New Lens

I just had to play around with my new lens and get a few pictures of Berlyn in her Christmas best. 

Berlyn is always my most willing subject, but I managed to trick Moses into playing with Berlyn and snapped this one. I told him I needed him to help me make her smile. He thought he was helping me and not being in any pictures - if that was dishonest it was worth it to get this shot!

When I look at these pictures, or any of my pictures really, I see so many things I wish I would have fixed or adjusted before I pressed the shutter. I'm beginning to think I will never really feel like any of my pictures turned out exactly the way I wanted them to. Maybe that's just part of learning...

Merry Christmas!

With a family like mine Christmas couldn't be anything but wonderful. We really tried to spend time together doing lots of fun Christmas things. And here are the pictures to prove it!

 Making the Gingerbread House...

...and Eating it!

 Who loves fondue? I do, I do! As Moses said that night, "I love taking healthy stuff and covering it with junk food!"

 I think he has been taking photo posing lessons from his dad - Moses has mastered one of Scott's classic poses.

 Moses doing the "Hokey Pokey" at the Glenwood Christmas Eve Dance. He hasn't quite figured out how it works yet. Here he is standing right smack in the middle of the circle!

These last two pictures were taken with my new camera lens I got for Christmas. I can already tell how much it improves my pictures. You can now expect great things from my future posts. :) I can now blame every bad picture I've ever taken on my old lens - it's not me, it's the camera!

Merry Christmas!

While we were taking this picture, the site director for the Care Centre stopped and asked us what we were doing. He stated his opinion that some people might find our Christmas card offensive. Off course we took the picture anyway. Although we do realize that some people would find this offensive, we think our friends  and family know us better than that. Of course we know that the center is a real place that does good work for many people. Scott even has patients there. We aren't making fun of them - we are making fun of ourselves. I'm sure you all know us and know that we are probably the craziest family ever!

So have a crazy good Christmas and an even loonier New Year!

No Dinosaurs Allowed

These signs have appeared all over my house. Just in case a dinosaur were to show up, they will not be allowed in the fridge, pantry, bathroom, or up the stairs.

Notice how the T-Rex actually has short arms and just 2 fingers. We get the dinosaur anatomy correct around here!

Fall Time Photos

So before it snowed (and it has snowed here, a lot!), I wanted to try and take some portraits of my boys. Not an easy task when whenever the camera comes out they run and hide. Literally - they actually run and actually hide. But I have been reading some photography books lately and they are full of wonderful suggestions on how to make your kids forget you are holding a camera. Well, none of the ideas worked. Not really anyway. I thought that if I took them to the park and played with them they would be having so much fun that I could get some pictures of them at least smiling. What I got was a whole bunch of pictures like this:

Moses wouldn't even look up while on the teeter-totter for fear I might actually take his picture! Jokes on him because I took it anyway! In the end I did end up with a few of Moses and one of Kael actually looking at the camera.

And I actually managed to get one of each of them smiling. 

And of course the 2 I liked the best came out blurry.

 

This photography stuff is harder than it looks. I would appreciate any tips at all on how to get photo-phobic children to relax. Because playing with them and talking to them and trying oh so hard to distract them doesn't seem to be enough. At least we got to play at the park one last time before winter set in for good.

Family Game Night

Moses has been asking to stay up late every night lately. So I finally caved and promised him that he could stay up late the next Friday night. And we would do something together, just me and him. Well, somehow Moses decided if he was going to stay up late we were going to have a party. He then decided that we should invite Kael and Dad to the party. It had to be a pajama party, because it was after bedtime. And we had to plan a game for every room in the house. We drew up plans and did the prep work together so it could be a "surprise" for Kael and Dad. We played hide n' seek upstairs, bowling in the basement, balloons in the living room, musical chairs by the piano, and marshmallows on a string in the kitchen.(see video)

 

It was a lot of fun, both planning and playing. And Moses never did figure out that they didn't end up staying up late after all - we just had them put their pj's on early!

