Sandy and Steve

Ok. So, I know that I have a lot of posting to do about Christmas and our trip. But, I just received this picture from Granddad and I had to put it up for you all to see. I am so in love with it. This is Steve with his mom when he was 7 weeks old. So cute. This is where my Ben Ben came from!! :O)

The Sounds in My House Tonight!

Oh what wonderful sounds are traveling through my little, tiny house!! Caleb is in his room teaching himself how to play his new harmonica. He is playing "When the Saints come Marching In." (Doing a very good job, I might add)

Or is that really Caleb? :O)

And then there is my little teenie bopper!! She is blasting "Love Bug" by the Jonas Brothers. She is in love with Nick. She told me that I have to write how wonderful he is in this post. :O) I think I will be singing this song in my sleep tonight.

And here in the front room are the fabulous oohs and ahhs from my little man. He is singing along with Mozart in his play gym. I love the sounds of a full house. Notice, there is one face missing. That does not mean that he is not making noise this evening. Oh no!! My husband is here and is being very Steve. As usual, he is sharing all of his thoughts and ideas!!! Would he be Steve if he wasn't? :O)

Tuckered Out!!

What a weekend this has been. We have been busy!! It all started with some Christmas shopping on Thursday night. It is finally starting to get a little chilly outside at night. So we have to do a little bundling before we go out now. Not much though.

The kids came on Friday night. We had fun playing with Ben. He is smiling SO much now. And he coos and tries to laugh a little. He LOVES his brother and sister. He just stares at them and laughs at them. Kennedy and I stayed up until almost 11 with him on Friday night listening to him laugh. It was fun! Last night we went to the Mormon Temple in Mesa to see the Christmas lights. They decorate it so beautifully. I love Christmas lights. Nothing gets me in the spirit of the season more than Christmas lights. And there were plenty to look at. They were everywhere we looked, even in the ground. Ben loved looking at them, too. He is really starting to become aware of his surroundings. Especially if his surroundings are lit up!! :O) He was so cute. We got some pictures of all of the kids. You can kind of see the lights in the background, but of course, the pictures do not do it justice. And then there is my family. I tried so hard to get a good picture of the kids with their Dad. Well, you'll see what happened. I was able to get a couple of good ones, but not many. Good ones just aren't fun enough for these goofballs, I guess. :O)

Trying so hard to give me a "normal" face.

I love this picture. She is so pretty.

And here it begins.

So Cute!!

All bundled up. It was really cold and windy. He didn't seem to mind though. Such a good boy!!

This is what happened tonight after Caleb and Kennedy left. Crash and burn under the Christmas Tree. My favorite gift. :O)

Our Trip to CA.

Ok. It has been a long time since I have added a new post. Well, I was in California last week, and I didn't get around to uploading any pictures. We had so much fun. Aunt Nancy flew down from Vegas so that she could help me fly with Ben for the first time. I know I am a huge wuss, but I was so scared to fly alone with him. I was afraid that he would scream the whole time and people would throw things at me. So, thank you, thank you Aunt Nancy for coming all the way to Phoenix to help us!! Ben was actually great on the plane. No screaming. But, he pooped both times. And let me tell ya, this kid can clear a room. With the recycled air in the plane, I'm sure the whole cabin was looking at the stranger next to them. :O) Any way he was really good both ways. Here is a picture of him on the way back. It is not technically his 1st plane ride, but the camera battery was dead for that one. :O(

He was a very good passenger. He even got to meet the pilot. We were the last ones off the plane. (easier that way) And I always love it when the pilot comes out when we are deboarding. I always love to be able to thank them for a safe flight. I am usually a little uneasy in the plane, and very thankful when we land!!!

We had a very busy week while we were there. Ben met a lot more of his family. I didn't get near as many pictures as I should have. No Gramps and Coco, no Grandma Paula, Grandpa Michael, Grandma Jennie, or Paula Faye. He even met some of my favorite girls, Tricia, Ashley and Kristin, but no pictures. I am really going to work on this picture taking thing at Christmas time when we are back. There are even more family members to meet. I am so excited!!

Playing with Uncle Phil

Uncle Ralph and Aunt Barbara

Uncle Joe

Another one of my favorite girls, Jamie.

What?!?! No one was holding this poor, ignored child?!?!?

WELLLLLL....... I guess we just better fix that!!!!

Aunt Nancy!!



Papa Paul

Uncle Phil and Auntie Erika

No, there was no lack of attention for the Noodle. I am amazed that he still allows me to put him down every once in a while. :O)

On a serious note, Grandpa Michael had a heart attack on Thursday night. We are so thankful that he is ok now. He had two stints put in his heart and he got to go home yesterday. He didn't get to spend much time with Ben, because he spent most of the week not feeling good. We are looking forward to seeing him. We might get a chance to see him next week. They may take a drive out here during his mandatory time off of work. I swear we might have to tie that man down. Rest and get well, Grandpa. We love you.

And then we came home, in time to go with Daddy to his work Holiday party. This was not a family event, like Steve told me, and no it was not a Halloween party. There were no other children there. But, there we were. Me and my baby, and this guy.....

See, this was the night that Movember moustaches were being judged. Ensemble mattered!! There were a few different categories. There was Best All Around Mo, Classiest Mo, oh I can't remember the others except for Trashiest Mo. This is the Mo that you would run away from if you faced it in a dark alley. This is the Mo that goes with Pabst Blue Ribbon and Wings in a restaurant with sawdust on the floor. Guess who won that category?!?!?

Bowchickabowwow!!!!

Oh, my husband in all his authentic Playboy shirt glory!! What a catch!!! :O) And now, he is off to pursue his career in adult films. No autographs, please!!! :O)