Baby's First Christmas

We, of course, had a great Christmas, as I hope all of you did as well. Nathan was very interested in things other than his gifts and opening them, but what else would you expect? He was still very cute, but it doesn't take much for us to think he's cute.



We had a fun Christmas Eve party at my Grandma Anderson's house. Top left: my dad, Vic, with Nathan, my cousin, Torann, and my Uncle Dan. Bottom left: my dad with Nathan. Bottom right: my brother, Parker, my mom, Janice, and Nathan. Then we went to Corey's parent's house on Christmas Day. Top right: Corey's mom, Kathy, and Nathan.


We always have a little program at my Grandma's house. We didn't go last year, so it was fun to participate this year.

My brother played his violin while I accompanyed him. I tried to upload the video and it was going for about 3 hours and still hadn't finished. My Grandma's piano is really out of tune. You might not think it's that big of a deal or that it's really not that bad. But it sounded really bad when I first started playing the piano when I was 8 years old. I'm almost 23, so that might give you an idea of how bad it really is. It's a little hard to play anything with that piano because you can't really tune to it and even if you are playing the right note, it sounds like you're not. My cousin, Bailey, who is 7, played Jingle Bells on the piano as part of the program. She just started taking lessons. She kept trying to start over because she thought she was playing a wrong note and couldn't figure out why her music said "finger 3", she was playing with "finger 3", but it still sounded wrong. Oh, well. We just deal!

Corey, my brother, and my dad sang a song. They had never even sung this together, not even once, because we ran out of time before the party was going to start. Do you want to know why?? Well, here's the story. I forgot to bring down my mom's gift from us. It was pretty traumitizing. I started to cry and felt really bad. My mom was trying to tell me that it was ok, she was coming up to Logan on Jan 3rd so she could get it then. And through my tears I said, "But, I made it special!" (For those who have been following our blog since the summer, you might recall the "Family" picture frames I made for a family reunion raffle. I made my mom that same thing to put in her newly remodeled living room. You see, they've been doing this major remodel/addition that started back in like February or March and finally now they can say it's pretty much done. And, no, they weren't even doing it themselves. It was a professional that has been taking this long. So, what fun is it to open a Christmas present 2 weeks late when you can use it to decorate this newly finished room Right Now?? Anyway, since it was still fairly early in the afternoon and Grandma's party didn't start until 5:00, there was still time. Time for what, you ask? Oh don't worry, my dad and Corey drove all the way back to Logan to get it. I couldn't tell them no, that they didn't have to do that, because I really wanted my mom to have her gift and then I would be lying. So, I let them drive all the way up here and all the way back. For a present. It ended up not being just the present. The night before, Nathan's room's ceiling started to leak, and the roof was finally dry enough that Corey could patch it a little. I guess it wasn't a total waste, right? Corey's a little embarrassed that I'm putting this on here because it was so bad. It could have been better if he wasn't such a good husband and took care of me when I have my little break downs.

Eventually, Nathan kind of got the idea of presents, at least ripping the paper off. But, he was still more interested in eating the bow or eating the paper.


P.S. It took me like 5 hours to finish this post because the videos took so long to upload. So, please watch them! And enjoy! ;D

Seeing Santa

We got a great picture of this, too! Oh, the memories!

An Early Christmas Present

And there's 16 of each! That's 4 massages a month! He's the greatest...

My thoughts

Christmas is so much more than just celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I was reminded it sacrament meeting today of just how miraculous His entire life really is. It was miraculous how and where he was born. He is the Son of our Heavenly Father and a mortal woman. He was born among animals, straw, hay, and dirt.

He performed miracles probably everyday. He actually raised the dead back to life. He healed sicknesses that were fatal. He forgave those who thought they couldn't be forgiven. He smiled at and loved those who thought they couldn't be loved.
And the single most greatest event in all of history and forever to come, he suffered for my sins. He actually felt pain so much that he bled from every pore. I've heard that if a mortal man was to actually feel so much pain that he literally bled from even one pore, he would likely die from it. Think of how many pores are actually on your entire body, or even just your nose or face!

He knows what sadness feels like, happiness, holidays, family times, joy, depression, loyalty, and betrayal. He knows what hard work feels like, and breaking your arm, graduating from school, and loneliness. It is the most incredible occurrence and He did it so that I could live with Him again. He suffered so that you can live with Him again. Because he loves us, He loves me, He loves you.

