Goodbye 2007!

As the year 2007 comes to a close I decided to reflect on the year through pictures. I hope you all enjoy the slideshow and Happy New Year! (Thanks Kristen and Summer for giving me this idea, I hope you don't mind that I stole it from you ;))

Play Time!

Over the past couple weeks I have been able to take some cute pictures of my kids playing. Since Jared is in Chicago today and I am bored I think I will post them for you....Landon loves playing in boxes, unfortunatly for his little sister he also loves making her play with them by sticking them over her head (she does not like that so much).Tori does like to ride in the box "train" with Landon though, so it isn't all bad for her...

The other day I actually got Landon to play in the snow for like an hour. How you ask, I let him paint the snow....
The end result (we used food coloring water and spray bottles. This was actually really fun, I think I had just as much fun as Landon did).

Tori loves bouncing in her bouncer! Landon and Tori enjoying their Christmas present.

Christmas Day!

Well Christmas was really great this year! Yesterday afternoon we got a call from Jared's brother Jeremiah who is serving a mission. Jared had a great time talking to him. We then spent the night eating yummy food and singing christmas carols. I was really suprised how much Landon enjoyed himself. Today I woke up bright and early and gave my brother Matt a call. He is also on his mission. It was so nice talking to him, I really miss him and I can't waite for him to get home in a few months. Landon woke up around 8:30 and got really excited when he saw the ball house that santa had brough him and Tori. they played in there for a few minutes until it was time to open presents. Landon wanted to keep playing but once he saw Tori "opening" presents he wanted to open them too. He loved it! He kept opening presents and saying "Wow look at this" it was really cute. We spent about an hour opening gifts and have been playing ever since. I love spending Christmas with Landon this year, he really made it magical for me again. I hope that all of you also had a great holiday! Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

OK due to many reasons that included having no printer, lack of finances, and being a complete slacker I did not get our Christmas cards sent out this year. I am really sorry but next year I will do better I promise. So instead I decide to post a list of some of the things that I have learned in 2007....

1. Reno really became our home while we lived there. I never thought I would miss it but I really do.

2. Moving across the country is a very stressful process. I am really thankful for a patient husband and loving children who put up with me for the first few months after we moved here. They are the best!

3. Because I have the gospel in my life I have family no matter where I go. I am so thankful to the folks in the Elkhart 2nd ward who have been nothing but kind and loving. I really am glad that we are here at this time in our lives.

4. Jared and I have the best families in the world. I guess I have always known this but this year they have been especially helpful. Thank you all for all that you guys do for us. We love you all so much!

5. Potty Training was not as scary as I thought it was going to be. Now hopefully I haven't jinxed myself for horrible experiences in the future.

6. There really is such thing as the terrible twos. Landon has really tried my patience this year but his two year old stage has also been really fun. It is so neat to watch your children grow and learn new things.

7. Having 2 kids is more fun then having just one. It is true that having two kids is harder then having just one but I think that the benefits way out weigh the negative. There is nothing that I love more then watching my children interact with each other.

There are a lot of other things that I have learned over the past year but this is all I can think of right now. I hope that you all are having a great Holiday season. Merry Christmas!

Winter Fun

Landon loves to share things with Tori.....Sometimes I wish he didn't.

Winter is a time for fun in the snow....Apparently Landon does not agree...

OK so despite Landon giving Tori a candy cane and Landon freaking out at the snow this morning this week was pretty fun. Yesterday we made some sugar cookies and had our ward party. We had delicious food, LOTS of people, and Santa at the ward party. It has been snowing pretty much non stop since yesterday morning so church was cancelled. We spent sometime outside shoveling the snow and as you can see Landon was not a big fan. Oh well he will learn to love it.

