Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa

We had a fun time with Grandma and Grandpa Bodily. My kids waited to open part of their Christmas so that Grandma and Grandpa could watch them. They traveled all Christmas day to come. Then they put up with putting together a HUGE lego with Rhett!! Took all day! We had a blast with them. Thanks for coming Grandma and Grandpa Bodily! Sorry about the wimpy showers. (They patiently put up with a luke warm shower and didn't tell us!)

Christmas Fun

Eli's primary teacher made a video for his sharing time lesson on sunday. He is a freelance camera man. So he came over on Sunday to video him with the missionaries. Doesn't he look stinkin' cute. We couldn't resist a picture!


We had fun doing a gingerbread house with the kids. They wanted to eat that nasty thing!!




The boys were only a little excited to open their Christmas Eve presents! I thought it was funny because they knew it was pajamas! I guess it was fun to open a present early.




We are currently sitting here trying to get Emma asleep and awaiting Santa's arrival. Maybe we will get to sleep before he comes!!


Here they are all decked out in the new pjs.

Emma

We had a great day on Sunday. It was a little crazy in a different way. We didn't have the stress of having a party after church. But we had invited some people to church that weren't members. It was a wonderful meeting - I am obviously not in charge (all my stressing about their impression of church didn't make it a better meeting)! Here are a few pictures that I took with the kids after church. Redge was out missionary-ing so I didn't get one of him.

Catch up

My cute little girl!

Rhett getting his bear and a bunch of other awards!

Kids trying out Dad's Birthday gift! I don't know if he has had a chance in it!

Redge on his birthday!

Eli

Eli woke up coughing this morning so I gave him some medicine and we went about our morning. About time for the bus, he was laying on the stairs saying 'mom, I don't feel good.' I wondered if he would crash. I was glad it was before he left. So, he has been home playing with me today. This first picture is one of his creations. I was going to check on Emma (next picture) and saw it on the floor. Funny huh! I guess this shows he is learning how to read!!
The last picture is off of our porch the other night. Beautiful sunset!

I just showed Eli this post and he was quite proud of his work. He is still playing with the 'words'.

Tagged

My cousin tagged me...
This is a picture of Little Hadlie Anne. I guess this is appropriate since she is turning 4 years old. Happy Birthday Hadlie! I just got an invite to her party! She is so big!
Rules - post a picture from your fourth file, fourth picture. I am tagging - Shay Phister (Megan is dying to see any kind of update on your blog :)
Kim Bissonette,
Tristan Meyers
Loretta Meyers
Kyla Bodily
Have fun!

Day at the Beach and more..

This was our fun day last Friday. It was the kids' last track out day and was perfect weather for the beach. We had a blast relaxing on the beach. The sun felt so good. We even saw a few dolphins, which I slapped Redge and said 'shark' when I spotted them. Yes, I know... I am from Idaho!
We picked the perfect day to go, when we woke up the next morning it was raining. The sand was different there... it had a lot of broken shells all over. Redge thought this was some of the man-made sand. It didn't make good sand castles at all! I guess we are learning. It was hard to get it off the kids. Megan had shell pieces in her suit stuck to her bottom.
I also included some pictures of our walk on our bike path. We are really enjoying having access to it.

Bath time

I am slowly posting my pictures. Be patient with me. I am a week or so behind but what can you expect with a newborn! :o) These are pictures of Emma in one of her first baths. She wasn't so excited about being loose. I have since remembered to wrap a wash cloth around her flaying arms. It helps keep her calm long enough to get the deed done!
The kids are back in school again... tracked in, as we call it :) Eli was so excited to go to school Monday that I could hardly get his attention to get him ready. This is a good sign.
Now maybe I will have a little more time to add pictures to the blog. Then again... I am playing my violin for a stake nativity activity - Messiah, for those of you musically inclined. It is a good challenge but I am spending an hour a day trying to decipher music. It is amazing how you lose your abilities when you don't use them.
More pictures tomorrow...

Eli and Emma

Eli was such a big boy and held Emma so good. I have great helpers!

Halloween

Here are the kids in their costumes. Rhett was again attacked by a bear. (I tried to talk him into a different theme for this year.) Megan a ballarina and Eli- Spiderman!
We had a fun time walking through the neighborhood. I am now ready to throw out the candy!

Fall Colors

I know you probably can't see the kids... I had them run and poise for me in the middle of the trees. We were out playing last week at the park and the trees were turning so pretty. I am loving all the fall colors here. I have to laugh because this was a pretty cold day that we picked to play at the park. The comments were 'this is as cold as it gets here.' hmmm... I am still waiting to see.

Week with Grandma and Grandpa Meyers

We had a fun week playing with my parents. These are just a few of the pictures of things we did. We are so grateful for them coming out to help with the baby!! I kind of want to steal them for another week but I think I wore my poor Mom out! We will miss them! Thanks Mom and Dad!

Baby Emma

She finally came...7 lbs 13 oz...20.5 inches...everyone is healthy. Finally figured out why this is the Tarheel State...

