Merry Christmas 2007

Merry Christmas

As 2007 comes to a close, we are so thankful for a happy family and a comfortable home. We have been blessed with wonderful friends and a loving family. We are so thankful for you! May we each feel the love of our Savior Jesus Christ this holiday season.

Here are some of our favorite things about 2007:

Tyler turned 2 this year. He is growing up so fast! He likes outings to the library with Mom and Justin to pick out books and seeing the ducks and geese afterwards. He loves to play games, ride on trains, and play with Justin. Tyler is quite the artist and we find his masterpieces on the walls, furniture and the kitchen floor. He likes to wear his “nursery clothes and nursery shoes” each Sunday for church. He gets so excited to help Mom cook and to wrestle with Dad.

Justin turned 5 this year and enjoyed a birthday party at his favorite park. He loves everything about kindergarten! He likes to ride on the bus each day with his friends. Justin’s favorites were eating pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving in Utah, feeding Gunnar treats in Montana (Grandpa Guptill’s black lab), flying on the airplane and getting “Oregon water and Oregon snacks” and “One more thing, I love you Mom!”

Kayelynn loved to see snow falling in Oregon on December 1st! She enjoyed trips to the Oregon coast, visiting family in Utah and Montana, blogging, teaching primary on Sundays and planning for the activity day girls. She looks forward to many more lunch hour bike rides and picnics with Travis and the boys.

Travis liked going on a father and son campout with Justin, fishing with the boys and both grandpas, giving the boys bedtime rocket rides up the stairs and horseback rides around the house. He enjoyed celebrating both an anniversary and a birthday in Hawaii with Kayelynn, snorkeling for the first time, family outings to the zoo, Fourth of July fireworks and business trips to Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year,
The Guptills
Travis, Kayelynn, Justin and Tyler

Remarkable!

I didn't realize really what a miracle that snow was for Justin on Christmas Day. Travis told me that the news station reported that there has not been a measurable snowfall on Christmas Day in the Portland area for 70 YEARS!!!!! The last time was in 1937!!!!! Now that is remarkable! The fun part is that the forecast shows 4" of snow in the valley for tomorrow. We were planning to go on an outing to the aviation museum with grandma and grandpa. But now we are all excited to stay here and PLAY IN THE SNOW!

A Christmas Wish

Justin wished and wished for a white Christmas this year. He was so disappointed when I told him we would be here in Oregon and that it would probably rain instead. He really wanted to go to Utah or to Montana to have a white Christmas.

Well, that cute little boy had the biggest smile on his face when we looked out the window Christmas morning and saw big flakes of SNOW coming down! The boys were both so happy to watch out the window and talk about the snowman they were going to build. Too bad that it didn't really stick and we woke up this morning to freezing rain instead. But, he'll always remember that his Christmas wish came true....

Tis the Season!

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know me. Okay here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just copy this entire post and paste into a new e-mail or post on your own blog. Change all the answers so that they apply to you...Tis the Season to be NICE!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper and sticker tags.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial.

3. When do you put up the tree? Maybe even before Thanksgiving! :)

4. When do you take the tree down? After New Years! (I'd keep it up longer if Travis wasn't plotting to take it down the day after Christmas! We compromise!)

5. Do you like eggnog? Love it with a little milk mixed in!!

6. Favorite gift received as a child. Baby Alive.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, many. I try to collect a new one each year. Last year Travis brought me home an olive wood set from Jerusalem.

8. Hardest person to buy for? my parents.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Travis. He makes the longest Christmas list out of everyone in our whole family! And he usually buys his own gift. And he's happy about it. How's that for a surprise?

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail. But Justin is the designated stamp putter-oner.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? An Easter egg colored Christmas ornament cookie jar for a wedding gift in October! We finally used it for a white-elephant exchange and filled it with good chocolate!

12. Favorite Christmas movie? Mr. Kruegar's Christmas.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I start plotting in January, but this year I started buying in October.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes, but with the best of intentions!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? mandarin oranges from a can. Santa left me one in my stocking each year while I was growing up.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Depends on the year. We trade off between my family and Travis' family for Christmas. This year his parents are at our home for Christmas.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes, even with my eyes closed!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? A glittery snowflake.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? One present Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas Morning!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Busy stores and lines.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Christmas colors. It's fun to look back on ornaments collected through the years.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Smoked Turkey and all the "Thanksgiving Dinner" fixins'.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A digital picture frame and a new dress.

Night Hawk

Do you know any 2 1/2 year olds who think they can stay up all night? It's 11:21 and Tyler is STILL AWAKE! I've put him into bed at least 20 times tonight and just sent Travis in to finish the job! G & G Guptill arrived from Montana tonight and the boys were so excited to climb all over grandpa and play games with grandma. It will be a fun week if we get any sleep!

New

I was just set apart today as 2nd counselor in our ward's primary. Seven years ago I was primary secretary, so this will be something fun and new for me. I am excited about this calling because I can still work with the kids in my Valiant class and activity days. Justin is happy he will see me even more during primary each Sunday. He had the biggest eyes and mouth when I told him I'll be teaching sharing time for Jr. Primary. I may even be over Nursery with Tyler. So much to look forward to....

