Holiday Season

Good Heavens we committed to way too much this year! We've had at least one thing on each day of the calendar for the past 3 weeks. Some days have 3 - 4 things… I decided we're committing to less next year. Ward/Family party? Yes. Women's holiday gathering? No. So don't be offended if I tell you no next year.

Saturday night it snowed about a half inch and as soon as Logan saw it he shouted "Dad! It snowed! Let's go play in it! Can we make a Snow Man?" So Dave gladly obliged. They snowball fought, they made snow angels, Logan danced around for joy of snow! But most important they made a snow man!

Logan wanted to help Dave with every step of the process. Dave got the balls started, and Logan pushed them around the yard.

And the cutest part, Logan couldn't help giving the snowman a hug!

Logan and his friend Abby decided to name the snowman Frosty. Every morning, Logan checks outside to see if his snowman "melted small, small, small yet". And at the grocery store yesterday Logan insisted we buy a real carrot for his nose. I guess a baby carrot wasn't sufficient.

Things have also been crazy because I've started up a little business on the side. My Dad has a friend that wanted to sell some of the arrowheads and spearheads he makes, so I've been listing them on Ebay for him. We have had a few busy days, but it's been good (busy means sales). Things are slowing down a bit, which is perfect, since this week is the busiest. It's been nice to make a little extra money for Christmas and to save for this summer!

Other than that it's been parties and Christmas events. Last night we went up to Temple Square and saw the lights. We picked up Dave from work, and walked over. Logan loved it! He kept telling us "LOOK AT THE TEMPLE! It's so pretty" the blue lights were his favorite. We're sure Dustin had a good time too. He kept singing to Dave (he was in a backpack for easy maneuvering). Both boys fell asleep on the way home and woke up ornery, but over all it was a successful night.

The Zoo & Thanksgiving

Last Wednesday was free day at the zoo, so Logan, Dustin and I invited Edison and his mom to join us! The boys had a blast and it was so nice to take a break from all the frantic preparing for Thanksgiving and really enjoy the 70 degree weather. Logan's favorite was the elephants, and Dustin loved the seals! They put on a crazy show "dancing" and jumping out of the water.

It was great to spend all of our long Thanksgiving weekend together! Logan was feeling friend deprived since he didn't get to play with Abby ALL WEEK LONG! We even had tears when she called in sick Monday.  But Thursday we went to my family's house for dinner and he got his fill of cousins!

They had a blast playing together. Max helped all the younger cousins make stop signs and Logan has been playing with his ever since. We had delicious food, and got home with enough time to watch a movie together as a family!

Friday Dave worked like crazy creating a bench for our entry way. He was able to finish it Saturday, and I love it! It has 4 bins, a place for our shoes and goes below the coat rack. He did a great job, as always! Our old coat rack only had 3 hooks. This one has 12! 

It's perfect for our million coats, plus any friends that come over. I also love that each bin has each person's hats, gloves, snow pants, etc. and our most frequently worn pair of shoes fit below the bind. Having such a fabulous entry way makes me want to paint the yellow wall though. I've been looking for an excuse to paint it since we moved in. I don't like yellow (especially not any of the 7 different shades of yellow that was in our house when we moved in).

Saturday we also went to the park and got to do some playing. I can't believe the weather has been so nice! We're down to our last 3 garden tomatoes in the fridge. Who would have thought we would have tomatoes in December? But hey, I'll take it!

Sunday we started decorating for Christmas. Logan was so excited he couldn't wait for breakfast to be over, so we decorated first. The boys had a blast putting the decorations up (and taking them down, sigh). 

Other than that, I've been working like crazy to get everything done for Christmas. I only have a few small sewing projects left, but time is just flying by! There's only one thing left that has to get done by Christmas, but other than that it can all really wait. 

Dustin's First Birthday

Wednesday was Dustin's first birthday! We had so much fun celebrating with him. Well, the celebration began on Tuesday. Dave has Scouts on Wednesdays, so even though Dave planned to skip scouts, we thought we'd make sure we got to celebrate, so we had cupcakes after dinner.

