Tiny Glimpse of Heaven

After having the flu run through our entire family, including myself I am pretty drained. I noticed yesterday that along with the aches and pains of this terrible virus Aaron is also getting his incisor teeth. So, you can imagine that he is still crying. I have tried everything but the little guy is so persistent. Finally I decided to turn on a CD (mostly for my sanity), I picked the little guy up and he tucked right into me. As I was spinning him around the floor watching his tiny eyes get droopy I hoped that when my life was over and I traveled through its precious moments I would be able to stand and watch this quiet moment. Then I remembered the story of a night when I was a tiny crying baby, probably much like Aaron, and my daddy danced me to sleep. I laughed a little and thought isn't it funny how things really don't change from one generation to the next. One day little Aaron will be dancing his tiny baby to sleep too. I am so grateful for such wonderful parents who taught me to be a mother. As a went to lay my tiny guy down I noticed that he had been holding a Reese's candy which was now entirely melted all over his hand and the sleeve my new shirt. I guess we will start all over.

Let it Snow!

We finally got some snow! I am so excited. I got up this morning when Chris was leaving to work and there was a bunch a people form the neighborhood all up helping shovel driveways and pushing cars down the road. There is so much snow that it goes up to Brandon's waist. He had a blast. He got out his bulldozer and scooped the snow he buried himself, went snow surfing on the sled and just had a blast. His snow pants don't fit him this year so I sent him out in jeans. They were soaking wet when I made him come inside but he didn't care. Aaron on the other hand hates the snow. I put the boys in the sled to take them for a ride and Aaron screamed all the way down the block. He would rather stay under the carport where the snow does not touch him. What a weirdy! I have never seen so much snow and it is still falling. I was so excited I couldn't even go back to sleep this morning. Good thing I have Brandon to enjoy it with. I guess Aaron is just going to have to hibernate inside.

Last day of fall

We were leaving church today and Brandon started throwing leaves all around. Aaron thought it was hilarious. He was laughing so hard and we were laughing at him. It was so nice out we just let them play. Chris told me this was going to be the last nice day of this year and I was totally bummed out. I hope he is wrong. We have a video too. It his on our phone but I will try and figure out how to get it on the computer. You may also wonder why Brandon is not in any pictures- well he moves to fast. Sometimes I think it would just ruin his fun if I made him hold still and pose for me. Oh well.

Chris's Buddy

So this is kinda funny- Chris was out working one day and this little squirrel jumped into his van and started running up and down his arm. It turned out that the squirrel was a pet of the man who owned to house, but still can you imagine.

Beus's Pond

We always love going to Beus's Pond. It is a nice little walk around the pond for our kids and they get to feed the ducks. We decided Aaron was old enough to feed to ducks all by himself this time. I showed him how to hold out his little hand and it was so cute. He was very calm when the big geese came over a plucked the bread out of his hand. I think he was a little surprised they were eating his treats. After he shared a few pieces he decided to feed himself the bread instead.

Aaron's 1st Birthday

Oh my baby is one! Someone at Costco asked me how old he was the other day and I started tearing up. I bet they never ask anyone else that question again. What is it about the first birthday that is so much more special? I don't know I guess it is because they change so much in the first year. Aaron has been such a joy in our home. He has the happiest smile that could melt Antarctica. He loves to try anything Brandon does. He loves music, especially when Chris sings. He is a snuggle bug. His favorite words are no, no, no, mama, and dada. He shoots for the stairs when Chris comes home and he wants to wrestle and play. He will eat anything and he is always hungry- don't even ask just bring it. He tries so hard to walk but he still looks like a pinball crashing into walls and furniture. He cannot make it through one hour of church. I know some of you still have this problem! He hates things on his head and feet. He likes to blow bubbles in the tub with his mouth, and he loves to read stories- especially the ones that make noise. Happy Birthday sweet baby Aaron.

Rowley's Pumpkin Patch

Here we are at the pumpkin patch. This is one of our family traditions. We love riding out on the hayride and picking the perfect pumpkin. I took Brandon to Discovery Gateway a few weeks ago and they read a story about a littlest pumpkin who never got picked to go home with anyone, so Brandon was determined to find the littlest pumpkin and take it home. He found this one and was so happy. Then we got back to the barn and found an even smaller one. Don't worry the littlest pumpkin has found a home! Aaron liked the bumpy ride and snuggled right into me- it was a little chilly. The Rowley's put up a cute maze but it was getting pretty dark so we opted to get back to the warm barn and have treats instead: Ice Cream, Homemade Candies, and Kettle Corn- Yummy!

Aaron's Birthday Card

Aaron is going to be 1 on Friday. His Grandma Hess sent him a singing chipmunk card for his birthday and he is loving it. He keeps opening it up and dancing to the music. When it stops he closes it and opens it again. It is hilarious. He waves his arms in the air and bounces to the music. Of course as soon as he sees the camera he is not as animated but you get the picture.

