Dorothy

Jack got his first (and last) pet. He went on a field trip to Petsmart and they got to take a fish home. Jack named her Dorothy. He was really excited to show her our car and our house. He was a little concerned with how she would go to the bathroom since he could not find a bum on her. (If you know Jack, this was the first thing he looked for). I told him not to worry about it. If I would have explained it to him he would have been obsessed, and talked about it for way too long. He soon lost interest when he found out how stinky her food was, but still enjoyed talking to her on the counter. Brendan decided to feed Dorothy before we went to bed and I think she over ate. According to the directions Dorothy ate about 8 times more than she could handle. Needless to say, she lived about 12 hours with us and passed on. Jack was just fine and probably enjoyed flushing her down the toilet a little too much. Later I heard him explaining to Ben that he was sorry, but Dorothy had to die. This is the exact reason we should never have a dog!

"but no elephants!!"

For Christmas my parents gave us a book called "But No Elephants!". I loved this book when I was little and it is so fun to watch Jack and Ben love it too. This is last night when Brendan was reading the book to the boys. Ben was so engaged. He wouldn't even look away from the pages, even when the flash went off. There is a part when she yells "but no elephants!" and Jack loves to yell it too. Even Ben made a noise when that part came up and heard Jack yelling. I love these boys, aren't they the cutest! Thanks mom and dad. These books will be cherished forever.

4 months old

My little Benner is four months old. I can't believe it. He has been such a joy in our lives and I can't imagine my life without him. He smiles all the time. I love it. The poor kid was in a lot of pain until we figured out what he could and couldn't eat ( I mean what I could and couldn't eat). It has been one of my greatest joys to watch Jack have a little brother. He treats him like gold. He calls him his little Benny ball, and always tells him they are best buds. I can tell that Jack will always watch out for him and it does my heart good to know that they will always have each other. I am looking forward to the next few months. There are so many milestones that He will be going through, but part of me will miss the little baby that is growing up so fast.

My New Camera

My new camera. I love it! I haven't learned how to use it yet, but I am going to play until I do.

Fun Night

Dan and Staci came home for Christmas. They came to stay at our house along with Matt and Kirsten. We had a lot of fun talking and eating. This picture is Danny playing the wii at 12:40 in the morning. I couldn't believe it either, that is why I took a picture. Good times.

Christmas Eve

Christmas

I have been a little busy so I am just getting Christmas put on here. Santa gave me a Canon Rebel for Christmas and it is awesome! It takes great pictures and I can't wait to master it. We had a great Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve at my parents with everyone. We have a short program where the kids act out the nativity and then anyone who has something to share can do it. Dan wrote his own version of Christmas Shoes and sang it for everyone. It was soooooooo funny. Instead of "sir, I wanna buy these shoes", it was "sir, I'm gonna take these shoes". It was hilarious. I love the Christmas program. We all laugh and cry. After the program we say a family prayer and then we exchange gifts. I could tell Jack thought the prayer was the longest thing in the world. We had a lot of fun.

Christmas morning was a blast with a four year old. It was so magic and fun to watch Jack with his presents. We spent the day with the Done family. We had a great time with dinner and opening presents, of which we got way too spoiled. We spent the rest of the day watching movies and playing the wii. As we were going to leave the storm came in. We decided to stay the night. It was a great day. I can't believe how blessed we are. Not only did we get and give wonderful things, but we have amazing family to share it with. I love Christmas.

I am so grateful for the Savior. As we have reflected on his birth I can't comprehend the humble circumstances in which He entered this world. I am so grateful for his example and his unselfish sacrifice. I love him and I strive everyday to have his spirit in our home. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season.

Doing Better

Ben was able to come home today. The doc said it could be up to a week but only ended up being two days and nights. They have an outpatient RSV clinic where we will need to take him about once a day to get checked and cleaned out. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers, we really felt them. I don't know how people make it through hard times without wonderful friends and family. I am so grateful for the Priesthood. It is such a comfort to know what healing powers a blessing has. (You may not see us for a while we have to stay away from large groups for a while.) We feel very blessed that it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Poor Little Ben

My poor little Ben has the dreaded RSV. He is so small and couldn't breathe very well so they had to admit him to the hospital. I feel so bad for him, but last night was the first time he slept in a long time. We don't know how long we will be here, but it shouldn't be too long. I am so grateful for people who know how to help him. It was so hard to see that he was in pain and there wasn't a thing I could do for him. The staff here at American Fork has been so kind and gone out of their way to make us comfortable. Hopefully this will be a short stay and Ben will feel better soon.