Our Festivities

Brian Leland and I got to go to Amy's this year for Thanksgiving. She kept telling me how they don't do anything super fun, and its laid back, sounded good to me! So we packed our bags (Yes we only live 20 minutes away, but I like sleepovers) and went up Wednesday, that is Brian came up after work (tired and worn out, Costco had run out of turkeys AND hams two days earlier and he had a rough day) and I got picked up that morning, we went to Parkland, its a hospital here in Dallas, Amy got the idea to make hats for babies and cancer patients and to donate them to a hospital that needed them (we had help coming up with the idea as the last two years, now three, we go to Jo Ann's at the butt crack, I mean at 6am in the morning for the flannel deal, and we met a mother and daughter team who do up to 150 baby blankets for the same hospital.) Anyway we drove down to Parkland, and donated the hats, it was a great experience but you learn what it really means to be wanting of a warm meal or hat or coat or blanket when you go somewhere that treats most of the poverty stricken people in the area. Grateful for my warm home and warm clothes and my wonderful family who offers to help when it seems like there won't be enough, I left with a great feeling. The boys did great and were so proud to be able to help. Amy counted 90 hats, that's enough hats for two days worth of babies being born there! Yes folks that hospital sees a LOT of action, 40-45 babies a DAY! Not to mention their outpatient clinic sees 2000 people a day! I didn't know that was possible! Then we headed back to my place for doughnuts and soda (hey they are boys, not very picky:)) Then Amy and I cooked that evening, and as always things got a little goofy! We had very buttery succotash, because I was CERTAIN that it was supposed to be a whole cube, I was wrong, but it was GOOD! Amy made our Cheesy potatoes that bring back memories of Grandma's house! Then the next morning we experienced Amy's CURSE of Thanksgiving! Poor Ame! She seems to have bad luck with meat on Thanksgiving! Even when I cooked her turkey last year ours (we were headed to my in laws with it) came out perfect and hers was still undercooked! Followed by a talent show, where Mike insisted that everyone participate, Brian and I were not thrilled but since we were the guests we submitted to the experience, maybe I will have Amy send me the videos, although the one of me is off limits as I look ginormous, but Brian's is on Amy's blog (Lelbaronland) It is VERY entertaining, maybe I will post the one of me, maybe not:D Thanks Ame for hosting a fun and memorable thanksgiving! We had a blast! I may be back for left overs:D

New Place

Well sort of, we have lived there before:D and we aren't moving till February. But its true we are moving back to The Park on Preston. Our main qualms there were the office staff and the fact that you could smell questionable substances throughout the whole apartment complex. Also the fact that we lived on the 3rd floor, that tends to ruin my liking rating for that apartment complex, but recently after talking about what we were going to do we decided to pray about moving back, I knew the office staff had been changed out, but I am sure there are still druggies living there, after all it is the cheapest apartment complex out there:D But really after living here, where the tenants start drinking in public at 8 in the morning, and it smells constantly of dog pooh and listening to my neighbors free styling out front at 3 am I am feeling good about the move. Not to mention we got a 2 bedroom 1 bath for only $30 dollars more, and get ready for this.... ITS ON THE FIRST FLOOR! Yes I am so excited to make the move to first floor. We are also moving into the building that two years ago had a fire so everything is newer than it would be if we were moving into a different building. Two down sides, we had to pay the deposit and the application fee, which cost 240 up front, this is bad because it is coming out of what we call our "rent" check, that means that $587 goes to our current apartment complex, and the bills that fall due are usually paid before that "rent" check comes in so we aren't living "totally" stressed out. But alas we are TIGHT now for two weeks:( and Brian somehow talked me out of the 2 bed 2 bath that I wanted that was only $660 a month. But he is right, it will save us something like $550 a year to only have one bathroom and I can see the value in that:D Anyway we are super excited minus the stress that is coming from it!