Car

Redge and Megan went on a date last night to a Michael Buble concert. They were all excited, left about 7:00 and about 7:30 I get a call from Redge 'We just got in a wreck.' He was pretty shook up and I could hear Megan crying in the background. Everyone was fine but the roads here are all 55 mile an hour highways with stop lights on them. I guess he turned to talk to Megan and then in that time he rear ended someone. The lady he rear ended said she was watching him - worried he was stopping, so he thinks she had to stop quickly too (He pushed her into the people stopped in front of her as well). He was so upset about causing a wreck and that we have to fix a car. What can you do?? I am just so grateful there wasn't anything more damaging done to anyone! Megan was so worried that Daddy was going to be thrown in jail for causing a wreck.

The boys thought it was fun to pull pieces off the car - momentos!

Megan Playing Piano

Since Aubree posted her piano debut... Megan had to do one back for her. I guess this is the proud mom displaying as well and showing Megan how good of a job she is doing!

Pine Cone

Redge took his first few nights away from us for some meetings (and golf of course). He went to Pine Hurst, which is rated number 1 in the US. Significant for all of you golfers! Anyway, he was enjoying his round of golf and was teeing up when the group behind him hit a golf ball into the tree above him. He looked up to see what was going on... low and behold he was wacked in the face with a pine cone! He thought he had broke his nose because of all the blood that was sputtering everywhere! His new nickname at work is now 'pine cone'.

Watch out for those pine cones!

Time

I can tell we are getting more settled. I am actually getting things on my walls and I haven't taken the time to post more on the blog. I am getting caught up on all the little things associated with moving so now I am sitting here thinking about 'what is next'. It is nice to have a minute to catch up. I added a bunch to my journal (haven't done that for a while.) I am going to go through baby clothes and make sure they are clean and ready. I have the crib ready. Hmmm just need to go to the hospital now and figure out where I actually need to go. Isn't it funny what things you worry about! Now, if I can just get caught up on finishing Eli's scrapbook, then I am set for having accomplished the things I don't necessarily take the time to do.

We are getting excited to have Mom and Dad come out for a week in October. They have booked their tickets and will be here after the baby (I am thinking positively for delivery before my due date! :) Ha! It is only 2 days!) The kids keep asking when Grandpa is coming. I think they are anxious for someone familiar in their new surroundings. I am so grateful they would take time from their vacation to come and help us!
We are still enjoying warm weather. I keep waiting for it to cool down. I know that Idaho is getting it's beautiful fall weather right now. Maybe I will get mine in October or November?

I thought it was interesting how many mushrooms liked our yard (this was only half of them). I hadn't watered for a while either! Maybe this is part of the humidity?
I cut Eli's hair on Sunday and he wanted his picture taken. He was being a pretty good sport about getting it cut so we were doing everything to keep up this good attitude! After school he will reach the point that he is ready for dinner. He comes in asking if he can have candy or whatever is visible and readily available. Usually I am in the process of dinner and so I try and hold him off. Then we get to the point that I HAVE to get him doing something or he is going to burst! So, he will be setting things out on the table for me and will come back in and say 'what else, Mom?' It is so fun to have him be big enough to help but also for him to know he can help if he wants something too!

It is fun doing his little homework assignments with him. Right now he is working on words that start with specific letters the teacher asks of him. For example, he is working on D and T. So we are either drawing a picture or clipping and pasting the 'd' word in a notebook and then labeling it. It is fun to see him try and form his letters. We didn't work on d'nealian handwriting and so this is a little more frustrating for him but he is so careful about how he writes. He will get it. I think when they figure out what words start with specific letters is when they really start developing their reading skills and even speaking skills. Eli struggles a bit with his j's that sound like d's but I remember Megan struggled with her r's and once she started with the sounds of letters in school, this seemed to not be as pronounced.
I need to brag on Rhett and Megan. Sunday they both fasted all day. I know when I was their age, I wasn't so tough! We have early church now and they both came home from church expecting to eat, oh boy. I thought I was in for it. So, we told them we like to wait until at least 3:00. Then we reminded them they were used to eating after church got out at 4:00. We were trying to make them feel like they were getting it easy by having early church. Well, I laid down for a nap. Redge didn't know what I was doing for dinner and didn't want to disturb me. They didn't end up eating until 5:00! I know I didn't do this at their age! Pretty cool kids I have!

Tropical Storm Hanna

Yup, we survived it...it ended up just being a tropical storm...although several parts of the city were flooded and power was out, we had some fun setting up our swing set and watching the rain poor down! Warm rain, I might add!!

Moving pictures

I am going to back up and put on a few pictures from our move.

Grandma and Grandpa Olsen came to say goodbye. We are going to miss being near them!!

Our last look at the house.

The kids in the car with the cat. oh the cat!

Funny

I thought you might enjoy this comment from Megan last night. We were trying to get our rental cars back to the airport, our cars finally showed up yesterday. (whew!!) So, they are a little wired because it is 9:30 at night and Megan pipes up "So mom, which way is Washington DC?" So we point North (As far as we can tell is north, right!). Then she askes "Which way is the ocean?" Again pointing the direction we think is to the east. "So, when I am in bed I am laying upside down then." I guess she felt her bed was pointing to the south, thus, making her head be in a down position. I got a chuckle out of that one. You wouldn't believe then the conversation about where China was!!

House

I thought I would show a few pictures of the house - this is obviously before all of our stuff got here. This is the front formal dining room. Our table doesn't fit in the 'breakfast' room. So we put a desk in the breakfast room instead (how many people have two rooms to eat in, anyway!)

This is looking from the dining room through the kitchen and 'breakfast nook.'

This is standing at the front door looking into the living room.