucas is learning to play football there and is a natural. Sam is learning to listen to the teacher and follow directions (at best). It's fun to watch them in action:

I started a weekly playgroup in my ward and this was our first get together:

We are settling into our new life here. I still have dreams that we live in Manhattan and wake up to remember that we have moved. It's strange. We were there for so long that the adjustment to being in a new place has been interesting. But we love it. And I love that even though we are in a bigger space, the boys are always right next to each other doing everything together. When I ask Lucas who his favorite person is in the world or who his best friend is, he always says it's Sam. We spend our afternoons and weekends doing variations of this:

The boys' favorite thing to do is play hide-and-seek in the house. I found Sam up on a shelf in this closet. He scampered up there all by himself and was quite proud:

The boys love getting haircuts and getting "colors" in their hair. I don't love the colors personally, but luckily it washes out the same night:

And this is Sam sitting in my lap in the recliner. He is watching TV and holding on to my belly:

Lucas is really excited for a baby brother. It's fun to hear him explain how things will be to Sam and how baby deliveries happen. Sam has mixed feelings. Sometimes he says he will love the baby and help me with him and other times he says, "There is no room in our house/car for the baby." He has also told me that I can't hold the baby, "only Daddy can hold him, Mommy can hold Sammy." But we are all excited and we have regular discussions about possible names and what life will be like with a baby in the house. Now that the holidays have passed, I feel like the real countdown has begun. Because of various reasons, my doctor is not going to let me go to term. So, at most, I have another 8 weeks to go. I am nervous, excited, scared, grateful...and lots of other things. I never dreamed I would be the mother of 3 boys!

Farewell 2011

2011-12-31T23:00:00.009-05:00

We were lucky enough to ring in the new year with the Heaps. What a fun weekend!

By the way, New Year's for the kids came at 8pm:

Earlier today we went bowling and to the park:

And we also spent a lot of time hanging out, visiting, and playing:

And we ate an embarrassing number of these rolls:

On a more serious note, I was able to spend some time before the weekend reflecting on 2011. I love the hammock in our quiet (almost silent) backyard. While the boys were jumping on the trampoline at the neighbor's house behind us, and Doug was on his last bike ride of the year, I lay in the hammock enjoying the 60 degree temperature and the beautiful sunshine. While listening to the boys play, I reflected back on the year. The past few years have not been easy for us - they have been filled with a lot of uncertainty. This year started out rocky as well, but ultimately I am grateful for three major blessings (among many others). First of all, I am grateful for this new baby boy on the way - another miracle for us. I never thought we would be blessed with three children. Secondly, I am grateful for the sale of our Manhattan apartment, which was nothing short of stressful down to the last second. And last, but not least, I am grateful for our move to Dallas. The move was not an easy decision nor was it an easy plan to execute. It was a HUGE leap of faith for us, and bumpy for the first few months, but it has been the biggest blessing to our family. Our entire life as we knew it has changed, but we are happy and I am grateful to be a family. And I am grateful for the Lord's hand in our lives, something I have felt a lot these past few years. I am ready to start a new year. Farewell 2011!

December Memories

2011-12-30T08:00:00.002-05:00

This might be my favorite picture of the month:

Doug has taken up cycling and is really enjoying it. He gets to see things like this on his rides:
(He has a private cycling blog, if you are interested in viewing it, let me know and I will have him send you an invitation.)

My belly is ever growing. I am 27 weeks and my belly is measuring 30 weeks. I can tell this baby will be big. I had a check up today and I am having too many contractions, so it's time to take it easy for awhile (or I will end up on bed rest, which I don't think I would like at all):

Lucas had a holiday party at school:

He loves his teacher, Mrs. See, and I think she is amazing too:

Sam is in love with K. Kaye, who works at the front office. He talks about her daily and always wants to go say hi to her. He insisted on giving her this stuffed animal dog for Christmas:

Here is Lucas with some of his school buddies:

And here is a picture of the boys with the school principal, Mrs. Mattingly, who we adore. It is because of a telephone conversation with her (while we were still living in NYC) that we chose this school:

We had our first NEW YORK visitors this week. Kyle, Lori, Collin and Graham lived down the hall from us in NYC and we saw each other often in the hallway for scooting and chatting. We miss you guys!

While Grandma Susan was here, the boys got to visit Doug's office for the first time. It took them about two seconds to find the treat drawer:

We went to Baker's Ribs for lunch (near downtown) and it was SO delicious:

The boys fell asleep on the way to drop off Grandma Susan at the airport. Thank you for a great visit, Grandma Susan! Please come visit again.

And otherwise, we have just been hanging out and enjoying the Christmas holiday:

Luc's Birthday Celebrations + Grandma Susan in town

2011-12-28T20:40:00.011-05:00

This year, we decided to do Lucas' birthday party earlier in the month, since people are always out of town around his actual birthday. I told Lucas he could invite all of the boys in his school class and Primary class (from church). Plus, he wanted to a neighbor boy who he plays with regularly and one girl from another kindergarten class, who he plays with almost weekly. It was a lot of kids (18 out of 20 attended), but we had so much fun! Since we were uncertain about the weather, we did an "Indoor Winter Olympics" theme and we played all sorts of indoor games which we had set up in the living room, dining room, and garage. All of the kids wore bandanas and each had an activity card on a string to check off activities:

(Sam had trouble with all of the gift opening, so Lucas let him help!)

Lucas said it was the best birthday ever, and I can see why. He had his birthday party earlier in the month, a cupcake party at school, a party in his church class, and then for his actual birthday, Grandma Susan was here and we took a family trip to Chuck E. Cheese:

Lucas is 6

2011-12-28T08:33:00.002-05:00

Lucas is 6 today! He is 49 1/2 inches tall (above the 97th percentile) and weighs 54.3 lbs (75-90th percentile).

