Merry Christmas, 2009!

I know, I know, it's been way too long since we've posted so this will be one massive post getting us all caught up! Thanks for the gentle reminders that I haven't posted in a while. :)

Since November, it's all been a blur. It started with Travis turning 4-0. That's right, someone is officially OVER the hill and so we celebrated in style with friends & family and finally finished the pool room. We played a little Travis' Top 40 Trivia which surely embarrassed him (oh wait, I forgot that he doesn't get embarrassed), but it was fun and ended with his very own skydive at the Ogden Airport. The skydive was impressive, so impressive that I have vowed to NEVER do anything crazy like that. His family was in town from Boise to see the jump and the worst part is that he now has the itch and 'thinks' he's going back up again!

For Thanksgiving, we took the trek to South Carolina to visit with Travis' Dad and family. It was so nice to be in 65 degree weather and to enjoy the Fall scenery. We took a buggy ride through Charleston, visited family in Rock Hill and loved spending time where Travis' dad is clearing out some land they recently bought just behind their home. Beautiful trees as far as thee eyes could see, cotton fields and strong Southern accents. I hope we get to go back!

Once we returned from South Carolina, I've been spending most of my evening time at the hospital with my mom. She was admitted the last week of November and just recently moved to a rehab facility on Christmas Eve. It's been a long haul and I think we're all ready for her to move back to her home. She's had pancreatitis with some complications, but she's now on the road to recovery even if it feels like it's been forever.

We originally had planned for family to visit from Boise for Christmas, but it ended up just being my brother and us. Travis cooked the turkey and we had all the fixins. I even planned to watch Mia tear into all her presents, but she opened the My Little Ponies first and that was all she could handle. We had to force open a couple and over the past few days following Christmas, we've successfully opened up a present a day. I think there's only 1 or 2 left under the tree. Let's just say, that was not the behavior we were expecting. :)

Our favorite remarks from Mia on Christmas morning were: "Can you get some scissors, please? I need some scissors to open my ponies." Scissors? Are 2 year olds supposed to be asking for scissors? She had some special requests for "pumpkin pie" and when asked to do most things, she responded with, "Sure!" I hope she's just as accommodating when she's a teenager. :)

Boo!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

We experienced the real deal this year. Mia had it all figured out and was out on the prowl! It started off with trunk-or-treat last night, then a cute Halloween party with work friends and their babies. After that, we met our neighbors and hit the streets.

I'm quite proud of Travis and I since we took the whole family out (beagles included) and followed Mia. She still requires a bit of extra help getting up and down the stairs and staying focused. She couldn't keep her hands off the suckers. In looking at the pictures, it's evident that she found her favorite treat. One sucker, two sucker, let's take a break and open another sucker (as pictured above)! :)

Pumpkin Patch

Last week, we visited a local pumpkin patch in a friends backyard. They live by horses so we got the full effect by picking our pumpkins then feeding apples to the horses.

11 Years...

We celebrated our 11th year anniversary this past weekend and spent the night up at Snowbird. We've stayed there before and just love waking up in the mountains! It was perfect weather this past weekend so we got some great shots while we were out and about (including a visit to a friends pumpkin patch). We also watched horses run in a field next door and Mia even got to feed them some apples. Please, please, please let us savor Fall for as long as possible!

Calling All Salsa Lovers!

You would have been so proud if you could have seen Jeanette and I standing over boiling pots and dicing tomatoes for two days straight!

Two bushels later, we've created quite the storage of salsa and stewed tomatoes. Something we should be able to enjoy for at least a year! Neither of us really knew what we were getting ourselves into when I bought 4 boxes, but JJ was a trooper and we are officially domesticated women. :)

Two Cute Kids...

Playing at the park! This is Zane, one of Mia's buddies. They were born just weeks apart and we love hanging out with his family. The other photo shows the leaves changing up at Snowbird. If you haven't been to the outdoor Snowbird playland, I would highly recommend it! There were 3 deer that gave us a warm welcome as we arrived.

