brandon and sarah: December 2011

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Family Pics- the whole shabang

While visiting family for Christmas we had our pictures taken. I know this is picture overload, but my exhausted brain (1 croup baby and 1 dairy-filled toddler) just wants to get these posted asap.

Ma and Pa, aka Brandon's parents Allan and Karen

Brandon's siblings and parents

the family with daughter-in-laws and grandbabies

Sisters- Michayla, Kacey, Tori, and Kit

Brothers

Dustin, Brandon's brother, and his wife, my dear friend, Tara

Claire, Dustin, Tara, and Lydia

ClaireBear

Grandbabies

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Goodbye Honda!

Here the boys are cleaning out the car before the buyer showed up

It was a bittersweet day when we sold our Honda in November. Although our CRV had been a huge pain in the butt for almost a year, this was the car that we took our first date in, we left on our honeymoon in, Payt came home in, we moved across the country in, and we brought Derek home in. I'm not going to lie, I teared up when Lady was towed away by a Craigslist buyer. I miss her spacious trunk and roomy backseat, but mostly I miss all the moments associated with that car.

But our lovely Ford Fusion has a lot more horse power and better gas mileage, and we get to make even more memories! Plus the money we got for the Honda was pretty sweet.

Saying Goodbye

Our dear friends, the Bartholicks, graduated law school this semester and went home to their job in Idaho. We are going to miss them so much! They were our first friends in Kansas, and it's going to be hard to not have them around anymore. This last semester both Sean and Brandon had Tuesday night classes, so after our kids naps Nani and I would get together and do dinner/let our kids play. I'm going to miss those nights! Night classes suck, let's be honest, so I loved that my kids and I had a buddy during that time. Love you guys!

The last night we saw the Bartholicks I took some pictures:

Derek, Payt, Kambry, and Marlee

Family Pics- Christmas 2011

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Christmas- early edition

On December 10 we celebrated Christmas with my mom and Butch. It was a wonderful morning, and the boys were often overjoyed (and, perhaps, overwhelmed).

Butch had originally planned on being in Kansas for our Christmas, but some things came up so he was unable to make the drive. Thankfully we have modern technology and he skyped with us for all of Christmas morning!

The boys came down the stairs to find their new choo choo track and three stuffed dogs. The boys, of course, love the trains, and they have also become incredibly attached to the dogs. Payt calls the yellow dog a "kitty cat" and actually sleeps with it. In Derek's 13 month post I talked about how much DerBear loves the dogs and is always carrying them around by their tails.

Because my parents were recently sealed in the temple (my mom to Butch and my Dad to Rose) I was able to create a print for both my mom and dad that had their temple and the date on it. Here is my mom (and Butch) opening theirs.

For Christmas I got Brandon a new comfy blanket (which you can see in some of the pics- its plaid) because the boys and I have used and abused his old favorite. Brandon has declared that no children are allowed to use his new blanket! Brandon got me a food processor, and I couldn't be more excited. Seriously it was the only thing I wanted. I love to cook, and having this will make things a lot easier.

The only other thing that Brandon and I got our boys were books. I LOVE the books that we got them though. For Payt we found a train and airplane book that was full of real pictures, and explained what each picture was in toddler-friendly language. For DerBear I got him The Crown On Your Head by Nancy Tillman. This has to be my favorite children's book. I cried and cried the first time I read it. We have now integrated reading it into our bedtime routine (when we actually take time to have a routine!). In the picture where I am reading this book to the boys Derek actually ripped the first page just seconds after the pic was taken. Oh well. I should know better than to get a soft-paged book for a 1 year old, but I really want my boys to have this book!

So that was our (early) Christmas morning. It was sweet and simple. I have found that now that I'm a mother Christmas is so much more wonderful; there is something so special in seeing your kiddos joy over things that we've worked hard to get them. Perhaps I got a taste of what our Heavenly Father feels for us when we are grateful towards Him.

3Ls

3L = third year law student

A few weeks ago one of our wonderful friends, Alison, and her husband Jake put together a party for the 3L JRC (the law society Brandon's apart of) students. I wanted to post this pic so I have a record of all of our faces!