Tulsa Zoo Enrichment Day

We had so much fun at the Tulsa Zoo. We just happened to go on the annual enrichment day and it was so awesome. The kids got to ride a camel, go on the train, and they dug for tokens that got them a free ride on the carousel. We all had fun watching the animals do their enrichment activities. We saw an elephant taking a shower and chimps playing with paper mache. The kids also got a map with different spots to get special stamps around the zoo. At the end they got to turn in their map for a special prize. Brandon chose a chimp button. It was really a fun day. Thanks Grandma and Papa.

Fort Bridger

Here we go on another fun vacation. My sister Brittany decided to get married in Nauvoo, IL. Chris had never been there so he wanted to stop at all of the pioneer sites along the way. Our first and last stop was Fort Bridger. We pulled in and looked through the little houses and enjoyed the museum when Chris decided he had seen enough. The boys were enjoying being out of the car and I wanted to see the fort so we walked around the corner to it. Oops, should have gotten in the car. The man there was an old preacher of some other religion and very anti-mormon. This is what I learned. "Them darned Mormons came in here and stole this fort and then burnt it to the ground. They were trying to kill the entire American government." Oh my. I decided to just nod and move on. We just drove to Nauvoo after that.

Brittany's Wedding

Brittany and Josh were married on September 3, 2010 in the Nauvoo, IL Temple. Brittany looked so beautiful and we couldn't be more excited to have Josh in our family. It is so much fun to watch our family grow. During the ceremony the sealer counseled them to remember that little things they may fight over will not matter in the long run. He told Josh to remember that when Brittany says she wants something done she wants it done now and done her way. He reminded Brittany that three times a day Josh would want to eat, and to feed him. He was really a sweet man. Congrats Britt and Josh!

Brittany's Wedding

This is the cutest story ever. Britt bought these sparkly silver converse shoes and didn't tell Josh. She was so excited and knew he was just going to think they were so great. The day of their wedding Josh's mom walked into the temple with a converse box. He had secretly bought his own shiny black converse shoes. Both of them really thought they were going to surprise the other. It was so funny to see their faces when they saw the other ones shoes. I guess they are already starting to think as one.

Brandon's Funnies

So Brandon is quite a hoot lately. I always want to remember the funny things that he says. Here are a few of my fav's...

Walking out of Costco- Yells..., "Whoa mom look at that guy, he has a stick in his mouth that makes him blow smoke."
I had to explain to him that it was not cool and that it would make him sick, his lungs would turn black, and he would die. To which he replied, "I don't wanna turn black. I'm never gonna do that."

Brandon loves to do anything with Chris but sometimes he is not invited. Now he asks "Hey dad is this something that dad's can do and boys can do?"

We asked Brandon what his favorite pizza was- "The spotted one" Figure that out!

He burps and asks "Did you hear that?"

Thanks for making me laugh Brandon.

Super Saturday

Ogden City has free Saturday activities during the summer. We have not taken advantage all summer so this week I decided to make a day of it. We started out at the Home Depot, went to the Ogden Nature Center, and toured Union Station. We really had a great time and we couldn't have done it with out Grandma Hess. Thanks for your help. The boys love spending time with you.

Union Station

Yes, Brandon is teaching Aaron to eat rocks. We had a great time outside on the big trains too but my camera battery died. I guess we will just have to go back!

Ogden Nature Center

So much fun! I don't know what it is about boys, but they really do need to be outside. We had a great afternoon hiking and playing and eating snacks at the Ogden Nature Center. We saw a bear cave, a tadpole pool, lots of butterflies, dragon flies, and bees, we hiked to the lookout tower, saw snakes, taratulas, owls, turkeys, and many other birds.After our hike we visited the education building and I helped Brandon make a little bug jar. It was a really fun afternoon. Cool fact *all of this land was once owned by Chris's family on his grandmothers side. So, it had a little bit of a historical value as well. Notice the picture of Brandon and Grandma Hess. See how the trees look dark in the middle. We were walking up the path and Brandon must have noticed the darkness ahead. It was so funny because his little hand just creeped up to hers. I could tell he was getting a little bit nervous.

Brandon's Kisses

This is so cute. Brandon's Grandmas are so special to him.

Home Depot Fun

So I know I have posted about Home Depot before but Brandon's face is so funny and Chris got such a kick out of the tattoo artist. If you don't know already Home Depot does a free kids building workshop the first week of every month. Well this month after you did your project they had this guy there that would do face painting, or arm painting. Brandon chose a red giant robot. I didn't even notice the guys tattoo when I was there but when Chris saw the picture he started laughing hysterically. Notice the huge tattoo on his arm. I guess Brandon has had his first artwork done. Great lesson mom!