Spencer's Greatest Hits

At almost 8 months, little Spencer is certainly getting around town. He's been hesitantly crawling for about a month now, and getting braver and going further by the day. (Read: it's the beginning of the end.) He hasn't figured out yet how to get around the kitchen counter from the family room to reach me, so he isn't following me around crying, as all my children have been wont to do at this age, but I have a feeling it's right around the corner. Or, more specifically, right around the kitchen counter, which he'll be traversing any day now.

Here are a few recent fun moments with our cutest boy. ( I can totally say that.)

Forget Black Friday, I found a killer deal on adorable baby boys on a Tuesday of all days.

Prunes. Prunes is the magic word every two or three days, if you catch my drift.

Taking the workout world by storm in his Baby Pilates class.

I have never seen a baby so happy to be outside in the cold.

Already equipped with a generous supply of front teeth, all this
baby wants for Christmas is unrestricted access to the tree.
Sorry kiddo. Access denied.

Good gracious we are blessed to have this sweetest boy in our family.

Queen for a Day

Craig and I got a pretty good laugh when we read what Julia wrote in response to the prompt, "Describe an absolutely perfect day" for her homework:

"The absolutely perfect day would be if I were rich and I was the queen of the world and I never got in trouble and I got to eat whatever I want to eat."

Amen, sister.

Especially the eating whatever you want to eat part.

(On another, almost absolutely perfect day when Julia actually caught a butterfly with her bare hands.)

Celebratory Bootie Bump

You know how it's really exciting to get your holiday shopping done? So exciting that you want to clap your hands and click your heals and do a little high pitched yell? Well, for the package delivery industry, they feel just as excited when they get their packages delivered for the day. So darn excited, in fact, that they sneak away onto a quiet side street to do a celebratory delivery truck bootie bump when they think no one is looking. I saw it with my own eyes. 

It's the season for celebrating, my friends.

And you don't even have to be a UPS truck to do it!

Dreaming of a Pink Christmas

Since this is probably the last year we will be able to pull something like this off, (what with Santa skepticism at an all-time high) and because Grandma Linda was kind and generous enough to fund the adventure, this year was the year for visiting Santa's workshop in Flagstaff. (Did you know he had a workshop in Flagstaff? Apparently everyone is out-sourcing these days.) Craig and his mom took the girls to the "North Pole" and I hung out with Laura, Amy, and Spence back at the cabin. Not as exciting. But it did mean that he got a nap and I got my sister to myself for a little while. Winner winner, turkey dinner, that's what I say.

Here are some highlights of their visit.

Pretty in Pink

Handsome Daddy also doubles as a Handsome Coat Rack

They've got the golden tickets

Where Lexa goes, Snuggle Blankie goes. 

She may look serious, but Grandma Linda knows how to party, I tell you!

Open the gates and seize the day!

Singing her little heart out; something that 

doesn't just happen at Christmastime, people

Helping out the elves that are behind on fulfilling toy orders

(I guess moving the operation to Flag didn't solve all of Santa's problems after all...)

Eager girl!

Letters for Santa

Love this

Leave it to Savanna to include only thanks in her letter to Santa

And leave it to Julia to ask for a machete for Christmas

Chilling with the Mrs.

(The other Mrs, silly, not me.)

Santa looks confused here...I'm not sure if he even knows whether he's real or not

Honorary Elves, all!

On My Thankful List

I have been thinking so much about gratitude lately...and not just because it's November and Thanksgiving is stealthily sneaking up on me, I promise. I have actually been trying to focus on it for a while, and I have found that the quotes are true: gratitude really does bring happiness. And not because you suddenly get everything you ever wanted; more because you suddenly realize that you already have it.

In the spirit of November thankfulness, here are just a few wonderful things to top my thankful list.

#1: A NEW temple that is 30 minutes away! 

What a tremendous blessing to live in a time and place 

where the House of the Lord is in such close proximity to us.

#2: Children who PLAY! Even though they can also watch tv 

with the best of them, these girlies get going with some toys 

and they will play for hours. It makes my heart so happy.

(note that the tv is OFF. Happy sigh.)

#3: GROCERIES! No, I am not particularly crazy about planning menus or

spending hours at the grocery store, but what a real blessing to have the means 

and ability to feed my family and never worry about them going hungry.

Which brings me to my next thankful thing...

#4: CRAIG! He may steal my computer, but gosh dang if he isn't the the kick-trashinest

 husband, Daddy, and provider for his family that a girl could ever hope to land.

#5: BABIES! This one, in particular, but I really do love them all.

Where else do you get to squeeze such delicious little bundles of raw potential?

#6: ALEXA! Despite her reminders that we can't be friends because she is my kid,

I love spending my days with this little buddy of mine who helps me in any way she can,

sings her heart out all the live-long day, and aspires to be a baton twirler when she grows up.

 #7: NATURE! Most especially during this time of year when it is absolutely lovely to be outside.

So...what's on your thankful list?

p.s. thanks to Lara at Overstuffed for letting me steal the awesome quote.