Our Little Bob the Builders

My friend, Jody, gave out the cutest gifts this year. They were gingerbread house kits. There were foil covered boards, graham crackers, royal icing in ready-to-squeeze bags, and plenty of candies for decorating. And it was all wrapped up in plastic and tied with a gorgous bow. Such a great idea!

We had Jody's son, Kaleb, over to play a few days after Christmas and decided to occupy the boys with a little building. We built the houses and started out like this:





Poor Emmett's house quickly deteriorated to this:





And then this:





And finally this:





But Alden and Kaleb were very meticulous and did a bang up job on their houses. Thanks for the kits, Jody. And thanks for letting Kaleb come to play and show us how to decorate.

After our little builders finished we met up with the Rasmussens & the Eggers at the park for a little picnic and playfest. We were happy to get a little time to spend with Jeanna & Jason, who were visiting from California. We miss them!

Visiting the House of the Lord

Aaron and wanted to attend the temple during his time off work and finally harangued someone into babysitting the morning after Christmas. (Thanks, Candice!) We have been out of the habit a bit and are really enjoying the temple again, especially together.

As I sat in the session, I paid strict attention to every word, wanting to learn and grow. I know the temple is full of symbolism and I was racking my brain, trying to gain more insights and figure out all the pieces of the puzzle. Then I realized that gospel answers don't come that way, through the brain. Although studying is a big part of learning, I remembered that all understanding comes through the Spirit and that I needed to sit back and listen with different ears.

As I realized this and began to soak up the words with all my senses, I did gain a little understanding. I was very touched to see an elderly woman in a wheelchair helped by her companion and a sweet temple worker. This woman could not physically do the things required of her in the temple and these other two women did everything for her. I was suddenly overcome with the realization that that's a huge part of what the temple is about. Doing something for others who can not physically do it for themselves. This little thought made my day and left me feeling refreshed and anxious to go to The House of the Lord again soon.

Who wants to babysit in January?

A Long & Lovely Christmas Day

Our Christmas was wonderful and jam-packed with family and fun. Santa Claus found our house and apparently the boys had been good this year. (Who am I to argue with Santa?) Here are a few pre-shots. Roley got new bath toys. Don't look too closely at the year on his My First Christmas stocking. He will have his own by next year. Luckily I finished Emmett's last week so Santa could fill it with lots of goodies. His is the burgandy one next to the cool new pirate ship. Alden Bear got a cool new Disney video game from Santa.

And here are some after shots of everyone playing with their new toys. We had lots of fun just being together as a family and enjoying the gifts. I know my boys are growing up and I'm trying to treasure this time together while they are small. Roley is 11 months and could sense the excitement but will really be getting in on the fun next year.

We had a big, yummy breakfast planned, but decided to save it for later and just grazed on whatever we could find to prolong the fun of Christmas morning. Suddenly it was time to get dressed and head to Ma'am and Grandpa's for some time with the Blasneks.


We loved spending a few hours with my parents and Tami's family. The cousins always get along so well. My Gramma Blasnek was there too - she is content to sit in the corner and quietly watch all the action. My mom made all our favorites - crepes (really blintzes), blueberry muffins, and a breakfast casserole. Everyone took turns opening the mountain of presents, with Grandpa handing them out as usual. Here he is with all of his grandkids. Some look happier than others to be with him.

My Dad always saves his own, small stack of presents until the end. I had spent a lot of time making him a special book and we all enjoyed watching him open it - then cry a bit as he read it. It was all about why his children and grandchildren love him, complete with pictures of him and all of us over the years. I was so thankful to my Mom and Tami for helping me complete it.

I love this picture of our family, despite the blurriness. I am not loving my new camera, a Sony Cybershot. There is a distinct possibility that I am an idiot and just don't know how to use it, but my pictures are just not turning out well & I miss my Cannon PowerShot.