Magical

We gave this as part of our "neighbor" gifts this year. The boys had a ball mixing colorful birdseed with red/green/silver glitter. We put it in small zip bags and attached this poem:



The Legend of Magical Reindeer Dust

It has once been said,
That right before you go to bed.
You should sprinkle magic reindeer food,
To quickly bring Santa and his brood.
For many years the legend has been told,
To boys and girls, both young and old,
Sprinkle the food throughout your yard,
Then finding your house won’t be so hard!
The reindeer can smell the food for 100 miles;
Just do not leave it in big piles!
After you do this you must go to sleep very fast,
So Santa and his reindeer will not pass!

Christmas Parties

Christmas time is so much fun! I love that everyone just wants to get together and have fun! We have gone to several fun parties and wish there were more coming this week. We went to a fun friends party this weeked that has been going for 7 years. It was so much fun to catch up with friends who have moved away. How many times did I just say "fun"?

After a HUGE potluck dinner, we played a game of filling in christmas carol titles to very wordy descriptions. It was right down my alley but I didn't win. :) We had a fun gift exchange and we ended up with one nice and one pretty goofy gift. I came home with a dog clock that wags it's tail. Travis' gift was a sparkling juice drink from France and some French chocolate wafers.

We are excited to be home for Christmas this year. Travis' parents are coming out from Montana to spend over a week with us. We love to have them visit and are really getting excited!

Every single day Justin tells me how many days are left until Christmas and it's funny that I'm always surprised! It is coming so quickly! He is going nuts because all of his THREE countdown to Christmas calendars are getting closer and closer to the big day and we have no, count it, no gifts under our tree. I have a hidden stash but haven't had time to wrap them yet. I think I'll get out something for him to wrap this afternoon so we can start filling up all that empty space!

Diagonal

"Mom, when I woke up this morning the ceiling was diagonal and I felt like I couldn't walk for 5 days."

Justin isn't feeling well today and woke up dizzy. Little guy! He is doing better now and is enjoying a lazy movie/project/storytime day. Luckily, he didn't have school today anyway.

Gingerbread Houses

Our big Activity Day Recognition Night for the primary girls was on Thursday night. We had 12 girls and their dads or moms.

Each girl brought a 1-2 minute story to share about an ancestor of theirs. They also brought an item to show that belonged to that relative or related to the experience they shared. These girls really came prepared with some great tales to tell. One girl is related to the man who wrote "Twas the Night Before Christmas". After the girls were finished sharing, I told about my Grandma Jolley and gingerbread houses.

Then we began our graham cracker gingerbread house activity. I had made 12 batches of royal frosting (It took me 3 hours before the activity! I finished with minutes to spare!) Papa Murphy's donated pizza rounds for the girls/dads to build their houses on. They had a great time and several told me afterward that they really enjoyed this activity. They were so silly during the activity. The dads were so funny and the girls even glued candy on their faces with the frosting. We got some fun pictures of the night.

Makin' Woopie!

I made these on Friday for a cookie exchange at my friend Melissa's house today and we LOVED them! She made the best treats and we had a fun ornament exchange, too. Mmmm...I'll be making these again for sure!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Silvana Nardone and Christina Stanley-Salerno
From Every Day with Rachael Ray
October 2007


Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt
1 2/3 cups flour
4 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.
3. Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake. Enjoy!

Make ahead...they can be frozen for up to three days.

Number Of Servings:MAKES TWELVE

Preparation Time:Prep Time: 35 min
Bake Time: 10 min

Up on the Housetop!

Friday night, Travis and I went on a DATE to a Christmas party and had a wonderful time with friends. We played a game called "Worst Case Senario". We got to put our Bear Grylls expertise to practice and I won a cell phone! It can only call 911, but still! I was a great survivor when caught in a car on an opening drawbridge. :)

Travis was WONDERFUL to put up all our outside Christmas lights and decorations. It looks great! He had fun because he got to use his new ladder. We have two lighted deer with moving heads in one corner of our front yard. Icicle lights across the eaves and lighted wreaths and snowflake lights on our front porch. Now we just need some snow! Saturday night, we went for the first time to see the Zoo Lights.



It was amazing and now counts as our Oregon version of the Temple Square lights...sort of! It was FREEZING and even the hot chocolate didn't help. But it was dry and the boys loved all the lights and especially the ride on the lighted zoo train.



Tonight for FHE we made a gingerbread house out of graham crackers. It was a trial run for the daddy/daughter activity day recognition night on Thursday. We'll be making 11 gingerbread houses that night and I wanted to make sure it would all work out.



Tyler and Justin had a great time eating the candy and Travis and I built the house as fast as we could so there would still be some candy left to decorate it with. We may have started a new tradition!

Last Christmas

I just came across an email draft that I had saved from a year ago. I never replied...sorry to whoever sent it to me. I put a lot of thought into it, though. I'm posting it because I thought some of the answers were funny looking back. How true they are. Actually, I'm stalling so I don't have to take out the garbage and load the dishes...really.