Dustin got "Mike Wizowski" cupcakes (from Monster's Inc.). Logan helped me mix the batter during nap time and I quickly frosted them after dinner.  At first Dustin just dipped his finger in the frosting and licked it off.

Given a spoon, he quickly destroyed enjoyed the cake, frosting, and toppings!

He thought he was getting away with murder feeding himself! And the floor was a MESS after we were done (and neon green crumbs show up a lot more than regular crumbs).

 Logan enjoyed his cupcake too! He thought the eye was a pretty funny thing to put on top of a cupcake, but he liked them.

Then Dave and Logan pleaded with me to just open gifts too. I gave in and we did! Logan picked out a toy to give Dustin. He picked two dinosaurs (because just one would be lonely Mom). So Dustin opened them and we played with Logan and Dustin's dinosaurs. Dustin makes a pretty convincing RRRROOOOAAAARRRR!

"email this picture to Papa! 3 boys, no girls aloud!"

Dustin opened and enjoyed all his gifts. We played and played until long past bedtime. For his actual birthday Dustin wanted cupcakes for breakfast, but I had to say no... It was so hard, but he settled on cereal, yogurt and grapes. He kept pointing to the cupcakes and making noise (good thing he doesn't know the word yet, or I would have caved).

Oh man it's been a busy few weeks! Well, self inflicted busy, but still crazy! I've been trying to get everything done for Christmas before December so I can just relax and enjoy the season. I have been sewing and creating like crazy! But it's never ending, every time I finish a project, I come up with two more I just "have to make" for someone. We'll see if I actually get done by Christmas. If not, it's been fun sewing.

The other day Logan asked me "so Mom, what did you sew today?" um, nothing. We had run errands and baked all day. He asked "are you sure? You didn't sew anything?" Funny kid! He knows what's up.

Other than that, I've been toying with the idea of starting a new Christmas tradition it's called the Kindness Elf. It's similar to the elf on a shelf (hide an elf toy different places in the house every day in Dec), but it focuses on doing kind things for others.

So you might find your elf in the mixing bowl in the kitchen with a note that says "help me make a treat for a neighbor today!" But I don't know if I want to commit to 25 days of planning things, so I might try out the 12 days before Christmas and see how that goes. If we like it, we can plan more activities for next year (and I can recycle this years too). If we hate it, at least we got an elf toy out of it (another item to add to my sewing list...).

Halloween & Christmas Sewing

Two crazy but fun weeks! Two weeks ago Friday we did a family movie night. For us, this involves picking a kids movie to watch, and going to the Dollar Tree. Everyone gets a dollar to spend on whatever they want. Logan got Curious George fruit snacks, Dustin got a bouncy ball, I got peach rings, and Dave got liquorish. Peach rings have become my substitute for liquorish since going gluten free. It was a fun night!

Saturday we had a casual morning, and went to the park in the afternoon. It was so windy we ended up going back to the Dollar Tree and bought two kites to fly! Logan had so much fun watching his kite flying around. I think it's the first time we've done this with him.

That night the boys headed out to the church for our ward's Father Son activity. They had a fire at the church with S'mores and 7 different cobblers. They ate chips and pizza and played in the gym with the other kids! They had a fun time. I had my friend Tenille over. We went to Zupas and worked on sewing projects until the boys got home.

That Monday for FHE we had a lesson on the Word of Wisdom. This has had a huge effect on the way Logan eats. Now when we start eating he will ask "Are carrots/sandwiches/candy healthy?" and if it isn't he will respond "then we should only eat a little". Glad he got the point of that lesson! Sometimes I wonder, and he surprises me with what he picks up. Man, since we had a lesson on dental hygiene and cavities (a few weeks ago) we have had less problems with not wanting to brush teeth.

Last week was crazy Halloween prep! I was finishing sewing a tie for Dave's costume and a belt and "mask" for my costume. They all turned out well, although Logan didn't want pictures! He's been against them since our family photo shoot.

So this is the best I could do. I probably tried to get pictures 8 times of these two. Since Logan's room is a super hero room, I thought it would be adorable to blow up a picture of these two and hang it on the wall. We'll see if I can get Dave to do some editing and make these blowup-able.

Dustin cooperated! He makes the cutest little side kick!

