Dean's New Bed

My sister Christin got a new bed for her daughter Kate so she gave us their toddler bed. I was not sure I was wanting to switch Dean out of his crib (okay his pack n play) but he is really getting too big for it. He did great the first two nights and stayed in it. Tonight was a different story and he got out of his room 5 times. He has had trouble taking naps this week-he has only slept 2 out of the 7 days this week. I have tried but it will be more of a challenge now that he is able to get out of bed. I need him to take a nap but I think he is growing out of it quicker than I want. We will see what happens this coming week. One plus to his new bed is that he seems to be in a happier mood in the morning. I think he likes the independence and being able to choose when he wants to get out.

Dean has been saying some random things lately. Here are a few of his sayings:

"My daddy says no!" or mommy depending on who he is speaking to.

"Mom, I'm hungry"-I feel like he says it nonstop even after he just ate

"This is dangerous"-when he sees something that we don't want him to have that could cause harm if used incorrectly

"I don't like it"-when he does not want to eat something or even try it

"Julia awake?."-sometimes it is a question, sometimes a statement

"Why?"-another word he uses a lot lately

Getting Ready for Christmas

We need to figure out the timer on our camera so we can all get in one picture. I thought I would have to worry about Julia getting into the tree this year but I get one more year! Dean has been taking some of the ornaments off and has broken one so we set up a little tree that he can play with. It has worked so far.

Thanksgiving Activities

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It was fun having most of my family in town (we missed you Rachael!). The weather was great, the food yummy, and we had fun playing the whole weekend. Brian made a fruit salad and strawberry rhubarb pie.
Dean decided he wanted to get a video but still could not reach.

This is our attempt to get a picture but no such luck at getting the kids to smile.

The kids ate outside

The adults ate inside along with Julia and Alexis

We went to my cousin Nicole's for dessert.


On Saturday we went to the train park in Scottsdale

Dean was being quiet during most of the ride

Julia loved it!

Dean's reaction when we first went in the tunnel was kind of funny

Andrew, Michelle and Drew came from UT and we had a fun time making yummy carmel apples with chocolate, white chocolate, candy, nuts, cinnamon and sugar. They were so good! Thanks for the fun treats Andrew and Michelle!

Primary Program

This past Sunday was the Primary program in our ward. It was Noah's last one since he will be 12 next summer. We won't have anyone in the program next year since Dean will still be in nursery. Noah did a great job at his speaking part and sang all of the songs. The whole primary sang "I Am a Child of God" and it was so sweet hearing Dean sing along with the primary kids. I love the Primary Program!

More Julia Bathtime

I had to give Julia a bath this morning after breakfast. She still has bed head which makes her look like she has more hair than she does. I could not resist taking these pictures. The cup was too full for her to lift it all the way up.

She is showing some effort that she might want to pull herself up. This was a first for her.

What a cute smile!

Open up wide!

Julia 11 months

What can I say we love this girl! I really can't believe that she is going to be a year soon. She is not going to be a little baby any more(not that she was ever little except when she was born). She continues to put a smile on our faces and she loves to smile herself. She loves it when we make her laugh! She still does not crawl but she is starting to move around more. I guess it is a blessing for me because I only have to worry about making sure a small area is clean in case she wants to put something in her mouth. Her top 2 teeth have been coming in. They make a total of 4 teeth. She still eats and sleeps well. She likes to talk and says mama and dada a lot. She also is pretty good at screaming when she wants something. She is very content when we go out on errands and when we drive in the car. She only will cry if it is at night and past her bedtime or she is hungry. She is very happy playing by herself as long as there are toys around. She has overall been a very easy baby!

Noah's 11 yr old Scout Campout

Two weeks ago Noah went with his Boy Scout Troop 480 to the Superstition Mountains. They camped, cooked foil dinners on the fire, and went on a hike the next morning. Here is his troop. Brother Swain is the leader.

Noah has been liking the opportunity to attend scouts this year. He enjoys going every Tuesday to scouts and is learning so much.