Mr. Grinch

My little brother singing the Grinch song. I love this kid!

Christmas Wishes

Halloween

This year was pretty much the same thing we did last year. The ward didn't do a party are anything so we just carved punkins and handed out candy. We will go trick or treating next year with Jonas and baby boy #2.

 

We recycled the pirate costume from the cruse. Isn't he the cutest pirate ever.

 Pumpkin cream cake that Jacob made. Yum!

 This is how a porch looked to the 7 trick or treat-ers we got. Jonas was a little distracted by his belly button at the time.

 

Disney Cruise

Seriously the best vacation I have ever been on. It was a four night cruise on the Disney Dream to the Bahamas. It would not have been the best with out the outstanding servers and housekeepers. They have excellent customer service and I am so glad we went. My mother decided to this a while ago and it took a bit to figure out when we could. We are so grateful that she took us with her and Gail and the to little ones. I love my family you guys rock. Now enjoy the pictures and videos. 

One of 4 pools on the Disney Dream. Yeah it's pretty cool. The down side Jonas wasn't allowed to swim in any pools on board, because he isn't potty trained. However, Michael and Angela had a great time. The Aqua Duck which is the huge slide on the top level of the ship way fun. Everyone (except for me, pregnant women were advised not to ride so I only did once) rode several times.

Micky's head was everywhere! If there was any doubt of who owned this place, that was your confirmation.

The splash zone for babies was supper sweet. Jonas was a frequent visitor. It was all the Finding Nemo fish spiting at the babies. Pretty fun.

This was at the beach on the Island Nassau in the Bahamas on day 2. Very cool.

Towel animals were in our room every day. I want to figure out how to do this.

Donald Duck when we first got to Cast Away Cay. Day 3.

Rented bikes and snorkel equipment. The island was beautiful and I loved riding around with everyone. The snorkeling was fun but it became a hunt for Angela's mask and Gail's flipper. That was actually more fun than looking at fish which were not really around. 

Pirate party on deck was awesome. We all dressed like pirates and were having fun with the show and characters. When we got to dinner the waiters were dressed like pirates.

A monkey to see us off.

Gail is Back!

This one is long over due because Gail got back the in of September. She is great. I am so glad that she is home. She maybe less excited to be home but that is okay. She has changed in all the ways that are important. She studies harder, she has grown in her relationship with her Heavenly Father, and she has mastered the weirdest language I have ever heard. I forgot how much I love talking to and miss her quirky habits and personality. Bottom line she is awesome and is back from saving Estonia. I love Gail!!

This is a pumpkin patch we went to after she got back. Jonas LOVES his aunt Gail. These two are seriously like twins. It's pretty awesome.  

 It so sort of dead when we went. Okay, there was really no one else there so Gail got to ride the barrels with Jonas and Jacob. Yes, they were the only ones on these things.

Gail dancing with the skeletons. Yep that's my sister and I love her!!

Walking and the Last of the Booty Scootying

This is way late because I have tried to post these before that they didn't work at the time for some reason. So, really Jonas started walking in September. It was a long time coming but when it finally happened I was a little sad to see him growing up so fast.

BIRTHDAYS!

So, as many of you know July is a busy month for us, hence the reason for the late post. We have my birthday on the last day in June, Jonas was born a week latter on the 8th, and then Jacob on the 15th. So here is how it went.

Jacob had to go to Youth Conference with the word which just happened to be on my birthday, but all is well because we just celibraited the next day. It was a really good birthday. Jonas' was a very special one because he is, well, one. We took plenty of pictures. Here are just a few. 

Okay, so the birthday cake isn't art but I think I did a pretty good job. Then for Jacob's birthday was next. We were planning on going to see my mom and grandparents the weekend of Jonas' birthday but that didn't work so it landed on Jacob's instead. It is always super fun to go down to Lake of the Ozarks. We had dinner with the family and then decide since we couldn't light fire works here at home we would light them there. Needless to say my cousins and Jacob got a little excited and almost got themselves hurt. Sorry no pictures but it was dark anyway. All in all a good birthday for each of us.  

The Magic House

This is the construction zone.

Daddy was teaching him how to move the gravel.

They had a skid-steer.

The design room.