My Favorite Things about Torilynn

5. She sleeps through the night. Torilynn started sleeping through the night when she was about 3 months old and it is really nice. Sleeping through the night = Happy mommy :)
4. She is beautiful. I know that every mom thinks their children are beautiful and I am no exception. Tori has some great features that I just love. She has a cute dimple, pretty eyes, and while she doesn't have much of it yet her hair is really great. In some lights it looks golden blond, in others light brown, and in others strawberry blond. I am really surprised that she doesn't have the white blond hair that Landon has but I am excited to see what it looks like as it grows out.
3. She is fun to dress. I really enjoy this stage where I can dress her in whatever I want because I know in a few years she is not going to let me do this anymore.
2. She loves her brother. Landon can make Tori smile and laugh more then any other person. I really love watching them play together.
1. She is easy going. Tori is just a sweet, content, easy going baby. I love her so much and I am glad that she is my daughter.

Let it Snow!

Last night we got our first "real" snow of the season (I say "real" because it snowed the day after Thanksgiving but it wasn't much). A couple of weeks ago I went out and bought Landon some snow gear so that he could play in the snow this year. This morning after Landon ate breakfast we went and played in the snow. Landon had a lot of fun stomping through and kicking the snow. At one point he feel down into the snow and wanted to go back inside. Overall it was fun I am going to get some gloves for myself so that we can build a snowman, it should be fun. Here are some pics:Oh and here is a Picture of Tori, just because she's cute :)

My Favorite things about Landon...

5. He thinks he is so sneaky. The other night, well after he was put down to bed, Landon walks out into the living room with the biggest smile on his face. He starts playing around like we would never notice that he left his room when he was supposed to be in bed. Jared and I couldn't help but to laugh as we sent him back to bed. It was like he was thinking "I bet if I just walk out there Mom and Dad will never realize I am supposed to be up."
4. He is so polite. He always says please and thank you and he always asks if we are OK if he thinks something is wrong. If some one coughs (including himself) he will say "bless you" and the other day I was in his way and I hear " excuse me" as he tries to move past me.
3. He loves his Sister. Torilynn is Landon's best friend. He loves to "hold her" and play with her. Whenever I put Tori down for a nap Landon goes into her room and says "good night Tori love you." It is so sweet.
2. He is a great dancer and singer. There a few things that are more entertaining then watching Landon dance and listening to Landon sing. He loves to sing the songs he learns in nursery and whenever we listen to music he starts to dance.
1. He is always Happy. Well not always but I would say 95% of the time Landon is happy. He is always smiling and so loving. He is easy to forgive and in a lot of ways he has taught me why we need to become childlike, like it talks about in the scriptures.

It's Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas

Last night I decided that it was time to start decorating for Christmas. I got out all of our Christmas stuff and came to the sad realization that we do not have enough space for all our decorations. Oh well at least we got our tree up and our Nativity scene, I guess we really don't need anything else. Landon had a blast trying to "help" me decorate the tree. I got out all of my old ornaments that I have been collecting since I was a kid and it really made me grateful for the tradition my parents and grandparents had of giving us a new ornament each year. I think I will start this tradition with my own kids so that when they are grown up and have their own families they will have a collection of nice ornaments like I have. Anyway here are some pictures
Landon playing in the lights
Tori was not happy that I made her sit up to have her picture taken
She recovered quickly
Landon keeps looking at the tree and saying "It's so pretty"

My Favorite Little Kid's Shows

I decided to start off my lists of favorite things with the list of my favorite children’s TV shows. As a mother of an almost three year old I watch a lot of toddler programming. While many of these shows drive me a little crazy there are some that I actually do enjoy.

5. Blues Clues. Blues Clues is not a new show to me, I remember being in high school and watching episodes with my little brothers. My one problem with Blues Clues now days is that they have replaced Steve with Joe. I really can not stand Joe, long live Steve!
4. Mickey Mouse Club House. This one makes my list because it is Landon’s absolute favorite show. He gets so excited when it comes on and it is fun watching him watch it.
3. The Backyardigans. This show has some really catchy songs and dances. Plus you can’t go wrong with a character named Uniqua.
2. The Wonder Pets. This one just makes me laugh. I especially love the episode when they have to help the puppy go potty.
1.Yo Gabba Gabba. Now for those of you that may have seen this show, I know it is a little creepy and I know that it is totally weird but I love it anyways. I really don’t know why this show is my favorite of all the kids’ shows but it is. I love how whenever it comes on Landon sings and dances along with all the songs.

