it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I just love this time of year. I love the smells, the food, the games, the time spent with family, and the memories that we make. Usually about this time of the month I am scrambling to get gifts together, stressing about getting cards out, and still have a bunch of shopping left to do. This year I tried something new. I did ALL of my shopping on line! In the space of about 2 hours I was able to get everything done. It felt awesome!

What I have found is that instead of all of the stress of shopping I have had a lot more time to just enjoy the season with my family. It is great! I think I am hooked to this mode of shopping from now on!

Last Thursday my little sister Jenny had her first baby. A girl that named Brooklyn. I was able to actually be in the room behind a curtain while she was born. I have never had this experience. My other sister lives in TX and I have never been near when she is giving birth. And let me tell you it is a completely different experience than being the one IN labor. I found myself holding my breath every time she pushed. What a neat experience it was to hear my sweet little nieces first cries! She is adorable! And I know that Jenny will be a great mommy!

Little Brooklyn just minutes old!

As is tradition in the Jordan household...each child receives a new ornament. I usually try to pick something out that represents a hobby, interest, or milestone that year!

Noah loves all things basketball. He has several jerseys and flat caps to prove it. He also LOVES the Bulls.

Zach is still my little budding scientist. He loves to use the space app on the ipad.


Bailey took swimming lessons for the first time this year. She was by far the quickest to pick up the styling and technic. I can't wait to see how she does next year!

Max has ears like a elephant! He can hear the slightest sounds. Especially if it involves sirens. He LOVES fire trucks!

Owen is my sweet little buddy! He loves his little blue blanket and when he holds it he likes to suck his thumb...no other time except when he is tired and holding his blankie! I am so happy I found this ornament. I think it captures the sweet stage that Owen is in right now.

I can't wait for the coming weeks. My sister is coming from TX and we will get to spend lots of time with family and cousins. Travis gets loads of time off and we have some great fun things planned! Yippee for the holidays!

a year in review...

(click to enlarge)

Our family letter is mostly going to be on line this year....I know I know not very personal, but it is just plain old easier. We have had a wonderful year full of fun and exciting things. We are truly blessed! We love you all!

he walks...

My sister Rachel informed me that I haven't been doing a good job in my posting of family updates...and "a new kit" doesn't count...

So...

Owen has been walking for about a month now, but in the last week has been cruising around really well.

He had his 15 month doctors appointment this week and here are his stats:

Length: 30 inches 25%

Weight: 20 lbs 1 oz 3%

Head 45.7 cm 10%

Yep...he is a small one still, but jam packed with energy and joy!

new kit...

I love the colors of this new Christmas kit. The blue is simple yet so pretty! I love blue Christmas decorations! Did you know black Friday includes stuff like digi scrap stuff?...well hop on over to pick up this new kit and many others at GREAT prices.

This new kit is 40% off right now!!!

Get it

HERE

Halloween 2011...

Our Halloween weekend began with our 2nd time competing in the Halloween Road Race. (an Amazing Race type competition) This years theme was Clue. I was Miss. Peacock and Travis was the butler. I think I got pretty close to the movie actress in look. It was a super fun night. We came in 6th with is better than last year...I think next year just might be our year to win the whole thing!

For Noah's October book report he was supposed to decorate a pumpkin like the main character in a fantasy book that he read. He chose to read Harry Potter. I think the pumpkin looks great!

Zach was a vampire, Max a dragon, Bailey was Cleopatra, Noah a skeleton, and Owen was a monkey!

We even dressed Travis up to match Zach. Travis took Noah and Zach out trick or treating...they practically race from house to house, and my Dad took Bailey, Max and Owen on a much slower, shorter route around a few streets. I stayed home to man the door!

We spent the evening with my parents and Jen and Bis watching Garfield's Halloween movie and Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. We roasted pumpkin seeds, ate pizza and had fun watching the kids sort their candy!

who knew...

Did you know that BYU has a FREE dinosaur museum? Well we sure didn't. So when the kids had fall break Travis took a day off and we decided to check it out with my parents and my sister Jen and uncle Bis!

It isn't nearly the size of the one at Thanksgiving Point, but hey...it's free.

What I loved is that most of the things were available for the kids to touch...always a bonus when you have little ones that love to investigate!

While we were there we were able to watch one of the students uncovering a real fossil. He saw us and came out. He asked us if we wanted to come and check out the back room. What a treat! He even brought out a real dinosaur bone for the kids to hold. It was so heavy and the kids just loved it! There were many shelves just covered in real fossils and bones. The kids thought it was SO cool!

This is a giant sloth!

I love how Zach is trying to copy the face! He got pretty close I think! We finished off the afternoon with a picnic lunch and ice cream at the BYU creamery!

Max is 3...

What a cutie pie Max is! When I ask Max to smile he makes this silly face. I LOVE it!

Max really wanted a pillow pet like his brothers and sister. My parents found this BYU Cosmo pillow pet and he was in love!

This was the first birthday where he really understood what was happening. For about a week prior to his big day he would say many Many MANY times a day..."Mom!...It is my birthday!"

Max is such a fun kid! He loves to be silly and will probably be our family jester! He loves to make others smile and laugh. He is very loving and enjoys following his older brothers and sister around. He is also a pretty good buddy to Owen. He has a funny dance that makes just about anyone laugh and a giggle that has us all in stitches quite often. We love our sweet Max!