And best of all, even though he died on that cross, He still lives. He'll live forever just as we can live forever, if only we will remember Him. If only we remember Him in all that we do, we would remember the covenants that we've made. We'd remember to keep the commandments. We'd remember to love everyone and treat them as if they are your brother or sister, because they are.

Christmas is a time for us to remember the beginning of our Redeemer's mortal life.

Christmas is a time for us to share our love for the Savior with everyone around us.

Christmas is a time for us to give thanks to our Creator for the gift of His Son.

The greatest Gift of all.

First and Last

Yesterday, we went to the Aggie football game. I haven't been to very many football games while I've been to school up here, for obvious reasons if you follow college football at all. Corey was needed to sub for someone on the cannon crew and since this was the last game of season and the last game for me as a student, it was a good excuse for all of us to go. Nathan's first game and my last game (hence the title). They shoot (blanks, of course) each time Utah State scores and then do push ups in accordance with what the score is. I sat down by Corey so I wouldn't have to sit by myself up in the stands. Needless to say, I had to cover Nathan's ears and even then sometimes he still cried. I think it was more because he was tired and the littlest thing was upsetting him. The final score ended up being Utah State-47, New Mexico State-2. We actually won! It was really fun. I'd forgotten how fun football games can be! If I did the math right, Corey and the other cadets and Lt. Col. ended up doing around 230 push ups by the end of the game. And the coolest thing of all.....I GOT TO FIRE THE CANNON! I totally pulled cord while someone else held Nathan and covered his ears.

Here's Corey looking very tough. When he first turned around after I said his name, he was smiling. But, then when he saw I was taking a picture, he put on his serious face. Army boys...



Here's the push ups. Corey is the second one from the left in both pictures.



Nathan and I.



As you can tell, Nathan was a little tired. He did fall asleep for a little bit when Utah State didn't score for awhile so there were no cannons going off.

Husbands

We love them. We support them. No matter what.

Corey is changing his major. To Religious Studies. He has to finish in 3 semesters still (for scholarship reasons) and he is changing his major.

It is more applicable for what his Masters will be in and I know he will enjoy it more, but he is changing his major.

With 3 semesters left.

8 month birthday

Yesterday, Nathan turned 8 months old. I can't believe it!! On his birthday, he finally stayed up on his knees long enough to actually crawl, not just inch worm/army crawl across the floor. He also went from being on his tummy to a sitting position, but only saw that once and I haven't seen him do it since. I went in to check on him after I laid him down for a nap to see if he'd fallen asleep yet and he was standing up holding on to the side of his crib. I thought we had lowered the mattress down enough that I didn't need to worry about him being able to reach it. Geez, a day in the life of an 8-month-old.

Other things he's doing:
LOVES-tags, cords, the smallest of things on the floor, leaves-and of course he has to put every single one of these in his mouth.
LOVES those Kroger Little Puffs finger treats. He's been doing the pincer grasp for like a month now. Adding to that list: he also loves Cheerios and graham crackers.
LOVES anything new, anything he hasn't played with before.
LOVES his lovey-a little doggie blanket. He sucks on the corners, the tag, or the little bow/ribbon around it's neck.

The Military does have its perks

So today is Veteran's Day. Happy Veteran's Day, by the way. The Anniversary Inn was having a special for all military members because of the holiday today: One free night stay. So Corey and I are staying at the Anniversary Inn tonight for FREE!! And just in case you were not aware, there is one in Logan so we are not driving down to Salt Lake just for one night.

P.S. This is my very first night away from Nathan, and we have to back home by 6:00 tomorrow morning so I can nurse him. He won't take a bottle now because I never really tried to give him one.
When did you finally have a night away from your kids, and how did it go? I'm a little nervous...

All of October in one

So I know it's pretty much been all of October without a post. My apologies. It's really busy and hard to find time to sit and play with our blog when there's always homework, laundry, and cleaning to do as soon as Nathan goes to sleep.
So here's a massive update.

This picture is probably like a month old. Nathan was figuring out how to start moving around. Well, now he is, but Corey calls this his push-up position and is very proud that's he's already practicing for his push-up days.


My little man is growing up. This is his first shirt and tie. My goodness. I couldn't decide if I liked the sepia or black & white more so I just posted both. Handsome-little-skater-hair-grown-up-boy.

So, now Nathan is scooting all over the place. He's not quite crawling yet, but he definitely knows how to get where he wants to. And when he really wants something, he can get there pretty quick. He's already figured out the two corners in the living room that I don't want him in and that's where he goes all the time. Showing above...


