Christmas in the Northwest

We all had such a fun Christmas holiday at home. Preston and I were able to fly in early and spend a little bit more time at home while Neil got used to his new job...by the way, we moved to Cali! More info about that later...anyways, it was fun being home. We spent the first part of our vacation with my family and then the second part with Neil's family. It worked out so much better than last year! We are so grateful to have both of our families living close to each other.

We started off the Christmas holiday officially with Natalie's birthday. She turned 21 this year and is engaged to Ben Wood who we were able to meet while we were at home. He came to visit while we were at home, which was fun. We went to a Japanese Steakhouse for dinner, which is always delicious and entertaining at the same time. Preston loved the fire and drums and the waitress that was enthralled with him. They came out to sing "Happy Birthday" to Natalie and must have misunderstood when my family said that her name was Natalie and called her Kathy the whole time. All of a sudden we were singing happy birthday to Kathy and we weren't sure where that came from. It was hilarious though.

Christmas Eve was just as great. We went to the China House for dinner, which is also a very delicious place. This has become a tradition for our family. We came home and opened a present that night...pajamas! Hooray! I look forward to getting these every year.

Christmas was just as great, well...actually it was even better! I got an amazing camera for Christmas, along with all sorts of gadgets and fun accessories to go with it! Neil got a Kindle Fire, and Preston got all sorts of toys and fun things to play with. He opened his presents throughout the day since he didn't wake up with us at 7 to open presents. We were grateful he slept a little bit.

I did love having church on Christmas. It gave me perspective on such an important day. The real reason for the season is what we really celebrate. The presents are just an added bonus. I am so grateful that Jesus Christ was born  and had parents that were listening to their Heavenly Father and his plan for them and his Son, our Savior.

After church we were able to Skype with Carl in Brazil, which was good! He was so smiley...and happy! He is doing well and having a great time while he is down there.

Here are a few pictures of our wonderful day!

Preston liked the wrapping paper almost more than his actual toys. He wanted to eat it and crinkle it in his hands all day long. 

 He did like it when all the paper was off the box though and had fun hitting the box over and over again!

 Here is the happy boy!

 And here is Preston...don't worry, he's not wearing a dress, it is a swaddler blanket. He was so happy!

Got to get a picture of Neil! He got some golf themes pj's for Christmas and is strutting them here. 

 Emily got a ukulele for Christmas. She was actually really good and already can play a few songs What a cool talent! She has always been really good with musical instruments and things like that. 

 Here is Natalie and Ben showing off her ring! They are getting married April 7th in Seattle. 

 And then there is Ryan. Preston did love playing with him! He got a new laptop for Christmas.

We had such a great holiday and hope all of you did too!

Natalie and Ben

While I was home I was able to take Natalie and Ben's engagement pictures. Since I got a new camera I was able to take better quality pictures of them while we were all home for Christmas. They have finally set the date as April 7th! Natalie has already picked out a beautiful wedding dress and has decided her colors will be gray and dusty rose or light pink. It has an elegant shabby chic feel so far and I am so excited to see her married in the Seattle temple! We are excited to have a new brother-in-law!

Here are a couple of the photos I took of them. The weather was not necessarily on our side, but they turned out okay. Let me know which one you like most!

It was so fun taking pictures of these two! I hope to be able to do more engagement photos in the future to keep learning and using the amazing tools I now have.

Bowling with the Fam: Adults Only

While we were at the Spencers Margaret and Darwin offered to watch the children while the kids went out on a group date! It was so fun! Here are just a few shots of the group. At first the lights were all on, but the they turned them off and it was only blacklights and great top hits music.

 Here is Neil doing his signature spin throw to get the turkey! (That's three strikes in a row, oh yeah!)

Here's the group: Terra and Jeremy, Delee and Steve, Neil and Amber, and then Dean

Cannon T3i Hooray!

