Happy Anniversary!

I can't believe it's been six years already! Time goes by way too fast. We've done a lot in six years and have so many fun memories, some that didn't seem fun at the time but we laugh at now. Here are some of the crazy/fun/random things I thought of:

1. We moved 7 times in 5 years

2. We have lived in 3 states

3. Driven to Idaho in crazy snow storms way too many times (not to mention getting stuck on roads, in driveways, etc. and having to dig/push ourselves out.)

4. Got in free to a BYU basketball game when an older couple gave us their tickets! (Lots of fun times going to BYU football and basketball games--especially when they played Utah.)

5. Working at Gold's Gym together (Kaelub's favorite job ever--just ask him.)

6. Hearing Kaelub describe how he dunked the ball over a guy that tried out for the Phoenix Suns team and was the last player cut.....or so he says. Church ball is still popular in some places I guess.

7. Living in an apartment in Phoenix while Kaelub did an internship and dealing with an infestation of crickets. They really were everywhere!

8. Lots of schools--we both went to BYU-I & BYU, I went to UVSC---now UVU, and Kaelub has taken classes at MCU & Gilbert Chandler CC this last year. (Hopefully just one more for Kaelub and then we can take a long break from that!)

9. Cool cars--Kaelub's Mazda B2200 & my 1982 Toyota camry--red with a blue trunk. (Can't say we miss them too much though.)

10. Lots of fun road trips to California, Vegas, Utah, and Idaho.

I just want him to know how grateful I am for all he does for me and our family. Love ya!

Winter Wonderland

Yesterday it snowed all day and the wind picked up so there were a lot of drifts. It was crazy trying to drive back just from Rexburg to Sugar! Luckily we didn't see too many people off the road and we didn't get stuck. We ended up getting about 12 inches of snow yesterday and this morning I decided to take a picture from my mom's front porch. We love the snow!

What a Nap!

We made it to Idaho after a really long & snowy drive. We saw snow in Kingman, AZ, Las Vegas, and from Cedar City north. Luckily the worst of it was from about Nephi to Ogden, and the rest of the way was clear roads. Eli did pretty well and slept a lot in his carseat. Today when he woke up from his nap at Grandma's house he had some crazy hair!

Hives

My poor little guy got the hives this weekend. :( I noticed a few little bug-bite looking spots on him Saturday morning, and thought maybe something bit him while we were on our walk the day before. Then by Saturday evening they seemed to spread and multiply. We gave him a baking soda bath and put him to bed, but Sunday they were even worse! He was itching and I just felt so bad because he looked miserable. We gave him Benadryl and watched as they seemed to disappear from one spot on his body and appear on another. I remember learning about hives in school, but I didn't remember much about them. So on Monday when they looked especially bad, I decided to take him in to the doctor just to make sure it wasn't something else. The doctor confirmed that they were hives, and he said we just had to give him the Benadryl and wait for them to go away. He said usually they go away after 3-5 days, but sometimes they last for up to 6 weeks! Crazy! Especially since we are leaving this week for Idaho for Christmas. Well, when I got home from work today, Eli looked a lot better and the hives seem to be getting better. So we are crossing our fingers that they will be gone soon.

Toothbrushin' Toddler

I always brush Eli's teeth while he is taking a bath and then put his toothbrush back in the drawer. Today he found that drawer and I guess decided I didn't do a good enough job of brushing. He walked around with it, sat and brushed, and finally put it back in the drawer after about 15 minutes. (I guess he doesn't even mind that it's a princess toothbrush.) Of course this makes me so proud, being a teeth person. I can't wait for him to be big enough to come in and let me clean his cute little teeth!

Feels Like Winter

One of Eli's favorite things lately is playing peek-a-boo. This time he chose to hide behind a mixing bowl he dragged out of the kitchen cbinet into the family room. He will also put it on his head like a hat. It's pretty cute.

Today was the first day I thought it actually felt like winter. I walked outside and thought about going back in to get on a coat! I'm glad I can finally start wearing sweaters and hoodies. (Some of you have probably had those out for a while now, but it's still been in the 70's here, so it's a momentous occasion.) We put up our tree the day after Thanksgiving, while we had my family's help--thanks to you all. It's tradition. :) Eli has not been a fan of the tree, which could be a good thing I guess. He touched it a few times but started crying. Maybe because of the way it felt. Now he just walks over to it and just looks. I love this time of year with Christmas decorations, songs, lights, etc. Our ward had a live nativity this weekend--real animals and everything! What a great way to remember what Christmas is all about.

Thankful

Happy 1st Birthday!

Monday was Eli's 1st birthday and Jill and my mom came for the week to celebrate. It was all three of their birthdays so we had lots of fun. Eli even ripped open some of the wrapping paper on his gifts. Some of the gifts he got: Grandma Joy gave him his first bike, Jill gave him an alphabet book, Grandma Lynda & Grandpa Denny gave him a Thomas the Train book, we gave him his own remote so he won't play with the real one (or so we hope), and a fun firetruck toy that makes lots of noise. (I'm thinking Kaelub regrets the fact that it makes so much noise.:) ) The best part was watching him with his cake. We put the cake on a sheet and let him go at it. He barely touched the frosting, so Kaelub stuck his hand in the cake. Eli ended up with cake all over! It was pretty funny. I can't believe he is already 1--time goes by too fast! We love you Eli and are so blessed to have you in our family.

What a Cheeseball

I finally captured the face Eli has been pulling lately! He squints his eyes and has the cheesiest grin. Usually he does it so fast I can't get a picture, but the other day I was ready for it. And you can see his teeth--4 on top and 2 on the bottom. Such a silly boy! He walks really well now, and on Tuesday he figured out how to stand up without holding on to anything to pull himself up. For the past two days he constantly walks around, falls down, stands back up, and walks some more. I think he likes being able to walk.

