Have yourself a merry little Christmas...

I love Christmas. But this year I seem to be exceptionally antsy for some reason. And tomorrow the festivities begin!

We hope that all of you take some time to enjoy this time of year and have a fantastic Christmas!

Deep fried smores...

Yes. They are every bit as good as they sound.

We heard (after Christmas) last year that Hogle Zoo does lights time of year. So we, and our cute friend Kelly, decided to bundle up and see them this year. IT WAS FREEZING! So we didn't stay as long as we would have liked to for fear that Landon might lose a limb due to frost bite. But they were a lot of fun none the less. They really put a lot of time and effort into these lights. It was amazing some of the scenes they created all with lights. And as mentioned before, they sell DEEP FRIED SMORES. I can't imagine how you actually deep fry a smore, but I didn't ask questions, my mouth was full. They also have some seriously tasty hot chocolate that helped to keep our hands and insides warm.

With all the the fun lights we kind of forgot about watching for animals. We did see a few in some of the indoor exhibits when we would run in to defrost a bit. But with or without the animals, it's definitely worth going. I think we will make this a yearly event. Landon was mesmorized by all the fun lights. It is definitely geared towards entertaining kids more than the average light exhibit. Plus, I'll go back every year just for those smores!

Sleeping, I am not...

Insomnia. Gotta love it.

Since I was about 17 I have had this come and go insomnia problem. I am pretty sure I can thank my mom for it. But, I will have it terribly for about 6 weeks and then, on it's own it will go away for a couple of months, only to return for another six weeks again. One might think that I could get a lot done during the wee hours of the morning without a toddler pulling at my leg. But I am usually so tired and frustated that I am not asleep that I don't do much of anything but lay there and wish I was asleep. I have tried counting, deep breathing, and I'll be honest, a Tylenol PM from time to time. But nothing (other than the Tylenol PM-but I try not to make a habit out of it) seems to work. It's wearing me out.

So for all you fellow insomniacs out there, (or fellow non-insomniacs, either way) any non-medicated suggestions for me? It would be fabulous if someone had some "miracle cure" that I just didn't know about. And I promise, if you have it, I will be sending goodies your way!

Can you hear me now?

Alright, now that we are private I will get to posting!

Let's start with Halloween. This year was a riot with Landon. Knowing he was going to be a lion, we started teaching him what a lion says early, so by Halloween he had it down. Anytime someone said anything to the effect of "Are you a lion?" he would fire back with a loud "Raaar!!" The yelling he did on his own, we didn't teach him that part. And let's be honest, with the tights he was wearing, he was pretty far from frightening.

We let him trick or treat a few houses and after about three doors he had "trick or treat!" or something pretty close to it down as well. I think taking him trick or treating was just as much fun as when I used to go myself...especially because he did all the work, but I still got the candy.

The week before Halloween we went to a Trunk-or-Treat where Landon had these pictures done. They show his vast array of facial expressions.

Heading to Private Town...

Hello all!

We have decided to go private. If you would like to continue viewing our blog, please send your email address to hillyrolly@gmail.com or leave it in a comment and I would be happy to add you!

Thanks!

Alaskan Wildlife

Here is some of the wildlife we caught on camera while in Valdez.

You can always tell where the Sea Lions are about to come up because there will be a group of seagulls waiting at the surface to try and steal a fish from it's mouth.The salmon were running while we were there so it was prime time to catch a glimpse of other animals doing some fishing.

This guy decided to take a nap in the middle of the parking lot, so he counts as wildlife too, right?

Valdez, Alaska

For part of our trip, we made a drive to Valdez to camp for a few days. Valdez is an Alaskan hot spot when it comes to fishing. Also, for those of you who remember, this is where the infamous Exxon Valdez oil spill happened back in the 80's. Valdez is amazing. There were waterfalls around every corner, along with a giant glacier off the side of the highway, and all sorts of wildlife. Just a few hundred feet from where we were camping was a Bald Eagle's nest. You could hear the babies chirping all the time and on occasion we caught a glimpse of them being fed. It seemed like every time we turned around there was some sort of animal to take a picture of. It was definitely an awesome way to experience Alaska!