Thanksgiving

We have so much to be Thankful for this year! I am grateful to be close to family, to have wonderful family and to be able to enjoy my family! I am glad to have a healthy and happy baby, who loves his family and his cousins so much! Its so fun to watch! I am so thankful for the teachings of the Gospel and for a husband who reminds me that we need to read together every morning, even if he gets to keep his eyes closed:D I am grateful for those who came before me that made everything possible. I am thankful for the troops who protect us and continue to protect us, and also to their families who support them and live without them so that they can fulfill their duty. For the strength that can be gained through prayer and for the blessings that can come from living the way we are supposed to. I am thankful for my wonderful friends who listen to me whine and boo hoo about life. And mostly thankful for my little family, and the big family that I came from who love and support me through thick and thin! And a lot of thankful for a Dad who is willing to help me get healthy again!

Christmas Pictures

We went today to take Christmas pictures! I think we will send out the one of just Leland in the Igloo! It was just too cute:D Thanks Hopie! As always you do a wonderful job! I am so spoiled to have you so close and that you love to take my picture:D LOL!

Showers

Are seriously Lelands next favorite thing to baths. He gets a shower probably 5 days out of the 7 and for the last week he has figured out how to buy more time in the shower, the parent, whichever is in the shower with him, picks him up to hand him out, and he has discovered that if he pulls on the shower curtain to try and shut it he gets laughs and to stay in a bit longer. Sad that he knows how to work us so well:D

Allergic Reaction

I had my first allergic reaction that I remember ever, and I now have a bruise under my eye, because before I realized what was going on (in my dark car) I kept pressing the bump under my eye! Its not a bad bruise and actually just looks like I haven't been sleeping well, but poor Brian keeps saying it looks like I beat you. Which of course makes me smile, as anyone who really knows me, knows that if he laid a hand on me, he would in fact be black and blue not me:D Anyway I am chalking it up to the snickerdoodles that I made last night. Don't know what caused it, as I can eat everything that goes into those cookies, but yeah its been an interesting day, as it started last night and is still winding down. It makes it really hard to read, and even harder to focus on things! This is the picture I sent to Brian last night, because I asked him to look at my eye before I took some cookies to Hopes and he said it looked normal, and by the time I got to Hopes this is what it was:D

Dove the white bar

So this is really more for my sisters and my mom, but hey I thought I would share:) So Costco has coupons for their soap and Dove is usually the selected soap on coupon, so when this occurs we normally get the green bar, which is aloe and something else, but in order to save a little moola this last time I bought the white bar when it came on coupon. Yesterday while Leland was bathing I was opening all the soap boxes and taking the soap out (This is something Momba taught me to do, as soap is packaged with water and so it goes faster when put in your shower, but if you let it "dry" out a little before use it will last a little longer) so I opened it all, I sat watching Leland play and smelling the white soap and trying to figure out where the memories of my Grandma were coming from. Yep you bet it was the Dove soap. Grandma always used to have this soap around her house, it wasn't the only soap she bought but I remember it being in the mud room more than I don't remember it being there! Anyways, it reminded me how thankful I was to have such a wonderful grandma and how thankful I am to have been with her through her sickness and what she taught me of perseverance and strength when you don't know if you can go on. I miss her laughs and I miss eating sourdough bread and drinking grapefruit soda. Mostly I miss her hugs and her encouragement! But I am glad to know she will be waiting to welcome me when I get to go "home," and she will be waiting to hear what I made of my life from me, and maybe this holiday season I can finally make Russian teacakes again, after a 11 hiatus. Love you gram!

No charge for awesomeness:D

So Leland has learned to blow bubbles in the tub, its pretty much awesome! I love it!:D I have a water baby thats for sure! And tomorrow I have an awesome friend coming to help me decorate for Christmas:) Cause she loves me! And on Monday I have an awesome friend coming to help me reorganize my living room, also because she loves me, or at least loves my base painting skillZ! Love you both! Oh and of course I love Leland tons and tons!

