Santa Who?

I just about died laughing when I saw this picture of David meeting "Santa" at our ward Christmas party! Perfect expression!

Busy Happy Weekend

This has been a pretty busy weekend! It started Friday night with a girl's wrapping party. A few gals weren't able to make it & they were missed, but we had fun hanging out & getting all of our Christmas wrapping done. I am hoping to plan another gift wrapping get-together next year. I LOVE wrapping presents! In fact, I've already had a request by a friend to wrap his presents.. so anyone else needing help, I'll be happy to lend a hand! :D Then on Saturday, my fabulous mother in law, Jeri came over to hang out with David & I & help me on a project. I LOVE her! She is so wonderful! I feel so fortunate to have great in-laws. (& I'm not just saying that because I know she reads my blog.. LOL! It's true!) I reluctantly left my project on Saturday to go to our ward Christmas party.. I'm glad I did. We enjoyed a nice dinner with our church family & an inspiring program. As is typical, there was a guest that arrived at the end of the program to greet the children. Jamin & I don't plan to make a big deal about Santa - no standing in line at the mall to meet him or anything. But since he came to our ward party, we figured, "What the heck.. David can have a picture with Santa for the blog" (I know, we are the mayors of Nerdville) So last night, David met Santa! It was a really funny experience. The three children in front of us, including our friend Tyson Paice, all cried as soon as they were put on Santa's lap. David just gave him quite the puzzled look as if to say, "umm do you know how ridiculous you look in that outfit?" LOL! He even had one eyebrow perked up when he looked over at me. It was hillarious. I should be receiving an email with David's photo, so I'll post it when I see it.
Local weather forecasts predict snow on Sunday (today) & temps in the 20s through the middle of next week (evenings in the teens! brrr!) In fact, there's a Winter Storm Warning indicating expectations of 2-6 inches of accumulation on the valley floor. So I am secrectly hoping the IRS shuts down for a few days so I can steal some time with my husband. Well, I guess after posting it on my blog, it's not so secret anymore, is it?
We'll keep you posted on anything exciting... or just more pictures of our cute son! Happy weekend to everyone!

Festival of Nativities

Last night we enjoyed the Festival of Nativities held at our church. This is quickly becoming a favorite holiday tradition. I really appreciate the hard work that goes into this event. It is a wonderful way to start the Christmas season with the true meaning of Christmas in our hearts. Each year, our church holds this festival, open to the public for four days, where hundreds of nativities are on display. There are choral performances held in the chapel and also a special childrens room set up where little ones can do crafts & dress up to play the parts of the story of Jesus' birth. On Saturday, there was also a live nativity, where someone read aloud the story & people acted out & sang parts. There were a lot of people attending, so we didn't see much of the live nativity; but it was still fun to be a part of it all. We ran into a few friends & David was quite charming with everyone, as usual. There were so many beautiful nativities; lots of "traditional" displays & a few new ones. I couldn't help but snap a few pictures of some interesting nativities we came across. (these are basically the few pictures that turned out decently)

This is a Japanese origami nativity

We thought of Grandpa when we saw this one: an ostrich egg that was etched with a dentist's drill

This is a nativity from rocks... can you guess what each rock may represent?

I love this one from Alaska with the igloo & arctic creatures

I like this nativity that includes the city of David & the figures make a tree shape, complete with star on top

Nothing makes me happier than sweet potatoes...

...all over my little boy & him giggling about it! David had sweet potatoes for dinner & thoroughly enjoyed exploring his new food. Jamin & I were just cracking up has he would eagerly take in a spoonful, then put his hands in his mouth to check things out. Then he would grab his ear, touch his head, smack the tray or poke himself in the nose. I didn't bother with a bib since I was starting a load of laundry anyway & immediately after dinner was bathtime. Sweet potatoes everywhere... it was awesome!

Do I have something in my teeth?