1. FIRST NAME? Kayelynn

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? One of my Dad’s old girlfriends!

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Last week…watching Disney’s “Eight Below” I know, I’m a softy! But those dogs…

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes! I practiced and practiced all through 6th grade to give it just the right touch!

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Turkey-with cheese in that sandwich somewhere!

6. KIDS? Two boys.

7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I would, wouldn’t you?

8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Yes…somewhere…empty since we got married!!! Bad, bad, bad…that’s where my emails to family come in…I save them for a journal-of-sorts.

9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Not so much.

10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes and don’t they look lovely!

11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Thought about it…um, no!

12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PASTA? Anything stuffed with cheese!

13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No. I’m a kicker! (off with the shoes that is!)

14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes.

15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Mint Chocolate Chip, please!

17. RED OR PINK? Red

18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I have a selective memory. :)

19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Jeri

20. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Love that wireless mouse! My knee, the couch, my laptop, Justin’s head…I could go on and on.

21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Charcoal and no shoes.

22. LAST THING YOU ATE? Yummy chicken avocado wrap!

23 WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Justin asking me “Why on 23 do you have my name on it, Mom?”

24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Green

25. FAVORITE SMELL? popcorn

26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My main man.

27. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Happy eyes.

28. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? How the Grinch Stole Christmas

29. FAVORITE DRINK? Whole milk

30. FAVORITE SPORT? Softball.

31. EYE COLOR? Hazel.

32. HAT SIZE? Bigger than Travis'...really.

33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Thank goodness!

34. FAVORITE FOOD? Taco salad, pizza, Olive Garden’s Tour of Italy, popcorn, maple yogurt, granola and most any Rachael Ray recipe!

35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy ending...love that big kiss!

36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED AT THE MOVIES? Oh gosh, we really need to get out to the movies...does Netflix count? Then I’d have to say Disney’s “Cars”

37. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Charcoal and Gray striped sweater

38. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter…I love to cozy up!

39. HUGS OR KISSES? Both!

40. FAVORITE DESSERT? Something fruity.

41. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? East Coast.

42. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I love to play my guitar!

43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? I just read “A Banner is Unfurled” – about my ancestor Joel Hills Johnson. He wrote the hymn “High On the Mountain Top”

Happy Elves!

Have a Holly Jolley Christmas! Tyler keeps wanting me to sing that song over and over. It's a family favorite because my mom's maiden name is Jolley! Jingle Bells has been Justin's favorite since he could say "Jingle Bells".

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1163813429

Too funny...

I had to agree...

Justin missed the bus for the first time today. He just about cried. I told him it was fine and that I'd drive him to school. He told me that he didn't want to go to school anymore today. I told him that it was o.k. and that I'd take him. He said again that he didn't want to go.

I told him that my mom took me to school when I was in kindergarten. He asked me, "Did your mom take you to school on Thursday, November 29th?" I answered that yes, she probably had taken me to school on that day, too. He completely changed his tune and said, "O.k., I'll go". I had to laugh, though, as we turned off of our street, when he said, "Mom, the bus is a lot more fun than this!" You know, I had to agree.

Deck the Halls!

Yeah! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I love the Christmas music! We have satellite XM Radio in our car and they have about 7 holiday stations that I flip back and forth from non-stop. There are no other radio stations allowed until January! :) I'm glad the boys like Christmas music because otherwise they would have no choice. Tyler and I tear it up in the kitchen when Justin and Travis are gone all day. When I stop to do something else, he says, "Come here, more dance, Mom!" It makes me happy.

We bought the new Josh Groban holiday cd a few weeks ago and I LOVE IT! We are decorating little by little. I have to unpack from our Thanksgiving trip first before I'll drag out all the Christmas boxes.

Justin learned a little song and dance in school to "Up on the Housetop". It's really cute and he taught it to Ty. They look so cute singing and doing all the actions. I'll have to get it on video for sure.

I do need to get another kids cd, though. I go a little dingy after the 10th time of hearing "Jingle Bells" by The Osmonds up so loud with boys yelling and running around the circle from the kitchen through the family room, into the living room, through the playroom and back into the kitchen. Justin keeps a bar stool by the counter so he can hit "repeat". But I just let them have fun. I really hope they remember doing these things....

Thankful

I am so thankful for:

My macho man! Travis LOVED watching all the Thanksgiving weekend football games! It was great to have a house full of cousins for the big BYU/UTAH game on Saturday!

My boys! I love these two crazy kids! I love their big hugs and kisses! Justin's class put on a cute Thanksgiving mini-concert for all the parents on Tuesday before Thanksgiving. They sang a bunch of fun Thanksgiving songs and then had a feast of stone soup. They each were assigned to bring one of the ingredients for the soup. He's the cute one signing "I love you!"



Good health! So Thankful!

Airplanes! I love that we can hop on a plane and be in Utah in two hours! It makes living away from family that much more bearable. This trip, Tyler was old enough to be AMAZED by everything about the flight. He was even a little scared by the engines and rumbling during takeoff and landing. When we landed in Utah, he clapped. Justin is becoming quite the flying pro. He knows exactly what to ask for from the flight attendant and which elevators he wants to ride on.