Payt made this tree (from an ice cream cone) at the party

Monday, December 19, 2011

Tree Skirt

My mom helped me make a tree skirt while she was visiting. I totally botched cutting the fleece the first time, so my sweet Mama took in my anger (at myself) and went and bought me more fabric! Thanks to her I, one, actually have a tree skirt now and, two, it looks really good!

I wanted something simple, but also wanted to make it personal. I decided that we'd start a tradition of putting our kiddos hand prints around the skirt's edge every year.

Later I wrote their names and the year on their hand prints. Payt's is on the left, Derek's the right.

Three Kings

The boys' grandparents (Mark and Rose) got them the Fisher Price nativity this year! Oh my goodness. They LOVE it. I love it. We have been doing an advent calendar with scripture verses (from this year's Friend: Christmas ABCs) and every night Payt grabs his scriptures and the baby Jesus. It is so sweet. Both boys are constantly playing with the pieces, and Payt is always asking who's who. Payt can now say angel, Jesus, and Kings. He calls Joseph "Daddy" and Mary "B".

The funniest conversation about the nativity came between my mom and Payt:
Payt- who's that?
Mamal (as Payt calls her)- The three Kings
Payt, pointing to the things in the Wise Men's hands- what's that?
Mamal- gifts for the baby Jesus
Payt-oh! Milk (pointing to one of the wise man's gifts), Juice (pointing to the other) and eats (pointing to the third gift).

How sweet is that? In Payt's eyes the ultimate gifts for the baby Jesus are milk, juice, and eats (food). I love my sweet boys!

The Things They Say

May 9, 2012- While waiting outside a McDonalds Payt asks, "What's that Mommy?" I am busy proofing one of Brandon's papers and just say that it's a store. He replies, "uh, that no store Mommy!" I say, "Oh, it's a restaurant, Payt." Payton then starts laughing like I am the silliest person ever. He says, "It's no rest-aunt, it's please nuggies room!" Payt calls chicken nuggets 'please nuggies' :)

March, April, May 2012- Payt has recently become a dirt-a-phob. He is constantly yelling for a "PAPE-A TOWEL" when ever the smallest thing gets on him. With his British accent he sounds so sweet and funny.

May 4, 2012- Me: "Payton, you do not yell at me!" Payton: "Only Daddy yell at Mommy?" Me: (a little stunned) "Umm, no. No one should be yelling at anyone." ...to be clear, Brandon NEVER yells, but it was a shocking reminder that we need to be careful with our tone around our little ones!

May 3, 2012- While playing in the bathtub Payt was holding a green plastic (semi transparent) scoop over his penis... Yes, I just wrote that... I asked him what he was doing, to which he exclaimed "Makin' my pee-nas geen Mommy!" I thought that surely I had heard him wrong, so a few minutes later when he did it again I asked again. This time he spoke even more clearly with a, "Look, Mommy! My penis is green!" Gotta love little boys!

Jan. 2012- We ate at Jose Peppers, where Payt got a balloon. Once in the car, he managed to get it untied from his wrist; thus when the car door opened out went his balloon. He was, of course, upset and wanted his balloon back. I told him that the balloon was going home to go to bed. Payt starts crying "I want my balloon. Jesus home. My balloon. Balloon go to Jesus home." haha. Earlier in the week he'd asked me where Jesus' home was and I said Heaven and pointed up.

Payt 1/18/12- while Payton was saying the dinner prayer Derek started babbling. Payton growled "my turn, Derek (which actually sounds like 'dang it'), my turn" then he returned to praying in such a sweet voice. Again, Derek talked and Payt screeched "MY TURN, DEREK!" and then sweetly returned to blessing the food.

Payt 1/17/12- I ask Brandon what he's doing, to which he replies "just farting around." Payt calls out "I wanna fart, too, B!"

Payt 1/15/12- passing the fire station on the way to church Payt says, "B, where fire gucks?" I say I don't know, maybe they're sleeping or out helping someone. Payt says, "No, they at store buy bandaids."

Payt 1/9/12- on the way to the doctor's office I ask Payt what doctors do; he replies "put bandaids on ouches"

Payt 12/11- Recently Payt learned the word "ouch" and "touch". Now, when ever he sees a razor he says, "No touch! Ouch, ouch!" and holds up his hand. For the longest time I couldn't figure out how he knew that, but then we remembered that almost SIX months ago while on vacation he got in my make-up bag and sliced his hand on my razor.