Christmas in Nyssa

We're loving Christmas Break in Nyssa, Oregon, and our holiday festivities along with general vacation laziness are still going strong. However, if I don't record some of our photos and adventures now, I know it just won't end up happening. So here goes...

We got to the Jensen home on Christmas Eve and are having so much fun watching Emery play with her aunts, uncles, and grandparents (and let's face it, all these people running around with and entertaining Emery all day means that this tired, pregnant mama gets a nice break). Grandma and Grandpa Baxter spent the holiday with us and definitely added to the merriment. We spent Christmas Eve reading about the birth of the Savior,  listening to Grandpa B. read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," singing lots of Christmas songs, and reminiscing about favorite Christmases past. It was fun to have the whole family together after the past two years of Eric being on a mission.

I didn't really take any pictures on Christmas Day, but I love this video of Emery opening her stocking before we left Atlanta. You can't tell in the movie, but she is such a chatterbox these days! The things she says make me laugh so much. About a month ago, she was getting frustrated trying to do something that she couldn't quite do all by herself, so I told her she should just say "I need your help." As you can tell by her opening line in the video, she (surprisingly) took that advice to heart. Now, I'm constantly hearing "I need your help!!!" throughout the day (but there's also a lot of "I do it!!" that goes on too).

Pete loved this "beardo" that he got for Christmas from his brother, Eric. He thought this picture should be on the blog, so, that's why it's here :) It really is awesome for keeping your head and face warm! If anyone sees a bearded woman jogging around, it just might be me!

I got to see Whit (super awesome best friend since third grade) a couple times, but not for too long! She had to head back to Utah to work. Here we are with our little brothers, Eric and Carter. So crazy how grown-up we all are, especially our little brothers. I wish I had a picture from back in the day to contrast with this one!

I also got to chat with my other super awesome friend from growing up, Kimberly. I have such fun childhood memories with her! And now, we're each having a baby due exactly a month apart. I need to be better with keeping in contact with my childhood friends (hmmm, possible New Year's Resolution?). Pete, Emery, and I also went over to the Hartley's house to see Nick and his wife, Kim. It was fun to let our babies play together and catch up on each other's lives. Hopefully we get to see a few more friends while we're here!

We were all excited when the snow started falling on Christmas Day! I got my wish for a White Christmas, and Emery finally got to see a real-life snowman (she loves the song, "Once There Was a Snowman"and is always pointing out pictures of snowmen in books, etc.)! The aunts, uncles, and her daddy helped her make a mini-sized one, which I thought was fitting (meanwhile, I took pictures and warmed myself inside the house...the whole me-being-wimpy-in-the-cold thing is no joke).

Beyond Christmas and snow, we've enjoyed playing basketball at the church (I'm getting better exercise than I have in weeks!), watching movies (including a double date with my parents to Les Miserables), and playing games. I planned and prepared (what I consider) an epic Family Game Night---complete with treats and prizes. It was so much fun because the whole family participated, but definitely involved some intense competitiveness. Pete (who doesn't enjoy games all that much) was completely emotionally exhausted by the end of the night. I found it quite funny. I'm glad everyone helped and participated---and I hope they recover in time for next year's equally awesome family game night! :)

Speaking of game nights...I love that we've been able to watch two of Quentin's (little bro, junior in HS) basketball games while we're here. One thing I really dislike about being far from family is missing out on much of my sibling's sporting events, recitals, concerts, etc. Here we are after Q's game, celebrating the win at a yummy frozen yogurt place, Kiwi Loco:

We've got 5 more days before our flight back to Atlanta---may the fun continue!

Hoyt Highlights

Some of my favorite things about our visit to the Hoyt Home this year...

1) Baking with Sosh (Hailey). Here she is with some brownies she made. I regret that I didn't take a picture of the cupcakes or two kinds of yummy cookies that we baked. We spent almost all of one day baking and I was sooo tired by the end. Who knew baking could be so exhausting? 

2) Mealtimes. Although not all the siblings were home this year, mealtimes were still almost the only time we were all together and not out doing separate activities. I loved the fun, laughter, and just plain loud that all occurred as we gathered together for meals.

I guess I didn't even get the whole household captured in these photos, but you get the idea :)

3) Exercising. I went on a run outside with JB and thought the contrast of our attire was pretty funny: he in T-shirt and shorts, me with beanie, gloves, and ten layers under my flannel PJ's and sweater. Saying that living in the south has made me a wimp when it comes to cold weather would be an understatement. 

4) I tried to organize a super-awesome trip to Seattle to go to the Science Center (one of my many attempts to organize something), and I was happy these fun girls came! We watched a really interesting 3D movie about the migration of butterflies, went inside the butterfly house, and looked at other cool exhibits. During the movie, It was funny to watch Emery (with her 3D glasses on) reaching out to "grab" the butterflies flying around her.

More Naked Mole Rats!!! ;)

In the butterfly house, they had an area full of butterfly cocoons in various stages of developing. So cool!