A yummy Thanksgiving feast! Mmmmm...turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, candied yams, rolls and jam, mashed potatoes, green beans, coleslaw, pumpkin pie, date nut roll, banana cream pie, and pecan pie. Oh, and don't forget the egg nog!

Lots of cousins for my kids to have fun with! They played for 5 days with Amber's 4 kids and Heidi's 2 kids. Justin and the big girls played all sorts of games and built houses and forts all over grandma and grandpa's house. Tyler and Jason had fun hugging and playing trains together.

Game nights! Love em'!

Family Christmas Parties! We celebrated Christmas together on Sunday. Since our family won't be in town for Christmas, my mom decorated the house and planned a special nativity and gift exchange with the whole family on Sunday night. I love it when it is our turn to spend Thanksgiving in Utah because we get to have two christmas' that year! It can't get better than that! I just have to share the coolest building block set I have ever seen! Check out www.wedgits.com Justin got the starter tote from grandma and grandpa and both boys (and mom and dad, too!) can't stop playing with them. You can build ANY way and it is so much easier for Tyler to build with than on his legos or even mega blocks. We'll have to put an add on set or two on our wish list for Santa this year! :)

Good friends! Who will hopefully forgive me for spending the whole week with family non-stop and not calling to get together...we'll plan ahead better next time!

Gasp!

Justin ran off the school bus today as happy as a lark. Without his coat and in the rain! I had to run off to activity day at the church, so the neighbor girl down the street came over to watch the boys. Travis was in California for a few days on business and so he couldn't work from home as he usually does for me. Right as I was going out the door (and I'm late), Justin runs over and stops the door. "Wait, Mom, look what my friend gave me at school today! It's really cool!" It was a Bud Light bottle cap. Gasp!

Thoughts are screaming through my mind. I'm wondering if he even knows what it is. But 12 girls are waiting on me and I didn't have time to investigate. I told him to throw it away. "No! I'm going to put in on top of my dresser!" The best place for his favorite things. Oh, great.

Later...he told me he was digging in the playground with his friend while the others were playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I can just picture it. Justin doesn't like to play fight. I wonder where he gets that. Anyway, whala, they are digging and find a treasure. So innocent and I'm jumping to conclusions. I explained to him that the cap is garbage and that it came from a beer bottle that isn't allowed on the school grounds. He learned that it would be a good idea to just point it out to a teacher next time instead of picking it up and bringing it home.

One more story from last week...Justin came home from school and told me that there was a big kid who said something silly on the bus. I thought he was going to say that some big kid said something mean to him. He told me that the big kid told him that he thought Justin was a cool name. His little friend immediately asked the big kid if his name was cool, too. The big kid said, "pretty cool." Justin said, "Thanks, Mom, for naming me Justin so that big kid could say it's a cool name!"

Sunny Days

The last week or so has been absolutely perfect. The sun is shining and we can wear a jacket if we want to...in November! We are LOVING it! We have been going on as many bike rides and walks as humanly possible. Yesterday we said "goodbye" to the house and played outside ALL day! We went to the library to pick out some new books and then ran around the trails behind the building and watched the ducks and geese. There is a great tunnel that runs under the busy street and the boys echoed their way back and forth beneath the big trucks.

When we got home, the boys ran up and down our sidewalk for the longest time to check the mailbox and to balance on the curb next to the grass. They just couldn't eat lunch inside...so we had a picnic on a blanket under the swing set. Justin loved his swinging picnic and Tyler held his sandwich dancing and singing to "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam." Then they played and played and played in the backyard. By the time it was Tyler's naptime, he was doing sand angels in the sandbox. He was completely covered with sand. After their bath, there was a layer of sand on the bottom of the tub. While Tyler napped, Justin went back outside to explore. It felt like a spring day. We loved every minute of it!

Today, Travis took the day off and we went to IKEA. I love that place! Lunch was great and I always see a million things that I think I need (o.k., want.) It was fun to do a little Christmas shopping. We got home just in the knick of time to meet Justin at the bus stop. Travis is running errands and I need to go make dinner and wake up Tyler from his nap. It has been a good day!

7th Anniversary Week

Here are some highlights from our fun week:

A week ago Thursday, Travis came home from work for a long lunch while I went to get my hair cut. I love him! Then he kept working from home for the afternoon and watched the kids while I went to the church for Activity Day. I love him more! I am one of the Activity Day leaders for the 8-11 year-old girls in our primary organization at church. We usually have 12-14 girls at the activities every other Thursday afternoon. For this activity we decorated pumpkins. I brought out all sorts of craft supplies for the girls to use. They had a fun time with their creations. On Friday, we had dinner from Chiles to celebrate our anniversary (afterall, it is an anniversary weekend!). Then put the kids to bed and enjoyed a movie night.

Saturday Justin and I went to a primary program practice at the church all afternoon. I teach the Valiant 9 class with the other Activity Day leader. We have 11 kids in our class. Justin did a great job with his line for the Sunday sacrament meeting program: "My family can follow Jesus Christ in faith." Saturday night was our ward's Halloween Party.



