Usually Christmas comes and goes without my ever really feeling like I've done enough to get in the holiday spirit. This year, my mother-in-law and I spent HOURS upon hours on a nativity slideshow for the ward party. It was a LOT a lot a lot of work, but it was so worth it. Not only did it help me to focus on the best part of Christmas--Christ, but it turned out to be the most amazing slideshow EVER. Seriously, it was so beautiful. Everyone LOVED it and requested copies, even people without any children in the production. It is something I will treasure forever and watch every year myself. I didn't feel like I could share the slideshow or the pictures from it on my blog since it involves other peoples' kids, but the picture above is Brigham as baby Jesus with the gifts from the wise men for just a small taste.

A day or two after Thanksgiving, we went up Kitten Springs to get our two Christmas trees. I didn't take a lot of pictures of the tree or the cutting. I was too busy capturing the cute faces of my two boys. Though that face of Israel's IS cute, its not the one I meant to post, but I'm too lazy to go get the one I had intended to use.

The next two pictures are fun. The first is Israel playing with Grandma's beads his first Christmas, and the second is Brigham this Christmas.

I made cupcakes (with the help of one of my brothers-in-law) for the primary kids. They're Christmas tree ornaments. Aren't they cute?
Brigham right after a nap. His dad says he looks crazy, but I say he looks crazy ADORABLE.
Eating one of my hard chocolate chip cookies. I used a little too much flour I think.
When I wasn't busy with everything else this holiday season, I was knitting. Knitting frantically. I made eight hats for Hiram's Aunt Cynthia for her grandchildren. They all turned out awesome, but I thought these scarf hats were particularly cool.
Israel survived his quarter-swallowing and has made a full recovery. This was the morning following the incident. I thought he was pretty dear in his too-big hospital gown.
We made "ginger bread" houses as we do every year. This one's mine.
Christmas morning. Israel got a remote control truck, a nerf shotgun, a motorized submarine, and a train set among other things. He really loved his gifts this year.
Brigham got a beautiful play set that I'm hoping will buy me a few more minutes of free time each day.
Brigham has been working at crawling for weeks. Finally, he's got it!
Our family.
I got a new lens for my camera from my husband. I LOVE it. My husband is so good to me. These are some pictures I took while playing with my present.



It was a truly wonderful Christmas, and actually its not over. Some years the big day comes, and then you end up feeling a little blue cause its all over. That's not the case for us this year. We were so busy that we didn't get a lot of the things done that we wanted to, so we're just extending our holiday. We've been watching movies, making goodies, working on puzzles, etc.

Well, that's the latest. We're all well and loving life. Hope that that's the case with everyone who took the time to read all this! =)

Expensive Taste

That is Israel, and the glowing orb under his chin is...you guessed it, a quarter. Or maybe you didn't guess it, but I thought my clever title would be a pretty good hint.

Yesterday afternoon, Israel was playing Angry Birds in the office, and I was in the kitchen with my mother-in-law when we both heard him start gagging. I ran in to find him with his fingers in his mouth. My first thought was that he'd just somehow accidentally rammed his fingers far enough into his throat to initiate the gag reflex, but he continued to gag and vomit. My mother-in-law suggested maybe he'd swallowed a chip funny and had it lodged in his throat, so I tried to get him to drink something. He just threw it all back up and continued to cry and gag. Finally, I heard him say very lamentingly, "Quarterrrr." Shit. I immediately remembered seeing a particularly shiny quarter on the desk that I'd thought I should put in my wallet to use in a gumball machine sometime. I did a quick search of the desk. No quarter. Sigh. I really thought he was past doing something like this.

I called Hiram, grabbed Israel, left the baby sleeping, and rushed off to the hospital with Israel crying and throwing up the whole way. It was a loooooong night, but I'll try to keep this post brief. They took an x-ray. The quarter was sitting low in his esophagus. The doctor didn't feel confident with his abilities to remove it--he worried he might push it further or turn it in such a way that it would block Israels airway completely requiring a tracheotomy (is that the right term) which the hospital didn't feel confident performing. Care Flight was called in from Reno. When the helicopter arrived they said that he would have to go alone. I felt very uncomfortable waking him up (he had very thankfully zonked on my shoulder) strapping him onto their table, and sending him off screaming with strangers while we drove. They kept warning us that the quarter could potentially seal off his airway at any point and so it was a big risk to drive him ourselves, but I've really learned to trust my feelings and I know when the Holy Ghost is helping me. I knew that we would be alright.

We drove to Reno (about 90 miles). We got another x-ray. We had a nice LONG wait (though we understand it could have been much, much longer). Israel was taken from us, given anesthesia and an IV, and then returned to us 30 or 40 minutes later less one shiny quarter, which I am keeping for eternity since it is going to cost us who knows how many thousands of dollars. We finally made it home at 12:30 am, 8 hours after the swallowing of the quarter. And boy was I ready to nurse!

