Merry Christmas y'all!

We decided to not travel this year for the holidays. Last year ended up being such a miserable traveling experience that frankly, we were too scared to try it again. We did live in Virginia where all planes were grounded from the snow, but even if it would have been easier too get on an airplane this year, we had a hard time leaving this 70 degree weather for Utah's sub zero temperatures. There's also the issue of transporting gifts and getting them home in your suitcase. It was so nice to wrap everything here and put it under our own tree! We did miss being around family this year but nothing tops hanging out in your pajamas all day long with out the worry that the guy coughing next too you on the plane will inevitably get your entire family sick.
I'm a nostalgic person so I tried the best I could to make our Texas Christmas as magical as our Utah ones. Somehow I thought I could fill the void of family by making all the same recipes, decorating the house, reading the same Christmas books, and playing Santa. I was doing pretty well until our tree toppled over the 23rd and I was convinced it was going to ruin the whole event. I should probably explain why our tree toppled over. Well, you see, we were watching a friends little kitten while they traveled for the holidays. I couldn't say no to her face (she came over to my house and asked me in person:-) and even though Chase was vehemently opposed, I thought it might be fun to have a kitten around for Christmas. I was wrong. I have always wanted a cat. We said we'd get one as soon as we owned our own home. I have since changed my mind. After dry heaving while trying to scoop the kitty litter, hearing Clover (otherwise known as "Clovert" by Sadie who just couldn't say it with out throwing in a "T" at the end) whine throughout the ENTIRE day, getting the cat off our furniture, and the musty "cat smell" looming through out the house, I was convinced that once we are finally in our own home, we will have no animals of any kind. So in reference to our toppling tree; it was the result of Clovert climbing up the trunk. The stand snapped so we couldn't get the tree to hold itself up anymore. I guess all the pressure of making a perfect Christmas caught up with me and I burst into tears. Chase raced to Walmart to get another stand and after some serious doctoring, and redecorating of the tree, Christmas was back on again.
We had Sammy and Melissa Markam over for Christmas Eve dinner and it was my first time making a ham. It turned out pretty delicious and Melissa brought Grandma Phillis' delicious orange rolls. LOVE THEM! We hung out until the it was time to spread the reindeer food on the lawn and get the kiddos in bed. We put Jack to sleep and read a couple of books about Jesus' birth with Sadie. She was tired enough that getting to bed wasn't too hard. I was worried the excitement would take over and she wouldn't be able to shut her eyes. She was out in about five minutes.
We were informed the next morning that Santa came!! Santa even hid some My Little Ponies in some of the ornaments around the tree and it bought Mom and Dad about 30 more minutes of sleep. Sadie was very patient while waiting for Jack to wake up. He usually sleeps until 10 but we decided that was just too long to wait. We made a delicious breakfast (we tried to replicate Uncle Nick's complete Christmas morning menu) and Sadie ate pancakes, of course. She put her last cotton ball on Santa's beard, played with her new ponies a little longer and then it was FINALLY time to wake Jack up around 9. She had to exercise some SERIOUS patience. I remember waiting in AGONY for Emily to wake up at the Etherington household. She was always the hardest one to wake up. Mom and Dad always used her as an excuse. They said that as soon as Em was up they would get up too knowing it would take us forever to get her skinny buns out of bed.
Sadie was so excited to get her Sweetie Bell pony that I couldn't get her to stand still for a photo. The picture speaks for itself. Jack got a basketball hoop and played with his "gahs" the entire morning. Sadie didn't mind opening his gifts as he wasn't too interested in being distracted from his future NBA training.


Chase got his beloved Utes authentic football helmet which I found him wearing periodically through out the day and I got an Iphone. I haven't purchased it yet because I want to wait for Verizon to set me up in February. I'm so excited! I just hope I don't lose it because I lose my little flip phone EVERY DAY. My favorite website around here is www.wheresmycellphone.com. You put in your number and it calls you. Considering we haven't yet set up a land line, I use this site every day...literally. My parents sent me an afghan I've been eyeing at Anthropology for about a year now. Thanks Mom and Dad. What a treasure! Cute Connie sent me a beautiful porcelain soup bowl with a ladle. It makes me want to make Erin's Yam Curry Soup just so I can use it.
We probably should have tipped the recycle man on Monday for all the destruction we left on the curb. I tried to go green this year by using boxes instead of paper, but we still had a mountain of stuff to recycle the next day.
While Jack took his afternoon nap we continued to hang out in our pajamas and play with all the new toys. We played Christmas bingo, assembled puzzles, dressed the polly pockets and read lots of new books that Mimi and CC sent.

