Christmas

(I just realized that I started this post almost a month ago and never finished!)  

I love love love decorating for Christmas!  I wasn't able to decorate last year because we moved into our new house on the 23rd of Dec, however, I did manage to at least put up our tree.  I then spent the day after Christmas shopping for cheap decorations for future years.  

Growing up, we always decorated the day after Thanksgiving while playing Christmas music on full blast.  I love this tradition and want to keep it going with my family.  The Friday after Thanksgiving wasn't a very convenient time to decorate, but you better believe that the first possible chance I got (Saturday) I pulled out the Christmas boxes.  It was just me and Nathan at home and I wanted to surprise Curtis when he got back from sightseeing with his parents.  In retrospect I probably should have waited for him to come home to get down the three large bins of decorations that were on the very top shelf in the garage.  Pregnancy, ladders, and carrying heavy boxes shouldn't really mix...but I was just too excited!  

I spent several hours decorating (which is always more fun at the beginning).  I still have a ways to go before I have enough decorations to really do up the whole house nicely, but I am happy with what I have.  I managed to save decorating the tree for when Curtis got home.  Nathan had a blast "hanging" ornaments. (I say "hanging" because most of his ornaments ended up just sitting on a branch or else on the ground.  Thank goodness for shatterproof ornaments!)

He would cheer everytime he actually got one to stay on the tree

Along with our inside decorations, Curtis volunteered to put lights up outside.  I am soooooo glad he did!  I just LOVE Christmas lights and this is the first year we have had the opportunity to hang them.  Putting Christmas lights on our home seems like such a "grown-up" thing to do, it seemed a little strange doing it.  Having a kid, buying a house, and being pregnant with our second child for some reason never warranted this reaction...but putting up our own Christmas lights...now THATS grown-up!  

We also took Nathan to see Santa at the ward Christmas party (in which he showed absolutely no interest),

and baked (and ate) lots and lots of goodies!

I have made sugar cookies once before with Nathan and it was a big hit, so I was excited to repeat the experience.  He helped me pour in all the ingredients and danced to the rhythm of the mixer.  I set up two stations (one for each of us) at the kitchen table to roll out the dough and cut out the cookies.  I made sure we both had aprons on.  I sat Nathan up at the table and showed him how to roll out the dough and cut out the cookies.  I handed him some cookie cutters of his very own and then finally a small ball of dough.  I watched in anticipation, ready to praise him for all his dough creations.  Without any hesitation he grabbed the entire ball of dough and shoved it in his mouth.  It took him quite a while to finish eating his dough and when he was done I had finished cutting out all the cookies.  So much for that idea.

I also made TONS of cream cheese mints, thanks to my inability to read directions I added 8 oz of cream cheese instead of the 3 that the recipe called for, and so I had to adjust the other amounts accordingly.  250 mints later I went to the bathroom to clean up and came back to find that Nathan had pulled a chair up to the counter and was shoveling mints into his mouth as fast as he could.  I think he had about 3 in by the time I found him, with another couple in each hand.  Needless to say Nathan had A LOT of sugar that day...

I am so excited for the Christmas season!  Like most, it is my favorite time of the year!  I hope we can all share in the joy that this season brings and remember the true meaning of the holiday.  Being pregnant during this time really has helped me to remember the tremendous sacrifice it took for Mary to bring such a precious gift into the world.  I feel a little silly complaining about back pain or doing housework when I think of the young, selfless woman traveling on a donkey and giving birth in a stable.  Mary must have been a very special woman to be entrusted with such a special son.  I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!!  The birth of our Savior Jesus Christ is truly worth celebrating!!! 

More on Nathan

So this morning Curtis went in to get Nathan up.  I am usually up with him by 7:00am.  That doesn't mean Nathan isn't already awake though.  Sometimes he is up at 6:00 and says plenty to let me know it!  However, recently I've been working on a routine with Nathan that should help Nathan, who already behaves pretty well, behave better, and that should also help me in the long run, by reducing the amount of discipline I have to exact on Nathan.

But today was Curtis' day off and I usually make him get Nathan up on his days off.  Nathan was making noises at about 6:30 but we were both tired, and it wasn't 7:00 anyway.  We fell back asleep and woke up again at about 7:20.  Well, it was time for Nathan to get up by then, so Curtis got up to get him. Strangely, Nathan hadn't made much noise since the initial ones around 6:30, which also made me wonder a little bit about what was going on, although Nathan occasionally will sleep until about 8:00.  So when Curtis went in to Nathan's room, this is what he discovered:

I have actually found Nathan in this sleeping "position" many times, but alas, Curtis caught it on camera!