We have a LOT to be thankful for. Hiram only JUST got insurance from his job like THIS month and he almost opted not to start til the new year! There's a $2400 deductible but then 80 percent is covered up to like 7 or 8 thousand and then everything is. Insurance, awesome! We didn't take the care flight, awesome! (Our portion would have been at least $4000.) Israel slept an hour at the Lovelock hospital and the whole way to Reno--SUCH a blessing. Every single doctor, nurse, specialist, what-have-you that we encountered was just wonderful, especially the anesthesiologist who got Israel watching Toy Story on his Iphone before taking him so that he didn't cry at all! Modern technology, GREAT! I am so thankful that we had family to leave Brigham with and we knew that he was being well cared for. It was even nice to be able to spend a quiet childless half-hour with Hiram eating snacks from the cafeteria and talking while waiting to get Is back. And a million other things. The Lord is wonderful, and I know we owe everything to Him. Best blessing--Israel is alive and well.

Take care everyone, and a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Potty Training Success Stories

He appreciates good reading material when he's spending time on the toilet. Yes, that's a dolphin tattoo. I love how white trash my little guy can look. =)

I have been super lackadaisical about potty training Israel (much to my mother-in-law's dismay). My own mother has horror stories about trying to potty train Adam and is certain she scarred him for life with the technique she used. I decided not to stress Israel or myself out over it. I figured when he was ready I would know and we would take it pretty nonchalantly. For the past couple months, he has known when he was poopy, and he would come back up to me to let me know. This was a good indication that he was almost ready. I ordered him a super cool potty seat. I wanted one that would help him be comfortable and safe on the "big" toilet, not one I would have to clean and have to transition him out of at some point anyway. I love this seat. I made a big deal about it when it came getting him excited about his own potty chair. I let him sit on a few times. Nothing happened, but I didn't really care. Sometimes for days it would go unused at all. I'm happy to announce now, though, that he has done "peeps" in the toilet several times (after he comes and tells me he wants to do them), and this morning he did his first "poops." This is very encouraging and exciting to me. I do want him to be potty trained so I can enroll him in preschool when he turns three and stop buying him diapers, but I want it to be a natural and comfortable change for us. So far, so good!

Night before last was a late one for us. We finally had both boys down (we thought) at about 10:00 and were going to bed ourselves when Israel came barging in excitedly. "Wake up! Wake up! House! Copter!" Occasionally we can hear when someone is care-flighted into the Lovelock Hospital. Israel thought it was the coolest thing to hear a helicopter fly right over the house. It was as good as Christmas morning. Cute kid.

Brigham 6 Mos & Turkey Cupcakes

Brigham had his first half birthday yesterday. I can't believe how much he has grown. What a wonderful little chunk he has become! I love this kid more than I can say. He is just sweet, sweet, sweet. And, except for the fact that he must sleep with me and nurse all night, easy, easy, easy. He likes to be held, which makes a lot of things more difficult to do, but as long as he's being held, he's super chill. I noticed a tiny tooth this past week, but only because he grabbed my finger and started chewing on it--not because of any grumpiness. Sweet boy, I love you so much and am so grateful to have you as part of our family.

I wanted to give the kids something on my first Sunday in the primary presidency, and since we will have stake conference next week, I thought turkey cupcakes in honor of Thanksgiving would be fun. They were a lot of work but a big hit, so totally worth it.

This is the Place...For Us and Bighorn Roundup

Well, it's official-- we're Lovelockers. After a very transient (albeit exciting, satisfying, fulfilling, and wonderful) first six years of marriage, we have finally "settled down." And Lovelock is the place. I am really excited about it.

I LOVE Lovelock. All I needed to be truly happy living here was some indication that this was where we were "supposed" to be. Recent events have demonstrated to me that that is the case. For one thing, Hiram has applied for and been offered a very desirable job here working at the natural gas plant, and I know that was part of God's great plan (that's a story for another time, though). Also, this past week I was called to be the second counselor in the primary presidency. If I'd had any doubts after the job deal (which I didn't), this would have put an end to them.

The past two Sundays, the Bishop was very interested in our plans, wanting to know if we were going to be hanging around or what. The reason was that a sister in the ward I don't know that well was called as president of the primary and asked to choose a couple counselors. Mine was the name that kept coming to her for the position of second counselor. I guess they didn't want to call someone who would be heading off on new adventures after a few weeks, but when we gave the news that we had gotten a job and would be sticking around, I got the call.

I'm excited and grateful to Heavenly Father for all my blessings but particularly at this time for His answers to prayers and for this calling that will help me feel a real part of the ward, instead of just a visitor. I'm also grateful that I'll have an opportunity to get to know this woman and to work with her and my mother-in-law (who is the new first counselor, btw), and I know I'll enjoy spending time with the kids in primary (quite a few of whom I know and really like from a brief stint as primary teacher).

I would now like to give you a glimpse of the "Lovelock Life." These pictures were taken yesterday at the Bighorn roundup we went to. A friend of Hiram's who works for the Nevada Department of Wildlife (Big Game Division) invited us, and though we had to wake up at 4:20 and endure some really cold weather and one horribly whiney son, it was well worth it.

Brigham

Israel

Rodney

Those are sheep just dangling there. First they're shot from the helicopter with nets. Then this.

Hiram