By the end of the day we still hadn't brushed our hair (Chase was the exception) or taken off our robes. We did feel like we should leave the house at least once that day so we loaded the kids in the car, pajamas and slippers in tact, and drove around searching for the best inflatable penguins we could find. Once the kids were in bed that night Chase and I snuggled up and watched Miracle on 34th Street. It was cozy, thrilling, remarkable, memorable and relaxing all at the same time. The only thing missing was the chaos of extended family, but it was fun creating a little chaos, or not, of our own. Merry Christmas!!

We're READY!

-Hang up the Christmas lights, hang the stockings, and decorate the tree....CHECK!
-Get the shopping done...Check!
In Virginia our tree looked really cute in our little townhouse.
Texas ceilings are rather high and our little 7 foot tree looks pretty puny. Can you tell that I prefer small and quaint to large and spacious? I still remember when we first got the tree we had about ten ornaments. Now after five years, we can almost fill up this tree. I can't bring myself to just go out and buy ornaments if they have no sentimental value. This year I found a nutcracker with cowboy boots for Chase, and a porcelain Santa riding a pony for Sadie. When we first got married I gave Chase a little suitcase with a note inside reading "I'll go where you want me to go...dear Chase!" I truly have moved all over the country with this kid! I love looking at the ornaments and remembering why we bought them.
For most of my Christmas shopping this year I was at the mercy of the Internet. I'm still learning my way around here and the weather is so great I don't want to spend anytime in doors. The mall was a place to get warm in Virginia, and now it's something I try to avoid, especially on a beautiful day! I only ended up at the mall one time this season and it was enough to keep me away for another 6 months.

-Survive the ward Christmas party for the fifth year in a row. Check!
I don't know how it happens but I end up on the ward activities committee in every ward I move into. I've served on the committee my entire marriage. Thank goodness the Ward Activities Committee is no more!

-Make a cute Gingerbread house with Sadie Lady...Check!
We tried to make it look like the picture on the box it came in, but gave up about half way through when we realized they didn't give us the same amount of candy...LAME! We came up with our own accessories.
-Get out all the Christmas books...check!
Mimi sent us some Christmas books to open BEFORE the 25th so we could enjoy them through out the season. Rudolph is definitely Sadie's favorite, mine; Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect.

-Nurse Sadie and Jack back to health...CHECK!
Sadie and Jack both got pretty sick about a week before Christmas. Jack especially took it hard. He was super lethargic, had a ridiculous cough, and a runny nose to drive me completely bonkers. Thank goodness they both recovered before the festivities began.
-Wrap all the presents while Dad's at work and Sadie's at preschool...CHECK!
I made the mistake of wrapping the stocking stuffers in the same paper as everything else. One would think this is something Sadie might overlook, but they would be wrong. I came up with the great idea to leave the paper, tape and empty boxes on a chair by Santa's cookies so he could use our paper and other supplies "if he needed them." I thought that was pretty genius, but then again, you have to be quick on your toes when you're Sadie's mom.
-See Santa, sit on his lap, tell him what you want, and BE BRAVE...CHECK!
Even Sadie was a little worried to sit on Santa's lap this year. He was wearing cowboy boots for heaven's sake! We bribed her once again to sit on a strangers lap, all for a picture. Jack couldn't be bribed, or fooled for that matter. This stranger was NOT to be trusted.

The biggest tree EVER!

