Wonderful Christmas

Because pictures are worth a thousand words, we won't add too much to these photos but I'm sure you all know how enjoyable our Christmas was this year!

Our dog LOVES to unwrap presents too so she was right there at every opportunity.  At this point, she is more effective than Bennett.  Here you see him sporting a hand-made cap from our niece.  She is skilled and so sweet with our boys.  Paxton was really helpful trying to teach Bennett how to open his gifts.

One of the funnest gifts was this tunnel and pop-up tent set that Santa brought.  Both boys like to crawl through it, especially after each other.  Bennett, crawl towards the light, you're going the wrong way!

 

Look how big they are both getting!

At any given moment, Bennett has SOMETHING in his mouth.  I even caught him with his thumb in there today.  He loves to crawl around with whatever toy he has found clenched in his teeth.  Maybe he spends too much time with Chula?

The first, and only snow we had in the whole month of December.  Paxton had to make a snow angel.

We went to the "bouncy place" before Christmas and had a good time.  This whole warehouse has trampolines connected that you can jump from one to another, this section is just the kid's part.

Pre-Christmas we visited Grandma and she had her share of holding our hefty little guy.

This year for the Davis family Christmas party we decided to schedule in time to sing some Carols.  We all enjoy singing, but if it isn't planned we rarely break into song.

Wyatt, Bennett is too young to juggle three balls, he only knows how to juggle with two! By the way, have you finished eating those oranges yet?

Every kid loves it when the couch cushions are on the floor...our boys also like to play under the dining table.  Paxton says it's his house.

One down and ten more to go.  Bennett has loved eating Cheerios while we all sit down to eat.  We need more baby friendly finger food ideas for him, so any of you moms feel free to comment : )

Uh oh

December already!

Bennett is everywhere lately.  A couple days ago he used his walker to get across the rug.  But it will still be a while before he can cruise around like a tiny adult.  In so many ways he seems grown up, from the way he stares down anyone who is trying to make him smile, to the old man spare tire he has around his belly.  But there never was a cuter spare tire or set of "thunder thighs".

He is still in total admiration of his big brother and Paxton's bedroom is one of his favorite places to explore.  And in turn, Paxton is growing into his role to help him and show him all kinds of trouble.  They have a lot of fun under the kitchen chairs and with anything they can climb in.

Paxton is loving some of his birthday gifts - the sand digger and his construction hat with a head lamp.  He frequently tells me he has work to do and he marches outside with or without his coat, hat, or shoes.  So far he doesn't seem to notice the major temperature difference.

 As you could guess, Bennett is NOT a picky eater.   He's a pro. So far no mushy baby food that crosses his lips has a chance.  Rice cereal, peas, mixed vegetables, green beans and any fruit...BRING IT ON!  We wished we'd bought a high chair sooner because it's been sooooo helpful.  And he likes it too, except for the bibs - he feels disrespected I guess : )  

BEAUTIFUL OCTOBER

We made it!  It's truly miraculous, how we find ourselves blessed with these boys!  Surely life cannot get any better and we are incredibly grateful to our loving and all-knowing Heavenly Father.  Last Thursday was an amazing day in our lives and we felt like we could really see the eternities when we were able to have Bennett sealed and Paxton witness the ceremony.  

This little guy is, as most of you know, not so little anymore and he is getting very mobile...more on that later.

 Our day in court was Monday to make the adoption official and permanent.  We had a nice judge who insisted on holding Bennett who in turn stared him down.  It was great to have family there to lend their support.

 Our house this last week became a Roach Motel (I could NOT resist).  These roaches are the kind you want in your house, so cute and Paxton had so much fun with his cousins.  We were especially fortunate to have them with us for all the big events.  Please know you are welcome back the next time you visit Utah.  We will continue to hone our hosting skills!

What is Bennett up to lately?  Well, he's nearing 23lbs and most of it sits in his thighs and cheeks.  He eats rice cereal and squash so far.  It's time for a baby gate because he gets around pretty quickly using an army-style crawl.  He also sits well on his own for several minutes.  Oh, and naturally, he doesn't love it when we put him in his car seat.

