Trader Joe's

We love Trader Joe's! Really, it's kind of an obsession for us. It all started when my sister, Amber, and her husband lived in Portland and the rest of us lived in Utah. Whenever we came to visit them in Portland, we would bring an extra suitcase so we could bring home our favorites from Trader Joe's.

Travis thought I was nuts when we were dating and I came to Oregon with him for his job interview before college graduation. I brought an extra suitcase and filled it up completely with food from; you guessed it, Trader Joe's.

We even stuffed my brother-in-law's car with food to take back to my parents when he came to stay with us a couple of months ago. We were so happy to have a new Trader Joe's come in this last year only about 10 minutes away from us. We have our favorites and love to discover new treats each time we go.

I took Tyler with me last week to stock up on groceries and he was such a good little helper. He was on the "hunt" for the monkey "Moto". It's a stuffed animal monkey with a nametag. They hide it in a different spot each day and if the kids "find" him and tell the checker (who rings a big old bell in celebration!) they can pick out a treat and stickers. Tyler was so excited to find "Moto" that day that he took off running for the check-out. He wanted the little snack pack of pistachios. It is wonderful when I take both boys because they are so occupied with finding this monkey that they are good little shoppers the whole time! The bagger even helps me out to the car with my load. I love it!

Snowman

Big day for our itty-bitty snowman! Notice there is no snow anywhere near him. We needed EVERYTHING from the whole backyard to make our tough guy! Soon after I took these pictures, Frosty tipped over and the boys stomped him into but a memory. A good one...

Say that again?

We had some terrible rain storms this winter that caused extensive flooding in a nearby town. Justin had been pondering this and exclaimed, "I know why it didn't flood where we live! Because we live in HILLSboro!" Made sense to me!

Tyler adds "kookie" (as in crazy) to everything. "Good night kookie Mommy!" "More kookie milk, please!" "Goodbye kookie messy diaper!" We love you, kookie Tyler!

"Why don't you ever let me wear cool clothes to school?" Justin wondering why I always send him with long sleeve shirts on while his friends go to school in short sleeves. It's WINTERTIME!

Our silly new pj photo shoot on New Year's Day:

Roller Derby

Just imagine with me:

The lights are dim, the speakers are blasting "We are the Champions" and the disco ball is twirling. Justin is holding on to the carpeted railing on the side of the roller skating rink yelling to me (so I can hear him even though we are practically nose-to-nose!) "Go ahead, Mom, I want to watch you skate as fast as you can! I'll be fine watching you right here!" I say, "That's o.k., I'll skate with you. I like to skate with you!" "Go!" (he's pushing me onto the rink) Well I can't turn back now, so off I go like a flash hoping the whole time that I don't get plowed down by one of those hot-shot 6th graders! The curves on the end are the killers, you know! In a sea of short people, there I go wobbling along laughing at myself. But, I'm "racing" just for Justin because in his eyes I'm an amazing roller skater and the best teacher because I'll wrap my arms around him to let him roll along between my skates. And I was...amazing that is!

Way to go, Justin, on your first school skate night!

Freezing!

I can't believe I forgot to mention the most exciting thing about Tuesday! (besides going to school with Justin) We got up for school and looked outside and we saw SNOW! Justin started running around the house to tell Tyler the amazing news! Well it really just looked like thick frost EVERYWHERE. But for us, it is SNOW!!!!

I laughed at this, but Travis immediately went to look on the internet to see if school was cancelled for Justin. Cancel school for this? Yup, they did! Well, actually it was a two hour delay. But, still! Some poor boys on our street were on the corner trying to rub their hands on the ground to gather some snow for a snowball. Not gonna happen. When we went outside it looked like a layer of ice with frost on top. So, it makes sense why they canceled it because of the super-slick conditions. But to just look at it was so funny!

I'm glad his teachers send the kids out to play in ANY weather. But while I was in his class, I was surprised what some parents send their kids to school with (and without!). Three of the kids in his class went outside without a coat and it was REALLY cold! I tried to help a little girl get as bundled up as she could be in her little zip-up sweater. But then again, that's me talking who always is cold and thinks everyone else must be cold too!

