Christmas Break

After lots and lots of anticipation. Christmas break and our trip home finally arrived. Since we were flying out of Pittsburgh we wanted to head there a little early and check out city. We enjoyed seeing the cities man bridges, tunnels and historic old buildings. While there, we took some time to visit the Children's Museum.
                                                                         Pittsburgh

An interesting fact is that Mr. Rogers is actually from Pittsburgh. The museum had an exhibit in his honor
that included the set from his children's show.  The kids had no idea what it was, but Jake and I enjoyed visiting
 the land of make believe.

The museum was huge and had lots of really interesting exhibits designed to interest and educate children. Unfortunately they also had a train table, so Hudson probably wont remember any of them!  

We decided that since our flight was early the next morning it would be nice to spend the night in a hotel close to airport so that we could get a good nights sleep before a long day of travel.  We were so wrong.  Ellie did not enjoy her time in the hotels crib that night and decided to spend the night alternating between fits of screaming complaints and trying the scratch her way out.  By 5:00 AM we gave up on trying to sleep and got up and ready for the trip.  We were exhausted even before the plane left the ground.  Hudson was amazed by all that was going on at the airport.  He loved watching them de-ice the plane. We were so relieved when Ellie fell right to sleep during take off. However, her brother killed our brief period of peace when he woke her up not long after.  We were less then pleased.  We had planned on playing movies for the kids on our portable DVD player to pass the time, but it malfunctioned and wouldn't turn on. This did not help our mood. It was a LONG 5 hour flight to Las Vegas! I think Jake and I were even more excited then the kids to get off the plane.  We were all over joyed to see Poopah Gary waiting for us at the airport.

                                                                       St George
We were very excited to spend some time in the warmth of St George.  However, it rained enough to cause record flooding the entire time we were there. Despite the rain we still had a great time.  The kids loved playing with their Powell Grandparents.  Jake and I loved getting to watch someone else entertain our kids.  It was a lot of fun to catch up with the Powell's, and Sam, and meet our soon to be, new family member Erin.



Cute new Christmas Jamies.



We really did enjoy walking around the St George Temple looking at the lights.  The funniest part is that we warmed up afterward by taking our soaking wet bodies out for ice cream.

"Into Everything Ellie" had a great time doing her thing.  It didn't take us long to realize that we moved to Pennsylvania to an apartment with no stairs just as she should have been learning how maneuver them.  We all spent a lot of time sitting on the stairs trying to keep her from falling to her death.

Bountiful

After a few days we headed north to find the rain we were seeing in St George was lots and lots of snow in other areas of the state.  We stopped to see Gram Lundell in Payson while the boys cleared off some of her snow.  Then we headed up to Bountiful to see Gram Wendy, John, and Boston. Once again we had a great time catching up.  We were all excited to get some of Poopah John's famous buttermilk pancakes among other delicious foods he made for us. Grandma Wendy is really good at playing trains with Hudson and Jake and I were thrilled to have a break from the occupation.  We spent Christmas Eve at Great Grandma Clark's, and came home and watched the Polar Express for the first time.  Hudson was more mesmerised then I have ever seen him.  He liked it so much "Santa" decided he had to go out and get it for him.  Christmas morning was spent with Gram Wendy and Poopah John. It was fun to see  Hudson full of Christmas excitement.  He kept looking for Santa as if he were going to show up at any minute.  Both of the kids loved tearing open the overly taped packages gram Wendy is famous for.  Many of them contained trains so Hudson was more then thrilled.

 Highland

Later Christmas day we headed down to the Powell's in for more Christmas excitement.  We were thrilled to get to be with the entire family. 



Ellie might not have fully understood the proper Christmas present procedures, but she was a lot of fun to watch. 



Gram Andrea got this cute stroller for Ellie and I thought she was excited to push her baby doll around in it however, that was not the case; she was excited for us to push HER around in it.

The family just keeps getting bigger.  Morgan and Erin just make it that much better!

On the night of Christmas a bunch of us ventured out into the fog and cold to enjoy the beautiful lights and spirit at temple square.

 Ellie and Hudson both loved being pushed around the Powell's house in laundry baskets.  While there we also enjoyed race cars, trains, swimming in the hot tub, reading books, and of coarse kitties.  We couldn't keep Ellie away from either of the cats.  She was obsessed with them. 

