Correction

I said Onyx was getting a tooth. He actually ended up getting teeth. Two right in front on the bottom. Daddy thinks they are so cute.

Weekend Fun

So I was desperately in need for some time with my mom. Seems like a girl needs a little of that sometimes. Since I have such a good mom she took a whole weekend of her super busy life to come see me. Not only was I lucky enough to get a visit from her but she brought my three oldest nieces. It was such a fantastic weekend that filled my heart back up with love. Onyx loved the attention he got from his cousins. I didn't take a single picture which makes me sad because all of these kids are growing up so fast! Grace typed up a quick over view of our weekend activities below. (Thanks Grace!)

"Morning Til Night

It's been such a long day don't know where to start.

Well first, we woke up and played the Wii. Next was the vote on what we were going to do today... It ended up I lost, we had to go swimming. I so wanted to go roller skating. But after all it was fun!

Then we had to settle down and watch KIKI's DELIVERY SERVICE and ate ice cream bars!!!"

I have to add that the best part was snuggling and chatting on the couch after the movie.

First Tooth

Our little man has his first tooth! Poor guy has been so uncomfortable the last couple of days which meant there was lots of walking, bouncing and rocking around here. Leon has been working over 60 hours a week during this break from school and so I have been feeling a bit frazzled. However, whenever I rock this sweet boy to sleep everything seems just right.

Our little Onyx has been sick. (For all of these pictures we had to wash the snot off of his face first.) Poor guy sounds like a little pug because he has congestion both in his chest and sinus so he can hardly breath. Nights have been restless with lots of coughing. To top things off I accidentally got him to close to the crock pot a few days ago and burned his little hand. Despite this all he has maintained good spirits and has not even been fussy. What a trooper! He is very fascinated with his hands right now and will stare and stare at them as he moves his fingers. He also is able to maintain a sitting position independently which makes me a little sad. I mostly just hold him still because I'm just not ready!
My mom got Onyx a little tuxedo off of ebay. He looks so so cute in it but we seldom have an occasion for him to wear it. Last night we decided we would all get dressed up and have a nice dinner somewhere. (Then I would also have somewhere to wear the gold necklace Leon got me for Christmas.) We tried several restaurant, but there was an hour wait at each which we didn't think was wise with a baby so we ended up at Perkins eating meatloaf. :) Neither Perkins or meatloaf are on my list of favorites, but surprisingly both were absolutely fantastic and we really had a good time.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It was the most wonderful time of the year

With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you "Be of good cheer"
There were tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago
Hearts were a glowing
When love ones were near
It was the most wonderful time of the year!

Our Christmas celebrating started on Christmas Eve's eve with a pizza party at Leon's sisters. That evening we had our own little Christmas with just us three at our house, though Onyx crashed after the first present was opened.
On Christmas Eve we headed up to Worland and than on to Lovell where we did the traditional Bethlehem dinner and candles.
Christmas morning we watched as Ramie's little ones opened their gifts. The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent visiting grandma, playing with new toys and eating of course. Leon and I also got away that afternoon for a little date to the movie Harry Potter. Wendy Roth even showed up how the projection of the movies works which was pretty interesting.
Christmas night we opened presents at my parents. Once again they spoiled us with gifts.
The highlight of Christmas was Sunday morning when Leon was able to give Onyx his baby blessing. What a special time. Leon was very nervous as this was his first blessing with others present but he did a beautiful job. Our Christmas season was truly "the most wonderful time of the year" full of much love that left our hearts warm to welcome in the New Year.

So much to be thankful for...

Look at his face. He was so excited about the lights!

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday. It is a time that we can refocus our minds on all the wonderful things we have to be thankful for and puts my mind on the right track for a meaningful Christmas.
Our Thanksgiving was full of food, friends and family. Leon had two days of work which meant we had a 4 day weekend with him. It was so heavenly.
Since my parents were out of town we spent Thanksgiving around Casper. On Thursday we went out to a family's home in our ward. They have 8 kids that are ages 12 and under. What a fun time we had. All the food was homemade (including the butter) and delicious. I even made my first successful pie crust.
After lunch Leon, Onyx and I took Leon's nieces Christmas tree hunting. We got a bit of a late start and had to drive quite awhile so by the time we got there it was very cold, windy and dark but we made it home with a beautiful tree.
Friday we tried out Black Friday shopping, but must have not been in the spirit because we were home by 9am without a single deal. We spent the rest of the day decorating and taking Onyx swimming.
Saturday we had Thanksgiving dinner again with Leon's family. Sunday we got to enjoy more time with family when my parents and Brad, Mary Ann, Aimee and Hyrum stopped for dinner.
By the time Sunday night rolled around our hearts were full of love and gratitude for each other and all we had.

Adventures in Cloth Diapering

When Onyx was born I looked into using cloth diapers. There were several reasons they appealed to me. First, I'm a bit frugal and didn't want to have to be buying diapers all of the time. Second, I had read that they were less likely to give your little ones diaper rash. I really had no idea how to cloth diaper or what to expect so it has been a bit of an adventure but I've really grown to like them. There are several different types of cloth out there now, nothing like what past mommas have had to deal with, the cloth and rubber covers. The diapers I found I like the best have a cloth pad the goes into an outer shell. The outer shell is made from fabric that whisks the moisture away from the skin into the pad to keep little bums dry. I have to admit I still use disposables whenever we are going places because they truly are convenient, but I've found that we sure do love cloth at home.