Because we were bored

Today Brendan and I enjoyed some fun in the snow. Mostly he enjoyed it and I stood there trying to remain warm. But I am happy to report that my new boots worked fabulously well.
that made being the cold somewhat enjoyable for me. I'm not sure how, but Brendan isn't affected by the cold at all. He jumped into the large piles of snow and just sat there. He loved dumping the snow all over himself too. I wish I had pictures but I forgot my camera. So the best I have is when we came back inside. He wasn't a happy camper. He didn't want to come in yet but if he had his way he'd be out there all day.

He wouldn't even put on a good face for the camera, but that's okay because I think his sad face is still pretty cute.

But things turned around when I took a couple pictures of both of us together. He was quite happy about that and loved to look at the digital screen to check how they turned out. I love those rosey cheeks of his.

And there's no better way to warm up after playing in the snow than by eating your weight in vanilla wafers. He seriously ate almost half the box. Not the best lunch but my boy has fast become quite the picky eater. If anyone has suggestions, PLEASE let me know! I'm begging you.

This is why I love shopping online

These new beauties are my most recent splurge. And they came just in time too! The forecast is calling for about a foot of snow by the end of today and possibly more tomorrow. Snow boots have been on my list of Things I Desperately Need for a while but that need was reinforced by the insane amount of snow here and even Chris couldn't deny that I needed them. And the best thing was since I have such a small foot, my size was the only size left AND they were on sale. It was meant to be. Now it's time for a romp in the snow!

Showing some love

To celebrate Valentine's Day, I thought I'd make some heart shaped cookies from a recipe that I have been wanting to try for a while. Brendan was quite the eager little helper and made sure that everything was tasting as it should. He even tasted the plain flour before it was added to the wet ingredients but he didn't mind. He kept saying "Mmmmmm" and tried over and over to eat more flour.

Brendan is surprisingly still and quiet while helping me in the kitchen. He will wait patiently for his turn with the mixer (he loves to hold it and stir everything together) and he'll watch me without a peep from him.

He was a good helper and he got to eat his reward for being such a darling little boy.

I hope he liked the finished product more than the plain flour. He ate the whole cookie so I'll take that as a good sign.

Lots of love here in the Near home with fun surprises set for tomorrow and lots of yummy treats to be eaten! Here's why my heart is full this Valentine's Day-

1. Having a little boy who loves to take his pants off. All the time.
2. Hearing the sweetest "Hi Mama" when I talk to Brendan on the phone.
3. Dancing with my little man to my favorite song of the moment. And when I play it in the car, he starts dancing in his car seat.
4. Watching Brendan talk more and more. He's made vast improvements in the last couple months and I couldn't be more proud of him. I'm hoping to avoid the speech therapist.
5. Watching Brendan hide in a corner to take a poop. He needs his privacy and doesn't like it when I laugh at him, but I can't help it.
6. Seeing Brendan run to his dad when he comes home from work.
7. Getting back rubs from Chris.
8. The fact that I have a husband who will give me a back rub almost every night. He's very kind to me.
9. Laughing every day because Chris is hilarious. Despite not wanting to laugh, I usually can't help myself. Sometimes his jokes are so lame they're funny.
9. Knowing I have the most wonderful husband and son. I love you two to the moon and back!

Happy Love Day!

A Day of Trains

This is what you'll see most of the time at the Near residence- Brendan and his trains. He loves to put his track together and push around his little trains.

It's even more fun when his dad is here to play with him.

It was a nice, lazy Sunday around here. Just the kind I like. I had my first week in Young Women's and I'm happy to report I think I'll like it very much there. I was just called to be the 1st and only counselor (there are only 3 girls). I'm happy to be doing something other than nursery, where I was one and off for the last 2 1/2 years.

And I'm also happy to report that our branch is wonderful. The members there welcomed us with open arms and have been a huge blessing to us since we've been here. On our very first day here, several members of the branch got together to make us a wonderful dinner complete with homemade bread; another brought us some groceries and toilet paper that evening; another helped us when our gas froze in our car the next day; and another sweet family offered to pick us up for church our first week since we had no idea how to get there. We've been really lucky. We've also been invited to have dinner with several families and everyone loves Brendan despite his loud noises during Sacrament meeting. We are glad to be a part of such a loving branch.

So today was a nice day. Brendan took a long nap, I made cookies, and we watched some football. I even finally got around to using some Christmas presents- my camera remote and tripod.

It was a good way to start February.