3D glasses at home

Not much to say here. My boys are pretty cute. (Notice how Kael wears his 3D glasses upsidedown?!) They start a movie and after the intro, right before it starts, Moses tells Kael "It's time to put on your 3D glasses" And no, we do not have a 3D TV. 

Another Bonfire

Well, my parents came north for Berlyn's blessing. They stayed afterward for a few days. We loved having them here. The boys love spending time with their Nana and Grandpa. And since we love bonfires, we went to this beautiful local spot to have one while they were here. It was chilly, but not freezing. This was before the temperature dropped to -20 degrees Fahrenheit! Berlyn slept in the car the whole time, while the rest of us feasted on hot dogs and s'mores. The boys (big and small) had a great time throwing rocks in the river.

 

This was the only real activity we did with my parents. The rest of the time we just lounged around enjoying each other's company. I'm so glad they could come. We don't get to see them often enough! And thanks, Dad, for fixing my table!!!!

Berlyn's Blessing Day

Berlyn was blessed Sunday, November 7th. It was a beautiful, emotional day. I cried like a baby when each of the boys got blessed and with Berlyn it was the same. I can't help it. I just think it is so amazing to see and feel the power of the priesthood in their lives. And on their blessing day it hits me so hard that I have been blessed with a child of God to take care of and raise and have in my forever family. I realize all over again how precious this child is both to me and my Heavenly Father. As I was dressing Berlyn in her beautiful blessing dress it hit me so hard that I started tearing up right then. I couldn't even put on her little bracelet myself - my mom had to help me! I felt so happy and so blessed - almost like I was living my very own a fairy tale. And Berlyn was the princess!

 So cute- even though that second picture was a little blurry I love it. Baby yawns are so adorable.

Nana and Berlyn - I can actually see some resemblance! Berlyn and Sam - no resemblance, but I think they make a cute couple!

Four Generations - (right to left) Scott, Scott's mom Vicki, Scott's Grandma Freda Thomas, Berlyn, and Scott's Grandpa Burke Thomas.

Everyone that attended the dinner after the blessing (I realized afterward that Moses was missing! I asked him about it and he said he was hiding because he didn't want his picture taken - so typical!) Thank you all for coming! And we missed you afterward, Jenni and Burke. And we missed all of our family members that couldn't make it. Special thanks to Annalysa and Denise for the dress and the hair band. You helped make Berlyn's day extra special.

It was a great day and a beautiful blessing. I am so grateful for the gospel in my life and the blessings it brings to my family. I am so grateful for a husband worthy of the preisthood of God. And I am so grateful for the temple and blessings of forever families.

These are just a couple pictures I took of Berlyn after the fact. I know I am a bit biased - but I think she is just so beautiful!

Happy Halloween!!!

Moses and Kael went as Thing 1 and Thing 2 from the Cat in Hat. It was actually Moses's idea - he's been really into Dr Seuss lately. He wanted to be Thing 1, and if he was going to be Thing 1, there had to be a Thing 2. Luckily, Kael is still too young to really care what he dresses up as.

 I think the wigs make the costume! They both looked so adorable and funny at the same time - and a little crazy too!

 Berlyn was a little pumpkin - and as my first girl she had to wear a tutu - even if she is only 2 months old!

I wish the boys were as easy to pose as a sleeping baby! I had to bribe them every time I took their picture ,and even then it was almost impossible to catch them both looking up at the same time - let alone smiling!

  Pumpkin carving time! Berlyn just relaxed and enjoyed the show - but she managed to look really cute while doing it!

All ready to go Trick-or-Treating! We went in Glenwood where they were having Halloween on Saturday. Scott drove the boys around in the golf cart from house to house and the boys called it the Thingamajigger, as that is what the cat in the hat's car is called on the new animated series. They loved it!

 I loved how the first thing Moses did with is candy was organize it into piles.

While the first thing Kael did with his candy is eat it! Both so different, and yet both so lovable!