As many of you know, Nathan loves being outside and this becomes a problem when it's really cold in the evening. This was one of those nights when it was way too early to start the bedtime routine but he was acting very moody and quite cranky. This is when we'd take him outside. On this day, it was pretty cold. So I broke out the fleece bodysuit so we could go outside. I just couldn't believe how cute he looked in it.


Once again. Nap hair. Need I say more?


Nathan loves this bouncer. Loves it. Thanks to Shellyce and Kyle for letting us borrow it from their sister-in-law. It's so great to know that I don't have to find somewhere to store it when he grows out of it. Friends are great.


Nathan's first experience carving pumpkins. It's obvious what he's interested in. And the final product.



These are the treats I made for my visiting teaching girls. Franken-treats (Rice Crispies Treats with white chocolate and various candies). We also had freaky fingers for dinner (pigs in a blanket) on Thursday because we were at my parents house for dinner on Friday.


I decided not to do a full on costume for Nathan this year because I knew he would just puke on it and we weren't able to go to any parties nor we were going trick-or-treating. So this is what he wore on Halloween. It's still really cute.


This last weekend was drill again for the National Guard. So the spouses could all meet each other, families were invited to a Cake Auction and Soup Potluck. They were asking for beautiful cakes to auction off to raise money for the Christmas party. So I made a Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake with Oreo cookie crust topped with hot fudge and peanut butter frosting. I really wish I had taken a picture. Here's a picture of the practice cheesecake, which looks pretty good for my first one ever, but the actual auctioned cake looked way better.

It auctioned off for $85! That was one of the higher ones. The very highest was $240! It was a 3-D teddy bear wearing ACU's and a beret holding a flag. I couldn't believe it was homemade! I also made a whole crockpot full of chili and almost all of it was eaten.

So we came home last night from the weekend to only half of our electricity. Weird. None of the overhead lights in the bedrooms were working and only some of the outlets would work. Like the kitchen lights worked but not the phone or microwave. And our bedroom light and Nathan's bedroom lights weren't working but both of our lamps were. Oh, the joys of a trailer. So I'm waiting for maintenance to come by and take a look at things and we'll see if it's a problem we're supposed to pay for or if the university will pay for it.

Happy day!

My favorite sound in the world

(Sorry the camera shakes a little. I'm not good at holding still while I laugh.)

From Mandi

Answer in one word...

1. Where is your cell phone? pocket
2. Where is your significant other? kitchen
3. Your hair? pony
4. Your mother? busy
5. Your father? great
6. Your favorite thing? Corey
7. Your dream last night? remember?

8. Your dream/goal? happiness
9. The room you're in? office
10. Your hobby? Playing
11. Your fear? alone
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? home
13. Where were you last night? institute
14. What you're not? sad
15. One of your wish list items? car
16. Where you grew up? Murray
17. The last thing you did? nursed
18. What you're wearing? clothes
19. Your TV? heavy
20. Your pet? none
21. Your computer? desktop
22. What do you think of tags like this? interesting
23. Your mood? tired
24. Missing someone? always
25. Where would you rather be? bed
26. Something you're not wearing right now? coat
27. Favorite store? depends
28. Your summer? hot
29. Love someone? many
30. Favorite color? yellow
31. The last time you laughed? eight-o-clock (one word?)
32. Who will participate? friends

I just can't belive it

This morning, Corey and I were riding the motorcycle to school, just like any other morning. There we were driving south on 1200 East. We drove over a bump that was nothing-we've driven over it a hundred times-and then there was a loud SNAP! CRUSH! BANG! There went the front fender/chrome trim/reflector on the road. Not sure what happened or how it happend, but I'm sure glad that Corey wasn't driving on I-15 or something like that. Who knows what could have happened!


Good thing this bell (which is there for protection-an old wives' tale) was looking out for us!

My crazy haired kid...

I know I talk about this all the time, but it's just so funny! Nathan woke up today with totally awesome nap hair. We've decided he's just a messy haired kid and I can't really keep it 'done' for very long because of naps and being in the car seat. I've just come to accept it now. Two times yesterday and once the day before he was called a girl!
P.S. Corey found tooth #3 of Nathan's today! It's the bottom right one right next to the two front .

A bunch of things...

So, it's kind of busy trying to be a student and a mom. Nathan is taking a nap and instead of doing what I should be doing right now, I'm updating on some pictures and the goings on around here. Of course they are about Nathan...

Nathan's hair gets ratted and messy way easy. This pictures just doesn't do justice what it really looked like.

Nathan with a soapy Mohawk.