Thankgiving and Black Friday

Well I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Ours was really nice (despite 3/4 of us being sick). We spent the afternoon over at a older couple in wards house. There ended up being about 13 adults there and 3 kids so we had plenty of people to visit it with. The food was delicious and we really had a nice time. I wish that we could have spent Thanksgiving with family ( this is the 4th year since we have been married that we have not been able to be home for Thanksgiving and I have not had Thanksgiving with my family for 8 years) and I am especially sad that we had to miss out on the big Brunner Thanksgiving in Utah but I am so thankful for the church and for the kind loving people here in Elkhart.
This morning I woke up bright and early to brave the after Thanksgiving Day sales. No I am still not feeling well and yes I am crazy but they had some really good deals and I had not done any of my Christmas shopping yet. I ended up getting to the store at 5, was out of the store by 5:15, headed over to Target only to find it was not open yet, realized I needed to get gas, stopped by Old Navy to find they were not having any good sales, and finally decided not to wait for Target to open and to just go home (did that sentence even make sense?). I got home by 6:30 so I am pretty impressed with myself. After I got home Jared decided that he needed a taste of the craziness that is Black Friday and so he headed over to our local Walmart. He was home by 7:15. So all in all I think we made pretty good time. Regrettably I will have to brave the crowd again later today as I realized we are pretty much out of diapers and wipes.
I am getting excited for Christmas and I have decided that over the next few weeks I will be posting short lists of my favorite things, so keep an eye out. To get you into the spirit though click here It'll make you happy :)

I’m sick give me a doughnut

Well this past week has been pretty crazy, but not in a good way. It all started around last Wednesday. Landon was acting kind of strange, lying around most of the day and he went to bed at 7:30. Usually it is a struggle to get him to bed between 8:30 and 9 (bedtime) so this was a bit strange. The next morning he wakes up with a fever. Now I have handled sick kids before and while it stinks it usually is not a big deal, the problem this week was Jared was scheduled for surgery Friday morning. So to make a long story short I have been dealing with a sick clingy boy and a pretty much disabled husband (he really hasn’t been that bad) for that past few days. Well low and behold I wake up this morning feeling awful. I guess that is the natural consequence of having a mama’s boy who only wants to be held while not feeling well. I just hope that I feel better by Thursday. Everyone was sick last Thanksgiving and I do not want a repeat of that experience this year.

Yikes!

Tuesday I decided to take the kids in to get their pictures taken. It was not a fun experience. First of all my almost 3 year old is next to impossible to photograph. He never wants his picture taken, he'd rather be the one taking the picture. He did not want to hold still for his pictures and after about 5 minutes he was done. Torilynn on the other hand is almost worse. She is a very stubborn girl and only likes to smile on her terms. I'd get her to smile for a picture only to have her immediately look down at the floor. She was easily distracted by her dress or by Landon's shirt so it was not the best of experiences. Here are some of the pictures:

Landon was getting so mad because Torilynn kept trying to grab his shirt

He is done being cooperative and is done with having his picture taken

Tori kept trying to roll and grab her dress while getting her picture taken

Couldn't get both kids happy at the same time

Best we could get of both kids together

A smirk from Tori was as close to the real deal as we could get .
I really like this picture of Landon.

What I am Thankful for.....

I know, I know I recently did a post like this on our old blog. But it is a new month and really I am bored so I am going to follow Ariane and list ten things I am thankful for.