Well, to start out I have to say that I have been wanting a camera for such a long time. I started being interested in Photography when I was in school. I had an amazing instructor that is also a photographer, Caryn Esplin. Watching her and taking a few of her courses got me even more interested in photography. I have been able to take photos of several different people so far and have loved it! Expect great photos in the future!

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Love you!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween wasn't too eventful this year, but we did have fun! We were able to attend our branch Halloween party, which was fun. We had a chili cook-off before we did a fun trunk-or-treating event. Preston didn't really like his Halloween costume unless he was outside because it was so warm in the building. He looks so cute though.

We were able to have a little get together at our house on Monday night. The Mosley's and Johansen's were able to come over.  We had squash soup for dinner with salad and then some massively delicious cinnamon rolls and brownies that Michelle made. Natalie also brought some caramel apples, which were also very delectable. We didn't have many trick or treaters, but we were able to carve pumpkins and hang out.

I was able to take some pictures of Preston in his costume this week. He was actually pretty good at letting me take his picture. I set a "studio" up in one of the bedrooms upstairs and Michelle helped hold Preston up while I took a few shots. He is the cutest pumpkin ever!

It is always hard for me to not post a billion pictures because he is so stinkin' cute, so I might have gone overboard, but I sure hope you enjoy!

 He kept trying to eat the small pumpkins, hahaha.

 He really is a cute happy boy!

 And very curious...

 Here he is after we finished. I was holding him and trying a few different settings. I just melt when I look into those eyes!

 Here are a few pictures from our branch Halloween Party. Preston wasn't very happy. 

 And then us carving pumpkins!

We are sure blessed with great friends here in Wisconsin, which makes holidays that we aren't able to go home for much more fun. The weather has actually been pretty good for this time of year and hope that it continues to stay that way! oh, and Happy be-lated Halloween!

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Yesterday I had an interesting experience.  I left the family room to go get some medicine for Preston...when I left he was on his back and then when I returned he was on his stomach. I thought that something weird must have happened or I just forgot that I put him on his stomach. I was totally wrong. Later last night when I was getting him ready for bed he totally rolled over from his back to his stomach all by himself again. I thought that this might just be a fluke since he can't roll from his stomach to his back yet. However, this morning he did it again! So, I got out the camera and recorded it. He has now rolled over almost every single time I put him down on his back. He has also found that he can scoot in a circle with his arms, which is pretty funny to watch. He doesn't move very fast, but slow and steady. He is starting to get up his knees, but doesn't quite get the concept of moving them yet. It is so fun watching him develop and start to do new things. It is amazing how it happens so suddenly and when you least expect it.

Here are the two videos I got of him rolling over today: Enjoy!

Straight No Chaser

Last night Neil and I were able to go to a Straight No Chaser concert in Madison. We had the Mosley's watch Preston and had a night out. It was hard to leave our little baby, but was such a good concert! We both love acapella music, especially Neil, so when we heard they were coming to Madison we thought that it would be so fun to go!

This is us at the concert! We got to dressup a little and everything. It was so fun!

 This is a picture the Mosley's took of Preston while we were gone...isn't he so cute! We always seem to get the same expression out of him when the camera is on. We definitely missed this little guy. Thanks for watching him Michelle and Matt!

Just a little bit about Straight No Chaser:

Originally formed over a dozen years ago, while students togethat at Indiana University, the group has reassembled and reemerged as a phenomenon...The group originally came together in the fall of 1996 at IU(Indiana University), basically "10 guys who happened to be good friend who also liked to sing." When the founders began graduating in 1999 and went on to jobs mostly outside of music, they chose replacements and established SNC as an ongoing group on campus with future generations of ambitious IU undergrads. More than 50 members have passed through the group's ranks so far. Such was the impact SNC made at IU that the school hosted a 10th anniversary reunion show for the original lineup in 2006, and when Stine posted clips from a 1998 concert on YouTube, SNC's fan base grew exponentially. In 2007 alone, the group's version of "The 12 Days of Christmas" wa viewed more than seven million times. Today that number surpassed 11 million, and the group's cumulative YouTube views clock in at more than 25 million.