The kids had a great time at the "Trunk or Treat" in the pouring rain. After dinner, the Young Men and Young Women put on carnival games and a Spook Alley. Justin really wanted to go through the spook alley with Travis. I wasn't sure he'd make it through. He didn't. He came out after the first little section and he was almost in tears. I felt bad that he was so scared, but now he reminds me when he sees Halloween ghosts, etc., that they are just pretend. Tyler was scared of all the kids in different costumes. Maybe we'd better just stick with decorating pumpkins this Halloween. :)

Our 7th anniversary was on Sunday. We were married on October 21, 2000 in American Fork, Utah, at the Mt. Timpanogas LDS Temple. We watched our wedding video and it was fun to feel all those emotions again. What a good day! The last 7 years with Travis have been wonderful! He is an amazing father and husband. I am so blessed to have him in my life. We are so happy to be together and look forward to many more years of memories.

I added music playlists to our blog. You can listen to them anytime. The boys like to dance to the Kids Mix, but I didn't realize they would get so exicted about it. They both beg to listen to "their" music on the computer and then run at full speed around the circle of the kitchen, down the hall, through the living room and play room and back through the kitchen. They run even faster for the songs they love the most. On several days, Justin has done this for 1 1/2 hours or longer. So, it turns out that it makes great workout music, too!

Well, the other day, Justin had been running and dancing to the music when Tyler woke up from his nap. He joined in, too, and they started chasing each other around our circle. After a while, they stopped for a rest next to me in the kitchen while I was cleaning up after dinner. Tyler's favorite song started and he did this little hop and skip to start off running fast. Well, his foot caught my foot and he tripped and fell right on his face. He got up screaming and blood was dripping from his mouth. He bit his lower lip pretty badly. He started yelling for a bandaid. Justin raced upstairs and brought all our first-aid supplies downstairs.

As I was trying to stop the bleeding, Justin got out a Curious George bandaid and put medicine on it. I was trying to explain to him that he couldn't put a bandaid in his mouth, but Tyler kept screaming like I was nuts to not let him have a bandaid if he was bleeding. So, I put a bandaid on his chin and the crying immediately stopped. Thank goodness for magic bandaids! I thought Ty might need stitches. Luckily, Travis was on a conference call for work upstairs. He was a good sport about being interrupted. After a call to the doctor, we decided he would probably be fine. So far, his lip looks like it really hurts, but I think it is healing up nicely. Luckily, neither of the boys have had a broken bone or stitches. (Knock on wood...I'm hoping to avoid the emergency room thing...forever!)

Two cute things:

Yesterday, I gave Tyler a drink of milk. He took one sip and said, "Mmmm...needs salt!" Where does he get this?

Today I was talking on the phone in the other room. When I walked into the bathroom, Justin and Tyler were covered from head to toe with bubbles. Justin had made a mountain of soap bubbles in the sink and Tyler was helping him to spread them EVERYWHERE! I laughed and grabbed the camera.



Then plopped them both into the bathtub for a play bath. It felt like one of those church commercials when the kids get covered with flour and the mom takes a picture and then joins in with all the fun. Well, my boys didn't get into trouble. I guess you could say they were rewarded with their favorite thing...more bubbles.

Tonight we are going to Justin's school for a family sing-a-long concert with Tom Hunter. Justin is counting down the minutes until we go....

Patch

We took a trip to the Lake View Farms pumpkin patch last weekend. After visiting the petting farm, the boys had a fabulous time riding on a little train out to the patch. The hay bale maze was a hit!




There were practically a million pumpkins to choose from...we plucked our favorites!







We took our pumpkins on their very first (and last) boat ride back to the barn. During the ride, a dragon popped out of the water at one point and then a shark poked its head out and sprayed a mist of water. Tyler was terrified. Justin LOVED this part and stayed on the dock after we were finished with our ride to watch it all happen again. We had to hurry off to Justin's friend Ian's birthday party, so we ran out of time for a pony ride, caterpillar train ride and corn maze. We'll save those for another visit.




Here are our happy pumpkins!

Big

Tyler is growing up so fast! He is just about 2 1/2 and he has decided he is really a "Big Boy". Two weeks ago we took down his crib and moved him into his big bed. He LOVES this bed! The truck bedding helps, but he is really happy to cozy in with his blankets and pillow. He likes to snuggle in for a while here and there throughout the day. Today he wanted to dress up like a train engineer all day. At Fred Meyer, the lady at the check-out line asked him if he was a train engineer. He opened his eyes so wide and gave her a big "she knows I'm an engineer" smile. :) He went down for his nap with his hat on. He ended up cuddling with it.



Ty has deemed himself too big for his booster seat at the kitchen table and too big for his bibs and too big for his diapers. He tried to ban the car seat, but I held my ground. We are into potty training, but he really just wants to hop on and off and flush the toilet 20 times. He is talking up a storm (I love this!) and he loves to sing the ABC's.

