december december...

december was such a busy month!! it started off with a party for chris dental battalion.  it was a family party out at mikes farm... mostly a fun night.  it took place out by the campfires which would have been fine but it got dark and was hard to see and there was a lake next to us and it was hilarious trying to keep daniel from running straight for it.  but otherwise we had fun with friends and got to take a hay ride through a really cool chrsitmas light show in the trees and parts of it were so patriotic you couldn't help getting choked up.

we also took a quick opportunity to take some family pics before we headed out using a self timer and used them for our christmas cards... merry christmas! ha!

the dental battalion also threw an adult holiday party (meaning no kids).  we got all dressed up for this one.  i wore an old sparkly red dress of my grandma doris' and took a gold purse of hers.  the night was really fun.  and crazy.  they played musical chairs which was all fun and games till some young girl pulled the chair out from under the generals wife... whoa! the whole crowd was shocked and gasped and the generals wife took it well and smiled and got up but whoa... haha they also did some tossing game and handed out a bunch of gift cards from a raffle... we won $100!!! yahoo!! then the dancing came... and if you know me... you know i like to get down!  it was pretty hilarious.  we were having so much fun.  the enlisted from chris' office kept telling him how awesome his wife was and they were impressed how crazy i was... and then they were shocked to find i was sober.  like people can't be fun without alcohol?!  we also got some pictures taken in the photo booth.  super fun night.  

my awesome friend sara watched daniel for us... he loves her house... partly for the doggy door and she has treats! 

i also attended a ornament exchange with my NOSC ladies... super fun.  they are such fun women to be around.  we had a great time with awesome food and lots of really pretty ornaments.

the last party we went to before we left town was a progressive dinner with a bunch of friends from the ward.  our house hosted the appetizers this year... and i will say they were pretty yummy.  fun night with songs, nativity, dinner, dessert and good company... i also wore my beautiful christmas sweater i found at walmart this year... its truly special

then we jumped on a plane to vegas for the next 2 weeks!!!! daniel was perfect on the flight.  he slept for most of it and watched elmo the rest of the time.  we arrived pretty early in vegas and took quick naps... switching to pacific time zone is always tricky... we woke at 3 am the first morning... luckily we all wake together and get to enjoy watching my mom work out before seminary.  daniel was mezmorized watching the dancers on moms wii just dance video. haha  we spent on evening over at emily and gregs house before they ditched us to spend christmas at park city... lame!  we spent most other days at grandpas house with sam and meesha and mom.  since he hadn't been doing very well someone was staying in the house with him at all times and my mom was down there most afternoons... so we spent most of our break hanging out down there.  especially since chris and daniel both came with really bad colds... no one was in a hurry to do much.  we did get to play a lot with gigi and axel... hes such a cute baby!!

one morning we drove out to boulder city and rode on the santa train they do out there.  it was a short ride but really fun... daniel was in a terrible mood (super tired) till aunt meesha saved the day with some fruit snacks.  santa came through and gigi was so excited to give him her letter... otherwise we enjoyed the scenery and the kids jumped around and had a good time...

we then decided to grab a quick bite and drive up to see the new bridge over hoover dam.  daniel fell asleep so chris sam gigi and i walked up and over the bridge... very high and very cool.

that was a really fun morning and super glad meesha had invited us to go with them.  

chris mom came down that weekend for 2 days to see us and daniel... they had a good time playing together.  chris went to mass with his mom before they both came to church with our family.  it was a fun quick little visit. 

christmas eve was a pretty fun night.  for the first time we decided not to host a huge party with moms other siblings and all my cousins.  we were just feeling overwhelmed with taking care of grandpa and everything else and our family has just gotten so big we decided to keep it simple this year.  we met at grandpas house and did our usual white elephant gift exchange but with a twist.  it was silly and fun.  we had soups that i made for dinner and i must say they were yummy... the group favorite was the tomato tortellini soup but sam said the chicken noodle was by far the best... we even got grandpa to come out and eat with us. he and daniel enjoyed eating together.