Lucas, I cannot believe you are 6. You are such a big boy with a sharp mind full of ideas and creativity. You love doing puzzles, crossword puzzles, word searches, mazes, and dot-to-dots. On our recent Thanksgiving trip to Denver, you did an entire book of 1-100 dot-to-dots and colored them all too. You also love to read and can read any book! You amaze me. And you love to write letters to friends from NYC and cousins (partly because you love to receive mail).

You have an incredible memory. You can tell me when and where you received each of your stuffies (stuffed animals) and you also remember so many other things that I have trouble remembering. You are always telling me things that you find interesting. You are into dinosaurs, planets, and as always - trains and cars. You and Sam love to go exploring inside and outside - usually while wearing your matching Sherlock hats and carrying magnifying glasses and binoculars. You and Sam are still best friends and that brings me a lot of joy to watch. You still run up and kiss and hug each other at the end of the school day, and you play together whenever you are home together.

Even though we just moved and you are in a new school, you have made friends with everyone in your class. You are so social and you never hesitate to introduce yourself to new kids wherever we are. You love going on scooter rides with Sam and Daddy and exploring the trails around our house. You are also learning to ride a bicycle. You got a pogo stick for Christmas and you are a natural at that too. You love sports and have always been very agile and coordinated.

You have a naturally inquisitive mind - you are always asking questions, and I love that about you. Your curiosity is contagious and you teach Sam so many things every day. But even though you are growing more independent every day, you are still my sweet and sensitive little boy who always kisses me at the kindergarten door and holds my hand when you are falling asleep.

Try not to grow up too fast! I love you.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T17:00:00.010-05:00

Doug and I were just drifting off to sleep on Christmas Eve when Lucas started throwing up. In the night, he said it was the worst Christmas ever and that he was so unlucky, but he later retracted that and said it was actually the best Christmas ever...AND it really was! We had a wonderful day of gift opening, playing with new toys, and resting. Santa brought the boys an indoor bounce house, which they love (though initially they were more interested in their presents). As always, I cannot believe Christmas has come and gone already. We sure enjoyed the month of December and our fun advent activities. We love this time of year for so many reasons.

Luc and Sam with their first "CTR" rings:

I made the boys each a treasure box to keep their special little toys in that they like to carry around:

Advent Day 24 - Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T20:00:00.004-05:00

Our official advent activity for today was to open a present and leave a treat out for Santa. But first, we went to a Christmas Eve party at a friend's house, where we had a surprise visit from Santa and Mrs. Clause. The boys were so excited when they walked into the room.

Lucas asked Santa if he got his letter with his request change from a toilet plunger bow and arrow to a Pogo stick. Santa didn't make any absolute promises, but Lucas felt like it was a "yes."

Sam told Santa about his loose tooth (he doesn't really have one, but Lucas does, so therefore Sam does too). Sam was shy and he frowned with his eyes closed a lot:

Santa and Mrs. Clause brought a present for each child - new pajamas. The boys were thrilled and Lucas went straight to the bathroom and changed into his new pjs:

We also got to see a great presentation of the nativity with a real baby (and tonight before bed we read Luke 2 and watched a video about the birth of Jesus):

Santa and Mrs. Clause sent us all on our way and reminded us to get to bed on time. We came home and the boys each opened a present. They chose one from Grandpa Burton and Grandma Jo (I hope that's ok!):

Then we made a plate of cookies for Santa and each had a cookie ourselves:

Our bedtime story was 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, which Doug and I asked Grandpa Burton and Grandma Jo to record for the boys (it's a recordable book so they can listen to it anytime). The boys loved it and now they are drifting off to sleep. We are all excited for tomorrow.

Advent Day 23 - Have breakfast in our PJs, say goodbye, and head home to Dallas for Christmas

2011-12-23T19:41:00.004-05:00

Grandma Jo and Grandpa Burton, thank you for a wonderful visit! We had a great time and we appreciate all that you did to make our time together memorable...

We had breakfast in our pajamas, visited, and said our goodbyes:

Then we drove home:

Advent Day 22 - Take food to the local food bank with Grandma, Grandpa, and the Easton/Miller cousins

2011-12-22T19:40:00.008-05:00

Grandpa Burton and Grandma Jo took all of the grandkids (parents not invited) to Sam's Club to gather their favorite non-perishable foods (and have a slushie), then to the local food bank to weigh and donate the food. It was 297 pounds. The kids enjoyed this special outing and it was an important one for them to experience during this time of year:

Later that evening, we had a special FHE where the kids shared talents and acted out the nativity while Grandpa read the Christmas story:

Lucas shared his talent of making paper airplanes:

Sam shared his somersault talent:

Advent Day 21 - Drive to San Antonio after school and watch "The Grinch" on the way

2011-12-21T19:39:00.006-05:00

Once at Grandma and Grandpa's house, the boys helped them make rice krispie treats:

On the way to San Antonio, we passed a few of these. One of them had a picture of Doug's law school friend, but I couldn't get my camera out in time.

I posted about this awhile ago, but Doug and Lucas' pictures are in the Los Angeles Temple Visitor's Center and this pass along card has been floating around for awhile, and I just heard that it's floating around NYC now (also seen in Delaware and Chicago - thanks to friends, I now have a pack of them):

The pictures from the LA Temple:

Advent Day 20 - Write letters to Santa!

