Christmas Sunday

I just want to write this down so that I remember. Every Sunday, it works out that I get Hope dressed while Eric is in the shower. And every Sunday as soon as she is dressed, she runs to the bathroom to show her daddy her "beautiful dress". Sometimes she just stands there for as long as it takes for him to realize she is standing there. Sometimes she just can't wait, so she says something so he knows she is there. I love this little tradition because every single time, Eric tells her just how beautiful she is, and she loves every minute of it. Every little girl should know just how beautiful their daddy thinks they are, right?

This Sunday, Eric had to leave early. It was also the Sunday before Christmas. So, Hope said, "Oh no! Daddy not here to see my beautiful dress!" Then SHE suggested we take a picture so that he could see it later. How could I turn down such a request?

Notice Big Bertha (our Christmas tree) in the back. Our tree was HUGE this year!

Pictures with Santa

Every year we go to Bass Pro Shop to see Santa. It seems kind of funny, but we love it because they give you a professional picture. Plus, it seems we always have something to buy while we are there anyway. If you go, you MUST go during the week, because the wait can be 2+ hours long!


They also have a place for the kids to have a "Snowball fight". That was the highlight for Hope. She is not a shy little girl.

Of course we go around to see the animals too. This picture cracks me up. She was trying to smile like I asked her to, but was also trying to look at the fish.

Thanksgiving 2010

I am SO behind on blogging! This year for Thanksgiving we went up to Windsor to celebrate with Kirsti and Mike and Aaron and Pam, and their families. We had a lot of fun, and tons of good food. It was fun to see Hope with all of her cousins. It was also fun to see how you can take 2 little girls (Hope and Brynlee) and see just how different they can be. Let's just say Hope was a little like a bull in a china shop. She seems to have settled back into the more calm child we know and love.
These are the fun little project that Kirsti had for the kids.


The kids at the kids table. No nap for Hope that day = delusional!

Our little helper

So this fall we had a lot of fun cleaning up the leaves! We are starting to realize that Hope just loves to be helping and involved. In fact the key to getting her to eat dinner is to let her help. Here are a few pictures of he helping with the leaves this fall.

Best Friend

I want to remember this forever! We are coming out of just about the roughest 24 hour period that I can remember. Picture Hope vomiting for almost 18 hours straight, and about 2 hours was every 5-10 minutes. Yeah, pretty rough as far as I am concerned. Eric so kindly took over the night hours, because in my very pregnant state, I was totally exhausted and my body wasn't going to let me get away with much more. My husband is the best. (At least I think so!)

This morning I was laying next to Hope in our bed on a pillow just looking at each other and talking. Out of the blue she puts her arm around my neck and says "You're my best friend."

PRICELESS

Just Because

Just because I ran across this picture at mom and dad's today. This picture just struck me. Like I said. Just Because...



Hope just saw the picture and said, "I love my baby brother." She is still confused about the fact that she will be having her 2nd baby brother. That's okay. She'll figure it out sometime. Maybe years from now.

Follow the Prophet Version 3.0

I just had to post this because I think this is very funny!

Soon after I posted the last time, she changed don't go a street, to don't go a straight. But NOW it is...

Follow my Pampa, follow MY Pampa don't go a straight!

Pampa = Grandpa

She is the best (Obviously I think that!)

Halloween 2010

The previous 2 years, I have made the main parts of Hope's costumes. This year, I just wasn't in the mood I guess. I may be a bit biased, but I am pretty sure she was the cutest little ice cream cone I have ever seen! We actually did a few fun things. First we went and surprised Jordan at her work. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures.

The Saturday before, Eric had to work. He was on the project at the zoo, so we decided to go down and see him. The zoo was having the boo at the zoo, so we thought we'd try it out. Let's just say I was glad we didn't have to pay to get in. The first 2 hours were GREAT. Very quiet, then it was insanely packed with people. We skipped most of the trick or treating stations, as Hope didn't care about the candy. She was way more excited about the animals. The lines were a mile long for a piece of candy! We still had a blast, and the bonus was Eric got to join us for a little bit. Oh yeah, then he took us for a ride on the golf cart. Needless to say Hope loved it even if she wanted to go faster.

Saturday night was the ward trunk or treat, so we went to that. Even if we ran out of candy 10 minutes into the trunk or treat. There had to be at least 4 times the number of kids that everyone was expecting.


We did go trick or treating to grandma and grandpas on Sunday. I think they made up for missing the real thing. I took some pictures, but they really didn't turn out of the party. Complete with fog machine, scary music, candles, and eating dinner from witches cauldrons with spiders in the web over our heads. It was quite a party I tell you!

then we decorated sugar cookies for dessert. Hope didn't want anything to do with the cookie once she tried the sprinkles.

I think the hightlight of her night was helping Jordan hand out candy. We were cracking up when towards the end of the night, she opened the door and said, "Happy Halloween!" Then before they closed the door, she would say, "You're so TOOT!" (cute)

Pumpkin Patch and Carving Pumpkins

This year was a lot of fun picking out pumpkins with Hope.

Eric obviously couldn't pass up THIS photo op!

Hope definitely had her opinion about what she wanted. Eric and I each carried a big pumpkin from the top of the hill. But once we got to the car she changed her mind. I love it that she wanted the only greed pumpkin in the field! Hey, we told her she could pick any pumpkin that she wanted! The big one was Erics and the baking one... well, was supposed to be mine. After I about chopped my finger off, I decided to just use it as a decoration!

