Odds 'n Ends

I'm struggling to get my pictures uploaded and for some reason the ones I've turned aren't turning…oh well. ;) I've got a bunch of random pics to post and I'm gonna post 'em anyway.

I hosted a shower for my sweet friend, Marilyn.  Sorry, Marilyn is sideways but she is one super cute gal! It was fun but a little crazy since 35 people ended up coming!  My home was NOT built for 35 people!

 This is a picture we took toward the end of the night, after about 8-10 people left.

 We've been having fun with Daddy lately.  During most of Nov he was at the VA and they worked him long and hard.  This past week was night call for peds and he actually ended up getting to sleep a lot which meant Jaron could be around all week!  It worked out great since the kids happened to be out of school all week for Thanksgiving!

Mommies and Daddies definitely play differently!

 One morning awhile back I was nursing Reed and the kids burst into the bedroom, exclaiming there was snow and asking if they could put their stuff on and go outside.  I came downstairs, looked out the window and saw this: 

Coats, boots, snow pants, and a sprinkling of snow. 

My poor little half-Canadians want snow soooo bad!

Then one night I came home to these pretties sitting on the table, for no reason at all.

I'm one lucky girl!

 We went to get pictures at the mall with Santa and guess what?  They wouldn't let me take one myself!  Said I had to buy their ridiculously overpriced ones!  Say what?!  Am I just old and ornery or does anybody else think the mall should allow self pics?  It's just as well, I guess - Gracen still wouldn't get near Santa.

 The number one reason we were at the mall was because I bought a Groupon to get family pictures done at JC Penney (Jaron ended up having to switch his day off and it turned out to be kid pics).  I'm not a big fan of the studio experience but I hoped I'd be pleasantly surprised (I was not). While we were  waiting, Alden made this "moose."  Then he took it apart and triumphantly announced that it was now a moose rack and cut up meat.  Haha!  Someone's Dad's a hunter!

 Our church encourages families to hold a family night each week, called family home evening.  One week in November we talked about gratitude and made a family thankfulness poster. 

 I was thankful for babies, The Book of Mormon, friends, and Daddy being a doctor.  Alden was thankful for fire, temples, the earth, food, and water.

Eli was also thankful for The Book of Mormon and the earth and for mom and dad.  Gracen was thankful for her family, tornadoes (wha?!), and a couple other undecipherable things.  Jaron was thankful for music, Idaho, and marriage.

 Jaron had two days off in a row last weekend (he only gets 4 days off a month - two in a row is a big deal!) so his parents came to visit.  They were so great and spent almost every moment playing with the kids, doing whatever they wanted to do.  I absolutely love that because I think that's important to the kids at their ages.  They sure love their Grandma and Grandpa Brunson!  

Eli is on a serious batman kick.  While Grandma was here she sewed the cape that I had started but was too busy with homework to finish.  He didn't take that cape off for about two days afterward, even when we went to the store!

 And this little guy is SIX MONTHS OLD!!  I cannot believe it.

I love so much about him at this age.  I love all his smiles.  I love the way he smiles when I go in to get him from a nap.  I love how he squeezes my shoulder and nestles into my neck like he's giving me little hugs.  I love his fuzzy hair.  I love his ticklish ribs.  I love that his favorite game is peekaboo.  I love how his little hands and feet turn circles when he doesn't have something in them.  I love the two little teeth that poked through on the bottom last week (ok, I'd love them more if I wasn't nursing!).  I love how he lights up when I come into the room. I love how he mouths everything he can get his hands on.  And man, do I love those dimples!

 And last but not least, after much begging of the kids to their humbug father, the tree went up.  And then after much more begging, a few presents went under the tree.  These poor kids are in for a l-o-n-g twenty-five days!

In other news, I am four weeks away from being done school!!!  It is intense here at the end but I am ploughing my way through, getting very excited!