Noah is 10...

I still can't believe that I have a child that is 10! Double digits! Noah could have chosen to have a friend party...every time I asked him what he wanted to do he didn't seem so sure he wanted a friend party. So we went as a family to Texas Roadhouse for dinner instead.

Noah is really into basket ball stuff right now. In fact out of a bunch of stuff on his birthday list most of them were sports clothing related. He wanted a bunch of jerseys and flat caps....and that is just what he got!

I love the look of delight on his face!

I don't quite get the allure of the flat cap, but then again ...I don't have to wear it do I!

Noah is such a joy! He is pretty responsible for his age and I can usually count on him to make good decisions! He is also very thoughtful, helpful, and sensitive to the feelings of others. He is a great big brother and a wonderful example. We love him SO much! (this picture of him makes me smile because it is his version of a cheesy smile for a mother that loves to take pictures!)

another reason...

So after many years of kids in school I have come to dread* the star student posters that happen for each child each year...(at least in the lower grades)...last year I created this poster sized "picture poster" in Photoshop Elements**. When Bailey brought home a note last week saying she was the star student instead of thinking: "Oh boy, so now I need to remember to buy a poster and find some cute pictures and make the whole thing look cute..." I thought: "Yes, I have it pretty much already done!"

All I had to do is swap a few pictures to update them, ask Bailey if her "favorites" are still her favorites and then send it into Costco (a 20x30') to print....The. End.

Seriously I am quietly giggling to myself with how easy it was.

*don't get me wrong...I think the star student idea is great. I love how excited the kids get when it is their turn...it is just a lot when it is x3!

**I used the GG Digital Designs -Summer Lovin-girl kit (she even has a boy version of the kit, but I think both are not available any more...sorry!)

finding time...

Pirates Cove by: GG Digital Designs

Mermaid Lagoon by: GG Digital Designs

Aren't these two new kits just adorable?!! I know I say this about every new kit, but I just love it all I guess! ; )
I am still trying to figure out our new fall routine. With our LP trip and Travis being out of the country for 10 days I still feel like I am not settled into this season yet. Along with not feeling quite settled I have discovered that I haven't been scrapping a whole lot. It felt really good to make a few pages. Hopefully life will slow and settle down and I will find more time. The weather here went from being in the 90s to being in the 50s over night. The nip in the air just makes me want to sit and scrap all day long! I just might...

max's eye...

On Tuesday the 13th (not even home from Lake Powell for 24 hours) Max and Noah we playing in the back yard. I was inside the house and I hear Max crying and Noah says "Mom, I accidentally hit Max in the face with the baseball bat!" (Yes...a metal baseball bat no less!) He had been swinging the bat and made sure that Max was well enough behind him, but (picture the swinging motion) after swinging and the bats momentum brought the bat back behind Noah Max had run up behind him and he got popped in the face!

I looked at Max's face and his poor cheek was the size of a softball. I immediately called Travis home from Young Mens at the church and rushed him to our pediatricians after hours office. After being looked at by the doctor...no missing teeth, no concussion....we headed to the hospital for x-rays. Everyone was so speedy and Max was such a trooper we found nothing to be broken. So all he had was one really REALLY swollen cheek.

These pictures were taken the next morning! Poor kid couldn't even smile really well! But he tried!

By the evening the swelling had gone down a bit and the bruising traveled to his eye!

Now it is pretty much gone! Oh boy what an experience...definitely one for the baby book!

new kit...

It's fall time and also time for a new kit. This one is called Grandpa's Farm. It is perfect for all of those petting zoo, farm pictures. I think my favorite elements are the chicken wire and the cute barn. Pick it up HERE

a trip to lake powell...

Travis and I just returned from a week long vacation on a house boat at Lake Powell...sans kids!! Vacations are always great...but this one was the most relaxing trip I have ever taken. We went with 6 other couples that we are good friends with. There was something about having everything there on the boat...good friends, great food, fun conversations...and no where that you HAD to go that made it SO relaxing. Wanna ride the jet ski? Sure... Wanna take a nap? Sure... Wanna play a game? Sure... Ahhhh it was just amazing!

We docked the houseboat right in a little cove in Face Canyon. The best part was at night we all brought our air mattresses out onto the top of the boat to sleep. We even brought a projector and watched movies right on the smooth rock right next to the boat....kinda like a sleep in movie theater! ; ) Our time was filled with boating, jet skis, surfing, games, movies, a few mice, bats swooping over our heads, a Luau dinner and evening, and a dance party with lots of glow sticks.

This is Travis showing off while learning to surf behind the boat...he never quite got to the point of being able to let go of the rope...maybe next year!

One morning we took the boat into a small slot canyon and hiked in a bit. It was absolutely breathtaking. SO worth the hike! It reminded me of some of the close areas when I hiked the Narrows at Zions.

We also did a little cliff jumping...I didn't jump off of this rock...no sirree...I did jump off one between 15-20 feet...fun, but not something I will crave to do on a regular basis!

Sunday the water was super smooth. It was just amazing! I just wanted to reach out and touch it...so I did!

Getting away with Travis is something that I love to do. I think spending time just the 2 of us is an important necessary part of staying close. It strengthens our relationship and helps us appreciate our sweet children even more. It is great to be away, but also great to come home.

Now if only I could just get my computer to stop rocking back and forth...