Hensel Phelps Holiday Party

Saturday the 10th was Jordan's work holiday party. It was kinda nice to have it after the new year, though the red and green name tags seemed a little out of place. The party was held at the Claremont Resorts & Spa in Berkeley, California. We drove up Saturday afternoon to take McKay swimming and check the place out. Of course, he wasn't done swimming when it was time to go get ready for the formal party but the promise of a bath helped.

We took McKay to the babysitting room (the company provided babysitters) and headed to the reception. We enjoyed visiting with Jeff & his wife Sarah (Jordans Project Manager) as well as another couple Jordan works with. We sat with the Malloys and another couple from BYU, the McPhees) at dinner. The servers couldn't believe it: none of us wanted wine or coffee when it is all free! Dinner was Grilled Fillet Mignon and Jumbo Shrimp. We enjoyed our meal and getting to know the other couples better.

After dinner was the 'Casino Night'. We each got $500 we could turn in for tokens to gamble with. Jordan and I went to get McKay and put him to bed. The McPhees were also taking care of their little 2 year old and 4 month old boys. As we were leaving, they told us they had decided to just go home and gave us their tokens. SWEET! We put McKay to bed, using our cell phone monitoring system (leave one phone in the room and call the other one to listen to him) and got our tokens. We played a couple of games and then it was time to turn in our tokens for raffle tickets. There were about 15 prizes ranging from a huge LCD TV (that everyone wanted) to a kids scooter to an Ipod, video camera, camera, portable dvd player etc - all really nice gifts. Plus, each couple got to put their name in a 'mystery bag' for a chance to win one of the 15 cash gifts on the tree. There were about 300 people there. Long story short, Jordan won $50 and I won a Blu-ray/DVD player. We did get a few comments like 'wow, you guys really cleaned up tonight' and 'you know now you can't win anything next year.' We were pretty excited. It is fun to win!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Too much happened to go into too much detail so I've decided to use bullets and pictures (the few I have from others' cameras) to record the last couple of weeks.

• We flew out of San Jose Christmas Eve and had a very uneventful trip to Idaho (thankfully!) McKay was a GREAT traveler.
  
• Christmas Eve and Morning with Grandpa and Grandma Moser & Kim & Frank.
• Opened presents 3 times: In CA, the gifts we didn't want to pack, Christmas Morning, and at Grandma and Grandpa Cardon's house, the day after Christmas.
• Lots & Lots of snow!
• Lots and Lots of people celebrating Kent's birthday.
• McKay fell down the steep stairs at Grandpa & Grandma Mosers.
  
• Sledding, soup & scones at Tyson & Mandi's. McKay's first time sledding. He also saw a horse for the first time and loved it.
  
• Celebrated our anniversary: Dinner at Blackstone in Logan.
• We bought 19 #10 cans and 2 37# buckets of dried food storage at Macey's
• I enjoyed my christmas present from Jordan: a massage and an adjustment at Ira's office. Jordan got a much needed adjustment & orthodics.
  
• Jordan went to Nicky & Ira's in Smithfield for a New Years Eve party while McKay and I stayed home and had a nice quiet evening together. McKay got his many times asked for bath and we read lots of books. We went to bed early... the staying asleep part was the hard part.
• We enjoyed a delicious turkey dinner at Grandma & Grandpa Cardon's in Benson on January 1 to celebrate Brigham & Bridgers 10th birthday.
• We enjoyed Japanese food and entertaining conversation at Nicky & Ira's to celebrate Shawn's birthday.
  
• We watched the Utes beat Alabama.
• I got a much needed haircut.
  
• We visited Jordans friend Nick.
• McKay decided he can feed himself all by himself all the time, no matter what he is eating.
• The Moser Family Biggest Loser Contest rules were officially set... after much discussion. :)
  
• We went to Salt Lake with Kent and Kathy on the 3rd. We stopped to see Travis and his girls and Robin, Reece & Taylor. We also enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Cracker Barrel.
• We flew home early on the fourth after a VERY short night. So nice to be home! We were welcomed by 50 degree weather and green grass - not to rub it in or anything of course... :)
  

McKay was very careful opening up his gifts. After he tore off each little piece, he took it to the trash.

LtoR Jordan & McKay, Ira & Kamden, Shawn & Ryan, Derrick & Desmond, and David & Marley standing.

"I need to go help Mandi help the kids over the fence." Lets just say he didn't make it before the kids were all through the fence and on their way up the hill. The snow was deeper than it looked!

Thanks to Nicky & Kelli, McKay had winter clothes to wear sledding. The hill the rest were going down was a bit too much for McKay (plus, how could we get across the snow to the hill?) so Jordan did the next best thing...

