Ward Christmas Party

Nathan did not want to see Santa or get his candy bag. He may be a little braver next year.

I think Joseph was completely amazed that Santa came to our party. I tend to believe that he thought all this talk of Santa was just a fun story we shared with him and that Santa's not a real guy. He is the definite proof that Santa came to our ward party. Joseph's expression says that he's not too sure about this bearded guy.

Decorating the Tree

Joseph is becoming quite the little Christmas fan. He loves talking about Santa coming to our house and says that Santa will bring him a train and dinosaurs.

Shane loves to have a live tree. We haven't had much luck in trekking into the wilderness to find a tree the last few years. This year we went to our friendly neighborhood Lowes and picked this beautiful Noble Fir. It smells wonderful and is a lovely shade of green.

This is also the first year that Joseph was excited about decorating the tree. He put on a few ornaments then turned the work of hanging ornaments over to me end enjoyed being the ornament delivery boy instead.

 Nathan tried his best to be helpful and was more interested in getting the boxes than decorating the tree.  So far he hasn't displayed much interest in the tree.

This is what happens when a little boy finds a Hershey Kiss.

Thanksgiving with the Stocks

Steven has become quite the artist with making cakes. He made a turkey cake to celebrate Thanksgiving. The feathers were made of fondant and the turkey was made with a mold that can double as a baby duck.

I think the turkey cake turned out well.

This is the only picture I got of the table before everyone arrived.  Grandma Stock had her dining table refinished and extended.  It went from a standard dining room table with two leaves to this enormous banquet style table.  The wood grain is beautiful and the finish is amazing.  

Thanksgiving Snow

Thanksgiving was especially exciting this year as it snowed enough that we were able to play in it and attempt to build a snowman.  Joseph, Ella, and James also found the snow to be especially thrilling because they discovered that they could eat it and run like crazy people in it.

After taking this picture, Joseph told me that the snow was cold and then ate more snow.  Hopefully there weren't too many leaves mixed in with the snow.

I think James was especially frozen from playing in the snow.  His cheeks were red and he was eager to go inside to play with toys.  

 Ella shared the same opinion and was not a fan of staying outside very long.  

With rosy cheeks and worn out kiddos, we adjourned to the fabulous playroom and spent the next little while trying to figure out how this delightful toy worked.  The cute thing was that James and Ella played together.

This is the little kid's table.  I think a little table like this would have been especially delightful.  Sadly, the little kids were more interested in playing with each other than admiring the nice table.

Kevin and Shane waiting the festivities to begin.  Kevin looks to be a little tired of waiting.

William (black shirt) was in an accident with a wood splitter and was blessed to have his injuries limited to the pinky on his right hand.  Since the accident, he has not been able to straighten the finger and will need to work with the finger over the next several months to retain mobility.  As a way to show their support, the boy cousins from left Richard P, William P, Eric P, Debra (cousin Wedda), and Richard H decided to pose with crooked fingers.  

Mother's Birthday

My mom's birthday was a delightful event. The menu included enchiladas, beans, fresh fruit and Pepsi. Nathan was a fan of the Pepsi.

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Joseph is becoming more adept at blowing out candles, but needs more practice because he tends to get too close to the flames before blowing them out. Luckily, he hasn't friend his nose.

October Things

We takes walks in the early afternoon and usually stop by the haybarn. Normally, there are several tractors parked under the barn. Those are definitley the highlight compared to the hay. On this particular day, Joseph noticed that there is hay stacked under the barn and got his first lecture about not climbing the hay for the reason that it will fall and he will get squished.  I heard that same talk more times than I can count when I was younger.

Nathan, at 7 months, has his two bottom teeth. We jokingly called him "Sharp Tooth" because he had one for a while and we're into watching The Land Before Time. Sharp Tooth just doesn't fit now that he has two. He likes using the Little People characters to sharpen his teeth and coax others to pop through.

The first weekend of Octorber is General Conference. Getting Joseph to watch any of it is a feat. Shane decided to try hanging out under the precious blanket with him during the Saturday morning session. Joseph stayed for about thirty minutes and enjoyed the Tabernacle Choir. Luckily, we recorded all the sessions, so we were able to go back and listen when the kiddos were asleep.

For our fifth anniversary, my mom asked if we would like dinner or a piano bench. It took about a millisecond for me to reply that a piano bench would be fabulous. My Uncle Jimmy gave us the piano. It belonged to his mother and had been sitting unplayed in his home for years. He decided to clear some space and thought that we might like a piano. We were thrilled to get it and love playing it. Shane especially likes that we can stand around it and sing Christmas carols in October.

A Sunday Afternoon

This is not the greatest picture of Joseph with his nursery ears.  He was watching a "show" and could not be disturbed.  Sister Pierce taught a lesson about ears and had each kiddo decorate a set of ears to take home. Joseph is not big into coloring, as seen in the lack of crayong on his ears. He loved wearing them around the house and pointing out his ears.

Grandma Great sent over a pair of monster slippers and froggy slippers. Nathan is ready to go in these dazzling green amphibians. He is also a big boy and can sit up without being propped up.