By the time I came home from helping at the school it had all melted. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted! We even had a little flurry today and I'm hoping Justin was out at recess when it happened. We have to take advantage of everything we get!

Justin's Class

Yesterday I got to go help in Justin's Kindergarten class. Travis was working from home for the morning and I decided to take advantage of it and so I went to go have some fun with Justin's class.

Justin was so happy to have me come. I asked him what he would want me to help with. He said, "I know, Mom, you could come while I'm at P.E. and then you could have a break just like my teacher! Cause you could use a break, right? When we come back into our room, Mrs. Z is laying down relaxing." I told him that although that sounded like fun, I am o.k. with being buzy the whole time I'm there.

It was fun to see how he acts in class. He would raise his hand to answer a question and then peak behind him to see if I was listening. I got to help make some Valentine houses the kids will be painting for their class party.

i love you mom (He wanted to type me a note after I read this post to him. I love you, too!)

Spiffy New Look

A new year and a new look for our blog! Travis just shook his head and laughed when I showed it to him! This crazy blogging thing...it makes me want to do more digital scrapbooking!

Just keep blogging...

I found an additonal reason I should keep blogging. On Sunday, my friend's Relief Society Bulletin included a quote from M. Russell Ballard and here's the news link. Speaking to graduating students from BYU Hawaii, they were urged to use the Internet — including blogs and other forms of “new media” — to contribute to a national conversation about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He told the mostly Mormon student body that conversations about the Church would take place whether or not Church members decided to participate in them. “We cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the Church teaches,” he said. “While some conversations have audiences in the thousands or even millions, most are much, much smaller. But all conversations have an impact on those who participate in them. Perceptions of the Church are established one conversation at a time.”

So, while I may not have many readers, there may be somebody out there reading what I have to say, so I am going to try to include more experiences that occur in my life that shed light on what we believe. The first thing I want to share is a quote:

"We must cherish one another, watch over one another, comfort one another and gain instruction in the things of God, so that we may all sit down in Heaven together."
-Lucy Mack Smith

There are so many things that we can do to help each other in this life. I love the feeling I get when I help others and I love it when people do things for me. Sometimes the smallest things make such an impact on my life. It makes a world of difference to care for and be cared for. Have a great week!

I am a Mother

I'd rather be a mother than anyone on earth
Bringing up a child or two of unpretentious birth...
I'd rather tuck a little child all safe and sound in bed
Than twine a chain of diamonds about my carefree head.
I'd rather wash a smudgy face with round, bright, baby eyes
Than paint the pageantry of fame or walk among the wise.
-Meredith Gray, from The Beauty of Motherhood

A Night in Bethlehem

On Christmas Eve we had our own "Night in Bethlehem". Amber had found a decree and a script with songs for our Davis Family Christmas Party during our Thanksgiving trip to Utah. I kept a copy and we put together our own version for Christmas Eve here with Travis' parents. The adults narrated while the boys put the nativity pieces together and I played the songs on my guitar. It was so nice to have our own special program.



The boys opened one gift to each other from under the tree and after some playtime with their new magic set and toy cars, they went right to bed. Justin woke up at 6:45 and we all lined up at the top of the stairs while Travis went downstairs to make sure Santa came last night. Justin couldn't contain himself and raced down the stairs. A big city/road rug was set out and they started playing with that and punching the mickey mouse punching bag and were so excited that I think they forgot there were other presents and their stockings across the room. We let them take as long as they wanted to discover everything. Justin was excited to get a digital camera and Tyler got a water-doodle mat with a thomas the train what follows a drawn track.



Travis' sister Nicki and her husband, Lance, and baby Brynlee drove over from Vancouver, WA. (45 mim. away) They arrived around 8:00 and we opened our exchange gifts and others under the tree.
Brynlee is 8 months old and starting to crawl. What a cutie!

By the time all the gifts had been opened, the boys didn't know what to play with first. They had a fantatstic time playing with toys and games with grandma and grandpa.

