Gingerbread Houses 2010

Over the weekend we started to get in the Christmas Spirit by having our annual gingerbread house making and decorating. After two failed batches and starting over at 10:30pm so we would have working gingerbread to meet with friends the next day, I think we FINALLY figured out the secret to gingerbread that will maintain it's shape: more flour, longer cooking time, and dough rolled thinner. It's only taken us three years to figure it out. Last year (link to last year's post) we used skewers to hold the house up and even then they collapsed. I even think our decorating was taken up a notch this year too. I wonder what next year will bring? Hopefully, less batches of gingerbread.

Family Photos

A few weeks ago we had our first official family photos taken. We love them! We were disappointed when a photographer we really liked from our old ward was booked through the end of the year and unable to fit us into her schedule. As we started looking for other options we stumbled across Camille Garrison Photography. We loved her style and couldn't be more pleased with the results. She does an amazing job!

If you want to see a few more photos, go to Camille's blog HERE.

Passage to Full Adulthood using Shutterfly

This year Nate and I decided it was finally time to send out Christmas cards! The timing just seemed right and to us Christmas cards seems like a right of passage to full adulthood - a little scary I might add. When did we get so old that now we have a family of our own and are sending out Christmas cards? We still feel young.

Anyways, trying to be frugal I decided I would design the cards myself, find a place to print them, and save money in the long run. So, I started poking around on a few sites I know and trust for great design ideas - namely Shutterfly. I have ordered photobooks for my digital scrapbooking in the past from them and have loved how they turned out and the quality. The colors are always exactly how they appeared on screen - which sometimes isn't always the case. Since I am on Shutterfly's email list I have been receiving emails regarding their new Christmas photo cards for 2010. Shutterfly has so many different designs and styles using traditional Christmas colors to more playful ones and also more traditional designs that I started getting really excited. They have amazing designers working for them.

The longer I searched through the numerous designs, the more excited I got and started dropping in my pictures  - just to see how the cards would really look once they were personalized. I fell in love! The program was so easy to use and it's awesome how you can personalize each card to really make it your own. I really wanted to use Shutterfly but thought it would be too expensive. Then, I heard about a great promotion Shutterfly had to receive 50 free cards. Hmm. Would it be worth it? As I started pricing out the options (Trust me that I know how to use excel and did create a spreadsheet. Would you expect anything less from Nate and me?) I realized with the free cards Shutterfly would be no more expensive than my other options, and did I mention envelopes are included in the price? That was the clincher for me. Plus, the quality is better than anything I could have done on my own. So, you may just be getting one of these Christmas cards from the DeFries family this year. We have a few favorites and are having a hard time narrowing it down.

On another note - I just received an email from Shutterfly promoting photo calendars. Isn't that the perfect gift for family? Shutterfly may just have won more loyalty from me.

Hats off to Shutterfly!

No More Bed Head

Tonight we took Preston's hair from wild and unruly to tamed! He got his first haircut. It's bittersweet. He looks so much older now and I miss my little wild looking child but it will be better for him to not have his hair in his eyes. Our little boy is growing up!



Before



During (Thanks Erin!)





After

Officially Official CPA License

As an early Christmas gift I had Nate's CPA license framed. He's been wanting to have it done for a few months. I think it turned out great considering we had never discussed how he envisioned it being framed.

And He's Off...

We have a little walker. In the past few days Preston has gone from wanting to walk everywhere while holding onto our hands to doing it himself. It's amazing how much progress he has made in just three days. Now he prefers to walk until he loses his balance and then he'll crawl the rest of the way. (Sorry Jessica for missing your phone call.)

All Dressed Up

Saturday morning Nate and I decided we wanted to dress up for the Trunk or Treat that night, so we threw together costumes Saturday afternoon. We were excited to find out part of the stake activity was a photo booth. Lucky for us! Can you tell our theme?

Happy Halloween!

