We love our Uncle Dano

Today Dan (Jared's brother) checks into the MTC. Hope has had a special bond with him since she was a baby and we'll all miss him terribly for the next two years. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day we went to the Sacramento temple with Jared's family to do family baptisms. It was a wonderful experience and all I wanted was to get a good picture of Hope with Uncle Dan. Below are the best of my attempts. (the pictures that I really want to turn out well are usually the ones where the kids are not cooperating!)

Kids are like sponges

It is amazing how much kids are like sponges. They are so smart. They learn by just watching us. A couple of weeks ago I had a million things I was working on (including changing Hope's clothes) and I walked into her room to find her with her table set and she was dishing food. How cute! She wants to be just like me and do what I do. For the bottom picture I told Hope to "Smile for Daddy!" She will do anything for her Daddy.

little man

Our little man.....actually we call him "buddy". Daddy always comes home and scoops up Bryce and says "hi buddy!" Hope now says, "hi buddy! hi buddy! hi buddy!". Bryce is now 6 months old and weighing in at a solid 18 lbs, 11 oz. In fact yesterday I was asked if Hope and Bryce were twins since they are so close in size. He is just a strapping youngster I like to say. He is sitting up on his own, remains a sweet baby and is pure delight to us. Just like Daddy, take care of the basic needs (food, sleep, running pipes) and he is perfectly content. His favorite person is Hope. He lights up when she is around and almost refuses to nurse if she is near because he doesn't want to miss one second of her.

100% Girly Girl

Sweet Hope. She is all girl. She loves necklaces, bracelets, bows, clothes, purses, dresses, and everything about being a girl and Mommy. When we pull out a new outfit or a dress she smiles and says, "mine!". When I go to get my wedding ring or some jewelry out of my dresser she begs and whines until she gets to wear something. (then she'll wear it all day and sleep with it if we forget to take it off) So today I bought her a little Smackers girly kit with lip gloss, face glitter, nail polish (which I quickly hid), and chap stick. She put it all over her face. She was so happy to have it. She kept saying, "thank you momma" over and over again. For now it feels more like the "terrific twos" instead of being terrible. :)

playing at home

It has been over a month since our last post. We have been busy with Hope's 2nd birthday, Christmas, and many family functions. Best of all was having Daddy home for a few extra days both for Christmas and New Years. In fact my favorite day in the last month was the Sunday night after New Years. We all got in our pajamas that afternoon, Daddy made a scrumptious dinner and then we just played together as a family for 2 hours. Hope had a smile or giggle on her face the entire time. It felt like a little piece of Heaven.

Hats.....

Hope has a few outfits with very cute Hats that she refuses to put on. However, when I put a hat on Bryce to stay warm, she suddenly loves hats and wants to wear one. She is a crack up. This was just a few days before Thanksgiving. Jared and I were so looking forward to 4 days of family time. Hope however began to be sick Tuesday, and every day one more of us became sick. Jared didn't develop anything too horrible because he took his usual trip to the drug store and did multiple prevention remedies. The holiday turned out to be less then ideal with runny noses, crying through the night, fevers, and everything else that is not fun about being sick. In fact, don't look too close at Hope in these pictures, I hadn't wiped her face with a washcloth before taking them. She is still cute, boogers and all......

glides on air

Christmas came early for Jared and I this Year. I got my Schwinn double stroller that I had begged for since summer. It is wonderful. It is easier to push then my single Graco stroller. It practically glides on air. I had big plans to take it to a new park each day and play in the afternoon with the kids. Unfortunately the kids have been sick and it has been very dark and cold. Anyway, I love it! It is better than a diamond necklace! For Jared, who likes to buy his own Christmas gifts, he got us some more home security in the form of a shotgun. We have been talking about a gun for months and after the election we decided the time was right. Let's get a gun while we still have the freedom to do so.