Everyone in Texas decorates their yards. To get in the spirit we've been driving around to look at the exceptional neighborhoods where the people decorate to the extreme. We heard from one of our neighbors that you can eat pizza at CPK and sit by the large Christmas tree at the same time. We decided to check it out. Sadie was so excited to see the enormous tree. In her words "it's HUGE! It's like twenty nine sixty one sixty one and forty five sixty." She's become quite creative with her numbers. It was a warm night(about sixty) so we ate outside while enjoying the festive scenery.


Sadie decided that everyone needed to see her in her fairy skirt and wings. She was especially keen on running into Santa with such an impressive ensemble. Jack decided that the ornaments were "gahs" (balls) and was more interested in playing in the fountain.

Family Pics

Family pictures didn't go as smoothly this year as I had planned. I tried to find a photographer but ended up running out of time. I really wanted to use Macy Robinson who always takes the Sanderson's pics when they're in town but I dropped the ball on that one. By the time I finally got around to getting back to her, she was about ready to have a baby. I decided instead to do it myself. I have a great camera, all I need is for someone to take the picture for me. A tripod, easy right? WRONG! Using a tripod is hard because even if you set the camera up the way you want it, it's not the same as being behind the lens. I thought about asking someone in my ward but didn't want to hurt feelings if I didn't like the way they turned out. I guess I'm hard to please.
We had about 30 minutes left of daylight on an overcast day so we ran in the back yard and attempted to get the kids to look at the camera. As you can see I didn't get any of Jack because he is totally on the go these days. Most of his turned out blurry because he wouldn't sit still.
The goal was to get Christmas cards out early enough to inform friends and family of our new address. Didn't happen. They were addressed and mailed about four days before Christmas. Oh well. I'll be better next year.

Where's the snow?

Sadie is confused! She just can't get over the fact that it's almost Christmas and warm outside. We've had some amazing weather lately. Usually we have a week of upper 60's and lower 70's but the other day it got all the way up to 80! On this such day we decided to decorate our tree and hang up Christmas lights. I couldn't help but take a picture of Chase is his flip flops hanging up lights on a bright sunny afternoon. There's something weird about this picture!
We all came out and decided to keep Dad company and enjoy the warm winter breeze. I could get VERY used to this kind of lifestyle.

That's my kid!

Sadie's preschool presented us parents with quite the show for Christmas. I noticed Sadie was singing some new songs in the car and it was fun to hear her sing with all her little buddies. Of course our kid was the one who decided to adjust her tights and show everyone her stubby little legs (and Dora underwear). We were equally impressed with alleluia shouts from the kids in every key possible. Not the most reverent version we've heard but certainly the most entertaining.

Sugar and spice and everything nice

Sometimes I can't believe it was only a year ago Sadie asked Santa for Chick Hicks and King from the Cars movie. Where has my little "tom boy" gone. All Sadie wants to do is color in her My Little Pony book, dress up, and wear my jewelry. Her favorite color is pink, and is officially a "girly girl" (for the time being....you never know with Sadie).

Clipping Nails

Might as well be pulling teeth.

Water Baby

There are two things that can always grab Jack's attention, basketballs (any type of ball actually) and water. The word "gah" (ball) is said about 100 times a day by this little fellow. If it's raining Jack will point to the windows and yell "a wah wah!!". The same reaction occurs every time we might pass a fountain, lake, river, or puddle. He loves water.
He also loves to take baths and showers with his Dad. One morning while Chase was shaving his head and waiting for the water to warm up, he turned around to find Jack standing in the shower with his PJ's on. Good thing our water heater is set to a lower temperature!! I guess he couldn't wait. If Chase is ever in the shower and Jack happens to walk by, he'll bang on the door until Chase lets him in.

18 Months

This post has been a long time coming. I keep attempting to sit down and record all the wonderful things Jack does but with his new found mobility, this has become quite impossible. He's such a delight! I can't help but "baby talk" to him. Texas has also worn off on me because Chase had to kindly ask me to stop calling him "Buba." Although Jack is normally referred to as Jack, every night when I snuggle him before bed, the baby talk comes spilling out. He's "oooshies", "jiaooshies", and "booshies", and "ooooshiboooshis." Chase can't tell if I've lost my mind of if I'm just completely obsessed with my little man. Probably both!