2011-12-20T19:54:00.002-05:00

Lucas has changed his mind yet again about what he wants for Christmas (big surprise!). He now wants a pogo stick for Christmas and Sam wants a marble toy. So, we wrote letters to Santa today and we asked Elfie to deliver them to Santa tonight when he goes to report on the boys' behavior. I hope Santa has time to make the changes!

Advent Day 19 - Look at Christmas lights on houses

2011-12-19T20:00:00.005-05:00

Christmas lights on houses are a new thing for our boys. We heard about this house in a neighboring suburb where a guy who went to Texas Tech sets up a light show to a radio station. We went to check it out and the boys loved it (they wanted to know if the lights would move around to them singing instead of the radio playing):

Advent Day 18 - Read Christmas books

2011-12-18T21:37:00.002-05:00

We read every Christmas book we have tonight before bed. But first, I have to post this picture of the boys this morning before church. I thought they looked adorable!

Advent Day 17 - Ride the North Pole Express Train + See Santa

2011-12-17T14:00:00.002-05:00

Lucas and Sam love "The Polar Express" book and movie. When I heard that we could ride The North Pole Express and see Santa, I booked our tickets. The boys just found out this morning when they read the slip from the advent calendar (It was a hard secret for me to keep!). The train departed from Grapevine at 11:30 a.m. and we had a wonderful time!

Advent Day 16 - Bowling

2011-12-16T17:22:00.004-05:00

I realized that we have not been bowling since Luc's 5th birthday party almost a year ago. We usually go around Christmas time - a tradition that started in NYC when Glen and Marcia Nelson invited us to go bowling the day after Christmas, when I was overdue with Lucas almost 6 years ago. So, we like to bowl a game in December...

Advent Day 15 - Playdate at Rhyan's + Shrinky Dinks

2011-12-15T09:57:00.003-05:00

We had a play date at Rhyan's house where we made Shrinky Dink ornaments. I remember doing them as a kid - so fun!

Mid-December update

2011-12-14T16:00:00.016-05:00

We have been busy with our December advent activities, our favorite tradition of the season, but I have been taking other pictures and recording funny stories too, so here is an update. Be sure to check out the video clips at the end.

First of all, Lucas has spent the past several weeks trying to decide what to ask for from Santa this year. I told the kids that they can each ask for one thing, so Lucas has taken this very seriously. For awhile, he wanted "a remote control airplane with a green button and when you push the button a bunny parachutes out with a rainbow parachute." Then he changed him mind to a "toilet plunger that is attached to a bow and arrow for grabbing stuff." He has been talking about this idea for a few weeks. In fact, his teacher at school pulled me aside to ask me what it was he wanted because someone else in the class has heard about it and wants the same thing, and that child's mother wanted to know what the toy was. I told his teacher, "good luck, it's not a real toy, it's just something he saw on Max & Ruby." Then last night, we had this conversation:

Lucas: Mom, I changed my mind. I know what I want for Christmas now.
Me: Oh yeah, what's that?
Lucas: It's a surprise.
Me: Okay.
Lucas: Ok, I will tell you. It's a remote control that has a button that makes me invisible.
Me: Well, that's a fun idea, but there's no such thing.
Lucas: Santa can make anything (Luc's response to all of my suggestions).
Me: It's true, he can make ANY toy, but he can't make something that doesn't exist.
Lucas: Fine, I want the plunger toy.

Sam on the other hand, doesn't seem to be picky and also doesn't really get the concept, but I think Santa will choose something great for him. However, Doug had a funny conversation with Sam, unrelated to Christmas:

Dad: Look at Mommy's belly.
Sam: Yeah, it's big.
Daddy: What's in there?
Sam: A baby. Mom, your bottom is big too.

Here is a picture of my belly at 24 weeks. This was right before Luc's big birthday party, which we decided to do at the beginning of December this year (more pics to follow on his actual birthday):

He got some cool new stuff for his birthday, like these:

The boys have new Christmas pajamas:

My little explorers have been busy:

Sam has been busy too (I think it's hilarious the way he eats a donut):

Lucas begged for a workout video that they do at school called "Stinky Shoe and Coach Laroo." I found one and the boys love to exercise to it:

But the best news I have to report is that we have had a lot of great time with Doug - something we all enjoy:

Sam is always looking out for Lucas and vice-versa. Whenever Lucas is at school and I get a treat for Sam, he says, "What about Lucas?" Also, Sam is very particular about what I call Lucas. If I call him Lucas, then Sam says, "No, say Bubba." And if I call him Bubba, then Sam says, "No, say Wucas (Lucas)." It's very cute. Sam loves his older brother and looks up to him so much. On that note...

Here are some video clips...

Lucas taught himself to hula hoop in about an hour. He is quite good:

The boys love to wrestle with Doug, but Sam is very protective of his older brother and he gets upset when he thinks Doug is hurting Lucas. These two videos show this. Of course, on the second one, we didn't catch the reason why Sam doesn't want Doug to "smash Lucas" and it's because (as Sam says), "because he is my friend." It was so precious! Sam loves his older brother!

Advent Day 14 - Do a service for someone

2011-12-14T10:59:00.006-05:00

When Lucas read this slip of paper he asked what service was. I told him it was doing something nice for someone else. Lucas decided he wanted to give away some of his candy trains that we made yesterday. I told him to think about who he wanted to give them to while he was at school. After school he informed me that he didn't want to do a service because that didn't sound fun. I told him that we should try it and then he could decide if it was fun. So, this evening, we gathered up some candy trains and went next door and then to some of his friends' houses. He delivered each item by himself (his request). At one house, it suddenly thundered really loud and then there was lightning followed by a total downpour like I have never seen. He was scared but very brave and still insisted on doing it by himself. When he got back in the car after the last stop he said, "I feel very good and that was fun."