Em's loved playing in the tots area at the science center

 5) Watching Emery interact with her aunts, uncles, and grandparents. I loved how Emery was instantly comfortable and didn't get instantly shy like she does around new people. Just goes to show that she knows family when she sees them! :)

 Heidi woke up with her in the mornings so Pete and I could sleep in, and everyone was so willing to play with or babysit Emery anytime. I wish I would have taken more photos of her with family members. I hope Em's can keep developing close relationships with them as the years go on!

Heidi and Em's "drawin" on the white board.

Smoky the Kitty

Emery loved Aunt Hailey's cute cat. She woke up in the morning asking "where's the kitty?" And was often found chasing, petting, picking up, or talking about the cat. Smoky was super nice to let Em's do pretty much whatever she wanted to him. Pete and I loved Smoky too, and really want a cat now, but will most likely wait until we are in a house. I hope that someday we can find one as sweet and good with kiddos as little Smoky!

Snow...finally!

 

It wasn't much and it didn't last long. In fact, it didn't even stick. But that doesn't mean we didn't take the opportunity to run around outside and watch Emery enjoy her first encounter with the fluffy white stuff.

 

 

She liked it. Just a little bit :) 

The multiple times she face-planted into the ground didn't seem to phase her (it's hard work to look upward into the falling snow while running around like a crazy person). Silly girl.

Merry Christmas!

Classes are over, tests are done, and we've headed West! After hanging out in Washington with the Hoyts for a while, we'll head to Oregon for Christmas with the Jensens. Merry Christmas, friends!

 

Under Eye Concealer

On my birthday, I decided to give Pete a present. It was carefully planned, bought, and wrapped. What he opened was (dundundun)...under eye concealer! Confused? A lot? Let me explain...

Flash back a month earlier: We were watching TV together and a commercial advertising under eye concealer came on. The results of using this under eye concealer were so astonishing (aka ridiculously unreal) that I sarcastically said, "Wow! I should get that for the next time we have a baby" (to combat the bags under my eyes from the sleepless nights). Pete joked, "yah, we can share it," and then whatever we were watching came on and the exchange was seemingly forgotten.

But on the morning of my birthday, after Pete had gone to school, the best present I could think of for myself came in the form of a little "+" on a plastic stick that means i'm pregnant! I smiled and laughed and did a little happy skip and dance around the house, while Emery looked at me like I'd gone crazy. Then I thought of that little under eye concealer commercial, and thought it might be a random, funny way to tell Pete that night. It took him a little while to remember it's significance (as well as a second wrapped present that included a box of "sugar babies" candy with June 2013 written in fine print underneath it). Haha.

I'm feeling soooo excited to welcome another little baby into our home. Honestly, I'm even more excited than I was when I was pregnant with Emery. Because now that I have my little Emery girl, I KNOW how incredibly awesome it is. And I just can't wait. I'm sure once the time gets closer, I'll become nervous, and scared at how hard the transition to adding another baby is going to be for our family. In fact, I spent the months of deciding when the time was right feeling just that. But I'm glad that Pete and I reached the decision to have another baby when we did, and that it's working out the way it is, and now that I'm pregnant, I feel nothing but excited. Can't wait to meet our new little Hoyt, due June 12, 2013.

Emery and The Naked Mole Rat

Meet the naked mole rat. Cute, eh? Yah, not really. But apparently they're pretty important in the African ecosystem or something. Anyway, there's an indoor exhibit in the Atlanta Zoo that I somehow have missed all these months we've been going to the zoo. When Brian and Ash were visiting, we went to the zoo and it was freezing! Consequently, we were very excited about ANY indoor (warm) exhibit we could find, including the naked mole rat exhibit.
We went inside and as we stood transfixed by the naked mole rats (I mean, who wouldn't be? haha), I happened to glance over and notice a little tunnel exit near the floor that led out of the building. Sure enough, my own little not-so-naked mole rat had climbed right out and discovered the fun, naked mole rat themed playground right outside the exhibit.

This girl was in heaven, climbing and sliding through all the "tunnels," and I'm glad Brian and Ash snapped some cute photos of her. I have a feeling we'll be making some future zoo trips solely to visit the naked mole rat exhibit.

I just love this little face!

And here we are warming up with hot chocolate after our zoo excursion on the uncharacteristically freeeeezing day. Sorry Houstonians!

Brian and Ashley's Visit

Brian and Ashley got to stay a few days after Thanksgiving and we had so much fun with them! We hiked up Stone Mountain, went to the Farmers Market, the Zoo, ate at Top Spice, and had an intense tennis tournament. What I loved most was just playing games and chatting. We had too many late nights, but they were 100% worth it!

As if I didn't already love these guys to pieces, they played scrabble with me, so now they're basically on the top of my list of favorite people

On top of Stone Mountain!

Ems playing during the tennis tournament

Brian and Ashley doing a cool pose/being really flexible on top of Stone Mountain :)

Em's walked up 3/4 of the mountain!

running around at the park

cute Ash :)

It was pretty windy atop Stone Mountain...hence the alfalfa Ems in the middle there.

Any tricks to make your baby sit in the stroller? Because all Emery wants to do is "push!"

I may have been exaggerating the cold in this photo...but maybe not. It was freezing!

Peter and I had 2 super close games that he ended up winning. I want a re-match sooooon!