Tyler has to be just like his big brother. He wears his Lightening McQueen backpack to see Justin on/off the school bus. He likes to run errands with me during the day and cries when we drive home. Ty loves to "Help, too!" when I'm making dinner. He's getting really good at setting the table, too, by color-coordinating the dishes. He says, "Let go of me" and "Mom do it" one hundred times a day. I don't know whether to help him or not. :)

I am happy to see him excited about trying new things. I love that he says, "Thanks Mom" and "Big Hug". This afternoon when I was tucking him in bed for his nap, he said, "I'm thinkin' 'bout song." He started singing "Jingle Bells". I didn't know he knew this song. Later I found out that Travis sings it to him all the time to put him to bed. It was a cute little surprise to hear him singing away! I love this boy!

Weekend Top 7

General Conference Weekend was really nice. We enjoyed:

1. Jackson Elementary School's Fall Festival Friday night. Justin was so excited that I was volunteering to help with one of the carnival games. He would come up to me every so often and give me a big hug and kiss. I'm enjoying it now while he still thinks I'm cool! :)

2. Inspiring counsel from church leaders. I was touched to hear the explaination that our neighborhoods don't experience more tragedy than other neighborhoods. As close-knit member communities, we are just more aware of what is going on in our neighbors lives because we are giving service to help each other during hard times.

3. Couch-pillow pyramids. The boys were trying to entertain themselves during conference (and no one got hurt!).

4. Elders Quorum potluck at the park between sessions. I actually got to visit with other adults this time since I didn't have to follow Tyler like a hawk to make sure he didn't fall off the "Big Kid" playground. There are definitely some benefits to growing up.

5. Priesthood session moms and kids get-together at the Bowden's home.

6. Newly discovered favorite treat: Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter on vanilla ice cream. Mmmmm...just like pumpkin pie!

7. Justin learned how to do a word search and decifer a secret code in the Primary Conference Packet. He is really having fun now that he is learning to read.

I love it!

Travis went back to work on Sept. 27th. I miss him like crazy now that he is gone all day! It was like heaven to have him with us every day for 9 fabulous weeks! We definitely took advantage of every single day and did some fun things together. By the last week, we decided to slow down and quit doing something big every non-school day. So, we enjoyed some lazy days around the house. I think Travis went back to work feeling recharged and (sort of)ready to go. :) We took a ton of pictures during our vacation and I am always remember how happy we are together! I love it!

We could science that!

I was husking corn on the cob the other day and low and behold, there was the cutest little caterpillar! I called Justin and Ty over to see it and Justin exclaims, "We could science that!" He suggested that we keep it and give it some food and then wait to find out if it would become a butterfly..."but it might not happen, Mom!" We gave it a nice chunk of the corn the little guy had already munched on and set him out in the garage in a container (with air holes, of course!). That was a week ago and Justin hasn't mentioned him since. I keep forgetting to check on it. Travis just told me the caterpillar is still alive....

Justin's little friend game him a "Science Experiments for Kids" book for his birthday back in May. Justin loves this book and likes to look through it and mark the pages with projects he'd like to try one of these days. He begs me to do science experiments with him. I think they are pretty cool, too, but I always try to pick out the easiest and quickest experiments to do with him. Well, yesterday, Justin asked Travis to help him with one. He had picked out the one called "Fly a Hot-Air Balloon". Justin collected all the supplies before bed last night and was ready to go for it first thing in the morning. We were planning to go to the zoo, so we told him he'd have to wait until we got home. Right after we arrived home, Justin pulled Travis over to the "science lab" and 2 hours later, whoa-la, a hot-air balloon! And it flew, too! Travis got the best payment for his hard work when Justin said, "This is the best experiment EVER, Dad!"

Who stole who's purse? That is the question!

Tawnya came to Portland for a business trip and took a day off so we could play for the weekend. On my way to pick her up on Thursday night I VERY narrowly missed a huge accident. A big truck screamed past my right side while I was in the slow lane and cut me off so closely I could feel the van shake. I cried. What a blessing there was no accident. We all arrived home safely that night and happy to have Tawnya stay with us. Friday morning we all went to OMSI (Oregon's Science Museum)and had a great time!





That evening, Tawnya and I had a girls night out to dinner, shopping and a movie. Saturday morning we all went to the Oregon Zoo.



We had a picnic lunch during a birds of prey show.



Huge eagles and vultures were swooping over everyone. Tyler thought they were out to get him.

Later, Tawnya and I took off to go shopping again. First of all, we have identical black leather purses. When we'd set them down a couple of times we'd pick up the wrong one and then have to switch back. Well, at Kohl's we were shopping away and picking out sweaters and looking for sizes. She put her purse on a clothing rack hook and I looked over thinking, "That's a good idea"...and I did the same. Off we went to go look at jackets and then shoes. As I'm trying on the cutest brown leather heels, I gasped, "My purse is gone!"