Hello again

Boy am I glad that my parents gave us all these AWESOME Fisher Price toys that me and my siblings played with when we were young. We are definitely getting good use out of them since we rarely venture outside. Brendan loves playing with all the animals and little people. It keeps him occupied enough that I can get quite a bit done. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

I couldn't resist putting this picture in. He really needs a haircut. I'll probably tackle that tonight.

This is currently Brendan's favorite kitchen accessory- the stool. It's vital for me since I'm only 5 feet tall and now he has discovered that there's a whole new world up there that he couldn't access before.

He mostly just loves to play in the sink, which has caused some problems. He has eaten a dirty sponge, tried to drink disgusting sink water, splashed disgusting sink water all over me and the dishes I just cleaned, and broke one glass. But he also got a sponge and wiped down all the lower cabinets for me so it's not all bad. :)

Okay, so I promised to post some pictures of our new town. Well, here they are.

The most I can offer you are all pictures taken while in my house. It's just too dang cold and I'm a wuss. This one was taken from my tiny kitchen window. Can you believe those icicles?

This is the view from Brendan's room. As you can see, most of the houses are built almost on top of each other in this part of town. We have no yard so I guess it's a good thing it's winter and we couldn't enjoy it even if we did have one.

I did brave the cold for two seconds while I stepped out onto our porch to take this photo. That's as good as it's going to get. For now.

We made it!

We've been here in New Hampshire for a little over a week now and I would have checked in sooner but it wasn't until late yesterday that our internet could get hooked up. It was very difficult being without the internet for a week- I felt so out of it. But now we're up and running and it is slowly starting to feel like home, a little bit. I don't have pictures yet because the temperature has been less than inviting. Last week we had a blistery -39 degrees night. And since we've been here, we've had about 11 inches of snow. This past Sunday we only had one of the three meetings at church- they cancelled the last two due to the crazy snow that was coming down. The snow plow piles here are HUGE too. But we're getting used to it little by little.

So all I have to share right now are a few pictures of our drive out here. We were lucky enough to be able to stop and see both of our families on our way. The first stop was in Colorado and we actually arrived on Brendan's birthday so we had to have a little birthday celebration for him.


I can't believe he's actually 2. It's so strange to say that I have a two year old- how fast time flies. He loved his candle on the cake and blew it out all by himself.


And of course he loved opening his presents! He had a fun time digging into them and then playing with them. It was a nice distraction for him after a couple days of pure craziness. The night before he learned that he could climb out of his pack-n-play and we learned that Brendan moves A LOT in his sleep. It was a long night for all of us and he didn't sleep well in the truck (but who would? It was so loud I had to shout to talk to Chris) so the festivities cheered him up and kept him busy.

We loved being able to spend time with Chris' parents but we had to keep moving and a couple days later arrived at my parents' house. Brendan had another birthday celebration and some whipped cream as a special treat.


The great thing about my parents' house were the kitties. Brendan had so much fun chasing them and petting them. He had endless fun with Sam, who put up with a lot from Brendan. Brendan liked to pull his tail or his leg to get Sam to meow or hiss at him. He thought it was hilarious.


Maybe someday he'll be able to have a kitty of his own but I won't hold my breath.


And this was our gift to our little man. It was a little late but he loves it. Luckily our kitchen here is big enough that he can ride around in it and get some good use out of it until the snow melts (which people here tell us won't be until late April!).

I promise to take some more photos soon and post them. It is so beautiful here and I'm excited to get my camera out. It's supposed to warm up to 21 degrees this weekend so if the weather cooperates, I'll have something to show soon!

A Very Happy New Year to You

2008 was a great year and I'm hoping 2009 will bring just as many grand things for us and for all of you. This past year we had some momentous reasons to celebrate and some disappointing dips but I think we came out on top in the end. Here's a recap. Chris graduated with his Master's degree, I got to quit my job, Brendan grew and learned so many new things I can hardly name them all, we celebrated 6 years of marriage, house-hunted for a while, and just enjoyed life as it came at us. 2008 also brought some difficult times and decisions. Chris accepted a new job in New Hampshire after much thought/prayer/debate, we lost a baby, had dear friends move away from us, and found out we have to get Brendan some extra help for his speech delay. But through it all, we've had amazing support from family and friends, and most importantly the Lord. We've been greatly blessed and I would be ashamed if I didn't thank my Heavenly Father for all he has given us in the past year. We're looking forward with optimism to all that the new year has to offer and hoping that you have a wonderful year as well.

See you from New Hampshire the next time we check in!