Sledding

Before we left to make our way back here to NC we did a little bit of sledding at Southwood park with my sister's family. Denzil had fun sledding again and I had fun riding on the saucer that some other family let us borrow for a minute. We love the snow and miss the mountains but we are glad to be back home. Thanks to our families for such a fun vacation.

New Year's Eve

We went to the Zoo Lights at Hogle Zoo. Denzil slept most of the time but he did get to check out the tiger as he was pacing back and forth and growling a little bit. It was great at night because all the cats were busy walking around and playing in the snow. We also got to see some of the inside animals but those building were really smelly.

After the zoo we went back to my parents and had chili & pizza and played games. Then to ring in the new year we got pots and pans and banged them in the front yard with spoons. Happy 2010!

Wii

So my parents got a Wii right before Christmas and a little foosball(sp) table to prepare for the holiday houseful. Carver is 6 and he is awesome at the drums for Beatles Rockband. I tried the drums and they are really hard but we had so much fun listening to great tunes and playing together. Even my dad and mom got in on a little guitar playing.

They also got a Cabelas Big Game hunting game which was a hit as well. Kate was great at getting the birds. It's probably a good thing I don't have this game here or I might just spend too much time trying to kill the African Leopards before they kill me.

Visiting with Friends

We visited some friends in Richfield and went for a little drive to eat at a place called Hoovers that is in an old gas station only to find out t is closed on Tuesdays during the winter so we went to The Big Rock Candy Mountain cafe instead. We had some delicious burgers. The mountain behind the restaurant is called the Big Rock Candy Mountain but with the snow you can't really see the reason it is called that. We had a fabulous time with our friends there and were able to visit a couple of my aunts and uncles on the way back up to Salt Lake.

We went to breakfast with some other friends that were in town from Houston at the Belgian Waffle. It was great. Denzil got a little tired. I love how he can sleep almost anywhere.
I also got together with some of my high school friends but I wasn't smart enough to take a picture with them even though my camera was in my bag. It was fun to catch up.

Cabin

"Dad is great, he feeds us Chocolate cake!"

This was Denzil's first sledding experience. Kate held onto him so well and I think he enjoyed himself, at least he didn't cry.

I was so proud of my niece and nephew for trying out the snowshoes. Kate wanted to go down and back up the little ditch behind the cabin. Well, she got stuck in the bottom of it and then she wasn't as big of a fan of the shoes but I still think she did awesome.
Jack was an animal on the snowshoes. He wanted to walk from the cabin to the solar panels near the cabin below. He made it all the way and most of the way back. I only gave him a little piggy back at the end when there were enough snowmobile trails for me to be able to stand on the snow. He fell a few times but didn't let that stop him from reaching his goal.

Christmas Eve

When we first got to Portland we went to Church and ran into one of Kris' friends from high school and said we should get together. So on Christmas Eve in the early afternoon we went bowling. It was great fun. I'm not the greatest bowler but it's always fun to throw a heavy ball around. I think I even got a strike or two.

Our Christmas Vacation

So our vacation was to start early Dec. 19 with a flight to Portland, OR at 6 am in Charlotte but it was foiled by this white stuff that fell from the sky. It turned out to be to our benefit because we were able to get the flight changed to the airport closer to us and we didn't have to pay the extra money we would have if we just bought tickets from Greensboro in the first place.

Denzil had tons of fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house with all the love and attention he got there. Not that we don't give him a lot of that here but it's nice to have it from everyone. He did really well on all the flights and everyone commented on his big blue eyes.

Grandma just loved snuggling and napping with Denzil so she invited all to join in.
We had lots of fun with family and friends while we were there. Christmas Eve we got together with Kris' sister Javann and her family to exchange some gifts and then on Christmas day the whole family got together to open gifts and have some chow. It was fun being with everyone and we're glad we were able to enjoy some time away.

Gingerbread Houses

Last weekend we had a gingerbread house making party at our friend's house. While Kris was busy making a house I was busy chatting with the girls and eating some of the toppings. This picture of our house doesn't do it justice. Kris was so clever to put a few gummy bears on the premises and they left a little present for all to see. He also had a little pond with a fish craved out of a Twizzler. We had a great time getting together with friends and eating treats and drinking hot chocolate and hot cider or wassail ( I don't like it but if you do you can imagine how great it was).

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving this year we made a trip to Washington DC with Kris' parents. It took a while to get there with all the stops for feeding Denzil and for his biggest blowout yet. It took 3 washes to get it all out of his clothes. We stayed in a nice place and thank goodness for ear plugs. Denzil did really well keeping up with his trend of sleeping 7-8 hours a night. Thanksgiving day was a bit foggy in the morning and kind of chilly. We visited the Washington and Lincoln monuments as well as the WWII, Vietnam, and Korean war monuments and then we went to the Museum of American History. We discovered after a few pics and the monuments that our cameras were out of batteries.

Thanksgiving night we went to dinner at TGI Fridays. Needless to say, it wasn't like mama cooks it. At least there was some place open, I'm thankful for that.

Friday we went to the Jefferson memorial and then off to the Air and Space museum and the Museum of Natural History. We had a great time but my feet were a bit tired after all that walking and standing. There were tons of people out then too.

This is what it is like to travel with a nursing baby. I was pleasantly surprised at how well he did under the cover.

We had a great time lounging around in our hotel room in the evenings. Thanks for being a great traveler D.

Saturday we went to Mt. Vernon. I think this was my favorite part of the trip. I am so grateful for George Washington and the many other people who fought for our freedom and the creation of this great country.

This is where Martha and George are buried. George could have been buried under the capitol building but he loved Mt. Vernon so much he wanted to be buried there and his family kept to that.

And last but not least, Denzil was rooting for the Cougs in the holy war. Rah rah rah rah rah, GO COUGARS!

3 months

My how time flies. I'm now 3 months old and I am so cute. I like to talk, sometimes I even sound like I say "mamama." I'm starting to sleep through the night too. I'm a good eater and I love hanging out with mom and dad. I'm a little camera shy too so we haven't gotten any good video of me showing my skills. We will keep trying though.

Blessing Day

November 1st we blessed Denzil at church. It was really nice and we feel so blessed to have Denzil in our lives. He is getting so big and we are loving his smiles and how much he likes to talk. Sometimes it seems that he gives us a little laugh too. He is such a sweet boy.

Halloween Night

We spent halloween night at our friends for a "beer and brats" party. The Jackson's made homemade rootbeer and provided the brats and everyone else brought a side or dessert to share. We were going to go to another friends house afterward but Denzil had had enough so we just chilled at home. He was so cute in his costume for the few minutes it lasted. I decided that it is necessary to have 2 people to get the smile pictures, 1 taking and 1 to get him to smile.

Not too fond of getting this picture taken.
Our family portrait. Denzil is learning early that Reeses Peanutbutter cups are where its at for halloween candy.

Mt. Biking at Salem Lake

Yesterday Kris went with our friend Steve to Salem Lake for a little mountain biking. It was foggy and a bit wet but overall a good time.

Ward Trunk of Treat

Wednesday night we had a trunk or treat at church with games just before hand. We aren't much for dressing up but we did get another chance to wear our pumpkin shirts. I know the pants are long but the jeans are so cute!

First Hike

This week was community practice week for Kris which meant 40 hour work week and no school work plus a day off so on Monday we went for a drive to Stone Mountain then over to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Denzil went on his first hike to a little homestead in the park. He did great. It was not a very far hike but we are taking baby steps to the longer ones. The leaves were pretty but we missed the peak time by just a little bit.