Also, Lizzey came by today with gifts for the boys. She is their babysitter and they adore her. Lucas said, "Lizzey did a service to us." She sure did - it was a bright spot in our day and she is a bright spot in our lives!

AND, Santa just came down our street on a fire truck and threw candy to the boys when we opened our front door. Love this neighborhood!

Advent Day 13 - Make a candy craft

2011-12-13T11:19:00.002-05:00

These candy trains take about 1 minute each to make once you have the supplies and a hot glue gun.

And have you ever had these? So yummy and very easy to make:

Advent Day 12 - Get ice cream after school

2011-12-12T15:09:00.001-05:00

This was an easy day for Mom, after a very busy weekend. We got ice cream, the kids played, and I started on next month's book club book! Wonderful for us all...

Advent Day 11 - Put some presents under the tree + open one present & Elder Russell M. Nelson's visit

2011-12-11T15:40:00.015-05:00

We put some presents under the tree and the boys got to open one present together. It was from Zach and Aubree (they had our name this year in the sibling gift exchange). The present was "Elf on the Shelf." The boys loved it. I was surprised that Lucas had already heard about it at school. Some of my siblings' kids have Elf on the Shelf so we are excited to participate.

On a more spiritual note, we had Stake Conference today. The boys got to shake hands with Elder Russell M. Nelson after the meeting. He was visiting along with George M. Kiehl for our Stake Conference. Elder Nelson is friends with Doug's father and step-mother (they were in the same ward for years in Utah) as well as Doug's grandfather (they went to medical school together). Also, Doug and I had the opportunity to visit with Elder Nelson before we were married at a family wedding 11 years ago.

We explained what an apostle is to Lucas and he was excited to meet him. Lucas and Sam both met Elder Holland in NYC in 2008 (November 23rd) when Sam was not even 3 weeks old. Doug was working with the Public Affairs Committee as part of his assignment on the High Council, when Elder Holland came for a special meeting for our entire Stake. I remember taking the boys on the subway in the snow to 34th Street where we met in the Hammerstein Ballroom. Doug was already there, so it was quite a trek for me, but Julianne, Scott, and Sarah were there too. Afterward, we were able to meet him and talk to him for a few minutes. It was a special event and I wrote about it in my journal. I will do the same today. My favorite part of Elder Nelson's message today was when he had all of the primary children stand on their chairs and wave their arms. Then he spoke to them. Lucas listened intently. It has been a wonderful day for us.

And one funny story from Stake Conference:
Our Stake President was thanking the congregation for working on the goal to "Come Unto Christ Every Day" (the stake theme/goal for 2011). He then went on to say that the daily things we must do in order to accomplish this are not easy. He said, "It's hard to do. I know that." Sam then said loudly, "I know that, too." People around us got a good laugh. I thought it was funny that Sam was listening enough to respond.

Advent Day 10 - Get a real Christmas tree and decorate it

2011-12-10T12:00:00.005-05:00

We started the day by cleaning the church. Elder Russell M. Nelson is visiting our stake tomorrow for Stake Conference. After cleaning and setting up over 600 chairs, we got donuts and kolaches and then headed over to a local tree lot...

Because we have lived in Manhattan for every Christmas of the boys' lives...they have only ever known a 2-foot artificial tree with the lights already attached. So, prior to this year, getting out our tree and decorating it literally took about 10 minutes. This year, we decided to show them a different kind of tree decorating where we drove to a tree lot, chose a tree, and brought it home to decorate it. We had a great time! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Advent Day 9 - Color with Lizzey and have a special Christmas treat

2011-12-09T12:46:00.003-05:00

Lizzey is the boys' babysitter. They call her "Wizzey" and they adore her. I do too; she is amazing.

Advent Day 8 - Make Rock Candy with Rhyan + decorate more cookies

2011-12-08T13:21:00.004-05:00

Advent Day 7 - You have a video message from Santa!

2011-12-07T08:13:00.000-05:00

The boys each woke up to a video message from Santa!
If you want to view the boys' videos, click on the links below:

Lucas:
http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/gcgPQDUXqKo3O0_fKWeG28Q

Sam:
http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/gfOWcEWdSFN2GTKPdxaJqsg

The boys watching their video messages:

Advent Day 6 - Make a special Christmas tree ornament

2011-12-06T10:00:00.004-05:00

Update from yesterday:
This morning, we were excited to find that Saint Nicholas and Peter DID come by our house last night:

Also, Luc's kindergarten class got a surprise visit from Santa today!

Advent Day 5 - Leave wooden shoes by the fireplace

2011-12-05T18:11:00.007-05:00

This is a tradition that we did when I was a little girl. We had wooden shoes because my parents had traveled and brought us some, but tonight, my boys are going to use their regular shoes.

Children in the Netherlands believe that Saint Nicholas arrives on December 5th (the eve of his saint day) along with Black Peter. Black Peter would jump from roof to roof, sliding up and down chimneys, leaving gifts in the little wooden shoes left by the hearth. Children would fill their shoes with hay and carrots for Saint Nicholas' horse and Black Peter's mule.

CHECK BACK TOMORROW TO SEE IF ST. NICK AND PETER STOPPED AT OUR HOUSE.