Blanding

We headed down to Blanding for a few days of fun with the Palmer family.  I felt very fortunate that my parents took time off work so that we could all spend time together. They treated us to lots of good food and fun, and even took care of me when I got sick. Kate and Hudson got to be good buddies while we were there.  He tells everyone here in Pennsylvania about how much fun his Kate is. I got to celebrate my birthday while we were there and Jake surprised me by taking me to breakfast at my favorite place in town, Grandma and Grandpa Palmer's. Poopah Wayne and Gram Renee took us out on a fun double date for dinner as well. It was so was wonderful to get to see everyone including my favorite furry friends the goats at Poopah Wayne's field.  We had such a great time.                   



Poopah Wayne got out some sparklers he had saved specially for Hudson.  Hudson was thrilled! We all enjoyed the fireworks.



   It wouldn't be a trip to Blanding without a fire and a visit to a nearby ruin.                           

 



Ellie was overjoyed to get to play with the new puppy, and since the Ruger was sick the whole time we were there it couldn't run away from her "loves".

Hudson got his first lesson about guns.  I think he might have even scared the pop can he was shooting at.

The snow found it way to Blanding as well, and we had fun taking advantage of it.

Hudson was so impressed with being pulled behind Poopah Wayne's big red truck on the snow packed roads.  Even Ellie and I got a turn on the sled.

We were happy to get to see Grandma and Grandpa Cook while we were in Blanding.  Its always great to hear Grandpas stories. Grandma is always eager to give us nutritional advice and share her testimony with us. They had this little tricycle as a decoration.  Ellie earned a lot of laughs while she tried to figure out why she couldn't ride it. 

Back up North

Not only do Sam and I share a love for restoration of classic boats, but we also share the same birthday!
The Powell's made us a special birthday fried food fiesta that we all enjoyed!

Jake and I both celebrated our 29th birthdays while in Utah.  I'm sure that the last year in my twenties will be the best one yet.  Ever since I met Jake each year is better then the last. Every birthday means we have been able to spend another wonderful year together.  Having him in my life is the greatest birthday gift I could ever get.

Heber City
We had a few things to take care of with our house in Heber City so me made the trip up the canyon for a few hours.  I have to admit it made me sad to see our neighborhood and some of our good friends.  While there, we spent a little time sledding in the park behind our house.  The kids loved it.  I was amazed at how fearless Ellie was.  She would climb on the sled and slide down all by herself grinning all the way. Hudson loved riding over the big jumps some other kids had made.  They both ate a lot of snow.  Afterward Hudson was thrilled to get to go to Dairy Keen and watch the trains to warm up and have some lunch.



Hudson loves Dinosaurs almost as much as he loves trains.  Gram Wendy and Poopah John took him to visit the Dinosaur museum and he got to see a 3D Dinosaur movie that did a good job of scaring him.  He is a lucky little boy!

Las Vegas

Our flight home had a 4 hour lay over in Las Vegas.  We entertained ourselves by playing on moving sidewalks, walking to all the different terminals, and sampling the a variates of fine airport cuisine.  Luckely Hudson can entertain himself anywhere if he has a train to push around.  The flight was pretty uneventful; well for everyone except the lady sitting in front of Ellie. Whenever Ellie got upset or bored she would kick the seat in front of her.  When it was leaned back it was just within reach of her little legs.  The lady in front of us would snort her disapproval and squirm in frustration that her beauty sleep was interuppted but refused to lean forward or move to the empty seat just to her left and get out of the reach of Ellie's busy legs. I did feel bad for her, but I couldn't make Ellie stop.  I was happy we didn't see the lady again after the flight.  We didn't arrive home to State College until 4 A.M. I have to admit I was less tired from this long day of travel then I was from the long night in the Hotel with Ellie is Pittsburgh.

It was a very Merry Christmas indeed.  Like all good things it was over too soon.  I want to thank all of our family for going out of their way to make it so special for all of us.  I was blown away and brought to tears more then a few times by all of the generosity we received from all of our parents.  I'm sure I didn't do justice in giving my thanks, but I hope they know how appreciated each of them are.  We were so blessed with the gift of time with our parents, grandparents, and siblings. The thing that truly struck me the most this trip was not how much we love these people but how much we truly like them.  I would love to spend time with all of them even if we weren't related! It is such a blessing to have so many good people in our lives.  I truly hope that as we continue on through this life that these relationships can be made even stronger.  I hope that everyone knows that they have for people in Pennsylvania who love them. We look forward to seeing everyone again soon!



