a Happy Thanksgiving

This year, I decided to do a complete Thanksgiving dinner for the first time ever. It all turned out great! Even Peter seemed to enjoy it. It was a delightful Thanksgiving, and I was thoroughly exhausted after it was all done. But it was so worth it!

 

Forgot to get the ribbon salad out for the picture, but that turned out yummy too.

 

 

We broke down and got a fake tree this year. I couldn't put up with the ginormous spiders that crawled out of our tree last year. So creepy!! Anyway, I am a little saddened by the fake tree thing, but at least it looks pretty enough. I think the tree looks a little like a department store tree, unfortunately. Oh well. Hopefully in future years we'll acquire some fun and individual ornaments to make the tree more unique and homey.

Peter is loving the tree a little too much. He is finding it difficult to avoid pulling off the ornaments. But then there are other times I am actually amazed at his forebearance. Usually, I have to watch him like a hawk, and it almost seems not worth it sometimes, but in the end I'm glad we have it. Let the Christmas festivities begin!

Peter at 14 and 15 months

Well, Peter is 15 months old. He really shot up according to his 15 month appointment with the doctor. 97% for height, 73% for head circumference, and 75% for weight. He's thinned out a bit with all his running around that he does. The doctor said he's doing well with his development so far. He even said that Peter is talking at the level of a two-year old. I think it's because Peter has such an interest in books and reading. The other day he systematically had me read all 22 of his kids' books in a row. I was kind of ready to be done by the end, but he seemed to enjoy them.

About a month ago, I realized that we haven't really worked with Peter on recognizing pictures of the Savior (I know, we've been bad about that). But, I only remember showing Peter one picture, and in the past month he's been able to recognize any picture of Jesus that I show him, regardless of whether or not he's seen it before. It's very sweet to see.


Kind of a goofy little expression, but still cute to me.


Peter's favorite meal. Pasta.


Peter at 14 months. He looks so much older to me in this picture than the pictures from a month earlier. I think it's because he's losing his baby chub.

Walking Peter!

This is Peter walking at 13 months, for not quite the first time, but almost.

13 months

Well, this is Peter at the park with Daddy. This was the first time he really enjoyed going to a park, and he is getting increasingly excited about parks all the time.

And also some fun pictures of Peter playing with the mirror:

Announcement

Well, to everybody who reads this blog, this is no surprise. But I figure I ought to announce the good news that we are expecting our second baby at the end of April. We are so excited to welcome another baby and I am happy not to have the baby in the middle of the summer. :)

So far this pregnancy has been quite a bit more rough than the pregnancy with Peter in terms of morning sickness. This is part of the reason that Chris is convinced it will be a girl, I think. We will find out in just a few weeks what the gender will be, if the baby cooperates during the ultrasound. I'm sort of hoping for a boy because it will be much cheaper. But a girl would be a fun adventure too. We'll see soon enough...

Layton Family Reunion Pictures

Pictures we got of the family at the Layton reunion. One big happy family! Poor Peter didn't smile for any of the pictures. But at least we have a picture of the three of us now! Yay!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Furniture!

So, after months of consideration, Chris and I decided to spend some of our savings on a new furniture set. This is from Costco, and we LOVE it! It is so comfortable, and is really good quality. I've already taken a super comfortable nap on the couch. We decided on leather because it's easy to clean, and if you select a good set and are careful, it should last many, many years. Thanks, Costco!

 

 

Peter and birthday cake

Peter and I celebrated his birthday with Grandpa and Grandma Stucki on Skype. Sadly, Daddy could not be there, as he was on a scouting trip over Peter's birthday. So, I'm a little embarrassed at how giggly I am in this video. Oh well. I promise I'm not on medication, though some excuse might have been nice. :)

Family Reunion

We recently were able to attend the first annual Layton family reunion. With 5 kids 2 and under, it was quite the experience! I think all the kids shall have lots of fun together once they get a little older and begin to learn to interact more.

I got to go early and have some fun time with the girls, kids, and Nana and Papa. It was such fun for me to get to know my sisters-in-law better. I can't wait for future reunions!

It was fun for Peter to get to meet his cousins and aunts and uncles. Although a little shy and standoffish, by the end of the week, he warmed up considerably. Here are some pictures documenting some of the events:

 

All 5 grandkids at once. This is at the Des Moines zoo. It was fun, but I think Peter will enjoy zoos a little more when he's a little older. I thin it was a lot of fun for the older grandkids especially.

 

Oddly, they have a dinosaur exhibit at the zoo. I wasn't aware that zoos had dinosaur exhibits. The dinosaurs even moved a bit.

 

The lovely and sweet Cali Layton with little Ariana and Peter. Ariana is a little over 1 month older than Peter. I know they'll be great friends. Ariana is a little sweetheart! She started to walk at the family reunion, and it was so fun to see her toddling around.

 

A rare view of the three oldest children holding hands. This is Meadow, Reuben, and little Cozy. So sweet!

 

Peter didn't really know what to make of the animals in the petting zoo.

 

A crazy coi pond. I couldn't believe all the fish in there!

 

Some fun at a mall play area. I wish we had places as nice as this in Germantown. All the grandkids had lots of fun.

 

 

 

 

 

The youngest 4 grandkids all in grocery carts at Costco. Gotta love those huge carts.

 

And finally the Iowa State Fair. You've never been to a fair until you've been to this one. Pretty amazing! They had a really fun little place for all the kids to practice farming. Peter was a little too young for all of this, but he had fun riding on Daddy's shoulders and wearing his hat.

 

The older kids got to ride in fun little tractor cars. This is Lauren and Jason's sweet little family.

 

 

Cozanne won a first place blue ribbon for her awesome dollhouse that she submitted for the fair. It was pretty awesome! Congratulations, Nana! Ray also won a first place blue ribbon for a carving of Moses with a walking stick. I'm so sad I didn't get a picture of this, nor did I even get to see it! I've heard it was quite impressive though. Hopefully I'll get to see a picture soon. Congrats, Papa!

 

Peter smiling at his aunt Lauren. He and his auntie got along famously.

So sad I didn't get pictures of Jordan, Anna, Papa, or me. Oh well. We'll try again next year!