Thanksgiving

This post is a little behind.  We have been super busy the last couple of weeks.  J is working on homework, Zuri is watching Lady and the Tramp (by request), and I am about to tackle the apartment.  Before I do, I am going to waste some---ahem, I mean, be productive--time and post a blog.

We had a Thanksgiving with J's family, and it was a nice relaxing weekend.  We ended up leaving a little earlier than we planned because of the snow storm, but we still had some good quality time with his family.

For Black Friday, Suzanne, Maria, Alisia and I all came back to Provo and got up at 2:30 am to make it to Kohl's by three.  We spent all day shopping, finally heading back down south around 4:30.  It was a lot of fun but exhausting.  The worst stores were Kohl's and Target.  We were especially impressed with Shopko, where we were in and out in under 40 minutes (with a full shopping cart, and we were one of the last ones to get into the store).  Compare that to Kohl's, where Maria stood in line for almost two hours--just in line.  We left Target empty-handed the first time we went because we were in line for twenty minutes and hadn't moved at all.  We went back a little later, though, and were still able to get everything we wanted. 

J spent the day watching the kids, and was very proud of himself when he got all three down for a nap at the same time, except Zuri didn't want to cooperate and actually take a nap.

Here are some pictures from the weekend!

 Zuri and Addilynn playing ball and watching Kung-Fu Panda.

 Zuri just loves that Nemo fish.  She wouldn't let go of it all weekend.

 Emery, Addilynn, and Zuri playing in the snow.  They were also taken on the sleds, towed by the 4-wheeler.

 After a rocky start, Zuri and Emery were playing together and having fun.

Zuri watching the snow come down.

Going Back

I don't know why I never posted this picture.  Probably because there really isn't a story behind it, just J and Zuri playing in the yard together about a month ago.  I came across it the other day and I really like it.  So, I am posting it for you all to see.  Enjoy!

Assembly Required

While we were at my mom's house yesterday, she offered to give us McKenzie's toddler bed.  We weren't really in the need of a toddler bed because Zuri's crib converted over, and we have been using that, but when my mom told us it is a Disney Princess bed, I took her up on it.  The bed was already completely disassembled, and I had never seen it together.  There were no instructions on how to put it together, so I went online to see if I could find some, but all I found was a picture of the bed itself.

So, taking that picture, I assembled the bed all by myself! We were missing three screws, one that I was able to find a replacement for, and the other two I will have to go pick up at the store on Monday, but luckily the screws are for the guardrail, so not all that vital.

Here is Zuri's new bed!

Party Time

We went over to my mom's for a birthday celebration.  Since my birthday, Dallas, my mom, and McKenzie all fall within a three month span, we just did a combined celebration.  Aunt April was there with Courtney and Sammie, and we all ate pizza and had fun.

Zuri had a blast with the balloons and McKenzie.  I didn't take many pictures, but here are a few I did capture!

 McKenzie showing Zuri her fairy pop-up book.  Zuri was fascinated.

McKenzie had a pillow pet set that Zuri absolutely loved.  She was so tired by the end of the night that she may have fallen asleep like that if things had settled down a bit!

Sickies

We have all been recovering from a bought of sickness.  Zuri got it first, and had it the worst.  She was throwing up for a week and had some diarrhea along with it.  We were really worried because she didn't have an appetite and barely ate anything for a week.  Luckily, her appetite is returning and she is holding everything down.  

J got it next, a few days after Zuri started, but his only lasted a couple days.  I got the mildest form, with just a little diarrhea and no throwing up.  We are all pretty much feeling better, just taking it easy!

I thought this picture was so cute.  She used to sleep with her arms up like that when she was first born.  Every once in a while I will see her sleeping like that and it brings back memories.  She is growing up so fast!

Spa

 Amanda and Tyler gave us a little massage spa thing.  It is really nifty and although our bathtub is too small for J and I to really enjoy it, Zuri absolutely loves it.  She had a blast with the bubbles it created.  It gives bath time an added bonus! 

Thanks Amanda and Tyler!

Happy Halloween

For Halloween this year, Zuri was a little lamb.  She loved the costume, and kept saying "sheep, sheep."  She didn't leave the face paint alone and had it smudged before we were even out the door.  Since it was raining, we just went to the mall.  This year she was a lot more into trick-or-treating, and when she finally decided to look into the bucket to see what she was getting, she found a sucker and that was just about the end of it.  All in all, she lasted about half an hour, but she was able to get a decent haul in that time!

Enjoying the spoils!

THE BIG HUNT

Cory, Dad and I went hunting way down south this year. Cory and Dad hunted this area with muzzle loaders a few weeks ago. They saw some big buck and a lot of track but were unable to get close enough for a shot. We all came back for the rifle hunt. We stayed with my Uncle Steven who helped us with a drive early in the morning. They saw a lot of track but were not able to push anything towards Cory and me. On our way back to the truck, we cut some track near the road. Cory and I followed the track everywhere. The buck changed directions constantly and even made a huge loop to come back to a creek bed it already crossed. We were diligent and stayed on its trail. It rained on us a few times, we even came up to a tree where the buck bedded down during the rain storm. Cory found some other track which also looked pretty fresh and the print was much bigger than the one we were following. At the same time, we met with my dad. We decided that I would follow the track and my dad and brother would try to cut off the buck as it headed north towards the draw we originally did a drive through earlier in the day. I followed the track for a long time. I eventually lost it in an open meadow. Discouraged, I started heading towards my brother and father. I picked up on the track again, as I radioed the good news to my father, I spotted the buck at the edge of the meadow, a good 250 yards away. By time I lifted my gun up, it disappeared into the trees. I radioed the direction it was heading and followed the track. The buck was heading in the draw where my brother and father were set up at points. I met up with my father. We switched roles, my father continued on the trail as I watched on point in case the buck cut back (which they seemed to do a lot). Not 20 minutes later did we hear a gun shot. The mighty hunter that is my brother took one shot to bring down this buck. My dad and I were able to go right to the buck by following the trail. It was awesome. It's a 4x4 with a one inch cheater on one side. The eye guards are split and have great mass. It measured to be roughly 29 inches wide and we estimate about 23 inches tall. Overall, its a dang good buck for our first year in that area. Way to go Cory, you Mighty White Hunter!!!!

