Holiday Party at IT'Z

The program here has been so nice to invite us to their holiday parties. Today the whole family got to go for a pizza buffet and lots of video games at IT'Z...pretty good company party (especially considering we don't really work for the company).

We all had so much fun, but the reason I'm blogging about it is so I can remember my personal highlight of the night...winning this little angry bird!

Before I married Clark I thought these claw games were a big set-up. I thought it was impossible for anyone to win. Well, Clark showed me the light. He has some uncanny talent for the claw and can win pretty much everytime. We have an assortment of large and small stuffed animals he has won over the years. Well tonight it was momma's turn to bring home the animal!!! It only took me two tries!

Ethan's highlight was the spinoli.

Caden's highlight was this free merry-go-round, and he rode it A LOT! He LOVES horses!

Clark's highlight was seeing me about get whip-lashed right out of my bumper car, a 10 year old boy chased me around the whole time...relentless:

And this last video is just one of my favorite things that Caden has been doing lately. When he gets excited he tucks his arms in, scrunches up his nose, and makes a funny little laugh.

Nothing says Christmas like pizza and an arcade!

River of Lights

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me a trip to Albuquerque's River of Lights. It was amazing! We saw everything from zoo animals, to an under sea world, to a giant pumpkin we could go inside. Then my camera battery died, but it was such a chill (literally), cool (literally again), and fun activity!

Wow...lights!

Choose This Day

This video reminded me that every day counts! Our adventure this year moving around all of the time has been challenging. I miss feeling like I am a part of a community, congregation, and friends. Sometimes it feels a little lonely. Every time I pray about these challenges I always receive the same answer - and that is to find ways to do service for others. I have learned that being part of a ward and accepting church callings and visiting teaching assignments has always given me built in opportunities to serve others. I miss that, it is definitely more challenging to find service opportunities when you are in a new place.
As Clark and I were planning our Christmas activities for our countdown this last week most of the ideas Clark came up with were service oriented. I kind of brushed his ideas off simply because they seemed impossible since we don't know many people here. Tonight our Christmas activity was service oriented. It was exciting and meant a lot to us (hopefully it will help someone else out too). It inspired me to search for a way to be an instrument in the hands of Lord everyday while we are here. I love how Pres. Eyring basically said that a morning prayer and a quick search in the scriptures to find out what we can do for the Lord that day will change our whole day for the better. And it is true, I know that as I pray for opportunities they will come (no matter what state we happen to live in that month)!

End and Beginning of an Era

Today was Ethan's official last day of nursery, and Caden's official first day. At church kids can start attending the nursery when they are 18 months old - this was Ethan on his first day in 2009.

I can't believe how fast it has gone! Ethan has loved nursery from day one. Today when we were driving home from church he said, "I wish I could go to nursery every day and every night." Today he was so excited to show Caden the ropes. I peeked in at them once and they were playing in their matching blue pin striped vests side by side. It melted my heart, they looked pretty cute. I wish they had a few more weeks to be in there together before Ethan graduates into primary. After church when I asked Ethan how Caden did he proudly reported that Caden did great, he sat up on the chair and ate the snack just like a big kid! Caden seemed so little in there compared to Ethan.

I love these brothers, especially when they are being sweet to eachother! These were taken tonight playing in the new tent that Clark won at a Christmas party this weekend.

Who Wore It Better?

Over the weekend in Utah Korin was caught shoplifting, and while being questioned her car was burglarized...leading to a mugshot!
At the same time in Albuquerque Steph was caught eating Frosted Mini Wheats in bed...leading to a mugshot!
Two great mug shots, the question is who wore it better?

Crime really doesn't pay, they definitely don't do "re-takes" down at the station.

News story here: http://www.ksl.com/

Christmas Countdown

Every morning Ethan gets to flip over one of these ornaments to see what our Christmas activity is for the day.

Day 2 was building gingerbread houses...

Look at that proud little grin.

I think Clark is glad to have his family back!

This was our village when we were all finished. Ethan did the triangle house all by himself, and the little clapboard house on the right is what was left of Caden's by the end.

Frosting, Family, and Festive!

Since we don't have any of our decorations with us this year, we had to be a little creative in decking the halls of our Albuquerque apartment. Thanks to the 2 little trees Harvey and Rebecca loaned us, a new nativity set that is perfect for the boys to play with, and some rocking ribbon I found at Hobby Lobby our place is now full of Christmas cheer.

I'm calling this the Christmas Canopy! Caden just keeps reaching for the ceiling yelling, "ball, ball."