Whack-a-Mole Hill

A few miles from where Chelsea lives there is a little Mole Hill. These Moles should be listed among the tourist attractions in Alaska because they are the friendlist little creatures you will ever meet. They are so used to having people feed them that as soon as you set foot on the grass they are at your feet waiting to be fed. They aren't scared of people in the slightest. We were just in the neighborhood and decided to stop by, so we didn't come prepared with anything to feed them. I found some pretzels in the car, but apparantly moles don't like pretzels. These things were too cute not to feed, so we headed to the nearest store to get them something they would like: honey roasted cashews.

It was fantastic! What I wouldn't give for a Mole hill in my neck of the woods!

Let's get this started...

Well we are back from Alaska. It was sad to leave, but good to come home. In fact, it was marvelous to be home because Chris was a sweetie pie and cleaned the house spotless, and bought Landon and I fun presents while we were away. Which gets me to thinking that I should abandon him more often, wouldn't you say?

First of all, Alaska is the bomb. That's right I said it. The BOMB. In fact I might go as far as to say that it's "DA BOMB." If you ever have the chance to go there (in the summer) I highly recommend it. That whole state is like something straight out of National Geographic.

I'm not even sure where to start. I'll do my best to hit the highlights of the trip. Let's start with family. Landon had the time of his life with his cousins. Being the only boy among four girl cousins only made it all the more fun. And my sister lives on like two acres, leaving him endless amounts of room for him to run free and be a boy. After a few days of rain, he and the girls spent about two hours outside splashing in the mud puddles. I don't know if I have ever seen Landon have more fun in his little 16 month life.

Now Landon is stuck here with just me and no mud puddles.

To be continued...

Wow. I suck.

As you may have noticed I have been seriously neglecting my blog. "Where are the pictures of your trip?" One might ask. Well, they can be found next to the pictures from the 4th , which are trapped under my good intentions to post all the fun things we have been up this summer. If I were to try and catch up, I wouldn't even know where to start. So, I make a solemn vow to keep up from this point forward. Let's start with this week, shall we?

On Tuesday, my Mom, Landon, and I are catching a red eye flight to Alaska. Red eye, because we are hoping that Landon will be unconscious the majority of the flight. Alaska, because that's where my sister Chelsea and her family are, therefore making it the second coolest place on the planet. She has been living there four years now and I haven't been to visit yet. What a crap shoot of a sister I am, right? Well, as part of her punishment for taking her wee ones and ditching Utah, I have been making her come visit ME every year. But, her guilt trips finally cut deep and I gritted my teeth as I purchased an $800 ticket, non-stop to Fairbanks, Alaska. If you are thinking right now of all the amazing places you could fly to for 800 dollars, trust me I have been down that road. Hawaii. Bahamas. Warm, tropical islands with oceans stretched as far as the eye can see. Yeah, well Chelsea doesn't live on a tropical island so who needs 'em!

Chris won't be joining us, so he is going to have 11 days to run free of his father and husbandly duties. If you need to reach him, strap on a head set and sign on to XBOX live. Or, if you're feeling generous you can bring him a home cooked meal. I am sure Arby's and Taco Bell might get old after about a week.

This will be the longest that Chris and I have been apart since we met, so we'll test out this whole "absence makes the heart grow fonder" deal and let you know how it goes. :)

M.I.A.

I have finally started reading the Twilight series. Once I finish and get my house clean again, I should be back.

15 month appointment...

Landon had his 15 month appointment yesterday. He weighed in at 25 pounds (93rd percentile) and 33 inches tall (60th percentile) He loves to give kisses now, which makes makes my day. And his most repeated phrase lately is "Oh no!" And he says it in situations that actually apply, like when he falls down, or drops something, which totally surprised me. That, and "no, no, no" which he says in just about any situation, which does not surprise me since we are saying that to him constantly! But he's a cutie pie and keeps me laughing all day long. I can't believe how fast he is growing!

And we're back...

It was a crazy trip, but we managed to only run out of gas once, and made it home with only two traffic citations. So the trip was eventful to say the least. There are about 467 pictures from the trip and waaay too much to document in just one post so I figured I would break them up in to several posts as to not bore everyone to the point that you don't check back again.

As for now, I have about 16 loads of laundry to do, so I need to get to gettin'! But I will leave you with one picture from the trip that documents one of our proudest moments as parents.

The best part is, he's not a "picker." He just likes to see just how far he can cram his finger up his little shnoz.