I was trying to do a game with him by putting a toy in a bag and the bag in a box, etc. But Nathan was way more interested in the paper bag, obviously.

Corey's mom gave Nathan this light show toy. It plays music, lights up, and there's little animals that move around. He totally loves it and has figured out how to turn it on and off. Either that, or he's just really lucky a lot. On the bottom left picture his thumb is on the button.
P.S. Just as I was finishing this post, I heard Nathan wake up and turn it on...


Some days Nathan just plain doesn't want to eat his cereal...this was one of those days. I was getting tired of him fusing so I just let him play with it. His eyes even look like he's been kind of crying a little and he wouldn't smile for anything...

This is Nathan before we went to the doctor's for his 6 month check up. I'm not sure what was going on in the picture on the left, but it made me laugh!

Once again Nathan woke up with a Mohawk. This pictures was taken in the bathroom which is really dark. I tried to fix the brightness of the picture, but it didn't work very good. It's a good shot of his two teeth though!

Corey was working on some homework at home the other day when Nathan woke up from a nap. Nathan was extremely interested in the "Now Playing" screen on Windows Media Player.

Yesterday I tried again to do a game with Nathan by putting things in a box (socks, tie, scarves). But he liked the box more. I put the scarves over his head trying to see if it would catch his interest a little, but he still liked the box. At least he smiled a little for me this time!

I made baby food!! These are carrots and I was so excited that they turned out so smooth!I tried peas and those are not going to work... It was way too time consuming. I froze the carrots in my ice trays with plans to put them in little containers after. Now my problem...they don't 'pop' out like ice cubes do. Any suggestions?

I Was Tagged!

So, I've never been tagged specifically by name! This was fun!
I was tagged my Amber Anderson.

The Rules:

Link the Person who Tagged you. Mention rules on your blog. Tell about 6 quirks of yours. Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same. Leave a comment to let them know.

Quirk #1: I can make spit bubbles with my tongue and then blow them off. Kind of gross I know.

Quirk #2: I can spot bugs either on the carpet, wall, ceiling, or whatever from very far away. Somehow my eyes just notice little moving things or a dark spot that usually isn't there. I think I drive Corey a little crazy because I'm always like, "Corey! There's a spider over here!" and then he comes and gets it.

Quirk #3: While I was pregnant, I always felt thirsty. It didn't matter how much water I drank or didn't drink, it never felt like enough. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing (good because I drink a lot of water, bad because I likely use the bathroom more than most people), but that habit has continued with me. I really drink like 12 glasses a day.

Quirk #4: My fingers have to be moving a lot. If you saw the movie Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, my fingers are a lot like Natalie Portman's. I don't know if it's from playing the piano or early arthritis...

Quirk #5: I am a little OCD when it comes to the organization of things. Like the towels have to be folded in a certain way, everything has its own spot in the fridge/cupboards/drawers/shelves, things like that. Lately, I've had to put everything in my own Excel worksheet. Examples are: school schedules (the one you can just print out from the USU website is obviously not good enough), and my visiting teaching report. I have various other files that I just can't remember right now.

Quirk #6: When my hands are cold and my fingers shrink a little, my wedding is loose. I will twirl it around and around because it is loose. I can even shake my hand and feel it hit my knuckle and the bottom of my finger. Before I had them sautered together, they would clink against each other when I did this for even more enjoyment.

I tag: Ashlee Winkelman, Mandi Winkelman, Natalie Holmgren, Natalie Brower, Angie Bowler, and Emily Hamilton.

Corey told me this today when he came home from school. Every Thursday in front of the Logan Tabernacle, there are picketers that are holding up signs pretty much just saying how they are against the war. In Corey's ROTC class today, his teacher, Major Bruce, told them that he really wants to join them, take his whole family with him, and hold up a sign that says, "Thank you, President Bush and the US troops, for 7 years with no terrorist attacks." So, today I ditto that and add to it that I am so proud to say that my husband is an American soldier.

Love... When Eternity Just Isn't Long Enough

Monday is our 2 year anniversary. Corey was gone over our anniversary last year because he was at basic training for the National Guard. So this year, he's got something planned and won't let me ask any questions about it. I have no idea what we are doing, but he said we can take Nathan with us. What a sweetheart. I love you, Corey! Happy Anniversary! Here's pictures from our wedding. It was really more fun for me to put them together.

My husband

Corey was really excited about this and told me to take a picture of him.

Here is my handyman of a husband...well, learning to be. At least he's learning on a really old mobile home trailer and not a brand new expensive house! Here is our new faucet.