Advent Day 4 - Hang our stockings + Put up some Christmas decorations

2011-12-04T11:09:00.005-05:00

This year is the first time in our married life that we have had a fireplace in our home (except when we lived in Paris, but we did not take any Christmas decorations with us). The boys have also never hung their stockings, so they were very excited about doing this. But for me, the most wonderful part of our Christmas decorating is our ceramic nativity, made by Doug's Grandma Brasher, who passed away earlier this year. When we were first married, she gave us a few pieces, then over the years she has given us more pieces until the set was complete. We have toted it around from move to move since we married, but have never had a place to set it out, so we have saved it until now. I have thought about it each year as we decorate. This year, it is on our mantle and I am thrilled to finally have it out for the holidays. Not only does it remind us of the birth of our Savior, the whole reason for this wonderful season, but it also reminds me of Doug's late Grandmother, who we all love and miss.

Advent Day 3 - Make a gingerbread house and train

2011-12-03T19:22:00.002-05:00

Advent Day 2 - Ward Christmas Party

2011-12-02T22:53:00.003-05:00

Tonight we attended our ward Christmas party. It was a beautiful program of music and Christmas scriptures (including two musical numbers by the primary children), followed by a lot of pie, hot cocoa, and visiting. We had a wonderful time.

Advent Day 1 - Make Christmas cookies and decorate them

2011-12-01T17:00:00.001-05:00

Beginning of Advent

2011-12-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

Our favorite family tradition is our advent calendar. This year we have two of them. The tree is for daily activities and the train is for treats.

Tree Lighting

2011-11-30T09:31:00.006-05:00

Last night we went to our local neighborhood tree lighting. It was a lot of fun. Mema was in town for a few hours on a layover and joined us. I am listening to Christmas music this morning as the Christmas season officially begins for us tomorrow with the start of our advent calendar. We have been doing the advent calendar for a few years and we really look forward to it!

The boys listened to school choirs sing while waiting for the tree lighting:

Also while waiting, the boys enjoyed some fun free activities:

Lucas saw four school friends at the tree lighting AND his school principal, who is amazing:

Mema brought the boys each a pilot hat. Lucas recently did a few drawings at school about how he wants to be a pilot when he grows up. I asked him about it and he said, "I can still change my mind if I want to. I have to think about it."

Denver Trip: Saying Goodbye + Driving home (Days 7-8)

2011-11-26T21:52:00.001-05:00

In keeping with the rainbow theme, we had Rainbow Goodbye Jello Jigglers and said our goodbyes to Janni and the Diehls:

We were sad for our Denver trip to come to a close, but we had a wonderful time and made memories that will last forever. And I have to say that my little New Yorkers were very good car travelers. Round trip, we drove about 26 hours and they were great in the car. We are home now and I was so excited to look back at all of our pictures. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I love this time of year that is so full of gratitude and reflection. Here are two of the things I am most grateful for in my life (and of course, I am grateful for Doug AND the third little boy on the way):

In addition to playing with their ninjas, watching videos, and singing along to our Taxi, Taxi CD...Lucas probably spent 10 hours doing dot-to-dot puzzles and coloring them. Doug picked up the 1-50 dot-to-dot book in Denver. We knew he would like it, but we were both shocked by how much time he spent working on them.

I had to laugh as the kids looked out the hotel window for tumbleweeds:

And we saw a beautiful rainbow on our drive home as well - this trip was full of rainbows, from beginning to end. We took it as a sign of more good things to come:

Denver Trip: Happy Thanksgiving! (Day 6)

2011-11-24T15:36:00.007-05:00

Surprisingly, we didn't take very many pictures on Thanksgiving Day. Becky and I cooked while the Dads and Aunt Janni played with the kids. Then, we had a delicious feast, thanks to Becky's hours of planning and preparation. Later, we enjoyed some delicious pies.

A funny pie story: Doug spent a few days giving Julianne some serious grief about liking store-bought pumpkin pie. I can brag here that Doug makes a very delicious pumpkin pie which I love, and that is saying a lot since I don't really care for pumpkin pie. So, Doug made his pie and when Julianne took the first bite, she said it wasn't sweet. Doug realized he had forgotten to add the sugar (he had been pretty sick all day). We all had a good laugh and I am sure we will remember this on Thanksgiving Day for years to come:

Luckily, Aunt Janni snapped these:

Denver Trip: Sledding (Day 5)

2011-11-23T15:35:00.005-05:00

Colorado is a beautiful state. The Diehls took us sledding in the mountains. The boys were so excited to see snow. In fact, Lucas recently told me that, "the worst thing about Texas is no snow." Well, we saw a lot of snow! This was Luc's favorite part of the trip.

Doug did one solo ride head first:

And Sam learned how to make a snowball:

This was the tubing place and it was AWESOME:

Afterward we went to a delicious pizza and pasta place, where they gave the kids some pizza dough to play with while we waited for our food:

Denver Trip: The Unbirthday Party (Day 4)

2011-11-22T17:42:00.012-05:00

This event deserves a separate post. A few months ago, when we were first talking about going to Denver for Thanksgiving, Becky suggested having an unbirthday party, since every one of us has a birthday from September - December. I started telling the boys about the party a few weeks ago and we have been counting down. The day of the party, the kids each got to paint with watercolors on a big paper number that reflected their age this year:

The theme of the party was rainbows. Becky made this gorgeous cake:

We sang Happy Birthday to everyone, and enjoyed some cake:

On our drive to Denver, we saw this darling rainbow sock monkey, but we didn't get it. Lucas chose something else, and later regretted it. Since the theme of the party was rainbows, I decided it would be a fun thing for each kid to have as a party favor. I called around and found 4 of them in a little toy shop near the Diehls' house:

After eating cake, we opened gifts:

The boys gave the girls each a treasure box for their favorite little toys (there was also a little treasure inside):

The girls gave each of the boys a wooden box with ninjas inside (in every color of the rainbow):

Denver Trip: Liza + Museum + Park (Day 4)

2011-11-22T15:35:00.010-05:00

I got to see my dear friend, Liza, who I knew in NYC. She lives in Denver now and I cannot believe it has been 4 years since I saw her last. We got together and went to lunch:

She came back on Thanksgiving to give me a darling gift (and baby gift). Thank you, Liza!