Nathan also plinked on our piano for several minutes today while also "singing," but when he saw Curtis with the camera he stopped his concerto :(  Nathan's singing, which he does frequently and especially at church, is a  sort of monotone yell, mixed with pauses to inhale.  Hopefully he'll serenade us again, but the next time we'll catch it on camera for you!

Nathan also continues "talking." We used to think his sometimes long monologues are complete gibberish, but now that he is approaching 18 months and we expect him to speak at least several intelligible words we must be listening a lot more intently.  We're starting to believe it when people tell us that he knows exactly what he is saying, but we just can't understand him.  Lately we've been able understand "water," and "milk." He says "no" about 100 times a day, but that word is easy for all to understand!  He says more words that I can understand, I'll have to try and remember...Anyway he may have just been mimicking us with gibberish, but he may also be saying actual words, we just don't understand him.

Overall, we absolutely love to have Nathan around, because he is almost always doing something cute.  For another example, one day last week I told Nathan that it was time to get his daddy up from bed and so Nathan promptly climbed the stairs and pounded on our bedroom door while also yelling.  That sure did do the trick!

He does do some things we don't appreciate.  He still loves to splash the water in the toilet, grab anything electronic, and he'll also throw wicked temper tantrums that are becoming a little more frequent.  When he's mad he sometimes wants to hit me or knock something over.  A few days ago in one of his rants he was on the verge of knocking over our TV.  Yikes!

Nevertheless, his cuteness far outweighs his naughtiness.  We love you, Nathan!

Nathan's Nap

Last night I moved Nathan into his new room, complete with a full size bed rather than his crib.  I will post more on that later, but I first had to share a video of how he did during his first nap in his new room.  Because he can now get out of his bed I have had to lock his door so that he will at least stay inside his room.  As I suspected, the freedom of being able to get out of his bed was a bit too much for him to resist.  However, once he found that the door was locked he took to screaming his poor little heart out for a good 20 minutes.  After the crying stopped I heard a strange rhythmic noise that I didn't recognize right away.  I went up to check on him and found this:

His sad little sobs continued throughout his whole nap.  It breaks my heart to know that he was that upset, but he's got to learn somehow I guess.

Nursery

This handsome boy started nursery this past Sunday, I can't believe it!  He is only 17 months, but I begged the nursery leader to let him try because not only did I know he would love it and do great, but also because he is IMPOSSIBLE to keep quietly entertained during Sunday School and Relief Society.  She agreed to let him come in if I came with him too for the first time, which I was planning on doing anyway.  Let me tell you, Nathan was in heaven!  Playing with an endless supply of toys for an hour, eating pretzels and bananas at a table his size on a chair his size, singing and dancing (his absolute favorite part), nursery was built for him!  He got so excited as they started each new new activity, he would look around smiling at all the kids like he was thinking "Are you serious? We get to eat?  Seriously? We get to sing?  Isn't this the funnest thing you'e ever done?!?"  He would also copy what all the other kids were doing, like banging their fists on the table or swinging their legs while sitting on their chairs, like he wanted to make sure he was doing everything right.  I loved watching him!  He is getting so big!

mormon.org and the anti-Mormons that go with it!

So I (Curtis) am trying to perfect my profile on mormon.org.  To do so I looked on Google for the reference by Paul of baptizing for the dead.  Naively, I went to this website http://carm.org/ thinking it would give me that reference.  Instead, it turns out to be a pretty bigoted anti-Mormon, anti-Jehovah Witness, etc. website, disguised as a sincere effort to save souls.  


It's creation excited curiosity in me because of M. Russell Ballard's challenge a few years ago at BYU-H to use technologies to spread and defend our religion.  On the website I chanced upon a section titled Questions for Mormons.  Below, I have listed and answered those questions I submitted for review.  Perhaps you'll be bored or won't even bother reading what I have wrote--or you'll think that Mormons shouldn't read anti-Mormon literature for fear of being persuaded by it.  But if you read no further than this, I simply challenge you to find opportunities to prayerfully strengthen your testimony and then spread and defend the Restored Gospel.