So when we did a day trip jeeping in Moab, Grandma Davis was kind enough to keep Bennett in Wellington while we took Paxton on a couple trails.  The first trail pictured at the right was in slickrock country, rated as difficult but doable since Jared had driven it before.  For me and Paxton the funnest part was zooming around the sharp sandy turns.

The ups and downs are never as bad as they look, except one or two.  This one I got out just to get a photo.  The weather was beautiful, a little cool in the morning so a blanket over Paxton was perfect.  But it never got too hot.  I absolutely love the landscape in the entire area of Arches and Canyonlands national parks.

 The second trail we did was northwest of Moab, near a rock that some refer to as tombstone rock.  The trail circled around and sometimes onto these large formations.  As a kid, my extended family would take a trailer full of mountain bikes over spring break to these areas.  Sometimes we would cross paths with the jeepers and we'd get to watch them do REALLY crazy things.

 And, here we are near Halloween time.  Don't worry, no one got hurt in the making of this picture but I cannot stop laughing every time I see it!  Jaylene took this photo and I HAD to have it.  To quote her, "brotherly love at its finest".

Two of the most beautiful faces we know.  Jaylene you are fabulous!  We love you more and more as time passes and hope you continue to find joy in the every day details of life.  LOVE YOU!
PBAJ

Just pictures : )

Labor Day Weekend

To update a bit, Paxton and Bennett are having more fun with each other every day.  I think Paxton is realizing that Bennett is growing and learning and recognizes his big brother.  So Paxton hams it up and flops 

around like a maniac to get a giggle.  Bennett is on the VERGE of crawling.  He gets up on his hands and knees and sometimes in a half-push-up position.  Maybe he will figure it out soon.  He has also started rice cereal.  Neither he or I are too coordinated yet in getting the stuff to his belly but he eats it.  The other news - he has TWO BOTTOM TEETH.  Yes, aunt Roz discovered them while giving him a bottle.  

Which brings us to Labor Day weekend which we spent in Colorado.  It was great, the Roaches are so fun and they have a nice home they share with any who make the drive.  The boys did very well in the car, much to my surprise they handled it fine.  Driving from Grand Junction over to Denver is very pretty with steep canyons and lots of evergreen trees.  There's a stretch of river rafting that looks like fun for the next trip.  So this pic shows our group in the dugout at the Rockies' stadium which we toured on Saturday.  They let us walk behind home plate but not on the grass.  If they'd been in town I'm sure we would have gone to see them play.

At lunchtime we drove through the madness of downtown Denver trying to get to an event which ended in frustration so we went to a park instead where Paxton found some friends.  

One little girl taught him how to slide down a pole.  He is not shy when it comes to a playground full of kids.  








While the boys stayed at the park I visited the Denver Botanical Gardens which were next door.  They had many of the same plants we see here with just a few exceptions.  The fountains with cactus were really pretty.  Sunday was great to spend with everyone after we attended church where little Cortney was blessed by Dave.  The ward there was very friendly.

While driving home Monday we stopped in Vail at a park just to get out and discovered they had clay tennis courts.  Neither Jared or I have ever played on clay so we took the opportunity.  Paxton had his racket too while Bennett rolled around on a blanket...his favorite past time lately.  The pic shows Jared brushing the court afterwards.  Even though the surface looks like concrete in the photo, it was sort of a green color with a fine gravel like top.

 Grandma Leslie packed a present for Paxton and he played with it the entire way home. Above is the most recent pic of Bennett, such a cutie, in our opinion!

Jaylene spoils us!  She sent Canada gear for all of us, so we thought we would get a family photo sporting it...except I forgot to put Bennett's maple leaf socks on him, sorry baby!  We look good in red, don't you think?  We also got to sample some Canadian chocolate.  I (Amy) ate most of it but Paxton ate the Smarties - they are not like ours, the sour powdery kind, they are more like M&Ms.  My favorite is the Wunderbar and Bueno and I'm requesting more when Jaylene comes down.  She will be coming in less than two weeks.  Yay!!

