Merry Christmas 2008

We had a great Christmas this year. On Christmas Eve we ate dinner with the whole family and had our annual chime playing extravaganza. I think we're getting better.

For as long as I can remember, we've had a breakfast at my grandparent's house on Christmas morning but we decided after so many years they deserved a break and so we had it at my parent's house instead. I was put on "pancake duty" which was my grandpa's job so it was a lot to live up to but they turned out pretty good. We only had a couple of casualties while I was attempting to flip them over. After we ate we opened a few presents and finally got Eliza changed out of her pajamas. She mostly got clothes from me and Matt which isn't terribly exciting but her grandparents gave her fun things. She got a big Elmo doll and a little picnic table from my parents. Matt's parents gave her some Elmo slippers and an Elmo doctor kit. We're hoping that will help her not freak out next time she has to get her ears checked at the doctor.

This Christmas was really fun to see Eliza a little more involved than last year. She figured out that she really likes opening presents and is willing to help everyone else with their packages. It's been nice this year too because my brother and his family that live in Phoenix are in town so we've gotten to spend the holidays with the whole family and they got to enjoy a very white Christmas.

New Baby Coming!

So a few of you already know but Emily and I would like to officially announce that Emily and I are expecting child #2. We had our 1st doctors appointment this morning and the doctor did an ultrasound and it brought back all of the memories of when Emily was pregnant with Eliza. Even though the new baby is just a little peanut right now, he/she was very active moving around inside. The doctor said Emily is about 10-11 weeks along and we are looking at a due date of July 6th. This is such an exciting time in our lives and we really feel blessed that we are able to bring another child into this world. Emily has been pretty sick lately and also very tired so it looks like I will be spending my nights watching sports alone after Eliza goes to sleep. This may be a little difficult to adjust to, not the watching sports part, but watching sports alone. Usually Emily blogs about Twilight and her dream man Rob while I yell at the TV during Jazz and Cougar games. In other family news, it appears that we have finally sold our condo and should complete the sale by Friday so we can officially start to search for a new home to live in. This has been a very frustrating process and we are are still cautious that things could fall through, but everything seems to be in good order this time. I really feel blessed that I have so much family that has supported us during this time in our lives and for a loving wife and daughter to come home to every night. I have been thinking about how sweet Eliza is and how much she means to me, even when she is throwing tantrums for no reason. I love to spend time with her and getting her to say funny phrases like "Boozer" during Jazz games or "Game Day" during BYU games. It always brings a good feeling to me at work when I look at pictures of Eliza and Emily and the best part of my day is when I walk through the door after work and get to see them. A lot of changes are coming for us searching for a new home to live in, a new ward to go to, and new neighbors and friends to meet. Child number 2 will be a big adjustment for us but we are up for the challenge and consider it a great blessing in our lives. Emily and I don't agree on any boy names so far and somewhat agree on a couple girl names but we will have plenty of time to find a name that we both agree on. Thank you to all of our friends and family who make a difference in our lives, even if it is the smallest thing. We love and appreciate all of you!

For those of you who can't read the small print, 2 pink bars=pregnant

This is the ultrasound picture. You can totally tell there is a baby somewhere on that screen.

Meeting Santa

My mom's work had a Christmas party Monday night. It was so nice! They had popcorn and cookies for all the kids. There was a magician and a face painter, as well. While we were waiting in line, Santa came down the hall with one of his 'elves' and Eliza got so excited. She started shouting, "Santa! Santa!" It's funny because she doesn't really know who Santa is or what he does but she recognizes him anytime we see anything with his picture on it. Once we got to the front of the line she was still excited but not so sure if she wanted to sit on his lap. She didn't cry but as you can see, she was a little worried. The whole party was so fun and I'm glad we haven't traumitized her yet and she's still excited about Christmas.

Happy Birthday!

Today Eliza turns two years old! On Saturday we had a birthday party which was lots of fun. I'm not sure she really understood what the big celebration was for but she wasn't complaining about all the presents she received. She got two new outfits, new pajamas, a Mrs. Potato Head, two dolls and a baby stroller. She also got a new book and a Signing Time DVD which she loves.

This is Eliza wearing the glasses from her Mrs. Potato Head. We think she looks like Ralphie from "A Christmas Story."

This morning we took Eliza to get her pictures taken. Her aunt Megan made this adorable outfit for her. The shirt has her name on it and the skirt is so cute. Eliza got a little tired of posing after a while but hopefully the pictures turned out okay.

Return of the chicken

For Halloween this year we decided to recycle Eliza's chicken costume from last year. It still mostly fits. The pants are a little short but that's okay. On Monday night we took her to Murray Park for their Haunted Trail Halloween party. It was only $1.50 and if you survived the scary walk you were rewarded with a donut and hot chocolate. After standing in line for over an hour we finally got on the trail. It actually was a little scary but I don't think Eliza is old enough to know that it was. She was probably just wondering why we were walking for so long in the dark. One of the scary people that jumped out from behind a tree was dressed like a monkey and she really liked him and wanted to pet him. After we finished we got our treats and headed home. It was fun and also a great way to tire Eliza out before bedtime.

On Tuesday night we had our ward Trunk-or-Treat. Eliza was excited to wear her costume again. We have a pretty small ward but there was a good turnout and we had a fun time. They had a pinata for the kids. Eliza was a little unclear on the concept of what to do but she did get the hang of holding out her bag and getting free candy, and that is really the most important thing.

We are carving our pumpkins tonight so there should be more pictures coming soon. Happy Halloween!

4-year anniversary

Yesterday Matt and I celebrated our four year anniversary. I can't believe it's been four years already. Does anyone else feel like time is flying by too quickly? Anyway, Matt had the day off work which is always nice. He surprised me with beautiful flowers and a basket full of my favorite treats which he told me were my "Twilight treats" for the movie. Somehow I don't think many treats will survive until November 21st but we'll see.

During the day we mostly just took it easy and ran some errands. In the evening we left Eliza with Grandma and Grandpa and we went out to eat at The Cheesecake Factory. Luckily, the novelty has worn off a bit and since we were there fairly early we didn't have to wait at all to be seated. The food was good, but pricey. You wouldn't want to eat there too often. We decided that since we were at The Cheesecake Factory we better get a slice of cheesecake for dessert. It was fantastic! I'm not sure it was worth $7.00 for one slice but hey, it was our anniversary.

I'm very thankful for these past four years with Matt. He is a wonderful husband and father and I'm grateful for his hard work and all he does for Eliza and me. We love you!

Life at grandma and grandpa's

No news to report on the house hunting so I thought I'd just post a couple fun pictures and an update on Eliza. She is talking more and more each day. I think she learns to say a new word almost every day. No real sentences yet but she can definitely communicate what she wants. She knows how to count to ten (for some reason she skips "seven") but she won't do it when we want her to so we have yet to catch it on our camera. She knows her colors and a few shapes. She loves to sit at the piano and pound on the keys. My mom and dad have pictures of all their grandchildren on the piano and Eliza trys to say all of their names.



The other day my dad brought home a crown for Eliza. You can't really tell in the pictures but it lights up too. Matt took her in the bathroom with the lights off so show her how it looks with the lights on. Pretty cool. After anchoring it to her hair with all sorts of clips and barrettes she wore it all day. It hasn't even broken yet either which is pretty remarkable.

Eliza loves books and takes great joy in getting every single one off the bookshelf and putting them in a pile. It's a big mess but she doesn't mind helping put them all back. Here is a sample of what she does almost every day.

I can't believe she will be two in just over a month. This whole year has just flown by. Hopefully we can celebrate her birthday in our own house but we'll see. Keep your fingers crossed for us!