then we went in the front room and sang some christmas songs. always my favorite part of christmas is singing around the piano as my mom plays... we even walked down to grandpas room to sing a couple songs for him... which was beautiful... he was choked up and i was choked up and it was just neat.... i'm sure everyone else was choked up.  we ended the night helping the kids open their presents from grandma karen.  we sure missed not having emily and her family there but were really glad my dad was able to come and be at the party with us.  

christmas day was pretty good.  daniel still doesnt really get presents or enjoy opening them.. but he likes toys especially cars! he got quite the collection of cars and he immediately just wanted to play.  he also got a playdoh dentist.. chris had a good time playing that with him and showing him how to drill on teeth.... even grandma got on the floor to play some cars with him.

chris and i spoiled ourselves with a kindle.... we feel super fancy now.  its mostly to read books on but i do like some pinterest or other apps on there. 

we also spent the afternoon over at grandma slades with my dad.  they had gotten capriotti sandwiches (of course) yum! and we played for quite a while.  then the kids discovered a neighbor boy playing with a remote control car in the street so they all ran out and spent the next 20 min chasing the car around.  daniel was in heaven! 

after that we went to aunt joans for pie! we always love pie.  and it was fun to see more family and cousins.  

the next couple days we spent with mom and grandpa and sam and jack and meesha.  really glad we got to make a longer trip this time... and we did get to spend some more time with emily and greg and family before we left.... one more party night with raising canes and games... we played a card game emily and greg have.  it was so silly but really fun.  i love my family.  

we said our good byes to grandpa and everyone else and headed to bed.  we left very early the next morning to head back home... 

not wanting to be at the airport!

once home we mostly vegged for a couple days... time change is killer!! chris worked one day and then we had another week off.  daniel enjoyed playing with cups... i finished our stockings and we got more presents from chris family in the mail including the awesome star wars potato head.

i will admit this christmas season was tough this year... with grandpa being so sick and miserable it just put a damper on it for everyone.  we just feel so bad for him and hate seeing anyone you love that miserable... so glad we went home... nothing i miss more than my family!

for new years eve we spent it with our favorite neighbor the Millers.... we had lots of yummy food and then played games till late and even remembered to give each other a little kiss at midnight... (me and chris...not kiss the other couple ha!)  it was a really great easy night as daniel slept upstairs in the craft room and their three girls went to bed and we just had a good time playing rumikube... perfect way to end 2013. 

november.... seems so long ago

i'm so behind with my blogging and i really need to catch up since i have so many blogs now that i need to post but want to keep them in order... so here we go.  here's november...

first up was the MLG ball.  Ours took place on base this time which was super nice.. childcare was provided for free and daniel did awesome.  he was totally asleep when we picked him up which is impressive considering there were a couple babies crying very loudly...

we got all dressed up.  i wore a ball gown from my junior voice recital at BYU... luckily i kept all those dresses! and thought to bring them with me to North Carolina.  Chris got all fancy in his winter dress blues... he sure looks handsome in them... he thinks he looks like an airline pilot.  ha! he does a little.  but thats still hot right?!  the night was filled with a lot of pomp and circumstance... a lot of standing at attention... long speeches.... stand up sit down fight fight fight... ha... just kidding. but really the first hour or so is slow and a little boring.  and the food was just ok... what was fun was the people at our able... we always like ebony and victor as we went to dental school with them... and victor and i just tease each other the whole time... to others we may seem like we are just rude to one another but we have a nice understanding of the others humor.  and then the hicks family sat with us as well.. ive gotten to know her pretty well from being on the NOSC board together.  they brought his great uncle with them and his wife and let me tell you... this old couple was a hoot.... she's a little off her rocker and provided much entertainment through the long speeches.  my favorite part was after dinner started the dancing.  i went out with several of the senior officers' wives and we danced.... a lot and a little crazy. but it was so fun.  the generals wife even joined us for a bit.  by the end of the night my feet were so tired but we had a good time....

