Dec. 2

Tucker is 2!

What a rascal!

I still see him as such a baby, but he really isn't so much.

He only says three words, so I think he's little, but then I see him understand what I mean when I say, "Do you need a time-out?" ( He says, "NOooo").

Or now I see him finding things Russel does funny or wanting to be just like his brother.

Yesterday he spent most of the day laying on his tummy, kicking his little feet back and forth, drawing squiggles on everything he could get his hands on, because Russ is on a drawing kick.
So cute.

Tucker is...

1. A Lover

2. A Fighter

3. Quietly Sneaky

4. A Bully with the TV (he can put DVD's on himself)

5. A Dancer

6. A Lover of Balls

7. Happy

8. Cuddly

9. Obsessed with Marshmallows

10. Our Sunshine Boy

Love you Bab Boy!

Florida

We are having Christmas early because my parents rented a huge house in Daytona Beach Shores (my brother Mark lives nearby) and most of my side of the family is all meeting there for Christmas break. It's very exciting, but not very Christmas-y, so Santa comes early!

2 Weekends Ago...

I was waiting...


here...




...for this!

That's our first real Christmas tree and we got it for FUH-REEEEE!

We just had to go into the national/state? forest and be 450 ft from any roads or trails etc. It was freezing, but fun. And the boys were so patient once they got over being in the cold. We couldn't pull their ski-stroller into the forest, so the boys and I waited

While Ben hiked all over to find the perfect tree!
(can you see him?)

Our tree ended up being down in the valley, so Ben broke out the super-strength to haul the thing up a very steep hill. We're glad he made it. Just so our house can look pretty for Christmas.

Also, we're having Christmas two weeks early, so we have an excuse to get a tree before Thanksgiving!

Mythical Creatures

Sometimes Russel likes to have me draw what's in his head when it's too hard for him.

Someday he'll realize it's too hard for mom too...

(Supposed to be a unicorn and princess, yikes)

But just wait, it gets even better:

(Dragon and viking man, Napoleon Dynamite anyone?)

His face was supposed to look like Russel's, but it just looks goofy. Russel sure looks tough though!

Also, Russel says, "I didn't want that kind of dragon. That's not how I wanted it to look."

Yeah... me neither kiddo!

Now our artwork hangs on the fridge to help us laugh!

Snowshoeing

We got two feet of snow yesterday and the night before last. I can only imagine what our friends further up the highway (further from the ocean) got. It was awesome. As in how our Heavenly Father is awesome. He made this beautiful place, then just in case we got bored of the regular old beauty, He adds snow to the mix. It was an incredibly beautiful day! Our town is so magical blanketed in so much snow.

Ben and I sat on the couch last night as the boys watched Frosty the Snowman. We talked about how much we love the masses of snow. I surprised myself with how much I love it. See the goofy smile on my face? We decided that the snow was usually just pesky in Rhode Island. Except for when it first fell and you could play in it, it just got slushy or icy and gross and made travel on the highways dangerous. Living in Seward, we don't often have to go anywhere, so we just get to enjoy the snow!

So yesterday we got out our snowshoes and put the skis on the stroller and headed out to try it for the first time. We learned fast that the stroller needed a groomed trail. Ben about died plowing through, so we didn't get far. Then we switched and I pulled it on the trail Ben had already blazed. I said, "What's the big deal, this is easy!" Haha, thanks for doing all the work Ben. I can't wait to get out and try it again.

Sunrise Sunset

I just loved the sunrise yesterday.

The sun came over the mountains just as the snow clouds dispersed,

making a bright and stormy scene.

Sunrise: 9:34 am

Sunset: 5:50 pm

Hours of sun: 8.3

The time change coming up tonight should be interesting for us all when that sunset time gets a whole hour earlier!

Autumn by the Sea

Last weekend, we watched our friend's kids all day, so we went to the beach to pass the time.

We all skipped rocks:

Russ climbed the "dragons" (or huge drift-wood logs) with his friend Noah and practiced some archery skills:

Aly swam and ran and ran:



...and looked ridiculously cute!

And Tucker was obsessed with rocks, throwing the ball and eating sand. His face is misleading in that picture because he just kept shoveling it in!

It was a great day and I'm glad we didn't miss out on how beautiful the beach is in the Autumn!