Giving Thanks - Family

I am ending my week of thanks with family. I am so grateful for my wonderful family. I've been blessed with amazing siblings and fabulous parents; not to mention the great family I married into. I'm grateful for the love and support they have shown Spencer and I over the years. We have been showered with service, graciousness, and kindness. How lucky we are to be the recipients of so much love. Thank you so much to all of you. We love you very much.

Giving Thanks - Van

What can I say? I love this guy. I am so thankful for Van and all that he is. To me, he is perfect. He makes my life a little bit brighter each day. I'm grateful for his happy, fun personality; his love and his innocence. He's an adorable boy with a beautiful spirit. I have enjoyed watching him grow and change these last few months. He has learned so many new things. He laughs, rolls, puts himself to sleep, sucks on his toes, grasps things, and gets a kick out of other kids. My life is fuller because of him and I'm so grateful that he is mine.

Giving Thanks - Health

Today I am grateful for good health and well-being. I'm thankful for the body I've been blessed with and that I have the energy to accomplish all of my daily responsibilities; to care for my son and laugh with my husband. I'm grateful that Van and Spencer are both happy and healthy as well. How lucky we are to have our health.

Giving Thanks - Education

I've been thinking a lot lately about how blessed I am to have a college education. I'm grateful for the knowledge I received while attending university, as well as the sense of security I feel knowing that I have a degree. I'm grateful for the education that Spencer has as well. I know that we are better off because of it and that our life is a little bit richer. Many thanks BYU-Hawaii.

Giving Thanks - The Restored Gospel

When I was walking the hall with Van during church today I stopped to look at this painting. Within moments Van looked up at the painting and began smiling. His eyes were bright and his face was beaming. He started to coo as well. My heart was filled with joy and love as I watched my little boy recognize our Savior. He knew him, in the same way that he knows me or Spencer. This was a testimony to me of the premortal life. I'm grateful I was able to have this little experience today, but even more grateful for the restored gospel.

Giving Thanks - Spencer

I am grateful for Spencer. Today he let me sleep in, took care of Van all morning, made me french toast for breakfast, arranged for an afternoon of shopping in Seattle and an evening out for dinner. He made me feel so special. He's the best dad and an amazing husband. He's thoughtful, kind, loving, and generous. (Not to mention intelligent, witty, and handsome). Because of him, I am fortunate enough to be able to stay home with Van and I love that. He's my best friend and I love him. Thank you Bud for giving me this perfect day. It meant the world to me.

Giving Thanks - Evergreen Hospital

Every day I drive by Evergreen Hospital where I gave birth to Van. I love the feeling I get each time I see it. It's one of happiness, love, and gratitude. It's a wonderful hospital and the day Van was born was one of the best days of my life. Everything was perfect. There are times when I actually miss my stay there and wish I could do it all over again. That is why I am giving thanks to Evergreen Hospital and the beautiful memory they gave me. I would have a baby there any day.

Giving Thanks - Cheap Air Fare

Today I am grateful for cheap air fare. Returning home for visits has always been important to me. Special promotions give me the opportunity to do this as often as I do. Just this week I was able to purchase $51.00 one-way tickets to Salt Lake City for February. These affordable rates are such a blessing to our family, especially now that we have our little Van. That is why today I am giving thanks to friendly fares.

Faces

Eight Straight

Van slept eight straight last night, 11:00 to 7:00. I heard him around 3:30, but chose not to respond to his call. I thought he would wake for his normal feeding around 5:00, but he didn't, he just kept on sleeping.

If I Had a Million Dollars

How wonderful is Design Within Reach? Spencer and I wandered through the Kirkland store over the weekend and fell in love with so many pretty things. The only thing we left with was the free catalogue. If money were no object I would buy these things.

Woooo!

"I really hate my hair. It's looking really bad. I should just cut it."

{Jason Segel please cut your hair}

Four Month Well Check

Weight: 13 pounds 15.5 ounces (25-50%). Height: 26 5/8 inches (90-97%). Head Circumference: 41.3 centimeters (25%).

One Down

One to go.

Out of Control

Whatever happened to Thanksgiving? They keep artifically extending the Christmas season. It's no longer "12 Days of Christmas" but twenty-five. And if that weren't enough, we have to countdown to those "25 Days of Christmas." Does anybody else think this is out of control?

Wishin' and Hopin'

That you will come to me.

Lucky Number Seven

Van slept seven straight hours last night, 11:40 pm to 6:40 am. This was his longest stretch yet. I heard him around 3:30 this morning but couldn't pull myself out of bed. I guess he fell back asleep. We're definitely getting somewhere.

Twenty Four

Happy Birthday Tony. Thanks for being a great brother and a fabulous uncle. Celebrate big, you deserve it!

Growing Up

Saturday was a beautiful day. The sun was shining through the windows so I took advantage of the light and snapped some pictures of Van. He's growing up so fast. He doesn't look like an infant to me anymore. He's my little guy and I love him.

City Neighborhood Poster

My wonderful friend Sydnee just sent me this neighborhood poster. Mine is in green and I love it. I had seen them before but never one of Seattle. You can find them here. Thanks Syb!

Scratchy

Van has a sore, scratchy throat. It's pretty sad, but also cute.

First Night

I finally got around to picking up some bumper pads so Van could sleep in his crib. (We had tried it once before without the pads and he kept banging his head on the bars). I'm happy to say he did really well on his own. He went down at 7:00, I fed him at 12:00 and 4:00, and he woke this morning at 7:30. Good job little guy!

Spencer wanted to take a picture of him as he was falling asleep. It was just too adorable.

Note to Self

Van napped really, really well yesterday. He went down every time without crying. The naps went accordingly. . . 9:00-10:30, 12:30-2:45, 4:45-5:30. While he did go down nicely at 7:30 his waking every two hours between midnight and four a.m. drove you crazy. Be patient, he's making progress and does have a cold.

Election Day

Van Parts

We often have people ask us who Van looks like and we don't really know. However, there are some parts that we are certain come from Spencer and some that come from me.

Ears: Spencer
Neckline: Ashley
Toes: Spencer
Eyes: Ashley

Halloween

San Francisco Recap

We had clear skies during our flight to San Francisco, clear enough to see Mount Rainer and even Mount St. Helens. It was fun to visit bits and pieces of the city that I had never seen before. Some highlights from the trip were visiting the Ferry Building for some delicious treats from Miette, exploring China Town, walking through the Noe Valley and Mission neighborhoods, finding an adorable necklace at The Curiosity Shoppe, eating at The Butler and the Chef, and shopping at Jeremys. Thanks again to Bille and Mike for having us.