Sunbeam!!!

Rowdy is such a great big brother. Ezra has turned into a little copycat and he follows Rowdy everywhere. He has such a big heart and loves his brother and sister. We're so glad that his example, for the most part, is a good one.
Today was fast Sunday for our ward, and ever since last month when Cody bore his testimony, Rowdy has been talking about going up to bear his. So... he did. Talk about a proud parent moment. It was simple, sweet, and his own, "my name is Rowdy, I would like to bear my testimony. I know my family loves me. I know Heavenly Father and Jesus love me. in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

We love you Rowdy!

"Leeeba Las Begas"

oh I love these boys. Notice Rowdy's Wii-mote grip. hee hee

2 months! & 17 months

Well Miss Elliot is 2 months old today!
She is just coming alive. She has started cooing and smiling and becoming so alert
Still sleeping good.
She is, on occasion, getting used to the car which she has not been a huge fan of so far.
also doesn't seem to be a fan of the headbands. She's fine once you get the thing one there but if she feels it start to go around her head... she no likey.
Her eyes seem like they are going to stay blue. and her hair is a light brown/sometimes a dark red.
She seems to have the thick Cody lashes but they are lighter.
She is just so cute! People always want to hold her and I love it, but I do get a little jealous because I feel like I have so little time to sit down and focus on just her. but She is sooo good. & sooo patient. & we feel so lucky to have her in our family.

Ezra also loves Elliot. He has just been wanting to hold her all the time now. Its so cute. He gets so upset if he can't. He knows just how he needs to sit or lay, and will get ready for her. Then he pats her with his little chubby hands. It melts my heart. He is such a sweet big brother. They both have birthdays on the thirteenth so Ezra is 17 months old today! One more month then he will be legal in nursery! He just popped his sharpie shark tooth through on the top left. We found it just yesterday. He is a little trooper. Ezra got a stuffed dog and a stuffed bird for Christmas and he loves to sleep with them. Its so funny. He will ask for the dog or bird as soon as we go into the dark room and then he will smile so big and squeeze/hug them when handed to him and he will lay his head down on my shoulder. Its so cute, but does make me a little nervous about the whole needing a specific stuffed animal. Tonight I couldn't find either one in the dark so I just layed him down and he didn't seem to mind either. He is just so squeezable.
mmmm I just love these bebes

Toothache

A Toothache is definitely humbling. I have never really had one before I could feel something was a little weird back there this weekend. My cousin Missy, from my Dad's side, who I haven't seen forever got to come out from Salt Lake. And she brought her list of Diners Drive Ins & Dives so we ate n ate and ate. It was her and I and The 2 "E"s. Rowdy was invited to a boy slumber party down at Tiffany and Bobby's house. and what great timing. He and I had been needing a little break from each other. Now he is back and we are both so much happier. It was so nice to catch up and hang out with Missy and we listened to a CD my Mom had just given me of our Grandma (My Dad's mom who passed away years ago) talking about how she and Grandpa Anderson met. It was really cool. and speaking of cool Missy was cracking up at church on Sunday right before her plane left as all the young women and I and Ezra ran outside to check out the HUGe Snowflakes!! They were beautiful. and it was just enough snow for the boys to run around in and taste and make our yard all white and beautiful, and still get Missy's flight out on time. All this while, I am starting to get a cold.
Cody was home on Monday and we just stayed inside and played all day. Rowdy and Ezra love the "Just Dance 2" on the wii. My favorite part is Rowdy running around the house singing "Biba Hos Begas" and trying to dance like an Elvis "cowboy" even after all the music is gone. Oh and I like watching Cody dance too just because any other time he refuses to.
So Tuesday Cody is gone to work and I wake up with this crazy toothache sure I will never be able to eat sweets again. I called 1800 dentist because the last dentist I went to in the area were more salespeople than they were dentists. It annoyed me. anyway sweetheart Lynda watched all three of my crazy kids while I went to the Dentist. I was so sure I was going to have to get an emergency root canal it hurt so bad. They took an x-ray and the dentist told me it wasn't my tooth. My sinuses had swollen up so big because of my "cold" they were crowding the tops of my molars! and then the sweet man wrote me a prescription for an antibiotic. It was so nice not having to get my teeth drilled. Even though I was fully prepared for it. I just felt like it was such a tender mercy I got sent to that dentist. He just had an awesome vibe even before he hooked me up with antibiotics. and then for him to do that and not have me go to another doctor and beg someone to watch my kids again. I just felt like I was being watched out for.
Then to top off my Tuesday I wanted to do something nice for Lynda, "the bread whisperer", and Amelia brought this beautiful bread pan as a prize that I won at pictionary's Ugly Sweater contest! Of course I am still mentally in debt to Lynda because she helped me get to pictionary in the first place. Yet another tender mercy to end up living in the middle of two great sisters.

Here are some pictures of Missy Weekend

Mowhawk or Devil cap?