The Dads took the boys to The Denver Museum of Natural History and Science while Becky and I prepared for the Unbirthday Party (more on that later):

The kids also got an outing to the park and Aunt Janni took pictures:

Denver Trip: Scooting + hanging out (Day 3)

2011-11-21T17:17:00.009-05:00

We started the day with homemade waffles, compliments of Becky. They were delicious:

And then the real fun began. Even though it was only 33 degrees, the kids wanted to ride their scooters (we brought the boys' scooters). Look at that darling scooter gang:

We spent the rest of the day visiting and hanging out:

Denver Trip: Arriving + Janni + New PJs (Day 2)

2011-11-20T15:40:00.012-05:00

We arrived ahead of schedule (due to the change in time zone), so we picked up some groceries before arriving at the Diehls' house:

The cousins got acquainted again and we all visited for the afternoon. We were so excited to see Aunt Janni too. We have missed her since we were neighbors in NYC. She now lives in Denver:

At bedtime, Becky gave all of the cousins some matching pajama bottoms, which she made. Luckily, we brought our NY t-shirts because Gigi and Ollie had theirs:

Geneva, Olivia, Lucas, and Sam:

After the kids went to bed, the grownups stayed up late visiting and playing Settlers of Catan and Rummikub!

Denver Trip: Ten hours of driving & a stop in Wichita (Day 1)

2011-11-19T15:33:00.007-05:00

After weeks of anticipation, we left our house at about 8am and drove for 5 hours.

Then we stopped at Exploration Place in Wichita, Kansas for a few hours to stretch our legs and have some fun. Lucky for us, they were having a model train exhibit:

After our stop, we drove for 5 more hours and spent the night in Colby, Kansas.

November update

2011-11-18T11:00:00.002-05:00

21 weeks with baby boy #3:

I took Lucas to the doctor this week and this is what the boys did while waiting for the doctor to come into the room:

Luc's school had an amazing Veteran's Day program where they honored over 70 veterans of family members from the school. The children also sang (and signed) a song called "What Do You Say to a Hero." It was one of the most touching things I have ever seen:

We have had some fun play dates:

The boys are really into writing letters to their NYC friends and their Houston cousins. Lucas gets the mail every day and he is always disappointed that there is nothing for him. I told him that if he wants to get mail, then he needs to send mail to others:

Luc's class learned about Pilgrims and American Indians. His teacher dressed like a pilgrim and talked about pilgrim life. She invited the children to wear pilgrim or Indian costumes to school for the day. Then they watched a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Feast movie and had a little Thanksgiving feast of their own with popcorn, pretzels, and jelly beans. I made a quick feather headband for Lucas and he wore it. It was quite cute.

Luc's school also hosts an annual Turkey Trot to raise awareness about Type II Diabetes. The kids made "turkey" shirts out of their hand prints. Sam and I attended and it was awesome:

And some other miscellaneous pictures of Lucas at school:

Doug's New Blog

2011-11-14T09:19:00.005-05:00

I am excited that Doug has taken up a sport AND started a blog about it.
Here is his first post. Here is his second post. Way to go, Doug!

http://dougscyclingblog.blogspot.com/

Family Saturday

2011-11-12T14:13:00.005-05:00

It is November and I am reflecting a lot on things that I am grateful for this year. One of the things I am most grateful for is that, since we moved to Texas, we see Doug more often. We try to do fun family outings on Saturday afternoons. Today we went to a fun mini-golf, go-kart, and bounce house place and we had a great time.

We have only done mini-golf once and it was with Lucas (before Sam was born). I was surprised by how much the boys loved it and how good they were at it. We played 2 rounds and Lucas got two holes-in-one!

We tried the go-karts. Sam took a turn first but didn't last long. He had trouble steering and he didn't enjoy crashing into the wall.

Doug and I were laughing because Lucas made this face the entire time and was only concerned about passing each car. The other kids were laughing and such, but Lucas had his game face on!

Luckily the wind died down and they set up the bounce houses. The boys love jumping:

Lucas - Kindergarten 2011-2012

2011-11-08T21:32:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday, Doug!

2011-11-06T16:13:00.006-05:00

We celebrated Doug's birthday yesterday after we celebrated Sam's birthday. When Doug's birthday comes around it reminds me of a lot of things. First, I always remember bringing Sam home from the hospital on Doug's birthday 3 years ago. I was glad, at the time, that I had already bought and wrapped his gifts for his birthday. Of course, he opened them, though now neither of us remembers what those gifts were, just how special that day was with a new baby in our family. Secondly, it signals that Thanksgiving is next, then Christmas, and then Luc's birthday. It's a busy time of year, full of much celebration and gratitude for many reasons.

I am so grateful for Doug and the wonderful husband, father, and friend that he is. He works hard to juggle the many needs of our family, and I love him so much. I am grateful that he is my partner and I cannot imagine doing all of this without him!

The boys and I got Doug a charcoal grill this year for his birthday. We have never owned one (since we have also never had a backyard). We had a perfect weather day yesterday so Doug made steak and corn on the cob on the grill, both cooked to perfection. In fact, I think the steak was better than Del Frisco's. Who says you have to go to New York for a perfect steak (or pay $50 for one)?! Luckily I have my own personal chef right here.

We gave him a few other gifts too, but I think the grill was the big hit!