The lighting of this one is awful, but I love how Dustin looks like he has Logan's back!

The boys and their candy haul. We only went out for an hour, and a lot of that was spent chatting with people from the ward. So we didn't end up with too much. All three boys were feeling under the weather, although Logan was begging to go trick or treating again an hour after we got home.

I also started my Christmas sewing! I think we're done buying the boys gifts. We aren't doing a big gift year this year (we're saving up for a trip to the Outer Banks next summer), so I decided to supplement our purchased gifts with some home made ones. Everything from these gifts were out of my material stash, so "free"! Dustin will get Buzz Lightyear and Woody.

Logan will get these three Totoros. Every time he watches the movie he asks me to make him a Totoro toy. So I've been saving this idea for Christmas. And he will LOVE how they turned out! When he gets them. I was cutting out the pieces and he was in the room. He asked "Oh Mom, are you finally making me a Totoro?!?" Sigh... so much for surprise.

Other than that, we're hanging in there! The boys are pretty much over their sickness, and Dave is on the upturn. Fortunately I didn't get it, so we're good there!

Family Pictures and Projects

Every fall we do a family photo shoot. Usually I get inspired when the leaves start changing and I insist, but this year Dave took the initiative and insisted. We've done our own photos with a tripod for the past 4 years, but this year it really became a challenge! We got one where everyone was looking at the camera, but that was it!

I wish Dustin was smiling and I wish Logan's hand was down, but we'll go with it! I think we'd do better if we conned someone into taking them for us, but with these boys, it's hard to "schedule" a time for them to be happy. So we wait until a happy time, rush to get them dressed and take a few photos.

We got several cute pictures of Dustin, but this is the best of the bunch! He's such a happy little fellow.

This is the best we could get of Logan. He was in a silly mood, so we have a ton of weird faces. So we're going with one of these for the mantle for the next year. Unless I can get him outside in the same clothes in a more photo friendly mood.

Getting ready for this shot, I had everyone's outfit picked out. Then Dave came in and decided he didn't want to wear the shirt I picked out. And Logan followed his lead, insisting on a different shirt. So I gave Dave a color palette he could pick from, then I changed Logan and my shirts to match (Dustin's was close enough to keep the same). At least everyone was happy in the end!

I've been cleaning up my project bin lately. I have a ton of stuff I've started, but haven't finished. So I dove in this week and got some things done.

I saw this idea on Pinterest! It's a plank of wood with holes drilled into it and cross stitched with hemp. I love how it turned out! It's hanging above the fire place downstairs.

I did this on the back of the one I made for Spring. I just used paper I had on hand, and turned out ok.

This was a necessity! Logan loves to pull the towels down from the stove. So I added two button holes and a button to this so I can attach a few towels to the oven door (I made 4). I have to put them on backwards (so the button is hiding), but it has kept the towels on the stove for a week now! I love that the towel can still lay out flat if I need it to, but it can also be buttoned on!

I sewed two covers for our 3 inch foam camping mats. I had these 90 percent done, they just needed the buttons and top flap sewed on. I finished one and have it on Logan's top bunk! He loves climbing up there and playing. I've told him when he can climb up and down all by himself he can start sleeping up there. We have another year for him to figure it out and Dustin moves into the bottom bunk.

I started this pillow in May. I cut it out and surged it, but didn't finish it. So I sewed the edges and stuffed it! Dave and Logan have been loving relaxing on the hammock.

And this bad boy!!! Long story… a few months ago I approached my Mom and Grandma about starting a quilt. We're having a family reunion next summer, and I thought it would be fun for everyone that wants to to create a square for a quilt. We then make enough to give one to everyone participating and all trade at the reunion. So we all will end up with a Reunion quilt. The theme is the beach, and this is the square I've come up with. Only 10 more to make!

This weekend we got two date nights! Friday Dave's parents called and asked if they could babysit (YES! ALWAYS YES!). We decided to go out for Thai food and the Temple. Logan's had an ornery few weeks, so this was SO needed. We had a great time! Saturday we got to go to the Adult Session of Stake Conference and picked up some German Chocolate ice cream to enjoy later. It was great to have two nights off in a row.