Eli's Obsession

No more cereal boxes here!

For the last few weeks Eli has been getting into all the kitchen cabinets and pulling things out. He especially loves the one with the cereal boxes, so out of fear that one of these times he would end up dumping the cereal out all over the floor, I decided to find a new spot for the cereal. Eli will drag his toys into the kitchen too, and combined with all the bowls, tupperware, etc. that he pulls out of the cabinets, it's hard to see much of the kithen floor. Another of his new obsessions is trying to put his toys under the stove/oven. There is a small gap between the drawer below the oven and the floor. So he thinks it's great to try to fit all his small toys under there and then gets down on his belly to look for them. He also does this under the doors going into the laundry room, bathroom, and storage room. So I end up finding fun surprises when I go in those rooms! I'll try to catch him on camera one of these days.

Watching Dad

Yesterday Kaelub was out in the back yard re-seeding the lawn & fixing some sprinklers. Eli stood looking out the door just watching him do everything for about 20 minutes. I think Eli is going to be Kaelub's little shadow--following him around everywhere and trying to do everything his dad does.

First Steps

Eli started walking this last week! He will take about ten steps or so before sitting down. It's funny because a lot of times he has a toy in his mouth or hand while trying to walk. He's already multi-tasking!

Puppy Love

Last night our ward had a Halloween party with chili, cornbread, & trunk-or-treating. It was fun to visit with friends and see all the kids in their costumes. Eli looked so cute in his puppy costume!

Play Time

He somehow managed to climb into his old walker.

This is how he does it.

Who new an orange tupperware cup would be so entraining.
Meltdown after church.
One handed

Here are a few pictures of Eli playing with some of his favorite toys. (And showing off his skills as a climber and walker.) He loves to get into the cabinets, climb on anything, especially Kaelub or I, and play with other kids. (Well, he chases after them and smiles at other babies.)

Tagged

Noelle tagged me a while ago and I'm finally getting around to doing it! (By the way, Noelle has the cutest little kidos & she takes great pics of them.)

8 TV Shows I Love to Watch
1. The Office
2. So You Think You Can Dance
3. Design Star
4. What not to Wear
(That's all I can think of that I really love. More of a movie person.)

8 Places I Love to Eat
1. Costa Vida
2. Pei Weis
3. Some Burros
4. Texas Roadhouse
5. Tia Rosas
6. Paradise Bakery
7. Nandos
8. Millhollow (It's a must when we come to visit.)

8 Things That Happened Yesterday
1. I didn't have to go to work---yeah!
2. Played with E
3. Someone left us Halloween goodies on our door step
4. Talked to my mom
5. Kaelub and I watched the Office
6. I worked on scrapbook pages of summer pics for E
7. Worked on E's walking skills
8. Played the piano

8 Things I Look Forward To
1. Kaelub applying to PA school
2. Kaelub hopefully getting accepted to ISU so we are close to fam
3. Halloween fun with E in his cute puppy costume
4. Nice Arizona fall/winter weather
5. Walks with Kaelub & E
6. E's 1st birthday
7. Dates with Kaelub
8. Fam visiting for Thanksgiving

8 Things I Love About Fall
1. Cooler weather
2. Leaves changing colors
3. Pumpkin candles
4. Putting up my fun fall decorations
5. Being able to enjoy outdoor stuff now that it's not 110
6. Fun Holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving)
7. Birthdays (E's, mom's, Jill's, Dad's)
8. We get to change church times

8 Things On my Wish List
1. Eternal Family
2. Simplify my life
3. Have more kidos
4. For the economy to turn around
5. New digital camera
6. Learn to take better pics
7. Prop 102 to pass
8. Good weather for our drive up to Idaho for Christmas

California Trip

Huntington Beach

Not so sure about the sand.
Playing with dad in the water

Kaelub at Six Flags
Eli liked Bugs Bunny

Santa Monica
Eli's first time in the ocean
Eli's first time on the beach

Hollywood
Eli with Mickey in Hollywood

Grandma & Eli
Us at Wicked (Sorry Aaron--I don't have a better pic.)

Last Thursday we drove to LA to visit my brother. My mom flew down from Idaho & Aaron's girlfriend flew in from Missouri so we could meet her. We stayed until Monday and had so much fun. Thursday night we went to Wicked---loved it! (Thanks Kaelub for watching Eli so the rest of us could go. :) You're the best.) I already want to see it again. Friday we spent the morning in Hollywood & then drove to Santa Monica. It was a little windy & cloudy, but we still stuck our feet in the ocean. We ate at Bubba's on the pier and then walked around the shops. I convinced everyone that we had to stop and try some Pinkberry frozen yogurt and they were all glad I suggested it. It was delicious! Saturday we spent the whole day at Six Flags and my mom was so great to watch Eli while we went on the rides. I hadn't been on a roller coaster in a few years so I wasn't sure if I would still like them, but it was a lot of fun. Kaelub and I waited in line for a ride called De Ja Vu and when we finally got to the front of the line, Kaelub found out he was too tall to ride it. I had never known you could be too tall for a ride, so I had to go by myself, and it was one of the craziest rides there! We did get a pass to go to the front of the line on another ride though, since we had waited all that time and Kaelub couldn't ride. My mom & I took Eli on a few mild rides like the train & carousel. We caught the morning session of conference on Sunday and then drove down to Huntington Beach. The weather was so nice--sunny but not too hot. We had such a great time & were sad to say goodbye to everyone. Thanks mom for taking us on such a fun trip---we love & miss you!