We returned home in time to get Emmett and Roland down for naps and tried to get a little rest ourselves. Aaron made a delicious pork roast in the crock pot and we enjoyed the aroma all day. We watched a little football and had a fabulous dinner. Then Nana & Papa (Carpenter) came to visit and exchange a few presents. They got Aaron and I a digital thermostat, which I am eager to install. Candice and Jaycee made it over right after that and more gifts changed hands. Candice made the cutest wooden blocks for the boys - she Mod Podged pictures of the boys on the fronts. Even Roley loves playing with them.

We are blessed to have so much family around us during the holidays. We were happy to see many of them on Christmas day, and still save some time for just the five of us. I hope everyone else had as lovely a day as we did.

Pre-Christmas Parties

We had a long round of Holiday parties this year, with both sides of the family. We started with the Pollock party the Saturday before Christmas. When we drove up my Dad was loading up this sleigh and I jumped on with all my boys. Then we were a little suprised when he drove us all the way to Kathy & Lester Pearce's house and we all had to squish in the car to get home. It was pretty fun though & we sang carols down the street.

My Papa came down from Pima for the party and every living decendant of my grandparents was in attendance. It was full of good food as always, this year featuring my Aunt Susan's delicious soups, mom's rolls, and a plethora of other yummies. My mom had presents for all the kids (Transformers for our boys) and then banished them all downstairs to play while the adults had their gift exchange. This was the first year the Pollocks tried a white elephant exchange, and the gifts were supposed to be something that reminded you of the family, or Pima, or something. Aaron started out with a big camping/fishing stool, but ended up with one of the MANY camper/fisher/hunter in a bottle gifts that Susan brought. I ended up with the new shovel that Preston brought and tried his hardest to take home himself. And Susan got back the honey pot that she bought Papa for Christmas a few years ago that he has never used.

Aaron wasn't feeling well and went home after a few hours, but the boys and I stayed all afternoon to play with cousins. They play especially well with Preston & Melanie's boys: Bradley, Carter, and Jackson. We don't see them often now that they live in Florence and we sure miss them. Melanie is due in a couple months with their 4th boy.

Aaron was sick all weekend and ended up calling in sick to work Mon. & Tues. And since he had Wed. thru Fri. off for the holiday - that meant he was home for an entire week with us! He was a huge help with the boys and took them out for part of every day to let me get things done at home. And then he stayed home with them so I could finish shopping and go to the gym a few times. I signed up for a 30 day free pass at Pure Fitness (the old Goldens) and Aaron is joining too. We are determined to get in shape next year.

We also want to be better at writing thank you notes this year, so Sunday morning they boys made awesome Transformer cards and we took them to my parents before church. Aaron was home sick & kept the baby but Alden & Emmett looked so handsome in their blazers and we took these pictures. We ended up staying at my parents for pancakes too and still made it to church only a few minutes late.

The Carpenter family party was on Monday night and we ate shrimp cocktail, soups in breadbowls, and Aunt Bev's jello knox blocks. We had the traditional white elephant exchange, separated for the kids and adults. Alden got a coloring book & crayons, Emmett got a talking Elmo, Aaron stole one of Candice's homemade tote bags and gave it to me, and I got a container of Ghiradelli baking chocolate - we had a great year! It's always fun to see all the Carpenter cousins. Bob & CJ's condo is a bit crowded, but they are in the process of buying a new house here in Mesa. We were supposed to have the adult fondue party Tuesday night, but it was cancelled because CJ was not feeling well. I guess you don't feel like hosting dozens of people just days after you get out of the hospital where you received multiple blood transfusions. Go figure. We are sure hoping that the doctors can find out what's wrong with her soon.