We enjoyed it so much! Here area  couple of videos we got of the concert. There are 4 of them, so don't feel obligated to watch all of them, but I just love their music!

This first video is not zoomed in, so it is harder to see them, but I love this song! Also, I found them to be really loud when I first clicked on them, so beware!

Livin' It Up with the Cox's

This last weekend the Cox's (Neil's sister, brother-in-law, and baby) were able to come and visit with us. Steve has a medical conference in Lake Geneva which is only 2 hours away, so they decided to come to visit us for the weekend before. We loved it! We stayed up way too late talking and playing games,and had tons of fun! They got in late Friday night and we stayed up chatting and getting updated on each family. On Saturday Neil and Steve went to play golf while Delee and I went to the barn sale and then walked down our main street and enjoyed some cute boutiques and stores. We met up for lunch at Cook's Room and then enjoyed dessert at the Quality Bakery next door. (Gotta love their donuts!) Then we let the boys nap while we also caught up on some rest. Then, we took them to go see the exciting Don Q Inn plane. (You will have to look at the pictures below to see what I am talking about) That night was Settlers time! And along with that we had some Culver's custard. That is definitely a must when you come to visit Wisconsin. Sunday was also fun, taking them to our branch and having them meet our friends and branch family. They drove to their hotel later Sunday night so that Steve could go to the conference. I got to meet Delee for more shopping today, so I was blessed to have a little bit more time with them!

It was fun to see the reactions that Jakob and Preston had when they first saw each other. They weren't quite sure what to think at first, but then got each other excited when they heard noises coming from each other.

Here are a few pictures of the two cuties and the infamous plane:

This wasn't the first time they saw each other, but play time on Sunday. They were both quite intrigued by this toy that would play music and pick-a-boo with them. 

Jakob is 6 months and can sit up, which Preston loved watching. He is super cute and smiles at everyone. 

 Aren't they so cute!

How fun is it that they are only 2 months apart?! 

And here is the Don Q Inn plane. It seems so random, I know. I guess this guy bought this old war plane and then decided to land it in Dodgeville and park it in front of his hotel. According to wikipedia it is: "...One of the most amazing landmarks of the Dodgeville Municipal airport is its only current resident Boeing C-97G. When the plane landed it barely fit on the small runway, creating a massive cloud of dust. The plane still sits in front of the Don Q inn, which is directs next to the airport." Weird, huh?! Only in Dodgeville. 

Here is the plane:

 And a view of the inside. It looks like he just bought it and moved it, no changing anything about it. 

 Here was a little bit about the story of how it got there. 

 Some really old gages that were in the front of the plane. They were really cool looking, and I think original.

So, all in all...it was so fun having them here for the weekend. We are super excited to get to see more family when we go home for Christmas.

A Face Full of Food

On Monday we decided to start Preston on rice cereal. He seemed really hungry after eating 7 ounces, so I decided that he could probably benefit from starting solids. I was so excited about this! We got a high chair (Thanks Aunt Kathy!) and got him and the cereal all ready to go. He wasn't sure what to think at first, but now he is starting to get the hang of things.

Here are a few pictures and a few videos:

This was a picture of Neil feeding him. He likes his hands so much it was hard to get them out of his mouth long enough to fit food in. 

 He loved playing with the spoons.

 This was his unsure face...which we got quite a bit while we were trying this new eating thing with him. haha...

 And then when we were finished this was the end result! A full baby is always a happy baby!

Here are the videos: Neil and I both feel like we sound so funny in the videos, but what can ya do...when I get around a baby I just seem to talk a little funny. Hopefully Preston appreciates it!

This was the first couple of bites he ever took! I was feeding him and Neil was recording it.

Then we switched...Neil fed him while I recorded it.