We dug through our shopping bag and realizing the purse had really vanished, we hurried through the store backtracking our shopping spree and laughing so I wouldn't cry. I remembered hanging my purse on that silly hook, so we raced over to get it. Not there...shoot. (And it had been left in the Juniors section, too!) I started to really worry having visions of a stolen car because I have the button-punch key chain. Tawnya asked a clerk if they had a purse turned in. She said, "Oh yes, it's at the Customer Service desk." I thought, "Bless you," and as we entered the back office, the clerk was talking on the phone saying, "it looks like Kayelynn Guptill?" I thankfully retrieved my precious purse and we walked away laughing. After dinner, we headed home. When we walked into the house, Travis smiled and asked, "Why was Kohl's calling me?" "Oh, nothing!" :) What a blessing...

Still on Kohl's...I bought a new dark green leather purse. This morning I took the boys with me to drop Tawnya off at work. We said "Goodbye!" When we got home and were coming inside, I picked up Tyler and my new purse at the same time. His eyes opened really wide and asked, "Tawnya?" I explained that it wasn't Tawnya's purse, but mine. That didn't sink in.

Later, at the library, he asked me the same question about the purse. Same answer...same blank look. When we got home, I put it down on the floor. Tyler said, "Tawnya!" I told him Tawnya would be back tonight. I'm sure he thinks I took Tawnya's purse and she's gone now and he's the only one who noticed. I hope you'll survive without the green purse, Tawnya, I kind of like it....

Silly

Justin was changing into his p.j.'s and Travis flicked him on his bottom. Justin squealed and said, "Daddy don't sting me!" Travis told him it was called a "flick". Travis was sitting on the floor and Tyler was standing right next to him. Justin giggled and said, "Then don't flick me, Dad!" Tyler immediately walked over to Travis and gave him the biggest lollipop lick on the cheek. We all burst into a laughing fit! Then we tried to explain to Tyler the difference between a "flick" and a "lick". (Justin was still giggling!) We had to try to dodge licks from both boys while Justin was singing a little ditty about "flicks" and "licks". Silly boys!

Tyler sings "The ABC's" and while I was rocking him to sleep (he has a NEW big boy bed and it was a little too exciting the other day!), I said, "You look so sleepy" He cut me off at sleepy and added "-f,g,h,i,j,k, etc.". Cute little rhyming guy.

I was telling Justin some random information he needed to know. When I was finished, he simply said, "Truck you, Mom."
Me: "Excuse me? What does that mean?"
Justin: "You know, Truck You. At the end of the Panda Express drive-in window, it says 'Truck You'. Mom, I've seen 100 Truck You's in Oregon."
Me: "Oh, you mean Thank You.(phew!) That sign you saw says 'Thank You'!"

Tyler being rocked...again...this time pointing at me and describing his monster mommy:
1,2,3...3 heads.
1..1 elbow.
1,2,3,4,5...5 eyes.
1,2,3...3 skin.
1,2,3,4...4 eyebrows.
1,2...2 hairs.
1,2,3,4,5,6...6 arms.
Wow! Thanks, Ty! :)

I was wearing my "World's Softest Socks" from Costco and Tyler kept following me around the house saying, "Cozy Sock" and laying his head on top of my feet.




Justin hasn't told us much about his days in kindergarten. We know he loves school and is having a lot of fun, but we only hear about what he is learning through the songs he has picked up in class. He sings about counting money, writing numbers, and nuts. Every day on the bus is as exciting as the first. He waves and waves as the bus is driving him away. Then, when he gets off the bus at the end of school, he runs to us while tossing his backpack and lunch bag. Then we get a huge hug. :)

Flying High

On Saturday, we went to visit the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. We can't go wrong with all those airplanes and helicopters! The boys had a great time!



We were able to ride up an elevator and step inside of the famous "Spruce Goose" airplane.



The boys were happy to practice up for our next trip!



The kids enjoyed the play area. Lots of great hands-on activities for them to explore.

Multnomah Falls

We love Multnomah Falls! The boys had a fun time on Friday running up the trail to the big bridge below the falls. I loved the green, green, green...everywhere! Two trains passed by while we were there. Big fun! Travis and Justin got to run underneath the train bridge while the train cars were still crossing over. What a fun day trip!

About Me

1) What I was doing ten years ago, September 1997

I was getting ready to enter the MTC to serve in the Massachusetts Boston Mission with Dale Murphy as my mission president. I had just gone through the temple for the first time at the Provo Temple. I had also just quit my job as a marketing assistant at Novell.

2) What I was doing five years ago, September 2002

I had traveled to Utah with my 4-month-old baby Justin. My sister Tawnya was getting ready to leave on her mission to Uruguay. We stayed in Provo for a couple of weeks so we could spend time with her before she left. Back in Oregon, my friend, Jeri, took the most adorable black and white pictures of Justin. I still have them up on the wall. :)

3) One year ago, September 2006

Justin was starting his 2nd year of mom's co-op preschool. I was serving as Relief Society Secretary. Travis had transfered to a new position at Intel as a Technical Marketing Engineer. He was getting ready to travel overseas to Turkey and Israel. My sister, Tawnya, came to stay with us for a weekend and we went on a shopping spree for new clothes.