Christmas Conversations with Ethan

In the car we've been listening to the Christmas music on the radio and we have heard the song, "I Want To See Christmas Through Your Eyes," quite a bit. Ethan asked me what that meant, so I had him put his eyes next to mine and stare at the Christmas tree lights and see if he could see Christmas through my eyes, he said he could. Even though that catchy little tune isn't my favorite I get it...this year I feel like I've seen Christmas again through the eyes of a 3 year old and it is pretty entertaining!

He is excited about Christmas! Tonight he ran into the living room and yelled, "I just checked my calendar and it is Christmas time!"

This year Ethan has noticed all of the Salvation Army Bell Ringers as we go in and out of stores. When he asked me what they were doing, I explained that people could put money in the red kettles to help others who need it.

Ethan loves putting a little change in the kettles when we pass. On Saturday night as we pulled into the Walmart parking lot, Ethan saw a Bell Ringer and started to explain to his Dad what they were doing. He explained that the money was going into the kettles to help people that were hungry, then he paused and said, "yeah if them are hungry, them could eat the money."

He also loves to hear the story of Jesus' birth. Last week after telling him about the gifts that the 3 wise men brought Jesus, I asked Ethan if he would have been there what gift he would have brought. Without hesitating he excitedly said, "a golden cup that is so fragile." Several times he has asked me quite concerned, "if Jesus' birthday is on Christmas, then when does He get to celebrate Christmas?" I assured him that a birthday and Christmas can be on the same day.

Kids make holidays the best!

Our Travels To Destination G: Albuquerque

The 1,500 miles that Clark had to travel from Seattle to Albuquerque were not "uneventful." The first night on his way to meet us in Boise his car broke down in Yakima. He ended up staying the night and getting his car fixed the next day just to get stranded in a snow storm in Burlley, Idaho the next night. Saturday night the house we had planned to rent here fell through! Sunday Clark arrived in Albuquerque to stay with his Uncle Harvey and Aunt Rebecca for a few days and was also able to get the apartment back that we had canceled the week before. It was a whirlwind of a weekend.
During that same time I drove with my mom and the boys to Vernal to visit my Grandma Peterson and to be there Saturday for my cousin Lindsey's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and I was happy to be there.

Ethan got to sleep on the special treadmill bed at Grandma's.

On Sunday we drove to Salt Lake to spend time with Grandpa and Nada. My mom and I braved riding TRAX downtown with the boys to see the beautiful Christmas lights at Temple Square.

The boys and I decided to wait a few days for the storms to pass before traveling to Albuquerque and had a lot of fun laying over in Utah for a few days. We got to spend an evening with Weston and Erica. I got to hang out with my friend Margaret from Des Moines, Ethan was so excited to see his buddy Shannon, and meet the cute little Dustin.

Ethan and Shannon at the BYU Creamery.

We also got to stay the night with James and Erica.

Caden was so tired, he fell asleep watching a movie with Aunt Erica.

Uncle James taught Caden how to do a slam dunk!

On Wednesday I drove from Provo to Durango with no problems. We had fun staying with Clark's parents that night, then they helped us move our furniture and get to Albuquerque the next day. Harvey and Rebecca met us here to stock our new apartment with groceries and help us unload. We ended up using Plan B, Plan C, and Plan D to get to Destination G...but we are here!!! We were so overwhelmed with all of the help from family, we couldn't have made it without it!

Blessings of Being Homeless

Its a blessing when Grandpa and Grammy take you to eat at Big Jud's.

And Grammy gives you a ride on her giant dog.

And Grandpa takes you to high school football and BSU basketball games.

And Grammy sleeps under the Christmas tree with you one special night.

And Grandpa makes you special treats, shares his drinks and makes you lots of ice cream cones!

It really has been a blessing for us to stay the whole month with Grandpa and Grammy. If we weren't homeless I don't think we would have ever had a visit that long. My boys LOVE their grandparents and I'm grateful we had the chance to be so close for so long. It will be a hard adjustment to be far away again. I think Ethan summed it up pretty well last night while I was tucking him in he said, "I really like this house." I really like it too.

Caden's Update

Today Caden had his follow up appointment at MSTI Pediatrics. His first appointment there I felt like a zombie mom I was so nervous, but today I was calm and I could see how truly amazing this place is. I am certain there are angels (seen and unseen) in that place.
Everyone we came in contact with was so kind and wonderful. Caden didn't even mind getting his blood drawn because he was distracted by the fun bubbles they were blowing for him. A child life specialist played with Ethan in the lobby so I wouldn't have to worry about him during the appointment.

