Dot and Townes

My sister-in-law Karen asked to watch my kids one day before Christmas so I could "go shopping". I think she really just wanted to take their picture. I don't blame her.



It looks like it was fun.


Dot and her twin cousin Audrey. They are a month apart and couldn't be more different. But are still great friends!

old video

I came across this video on my computer. I think Dotty was a year old, or close to it. Her personality really hasn't changed at all since then. She got the joke and wanted to try it too. I just love this little face!

A Christmas Message

This is a story my dad wrote about the true meaning of Christmas. I love how simply it describes the purpose for this blessed occasion. Enjoy.

The Man and the Birds
He was not a scrooge. He was a kind decent, mostly good man. But he just didn't believe the incarnation story that Christianity proclaims at Christmas. It didn't make sense to him and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. Why would a God come to earth to live as a man?

"I'm sorry," he told his wife, "but I'm not going with you to church this Christmas. I would feel like a hypocrite.” And so he stayed home and they went to church.

Shortly after the family drove away, snow began to fall. He went to the window to see that a winter storm was coming and he was glad he was at home. He went back to reading his newspaper. Minutes later he heard a thud, then another, and another. At first he thought someone was throwing snowballs at his living room window but when he looked out there was no one there. Then he heard it again and again. He once more went to the door but nobody was there. Just as he was closing the door he saw a small flock of birds huddled in the snow. They'd been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his living room window.

He couldn't leave them there to freeze to death. Maybe he could get them into his garage. It would provide shelter and protect them until the storm passed. Quickly he put on a coat, hat and boots and went out to the garage. He opened the garage door and turned on a light, but the birds did not move. He figured food would draw them in, so he went back to the house to get bread crumbs. He made a path with them from the garage to the birds, but to his dismay, the birds ignored them and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried shouting at them. He tried waving his hands to shoo them into the garage. He tried catching them. But every time he came near, they scattered in every direction. Every direction, that is, except toward the garage.

He realized that they were afraid of him. To them he was a strange and terrifying creature. If only he could think of some way to let them know that they could trust him. That he was not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But every move he made frightened and confused them. They would not follow him. They would not be led by him. They only feared him.

"If only I could be a bird," he thought, "If I was a bird I could be with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to the safe warm garage. But I would have to be one of them so they could see and hear and understand."
Just then the church bells began to ring. The sound rose above the roar of the storm. He stood there listening as the bells rang out O Come All Ye Faithful, as the bells pealed the glad tidings of Christmas, of the Babe, the son of God and King of Israel.
And he fell to his knees in the snow.

Happy Christmas

Princess Gee!

So, first post from my list. James and Gee get married.
Dotty had the time of her life. She loved "planting" flowers in temple square while she waited for the princesses to come out.


She insisted on saying "Hi Princess" to every Bride that came out while we waited! But she loved Princess Gee the most. Here are some more pictures I took while we waited outside.





And at the open house at Don and Paula's


Dotty waiting to say hi to Princess Gee


Dotty and Oliver

Casey and LeLoo (Leland)



Dotty and Aunt Sarah)

If you weren't convinced Townes looks like me...

"uh sorry"

Dotty-isms

I have a ton of things to post about:

• james and Gee's wedding


• more about halloween


• new york


• pheonix


• the cruise


• thanksgiving


• dotty on the potty

but I just wanted to add a quick note about her imagination that I don't want to forget.
She turns everything into a princess. This is everything from a sales receipt, a baby shoe, a napkin...if it flutters in the slightest way, she will play with it for hours and make it "dance".

Happy Halloween

Dotty as a "doctor sister" on halloween. I'll post more pictures tomorrow.

Ben and Straight

Our wonderful wonderful friends Ben and Sarah finally came up to Utah for a peek at Townes. I hope our little smiley guy was worth the trip. Even though they live in sunny San Clemente they chose our mountains to shoot their family photo.



They look so at home....if you move here Cory will give you your wedding video....

The title comes from when I was teaching Dotty how to pump on the swing - we were chanting "bend and straight...bend and straight" At least, I thought we were....she thought we were saying "Ben and straight" and smiled "just like uncle Ben!"

Bush

I wish I could have seen Bush with my brother Greg last night. Read about it here
It is strange to me that Bush is still a draw in my hometown. I thought I grew up part of the liberal elite? I guess not.

I love Daddy

Dotty absolutely loves her Daddy. When we drop him off at the airport, she wants to go with him and we spend the whole weekend talking about how great he is. Watching this video of what they do all day together, I'm not surprised that she thinks so highly of him.

Goodbye Summer

You were a good one!

Pumpkins

We went pumpkin shopping this weekend since a local farm had a display by our house. Dotty picked out a little one and then we picked two "cinderella pumpkins" because they are so pretty and they might turn into a stage coach. We also got some gourds because they were just too perfect to pass up. Right now you can't see our porch from the street because of our tall grasses - I'm going to cut them this weekend and make a proper fall display. I LOVE FALL!
Dotty loved the whole process.