Below is the answers to your "Questions for Mormons." I really hope you respond to my e-mail because I have no problem debating your tortured, arrogant, and faithless logic.  But what I really hope you understand by opening a correspondence with me is to really question the efforts you have put forth by condemning many competing Christian religions.  I pray that you really ask yourself whether your efforts could be used in a more efficient and effective manner.  You obviously feel these competing Christian religions, including Mormonism, to be a threat (which is also why so many of us respond to you like you're threatening us).  I can read that by the language you use when defending criticisms leveled by many Mormons that have responded to your website.  I challenge you to read what you have already written and ask yourself whether you go beyond the scope of apologizing and enter the realm of bigotry.  It's one thing to distinguish yourself from other religions, and quite another to speak of "wacko quotes," my "subjective feelings (pretty good insult to my intelligence there)" and speak of us as "the Mormon," among your many, near innumerable evidences of bigotry.  The Jesus I know has no place for bigotry among his believers.  Please ponder it.  Find passages in the Bible that advocate websites that could be construed to promote intolerance toward religions that are otherwise seeking the best for all mankind.  Ask yourself whether you're in charge of condemning or God himself fills that role.  May God answer your sincere desire.

In Jesus.

1. If the principle of "progression" is eternally true, why is it that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not gods of their own worlds?  How do you know they are or are not Gods of their own worlds right now or will or won't be in the future?  Is a seed not a plant because it has no stem, flower, fruit, or leaves?  Are you nitpicking here?

1. If it is necessary to have a body in order to become a God, then how did the Holy Spirit, who does not have a body, attain the status of godhood?  By obtaining a body.

1. If the book of Mormon is the most correct book of any on earth and contains the fullness of the gospel, then why does it not contain the essential Mormon doctrines of eternal progression, the priesthoods, the plurality of gods, that God is an exalted man, and the 3 degrees of glory?  If the Old Testament contained the word of God in its fullness, then why do we have a New testament?  Why do we need a New Testament?  Why is the Bible a compilation of books, or a library, if God apparently can sum up all he needs to say in one tome? What did people do until the 3rd and 4th century, before a Bible as we know it existed?  Are they going to Hell in a hand basket? Do you have the authority to speak for God?  If the Bible contains its own completeness, then why do we need you to interpret for us what is says?

1. If the book of Mormon was transmitted to us by the power of God, why does it have thousands of changes in it?  Why do you accept the new translation of the King James Version of the Bible if it is the pure and holy word of God?  Was it not the pure and holy word of God before the new translation?  How many changes did the new translation create?

1. Why does the book of Mormon say that black skin is not "enticing" to God's people in 2 Nephi 5:21?  “And he had caused the acursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them.  Why did God curse Cain and put a mark on him (Genesis 4:11, 15)?  Why did Noah curse Canaan and condemn him to being a servant (9:25-26)? Why did Jehovah tell Abram that he would curse them that curse him (Genesis 12:3)?  Why did Jacob curse the anger of Simeon and Levi, promising that they would be divided in Israel (Genesis 49:7)?  Does the color of one's skin preclude him from salvation?  Where is that scripture found, and what else in the end matters besides salvation?  I have many more cursing scriptures from the Bible.  Do I need to go on so you can continue to nitpick and keep yourself from focusing on what truly saves? 

1. Why does the Mormon Church still claim the book of Abraham is inspired Scripture, when it has been demonstrated that it is not that, but is instead an Egyptian burial papyrus?  This one confuses me.  What difference does it make what scripture is written on?  You're really stretching it here.  Didn't Jesus say that by their fruits we'll know them (Matthew 7:20)?  I guess you can't debate fruit, but have to debate papyri.

1. How could the Garden of Eden be in Missouri (according to Mormonism) when the Pearl of great Price 3:10-14 tells us it was the area of Assyria when it mentions the rivers of Eden located there?  You're reference of "Pearl of Great Price" makes absolutely no sense.  There is such a thing as a typo, but with such resolute knowledge of the subject of God, I think you're condescension got in the way a little bit of that resoluteness.  But I'll go ahead and answer what you were meaning before your arrogance got in the way--How do you know what the world's geography and topography looked like when Adam and Eve roamed the earth?  Did you roam the earth with them?  Or, is what a scientist says unchanging and immovable like God's word?  If he says the Garden of Eden was in Assyria as a scientist, then should we also believe scientists from Christopher Columbus' time that we'd sail off the earth if we went too far west?  After all, scientists said it.  Or can science change and/or perfect its theories as more evidence becomes available to it?  Name me the scientific discipline that has come to indisputable conclusions that yes, this is the way things are and no more research can or should be done on the subject.  It was only until the modern era that Assyria's existence was even confirmed outside biblical references anyway!

