Birthday Video

Here is a quick video of Anna trying to blow out her candles. She needed a little help or we would have been there all day.

Anna is a pretty chatty two year old. She has no problem letting you know exactly how she feels. Lately, her go-to phrase is "Where my" with the emphasis on the word my. Here are some of my favorites:

"Where MY Ipod"

 "Where MY phone?"

"Where MY (Insert anything you pull out of the fridge or pantry)?"

"Where MY feelings?"

She is a sweet little thing and we love her. It has been a fun two years with her in our home!

Some Happy Holidays Around Here

We had a really wonderful Thanksgiving this year. Christian's parents and sister, Carly, flew out to spend the week with us here in Utah. Despite the chilly and snowy weather, we ate at some great restaurants, went to Harry Potter, and did some serious holiday shopping. For Thanksgiving, we got together at Grandma and Grandpa Weggeland's for a big family dinner. Grandma Hancock was there as well. The food was wonderful and we had a really nice time catching up with family.

 This is Christian, Carly, and some of the Weggeland cousins. If the one in the middle looks a little stiff, it's because it is a cardboard cut out of cousin Nate, who is currently in Brazil on a mission for our church. It's his first Thanksgivng away from home and so they wanted him to know they were thinking of him :)

 The kids love to play on Grandma Weggeland's baby grand piano. Aunt Carly showed them some of her piano skills and they were very impressed. 

We also celebrated Anna's birthday this week. She turned two, which is crazy!

I forgot to get the forks out, but the kids didn't mind.

 

The day after Thanksgiving we got busy putting up the Christmas decorations! The house looks very festive and I am very happy. The kids had a great time trying to help as we set up the tree. Here they are looking in the box for more pieces of tree.

My Grandma

   This is my Grandma, Dorothy "Dot" Joslyn. She was born on July 5, 1917 and was married to my Grandpa for 67 years. Together they raised a family of four girls, farmed, made maple sugar, and went on wonderful vacations in their retirement.  She was also had her own career as a high school Home Economics teacher for over 30 years. In fact, my Mom ended up in one of her classes, since she taught at the only high school in their town.  

   Grandma was sweet and gentle and gave great hugs. She had a sparkle in her eye and this cute little Maine accent. She would say things "come hee-ya" instead of come here, and "bay-yuh" instead of bear. She loved being from Maine and would call herself a "Mainiac" and giggle. Her home always felt warm and cozy and smelled great.  I loved her food, especially the vegetables that were fresh from their garden. She taught my Mom important cooking tips, like making good pie crust and how to plan a good colorful meal, which my Mom passed down to my sister and me. 

   Looking back, there are a lot of things I wish I had had the chance to ask my Grandma. I wish I had sat down and asked about her childhood, how she met my Grandpa, and what my Mom was like as a child. When I was a kid, I never cared about those things, I just loved exploring her home and eating her food. As an adult, I realize there is so much I wish I had known about her and her life. I guess I am realizing that we shouldn't waste the time we have with our family. But even with those regrets, I do feel so very lucky for the things I do know about her and for the lessons she taught me. She was an incredible example of love and patience.

  Sorry if this got a bit long. I couldn't sleep and she was on my mind a lot. Just missing her a bit and wishing I could be back in Vermont to say goodbye. She really was the best of Grandmas.

Carving Pumpkins

So we carved pumpkins on Friday night, but somehow forgot to take pictures of the final product. Oh well. Mary's carving was a spooky owl on a tree, and mine (Christian) looked like a pile of skulls. Here are some pics of the fun night.

 We also went to my work on Friday, they had a Halloween party and the kids got to dress up and go trick or treating. Mary made both costumes, and they turned out great. Jack is obsessed with the cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender, so he had to be Aang. Anna was a donut with sprinkles, which she loved.

More Cousins!

Jen, Jay and Rex stopped by our house on their way back to California. It was great to see them and catch up a little. They left early the next morning before Jack and Anna got up. Jack came down and was crying a little asking, "Where are my friends Rex and Jay?" It was cute. They were so lucky to see all of their cousins in one week. Just wish we could see them all more often!!

Oregon/Washington Trip

I took the kids on a trip up to see family up in the Northwest. We had a wonderful time enjoying good Fall weather and fun family outings. Here are a bunch of pictures from our trip:

Our first stop was down at Em's house in Monmouth. We explored Salem a bit and enjoyed its Childrens' Museum and carousel. Later that evening, we met up with Steve, Amy, Soren, Lucy, Will, and Finn for dinner.

We went to a really fun pumpkin patch the next day with Emily, Steve, Amy, and the kids. It was the first pumpkin patch I have ever been to, and it was incredible. There were so many fun activities for the kids: hay mazes, cider donuts, apple tasting, corn maze, and a patch to pick out pumpkins. I wish we lived closer, because we would definitely make this place a yearly tradition.

Anna's face cracks me up in this one. It looks like she is on a runaway train and Jack is driving :)

My Mom and I took a drive up the Columbia Gorge with the kids one morning. The weather was perfect and we had a great time just making random stops to enjoy the scenery.

John got some great pictures of the kids during a couple park outings. 

We also went to the Portland Zoo which was really pretty.

Finally, we had a chance to meet up with Lizanne, Kirsten and Grayden, which was wonderful. The kids are all so close in age and really enjoy each other a lot.

This was an old fort building in a park we went that we found. Too bad no one answered the door. It would have been fun to see inside!

It was a really wonderful trip. We can't wait to go back, but hopefully with Christian next time.