The Oval Office

The Honorable Judge Jonas

By far Jonas' favorite place

He made a new friend

Force lightning!

Rubber Ducky pond

Blessings

I have been lately a little neglectful of my blog because family and school has become more of a priority for me. However, I’m afraid if I don’t keep up with it I will forget what has happened and fail to show my gratitude for all of my blessings. So, therefore I’m doing a little catch up.

Elder Bednar

It was announced a while ago that Elder David A. Bednar was coming up for our stake conference and since then people were getting really excited about seeing him and him actually teaching us from the pulpit of our own stake center. He held a number of different conferences while he was here including a youth question and answer session and a priesthood training meeting. The adult session was defiantly the best. He talked about how Christ was so selfless and how; through his example we can become more selfless. After the session was over we had the opportunity to shake his hand and talk with him a little bit. He told Jonas that if we ever came to his house Elder Bednar would give him all the ice cream he could eat. The Sunday morning general session was good too but it was way packed and the baby was crying most of the time, so Jacob and spent most of the time taking turns bouncing the baby in the hall way or in an empty corner of the gym while still trying to listen. Defiantly a blessing to have him here.

School Starting

For me this was sort of a challenge; between being a wife a mom and having two church calling there are defiantly times when I thought “What the heck are you thinking?!” But then I realized that I have the best husband in the world who encouraged and made me see that I could really go back to school and do everything else. So I started back at BYU-Idaho as an online student for the Bachelor’s in Marriage and Family studies program. It is still a little stressful sometimes but I am learning a lot and I feel very blessed to be able to do it.

Kansas City Temple Open House

This was defiantly one of the best events in the past few months.  We went a few days earlier than the youth of our ward just so we could see everything we wanted to see. Plus Jacob wanted to talk to some co. about possibly working for them. We stayed in Blue Springs which is right outside Independence. The first night we went to the temple lot which is basically where the first Temple site would have been when the Saints first came to Missouri. We went to the LDS visitors center, and looked around the Community and Christ (former RLDS) Temple, and Church of Christ building that they have on the temple lot. It was all very interesting and we learned a lot. The day after all of the youth from our ward came and we spent the evening hanging out with them. The next morning bright and early, we went to the Temple open house. It’s North West of Liberty. It was beautiful and it made me grateful to witness the age where there are temples all over the US. 

Temple Lot
(Behind him is a Conference Center for
Comunityof Christ or Church of Christ)

1st addition Book of Mormon (LDS Visitors Center)

Community of Christ Temple

Printing Press that helped print the Book of Commandments
(LDS Visitors Center)

Job 

So, Jacob has been working for the past 2-3 months on finding a carrier job. He has been working with some big construction/engineering companies and so far nothing has really turned up. Well about 2 weeks ago he got an email from a co called URS that was basically like a interview in email form. Ans then he got a call from the head of project controls for the Houston TX office. They talked and now Jacob is going to meet him tomorrow! We are hoping that everything goes well and if it does we may be moving to Texas. This is defiantly a prayer almost answered. 

Holy Mitt

This morning I get a call from my dad, who is at work, and says "Hey, I think Romney is coming to Saint Louis today. Look up when and where and maybe you will get to see him." So we do. We get to Kirkwood Park at like 11:45 ish and he is already up there.  

So after he is done saying all of his wonderful things, I rush up there with Jonas and Jacob gets in a high place to take picture. 

You can just barley see my head in this one. Anyway he comes over to us, and we tell him Happy Birthday (yesterday) and then we kind of back off and start going back. Then a nice old man next to me said "Are you the baby kissing type of politition?" and Mr. Romney said "Maybe, but you don't look like a baby to me." Then he pointed to Jonas. Then I just handed him over!!!

 Of course he started to cry. Leave to my son to look so heart broken when I hand him to the most important person to the political world! Thanks son, I appreciated it. Then he gives him a kiss on the head and gives him back. I start making my way back to Jacob and I see that he has it all on video. Well, come to find out latter that he really doesn't. In fact we didn't have anything of him holding Jonas. But it is okay because a local news photographer got a few shots. We e-mailed him as soon as we got home and got a few. The other one is on this link. 

 http://stltoday.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=40743873&event=1432372&CategoryID=38932&picnum=9&move=F#Image

Pretty cool!