5 a.m...

That's what time we are hitting the open road, bright and early tomorrow morning. Chris, Landon, and I, along with our good friends Carrie and Brandon are heading up to Seattle and then on to Vancouver, British Columbia. (wow. was that the longest run-on sentence or what??) Chris and Brandon served their missions in Vancouver so they are taking a trip down memory lane, and Carrie and I are along for the ride...and the shopping. It is a 12 hour drive to Seattle, so hopefully we all make it there alive and in one piece and our hearing still functioning properly. Landon has a scream that pierces the ears, and in a car, it amplifies as it bounces off the windows.

According to our good friends at weather.com there is a good chance of rain. So hopefully that won't put a damper on too many of our outdoor festivities. Well, I am off to do some laundry and get packed, my favorite part of going on a trip! (riiiight.)

Isabell's Umbrella

My sister in law Ashley just launched a blog dedicated to her little business and shop, Isabell's Umbrella. Be sure to stop by from time to time to shop and get in on the fun giveaways! You will find her cute little prints to be perfect for almost any occasion.

Be sure to check her out!

Happy Mother's Day...

Landon says several words, but none of them are Mom, Mommy, or Momma, or really anything close to it. He says "Daddy" all the time, which is what made this little moment today so great.

Chris: "Landon, say Daddy!"

Landon: "Momma"


And my Mother's day was complete.

Oh Sweet Sadie...

For those of you who don't already know, Ashley and I are teaming up and participating in the Oh Sweet Sadie! Art and Gift Show this weekend. I have gone to several of these shows over the last year and finally decided to participate. They are fantastic! Each show blows me away with all the creativity and things to see. There is something for everyone; home decor, food, jewelry, art, photography, clothing, shoes, designer jeans, tons of things for children and babies, magnet boards of all sorts, and much MUCH more. There is a childcare room if you don't have someone to watch the little ones, so there is no excuse not to come.

So if you live in the area (or anywhere surrounding it) stop by to check out mine and Ashley's booth, and stay to see all the other awesome booths...but mostly come to see ours. he he

Long time, no blog...

Yikes! I haven't updated in quite a while. Partly because we have been be crazy busy and partly because I haven't really had anything too interesting to update about. So for now, I will at least change the scenery for those of you who are "daily blog checkers" so that you will have something new to look at.

We will figure out something witty and exciting to post about soon. For now, we leave you with...Dramatic Chipmunk!

Oh, what our life has become...

Now that Landon as walking, it has only added height to his ability to get in to things. He is now reaching drawers and handles that he couldn't reach before, and it has opened up a whole new world of excitment and treasures for this little boy.

We tried to put boxes in the way to block his access, but that merely slowed him down a bit. However, it did put our food storage to some use.

So now, this is what our kitchen has become:

On the bright side, maybe that lock will keep me out of the refrigerator.

Easter weekend...

We had a very fun and busy Easter weekend. Neither Chris or I have ever really done much for Easter, but with Landon it just gives us one more reason to take him to do something fun, and excuses to buy him stuff. On Saturday we had an Easter egg hunt and BBQ at my sister's (forgot my camera for the egg hunt, but of course!) watched "Enchanted", and also took Landon to swing at the park. This little boy could swing all day with no problem.

Sunday, we spent with Chris's side of the family eating lots of food and watching "Enchanted" again. For his Easter basket - well it was actually an Easter bucket because all the baskets we found were pink or purple and we figured we would most likely get more use out of bucket than a basket, and I here I go rambling so back to the point- We filled it mostly with summer clothes and bath toys since Landon doesn't eat much candy. Oh, and also "Enchanted"...that was mostly for me, Landon only watches through the cartoon part at the beginning, he has no interest once they become real people.

But I would have to say my favorite part of his Easter bucket would have to be his Easter outfit. I love buying this kid clothes! We got him the cutest little pair of shoes. Actually they aren't that little. His feet are so fat we had to get a full size bigger in order to get them on his feet. But we figured that since now he is walking, he can walk in style, which actually required re-learning how to walk since he had never walked in shoes before. With his new outfit came a new haircut, that actually turned into a buzz cut. His hair grows so fast that we figured we would trim off some extra to buy us some time in between haircuts.All in all, we had a great Easter. We hope that you and your families did too!