"Cheese!"

David and Rebecca both love dancing.  Grammie Mangum has some snowmen that play music when you push a button, so David and Rebecca decided to dance along.  Unfortunately, Rebecca also loves having her picture taken.  She knows when she sees a camera that she should stop what she is doing, smile, and say "cheese" until we put the camera away.  So, here's a movie of David dancing and Rebecca saying "cheese."

Christmas on the Road

We spent Christmas this year in Arizona and California. Some of the fun things we did include looking at the Temple lights at the Arizona temple, playing at Amazing Jake's (a kid-centered arcade place), and visiting a cool train.



The weather was a little chili in Mesa this year, but we were ready for it. It was nice to be almost too warm in my winter coat.




David had lots of fun playing the games and running around. Rebecca wore herself out chasing her brother.


I had a pretty good battle with David at Air-Hockey. His eye-hand coordination was put to the test this time.




David Had lots of fun exploring the "cab-ba-boose" with Gram and Papa that is parked near the motorhome. He kept knocking on the door to see if anyone would let him in, but it was locked.










David and Rebecca also had fun racing their new chevron cars in Grammie and Grandpa's kitchen.

David and Rebecca have lots of fun together.  They love running around.  David is also very competitive (I don't know where he gets that from).  Since running around outside is a risk to life and limb right now, we've had to improvise.  This is a fun video of the kids running around the rocking chair.  David will run as long as someone is counting, and Rebecca is learning to follow in her brother's footsteps.  It is also a fun way to help David with his counting skills.

Cardboard boxes... Simple Pleasures

I have been going through a typical period of nesting, so I went through all of the baby and child clothes that we have.  In the process, I emptied out a few boxes.  David thought this big one was the best present ever.  He and Rebecca have had so much fun with it.  David gets inside and says, "Mommy, I want to scare you.  Sister, close it."  Like a good assistant, Rebecca closes all of the flaps and then waits for David to jump out.  If he takes too long (about three seconds) Rebecca gets impatient and opens the box.  Otherwise, they both squeal as David jumps out.  It is amazing what a simple cardboard box can do on cold, snowy days when we are stuck inside.

Half Way There...

We had our 20 week ultrasound on Tuesday.  We weren't sure of our due date going in, but the Sonographer measured the baby's head, femur, stomach, and a bunch of other things in order to find out how old the baby is.  So, within the last month our due date changed from what we thought (May 20th) to what the ultrasound shows: April 18th.  It is nice to know I am already half way through my pregnancy.  I was hoping to have a little more time during the second trimester, though, before it gets hard again.  Anyhow, here are a few pictures.  

By the way, if you want to know what we're having just email or call. We don't want to spoil the surprise for those who want to wait to find out.

Also, the top pic is the baby curled up in a ball.  The one on the left is the face, and the one on the right is a foot.

Let it Snow!

We are very lucky to live in a house with a long driveway, but that isn't always the best when there are several inches of snow covering it and we need to go somewhere in the car.  We are also very lucky to live in a house with a snow-blower.  

Here is Ganon doing one of the "blue jobs" so I could go shopping, one of the "pink jobs."  

David looked out the front window after a snow plow drove by.  He said, "Oh no, Mommy! Look, there is a big white rock in the road!"

This is just a cool pic of our backyard with a little of the sunset.

"It's Wintertime!"

Last night, David looked out the window and said, "Mommy, look! It's Wintertime!" We had our first snowfall that stuck yesterday. Today the kids and I played out in the snow. Rebecca has an obsession with water and loves playing in puddles. She and David decided to pick up handfuls of snow and drop them in the puddles. I'm not sure where kids come up with some of their ideas, but they had lots of fun. Ganon and I think that snow is much more bearable when you have kids to enjoy it with.

David's window on the World

David has loved our big picture window. He gets so excited to see what is going on around us. Sunday, he and Rebecca were watching the neighbors put up their Christmas Decorations in their yard. Here are a few pictures. We moved our couch in front of the window, making it a little more difficult to get a good view, but the change has not stopped the kids from looking out.

Homework Time

Today it is cold and wet outside.  Ganon is home from school, but he and I both have homework to do.  David decided that it was time for him to do his homework, too.  He got out his laptop and typed his name.  Rebecca wanted to join in, so we got her pretend keyboard and mouse out.  They had lots of fun doing homework together.  If only our real homework was fun, too.

Healthy Holidays

So, I went to an Enrichment Activity this week where we were given a few tips about how to eat healthy and lower our stress this holiday season. I thought I would share a few of the ideas.

*Load up on the veggies! -try doubling the vegetables in your recipes, try to make your meals colorful (3-4 different colors on your plate), keep fresh, cut veggies in the fridge for snacks, cook veggies with olive or canola oil because they're better for you

*Lighten the calories where you can. -use low-fat cream cheese, sour cream, skim milk in recipes (you usually can't taste the difference)
-Budget your calories- when you know you're going to a big party or restaurant, eat lighter meals beforehand.
-Watch your liquid calories- the calories in drinks add up faster than you think.

*Cook in Advance. -When you make a meal for your family, double it and put 1/2 in the freezer for another time.
-Make a weekly or monthly meal plan, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Then make a grocery list based on this menu. It will save stress and time and money since you aren't having to go to the store every day. (I personally have found this to be very helpful. I used to use a monthly menu faithfully, but pregnancy food issues has caused some difficulty. I am planning on getting back on the bandwagon by the beginning of next month. If anyone would like to see a copy of my menu for ideas just let me know and I'll email it to you.)