Christmas Joy

      As I was driving along today with the sounds of Christmas ballads pouring out the speakers, I caught a glimpse of two very happy little ones swaying to the music in back seat and I felt surprised. I wasn’t surprised to see them enjoying the music; they are always back there dancing to the tunes on the radio when I drive. I get a lot of requests from Hudson to turn up the volume of the music so he can dance. What surprised me was the fact that I realized I was enjoying the Christmas music just as much as they were.
      I would not call myself a fan of Christmas. It could easily be my least favorite Holiday. We barely get done with Halloween before the Holiday is forced down your throat in every store, on the TV, and the radio.   
      Don’t get me wrong, I love Jesus and all. I’m more then happy to sing praises to him. I love having opportunities to think of his love and celebrate his birth. So what is my problem? Thinking back on Christmas’s as a kid I was always left with feelings of sadness. My parents always did their best to make the holiday everything it is supposed to be with lights, treats, and more presents then I’m sure I deserved. But Christmas is a day to be with the people you love and when your parents are divorced this just isn’t possible. No matter who I was with, I missed the other parent. If I was having fun and feeling happy I seemed to end up feeling guilty, as if it wasn’t fair to the other parent that I could be enjoying my Christmas with out them. However, I have realized that this year I am excited for Christmas, very excited in fact. Childhood scars that I should have let go of a long time ago have been healed by a silly little three year old boy.
      Every Christmas light, fake Santa, and Christmas song sends Hudson into a fit of excitement and anticipation that radiates pure joy in my heart. The part that warms my heart the most is that his excitement if not for the presents he will be opening but of the fact that he knows this Christmas he gets to go see so many people he loves back in Utah. So in primary this week as we sang of the precious gift of a baby; I couldn’t help but think of how grateful I am for the gift of my own babies. I know my Heavenly Father loves me because he not only sent his son here to save us, but he also gave me mine.



This is our countdown until Utah chain.  Hudson loves to take a ring off everyday.  Its getting really short!



Just when I think Ellie can't get any sillier she seems to learn something new that makes me laugh even harder. She is coming up with new ways of communicating with us everyday.  My favorite one today is that barns are called "Yie Yoes" as in "Old MacDonald had a farm  E I E Yie Yoe" 



The end of the semester is upon on us and Jake is really busy.  He tries to make the most of his time though. I cant believe that we are almost 1/4th of the way done.  I really cant believe Jake has learned to multitask!



Turkey Pox

Monday morning we awoke to find our little lady had come down with a case of chicken pox.  On top of that the rest of us came down with head colds.  So, we have had to spend the week in exile. It has been a long long week. Our family has a hard time sitting around the house.  We tried to make the most of it and had some fun doing a few crafts.

Gram Andrea sent us these to put together.  Hudson was so excited to have a Christmas tree, it is amazing the things that he seems to remember from last year.  Hudson said that he little ginger bread character was named "Ginjo" and we have been hearing short stories about Ginjo and his ginger bread house. The activity really helped us get through an afternoon trapped inside. 

We tried to make a few trips to the park and go on walks everyday, but the kids didn't ever last very long. The combination of sickness and cold limited the amount they could handle.

We were sad to have to cancel Thanksgiving dinner plans with friends, but we made the most of the Holiday by making and eating enough food to feed five families.

Ellie learned the word "BITE" today.  When she spotted pie she would go crazy demanding "bite, bite, bite."

The longer you are trapped in the house with a bunch of sick people, the more you begin to scramble for things to entertain you.  I was strangely excited to make pilgrim and Indian costumes out of scraps around the house.  Jake was instantly sent back in time to 4th grade and was sweet to indulge my crazy by making Ellie and my Indian costumes.  

We have so much to be thankful for...

Simple Joys





Love




Little Things



Entrapment

     As I was cleaning up breakfast, Hudson devised his plan. It all started with the sound of Ellie crying in her room. Upon closer inspection, I found her inside her room with the door locked. All of the doors in our house have locks, and the locks cannot be unlocked from the outside. There is no way to push a pointy object into the end to release it; and the trim around the door eliminates the possibility of accessing the lock with a credit card. So, that left the task of using a screw driver to very slowly remove the entire door knob from the door. Add a screaming baby to the time consuming task and let’s just say I was less then pleased. So once Ellie was freed I got her dressed and ready to go. I headed for my room to get myself put together for the day, only to discover, my own room locked from the inside. Yea!
      About halfway through the first screw, Hudson notifies me that he needs to go potty, and guess what…..ITS LOCKED TOO! Heavenly Father decided to cut me a break and I was able to gain entry before Hudson created another mess for me to clean up. I’m sure you wont be the least surprised to hear that when I went to open Hudson’s door, it was locked as well. Now, this is the not the first time that he has locked one of the doors from the inside, however, this is the first time he has locked ALL of the doors! So, today as I removed each of the door knobs and reversed them all so that the locks are now on the outside of the door, I must tell you that I have a renewed sense of joy and peace with in me that only another enslaved parent could understand. However, it’s very quiet at the moment and I fear that can only mean one thing….Hudson is planning something.