10. The Browns. The Browns are a sweet older couple in our ward. They are so cute and so nice. Sister Brown invited us over to their house for Thanksgiving this year which is so great. I was actually pretty depressed about spending yet another Thanksgiving without family but they turned that all around. Sister Brown is also watching Landon tomorrow while Jared has surgery eve though she has to take another Sister in the ward to the doctors. Brother Brown has let us borrow his lawn mower to mow our lawn on multiple occasions. The Browns are seriously some of the nicest most selfless people that I have ever met.
9. The Office and John Krasinski. Jared and I seriously watch this show all the time and it never gets old. Oh and John Krasinski would totally be my boyfriend if I wasn't married ;).
8. My In-laws. I have really been blessed as far as my in-laws go. I really have the best in-laws in the world. They are all kind, considerate and attractive people :).
7. My brother Matt. Right now he is serving a mission and I am so proud of him. On top of that he is such a great kid. He is so funny and one of my best friends. He is a peace maker and he gets along with everyone. Even though he is my younger brother he really is an example to me.
6. The rest of my Family. I honestly have the best family ever. They are all great people and so fun to be around. I have the best sister who is so sweet and beautiful. I have an older brother who has always set a good example for his younger siblings and I have 5 great younger brothers who are just fun to be around. They are also so funny and there are few people I'd rather spend time with. I am also grateful for my parents. They are awesome!
5. My Nephews. I have the cutest nephews ever and they are so fun to be around. I am so glad that Clayton and Landon are so close in age and that they love playing with each other. Noah and Brighton are such cute happy boys it is hard not fall in love with them.
4. All of our Friends. I have been blessed through my life to have the best of friends. Having moved across the world I really miss all of friends from Reno, Vegas and other places. I am lucky enough to be contact with friends that I have had for years and I love hearing how they are doing.
3. Education. School, school, and more school has been the name of the game for Jared and I our whole marriage At times I am frustrated that we are still doing the school thing but I am so grateful for the educational opportunities that we have had. I am also grateful for a husband that values not only his own education but also mine.
2. The Gospel. I feel like I have been blessed beyond what I deserve by having the gospel in my life. I am so grateful for it and huge part it plays in raising my family. I am so glad that I know who I am and what where I am going.
1. My Cute little family. Ok so maybe we aren't so cute in this picture but I seriously have the most wonderful family ever. I am married to my best friend and I have the sweetest, most fun, most beautiful children. I love them so much!

So now it's your turn. I'd love to hear about what all of you are thankful for!

Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

The Office is my all time favorite show. Due to a writers strike in Hollywood tonight’s episode of The Office will be the last episode until the strike ends. I am pretty sad about this as watching The Office is one of the highlights of my week. Hopefully the strike will be over soon and we can get back to new episodes. Until then at least I have hilarious clips like this to tide me over.

Eat more Ice Cream!

Yesterday I took the kids to a check-up to be weighed and measured. Landon weighs 25lbs and is 34.5 inches and Tori weighs 15lbs 20z and is 25.5 inches. While Tori’s weight and height is perfect for her age, Landon is, as always, very small. At almost 3 years old he is only 10lbs heavier then his 6 month old sister. Yikes. Landon’s size used to cause me a lot of stress and worry but he is healthy, happy, smart, and adorable little boy otherwise so I have learned to let it go. The boy seriously eats like a pig; I really don’t know where it all goes. It always makes me laugh when I go to these appointments because they always tell me to feed him things like ice cream . I wish my doctor told me I needed to eat more ice cream :).

6 things about me....

Here you go Ariane:
1. I am pretty much an 11 year old girl stuck in a 24 year olds body. I love Hannah Montana, High School Musical, and Radio Disney.
2. After we put the kids in bed we break out the ice cream and other snacks. If Landon knew what went on after he goes to bed he wouldn’t ever want to sleep.
3. I love lightening storms. Living in Indiana we get a lot of them. I love to turn off all the lights, open the blinds, and turn on some music, and just watch the lightening.
4. I secretly teach my child phrases like “fo shizzle” because I think it is funny.
5. I love to just be at home with my family. I don’t need a lot going on in my life to feel fulfilled.
6. I miss going to school. If one day Jared decides to become a professor I think I will take full advantage of free tuition and take as many classes as I can. I’d like to get second bachelors in Biology one day.

The Place to Be

Apparently the time has come to switch blog spots. We have been blogging on MSN spaces for the past few years and it has been fun but I am pretty sure that only a few family members check that site from time to time. Blogger seems to be more of the mainstream way to go when blogging so here I am. I look forward to sharing the exciting things going on in our lives with family and friends and hope that you all check in often!