Sam's birthday party

2011-11-05T16:12:00.011-04:00

We have never done a friend birthday party for Sam. This year though, after hearing Lucas talk about them, he asked for one. So we decided to do a little party for him with his nursery class from church, and it was pretty fun!

Some games and activities:

Some lunch and cupcakes:

After the party:

Sam is 3

2011-11-04T16:12:00.012-04:00

Sam is 3 today! He recently had a growth spurt and is looking more like a little boy than ever. He weighs 28.8 pounds (25th percentile) and is 36 1/2 inches tall (25th-50th percentile). He has grown much better this year since the doctor discovered that he is lactose intolerant last year.

Sam, you have no fear! You attempt to do everything that your older brother does and usually successfully. You are an excellent talker and very outgoing. You have been talking in clear, complete sentences for quite a while now. Even though lately you say a lot of things like, "Mom, I am angry at you," I am grateful that you are able to communicate. At night, I love it when you say first, "I love you, Mommy. Good night, Mommy." You are a very tender and empathetic boy though you can be tough, too.

You are curious and rambunctious, a combination that sometimes make my blood pressure rise. You can count to 10 and sometimes higher, depending on whether you want to do it or not. You can always count down from 10. You are a teaser too. You LOVE to tease and you do it well. You are clever for your young age of 3 and you even say, "I am just joking." You continue to be amazing on your scooter and people are always commenting on your coordination skills as well as your cute watermelon helmet. You love to play "isbee" (frisbee) and you are really good at it. You are naturally athletic like your older brother, too.

You love to twirl my hair in your hands, especially when you are going to sleep, but also when I hold you. You still love to be held sometimes and I love that. But most of the time, you are very independent and you like to do things "myself."

We moved you to a big boy bed (the bottom of the bunk bed) when we moved to Texas this summer. You love it and you are a great sleeper, you always have been. You are a happy guy - always smiling and laughing. Your laugh is contagious and distinct. You love animals although after a recent trip to Aunt Kelsey's house you told me you, "don't like dogs, only tats (cats)."

You love Lucas so much. You have the best big brother in the whole world, but you are also a pretty amazing little brother too. I love how you and Lucas run to hug and kiss each other when you see each other after school. You love each other a lot and that brings me a lot of joy as a mother. Recently, you have started calling him Lucas instead of Bubba and you always tell me not to call him Bubba either. I am excited that you will be a big brother soon. You are always asking, "When is the baby gonna come out?" And when people ask you if it's a boy or a girl, you say it's a watermelon because Lucas told you that when he is the size of a watermelon, he will come out.

Your favorite thing to eat is Goldfish crackers. Your favorite song is still "Hush Little Baby," but you are anything but a baby. You are a big boy and we love you so much! Happy 3rd Birthday, Sam!

3 Birthdays + 2 Holidays

2011-11-03T23:31:00.003-04:00

Between tomorrow and the end of the year, not only is there Thanksgiving and Christmas, but also Doug, Lucas, and Sam have their birthdays. It's a busy time of year and every year I do things a little differently in an effort to make it less stressful for me. This year, I am also pregnant which means I am tired and my energy only comes in bursts instead of being a constant, which is what I usually have. I spent the past few weeks getting birthday and Christmas presents (for our immediate and extended families) ready and wrapped. With the exception of one or two things, I am done, which is a great feeling. Now I feel like I can focus on the parts I love most about the boys' birthdays and the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. With that said, I thought I would do a quick post of what we have been up to this week before the birthday extravaganza begins this weekend.

This past Sunday, the boys wore real church clothes and it was also our first church meeting with no food and no toys (only quiet activity books). It was easier than I thought it would be. And look how adorable the boys are!

And this is what baby boy Brasher has been up to (I am feeling his constant kicks a lot these days and we are all starting to really get excited for his arrival in March):

In preparation for the boys' birthdays, I made their "birthday shirts." This is a tradition that Becky, Doug's sister, started for us when Lucas was younger and now Lucas asks me about it every year. Sam asked this year as well. They both love soccer, so I did soccer shirts.

This week for FHE, I did a lesson on obedience. I feel like the obedience level here has slipped a bit so we have a new system. It's the same as the system that Lucas has at school, so that's helpful. Even though Sam doesn't get all of the details, he gets the idea and does not like for his star to move to yellow. I let them paint their own stars for their names and then we came up with the consequences together, so we are all on board. I am trying to discipline with less emotion (anger) and this really allows them to have a visual as well. I like it!

We also skyped with two of boys' dearest friends, Gavin and Eli. It was a blast:

And finally, the weather has been very cold this week, so we have been hanging out watching movies and playing indoors more. We are glad it's not 110 degrees anymore!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T22:03:00.014-04:00

Our Halloween lasted more than one day. We carved pumpkins on Saturday and then went to a friend's Halloween block party and trunk-or-treat that evening (I had to explain to Lucas what a trunk-or-treat was and instead of saying trick-or-treat, he said trunk-or-treat all evening). Tonight, we went to a community Halloween party at a local park, and then trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. The boys have only trick-or-treated in an apartment building, so this was our first time going house to house. We had a lot of fun and got way too much candy. It didn't take them long to catch on to the routine. Sam said, "I see light on. We ring doo-bell. Say trick-or-treat and thank you!"