1. Mormonism teaches an infinite regression of Gods, but an infinite regression of gods means that there is no first god by which his subjects were exalted to godhood.  If there is no first God, how can there be a second and a third, and thus the Mormon doctrine of eternal progression?  Has there ever been a time when God did not exist?  If he always existed then how can there be a first?  You're really nitpicking here again, kind of like pro-abortion and Jack Kevorkian people.  If it's just an embryo, then it obviously isn't a human, right?  If it's a fetus, then it must not be a human either, right?  If an old man has worn out his usefulness then he must be euthanized because he's not really a human anymore, right?  Attempt to follow your own logic.

1. If Elohim (which is God the Father in Mormonism) was once a man, then he changed from being a man to becoming God.  How is this possible when the Bible says in Psalm 90:2, that God is God from everlasting to everlasting?  Because God is everlasting to everlasting.  Was Jesus still God when he condescended by being born of Mary?

1. Joseph Smith said he saw God the father (and Jesus) in the first vision in 1820.  Smith said he received the priesthood in 1829.  In the Doctrine and Covenants 84:21-22 Smith said that you cannot see the face of God and live without the authority of the priesthood.  How did Joseph Smith see God when he didn't have the priesthood?  You're not following what the scripture says--is there a difference between obtaining the priesthood and the authority of the Priesthood?  Keep wasting precious time that could be used for saving souls and go back to the drawing board on that one.

1. How did Joseph Smith carry home the Golden plates when the weight of the plates, if they had been pure gold, would have been over 200 pounds? Wow, you're really nitpicking on this one.  Who said the were of PURE gold?  And how about following your own rule of providing references?  Where did you come up with 200lbs?  And Joseph Smith wasn't the only one to see and heft the plates.  At least 11 others testified of their existence--see the testimony of the three and eight witnesses at the beginning of the Book of Mormon.  They also weren't the only ones to see the plates.  And none of the three witnesses, even though all left the Church at one point, and one never returned, ever denied the existence of the Golden Plates.  More precious time for saving souls you have wasted by attempting to Bible bash with Mormons.

1. Some later Mormon apologists are theorizing that the Golden Plates were not pure gold, but an alloy weighing as little as 50 pounds.  There is no mention by Joseph Smith receiving any supernatural help carrying the plates.  How is it possible for Smith to run with 50 pounds of metal plates under his arm, for three miles, while being pursued and attacked three times?  I don't even know where to start with this one.  You're a big time nitpicker here.  I'll try with this one: has a soldier ever completed a feat of incredible strength in the face of battle, while also injured or dying?  Or this one: how about a mother when defending her children--has she ever done something spectacular and outside the realm of scientifically possible?  By the way, Joseph Smith was no small man, nor was he out of shape--at the time he was 21 years old, was about 6'2" and later in life weighed upwards of 200lbs.  He was a champion wrestler from his days as a teenager and farmed before modern machinery.  Is asking this question going to help bring an unbeliever to Christ?  Is this how Christian apologists save souls?

1. In Mormonism, the father is called Elohim and Jesus is called Jehovah.  But in 1 Kings 8:60 it says that “The Lord is God.”  Literally in the Hebrew it is “Jehovah is Elohim.”  How do you explain this passage that says Jehovah is Elohim?  So are you a Jehovah's witness?  Try comparing Isaiah 44:6 with Revelation 1:8; Isaiah 48:16 with John 8:56-58; and Isaiah 58:13-14 with Mark 2:28.  I don't expect to convince you, but by the Bible itself there is discrepancy about who God is.  How about that for thought?  And what, in Hebrew exactly, does Elohim mean?  I'll let you answer that one yourself.  Perhaps you'll learn something meaningful.

1. In Mormonism, God and his wife are exalted beings from another world.  We know that life forms from another planet are called aliens.  Therefore, isn't it true that Mormons worship an alien from another world who they call their god? Are they aliens from another world?  Maybe it's better that we were created by a big bang and our ancestors are puddles of mud emanating from the explosion created by that big bang.  You can be descended from mud, fish, and apes.  I'll be a child of God (Psalms 82:6) and how I became that child of God matters less than the fact that I am a child of God.  And, even considering your tortured logic about the origin of God, which of the two seems more believable to you--mud ancestors or being a direct descendant of God?

