Thanksgiving

This year, I am thankful for:

1. My amazing husband and everything he does for me and our little family.
2. My sweet little boy and all the joy he brings me on a minute to minute basis and the new baby who will be joining us soon and whom I already love so much.
3. All my family and friends who are better to me than I feel like I am to them.

This year, Matix is thankful for:

1. Grandma, who can read his mind and loves him SO much.
2. Daddy, who he misses like crazy, but loves to see everyday and talk about all day long "da da da da da.... "
3. Mommy, who he yells to from his crib "MOM MOM MA MA MA MA MOM!" when he is ready to get up, even if it is just for a snuggle and then back to sleep.
4. Grandpa, who lets him fix things with him and even lets him hold his own tools.
5. Auntie Colleen, who sings to him and sunggles him, even though she likes to act tough when people are watching.
6. Food... need I say more?

This year, (according to Jessie) Paul is thankful for:

1. His family (wifey, dewds and soon to make his debut, bro).
2. His new calling in the church as the first counselor in the branch presidency.
3. The great opportunity he has been given to go to medical school.
4. Being able to come back to the states soon and eat some real food. :)

Paul... you should just add to this or change it if I am off. :) Love you hubby!

Anyway, we had a great Thanksgiving with some of Paul's family. Here we are before we left. Matix was looking super cute (and big).

This is his glow worm, we call it his baby. He carries it around and gives it kisses and snuggles, not all the time, but sometimes. He is just practicing, you know. :) Before we left, he had to say good-bye to his baby.

This is Tyson and Shanda. Shanda is Paul's second cousin. They decided to host Thanksgiving at their house this year. It was very nice. Congrats to Shanda for attempting and successfully cooking her first turkey... and it was SO good.

Matix ate a LOT! He had a great time and had fun getting to sit on laps for the meal (usually he sits in a booster seat). Here he is with Stacy. I had bought him a cute little bib that had a turkey on it that read "I'm stuffed!" which I thought was so cute, but I forgot to bring it. :( Maybe next year.

Stacy's sister Liana was there with her husband Arch. It is always nice to see them. They have great stories for every occasion. Here is Matix holding hands with Liana on the steps. These stairs, by the way, were the source of most of Matix's entertainment that day.

Kissing Grandma through the stair rails. :)

After eating, Dakota (Shanda's brother) and Colleen played video games upstairs while Taylin (another brother), Tyson, Bill (Stacy's brother), and Arch watched the game. What a lively bunch, huh? I think the tryptophan from all the turkey had already set in. :)

Maren (Shanda's Mom), Dave (Maren's husband), Shanda, Stacy, Liana and I all chatted in the kitchen. It was so nice to be able to catch up and share stories with family. It made us really miss Paul though. :( Thank goodness he will be home soon in time for the next big family holiday!

Matix dreamt of all the food he ate as he slept the whole car ride home. :)

Uh - Oh!

No, this is not a trick. Matix is now tall enough to REALLY get into trouble! Yikes!

39 weeks!!!

39 weeks along! Woohoo! I really didn't think I would make it this far, this baby is SO big! I am loving the belly, but still trying to figure out the best way to hold Matix with my reduced amount of lap. :) My Mom is coming out to visit on Thursday, hopefully in time for the birth of this new guy.

Speaking of which, I put up a new poll on the side. What day do you think he will make his debut? He is due on Sunday and Matix came one day early, in case you needed that info. to make your guess. :)

Tractor Ride

Here is a video of Matix having fun with Grandma on the tractor. :) I just love this little guy.

Carnival

We went to the "Hometown Holiday Boutique" here in Buckeye last Saturday. It was SO much fun. There was also a carnival going on across the street and a parade. We didn't get to see much of the parade though.

Fun booths... Matix thought all the Christmas trees were pretty great. :)

Here he is trying out a stuffed animal.

Good food.... Suckers, fry bread covered in taco stuff, hot dogs... I love junk food.

Fun activities.... Here we are decorating cookies.

Good music... Well, Matix thought so. There was lots of dancing.

Good rides.... Again, this was Matix's opinion. :) First Matix and I went, then, Colleen took him.

Fun games... Colleen won this for Matix.

We ended the day with a snow cone. Who doesn't love a snow cone every once in a while?! :)

We had such a fun time. Can you tell?

Sandbox

Every little kid needs a sandbox, right? Grandma surprised Matix the other day with a sandbox, and he LOVES it. :)

At first, he didn't know what to think...

Sakina, of course, is never too far from her boy. Especially in times like this where he is exploring something new, that he might need protection from. :)

Then Grandma showed Matix what to do.

Now he is a pro! :) He spends at least an hour each day digging. Thanks Grandma!

Another great thing is that I can sit on the couch inside and see him through this window... :) I don't want to do TOO much exercising, you know, walking 10 steps out the door is a lot when SITTING, doing nothing, is an option... :)

Lincoln

This is a good friend, Lincoln Taylor Walsh. Lincoln is kind hearted, honest, athletic, trustworthy, empathetic... He is a big brother and a little brother, a nephew, a son... Lincoln is a light in a dark room.

Tragically, Lincoln was killed this week in an auto accident. I am sad for those of you who didn't get to know this amazing person. He was very special and had such a sweet spirit. He will be sorely missed.

Please keep his family in your prayers as they mourn the loss of him.

Good bye Lincoln, we love you!

Skype

Matix and I really miss Paul, but thank goodness for Skype. Paul "calls" us on the computer, and this is usually the reaction we see from Matix... toys thrown to the floor, all attention on Daddy. We can't wait to see him in a few weeks! :)

38 weeks!!

This is from Sunday. I am 38 weeks along and my Dr. says I am ready to go any time now... But that's what he has been saying for a few weeks now. :) I am LOVING my big belly and am getting a little sad that it will be gone so soon. :( I really do LOVE being pregnant. Here's to my last few days with baby #2 still in my belly...

Happy Birthday Paul!!!

Today, Monday November 23rd is Paul's 27th birthday!!! YAY!

We miss you SO much Paul and hope you have a great day today. You are the best husband and father ever and we are so happy we have you in our lives. Here are some of your favorite pictures and some of ours! We love you!

Love, Jessie, Matix and Bro