Dave also got the shed re-organized this weekend and I got our winter and summer clothes switched out. Neither are fun, but both were good to get done. This weekend it starts getting busy again, but it was nice to have two weekends in a row with no plans!

Slow Weekend

This weekend was a casual weekend! We haven't had one of those in about 3 months. It's been so busy lately. I had my monthly quilting class in the morning and that was all we had planned all weekend! I got a few sewing projects done, and Dave got a lot of playing time with the boys. The boys just loved spending time with their Dad. Lots of sandbox time!

Logan got a hold of my camera this week. I was making dinner and I saw excessive flashing followed by gales of laughter from both boys. When I finished cooking I found 78 pictures on the camera. Most were of Dustin, but I had a few close-ups of Logan's eye too.

When we got out Loan's winter clothes he found his jammies my mom made for him for Christmas last year. He insists on wearing them still, even though they're several inches too short! I'm going to have to sneak them out of his drawer, but haven't had the chance yet.

Dustin finally started crawling! We're so glad, even though now he gets into everything. He doesn't like crawling on a hard surface, so it keeps him out of the kitchen, bathroom, and hallway. We were starting to get worried that Dustin wasn't crawling yet (Logan was walking by the time he's Dustin's age), but we're happy he's getting around great now!

Conference Weekend

This was the week of Conference! The week was full of preparing for it, and the weekend was full of enjoying it. We usually go down to my parents for Conference, but this time they were out of town. So we went shopping at the Dollar Tree to get some treats and supplies to make sure we made it through!

We all got to pick whatever candy we wanted, and we spent $5 getting special toys for Logan to keep busy with (stained glass train to paint, stamp markers, glow in the dark silly putty, stretchy dinosaurs, and 300 stickers). My attitude is if $5 let us listen, then it's worth it! He did pretty good. At the end of each talk we would sum up what it was about for him. And when President Monson spoke, we made sure he listened and remembered what he said.

We also spent the week preparing foods for the day. We were supposed to have chocolate doughnuts for Saturday's breakfast and Sunday a big cooked breakfast. But I guess I didn't tell Dave, so he wanted to cook Sat, and Logan wanted chocolate doughnuts. So we enjoyed both Saturday and ate leftovers Sunday. We also made Broccoli Beef for dinner Saturday and Chili & Cornbread Muffins Sunday. Logan wanted Moose cheese for a snack (that's what he calls colby jack), so we also enjoyed that with crackers and Laughing Cow cheese.

Saturday afternoon we went on a walk to the Elementary school between sessions and played at the playground. That evening the boys and I trimmed bushes and tidied up the house while Dave went to priesthood. Afterwards we went out for Ice Cream. It was tons of fun! Even Dustin got his own baby cone (they give free kiddy cones at Arctic Circle).

Sometime this weekend we finished painting the attic vents (finally!). I'm hoping we're done for the year, but I need to double check with Dave for sure. We are out of white paint, so I see that as a sign. We also picked Raspberries and tomatoes, as well as blanching, blending, and freezing a huge bowl full. I'll figure out what we want to do with them in a week or so. I'm thinking Tomato Sauce or more Salsa. Not sure yet.

I got a lot of projects done also! The best way for me to pay attention is to keep my hands busy, and since Conference falls right at nap time for Dustin, I was able to work hard while listening. I cut out and started hand sewing some Totoro stuffed animals (technical Japanese term is Nuigurumi). They're for Logan and Dustin for Christmas (we have to start early). Every time Logan watches My Neighbor Totoro he tells me "Mom, you could make me a Totoro toy. I would LOVE that!" So I thought I would start early to make sure it got done.

Also, I've been working on Halloween Costumes. I finished the cowl for Logan's Batman costume (it's just a fleece hat with bat ears, he didn't want a mask). So now I have his shirt, cape, and cowl. I don't think I'll put underwear on the outside of his sweat pants, because it will look silly after Halloween, so I think he's done. Dustin's Robin jammies and cape are done, and Dave's Twoface shirt and pants are done. I just need to make him a tie (and have him try on the shirt and pants to make sure they fit. Now I just have to figure out my costume… I'm not too excited about figuring that out. Dave wants us all to be Batman characters, and all the ladies are in spandex... but I'm sure I'll come up with something. Uma Thurman had a version of poison ivy that had long sleeves and pants, so maybe if I can find a shirt at the thrift store in the right neon color it will work.