Candy Corns

Leland has discovered candy corns, without me introducing him to them, he bit a hole in the bag to get to the candy "goodness" inside. I WAS going to give them to Dad Hamilton, as I think he is the one who likes them, however thanks to my rat he didn't get them! Instead Leland enjoys them. He loves the pumpkins that come in the mix:D

French Toast and Hot Chocolate

Brian has been on a warm breakfast kick lately, what this means is he wakes up and the first thing he asks is whats for breakfast. So I made him French toast and hot chocolate. Normally the baby will shun us while we eat waiting for the goodness that is a warm bottle of milk and gram crackers, but he worked his way over to my plate and grabbed his first bite of french toast right off my plate, so syrup went everywhere, but I am trying to be more patient with him:D So we got him into his high chair and he had a good breakfast of French toast and hot choco, that latter he has already had quite a few mornings with me because our apartment stays pretty chilly :D

Leland is also learning the value of forks and spoons, although he rarely gets them he really enjoys them when he does!

Folks he is my baby....

Although he looks exactly like Brian, he is mine in personality and taste likes and dislikes. Brian and I went to P.F. Chang's for our anniversary, we had heated up our left overs and along comes Leland with his mouth open, we tried the noodles, nope, then the honey seared chicken, that was a hit, then the mild kung po chicken, also a hit, and the rice seemed to fly pretty well. He loves queso:) which makes me laugh a little. But today the most surprising of his likes is pomegranate. I sat down to enjoy the one I got on our shopping trip Friday night, expecting him to come see what I had, yes. Expecting him to actually eat it, no. So I was surprised when he took it and asked for more. (right by asking I mean he held his hand out for more) So together we finished a pomegranate (I stupidly wore a white shirt:) eh what are you going to do! This is an exciting discovery because he has so many dislikes that its hard to find healthy food he will eat! We all know he has my temperament:) We were getting him dressed this morning and Brian was as always poking at Leland, when Leland looked at his Dad and screamed so loud and long his whole face turned red, Brian and I cracked up, we know we are in for it when he gets older! He is going to be just as stubborn as Mom!

Some quick thoughts

I wish I was a profound person but alas I am not, I spent my evening reading people magazine and hating almost everyone in it. But I read about Jennifer Hudson's loss. Her mother, brother and nephew, holy hanna how does one cope with that. I cannot fathom. A few days ago I got an email, it was entitled 10 years ago, I opened it and was not ready for what it held. A mother remembering the short life of her wonderful daughter. I sat and cried for 10 minutes, not only because that family was my family away from my family but because as a mother I now understand the type of love you have for a child, and that pain that she must feel is overwhelming, to bury your child would be unbearable. This in turn has been weighing on my mind the last few days and I have never been more grateful for the phrase "families can be together forever" and for the gosple teachings that I have been taught my whole life. The challenges in this life are meant to be faced with the phrase "why not me" (thanks shelly for an amazing EFC) not "why me" and that has been my error the last few months! I have omitted one little word that could change my perspective on my life trials, although they are not big or super hard, they seem daunting to me, but I think with this new perspective I can put a new spin on my attitude and realize there is more happiness than saddness in my life and I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for that. Ok so this is why I need a blog that no one knows about, sorry this may not make sense, its late and I am emotional:) Loves

This makes me smile!

This is at Amy's ward Trunk or Treat. And I LOVE the expression on Leland's face!

Holy Cats

We are celebrating 2 years (technically 3 but we have only been married 2) of Marriage! Not much has changed other than we added to our little family and have enjoyed having the company to pester (in Brian's case) and to pick on in my case! What a challenge and a blessing married life is! I love you Sweets! Thanks for putting up with me!

How I am feeling today:)

Thanks Dinks, I stole this from your blog, as it made me smile and it normally says Hope underneath it.

Lets pray for the best outcome for the country today!

Baby Steps

Tonight as Brian was telling me about his day and I was watching Leland crawl around he surprised us both! He stood up using the rocker, turned around and looked at me, and took 5 or 6 steps! How lucky we are that we were both home to see it! We are thrilled and sad that he is growing so quickly! How much we love this kid! Anyway this is slightly embarrassing because I am SO loud! So feel free to turn the volume off, but he does giggle a little at the end! PS Jen if you can tell me how to make this the right side up, that would be awesome:) Or just go in and fix it:)