Snow!!!

Stetson and I FINALLY played in the snow the other day. I feel a little guilty that we have had so much snow the last few weeks, and I haven't even taken my son to play in it. When I was a kid I LOVED to play in the snow, and would play in it for hours, even if I was frozen stiff - which is funny, because I hate being cold - I guess the snow was worth it! Stetson was really mad at me when I started putting all this gear on, but as soon as we got outside he was happy again and had a blast!At first I just set him down in the snow, and he started to crawl. The snow was so deep that each time he moved his hand he face planted in the snow - but he didn't seem to mind!Kenny got him this cute little sled a few weeks ago, and Stetson loves it! I just pulled him up and down our long driveway (hey, there is something good about having a long driveway).

Cute Stetson Moments

This picture was taken on the way to Cortez on Kenny's birthday. If you look very close, you will notice that Stetson's left eye is open, ever so slightly. Kind of freaky, I know, but he gets it from me; sometimes I sleep with my eyes partly open.

Since this is pretty much my journal (my excuse for spending time blogging), I decided I better record some of the cute things Stetson does so that I will remember them.

1. When I pick him up, especially when he is sad or hurt, he lays his head on my shoulder and pats my back. He has done this to me for quite awhile, but he has just started doing it to almost anyone who picks him up. It is so cute!

2. When I ask him to give me a kiss he puts his lips in an "oh" shape and presses them against my face - so sweet!

3. When he is hungry, or sees some food he wants, he says "mmm" and smacks his lips. It is totally irrisistable!

4. Steston mimmics almost everything we do or say (except walking, which he is still not interested in). Yesterday Kenny was laughing really funny, like "ho,ho,ho" and Stetson started to mimmic him - it was hilarious!

5. Today I was building a fire and Stetson was supposed to be drinking his bottle; when I turned around he was holding it upside down watching the milk drip out. I went and got a paper towel and wiped it up. Since I was still working on the fire, I just set the paper towel by my side and continued what I was doing. A couple minutes later Stetson came over, grabbed the paper towel and left. I followed him to see what he was up to, and he was cleaning up another puddle of milk with the paper towel. I was so proud!

6. Stetson usually says "thank you" when you give him something; it is the cutest little "thank you" you have ever heard! I hope he keeps this habit up all his life!

I will try to remember to post more cute Stetson moments as they occur.

Merry Christmas!

We had a very Merry, White Christmas this year! It started snowing a couple weeks before Christmas, and just kind of kept coming. Christmas Eve was beautiful! Christmas morning we woke up to about three inches of new snow, and it continued to snow most of the day. Since I am one of those sentimental people who dream of a white Christmas, I figure this Christmas was just perfect! We usually spend Christmas Eve with Kenny's family, but the siblings opted to spend it with our individual families this year with his parents gone to Africa. I was a little disappointed at first, but it turned out to be just as wonderful as ever! Kenny and I had a lot of fun preparing the meal; steak, shrimp, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, rolls, and sparkling grape juice - Yummm! We all got dressed up, lit the candles, and turned out the lights. It was beautiful, and Stetson was very impressed! He was so enthralled by the candles that he was good through the whole meal. Then we sang Christmas songs together and read and watched the Nativity. I am so grateful for the gift of the Savior, and this beautiful season that we have to celebrate Him and His life! Christmas morning we woke up bright and early and talked to Kenny's parents on the web cam. They are doing great and accomplishing a lot over in Africa. Then we opened presents. It was so much fun because Stetson was so excited. I guess he had too many presents though, because he got sick of it after awhile, and just wanted to play with the toys he had already opened. I got exactly what I wanted - a camera and some snow boots - yay!!! Kenny and I made a yummy breakfast and Andy and Alicia came over to visit. After digging the truck out of the snow, I drove over to my parents' house where we talked to Jordan on the phone. It was really great to hear his voice. He is currently serving in Kansas, and said that it has been below freezing most of the time. They don't have snow, they have ice! He sounds really good, and I am sure he is an awesome district leader over there. We opened name gifts with my family and ate chips with 5 layer bean dip and little smokies. Kenny and I have decided to start a new tradition with our little family of going out and giving the horses a treat on Christmas. It was fun, and Stetson enjoyed it a lot more this year than last! We went back to my parents' house for our traditional Christmas Day dinner and a movie. We watched Kung Fu Panda, and Kenny and I made frappe for desert. The next morning Stetson opened his three remaining gifts (he enjoyed it a lot more than if we would have made him open them on Christmas). All in all - it was a great Christmas!