      Sadly, the funniest and most shameful part of this story is that not two hours later, I happened to be vacuuming in Ellie’s room; when I heard the door slam and giggles echoing down the hall. I didn’t even have to try the knob. I knew I was trapped with no cell phone and no screw driver. I forgot to mention that Ellie’s door has a child’s lock on the outside door knob so that Hudson had no way to open it when she naps. Thirty minutes later I still had found no way to pick the lock and the window was not an option either. I ended up pleading with Hudson through the door to go get a neighbor to rescue me. Asking this of a three year old is just about as reliable as Timmy sending Lassie for help, but I had no other choice. Thankfully Hudson proved to be just as reliable as the famous collie, when he and a neighbor did in fact come to my rescue. I guess I have to chalk this up as another win for Hudson.

 
    This week, the kids got to go to the doctor and get shots.  Ellie had to have SIX and it hardly seemed to bother her. Hudson had ONE and he got so upset he puked all over the doctors office, and then he spent the next three days walking with a limp!  He is such a funny boy.  Speaking of being a boy, since we moved here all of his friends are girls.  We got to go to one of their birthday parties and Hudson was very excited. The only problem is that it was a princes themed party. Just look what happens when you are the only boy at a princess party...

                                                            What mom wouldn't be proud!
 
      I'm excited to say Jake and I finally finished our family tree project. I'm really excited about it, because Hudson loves to see the pictures. He loves to tell me who each person is and then we end up talking about stories he remembers from each person. 

     
 
 
     I took some pictures at the play group we go to at the library.  They really enjoy it. Ellie loves to climb anything she can find.  She is all over the place these days.   Of coarse when  Hudson isn't planning my demise he is playing with trains.  The boy is obsessed. Ellie is even learning to play them with him.  We taught him to pretend she is a dinosaur who is attacking the station so that its a game when she messes up the track.  We call her Elliezilla.  The crazy thing is that is actually works!
 

 
 

Thanks to these two, my life is never dull!

Its fun to go to the YMCA

   This week I decided to broaden my horizons a bit by taking up a new hobby.  Three days a week I wake up at five thirty A.M. to spend about an hour recreating with some sweet senior citizen women from our community. Now, before you start thinking that I'm some sweet "good doer", let me explain. 
   We recently joined the local YMCA near our home.  Along with our membership they offer a wide variety of classes. I signed Hudson up for a Gymnastics and swimming class, and he is loving it! He is the youngest kid in the class and it is truly hilarious to watch him participate. He definitely wins the prize for the most enthusiasm.  I'm sure every kid and observing mother knows his name already due to the fact that his teachers are constantly saying it, in a effort to keep him on task. He is such a funny guy!
    As for myself, I signed up for a class called cardio dance, thinking it would be a fun way to get some exercise.  When I showed up for the first class I found that I was about two generations younger then all of my classmates.  I stood there worried that I had made the mistake of signing up for a class that was going to be well below even my low level of fitness.  Imagine my surprise when hip hop music started blasting through the gym speakers.  We immediately dove right into the first of a dozen choreographed dances set to modern music. So, imagine me dancing with a dozen women the age of my grandmother to hip hop music. Now imagine that I am the one who is red faced and stumbling over my own feet, because although I'm ashamed to admit it, that is the reality. The old gals can really move! They are really sweet and even take time to offer me tips and bits of encouragement like, "your doing great honey, don't worry you'll figure it out."  The grandmas have to encourage me!!! It is a lot of fun, challenging, and very humbling!

Aside from the YMCA, the kids have been really happy and good.  We have even had some nice warm days at the park......



It all started out so innocent.




Things took a turn for the worse.



Eventually I gave up on her clothes all together.

She fell face fist into the mud.

 

 This is what Ellie's bad influence can do.