1. Brigham Young, the second prophet of the Mormon Church, said that the birth of Jesus was "the result of natural action" (Journal of discourses, volume 8, page 115).  He also said, "When the time came that His first-born, the Saviour, should come into the world and take a tabernacle, the Father came Himself and favoured that spirit with a tabernacle instead of letting any other man do it,"  (Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, p. 218).  In light of this, how was Jesus born of the Virgin Mary? How was Jesus born after the Holy Ghost came upon Mary and the power of the Highest overshadowed her (Luke 1:35)?  Answer that question and I'll answer yours.

1. In light of the previous question and Mormon doctrine saying that we are all literally the children of God, then wasn’t Brigham Young teaching that God had relations with his spirit daughter?  See previous answer to your question.

1. According to Mormonism, Jesus was the one being married to Mary and Martha at the wedding of Cana in John 2.  If this is so, then why was Jesus invited to his own wedding?  You'll need references to who said that Jesus was being married to Mary and Martha at the wedding of Cana in John 2.  Besides, really think about your question; do you think I get to be invited to my own wedding?  And, if you're such an incredible little researcher, find out for me the requirements during Jesus' time to read the Torah and preach in Jewish synagogues.  Maybe you'll learn something else useful.

1. If the book of Mormon is true, why have both National Geographic and the Smithsonian Institute rejected it as being archaeologically reliable?  Has God cited in the Bible that National Geographic and the Smithsonian Institute are the official archaeologists and fact finders for Him?  See my answer above to the continuing change of scientific theory as more evidence becomes available to science.  If science answers all questions about the veracity of the Book of Mormon and truth generally, won't there be a time when science answers all questions, making faith in God completely irrelevant and unnecessary?  After all, I won't need the Bible any more, because National Geographic will have already run a program proving to me that the whole Bible is true, including the parts where Joshua stops the sun, Elijah calls down fire from heaven to burn up Baal, Jonah is eaten by a fish--survives three days in his belly--and then is spit out, a donkey talks to Balaam, Jesus walks on water, Jesus turns water to wine, Jesus feeds five thousand with a few pieces of bread and a couple of fish, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, Peter raises a man from the dead, Jesus cures a blind man with spittle and dirt, Jesus resurrects himself from the dead after suffering for the sins of all mankind, etc., etc., etc., etc.,  Where did Jesus say, or where does the Bible anywhere say, 'just wait for the scientists to give undeniable proof of my existence--and that the Book of Mormon is false?!'

1. Why is it that there have been no archaeological discoveries at all that demonstrate what Joseph Smith said is "reformed Egyptian?" Okay, really, really follow my train of thought here--do an experiment and ask yourself how many people, and Mormons particularly, say to you, "you know what, when you asked this question I really got down on my knees and prayed to God using that prayer you listed for me on your website and then bam! I was saved!  I felt the love of Jesus in my heart and sang the song of Salvation, amen, amen, amen!"  While you muse that question, find out for me the origin of the Bask and Finnish languages.  Then I'll answer your question about "reformed Egyptian."

1. Why does the book of Mormon contain the word "church" in 1 Nephi 14:3, 9, 10, 12 which was set around 600 BC, yet the word church was not used until the time of Jesus (Matt. 16:18)?  Why does Jacob at the end of the book of Jacob say "adieu" when the French language wouldn't exist for another 1500 years?  And how do you know that the word Church wasn't used until the time of Jesus?  Do you have all the documents that existed in the world leading up to the days that Jesus walked the earth?  Or, are all those documents saved in a vault somewhere in the basement of the Smithsonian Institute and they let you in to check them all out?  At this point really ask yourself if disproving the Mormons in such a childish, playground taunt kind of way proves your commitment to Christ.

1. Why is the French word "adieu" in the book of Mormon in Jacob 7:27?  Why didn't English exist at the time Jacob penned his farewell anymore than French?  Now you need to start questioning your intellectual depth.

1. Why should I become a Mormon if when I die, I go to the middle level of heaven when that is where most Mormons will go anyway?  Because you dedicate significant amounts of your time disproving the Mormons, and converting very, very few to your cause in the process, when you could be extolling the virtues of your own doctrine instead, thereby gaining quite a few more converts.  But I digress. Since you're a Bible expert divined by God to interpret for him His word, explain to me Matthew 5:48.

Birthday Bash

For mine and Curtis' birthday we decided to take a trip up to Utah to visit the fam.  We flew up on Oct 19th just in time to celebrate Alli's birthday.

We have lots of October birthdays in our family, after Alli comes me and Curtis, and then my nephew kaleb.  All within a week!  So of course we had a big birthday bash for all of us.