Carving pumpkins:

Our friend's block party and trunk-or-treat:

Lucas won this jar of candy by guessing the number of pieces of candy in it. His original guess was "7" but I told him to change it to "62." There were "60" pieces and this was his happy dance:

Community Halloween party and dinner + the fire department and police department came too:

Trick-or-treating in the neighborhood:

Paul Simon Concert

2011-10-29T23:58:00.005-04:00

Last night Doug and I went to a Paul Simon concert. We love his music and saw him in NYC before we had kids, so we thought it would be fun to see him in concert again. Of course, we didn't know it would be right in the middle of the final World Series game, but Paul Simon did not disappoint. The Secret Sisters opened for him and they were amazing too - we had never heard of them before:

And also this week, Lucas left this note for me:

It was before I took him to the allergist for some allergy testing, for which he was very brave:

And this is Sam's new favorite way to watch TV (or "TB" as he calls it):

Belly picture - 18 weeks

2011-10-27T13:28:00.004-04:00

Several of you have asked, so here you go:

Weekend Trip, Day 3 - Houston

2011-10-23T13:22:00.003-04:00

We woke up in Houston and spent the morning there before driving back home to Dallas. We spent a lot of the weekend in the car, but the boys did well and we sure had fun!

I don't think Sadie was sad to see us go. Sam pretty much drove her crazy:

Weekend Trip, Day 2 - Galveston

2011-10-22T13:22:00.008-04:00

We spent the morning at the beach. What was suppose to be a chilly day turned out to be a perfect beach day!

The last time Doug and I went to Galveston was in 1999, when we were first dating and came to Houston for New Year's. We snapped this photo then - almost 12 years ago:

Here we are now - we have changed a little bit:

After the beach, we went to The Strand and wandered around with the boys:

We had lunch at a fun place with a pool table, where the boys played while they ate. I had fried pickles and nachos (yum!):

We went into an old candy shop where a candy maker threw us warm taffy:

And, not surprisingly, we ended up at a train museum:

We got cleaned up and then headed to the wedding of Sky (my cousin) and Adi on the beach:

After which, there was a great party under my brother's beach house:

After another full day, the boys passed out in the car while we drove to Houston for the night:

Weekend Trip, Day 1 - Gilmer + Kelsey

2011-10-21T13:16:00.004-04:00

Now that we are only a 3-hour drive away, we decided to take a trip to the Yamboree in Gilmer, Texas. I have not been to the Yamboree is 15 years, but I have wonderful memories of it from childhood and teenage years.

I got to sit and visit with my Mema at the Bandstand. We talked a lot about family history and other things. I haven't seen her in awhile and I have missed her. She is a great lady.

We rode a lot of rides with the boys. Lucas really wanted to ride this one (and he did), but he regretted it afterward. I thought he was very brave:

View from the ferris wheel:

Lucas really loved these:

I think we rode every ride there:

After the Yamboree, we drove out to Kelsey, where my mother grew up. It's like taking a step back in time. It's a beautiful place to me and where I spent many holidays and summers while growing up. I have wonderful memories of this place. To me, it's magical. (Doug and I last came to Gilmer when Lucas was 6 months old, so it had been awhile.)

Mema's house:

Barn behind Mema's house:

Granny's old house:

The old schoolhouse:

It was a beautiful fall day:

We then drove to Galveston for the night. The boys fell asleep quickly after a fun day at the Yamboree:

The boys make me laugh

2011-10-20T23:30:00.003-04:00

I know I say this a lot, but my boys sure make me laugh. I love their friendship with each other - they do everything together and often with their arms around each other. When they sit at the computer together, one of them always has their arm around the other. They play together for hours and have so much fun together. I love that. I hope they are always great friends. Watching them together makes me excited to have another boy.

A few funny things that Sam says/has said:

1 - When people ask him how old he is, he says, "I'm 2 and 5." This is because when people ask me how old my boys are, I say, "They are 2 and 5."

2 - The other day Sam asked Doug if he was coming to his birthday. Lucas has obviously filled him in on how a birthday party works.

3 - When Sam wakes up in the morning and a light is too bright for his eyes, he always says, "It's too sunny" even when the light is not from the sun.

4 - Sometimes I ask Sam a question and his answer is "be-because." He never just says, "because" by itself.

And a few things that Lucas has said:

1 - I asked Lucas if he thought the baby was a boy or a girl (before we found out). He said, "I think the baby is a girl because girls are smaller than boys and the baby doesn't look very big in your tummy."

2 - Lucas thinks we should name the baby "Lucas" or "Max."

3 - Whenever I am working on chores or things around the house, Lucas always says, "Mom, can I help you with something?

4 - I overheard Lucas telling his cousin, "Let me demonstrate this for you." Also, he told me that he was "organizing" his M&Ms.

October Memories

2011-10-19T23:19:00.001-04:00

October has been a wonderful month with much better weather. We attended a softball game for Luc's school where the staff played against the parents. There were lots of games and activities and we had so much fun. (Check out Luc's polka-dotted hair.)

Luc's school also had a Bike Rodeo during the school day. The local police department came and talked to the kids about bike safety and then the kids rode their bikes on an obstacle course:

I had to take Sam to my OB appointment this month where I unexpectedly spent 4 hours (and then didn't find out the sex of the baby because I had to leave to pick up Lucas from school). Sam was an angel and I have since changed doctors:

We had a great General Conference weekend, which we started off with a trip to IHOP for breakfast:

We have done some baking:

And we decorated Halloween cookies:

Mema had a 20-hour layover in Dallas and we spent some of it having lunch with Lucas at his school:

The boys wanted to wear their same Halloween costumes from last year, so they tried them on. Luc's still fits, but Sam's does not:

So we will try these (unless someone changes their mind, which is very possible):

And a few other fun memories:

IT'S A BOY!!!

2011-10-12T23:01:00.003-04:00

We feel blessed to have another baby coming into our home.

About a month ago, we told Lucas about the pregnancy by writing him a note that he read himself. Then he ran out of the room and wrote a note of his own (Mom, I am excited because you have a baby.):