I love putting Jack to sleep. I ask him for a snuggle and he nuzzles his head to my chest. We play a little game where I say a sound and he copies me. Then I say two sounds, and he copies me. He's never been one for a long routine and usually reaches for his crib after a couple of minutes. Depending on the day (and how much energy I have), I love to rock him in my chair while he snuggles up to me. Is there any greater feeling in the world than a baby hugging you?

Jack had his first day of nursery and it didn't go as I had planned. I knew he would be easy going and just play with the toys but that Sunday morning he seemed a little sick so we weren't going to drop him off. However, they needed me to play the piano in Primary and Chase had to teach the third hour so to nursery he went. I didn't even get to take him. Sarah Clowrad from the primary dropped him off while I played the piano. I managed to get a picture of him right after and he seemed like he had fun. I'm just sad I didn't get to witness it myself. I did take him the next Sunday and got all chocked up after I left him with the leaders. Probably best that Sarah dropped him off the week before. I'm a little too attached. However, I won't lie that it's VERY nice to sit in Sunday School and Relief Society with out him. I can actually listen to what's being said! It's dreamy.

I remember when Jess had Tommi and was worried that he wasn't talking as much as Lizzy did. We decided it was because boys develop slower than girls to which I am now reassuring myself with Jack. I think Sadie knew 100 words by 18 months. She could say "alligator" for heaven's sake! Jack is working on his animal sounds and knows a hand full of words that just about melt me when they come from his mouth. I think his first word was "uh oh", but it could have also been "dada" (something that really vexes me),"gah" (ball) or "dis" for "this." Knocking his chest was pretty much every animal sound for a while but he has now learned to say the sounds of an elephant, monkey, fish, duck, puppy, horse, lamb, snake, lion, tiger, bear, ad piggy. He loves his little pig puppet. Some of his new words are "mama" which he says in such an adorable little tone that I can't help smiling from ear to ear. He can say "sadie" which comes out sounding more like "didi." He can say "Mimi, cookie, wawa(water), nana(banana), kitty, ck(truck), moon, star, "gigu" (thank you)and probably more but I'm tired of thinking of them:-) He's getting really good at just saying words we say after we ask him to say them.
He's also getting into books. One of my favorite things he'll do is grab a book and scoot back into my lap to sit down. If I am standing he'll sit on my feet. He just wants to be near. This whole wanting to be bear mom is cute but I can't leave a room with out him bursting into tears. Depending on the day he will often just play in the toy room with the train table for a while. Sadie and he have gotten a lot better at playing together which makes my life a whole lot easier, but most of the time, I need to sit in the room with them as referee. Although pretty mellow, he can be pretty feisty too, especially when Sadie swipes something from him.

Jack learned to hit from Sadie and will hit her if she gets too close to him. Sadie's new thing is to teach him "not to hit" by ignoring him rather than lashing back but that doesn't always work. Damage has been done:-) He loves to slam doors and run away from me when I'm trying to dress him. I still think it's cute when I see his little diaper clad body standing against the wall opposite me. It's so fun running away from Mom!

Lately he's also become quite attached to his monkey blanket which he calls "bahh" because that's what Sadie calls her lamb blanket. He used to be a binky guy and preferred it all day but recently got a cold and wanted nothing to do with it because he couldn't breath through his nose. Hopefully this will stick and we can officially be done with the pacifier before the age of 2 unlike Sadie who had it pried away at 3 1/2!

I should probably mention that Jack is a marathon sleeper. He takes a three to four hour nap and sleeps in until 9 or 10 in the morning. When he wakes up he just hangs out in his crib. He's so quiet some mornings that I don't know he's awake. It makes me feel bad when I go in there to get him and see him sitting in his crib. Sometimes I wonder how long he's been awake. I'm not complaining about having such an amazing sleeper but after one morning when he woke up at noon (he was a little sick with a cold), I had to keep going in there to see if he was still breathing.