my mom was supposed to come visit us in october and had to cancel last minute so she came out for vetrans day weekend instead.  daniel of course loved having his grandma here to play with him.... and it was so funny how well he remembers certain games he plays with just grandma. or things he just says to her... super cute.

 one day we headed out to mikes farm and fed the goats they have roaming all over... you can pay a quarter and get a handful of feed and daniel had no problem putting his hand out and letting them eat.  or walking right up to them and petting them... granted he thought they were dogs and kept barking and panting at them... haha.  then we enjoyed dinner with my favorite symes family.  it was really fun to go to dinner with them since Mitch was leaving on monday for Afghanistan.  dinner was served family style with big bowls of food placed on the table that you pass around and its unlimited how much you want.  really fun night.

the next day we headed out to new bern to explore that little town.  first we visited tryon palace... which is where the original governor of north carolina lived.... like pre revolutionary war time... the whole house was really neat.  i love old historic houses.... this was actually a replica as the original had been burned to the ground.  we also went through some of the other historic houses near by... all just fascinating.  how they lived.... especially in the crazy hot humid summers... with no ac!  i would never have lasted.  

we also visited a cemetary.... my sister emily is obsessed with old cemeteries... so naturally we have become more obsessed over the years.  this one had some super old graves... our favorite was of the british officer who wanted to be burried standing up saluting to his king in england... thats just funny... and kinda neat.

we also stopped by real quick to a friends house for a little byu party for a big game they were in... the babies were so funny jumping on the tramp...

sunday was a fun day to have mom there as i was leading my first primary program in sacrament meeting.  we have so many kids in our primary and such a big stage we fill every bit of it... so i actually stood on a little box in the middle of the 5th row so the kids could see me.... it was a little embarassing.. sorry to those sitting behind me. the kids did so good.  i was very proud and plenty choked up.  

monday we headed out to fort macon.... old military base on the edge of emerald isle.  it has been used in several wars.... dating far far back and all the way to world war two where they used it to fight off u-boats.... neat right?  its basically a dug in fort with 5 foot thick walls... or something like that... it used to have like 50 canon that surrounded the top.  daniel had a great time running around with his dad even on top of the fort.... 

we also wondered around the little downtown port area... we were hoping daniel would fall asleep but he never did.... so we walked for a bit and then drove home instead of getting lunch.  but we did find this memorial for one of the astronauts that was on the space shuttle challenger.... chris was impressed he was a captain in the navy. 

the last big event of november was thanksgiving.  we spent the day with our friends the stanleys.  they invited us over for dinner and dessert.... it was all really yummy.  daniel at one point found a nice muddy puddle to jump in so he ended up playing the last hour or so with no pants on.... ha!

in exciting news i finally got my final crown put on my implant... not bad eh?  i think it looks great.  so glad it all over and i never think of it... ever... i just now have a permanent front tooth...

daniel is such a flirt... wherever we go he smiles at people around us and puts on this hilarious bashful face.... 

he's also fascinated with seeing himself on my phone so we end up doing a lot of selfies... haha

we randomly had snow one day.... late at night it just started snowing... weird! it didn't stay at all the next day... but it sure was cold. 

chris and i went on a date night to see the sandra bullock movie gravity... like my worst night mare floating no where in space... but it was really good... fun date night that i'm sure started with panera bread since we are obsessed since it opened here this month... or last...

we also love family trips to sweet frog... as you can see daniel definitely loves his ice cream. as do i!

and i just thought this was a classy picture of chris.  you're welcome.

daniel is becoming more and more adventurous and independent...he climbed up this step stool and grabbed a banana and peeled it all on his own.... i was impressed... its just not his nature.  i know that seems weird but really hes not a risk taker at all... funny kid... and he loves bananas!

i also love the moment when the trees going into our neighborhood all turn at the same time... how pretty is that?!  we just dont see that in the desert.

 

October was awesome...

