tis the season

The boys really got into decorating their ginger bread house this year. I think I might have to get them each their own next time they decorated it so fast. Nice to take a break out of our day to have fun all together.

What a Blessed Day

Sunday we had Joshua's blessing at Church. It was doubly special because my SIL Natalie and her hubby had their baby, Taylee Dawn, just nine days before us so we did a double blessing.

It was fun to get together afterwards and celebrate these two little ones.

The Barker and Sutherland side. This is just half of everyone at the party.

joshua alexander wearing the outfit my maternal grandmother knitted before she died 20 years ago. it had never been worn before. The blanket was knitted by great grandma baxter (Lance's grandma) and each of my boys were blessed wrapped in it.

Taylee Dawn Jensen and Joshua Alexander Barker

My parents came out from Oregon to meet him.

Great Grandparents

Oh Christmas tree!

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we went out to get our Christmas tree. We wanted to do it the old fashioned way and cut it down but when we got to the tree farm the trees looked sickly so I said no way. So we found a lot that had their trees brought in from good ol' Sandy, OR. I knew that this was the place. We wanted a big tree this year but after looking around the lot none were the right size. Then I went to the way back and found this 9 footer. I asked them to untie it so I could see what it looked like. He told me it was untied and that it was just frozen solid.

He assured me it would be beautiful and it being from oregon, I believed him. We took it home, Lance and his dad set it up and it proceeded to unthaw while we all watched the BYU vs. Utah game. Even though the game was heartbreaking we had this beautiful tree to lift our spirits that night.

Happy Thanksgiving

Lance had to work down in Provo this Thanksgiving so we were left with the challenge of taking out our four boys for Turkey dinner. This is no small task so we decided the safest place was the cafeteria on BYU campus. It worked out well. The cafeteria had plenty of room for our boys to stretch out and we didn't have to worry about the noise level (it being cafeteria and all).

Cordon digests better upside down.

Love this boy

Blue steel

boys swim while mom naps NICE

Excuses excuses

Cordon is the king of excuses. And he can think them up on the fly. Here are just a couple of the excuses that I hear all day long.

Darren was crying because Cordon said something mean:

Me: Cordon why would you say that?

Cordon: oh sorry mom, I was just practicing talking.

(Darren called him out)

Darren: but Cordon you already know how to talk.

Cordon sitting in a bubble bath with an entire roll of toilet

paper floating around him.

Me: Cordon why did you put that in there?

Cordon: oh sorry mom, I thought it was the garbage.