Mom and Dot weekend

Last weekend Cory shot a wedding in Seattle and so I was home alone with the kids. We had a fun time.
Dotty drew a lot of "eggs" - why she draws eggs I don't know....



notice Townes working on his tummy time


Dot got some nap time in with her "horsey goggle" which was eliminated as soon as Daddy came home. But I'm glad I got in this one picture. Thanks Sarra for the cute cute bottle. Townes will love it.



And then we decided to go to a restaurant for dinner - kind of like a girls night, but with Townes tagging along. Dotty was super fun to hang out with.




notice Dot's lovely make-up on her cheek. It is not a bruise.


Dot peppering her meatballs - and a great shot of her self-made sleeve tattoo.





Townes was pretty fun to hang out with too...

Townes

I haven't really posted much about Townes because he doesn't really do much right now and I don't want to sound all TAMN when I describe how great he is. But for posterity, and so you guys out there get a little taste of townes here are some stats on him.

• 1. At 2 months he was 12 lbs, - i forget the rest, but he was like 75% for weight and 30% for height (ohh short and fat) and 50% for head.


• He coos and smiles and giggles and follows you when you come into the room


• He is extremely patient for Dotty and loves it when she gushes over him "oh how you doin little buddy? do you want some milk


• He has consistently slept threw the night since his second week of life, it was scary at first, but now of course I love it.


• He is starting to find his thumb....


• he's only peed during a diaper change once. I'm afraid now I'm going to jinkx it and now he'll pee on me all the time, but oh well.


• if you don't give him the milk he wants, or if you do something he doesn't like, he SCREAMS right away, which is a good reminder that he does have feelings - because sometimes I start to wonder if he's a doormat.


• he seems to like music as much as Dot and gets excited or happy especially when she is singing to him,

He is our little dream boy and we love him to pieces. He is so much stronger than Dot but that isn't saying much. We can't wait to see who he grows up to be. He's our little man.


Dot fell asleep watching videos on my laptop...family nap

Little GIrl | Aphex Twin

I have to put this on the blog so that it is easy to find since Dotty requests it.

Bumbo

Cory's brother gave us this Bumbo for little Townes. He looks so grown up! BTW, I think he totally looks like me in this picture.

Pledge Video

inspiring or creepy?

MATT AND KIM - DAYLIGHT

Dotty loves this

A Tale of Two Fantasies - Women Against Fantasy Sports

Shot by Cory
Featuring Sam and Karen (and Elise) Hudson
Thanks everyone for your help on this project!
visit Women Against Fantasy Sports to learn more!

Townes v. ...

Townes v. Cory



Townes v. Mary




Townes v. Dot

Cool Digs!

So while in Canada my sister told us about the time Parents magazine chose her son's room for a photoshoot... CRAZY!



Designmom styled it. Read her post here. I can't wait to buy a copy. I've slept in that room. I broke the bed...that sounds bad. It was a bad bed, they sent away for a new one. Get your mind out of the gutter.

she really does love him...

Someone might be a little jealous...

We're back

...but still unpacking. I'll post lots of pictures from our two week Canadian adventure soon.

Townes in Canada

We are in Calgary with my family. My sister in law Karen has a gift for taking beautiful pictures of babies. I'd like to think that my baby had something to do with the beauty of this photo. Doesn't he look handsome?

I'm one month old today!

Don't I look excited!

The best time to have a baby

because I get to sit at home and watch full coverage of the confirmation hearings.
I love her confidence and level headedness.

Dotty Pedi

The morning of July 4th the girls went to get pedicures. There is a place by our house that boasts "kids pedicures" so we gave it a try.



Dotty was super excited. She of course thought it was like going to the doctors - because of the chairs and the latex gloves...that girl has some sort of obsession with doctors! But she loved it. She got her beautiful toes first and waited patiently while the three of us finished ours.






She kept asking,'you having fun mummy?' and saying,'this is so much fun'. I think she was half trying to convince herself since she had to wait so long. But she was very excited by the results.

Happy 4th!

We celebrated the 4th of July with Cory's mom's family. It was my parents' first Independance Day party - and it couldn't have been cuter. Cory's cousin Katie made up a little marching routine that involved all the little cousins. Dotty took her flag waving role very seriously. After the show was done she exclaimed with a giggle,"I want to do that again!" So later in the party, we turned the marching music back on and Dot got all the kids out dancing...but outlasted them all.



But she did stop dancing long enough to have some "birthday cake".

I want to be a cowgirl

When my family was here we took a day and went to Heritage Park at "This is the Place" monument. We told Dotty it was a park with animals and a train and she was pretty excited. It was the most fun to walk through the barn with her and see her freak out at the smell. As soon as we walked into the barn she started screaming and rubbing her nose "my nose! my nose hurts". Oh not so much a farmgirl...
But we had to walk through the barn to get to the horsey ride. First Dot visited the baby goats while Cory waited in line.



And that was fun, but not as fun as riding the horse! As soon as she saw the horses she said,"I want to be a cowgirl! I need my cowgirl hat" She survived without her cowgirl hat...and even got a horse named Misty.