Here is a picture of the track

One of the many beautiful vistas I saw while tracking the buck


A Happy Hunting Party

Stroller

Zuri loves the stroller that we got her at Babyland General in Georgia.  She will put her stuffed animals, and even books and balls in the stroller and push them around the house.  She has been known to lug the stroller up and down the stairs (no matter how many times I tell her not to do it).  Last night she managed to get the stroller up and stairs and into her room just before bedtime.  I was able to distract her with a book and I set the stroller off to the side thinking she had forgotten all about it.  I got her into bed, and as is often her routine, she played a bit before falling asleep.

When we went in to check on her before we went to bed, we found that she had managed to get the stroller onto the bed and was sleeping with it!  She tossed her other blankets over onto the dresser and is sleeping with her pillow on top of her.  if you notice, the stroller is on the left; you can see a corner of her head on the right.  She is such a funny kid.  Lots of spunk and personality. :-)

Do Some Good

There is a grocery store not far from us that does some amazing things with the Pepsi products.  I have gone to the store three times now and seen three different designs done.  This was the first one that I saw--I snapped the picture with my cell phone and have been too lazy until now to download it to the computer.  The other designs have been just as cool--one of these days I will get another picture of a new design.

Conference Weekend

Saturday

Conference weekend went by way too quickly.  We had a quiet house this time--my dad and my brother were the only ones to come out from Lake Tahoe.  It was a nice change--and made things a little less chaotic than normal.  The weather was also beautiful, it was sunny and almost hot on Saturday, and Sunday was really nice up until after the concluding session where it started to cloud up and we even had a few drops of rain.  

I was pleasantly surprised to see how much work they have been doing to the section where the Crosswoods Plaza used to be.  They have a huge Deseret Book and a beautiful fountain area.  I didn't think about it at the time, but I should have taken a picture.  After the morning session Jericho Road had a live free outdoor concert near the fountain.  It was really cool.

Zuri did all right Saturday, but she was a little on the clingy side--I think because she was so tired.  Dad was her favorite person during the break between sessions.  She never did fall asleep, and she played a little, but she was so tired.  She wanted so much to see everything that she refused to let herself fall asleep.

 

 

 One of the things that she does when she is tired is pull the blanket over her head.  I think it helps to block out some of the external stimuli for her.  She will walk around with the blanket over her head, bumping into anything in her path.

                                                                   Blackmail....

 After the second session on Saturday, Zuri and I drove back to Orem.  When we got back to our apartment I really had to use the bathroom, so I brought Zuri inside and rushed into the bathroom.  When I got out, Zuri had laid herself down in the hallway right next to the top of the stairs and fallen asleep!  She was one tired little girl!

Sunday

Sunday was a lot better.  Zuri was in a really good mood and just enjoyed being out.  We remembered our lunch this time--we forgot our lunch Saturday morning and ended up eating at one of the little taco stands that was set up right outside Temple Square. 

Zuri also made it through all four sessions of Conference without having to be taken out (other than for a diaper change)!  She was really cute through the hymns and tried to sing along.

 We brought along her stroller Sunday more as a way of carrying our food but once Zuri saw her stroller she wanted to be in it.  She pretty much stayed in her stroller through the two-hour break between the morning and afternoon session.  I thought for certain that she would want to go play on the grass, but she had more fun sitting in her stroller. 

 She started to get antsy at some point though and wanted to be pushed in her stroller.  When she couldn't convince us, she took matters into her own hands....and finally got what she wanted.  Not long after we started walking around, did she fall asleep.

 She slept through most of the afternoon session, waking up just before the last half hour.

After Conference was over, we spent some time at the mirror pool and just relaxed for a bit, soaking in the Spirit.  Zuri had a blast playing in the water of the mirror pool.  She kept turning and pointing at the temple.  We would ask her where the Angel Moroni was, and she would turn and point.  It was really adorable.

 

 Such attitude!  Totally a Zuri moment.  

Singing

Women's Conference was amazing tonight.  I really felt the Spirit, and apparently Zuri did too, because she started singing to The Spirit of God at the end.  She had been coloring throughout the conference--we watched it online from home, so I had her stripped down to just her diaper.  I didn't think to grab my camera until she was almost done, but  I was able to catch a few seconds of precious footage!  Sorry it is so dark, I didn't dare turn on the lights and disrupt her.  Enjoy!

My Birthday

I had a great birthday this year.  J got me flowers and a new camera!  My new camera comes complete with audio for the video!  Yay!  I am so excited.  He bought my favorite flowers, stargazer lilies, and this picture is taken with my new camera!  Love the color and the detail!  On Saturday I had a girls' day out and went shopping with the girls!

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes!

My new camera!  I love it--it is still so small and sleek that I can stick it in my purse and bring it everywhere!

Last week we went to my niece's birthday party and they had pony rides.  Zuri loved riding in the wagon, but her favorite was on top of the pony itself.  She threw a fit when she had to get off.  She is definitely a cowgirl in the making!