I don't think we have a normal beanie in this house

New Years

Well for New Years Eve my Mom and Dad were in town and Tad and Amelia had invited family over to their house for festivities. At one point in time it was an Ugly Sweater party so we talked my Mom into wearing a sweater with iron ons of Cody's brothers Bobby and Tad.
It was awesome.
Even though she was the only one wearing an ugly sweater ;)ha ha.

Anyway Papa and Yaya left early early Saturday morning.
Then for breakfast I accidentally dumped a whole box of Trix over, which the Boys were stoked to help vacuum up. But Ezra's had a slat that didn't allow the trix in....

Which he quickly used to his advantage,

with minor hickey-age

Miles had a cute New Years message on his belly, so Rowdy convinced me he needed a message too. and he told me it needed to say
Dear Yaya and Papa,
Rowdy loves you and your present.
love, Rowdy.

Happy New Year

This is from Thanksgiving

I just finished blogging about our Holiday season all the way back from Thanksgiving. and it reminded me of all the things I am Thankful for. and today I am very very Thankful for washing machines.

That has nothing to do with this picture. but I love having a pretty picture at the top of my blog

last week

The original plan was to go with Papa and Yaya to San Antonio for New Years. It just didn't pan out. but our fun up here did...
We went to the zoo.

Ezra seems to really love animals. It was his first real time at the zoo.The Male Lion was roaring while we were there! wow! It was cool

We also went to the bounce house. The boys had a blast

oh and the adults did too.

and then we went to...

The Great Wolf Lodge!

Swimming in December?!
That place was awesome. And I felt like a little kid with all the waterslides! I have had to sit out quite a bit these past few years being prego and all. I loved it!but they are worth itCheck out the cool "Kid Camp" room.
Our beds were on the other side of this wall. Rowdy was so stoked to have his own remote.

The kids went down to story time with Papa and Yaya and saw "Rowdy the Reindeer"We likey.

Thanks for the amazing week Papa and Yaya.
& Thanks for not giving up when you missed the train

Elliot's Blessing

Elliot was blessed 12/29/2010

Look at that smile!

Aunt Toni made her beautiful blessing dress

She was blessed by Cody in our home
(Where did the smile go?)

Bishop Sears, My Dad, Elliot, Cody, Clay Hurst (and Audy)

Its just hard to write about the feelings you have at something like this. What a blessing for us to have Elliot in our home.

lots of love hereIt was a nice evening.
and we had yummy homemade chicken noodle soup and dessert afterwards.

We know we have so many loved ones who weren't able to make it. We feel your love and appreciate you and really hope we didn't make anyone feel excluded.

Christmas #2

My parents were going to be getting on a train the day after Christmas and then get here Tuesday afternoon. We came home from watching "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" Monday night with the Carmack kids to find Papa and Yaya already at our house.. in their car! because they had missed their train! aww man. But it was a fun surprise. I love surprises. Dad got to meet Elliot for the first timemmmm. and we ate and ate and ate

and exchanged gifts

It was like Christmas all over again

Christmas 2010 style

I loved having little Elliot near Christmas time.
She just helped me to remember what it was all about.

She didn't even fit in our biggest Christmas stocking.

Christmas morning was fun. Rowdy was totally into it.
All he asked for was a duck.

"Dog!"

Ezra was the first kid up and we were going to have him wait for Rowdy but he saw the Dog from across the room and started his dog chant.Rowdy's big gift was a remote control car

mmmmm.
First Christmas first Candy Cane
Scooby Snacks!

Rowdy was soooooo excited all week about his Scooby Snacks.

Scooby Doo is his most recent animated obsession

It was so great that Ezra ended up getting all of the things he could say. It didn't happen on purpose really but I guess if he likes something a lot he says it. So he walked around all morning from one toy to another. "dog" "truck" "ball" "book" "duck" again and again and again. It made us all happy. I am going to keep that in mind for Elliot.Cody sent me on an awesome and tricky scavenger hunt around the house and a little of outside to find some gifts including my missing shoe.
Despicable METhanks Grandma JennyI locked Cody out of the garage for two days and painted the bear and star from the California flag Cody had been wanting (with Elliot strapped to my chest). Thanks to the help of Zoe and Paige we actually did surprise him.Rowdy was Elliot's designated opener. and helped her get the most out of her gifts.after all our festivities at home we went and had breakfast at the Carmacks, visited and broke in Craig's new juicer. mmmm. Then it was all of the sudden afternoon. We watched "Despicable Me" And Rowdy picked up some new dance moves. I thought he had to go to the bathroom but he informed me he was pinching his bum, "like Mr. Gru." Oh Yeah.

Then for dinner we went to Jason and Kellie's and had some yumalicious beef dip sandwiches.
Wrestled

and Ezra learned how to hula hoop (the safe way)

I think Elliot had a good first Christmas.
(Even though Santa forgot to bring her an apple to lick)It was a joyous day