As is custom with me, I forgot to take out the camera almost the whole time we were there.  So even though there is no pictorial evidence, we had lots of fun!  Curtis was able to stay almost a full week but then had to leave to get back to work, while Nathan and I stayed an additional week.  Nathan had a BLAST!  He loved playing with his cousins, and they were absolutely adorable with him!  Kaleb (who just turned 4) was always very mindful of "Naph Naph" (as he called him), making sure he was always happy.  He even let him play with his brand new toys that he got for his birthday.  Jaden, the oldest, is used to taking care of his little brothers and was therefor a pro at taking care of Nathan. On the last day we were there I asked Jaden if he could do Nathan's hair for me, since he is so good at doing his own.  He happily agreed and took Nathan by the hand into the bathroom where he wet, combed, gelled, and styled Nathan's hair.  Nathan just loved following Jaden around and loved doing whatever he was doing.  When Jaden wanted to play the wii Nathan plopped right down beside him to cheer him on.

(notice their matching hair)

Every time the boys would come over they would bring lots of swords and knives to play with.  They always made sure Nathan joined in on the fun. 

It was just so exciting to see Nathan finally interact with his cousins! Even Bradley (age 2) and Nathan had fun together!  One night I heard lots of little boy laughter coming from the hall, so I decided to take a peak.  I found Nathan sitting in front of the coat closet laughing his head off because Bradley kept popping out and making him laugh.  

Another fun thing Nathan got to do with his cousins was celebrate Halloween.  Bradley and Nathan were the best looking Batman and Robin I have ever seen.  Since it was raining the night of Halloween the boys had the great idea to go trick or treating indoors.  The divvied up the candy that my mom was passing out and placed a bowl of candy at each door of the house and went around trick or treating to all the doors.  The adults sat at each station while the boys went around and around and around and around for what seemed like an hour.  Jaden helped Nathan trick or treat and Nathan loved it!

The thing Nathan loved the most (aside from playing with his cousins) was going outside.  I guess he doesn't get out much at our house because we still haven't gotten around to finishing our backyard, and our frontyard is full of rocks which Nathan loves to put in his mouth.  Plus there aren't as many adults around to take him outside anytime he wants to go.  He quickly figured out that there were plenty of adults that he could weasel into going outside with him, and so he would grab someones finger and drag them to the back door about 30 times a day!  Even when it was snowing he wasn't deterred.  He loves being outside!

Nathan not only got to know his cousins better on this trip, but his Grandparent's as well.  And this kid could not get enough of his Grandpa!  Anytime my dad was home Nathan was by his side.  He cried whenever he left and would run to him when he came home.  Curtis and I went to a BYU football game while we were there so we were gone for most of the day, when we got home I was sure Nathan was going to be excited to see us.  I made the mistake of trying to take him from my dad's arms to say hi to him and he cried and cried until I gave him back to his Grandpa.  He must remember that it was Grandpa who came down to Arizona to build him his cool playroom under the stairs.  I think Nathan also prefers men, because once Curtis left Nathan was either clinging to his Grandpa, or his uncle Charles.  Of course Nathan quickly learned how much fun his Grandma is too.  He was a Grandma's boy by day, and a Grandpa's boy by night.  I am pretty sure that I could have left him for a week and he wouldn't have noticed.  He definitely has been more lonely and in need of more attention ever since we have come home.

A few hours before Nathan and I had to catch our plane Crissy and I decided we wanted sugar cookies (hey, we're pregnant, give us a break!)  We let the boys play with their own dough...

and it wasn't long at all before Nathan realized how good the dough tasted!

It was such a fun end to a super duper fun trip.  I can't wait for these kids to get together again!

Disaster Ready

Curtis and I FINALLY updated our 72 hour kits last week.  We haven't touched them since before Nathan was born.  I decided to make Nathan his own kit so I went out and bought him a little backpack.  Once Nathan saw it he HAD to wear it...all day long!  Even when I filled it with all of his supplies so that it was quite a bit heavier he didn't care.

We also found stashed in our old kits, a miniature boom box looking radio.  We have since replaced this with crank radios so I let Nathan play with this old one. He carried this little radio around and danced for the longest time, it was so cute.  I didn't have the wherewithal to get my camera until he was losing interest, so I only caught his dancing on camera for a split second.

By the time the night was over Nathan had figured out how to turn the radio on, volume up, pull up the antenna, and tune it to an actual station.  I figure between his ability to work a radio and carry his own 72 hour kit this kid is disaster ready!