Bennett had his 4 month checkup this week and he continues to astound us with his growth.  He is going to pass Paxton at this rate! He's just under 20 lbs, just over 26 inches, and totally adorable!  Lately he scoots along on his forehead with his knees pulled underneath him.  So his cheeks are constantly a rosy color from rubbing on his crib sheet or blankets on the floor.  It's getting a little harder to feed him because his hands are all over the place, pushing the bottle to the side, out of his mouth, or wherever.  Maybe we will try some solid food soon.

Yes, this is Paxton jamming out.  He plays just as loud as it looks like he's playing.  I have video of him and when he realized he was on camera he kept going back to punish the guitar even more so he could watch himself.  He does love a good beat and we have to tell him in sacrament meeting not to clap to the hymns.

This fun contraption is in our next door neighbor's back yard.  He designed and built it himself and it's strong enough to hold adults.  When Jared puts Paxton in and gets him going full force he is, frankly, terrified for a minute or two.  But then he loves it after the initial nauseating forces die down.  The neighbor also has a trampoline he lets Paxton jump on.  We live by great people.

Bennett doesn't need the snap in car seat feature of his stroller anymore, we just put him right in the big boy seat.  After all, he will be outgrowing it before we know it.  He seems to really like facing forward while we go on walks.

As much as I dislike flash photography, this one turned out cute.  This shot is just before bedtime.  Lately, in certain light it looks like Bennett may end up with a touch of green in his blue eyes.  Yes, Jaylene, I really mean that!  When Jared comes home Bennett is happy to see him pulling ridiculous faces at him. You're a fantastic father honey!  I have so much new respect for single mothers, they have a super tough job to handle children all by themselves.  Jared and I seem to make a good team.

Our version of camping this year is taking a day trip and then coming home to sleep in our own beds.  This pic shows Grandma Davis holding our little sack of potatoes.  Notice the matching hat?  That was sheer luck, Jaylene and I bought it a while back and someone at the shower Denette threw gave us the overalls that were meant to go with it.  Who says you can't be stylish when camping?

Grandpa Davis is the ultimate tour guide.  Every boy got to ride at least once before the storm clouds rolled in.  I hope he gets to actually fish sometime!

This little guy wasn't very shy and I probably shouldn't have gotten so close.  Just last week we were teaching our cub scouts that animals who seem too friendly might have rabies.  But I don't know if that includes campground critters.  His mouth is open because I caught him mid-chirp.

I never fail to take way too many photos of wildflowers.  They are beautiful as usual, and this year we want to hike to the top of Timpanogos to see if they're even more spectacular due to all the moisture.

Every year my Grandma Jackie's family has a Brady reunion in Indian Canyon.  Uncle Archie has a cabin and 10 acres where we get together for lunch, riding the zip line, and clay pigeon shooting.  I was talking with Archie's wife, Norma and she started asking me about David.  I said, my husband is Jared, I don't know who David is.  She said she didn't know who Jared is.  We both laughed.  From year to year there is a slightly different crowd so we can't always keep track of who's who.

Paxton's dream come true...almost.  I didn't let him drive, or even ride this thing but he kept asking for the keys.  I have to admit I've never ridden a four wheeler and don't care if I ever do.  Maybe it's the noise, the dust, the danger of dying....I don't know but it just doesn't appeal to me.  But, as I've said before it's amazing what you'll do for your kids so I probably shouldn't rule it out.

Just a shot of those giant thistles, at least the butterflies and bees like them.  No matter where we go I find it beautiful in different ways and I really don't want summer to end quite yet. We are just now enjoying getting outdoors!  I still want to attempt overnight camping with both the boys.  We'll have to persuade Grandpa Davis to sell his truck to us so we can take the two kiddies and our third child Chula with us!