One thing I've noticed about Jack is his easy going little personality and his understanding of the world around him. I rarely ever hear him cry in the car. Rather I've got the four year old whining while he just looks at the window with an inquisitive look on his face. He loves seeing the world around him. He also LOVES water, whether it be a lake, river or just the bath tub. He could play with water while throwing rocks, sticks and dirt all day long. Anytime we see a lake, he points out the window and yells "wawa!!" He's also been quite taken with everyone's Christmas lights on their houses. Boy do they decorate in Texas! There are lights everywhere and if there's time before bedtime, we hop in the car and drive around the neighborhoods to look at them. It's rare to find a home completely dark around here. Jack especially loves the inflatable penguins.


Jack loves to wrestle with his Dad. After dinner we will crawl around like horses and wrestle in the living room. Jack loves being chased by Sadie and will laugh so hard that we hear him snort. Sadie will turn on music, get all dressed up and dance around the room. Jack follows along as he turns around and stops his feet right along side her. It's really fun watching them dance together. Chase also loves to tickle Jack while he's changing his diaper. I always hear shouts of laughter and snorts coming from his room when Dad's in there.
Lately it's been very challenging to get Jack to eat. I mentioned before that he got a really bad cold and didn't really want to eat anything. As a mother I feel like such a failure when I can't get my kids to eat. When he didn't even want a cookie we knew something was very wrong. I think this was the first time Jack has been really sick. I was very close to taking him to the doctor but realized that with no fever, there's really nothing they can do for him. I still worry because that's what I do best. I just hate seeing him sick with a red chafed nose, and droopy eyes. SO sad.

Before we could get Jack to eat pretty much anything as long as he was playing with something. Now, he gives each bite an evil eye, and shakes his head. Another new word...."No" which he says with kind of a French accent. Sometimes I will hold up four different options for him like cheese, yogurt, fruit, whatever and he always shakes his head with a discreet little "no." It's my new challenge these days, to get food into Jack whatever way I can:-) The bathtub is usually the best distraction. He'll pretty much eat anything in there. Like I said, water is a good thing with Jack. He can also be found in the pantry pointing to cookies, or crackers whose appeal far surpass the yogurt, cheese and oatmeal. I try to keep the pantry closed because if he sees something he can't have, he won't eat anything else.

Jack is also a very obedient little boy. Usually a Christmas tree and an 18 month old don't mix, but Jack is very good at backing away when we tell him not to touch something. He'll stop at the sidewalk when I tell him not to run in the street and he'll usually give something to me if I ask him to hand over what he shouldn't be playing with. It's nice to have a kid who actually listens to me. Hopefully we can carry this on into the toddler years.

He's got great motor skills. Lately he's become very fast at walking. He'll be running in no time. He climbs everything from chairs, to ladders, and boulders outside. When he's hungry I often times find he's climbed up into his high chair. If we had stairs he would probably be able to climb down at this point. He's learned that going head first isn't the best idea anymore. He'll climb the stairs at the playground and go down the big slide over and over again all by himself. He loves to wander all over the place (as long as he knows I'm close by) collecting acorns, rocks, dirt, grass, and discovering the bugs below the earth. He's such a happy little guy and such a joy to have in our home. I feel so fortunate and blessed to have such a wonderful son. I love my little boy to pieces!!

Lake Travis

One of our favorite places around here is Lake Travis. It's about five minutes from our house and such a fun area for the kiddos. It warmed up again so we took my family there to enjoy some fresh 65 degree air. Jack sat at the water's edge the whole time throwing rock after rock. It never gets old for that kid. Sadie followed Grandpa around as they searched for sea shells (lake shells?), turtles, ducks and fish. I relished the time I had to hang out with Mom and Jane. I love having them all to myself!!








Another favorite spot, just up the street is the Oasis, a restaurant better known for their view than their food. It turned out to be a very warm day so we sat outside and watched the sailboats below. I love Austin. Where else can you sail and eat outside at the end of November? Can you tell I love being outside? Something Virginia and I didn't much agree with. I spent WAY too much time in my house last year. I am loving all this fresh, warm air!!

I'm so glad the Etheringtons came for Thanksgiving! Hopefully I can round them up again for Easter. I've heard the blue bonnets are incredible that time of year, and it bound to be warmer. It's in the bag!