I feel so bad not keeping up better with this journal.... and now that its the next year i really need to get on it so i can keep current with 2014... and not be behind all year.  october seemed so busy but not really a lot happened.... since it was halloween we had a couple parties... church had a party two weeks before halloween... we borrowed an elmo costume from a friend.  daniel loved looking at him and would say elmo over and over at the sight of it... until we put it on him and then he wouldnt move or do anything.  not sure what to think of elmo sitting on top of his head.

we also went for our first family theme and chris and i dressed up as mr. noodle and miss. noodle from elmos world...

most people with small children recognized who we were.  i thought it was hilarious.  daniel had fun running around crazy till he face planted on this gym floor and got a huge fat and bloody lip.  good thing elmo was already red.  

looking more like big bird than elmo

i also attended a NOSC (Navy Officer Spouse Club) bunco night and i dressed up as a 70's disco chick for that.... but i only took a pic of my big hair... sadly you cant see my awesome burnt orange jumpsuit...

by the time real halloween came around we were all dressed up-out... so we didnt dress up... we went to our neighborhood block party at the park.  they had bounce houses... free food... pony rides... and music.  we met some friends there and had a good time... we walked home in time for the neighborhood parade to pass our house then we sat in chairs at the end of our driveway to pass out candy... once i could see the trick or treaters fading out the last couple kids got massive handfuls of candy as i didn't want any left in our house. 

chris daniel and i all ended up with the flu at some point this month.  i had insane migraine and fever and shakes and nausea and couldnt get out of bed for 24 hours... and couldnt sleep.  daniel had a little fever and some nausea/ vommiting... chris had all of the above... poor guy always gets it the worst in our house...

i was looking at pictures of my niece amanda at daniels age and seriously my sister and i gave birth to the same baby... here they are at the same age...

amanda... daniel

he's also getting to be a lot more daring these days... climbing on things... walking down stairs alone... climbing on lots of stuff... its fun to see him explore.  he is still super cautious so i never have to worry too much what he's up to.

i also got an awesome gift this month... some tools!!!! now i can do lots of crafts and things i really have wanted to do and now i can!! yay! some fun stuff is in my future... and the store clerk was totally lame and like wow this is a nice gift for your husband and i was like... no they are mine thank you!

daniel has been so good going to my check up appointments with me.  my implant is doing awesome (i actually got my permanent crown in november!!) hes really good at listening carefully to the doctor and quietly waiting our turn.  here's what this implant looks like on x ray....

selfies at the dentists office

elmo is a daily occurrence at this household.  we watch elmos world at least once... and he watches and plays at the same time.. one day i decided to pull out his little sleeping bag and he layed on the floor and watched the whole dvd.  it was pretty cute..

he also had a lot of fun one day doing his own hair.. with some lotion.  he thought he was so funny and awesome.  luckily all the mess was on his hair and a little on the dresser.

he also likes to help me clean.  i need to clean more often when hes awake so he willl keep helping.  sometimes he's just in the way but oh well right? how else will he learn.

he loves to make faces at himself on the phone... and then we end up with a bunch of pics of himself... with dried yogurt around his mouth... awesome right?

he loves cars.  if i haven't said it enough. he loves cars. plays with them all day.  he sits on this stool and pushes them around the chair and then he kneels at the coffee table and pushes them around that and then he kneels at the fireplace and moves them around there.. all day.  its too funny..

aunt sharon sent us this super cute baby pluto doll and daniel loves it. it mostly stays in his bed for night time but this one day he had to have it everywhere he went including the swing at the park.  

while hanging out with our good friends the millers chris was playing a game on his phone and pretty soon all the kids were gathered around him watching intently.... i'm not sure chris even noticed the kids for a long time as he was way into the game too... haha  and aida was having fun showing me her giant diamond.  she's my little friend who i really like as she reminds me so much of amanda.... who i miss a ton.  love when we get to hang out with this family.

that was basically october.... good month.  happy times were had even though we were super sick for a bit of it....