Merry Christmas!!!

O Christmas Tree...

It's the season to go out in the forest and hunt for the perfect tree... Here's our story.

After nervously 4-wheeling on some back country roads, we found a nice little spot to park and look around.  We even found the remains of a Snowman.  Brodie got a kick out of this!

But, we didn't find the perfect tree so we headed further into the forest.  The snow covered dirt road was getting thicker and thicker with white slush by the mile.  We decided it would be bad news if we went any further, so we decided to turn the truck around and search around for a tree.  The turning around part didn't go so well, but Bo managed to finally maneuver us in the right direction.  That man has some amazing snow driving skills!  After we got turned around Bo went up the mountain on foot in search of the mighty tree we sought.  Brodie and I played around and did a few runs down small hills on the sled.  Ryker slept soundly in the warm truck.  Time went by and the skies started getting darker, the clouds thicker, and droplets of rain started to come down.  Finally we heard a shout, "I found it! And I am attempting to cut it down!"  Brodie and I tromped up the hill, following Bo's footsteps.  We scanned the trees and saw him on a very steep hillside standing on a tree, trying to cut down another tree...

Can you see him?  Yeah, it was getting pretty dark!

Excitedly the tree went timber... but wait.  As it came crashing to the gound the whole top of the tree snapped off.  Boo.  Looks like there will be a Part II of the Christmas Tree adventure.

We also had a lovely potluck dinner with the Hat Creek Community.  And Santa came to town!

Brodie wasn't too fond of the man with a beard of white.

He didn't even want to accept the gift Santa gave him.   

Video:

Finally once we got far enough away from Santa, Brodie took the gift, but after looking at it for a minute, he decided he should return it to Santa, so he ran back up to him and gave him the present back.  That boy!

Ryker on the other hand could care less if the jolly fellow held him and Santa even threatened to keep Ryker and not give him back.

And here is Brodie back at our table.  He decided that maybe he did want the present afterall.

Goodbye November...

     I haven't blogged in a few weeks, which is very unlike me, but things have been busy!  Here is just a snapshot of what's been going on...

Brodie and Bo sporting their matching duck stamp shirts

      

We went down to Oakland to visit Bo's Grandpa, Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin.  Grandpa treated us to a delicious seafood dinner.

Bo's first dungeness crab

Bo's parents also came down from Idaho to visit, so we did an early Christmas for family home evening.  Grandpa and Grandma got Brodie a new gun!  That boy is going to need his own personal gun cabinet soon!

We also visited my parents during Thanksgiving.  Here's Bo and Brodie making us some brownies.

       

Ryker has been doing great!  He is starting to fill out and I am loving his chubby cheeks!

Ryker loves to get in his snuggles with his grandmas.

     

Brodie is doing great with his little brother too.  Still very affectionate.

It's been snowing here too, so we've had lots of snow days.

Brodie loves his sled.  We haven't gone down any hills yet, but he has no problem with me pulling him around the yard... lucky me.

His hands got cold, so he put them in his pockets... so cute!  And he only face planted once because he wasn't holding on!

Since Brodie was having so much fun being pulled around I decided to take advantage of it.  We did laundry and hauled wood from the barn to the front porch... all on the sled.

I love my family!

1 month; 21 months

 Yesterday Ryker turned 1 month old!  I'm going to say it again... time flies!

Tomorrow, Brodie will turn 21 months old!  My first baby boy is going to be 2 in a few short months -- now that is crazy!

Brodie loves Ryker so much... Ryker will grow to love Brodie, but for now he just does his best to not get smooshed.

And here is a picture of Brodie who was pretty excited that daddy brought home a duck.

B-Boy

Today has been a busy day of 'B's!

This morning for breakfast we had 4 ripe and slightly bruised bananas so Brodie and I decided to make Banana Bread.

I caught Brodie in the act of snatching some banana bread batter from the bowl...

What's really gross is that most of it was baking powder and flour that hadn't been beaten into the batter yet... what a bad boy!

Nothing beats biting banana bread batter off the spatula.

Then before lunch I caught Brodie trying to breastfeed his baby brother....

What a cute little belly!

Maybe I need to be a little more discrete when I'm feeding Ryker...

And now I'm watching Bo use baby wipes to clean BBQ sauce off of Brodie's beautiful face.

What a blessed day of 'B's!

Duck, Duck, Goose.

Before we headed back up the mountain from our short trip to the valley we had to swing by Grey Lodge so Brodie could see all the water fowl.  The mosquitos were absolutely horrible!  I've never seen them so thick, so it wasn't as fun as I thought it would be.  I pretty much had to keep Brodie locked up in the truck the whole time and because of that he wasn't allowed to blow his duck calls, but I tried to make it fun by letting him sit up in the front with us while we drove around the loop.  He still had a blast and enjoyed "shooting" the ducks and geese with his make believe gun.

I let him poke his head out at the very end of the loop so he could hear all the ducky noises and he got 3 mosquito bites on his neck and two on his forhead!  I hate mosquitos!

On another note, Ryker was lucky enough to get a little seed money for being born, so we got him a few comfort items and he's been enjoying a life of luxury.

My Babies

Sometimes it's fun to act like a baby...

But only when the little brother isn't occupying the crib.

I know -- Ryker is always wearing the same thing... but only 3 of his outfits fit him, and let's be honest, even those are a little big on him, so we just have to keep recyling the three outfits over and over again.

Happy Birthday Bo!

Yesterday Bo turned 29 years old!  Can you believe in one year he'll be 30?!

We enjoyed crab bisque and chocolate cake, per Bo's request and had a great evening!  We love our daddy so much and are lucky to have him!  Happy Birthday!

Pumpkin Carving

Brodie and I planted some pumpkin seeds a few months back and we actually got 4 pumpkins so tonight we did pumpkin carving for Family Home Evening!  Fun Stuff!

Here's Brodie creating a face for his pumpkin...

Then Daddy helped him cut the top off

I think he thought we broke the pumpkin...

Scooping out the guts!

I love his little "thinking hard" lips

And our family of four... except unlit because my candles didn't want to work.

Mommy, Ryker, Brodie, and Daddy.

Ryker's pumpkin was still a little green, but it worked out because like the pumpkin, Ryker wasn't quite ripe either.  His pumpkin also has a sleepy face, 'cause that's what Ryker does best!

And here is a picture of the little cutie!

One Week Old

Yep, Ryker has already been with us for one week!  I'm not going to say it was an easy week, but I have been loving every minute of it!  Ryker was pretty fussy at the beginning, had a hard time nursing, and was succumbing to jaundice.  One week later - he's waking up every four hours, his skin is looking better, and he's become a nursing champ!

I know this is a horribly fuzzy picture, but I never seem to have my camera around when this kid has his eyes open, so it will have to do!

Sunbathing in his swing.

Brodie rocking out a tune on the stereo.

Brodie has been adjusting better too.  He is very affectionate towards Ryker... almost too affectionate and I think he's getting used to sharing Mommy's attention.  He loves helping me change Ryker's diaper and always seems very concerned when Ryker is crying. 

I just love my boys!