My Little Cowboy

Well, it is official, Stetson has learned to ride a horse before he learned to walk! We have had this rocking horse for a long time, and he hasn't showed much interest in it, until recently. He has learned to get on by himself and make it go by himself. It is so funny to watch him hold on with his legs. Sometimes he even puts his feet forward like he is spurring a bucking bronc.He still can't walk by himself, but loves to walk around pushing his bike and walk along the couches and other furniture. Usually you can get him to take a few steps between people once or twice, and then he is done. He just sits down, and when you try to stand him up, he has rubber legs. I think he could do it if he tried. I guess we just have to wait until he is ready. Stubborn little guy!Growing up isn't easy, especially when you are teething. Stetson started to get a runny nose on December 1, by that evening he had a fever, and by the next morning he was throwing up. The poor little guy was so stuffed up, he could hardly breathe, and even when he finally went to sleep he would roll around and moan as if he was in pain. Sure enough, two molars broke through on December 2 - no wonder he was so cranky! The fever went away that evening, but the head cold continued - I think it is going around cuz lots of people are sick!

Even when you are grown up, you have to do things that are hard - like leaving your baby overnight. On December 5 I headed up to Provo with the high school drill team for our first competition at Timpview High. I knew it would be best to leave Stetson home, but I have never left him overnight before. Many thanks to Kenny for taking care of him! I guess Stetson just slept right through the night - no problem, but I woke up like 12 times wondering if he was okay. I think it was good for both of us. Thanks to Alicia for tending Stetson on Saturday while Kenny hauled hay. The drill team did well, and placed second in both Military and Dance. We have a lot of work to do, but I think they did great for their first competition! Go Royals!

Thanksgiving

Okay, I know I am a little late in posting this, but I have been crazy busy and my baby has been sick, so I just haven't gotten around to it. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Kenny's family. All of his siblings and their families were together for Thanksgiving dinner except for his sister Jody and her family, but they came down the next day. The plan was for the guys to work on framing Andy and Alicia's house while the girls prepared the food. We woke up to cloudy skies, and it rained all morning. That didn't stop the guys from working, and when Kenny got home he didn't have a dry spot on his body! My contribution to Thanksgiving dinner was a fruit salad and a veggie tray. Maybe I got a little carried away, but I had a lot of fun - this is how it turned out. . . The most popular things were the black olives and the little pickles, and they were almost gone before we even started dinner! Steve Francom requested the green olives, and what is a Thanksgiving dinner without cheese-stuffed celery? We decided to be creative, so we did some celery with peanut butter, and some with nutela. It is actually pretty good - you should try it sometime!

The food was delicious, and we all stuffed ourselves silly. After dinner we entertained ourselves with arm wrestles and wrestling matches and visiting. Stetson had a great time playing with all his cousins. Then, of course we had delicious pie and ice cream for desert - Yum!

The next two days proved to be a lot nicer, and the guys got a lot done on the house. Alicia was a great host, and fed everyone - even those of us who live in Blanding! Friday night my brother J.J. was able to go through the temple and receieve his endowments. It was awesome! I am so grateful for the wonderful family that I have, and for their willingness to do what is right. Good luck in all your preparations J.J.!

Every year our Stake has a big youth dance just after Thanksgiving called the Gold & Green Ball. For the last few years they have been putting on a floor show. They invite the families, and each ward learns a different dance that they perform. I think it is a lot of fun, and a great experience for the kids. My ward was assigned to do the Polka, and they asked me to teach it. I always thought that the Polka was a very easy dance, but I guess I was wrong. It was a lot of work, but the kids did great! I was able to stay for the whole floor show, and it was very entertaining!

A tough decision

When Stetson was born Kenny and I started thinking about how we could work it out so that I could stay at home and be a mom. We bought a Semi-truck in hopes that Kenny would be able to make enough money to support the family, and I would be able to stay home. It was decided that I would continue to work for another year, and then we would evaluate our situation. Well, the truck was doing well so when November rolled around and Kenny kept asking me if I had talked to my bosses about quitting - I knew I needed to give them plenty of notice. Well, I had been praying about this decision, and had not really gotten a definate answer. All I could think about was how much I didn't want to quit. Mostly because I love my job, I love the people I work with, and they are so good to me! I know I would never be able to find another job that would allow me to work for 4 hours a day, pay me salary, and give me time off and benefits. Finally I decided that I was just being selfish and that I needed to think of what was best for my family. So, I talked to my boss. It was one of the hardest things I have done in my life. It went okay, but for the rest of the day I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach - I was really scared! What if things didn't work out with the truck, and Kenny couldn't make enough money to pay the bills? What would we do without insurance? What if I had to try to find another job that didn't pay as much and I didn't enjoy? I couldn't sleep all night. Finally I decided that this was the answer that I had been praying for - I needed to keep working. So I aproached them the next day and asked to take back my resignation. I knew it was a long shot, but I had to try! They were kind enough to take me back. You would not believe the feeling of relief I had come over me! I am so grateful that the Lord answers prayers!