On a side note, while we were driving up the canyon, we were laughing about all the funny things that Mia says these days. It's a little awkward when your 2 year old looks up at you and says, "How's that sound?" and when you ask her to get ready for bed and she says, "In a couple minutes." In a couple minutes?!! I have no comeback when she says that - it's hilarious even if I want to her to get a move on it.

Gearing up for the snow season...

We went up to Snowbird last weekend for the ski swap and I was surprised to see 'someone' grab the skis, place them on the floor and take off her shoes so she could stand on them! Wow - not bad for a little girl who hasn't been skiing yet. It's a sign - my child must ski and if you live in Utah, I think it's a requirement. I was laughing with Amy the other night when we were chatting about our Columbia one-piece ski suits that are soooooo 90's! Hers is black and mine is navy blue with the teal shoulders. Oh, you know what I'm talking about. :)

63 Dog Years Old!

Our sweet Piper turned 9 today! She's showing her age with some gray hair around her eyes and face, but still is as cute and snugly as ever. I remember the day when we drove to a farm outside of Boise to see her. She had acquired the nickname 'Heart' since the white on the top of her forehead resembled a heart. She's been a big part of our family and Mia talks about her all the time.

Happy Birthday, Piper!

We hope to have many more years of howling and begging for treats with you!

Growing Up Fast!

We've got a 2 year old on our hands!

Mia turned two this past month and we celebrated at Wheeler Farm. Mia loves her animals and she blew kisses to all of them. We took a picnic and relaxed in the shade while Mia got to play in the stream. Two years has gone by fast - can you believe it?

To get caught up, I wanted to post some of her favorite things to do. She loves singing, "Old MacDonald Had a Farm", "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and even learned how to sing, "Happy Birthday" to herself. If you have a cute outfit on, she'll be sure to let you know by saying, "Oh, cuuuuuuuuute shirt!" I walked in one morning to get her out of bed and she rolled over with half opened eyes and commented on my pink capris (quote: "Cuuuuuuuute pants, mommy!"). As a special talent, Mia has figured out that she can touch her nose with her tongue. If you've seen her tongue before, I know you're not surprised. :)

The biggest gift that we all received for her birthday is that not long after we decided to ditch the bottle! We are only 7 days into it, and yes, there's been some tantrums, but it's long overdue, right? There's one childhood challenge down - can't wait to tackle potty training (ugh).

Angie's Wedding!

What a fun weekend! We were able to celebrate with Angie and Mark at their wedding. Mia loved the dance floor and Angie looked absolutely gorgeous. She held the reception at a place called Noah's which was perfect. Everything was beautiful and now they're off to Mexico for a little fun in the sun. CONGRATULATIONS, Angie!

As Travis would say..."A Weekend In Paradise."

Have we mentioned how much we love Seattle? We started off the weekend in Kerry Park overlooking the city. It was actually a little chilly there (in the 70's) and we had to grab our jackets. Such a welcomed change after hot temps in Salt Lake. Although, I'm afraid we may have cursed the city because by Monday, they were experiencing record breaking heat! 100 is Seattle is almost unheard of...especially when no one has air conditioning. Ugh!

We also did a couple things this past trip that we haven't done before. We visited The Locks which is quite fascinating. This is a place with boats & ships cross to get from the Puget Sound to Lake Washington. Boats wait in a holding area while water is pumped in or released to allow the vessels to rise or be lowered to match the water level of the sound or the lake. Pretty cool - plus, it was a win-win since Mia love, love, loved seeing all the boats!

And of course, a trip to Seatlle wouldn't be complete without a visit to Safeco Field to watch the Mariners. Ichi, Ichi, Ichiro rocked the house, but we lost big time (what's new)!?! A special treat was that we were able to go with Travis' uncles. Uncle Don made her a special popcorn bowl out of his ticket to get in (very creative) and she loved all the attention. :)