We found out Caden's bone marrow is producing cells again (hooray!), however some of his levels are still low and a couple of tests came back positive for an unusual type of anemia...but for now we are just watching him. We will continue to test his blood and try to figure out what is going on with him.

On our way home-they let the boys pick a hat on our way out. Ethan loves his new blue and yellow beanie. HA!

So my cute little Caden is now officially 18 months! I've always loved him, but having this experience the last few weeks just makes me so grateful for every little laugh and even every little mess he makes!

Caden is such a fun age right now. I feel like this last month he's an official toddler no longer a baby. He is a happy little boy and a determined little boy. He thinks that when someone tells him "no" it really means "hurry up and go faster before they can stop me!"
He has a contagious little low pitched giggle and laughs easily.
He is still a little snuggler. He loves to be held tight, he gives great slobbery kisses, and I love when he wraps his arms tight around my neck for a real hug.

He is a climber! His agility makes him a master mess maker, nothing is off limits to him.

We love his little run, so cute!

He is getting pretty good at non-verbal communication...he points until we can figure out what he needs. He understands what we say and is listening even when we think he isn't. The words he uses the most are doggy, momma, dada, snack, juice, and Jesus when he sees His picture.
His favorites are dogs, horses, playing with Ethan, juice boxes, fruit snacks, and dancing when music comes on. He loves to get into things (literally), he thinks he can fit anywhere including his little toy barn, small boxes, etc. He is constantly trying to get in tight places.
He loves going to bed when he is tired (it is weird), he giggles and then with a huge grin he snuggles onto his big pillow and waits for me to tuck him in with his blankie.
I love Caden at 18 months!

Hoppity Hop...A Real Christmas Nightmare

Did you ever ride one of these when you were young?

We did at my Grandma Turpin's house. I remember them being so much fun, so I was so excited this year when I discovered that they make an adult sized hoppity hop! This weekend we exchanged sibling Christmas gifts since none of us will actually be together on Christmas. I got to give to my brother Weston, and Clark had my brother James. We decided to go with the political jumping balls.

These things are a blast! Weston and James were pretty good. Weston managed to hop out the front door, down the step, and clear down the sidewalk. We want James to ride his across campus to class!

It became a bit of a Christmas nightmare when I got a little overly confident in my skills. Going full force I tried to hop down the step from the kitchen to the living room...clearly a lapse in judgment considering there is a large piano at the bottom of the step. I got launched from the ball, rocked the piano, luckily catching my weight with my hand and not my head, and ricocheted into the living room. After a few mins. I could see again and thought I had broken my hand, but apparently I can fall well because it is just a little bruised.

P.S. Dear Santa, I've been very good this year and a hoppity hop would make my Christmas complete. Love, Stephanie

Christmas Tree Hunting

On Saturday we all went up to the mountains to find a Christmas tree. It was a beautiful day and the snow that had fallen was pretty much melted so we hit the trail to find the perfect tree.

Caden insisted on hiking all by himself until we hit the snow bank and it was literally to steep for him to take one more step. Then Clark carried him. Every time Clark would slip and sometimes even fall Caden would just cackle like it was the best ride ever, it was so funny.

Ethan thought every tree looked just right, including the 200 footers.

The perfect tree in the back of the truck. We just got the lights on it tonight and it is beautiful!

Giving Thanks

We had the best Thanksgiving weekend! We have so many things to be thankful for.

This weekend we gave thanks to have Clark back with us for a few days! Hooray! He had two little shadows pretty much the whole weekend.

I was thankful to have my whole family together for Thanksgiving. This was the first time since Clark and I have been married that we have been able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family, and it was wonderful.

We were all thankful for a delicious meal, Caden was so excited he was eating with his spoon and his fork at the same time.

I was thankful for fun sister-in-laws to hang out with. Erica Dee took me to get a manicure for my birthday gift.

I was thankful none of us girls got peppered sprayed going for the big bargains on Black Friday. I did get a few good finds, thank you Wal-Mart for matching ads.

Even though I didn't get any pictures I'm thankful that Kelly and Jerry hung out with us a few times so we could see them and their cute kids.

I'm thankful for the laughs we had at Prairie Dog Playhouse our last night together.

I'm thankful we could ring in Weston's 28th year with him.

This little video just kind of sums up the whole weekend. Throwing pie pans and Caden yelling gobble, gobble...

Life is good!