"brown paper packages"

If I were a candle maker I would create the scent of my favorite hotel and call it "freedom"  (I think the smell is actually just laundry soap and lotion, but whatever it is, it spells vacation)  Jared and I had a fun getaway - our first ever, since having kids - to SLC.  I knew if we didn't go now we wouldn't be able to go till January and we were BEYOND READY to spend some time alone together.  It was wonderful to say the least, but much too short, and I'm pretty sure I'll never get sick of visiting Temple Square.  So Happy 7th Anniversary to us, a month early.  We wrapped up the weekend by speaking in church.  The topic was - How do Joseph Smith and the restoration help us apply the atonement more fully?   The week of preparation was GREAT, the delivery not so fun, but it was a good thing for both of us to focus our attention on.

Here's Bronson and Grandpa doing what they do best,

 riding "dampa's tactor - sweet!"

We had a great Thanksgiving this year.  I love the unstructured nature of the actual day.  It's all about relaxing and having fun with family, and we did just that.  This year I was in charge of the turkey, HA, not the relish tray but the turkey!  It was actually a lot of fun to prepare, and I think it tasted pretty good too.  Here is Levi, doing what he does best, making us smile.  I took him in for his 9 month check up yesterday and he's a healthy boy.  He is starting to slim down if you can believe it.  He weighs 20.15 - 56%, he is 28 inches tall 39%, and his head is 19in. 98%.  What can I say, big brains need big heads.  Levi also got his first two teeth a couple of weeks ago, and is about ready to take off crawling.  We love our little Levi!

Here's those 4 growing boys, and Bronson's best pals.  

Kody, Bracken, Brock, and Bronson.

Bracken and Brock really can smile, but posing

 4 little dudes makes it a little tricky.

On Sunday we came home from church and started having lunch as usual.  I noticed that Bronson had gotten pretty quiet, pretty soon he started snoring.  Everybody's gotta fall asleep at least once in the high chair right?  Bronson LOVES going to nursery.  As soon as we have to take a break from Sacrament and go out into the hall, Bronson starts making the rounds to each door, turing the knob and saying "ursery, ursery?."  It's a little hard to tell him "Sorry buddy, we still have to wait oh . . . . . . about 45 min.  Bronson is quite the little talker now a days, he doesn't have to learn words anymore he can just say them, he is getting so big so fast.

"tied up with string"

"the horn on the bus goes, beep beep beep"

as Levi's belly is a bit big for his bath chair, straddling his hammock 

is the next best thing to keep him from tipping over. 

 He loves taking baths.

i don't know why i thought i could bake a batch of cookies 

and not eat six, one of these days it will click, i hope ;)

"it's beginning to look a lot like a basement - tra, la la la laaaaa!"

starting dry wall this weekend hooray!

Our goal is to have it completed by Levi's birthday.

 

And here is my new window treatment.  Last night we made a Christmas chain with Bronson.  We had so much fun.  Turns out he is quite handy with a stapler.  Thanks to our first grade art teachers, Jared and I were able to complete the project.  I like it so much I'm thinking I might not take a link down each day but just keep it up till Christmas.

"these are a few of my favorite things."