That Scootie!

In Bradley news . . . today we took him to the doctor just to make sure he didn't have ear infections. He's been exhibiting signs of possible hearing problems again, and we wanted to make sure he wasn't stuffed up like last time. The doctor said his ears look great, which is a relief, but he is going to have another hearing test next Monday. Hopefully this time it is just a matter of a normal 4 year-old's tendency to ignore his parents.

Aside from that, this kid is amazing. Though he doesn't always open up when we want him to, when he does it's to say something profound. We recently had two really funny and incredible experiences with him. About 3 weeks ago we were driving in the snow to our ward Christmas party when Bradley asked where snow comes from. Chris, the amatuer meteorologist, launched into a scientific explanation about moisture and temperatures and clouds, etc. Bradley then replied, "Heavenly Father makes the snow. He's very powerful!"

Not long after that, he dazzled us again. Some of you may know we've all been sick here lately, especially Chris and me. Chris got it first, and worst! Anyway, I guess the kids overheard Chris lamenting his condition and telling me he felt like he was dying. Bradley asked his dad, "Are you dying?" The ailing Chris confirmed that he was, to which Bradley turned to Nathaniel and said, "See, I told you! But it's ok 'cause he's gonna live again!" Sometimes as a parent you think nothing you say gets through, but evidently the boy pays attention to us and to his Primary teachers. What a kid!

My Big Girl!

These two photos remind me just how fast my baby girl is growing up. Too fast. She is reluctantly trying out the potty from time to time. She has had a few great successes, but no consistency yet! This other photo -- I don't know; she just looks so grown up to me. She's not a baby anymore. The time is flying by like I can't believe. Every day she seems to know 20 new words and is getting really skilled at expressing herself. She amazes us with her beautiful singing all the time. She sings "Sunbeam" and "I Am a Child of God" on a regular basis. Today in the store she was singing "Twinkle Twinkle"-- that was for you, Marmee! And she even sings the alphabet song, getting many of the letters correct! Such a smart little girl. And she's pretty cute too!

Christmas Jammies

Ooops! I neglected to post a shot of the kids in their new pajamas. They were so excited, and they looked too cute. The boys were, of course, overjoyed to have new Cars PJs, and Lindsey looked like a delicious little candy cane! It has become one of our Christmas traditions for the kids to open one gift each on Christmas Eve, and it's always new jammies. Lindsey was chomping at the bit to tear into a package after weeks of trying so hard to resist all the inviting presents under the tree. (She only opened like 2 beforehand!) I don't know how excited Nathaniel was since he's old enough to have figured out the tradition, but when he saw he had Cars pants, all was well. So we took some photos of them dressed for bed, and Bradley's hat was part of his ensemble as usual.
Another tradition we have is discussing the nativity and the story of Jesus' birth. The kids love it because there are visual aids, and they get to help tell the story. Bradley amazed us when telling about the wise men; we asked him if he knew what kind of gifts they brought the Baby Jesus, and he answered, "This is myrrh. This is gold. And this is....um...medicines." What a smart little guy! Lindsey loved playing with the little figures and telling us all about the Baby and His mommy and daddy. After that, we all sat together and I read them T'was the Night Before Christmas. Fun times.

Sunday Best

I'm not sure where Bradley was during this photo shoot -- probably already inside, stripping out of his Sunday clothes.

Happy New Year!

Drew and Amanda's gifts for the kids arrived today -- like Drew said, it's important to celebrate the New Year too. They were so excited to see another box of presents and excitedly tore in. Here are some shots of the fun:

Hi Daddy

Chris received a new lens for his camera for Christmas....he just HAD to have it! So, i expect to see lots more photos these days!

Here are a couple of our little princess, who loves the camera.

Merry Christmas!

Ah, Christmas morning! The kids had a lot of fun, of course, opening all their gifts, and each was thrilled with all the new toys. As usual it was overload for them, but they loved it, Lindsey especially. She insisted on opening more gifts after completing her pile, so she helped Chris out with his.


Nathaniel got a sweet pair of golf shoes from Uncle Josh and Aunt Karol, which he couldn't wait to try on. He's going to look great on the course this spring. And Lindsey was so happy to see her Backyardigans pirate ship from Aunt Mel, and she got a Backyardigans radio from Marmee, that all three of the kids couldn't wait to try out.

Bradley tried on his new Mario shirt, which
fits like a dress, unfortunate-ly. He and Lindsey
enjoyed Nathaniel's new chess set!

Here We Go...

Well, there's been so much talk of blogs by everyone lately that I realized I must be missing the boat, and I vow to no longer remain stuck in the 20th century! So I am going to give in and try to create a space where our family and friends can read up on our latest family adventures. We'll see if it catches on....