Time sure flies when you're having fun...

Well, the time has flown by since I last posted anything on our blog. We've just been having too much fun, I guess...

Sam is busier than ever and demands about 90% of my attention. We've started "please training" at our house...insisting he say "please" when he asks for something he wants (which is way too often). It's working...most of the time. So now more often than not his demands are followed by a very sweet sounding "pweese" which always makes me smile. This is good because before the "please training" the demands and whines made me cringe and were a HUGE trial of my patience. Anyway, Sam is a happy little boy and all it takes is his cute little giggle/laugh to kill any impatience I might be feeling. This afternoon he and Lauren were giggling together, so I quickly grabbed the camera and actually caught a few seconds of their fun on camera.

I spent a few days in Vancouver with my sister. MaLeesa and I had so much fun just sitting around and talking while feeding our babies. I loved it and it made me wish we lived closer to one another. Gosh, that'd be so much fun! Oh well, maybe one day...probably not, but I can always hope. I should just be grateful we only live 3 hours away. Here's a picture of our babies together for the first time...

We also spent a few days in Portland with all of Evan's family. We were all there except for Brian of course who's on a mission in Atlanta, GA (we missed you, Brian!). Anyway, we had a fabulous visit with Scott, Whitney, Kenzie, and Katie Grace and with Shelley and Kimball. Some of the highlights were...going to the temple as a family, celebrating Kenzie and Kimball's birthday (a few weeks early) and a quick trip to the Portland Zoo. Sam had a great time playing with his cousins, Kenzie and Katie Grace. Again, I wish we lived closer to them and could see them more often.

We blessed Lauren on Sunday, November 30th in our Shoreline ward. It was a wonderful day and Evan gave Lauren a beautiful blessing. Here are some (incomplete) notes from Lauren's blessing:

"Lauren, we bless you that you will come to know your Heavenly Father and your Savior Jesus Christ through your family and other people who you will interact with in this life. We bless you that you will be able to fully express your happy spirit in our family. We bless you that you will always feel the love of your parents, siblings, and other family members. We bless you that as you grow you will develop faith in Christ; that you will learn to repent of your sins; that you will be baptized and promise always to follow Christ; and that you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. We bless you that you will receive temple ordinances and marry in the temple. Your middle name, JaNet, is the name of your [maternal] grandmother. We bless you that you will come to know your grandmother JaNet through the stories shared by family members. We bless you that you will possess some of her wonderful qualities, such as the desire and ability to bring joy and peace to other people's lives."

It was an emotional day for our family. I felt close to my mom and knew she was with us for this special occasion. Gosh, I miss her so much lately...especially at this holiday time of year. Here's a picture of Lauren in her blessing dress and a few more family shots from the day.

(Araceli was sleeping when we took this picture)

(I love this picture of Lauren and Araceli...they're so cute! )