Random Moments in December

December was so busy and as I was pulling photos and videos together from Christmas I came across a few gems of little moments from the month worth sharing...

Preston playing with his balloons after the party. He would get tanlged in them and think it was so fun!

 Preston at his friend Leala's birthday party. They are just a few days apart. She got a really cool drumset (not from her parents, of course) and Preston loved it. They decide to make a little band - Preston on the drums and Leala on the guitar. It was pretty cute to watch!

The cheese ball we made to take to a Christmas party.

Time to Think

I can't stop thinking about this sweet family in our ward. Almost two weeks ago my friend lost her husband, Jared Johansen, unexpectedly and inexplicably in the middle of the night. He was a healthy 27 year old who leaves behind his wife, 17 month old daughter and another daughter due in January.

I should mention that Jared was also the oldest son of my current bishop. He and his wife have been living with his parents for the last year as he was preparing to go to law school in the Fall.  The outpouring of concern and love from members in our ward has been amazing.

It's at times like these that you really come to think about what you believe and grow a deeper appreciation for what you currently have. I have been humbled by the faith this family has shown despite their immense trial and feeling of loss. The memorial service was beautiful and very uplifting.

I am thankful to know that families can be together forever, that Christ lived and died so that we might return to live with our Father in Heaven again. It's easy to live in the moment and forget our ultimate purpose in life. I have learned to cherish those you love because you never know how long they will be with you.

Jared's cousin has written a beautiful tribute and reflection on her blog of her experience with his passing. Check it out here: http://benandcamille.blogspot.com/2011/12/forever-changed.html

Temple Lights

Friday night our ward had a get together at the temple to see the lights, watch the live nativity, and have hot chocolate and donuts. It was a fun little outing.

Zoo for turning 2!

On Preston's birthday we went to the Zoo - just Preston and me! It was so fun. We just got a zoo pass for the year and this was our first time using it. Originally I was just going to do errands on Preston's birthday but the morning of decided we should do something fun instead. It was a beautiful day and perfect for the zoo. We took a picnic lunch and spent time exploring together. Periodically I would break out and sing "Happy Birthday" to Preston and every time he would start giggling.

He loved watching the elephants, especially because there was one close to the fence that was eating grass with its trunk. He also loved the warthog that another kid kept calling "Pumba". Preston started mimicking the other kid saying "Pumba" as well. Randomly to this day Preston will start talking about Pumba and it's been a few days since we went. On Sunday he even started talking about the pumpkin that had been in the warthog's area. I had totally forgotten about it until he mentioned it.

I love it when Preston talks about outings days after the event because then I know he really had fun!

A tunnel to view the Meerkats. Preston was scared to go in until a few other kids ran in and then he followed right away.

Preston attempting to open his gifts without permission and before Daddy got home. I ran down to grab his new car out of the car and was gone only a minute. When I came back up he had climbed on the chair and had already started ripping the package open. I couldn't believe it. He had THE biggest smile on his face.

Deck the Halls

We finally got into the Christmas season a bit and put Christmas lights on our balcony. Preston has been enamored with the lights around our neighborhood that he sees at night. We taught him to say, "Ooohhh. Aaahhh. Wow!" whenever he sees them. It's pretty darn funny.

Vroom. Vroom. Birthday Party.

Vroom. Vroom. Preston turns two in just two days. Last weekend we had a car birthday party for him with just a few friends. It was the perfect size for his age!

Back in October I had seen a cute idea for a car birthday party on pinterest. Since Preston LOVES cars (what boy doesn't?) we thought it was perfect for him. Nate and I really enjoyed brainstorming and creating things for Preston's party. Each child received a car as a party favor that they could drive around the roads made out of masking tape and yellow duct tape. There were various stations they could stop at such as a car wash, gas station, home, drive-in movie where Cars 2 was playing and a racetrack. I think the racetrack was the biggest hit! It was well worth the money spent on our splurge purchase! The racetrack was a blow up ball pit with a track around the outside where the balls could roll back down into the pit. The kids played with it the longest by far.

We had a small lunch and of course cupcakes. Preston was so excited for his party. There were many times over the course of the month that Preston heard "not until your party" or "that's for your party". I think it all helped build the anticipation for him. He was especially excited for the cupcakes since he helped me make them the day before. And, to my suprise he knew exactly what to do with the candles on his cupcake. He blew them out before I even had a chance to tell him to. Smart boy!

All the time and effort put into creating his party was well worth it. Preston was so hyper after the event that we knew he had fun and every once in awhile in the days following I would hear him talking about it, mostly in his crib when he should have been taking a nap. He would be saying "Happy birthday to you."

We sure love this little guy and can't believe it's already been two years!

Family Pictures

A few weeks ago we asked a very talented friend in our ward to snap a few photos. We just wanted some updated ones of the entire family and expected it to be a quick thing. However, our friend totally surprised us and went way beyond our expectations doing a full on photo session. We ended up with some great photos! Thanks, Cassidy!

Thanksgiving in Portland

For Thanksgiving this year we headed to Portland to celebrate Thanksgiving with my brother's family and my parents, who also drove into town. My brother's oldest son, Tyson, was going to be baptized the Saturday after Thanksgiving so we decided to travel there for the holiday. Since I am singing with the Temple Hill Choir we had to be back for a performance that Saturday night so we missed the baptism but it was so fun to be with family, even if it was a short trip!

Preston had so much fun with his cousins. With three boys in my brother's family there were tons of boy toys in the house and Preston just couldn't get enough of them. He played and played and played. I guess we don't have cool toys like that at out house because our toys don't entertain him nearly as long.

We arrived in Portland early Wednesday morning and made a quick stop at VooDoo Donuts to check it out. It's kind of a cool, local joint with crazy donut concoctions. I wished I could have just a bite of each type of donut to try them all out. Definitely a place to check out again just to try a different flavor!

I always kick myself for not taking more photos. We spent Wednesday and Thursday just hanging out, watching movies and playing games, and of course enjoying a delicious turkey dinner.

Friday we braved the crowds and went to the mall for a bit before heading to Mt. Hood to ride the "Polar Express" train. What a fun event for the kids! They got to see Santa, enjoy hot chocolate and cookies, and even take a bell home.

We loved spending a few short days with the family!

Playing with Dad and showing off one of the cool toys he found

Playing Angry Birds

Outside the "choo choo tracks" before the Polar Express ride

On the "Polar Express" train

Chatting with one of the leves on the train

Getting his bell from Santa