We spent Christmas Eve at my parents for the Blasnek party, where we were again fed very well. It was really nice to spend a little time with my Gramma Blasnek and Aunt Cheryl - I wish we saw them more often. (It's my own fault.) Alden also made fast friends with his 2nd cousin, Tyler Colby, Patrick & Sheila's son. Tami and her family came too and we are loving seeing them so often over the holidays. There was another white elephant exchange and we got a great Land o Lakes hot chocolate set and a cool clock/picture frame that Aaron is going to take to his office. The only bad part of the evening was that my mom had a terrible migraine and was pretty much in bed the whole evening. Everyone pitched in to clean up, since my parents were still expecting Tami & I with our families on Christmas day. Then Aaron & I headed home to tuck our boys in so Santa Claus could visit us.

Way to Go, Auntie Candice!

Friday morning Aaron and I drove down to Tucson (again) to attend Candice's graduation. She has been getting her Masters Degree in Library Science from the University of Arizona for the last three years. And I am sure glad it's over! I've grown weary of hearing that she can't hang out because "she has to study." I pretty much went down to make sure she was actually in the program and not just making up something to avoid spending time with me for the last three years.


Aaron & I dropped the boys at my mom's for the day then hit a little shopping on the way to Tucson. Trader Joe's, Starbuck's for hot chocolate, and some final Christmas items from Ikea found their was into our car and then we were on the road. When we got to town we had lunch at the most wonderful Mexican restaurant, El Charro. It's in an old home so the atmosphere is amazing, and the food was just as great.


Then we got some lucky, close parking and enjoyed the ceremony. Which just as luckily wasn't too long. Although there were plenty of graduates, Candice was near the beginning & I got some half-way decent pictures of her with my new super-zoom camera. And afterwards we got these great pictures:

After a few family crises, including a broken foot for baby Jaycee and a needed ER trip for Aaron's mother, we had a nice sushi dinner at Ra, where Aaron & I ate last time. Then we headed home, bringing Aaron's parents with us so they could hit the ER. Everyone was fine in a couple days - no need to worry.

So - a big congratulations to Candice! Our little Masters graduate.

Our First School Program

This year we attended our first school Christmas program. And let me tell you, that Miss Peggy puts on an awesome show. We had our whole family there to support Alden, and even my mom slipped in at the last minute. It was kind of funny because Emmett had to give up his seat for her and he was NOT happy about it. The whole class did a great job with all the songs, actions included. I was pretty excited to see it because I had been catching Alden practicing bits and pieces in the previous weeks. And I was not disappointed. I mean, just check out some of those props. My mom was so touched that she actually shed a few tears during one part - no, not the nativity. Okay, I might have misted up once, but no tears left my eyes. My baby is growing up!

And naturally, Alden was the star of the show. Well, he snagged the part of Joseph in the nativity scene. And he couldn't have been prouder - check out that smile. And of course, Hailey played the part of Mary. The class was assembled into their places and then they had been coached to just smile & hold position for like five minutes of photos. Then they sang, Picture a Stable in Judea, which was the favorite at our house this Christmas. Even Emmett knows most of the words now. Thanks for doing a great job, Peggy!

He's No Pele

Alden just finished his first season of soccer with The Fireballs. It's the first time he's played sports and it could not have gone any better. We signed up with all his friends - Kaleb Rasmussen, Brigham Stokes, Mary Joe Spencer, Scotty Ponder (Skousen). Coach Jon Thomas is amazing and thanks to him, Alden actually learned a lot of skills and improved a ton. He was the youngest on his 4&5 year old team, so he has a lot of room to grow. Some of the older boys had played before, but the league was great (NYS) and we had a great experience. The boys all played a lot and learned all the positions. There wasn't any pressure to perform and the many times that Alden and other players ended up kicking the wrong way were really no big deal. Our family really enjoyed attended weekly practices and games to support Alden.





Above is his team. (We totally skipped team pictures this season but will try to make it next season.) L to R: Coach Jon Thomas & his daughter, Ella, Kaleb Rasmussen, Garrett, Brigham Stokes, Alden, Reed Connolly, Isaac, Weston, Mary Joe Spencer.