He really seems to be unsure of what he thinks of this whole eating thing. At some moments he seems to really love it and then it all of a sudden takes a turn and he seems to hate it. He has gotten much better though and is learning how to eat off the spoon instead of try to suck from it. We just started adding squash to the rice cereal. (He was getting a little backed up) He seems to really enjoy it and I am excited to see what he thinks of more vegetables soon! 

On Wednesday we had his four month appointment with the doctor. I have come to really hate shots, but understand the need for them. Also, he was weighed and measured!

Weight: 15 lbs 3 oz. (53rd percentile)

Length: 27 in. (76th percentile)

We definitely have a long baby! I thought he was a little chunky, but I guess he is average. I'm just grateful for a healthy baby that is making our life even happier! He really is growing up so fast and has just started trying to bring his legs up into his belly and crawl when he is on the ground. He moves his legs back and forth so fast, almost like he is flutter kicking behind himself awkwardly. It is the cutest thing ever. I hope to get that on video soon! 

My little athlete

Preston has gotten so much stronger lately...and his legs are huge! He has also started enjoying watching football with daddy. I think it is partly because there is lots of movement on the tv and Neil will talk to him about the game.

Following after Daddy...loving football!

 He is so strong and super cute! He loves standing up and using his strong legs. It seems to make him feel like he is such a strong and big boy!

Preston has grown up so much! Lately he has been sleeping really well. He eats around 8 and then is usually in bed by 9 at least. Then, he wakes up around 8 or 9 in the morning, so he usually sleeps 11 or 12 hours. I am so grateful for such a good sleeper! I have been spoiled lately with some good sleep, which gets hard when occasionally he will wake up in the middle of the night or super early in the morning. He is a good baby though.

Neil's Birthday!

The big 2 ...6! Neil turned 26 this year and it was such a fun birthday, or at least I thought so. (I think he did too!) I decided to throw him a surprise party this year and get a few friends together and celebrate, and yes we got him good! He was not expecting it at all. I decided to go to the driving range and pick him up from work and go straight there. I had made the food earlier that day and picked up the house. Luckily Michelle was there to help really pull it off and help me! Here are a few pictures of the fun event:

This is Neil blowing out his candles! Do you like the cake I made? It was a golf cake since that is what he has been into lately. 

Neil with his presents ready to open on Saturday morning! Isn't he so cute! He did well this year!

 Gotta get one of him opening his presents: classic.

 Neil with his stash of birthday presents! Thanks everyone for the wonderful gifts you got Neil!

On his birthday we went golfing. He got a new golf outfit for his birthday, so here he is showing it off! 

I can't believe how fast time flies! Neil is such a great husband and wonderful Dad and I am so grateful that I get to be married to him. Yea for birthdays!

3 Months Old

Preston is now officially 3 months old! I can't believe how much he has grown. At his 2 month appointment he was 12 lbs. 8 oz. and 23.75 inches long. I am sure he is much bigger now!  He has started "talking" and is now grabbing at his toys and putting them in his mouth, which is so cute! He loves sitting up against the couch or in his bumbo and being able to look around and see what is going on. He has started scooting across the floor a little bit in several different ways, which is fun to see. He loves the water and now enjoys being outside. On a good night he is sleeping 9 hours and then another 5 after I feed him...a bad night is 6.5 hours or so. I am grateful for a good sleeper! Overall, we are loving our little boy and seeing him grow!

Here are a few pictures of what he is looking like now! His eyes are really blue and his hair is getting more and more red. His cheeks are still large and in charge!

This is a normal everyday face:

This is his talking face: 

 The drooling has begun! Ahhh! Now I have to change his onsie more often.

 His hands are some of the most entertaining things in his life these days. 

 This is him sitting up on the couch!

I love taking pictures of my little man! He has started to get scared of the flash, so I just have to make sure that there is enough light in the room. Isn't he so cute! And a special thanks to Michelle Mosley for letting us borrow her camera!