Zion's, Music & a Pet Catterpillar

The past 3 weeks have been so busy! Will life ever slow down?!? I've been working my hardest at finishing the trim on the house. I know it sounds easy… But finding time to get out their and paint without the boys (with Dave working until 10 at night) is not an easy task. But I have it MOSTLY done!

It took a few forced naps for Logan, and two nights of putting the boys down and painting with a head lamp (which is pretty trippy on a 25 foot ladder in the dark). I need Dave's help finishing two vents, and I do want to paint the hand rail before it starts snowing, but I don't have to be on a ladder for that. So hopefully we'll be done in the next few weeks. It's been raining on weekends, which is a big pain!

Last weekend we headed down to Zions for some hiking and time with my family! We got there a night early and spent the day in the park. Let me tell you, it's a ton harder to hike with a 3 year old than with a baby! He thinks he's big enough to do all the hiking and it took us FOREVER!

We had a picnic in the grass in front of the Lodge. Needless to say, Dustin had a fun time!

We hiked Emerald Pools and Dave was followed around by 3 or 4 ladies that "totally loved" his shirt. It was pretty funny. They were married, but insisted in getting a dozen pictures with him.

We only made it to the first pool (0.6 miles one way). The hike there was ok, but the hike back was rough!

Logan would stop every few feet, plop down on the ground, and "make bear tracks". He would run his fingers around so you could see the tracks. It was a long 0.6 miles back. Let's just say Dave and I really earned our DQ!

The next day we went to the splash pad in town with the cousins. They had so much fun splashing and playing! We followed it up with a picnic lunch and some ice cream.

Dustin had so much fun too sticking his toes in the little waters. That night my mom watched the kids so we could go on a date. We saw the Maze Runner (which we've both read). It was interesting, although they made some changes.

Then last week just were catching up from being away, doing laundry and cleaning the house. This weekend it rained the whole weekend. We went on a park date on Friday, but got rained out and ended up in Barnes & Noble.

We're talking major thunder storms that wake the boys up at night! The power went out before we woke up on Saturday, so we spent the day in the dark. But it came back around 4.

Saturday was Women's Conference. Dave and the boys had a little party while I was gone (pizza, gummy sharks, liquorish, and Toy Story). I had a fabulous time at Conference. I've had a few things on my mind lately, and during one of the talks I got the answer I needed. It was very comforting and nice (since I didn't actually go to the meeting expecting a solution). Also I got to visit with a few of the ladies in the ward, which was fun.

Sunday we found a friend while picking our tomatoes! It's a tomato hornworm, and Logan has just loved it! They're really bad for your tomato plants, but it was so cool looking I couldn't help but keep it. So Logan talks to it, carries it from room to room, feeds it, reads to it, and eats with it. When we got up on Monday I thought it was dead (curled up in a ball legs up on the ground), but it bounced back. So we'll see how long it lasts.

This week my goal is to dry the huge box of apples that has been filling our fridge for the past few weeks. Other than that, I need to work on the Halloween costumes too. It's October this week and I'm not even close to being done! AAAH!

I've also included a video of Dustin playing his recorder. I'm pretty sad he broke it, because he just LOVED to play it! Maybe we'll have to get him a new one for Christmas.

Shopping and Packing

I can't believe the weekend is practically here! It's been so busy lately. I only have one section of the trim left to paint, and I'm hoping to get it done next week. We'll see how it goes.

Dustin's been busy learning things lately! He started playing the recorder this week. He doesn't change the notes, but he loves to blow on it. He's also been speaking more. He says u-ho when he drops things, and up when I pick him up. Not sure u-ho is a real word, but he uses it a ton.

Logan got engaged last week. The little girl we watch 2 days a week, Abby approached him by saying "Logan, are you married?" No, I'm going to get married in the Logan Temple (she thinks about that) "You want to marry me?" Ok. Her mom says she's really into marriage right now.