These are the most amazing blocks! They are called Wedgits and they are so much fun for even little ones to build with. G & G Davis gave Justin a set over Thanksgiving and Justin wanted more for Christmas from G & G Guptill. I love these things!

We had a fun, lazy day and a wonderful Christmas dinner with ham and all the fixings. We absolutely loved having Christmas at our home this year. It was so much fun to start and to continue with our own special traditions. I do have to say that Christmas=Family to me and we are so thankful to have the opportunity to spend Christmas with both sets of grandparents on alternating years. It will be bittersweet to spend a Christmas on our own someday.

Tyler smiles with his eyes closed (on purpose)in almost EVERY picture we took this week.

Nicki and Brynlee stayed with us on Christmas night so we could go SHOPPING the next morning. I picked up some Christmas decorations on sale and some clothes for the boys. Travis gave me a gift certificate to a guitar store and so I stopped in and picked out a Carlos Santana tabliture book with a cd to practice with. I am having fun learning. I also got some money to buy some new clothes. So, we just HAD to catch some great sales on clothes, too. :) Lance came over after work and we had a yummy prime rib dinner.

On Thursday, Justin went with Grandma and Grandpa and Travis to see "The Water Horse". He LOVED it! I'll have to see it one of these days. I stayed home with Ty during his nap and played my guitar. (I wasn't too sad!)

On Friday, Nicki, Lance and Brynlee came out again to spend the day. We went bowling and had a fantastic time. The boys had so much fun! Tyler called each gutter ball a "Gunnar Ball" after Grandpa's dog. Travis' parents had given them a bowling set for Christmas with a rug for the bowling lane. Justin has it permanently set up in his room and has been practicing. He loved bumper bowling and even beat Grandma's score! (I'm sure she loves that!) On Sunday, his primary teacher gave him some playdoh and he built his "favorite Galaxy Bowling set".

After bowling we all went to The Olive Garden for lunch. This is a Guptill tradition. This is where Travis took me on our first "date". (His two little sisters also came with us on our first date to go miniature golfing and to dinner!) Each time we get together with them, we have to fit in a trip to The Olive Garden. I look forward to it and seem to always order the same thing, salad and breadsticks and a Tour of Italy with a raspberry lemonade. Mmmmm....

Justin got a free ticket to a Portland Trailblazers basketball game for good school attendance. He got to go to a game Friday night with his Dad, Grandpa and Uncle Lance. He was on the moon about it! I was so happy for him.

Nicki and Travis' Mom hung out with Tyler and me for a while and then left for Vancouver and I put Tyler to bed early so I could enjoy an evening ALONE!

Since the Guptills spent the rest of the weekend in Vancouver, we had a quiet family weekend. It has been so nice to have Travis home with no big "plans". The boys adore him and I am so happy to be with him. It has been a great week for us.

Our New Year's goal as a family is to read the Book of Mormon together this year. We got a copy of The Book of Mormon for Families which has some pictures and extra footnotes with explanations throughout the original text. We printed out a bookmark chart to mark our progress and have highlighted 10 spots along to way for special reward activities. It could be as simple as a family bike ride or something bigger like a trip to the coast. Justin is excited about it and Tyler just bops around the room while we read. He'll be inspired through osmosis. :)
New Year's Jammies

It always surprises me how much kids pay attention even when they don't act like they are. Tyler came home from nursery on Sunday singing, "Baby Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam!" He has really enjoyed Baby Jesus songs and stories this Christmas. Tyler is starting to say the cutest prayers. He wants to do it all by himself and keeps the same intonation going throughout his whole pray which is repeated two or three times. Today for our FHE prayer (we made a new job chart), he said, "Dear Heavenly Father, thank thee for day, thank thee for grandpa come to my house, thank thee for grandma, thank thee for gunnar stay at home(grandpa's dog), thank thee for Mom, Dad, Justin and Tyler, thank thee for food, thank thee for toys, Jesus Christ, amen." Because he slurs his words and REALLY exaggerates the intonation, Justin kept laughing throughout his prayer tonight whispering, "I can't understand what he's saying!" I was so touched by Tyler's very own prayer that I thought it was the sweetest thing I had ever heard.