4) Yesterday, September 14, 2007

Travis is on sabbatical from Intel for two months and has two weeks left. We have been going on day trips around Oregon. Yesterday it was a trip to Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. For dinner Travis took us to a nice Indian restaurant. I loved the food!

5) Five snacks I enjoy: Popcorn, squeaky cheese(cheese curd), granola w/yogurt, chips & salsa, and trail mix.

6) Five things I would do if I suddenly had $100 million: Fall over with shock!, Pay a healthy tithing check :), help family/friends, travel, buy a new house.

7) Five locations I would like to run away to: Hawaii, Caribbean Islands, England, Canary Islands, and Boston.

8) Five bad habits I have: Always running late, I'm a night hawk, my eyes are bigger than my stomach, I like to sleep in, I often leave the last bite of food on my plate.

9) Five things I like doing: Spending time with my friends, visiting family, dancing, discovering something new and different, and date nights.

10) Five TV shows I like: 24, Everyday With Rachel Ray, Dancing with the Stars, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, and Man vs. Wild.

11) Five things I hate doing: Cleaning the toilet, taking out the garbage, trying to make an insurance claim, causing someone pain, and getting lost.

12) Five biggest joys at this moment: Having Travis home every day because of sabbattical, giggling boys, a happy home, a healthy family, and my testimony.

I'll tag Jeri, Jennie, and Kim.

Oregon Coast

On Monday, we spent the day at Cannon Beach. We had a wonderful time and really enjoyed the 80 degree sunny day.




We took a bunch of cars, trucks and sand toys for the boys to play with.





I bought two dollar store kites (50 cents each) and they were the BEST kites! The boys had a great time flying kites for the first time! These kites were so easy for the boys to fly...Justin would just start running while dragging his kite and it would just pop right up in the air...I even flew one for over 10 minutes while sitting on our beach blanket.



We will have to do this again soon! We ate at the famous Mo's Restaurant for lunch and then drove to Tillamook for dinner, ice cream and squeaky cheese.



We had a fabulous day!

Seven

My good friend Jeri tagged me to play this game of sevens:

A. List 7 habits/quirks/facts about yourself.

B. Tag 7 people to do the same.

C. Do not tag the person who tagged you or say that you tag whoever wants to do it.

Here I go...

1. I LOVE POPCORN! (with orange juice and a movie) My boys are hooked on it too. All three of them. Last night we were all lined up on the floor munching away and watching 'Extreme Makeover Home Edition.'

2. I curl my big toe. That's right. When I'm sitting with my bare feet flat on the floor, that big toe is folded right under. Don't ask me why.

3. I love to play the guitar but haven't picked it up for a year or so. That's crazy...I'll go get it out right now.

4. I love mint chocolate chip ice cream. But I never pick it out at an ice cream shop. Today at the Tillamook Cheese Factory I choose Marionberry Pie and Blueberry Cheesecake. I liked those flavors a lot but ended up wishing I had picked the minty one.

5. I love to go clothes shopping with Tawnya. We have very similar taste in clothes and have MANY twinners outfits. We have to call each other ahead of time so we don't show up wearing the same clothes (which we have done MANY times!).

6. I love to dance with my boys in the kitchen...or in the yard...or in the car.

7. I have the loudest hick-ups ever. They never end and I know when they are coming before they have even begun.

Now for the tagging part: I'll tag Kristen, Kim, Tawnya, Jared, Shannon, Natalie and E.J. You're it! (on your own blog or email)

10 Flowers

Me: "Hey Justin, how do you like my new haircut?"
Justin: "It looks pretty good, Mom"
...he's in deep thought for three seconds...
Me: "Thanks!"
Justin: "You know it looks so pretty that after I'm done riding my bike, I'm going to pick 10 flowers just for you. You know I love you a lot if I pick the prettiest flowers for you, right?"
Me: "Yup, I love you too buddy."
(I'm still waiting for my 10 flowers...it must have been an exciting bike ride!)

First Day

Today is Justin's first full day of kindergarten. He has been looking forward to this day since before preschool ended in June. He woke up at 6:30 this morning and came in to ask me if he could please get ready for kindergarten now. I said "sure" and off we went. All four of us went out front across the street from our house to meet his bus at 7:30. Here are some pictures of Justin and his friend, Shawn, who lives two houses down from us:





Justin was so excited to ride the bus and to wear his bus wrist band with all his route info on it for the bus driver. Tyler cried when we walked back to the house and the bus drove off in the opposite direction. Lucky for him we were already planning to follow the bus to see Justin to his classroom. Tyler was happy to count the buses when we got to the school.



Justin's teacher is Mrs. Delenikos. There are two kindergarten classes in a connected classroom with a commons area in between the two classrooms. During their free time they can play (painting, dress-ups, etc.) at the stations in that big area.



Showing off his cubby after he signed-in for the day.


The bus drops the kids off right in our front yard. Justin had a great day at school! This picture will always make me feel so happy! I'll always remember that right after I took this picture I was just about plowed over with the biggest, longest, happiest hug Justin has ever given me. I'm getting misty-eyed just thinking about it. And to think I made it through the whole day without crying...it just took some pictures for me to realize that Justin is on his way to a happy life.