Over the weekend we spent some time picking out the perfect pumpkin, playing in the corn box, going to the Stake Trunk or Treat, and giving out candy to our first trick or treaters! We had a blast! Hope everyone else did too.

Way More Fun than the Laundry Basket!

Yesterday afternoon Preston was enamored with the new found freedom his diaper box allowed him to have. It slipped across the carpet easier than the laundry basket and once he figured out how to keep his feet underneath him he couldn't stop - until he hit the wall. However, even that didn't stop him for long. This video was taken after he had been playing for awhile and he was starting to get frustrated every time he got stuck.

Laundry Basket Fun!

Preston has been having fun all morning!

Corporate Night at the Exploritorium

Last week the Exploritorium had a free museum night for the families of its corporate sponsors. Since KPMG is a sponsor we took Preston for a night of fun. It was our first time to the museum and we thought it was amazing. Preston is a little too young to fully appreciate the many wonders but Nate and I thought it was cool. I'm sure in a few years Preston will too. Otherwise, he may realize too soon his parents may be a little nerdy.

Learning how waves move

Learning about steam

Drinking out of a toilet!

Preston's First (Recorded) Steps

Preston first took a couple of steps a few days ago! We finally were able to capture it on video tonight.

Also this week...

We love to make Preston giggle by blowing on his tummy, so he decided it would be fun to make daddy giggle by doing the same.

Decorating with Letters

While in Utah I made some letters for Preston's room. They were inspired by the letters my sister made for her son's room. I think "Preston" turned out pretty cute and am pleased with how his name looks on the wall. Preston loves staring at them, especially when getting his diaper changed!

Here are th letters my sister did. Aren't they fun!?!

Some of Our Favorite Things

A week or two ago we bought a new toy, the Kodak Play Sport, which is a video recorder similar to the Flip. We have had a lot of fun recording Preston's newest adventures and some of his personality. Here are a few household favorites:

Doors and Door Stops - Preston's fascinated with them. He loves opening and closing them and hearing the vibrating sound the door stop makes.

Mowgli Crawl - Nate and I absolutley adore his crawl. We think it may be because we have wood floors that he doesn't like to put his knees down - or maybe not but we love it all the same.

Laughing - Preston has always been a ham, especially with strangers, but this past week I feel like he has really turned on the giggles. It makes me feel like the funniest person!

Kisses, Giggles and Rough Housing - Preston loves to wrestle around like a true boy and give kisses
(or more often bites that we affectionately call "love" bites but they still really hurt.)

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Labor Day Weekend - Tilden Park

For Labor Day we met up with some friends from our ward in Millbrae to explore Tilden Park in Berkeley. The park is beautiful and has so many fun activities for young kids and old. We started by visiting the little farm where you can feed the animals lettuce and celery. Preston loved the roosters, chickens and bunnies but was a little scared of the larger animals - sheeps, goats, and cows. Later we rode the carousel and the steam train. What a perfect Labor Day!

The pig was HUGE!

Preston feeding the chickens, ducks and roosters lettuce

Preston got scared feeding the sheep lettuce

The crew on the steam train

Three Years Later

To celebrate our third anniversary on September 1, Jaime and I decided that a night in Park City would be great so we could leave Preston with my parents. Usually when we go to Utah it is for a long weekend and we cram so much into it that we leave more tired than relaxed. This time we didn't want to feel rushed so we decided to take a couple weeks to really relax.

During our time there we were able to go boating, go to the zoo, visit with family, walk down memory lane in Provo, do some craft projects, and still be a little lazy.  Here are some highlights.

Preston's first boat ride

Preston's favorite attraction at the zoo was the leaves on the trees

Trying to catch a lizard

Grandpa Jacobson was in town for a conference so we were able meet at the park

We visted great Grandpa and Grandma DeFries at their mission at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building

In Park City celebrating our 3rd Anniversary

Alpine Slide! We were grinning the entire time.

Cutting into our wedding cake top. It had been in my parents freezer for the past three years. It was suprisingly moist.