My awesome birthday present!

For my birthday this year, Don got me an embroidery machine. I have enjoyed playing with it so much! Here are some of the things that I've done. I hope you like them!!

Tornado!!

I can honestly say that Mondays (at least this past monday) really suck! Gina and I had spent the morning out shopping and running errands. On our way back into town, around 2:00, I noticed how dark and murky it had become and commented to Gina that it might rain. We arrived home just at the boys returned from school. Brennan wanted to play with Gabe and Gina had to run back into town, so I kept Gabe at our house. With the boys playing upstairs, I continued to clean the house and play with Nolan when suddenly there was this really loud siren going on. I had no idea what it was, so I called my next-door neighbor Ginger. She said that it was the tornado siren and we were under a tornado warning for the next few hours.

With that info, I took the boys downstairs with some blankets, flashlights, and Gateraid to camp out under the stairs. Even though our basement has windows, it was so dark outside that it looked like night. Shortly after we got into the basement, the power went out and we sat in the dark for around 20 min. During this time the boys continued to play their DS's like nothing was happening and I was listening to the rain and hail. Over the next 20-30 min the power went on and then off and on and off again. Even when the power came back on, the lights flickered. It was really eerie. Around 4, Don called and he talked me through the last part of the storm. When we came upstair, I could see the dark clouds to the north of us and see the tree branches in the lot next door that had fallen down. It reminded me of the micro-bursts that we would get in Utah.

It wasn't until the next day that I found out the extent of what had happened. The tornado did touch down about 5 miles north of us, leveling almost all of Edward's Apple Orchard (I've written about it in past blogs). It also took down a two-story house across the street. The news said that the winds reached around 165 mph when the tornado hit. The path was just north of us and went over Brennan's school. I took a drive up to view the area and it was aweful. There were siding pieces wrapped around trees and debris everywhere. Trees were uprooted and branches littered about.

We are so blessed to have been passed over.

5 Month Pictures

This post is going to be short and sweet- here is the link to view Nolan's 5 month pictures from Sears. I think they are adorable!!!

https://www.searsphotos.com/?shareid=S205925287l6XCPT4556Z

Christmas Cookies and Holiday Hearts

This past week has been filled with fun Christmas activities. I've almost felt like I'm back in Utah with my family. (Boy do I miss them!) We had a sleep over with Gabe and Caleb where we made and decorated sugar cookies- more ended up on the floor than on the cookies.

Brennan and I have been baking up a storm. First, we made White Chocolate Chocolate Cookies which are a new personal favorite of mine. Brennan is turning into a mini Don because, just like Don, he now just wants to eat the cookie dough instead of baking the cookies! The next night we baked cinnamon rolls and peanut butter bars to take to Don's work for a Christmas treat. While we were baking, Brennan and I sang Christmas Carols to Nolan. Nolan thought we were the craziest people, but he just smiled and laughed the entire time. That night, we received a large ice storm that shut down the schools, so when Gina and I delivered the treats, we had the entire entourage in tow! There were more of us than of people working for Don. All in all, it was a great week with lots of love and baking!!

Snow!

This weekend we received about 3 inches of snow- just enough that you have to shovel it. Well, we all know that I'm not going to get out and shovel (as evident by the many times I've gotten stuck just outside of the drive because I'm too lazy or running too far behind to shovel). Anyway, because I didn't want to shovel, Don and Brennan went outside to shovel out the Mercury so we could go to Ben and Gina's to eat dinner and play Settlers. And we all know that nothing could keep Don away from Settlers!!!

Hearing Don, I grabbed my camera and took some pictures- Yes, there was some shoveling going on between the snowball fights and snow angels!

Better Late than Never- right??

Nolan and Gram
Nolan's 1st Thanksgiving
Such cute Brothers!!
He's such a happy baby!!

Now I know that I'm not the best on keeping up with things- there are so many things that I've started on and done well for a month or so and then just give up, but this is not going to be one of those things!!! Between Thanksgiving and Brennan's school and Don's work, and Nolan's everything, I just haven't found time to slow down and write, so I just decided that I would make time.

Right now seems like the perfect time to just write- It's snowing outside. The first snow of the season and the first real snow I've seen in years. I never knew that I'd miss it so much or that it would bring back such vivid memories. Memories of growing up and playing in the snow. Memories of snowy nights and long conversations with family and friends. Memories of Christmas' that I thought I'd forgotten. I can feel the childlike anticipation for Santa and the reindeer. I can feel the spirit of Christ and peacefulness of the season. But most of all, I feel the COLD!!

Last night, Brennan and I went with our neighbors Ginger, Jacob, and Haylee to see the Stake present "The Light of the World" (a church presentation of the birth of Christ). I went expecting to see a so-so production and have Brennan not watch the play. It was much better than I expected and Brennan watched in amazement at the chorus and actors singing about the happenings before Christ was born. He was full of so may questions-"Where is God?", "Why are there angels" and the most common question "This is non-fiction, right mom?" (chalk that up to school). I answered all the questions I could and came to a realization that I have a very inquisitive child who will take what I tell him as the law and never question it. I realized what my mom has been telling me about all these years. Teach him about Jesus. So I explained to him about the birth and why we celebrate Christmas. He was full of questions (but then again, when isn't he?) and every answer I gave him he took as the full truth. I was amazing to see such understanding in such a small child.

Since moving here, I've come to realize just how much I've been blessed these past few years. I've been blessed with such a large family to love and such amazing sisters!! I've been blessed to have such wonderful true friends in my life who are always willing to do anything to help out. I've been blessed with luck!! Luck in finding a job in Houston- luck in finding a great husband- luck in having great in-laws!! I'm not saying there weren't trials and really tough times in my life (we all know there were), but I have realized that I've been given a lot.

Okay- enough with the emotional part (it makes me cry because I think of mom), so I'm going to post some cute pictures and I think that you'll like them as much as I do!!

Brothers

I'm going to keep this post short and sweet.

Sunday we purchased Nolan a high chair and started him on solid foods (loves bananas, hates pears). The high chair we got matches the swing and makes jungle noises- it entertains both Nolan and Brennan. So tonight Brennan wanted to play with Nolan and his high chair, yet Nolan wanted nothing to do with it. Note the bored expression!

For the past few days, Brennan has been running around the house with this monkey wanting me to take a picture of it. His monkey is named Unkey and has the same birthday as Brennan (info from Brennan). He is such an imaginative child!