*Make time for Exercise!! -Do fun family activities that encourage movement.
-Ideas include: Walk around the block, turn on music and dance with your kiddos, go sledding With your kids (don't just watch), have a snowball fight, go swimming instead of to a movie, etc.
-Regular Exercise lifts your spirits, gives you more energy, and helps you handle stress better. It also helps you want to eat Healthy food.

*Don't forget to Breathe (I added this one--Ganon always reminds me of this one because I forget it so often)

*Remember the reason that we have this wonderful Holiday Season!!

Look Alikes

I took a couple of pictures of Rebecca recently, and they reminded me of David when he was her age. I looked back through our pictures and found a few of David at the same age. I thought it was fun to see how they look alike...and different.

Trick or Treating

We went trick-or-treating as a family this evening. David dressed up as Tigger and Rebecca was Cindy Loo Who from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." They both had lots of fun going up to each door and picking out a piece of candy. The biggest problem was getting Rebecca to put the candy in her bucket and keep it there. She also struggled when we stopped somewhere but no one was home-- she didn't like leaving empty-handed. One unfortunate side benefit is that Ganon and I get to have all of the candy that may contain peanuts. Luckily, both Rebecca and David still have more than enough candy to last them for a while.

Pumpkin Time

Our neighbors carved some great pumpkins this year, and David thought we should make ours look like theirs. We decided to carve two of the ones that we have. Ganon's is the big one with the cute girl face. Mine is supposed to look like Dash from the Incredibles because that is what David was going to be. He decided as I was putting the shirt over his head that he didn't want to be Dash anymore. Thanks to Kelly for the back-up Tigger costume. I also carved the Incredibles logo on the back. Unfortunately, the pumpkin hole wasn't big enough to fit a candle in, but Ganon decided to put one behind it and let it shine through. It worked pretty well. We had a lot of fun with our Halloween Adventures.

Heidi's new Medical Condition

Well, Ganon and I went to the Doctor today. He found something growing in my tummy. He said not to worry, though. It's not contagious, and the growth will remove itself sometime next spring (end of April or beginning of May.) We're very excited to see what developes over the next several months and the adventure that will follow. For those of you who haven't figured it out yet, we're having a baby!

Can We Fix It? Yes, We Can!

Ganon changed the oil on the car on Friday. It was quite an adventure. David decided he needed to help, so he grabbed a few of His tools and made sure the tires were on tight. He loves doing whatever his dad is doing.

Fall at our House

I took the kids to the park yesterday and David insisted on getting out of the stroller on the way home to play in the leaves. He and Rebecca had so much fun running through them. David also mostly buried his sister, which she tolerated. When we got home, they decided to help me rake up some of the leaves at our house. It was a wonderful Fall afternoon.

Swinging Solutions

When we moved in to our house, our friends left us their swing that hooks to the old clothes line poles. Rebecca has always loved it. Only a few months ago did David finally decide he liked it. Unfortunately, they both want to swing at the same time. Sometimes I can convince David to help push Rebecca, but he still struggles with not pushing her into the pole. Finally, Ganon came up with the brilliant solution of making a swing for David out of rope. He really enjoys it (even though I wouldn't recommend it to an adult-- it's highly uncomfortable). Anyhow, here are a few pitures of the two of them.

Riding Bikes

One thing most children seem to enjoy is taking other kids' toys. Rebecca loves riding David's Big Bike. Luckily, David prefers his Little Bike right now, so he is usually willing to share. He will even get the big bike out for Rebecca and tell me to help them race each other. Rebecca thinks this is the best thing ever. She hates having to get off when I get tired of pushing her up and down the driveway. Someday she'll be big enough to ride on her own.

Growing Boy

David is a good eater, but not always at regular meal times. He was playing games with his cousin in the kitchen, and everytime I checked on him he was eating something, had just finished eating something, or was asking for something to eat. Of course, he refused to eat at dinner time until we explained that he couldn't have any dessert until he took a few bites. Suddenly, he was excited to eat. What kids will do to eat yummy treats.

Our own Cinderella

Rebecca loves "cleaning" with washcloths and wipes whenever I let her get away with it. Tonight she found a clean rag and a fresh wipe and began cleaning her feet and hair. Ganon put the rag on her head and she loved it, so we took a few pics of her.

Afternoon at the Park

Both kids love chasing and racing each other. I find that David and Rebecca are the most expressive and free with their emotions when they get to enjoy the grand outdoors. The park is great because they burn off some energy without burning me out at the same time.


David and Rebecca had fun in the tunnel, but wouldn't both stick their faces through the holes at the same time. The joys of having children with strong personalities


Rebecca loved having David help her cross the bridge, even though she fell a few times when she couldn't keep up.

Pretty in Pink-New and Improved

Rebecca was very excited to get her cast off today. We went to visit the nice nurse/ x-ray lady today at our home teacher/ doctor's office. After both Rebecca AND David had dum-dums to comfort them, the nurse sawed off Rebecca's blue cast. Rebecca has been a little bit more wobbly this afternoon, but the nurse said she should be running in no time. I'm excited because now Rebecca can wear pajamas with feet. Perfect timing for the freezing weather that is fast-appoaching.

Trains! Trains! Trains!

David and his cousin Nate had lots of fun playing with ALL of his train tracks. We built little villages and drove the trains around and around. "Rebecca-zilla" enjoyed stomping through the towns nocking down bridges and trampling buildings. This was also a test for my new camera-- not as impressive as I'd hoped, but at least I can still take pictures. Maybe Ganon can fix them in photoshop...