We had fun carving the pumpkin, and Hope loved the end result. This was the pattern she picked out of the many options Eric found online.

Follow the Prophet

Before bed every night, I rock Hope and we talk about the day before I sing a few songs, and off to bed. Last night, I asked Hope about nursery. Among other things, she said they sang songs. Then she started to sing Follow the Prophet. This is how her version goes.

Instead of: Follow the Prophet, follow the Prophet, don't go astray...
Hope sings: Follow the Prophet, Follow my Prophet don't go a street...

Classic

I LOVE these pictures! This is so classic of Hope and what she loves about her pam-pa and dam-ma (her current ways of saying Grandpa and Grandma). She loves to grab their reading glasses, and sit and act like she is reading their books or whatever else she can find.

On this morning, I was working out, and Grandpa just walked down the stairs. She caught him right away with one of her books, and asked him to read. So, they sat on the stairs, and Grandpa pulled out his glasses. Hope said, "wait, wait" and went and got her (really Grandmas) glasses. They just sat there reading. I just couldn't help it, I had to ruin the moment with a picture to remember it for a long time.

For the time that she took to warm up to Grandpa, she just can't get enough now. Just now we were looking through the pictures on the computer and she saw a picture of Grandma, Grandpa and Jordan and said, "I lub (love) my pampa, pamma and Joran!"



She also just asked me to read her a book and asked her to let me just finish this. She said "Mama, you are a stinter magoo!" I LOVE THIS GIRL. She had just been so pleasant and fun to have around the last few weeks. How do I keep this pleasant Hope from becoming the moody one? I guess it is just part of the process?

We've got a serious drain problem!

It is called my husbands finger is plugging the drain! We had a slow leak in our bathroom sink, so Eric decided to take it all apart. (Of course my long hair NEVER clogs the drains!) After a few minutes, I hear, "Summer can you please come here and help me?" Of course I figured it was going to be going to retrieve the 15th instrument necessary for the project. NOPE he had his finger seriously stuck!

I ran to the kitchen and grabbed oil and soap and ice water. Thinking something should work if we did it quick enough. NOPE. He had to get cut out. I called my parents that happened to be very close, but on their way to dinner. I was NOT going to be the one to cut him out. Thanks to Dad, he got to do the dirty work. Sorry Honey, I know you didn't want people to see these pics.....

Labor Day Trip to Missouri

We have made it a tradition to go visit Eric's Parents and Becky over labor day weekend. I was really bummed that I neglected to take more pictures, and don't have any with Grandma and Grandpa. We had a great time with lots of time to just relax.
Right at the end when Hope had had enough, Eric rolled down the window on the highway, and saved us from fussing for the 5 minutes that it worked.

First ride on the Gator, and the hat was definitely necessary. Hold on tight!


A couple of weeks before we were in Missouri, Hope decided that essentially mom wasn't allowed to do anything for her. I mean, change diapers, rock her before bed, give her a bath, make a sandwich. You get the idea? It definitely mad me feel bad, but a very wise husband pointed out that it was probably a good thing getting ready for a new baby in the house. Then I learned to enjoy an excessive amount of down time! This was the case when dad was gone and I tried getting Hope dressed. Once she realized that I was helping her do something, she ran upstairs, just like this to have grandma help.

Seth was so sweet to leave his tractor over at the McCains home so that Hope could have some fun. That was so nice, thanks Seth. Grandma and I learned the hard way that that was an activity strictly for dads to be in charge of. I don't think I have ever been so mad at Hope and laughing at myself at the same time, ever! Just picture a 2.5 year old on a moving tractor that thinks it is great fun to have Mom and Grandma running after her yelling for her to stop before she goes off into the brush, on 80 acres no less? The funniest thing was that she figured out right away how to move it into the faster gear. This girl has a need for speed!

Another highlight were the frogs. Eric and Hope had fun catching them out side and watching them from the inside catching bugs on the big windows in the family room.


Hope with Allie. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture with Seth.

Our favorite trip to Jamesport for shopping. Then we drove to Kansas City to go to dinner at North, so good!

Abbie and Kyle knew a guy that has this huge farm with tons of animals. We had a lot of fun. I always say that Hope loves animals, but it might be more accurate to say she loves Dogs, cats and frogs. The rest she was a little nervous around.





The lama likes the smell of hair, so he just chased people around trying to smell their hair. One thing is for sure. I am totally out of place on a farm!

Thanks for all the fun!

Big Girl Bed

Well, I finally gave in to my fears and we changed Hope from her crib to her "big dirl bed", in her very own words. Yes, we bought the bed a year ago. Yes, she started climbing out of her bed two weeks before we went to Missouri to Erics family. Yes, we made her wait until we got back. So here is a picture of how I found her for a couple of weeks. There were a few places, like the floor in her room, that I didn't get pictures of but it kept us guessing every night where she would be when we checked on her.

First night in her bed.

The next morning when I checked on her. It took her about a week to roll out of bed for the first time. Ever since then she has slept wonderfully. I guess she knew what she wanted. Hmm I think I know where she got that from...

Colorado Cares Day

This year we helped during Colorado cares day at it was... well hot. I was fairly early on in my pregnancy and definitely very sick and tired. Hope and I walked along a fence and helped pick up garbage. Eric wasn't so lucky. He was put on the heavy duty, nasty job.

The highlight for Hope was riding in the bus. Well, actually it was a big van, but as far as she was concerned, it was a bus.

I felt like a total loser, by the end Hope was about as worn out as I was, so my friend Heather helped me carry her back. I swear I'm not usually that big of a wimp!