The last game was very close and exciting. In the end The Fireballs were up by one goal, and Alden was assigned to be goalie. I was down there helping him and I was a wreck, jumping up and down and yelling instructions. I prayed for the ball to be no where near our goal, but it was. And Alden was awesome! He saved two goals (one kicked by Mary Joe) to retain the lead and The Fireballs won the game! After the game, all the players and their families went to Peter Piper Pizza for lunch, arcade games, and the trophies. It was really fun for everyone and Alden was so proud of his trophy. He carried it everywhere and practically slept with it for a few nights.

We signed Alden up for one more round of soccer since Coach Thomas and many of the kids were planning to play again. Unfortunately his games will overlap with the sewing class I have every Saturday this semester. But I will catch practices and Aaron can handle the games, hopefully with a little help from friends and family.

Merry Christmas (Post)Cards

I sent out our Christmas cards this week, which consisted of a postcard with our faces and a crossword puzzle. I promised the puzzle answer for those of you who spent hours debating over Aaron's favorite pasttime being golf, polo, or ball.

Let's just qualify some of my answers for a moment.

*Roland is not quite walking yet, but almost and I thought he would be when I first made this crossword. It's not my fault he's stalled.
*Aaron takes the bus several times a week to save money & cavort with all the bus-rider friends he's made. He's only been kicked off twice.
*Yes, Emmett is still pretty attached to his blanket. And he tends to suck his thumb when he holds it. But it's mostly at night and hardly ever out of the house. Aaron & I take a backseat to the blanket when Emmy gets hurt. He cries, "Blanket, want my blanket!" and runs to find it instead of coming to Mom or Dad for comfort.
*Aaron got a set of golf clubs from Santa last year, after playing a round with his buddy, Kim, when we visited Utah the summer of '07. And wouldn't you know it - those clubs have been sitting in the closet for the last year now. I think Aaron just needs another buddy to go with. If you play golf, please call him!

If you don't get one in the next few days, and are just dying for a postcard of your own, leave me a comment & I'll get one to you. Or, if you just want to see it - click here.

Parents Day Out

Aaron was asked to speak at a Security Conference down in Tucson and I was able to go down to spend the day with him yesterday. Thanks to Candice & my Mom for taking our boys for the day. Hopefully they weren't too much trouble. Oh yeah - there was the whole diaper explosion from Roley, but maybe that was all.

We left early and were there by 8:30. It's hard to remember the last time Aaron and I had uninterrupted conversation for two hours. Even when we go out together there are distractions and activities. We really enjoyed it. And then I really enjoyed hearing Aaron's presentation at the conference. I learned more about his job than ever before and was impressed with his delivery and competence. The attendees seemed to like it, which was more evident by their attention to the next speaker, whose material was pretty boring.

After the morning session we were free to pursue our own pleasures - which means FOOD! We found a great pizza place on 4th Ave. (like Mill Ave. in Tempe) where we enjoyed a salad with warm sauteed veggies and a Greek pizza with feta, pine nuts, and spinach. If you're ever in Tucson, try Magpies - the pizza crusts are delicious. Then we found ourselves a fancy outdoor shopping center to stroll around, enjoy the nice weather, and do a little window shopping. La Encantada has great stores & restaurants, including a Sephora, Tiffany, Kenneth Cole, and an Apple Store. I slobbered over the iPod Touch for a while, and Aaron occupied himself while I did other browsing. And after all the walking around we were hungry again, naturally. So we stopped at Ra for happy hour. For under $20 we enjoyed the outside weather, a couple sushi rolls and a couple appetizers, a soft couch where we could cuddle, and a good view of the Tucson mountains.

I had my new camera and tried out some different features while we were eating. Here's Aaron making his most handsome faces while I try out the continuous shoot mode.

We headed back pretty early and picked up the boys before anyone lost patience and tied them up. I even got a little bit of napping time on the drive back. I hope he gets invited to speak every year!