My brother's tree

My mom has volunteered with the Festival of Trees since I can remember. My mom didn't want to do it this year, I don't blame her. It has only been six months but it really was a great way to remember Eric. With a bit of help from some great friends we were able to put a tree together. In honor my brother Eric, who passed away in May from an ATV accident. He loved the snow, and almost anything outdoors. We thought a snowman tree would be perfect. He brought so much laughter and light into this world. He truly lived life to the fullest! I miss him terribly. I just wanted to share some pictures. I'm glad it sold quickly, it was really cute. This was one of the hardest things for my mom and I to do. It turned out great and I am glad we did it. I hope the people who bought it appreciate the meaning behind it. Christmas will never be the same without him. (click the pictures to enlarge)

I thought this tree was adorable, and ironic that it was donated by a dentist.

Matt, Karin and Sienna have been in town for Thanks Giving and we were lucky to spend a little time with them playing Nintendo. I wish they didn't live so far away. We have a lot of fun with them. Isn't Sienna a cutie! Max and Gavin will probably fight over her in 16 years...ha ha.

A little Super Smash bros. smack down!

He looks so innocent...

Max update!

-Little Max is six months old already. I still can't believe it. He is sitting up all on his own and can get on his hands and knees (as of yesterday). I am not ready for him to be more mobile.
-He's such a happy boy and loves to eat his cereal and fruits/veggies. Now if only he could sleep better at night...still anticipating that milestone! He had his checkup and shots today. This went better than I thought, seeing that I had to take Gavin with me and decided to get him a flu shot too.
-I was surprised he was only 16.5 pounds. Gav was topping the charts at nineteen pounds at this age. Max is still in the 90th percentile for height (no Karin, we didn't use his hair to cheat) and his little head is in the 30th. No teeth yet, but I'm not complaining. He is such a sweetheart and such a blessing in my life, especially right now! It will be six months next week, really hard to believe. I miss him terribly!

Here's a funny picture of Max trying pears for the first time, this brightened my day-

Don't worry he loves them now.

A future escape artist??? This is how I found him after a nap.

Sitting up so well!

These days, I am so grateful when Gav actually has a little "down time".

abc...

Karin tagged me, enjoy

A- Attached or Single? Attached to my incredible husband, who gives excellent back rubs!
B- Best Friend? Andy! He has a special gift. He can always make me smile/laugh even when I really don't want to (or even when we aren't supposed to.) It has been especially helpful these past six months.
C- Cake or Pie? If it's chocolate, I want both. I guess I would choose (cream) pie if I have to, I don't like frosting all too much anyway.
D- Day of Choice? um...I don't know. Everyday is pretty much the same. This answer will change when Andy isn't so busy.
E- Essential Item? I can't choose just one...lip gloss,lotion and baby wipes. I am amazed at how often wipes come in hand.
F- Favorite Color? Purple
G- Gummi Bears or Gummi Worms? Definitely the worms! Andy and I love the neon sour ones!!!
H- Hometown? Riverton
I- Favorite Indulgence? Chocolate and cheesecake, the two of the together...scrumptious! I can't forget ice cream and shopping either. (I'd name more but now I feel a little guilty.)
J- January or July? I would say January because I prefer the cold weather but July has awesome fireworks, definitely July.
K- Kids? I love kids! I have two adorable boys, Gavin and Max. Hopefully one or two more in the future. I guess I can't forget my ten little nursery darlings that I have each Sunday.
L- Life is incomplete without? The Gospel, my family,my Savior and laughter of course. Then again, I don't know if I could live without chocolate, music and dancing either.
M- Marriage Date? August 22, 2002. Five years already, pretty incredible! What great memories and I still can't believe how far we have come.
N- Number of Brothers & Sisters? I have two brothers. Three brother-in-laws and three sister-in-laws
O- Oranges or Apples? I like them both, just depends on my mood I guess. I could live off applesauce if I had to.
P- Phobias or Fears? I seriously have too many to list. I am a bit ocd. We will stick to spiders/bugs, fire and GERMS! I have been forced to face a few of my fears already but it doesn't make them any easier to deal with.
Q- Quote? "Keep moving Forward"...first one that came to mind. I think I have watched Meet the Robinson's a few times...
R- Reason to smile? Gavin and Max! They are irresistible. Trust me, I have days where I don't want to smile but they always know how to break me.
S- Season of Choice? Spring, I love all the flowers and the weather is great. Plus it's when my boys were born.
T- Tag Four Friends - If you read this and want something to do...then TAG your it!
U- Unknown Fact About Me? I can still do the splits
V- Vegetable? I love broccoli and raw carrots. For the most part I love veggies-there are a few exceptions like asparagus, ewe!
W- Worst Habit? I am always late...sorry. I am getting much better though, I promise!
X- X-Ray or Ultrasound? ultrasounds are the best when you are pregnant-so special! X-rays are pretty much a pain. Both are helpful though.
Y- Your Favorite Food? Italian and pretty much anything with cheese.
Z- Zodiac Sign? Aries!

Karin, Texas, Cheesecake Factory,SYTYCD tour, shopping and more!

I just got back from another visit to Texas! We started out with a trip to the mall and had dinner at the scrumptious Cheesecake Factory...might I add that we only had to wait fifteen minutes on a Friday night. Rumor has it that the new one in Salt Lake has an average three hour wait. I think it will be a while before I can convince Andy to go to the new local one and wait. I guess it would help if Andy actually liked cheesecake...but they have really good food too!
Karin and I had a great time shopping. We ate lots of yummy food and watched a lot of The Office. I love that show! But one of the best parts of this trip was going to the So You Think You Can Dance tour. It was an amazing night! The dancers were fantastic. I was so glad they performed most of my favorite routines. This season was a really talented one. I hope we can make this a tradition..but that probably depends on the dancers each season.

I tried to take a few pics but they didn't turn out. I wish I had a better camera with me, trust me, the show was incredible live.

Aren't these the cutest kids ever?

One thing I learned from this trip though, the grass in Texas SUCKS! It is awful, full of crazy bugs that attack you even when you are wearing jeans. I walked through some grass one time and I have six bites on my feet up to my knees. The itch is driving me insane! It is still pretty warm there too. Now I am just anxious for some snow! More pictures tomorrow- good night.

Dog Fishing in Washington

Here are some pictures from the fishing trip I (Andy) just went on with my cousin Ben and my friend Tyson. We caught a bunch of fish and one seagull (yes, I said seagull).English Sole (flat fish), caught two at a time.

Spiny Dogfish Shark

Ben with mystery fish

The seagull was a real fighter.

Tyson with another Spiny Dogfish Shark.

Halloween

Here are some pictures from Halloween. We spent a lot of time helping my parents out with their spooky house. My parents have done it every year for as long as I can remember. They weren't up to it this year but they didn't want to let the neighbor kids down. It ended up being a bit of fun. I wish I wasn't so busy, I didn't get pictures of their house. Oh-well, it was quite a sight and Gavin actually liked hanging out with his spooky grandparents.

Me and my boys

A scary vampire decided to join the party

Gavin was a little hesitant but then he realized it was his grandma.

Gavin wouldn't leave the hood on but we managed to get a few pictures of the dragon.

There's a happy dinosaur!