Saturday I had my monthly quilting class and after my mom watched the boys so Dave and I could go to the temple. We did a session and then got to go to lunch. It was nice to get a little break from the boys! They are great, but sometimes they can be wild! That night we also had the sister missionaries over for dinner.

Sunday was super busy, and I think this will be the standard with the new calling. I run around for the last two hours of church just to make sure I get everything done. After church we relaxed a bit, then went to my parent's house for a family dinner. My Grandma Yoder and Aunt Kathryn were in town, and my Uncle David & his family came too. It was fun to catch up with them.

The boys and I went material shopping on Monday with my Grandma & Mom. We were picking out material for the Family Reunion Quilt we'll be working on for next year! 11 of the family wanted to participate, so we'll all make 11 big squares and 11 little squares, then swap them at the reunion. When we get home we'll be able to make them all into a quilt. I think it'll be fun to have that kind of a souvenir. It's a beach theme, since it's taking place on the beach!

We've been cleaning, packing and trying to get ready for a trip to the cabin the rest of the week! It's been busy, and we're ready for the break. Logan's been begging to go. I made some cookies today to bring with us and offered one to him. His response? "I don't want a cookie until we're camping" Hope the cabin qualifies as camping. It will be a short trip, but it should be good!

3 Batmans Take Over

The BEST part of camping: sticks, dirt & rocks

Last week we got a plethora of jalapeño peppers in our garden. Logan loves to pick them! I'm not sure why, but that and the basil are his favorite. We had somewhere around 200 peppers, so I made a batch of jalapeño jelly. It didn't turn out, but it's been the most tasty mistake ever! It set up too much, and it's a really dark green color, but it's delicious! We were planning on giving it away, but it's too thick so I'll probably end up making another batch to give away and just keep this one for us to eat (darn!).

Last Friday we had our Ward Campout. We weren't sure if we were going to go (the boys still have a cough… 3 weeks and counting), but the lady in charge talked me into it! And I'm so glad she did. Our ward rents cabins up at Heber Vally Camp, so we just had to bring bedding and breakfast foods. We showed up around 4, and went on a hike with everyone that was at the camp. The hike was supposed to lead to two lakes. We found a little green pond/puddle and a mud hole, but we had a fun time!

After that we hung around camp until dinner time. It was fun to chat with everyone, and Logan had so much fun playing with the other kids. Around 9 we put the boys down for bed, and Dave and I stayed up talking later. The next day we went to the big lake. Dave and Logan rented a paddle boat (along with some other families in the ward). They had so much fun paddling around and having a big water fight! Dustin and I got to play in the sand while the big boys were out on the water. The beach had a huge box of sand toys, and Dustin loves digging in the sand. We hope next year to take Dustin on the water too!

Sunday was crazy with my new calling. I swear it consumes the last two hours of church! Hopefully things will calm down in a few weeks when we have everything smoothed out. Logan had fun at Nursery though, and Dustin had a good time with Dave in Priesthood.

This week I've been working on painting the trim on the house during nap times. I scraped the front on Monday, painted the primer coat on Tuesday (then it started raining, so I couldn't finish), and I painted TWO top coats on Wednesday! I have to get the side of the house next, and decide if we really want to paint the ceiling this year, or if it can wait until next year (I'm leaning towards next year). I'd do it during the weekend, but this weekend and next weekend are already full. And I want this done sooner rather than when it starts snowing.

I also was able to start Logan's Halloween costume this week. I had strong encouragement from Logan leading up to this. Last week we moved Dustin up a clothes size, and he has a 12M pair of Batman jammies. Every time we put Dustin in them, Logan would get upset because "I'm Batman and Dustin is Robbin, he isn't Batman!" So I threw together his shirt! I was going to make a fleece shirt, but decided a sweatshirt would get more wear and tear. Now Dave has been asking if he can be Batman for Halloween too. So we have 3 Batmans in the house!

Other than that, I've been trying to finish hand quilting my first quilt. I started it 3 years ago, but I'm really bad at hand quilting so it's been taking me forever to finish! I work on it for a while and get discouraged and put it away for a few months. This time I swear I'm going to finish it! I only have 4 more squares and the boarder to do, then I'm done! So here's hoping.

And Logan dumped the cornmeal all over for his cars...