David seems to always have his hands in his mouth these days. So here are some more pictures from Saturday of our happy boy. I don't know if it's relief from teething pain or if he's just checking things out... I guess we'll find out before too long! Perhaps all he wants for Christmas is that bottom front tooth?

Trimming the Tree

Saturday night was spent going through our Christmas boxes & also setting up the tree. We took a picture after we put the lights on, but haven't gotten another good shot in since then. David was sitting on his blanket taking in the festivities. I think the LED lights were tricking out his eyes. We just purchased them brand new last year (so now I don't feel bad being home all day & having the Christmas tree lit up). I'm happy to report our little man has got quite the muscle control. He sits on his own very well these days (& only occasionally tips over - usually when reaching for a toy) He isn't too interested in rolling over though. oh well... we're not worried. He'll be moving along on his own in no time, & I am ready to wait for that time to come! Once he starts, there's no stopping!

Mashed Potatoes

Yummy mashed potatoes all over the place.. did I tell you he got some in Grandma's hair? it was funny! He also gouged his nose quite nicely. David's fingernails grow like weeds! But he's so squirmy, so I have to catch him while sleeping (&then I have to remember to actually do it then!) But they're now clipped & you can barely tell he scratched his face. Good thing he heals quickly!
Just a lil shot from Thanksgiving to share :)

Splish Splash

David discovered how much fun splashing is during his evening bath time with Daddy. I think he was trying to catch the bubbles, but they kept bobbing away from him. That sure doesn't deter him from continuing to try!

I love the sweet smell of my freshly bathed baby boy!

Daddy's Helper

Jamin & I took some time last weekend to go through our CD collection & purge. David found one of the last tapes we own & decided to help out. Or maybe he's getting into the holiday spirit? Anyway... just another Saturday, hanging out with my boys. :D

Ramblings

Well it's past 1am on Saturday morning & I can't sleep... so I thought I'd put up a post. Our plans for the day include taking David to hang out with his Grandma & Grandpa Jorgensen while Jamin & I head to the cannery in Portland to stock up on some dry goods. (so we'll be up early & I'll need a diet coke!) Then we'll take our time to break into the Christmas season & decorate our tree & home for the holidays. (We already got out the Christmas pillowcases that we received as a gift from Jeri last year!(

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with Jamin's family & David even got mashed potatoes in Grandma's hair! That was certainly a funny moment as he was enjoying his own version of Thanksgiving dinner & Jeri was fishing for the spoon he kept chucking on the floor. Later that evening, David caught up with his other local Grandma, my mom, before we sat down to hatch our Black Friday game plan. My mom & I were up early early on Friday morning (she never went to bed & I had a 2 hour nap) for shopping. A few hours & dollars later & I got some good deals on the few presents we're purchasing this year, including some fun toys for David.
A new kind of Christmas for Jamin & I has begun - one that is all about the kiddos now. I know David won't remember a thing or really know what's going on, but we're excited about his first Christmas. He'll be 6 months old on Christmas Eve! We are looking forward to taking the best things, memories/traditions of our childhoods & give them to him. It will be so much fun over the years to experience Christmas through our children's eyes. And now is when we start to mold what that view will be. One that shows Christmas is about much more than decorated trees & gifts.. that it is a celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. What we want him to remember & know about the important things in life. I am so grateful for our family, for what they have taught us & given us to embark out on our own. What a journey it is - and this is merely the beginning!
It's interesting how our lives have evolved since meeting & getting married & now becoming parents. We became our own little family unit on the day we were married, nearly three years ago. But we didn't really take that concept to heart until David joined us a few months ago. It feels like he's been a part of us forever & at the same time, it feels like just yesterday he was born. Now everything we do & hope for & plan for is for him & his future. I really appreciate a talk from President Monson from October General Conference: "Finding Joy in the Journey". It's not just about enduring through life, but appreciating what we are here for & finding joy & gratitude through living our daily lives. It's a wonderful talk that you can read by clicking the link. Sending you all love & hugs!

(photo is from our July trip to the temple when David was about a month old)