Yes that is the snow that has been packed on the road. The first time was a little too fast for McKay so Jordan used his feet to control the speed and McKay kept asking for more and more.

His boots were a little too big for him to walk so we just carried him up the hill.

Up close and personal...

and lovin' every minute of it!

Things to Remember

12-31-08
McKay mimics what he sees others do. If someone yawns, McKay starts yawning. If someone uses their hands while talking, McKay mimics the movement. Sometimes it is pretty funny to see his interpretation of what we are doing.

The never-fail method of breaking the ice with McKay while visiting in Idaho was giving 'knuckles' to everyone in the room. Once in a while, if someone was a little too overbearing, they would get skipped as McKay made his way around the room.

12-22-08
Lately McKay has been sticking his tongue in his cheek, especially when he is concentrating. It is really cute.

12-16-08
Usually when it gets 'too quiet' you need to check on your child. With McKay, when he is quiet he is usually reading a book somewhere. His favorite place is in the corner where the two couches meet.

McKay likes to stand in my closet with his face in my skirts and wait for me to ask where he went. He also hides his face in the mattress of our bed. Just another version of hide-and-seek/peek-a-boo.

Yesterday McKay put his Legos in Jordan's shoes and the lids in the dishtowel drawer that was left open an inch or so.

Lately McKay has started singing. I have been playing Christmas music a lot and he usually starts singing with the 'gloria's in 'Angels We Have Heard on High'. He also LOVES to have Jordan or I dance with him, especially when we spin. He dances on his own too: turning in a circle & bending his knees to the 'beat'.

This morning we finished off a gallon of milk with breakfast and McKay watched me as I smashed the empty jug with my foot. This afternoon we were in the utility room doing laundry and McKay saw the empty jug waiting to be taking out to the recycling bin. He put it on the floor and proceeded to step on it. Nothing gets past this kid!

12-9-08
When we lay McKay down for a nap or for the night, if we don't pat him on the back, he pats us to remind us. Sometimes it turns into a game.

Whenever McKay is on my shoulders or standing next to me on the bench at church or any other time he can reach my hair, he likes to play with it. Once in a while he pulls but that is quite rare. He just likes to run his fingers through it and twirl it around. It actually feels pretty good!

12-3-08
Today at the playgroup at the church, McKay and another little boy were playing with the pom poms. Several of the plastic 'strings' fell out and McKay picked up each one and took it to the trash can. Thats MY boy! :)

12-2-08
When he isn't in the fridge as soon as the door opens, McKay likes to go to the other side of the door and peek through the crack at us as we get what we need out. Another game that doesn't seem to get old!

12-1-08
McKay loves the 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' especially 'when the rain came down and washed the spider out.' He laughs every time.

When we got home from being gone for about 4 1/2 days for Thanksgiving, McKay ran all over the house squealing with delight. He'd take a big breath and let it out in a squeal. We enjoyed watching him. He was so happy to be home and out of his car seat!

Hiding, Headphones & Rings

One of McKay's favorite places to go is between the couches. There is just enough room (conveniently) for him to squeeze through. We keep some of his books back there (they don't all fit) and he loves to go back there and read them. I'll be fixing dinner or something and he is really quiet. Usually he is sitting somewhere reading a book. I am so glad he loves to read books, though sometimes I think he takes advantage of the fact that I will almost always stop what I am doing to read a book he brings to me. I have a feeling we will be moving the couches to make the 'door' bigger when McKay gets bigger.

We opted to put up a little Christmas tree this year and leave our big tree in the garage. McKay loves our little tree and will often go back there to look at the lights, growl at the bear ornaments, or smell the tree. (yes, it is fake). The Christmas lights in our house are always on as long as McKay is around!

Whenever I am in my room folding laundry or something McKay is usually playing in the closet (unless he is putting Jordan's clothes or shoes left on the floor in his (McKay's) hamper). Today he found my water shoes and kept putting the little draw string up to his ear. Sometimes we let him hear the music playing on the ipod on one headphone an inch or so from his ear. It looked like a headphone to him.

I kept asking him if he could hear music and he kept trying to hear something. They do look pretty similar. This picture was taken with the video camera. :(

I don't think I'll ever put these rings up! Who knows what he will do with them next?! He also walks around the house with canning bottle rings on his arms, left over from playing in the lid drawer. He is getting pretty creative with where he puts things. He filled Jordan's shoes with Legos and stuffed all the lids he could into the dishtowel drawer that was open a couple of inches. I am thoroughly enjoying McKay as his personality continues to develop and as he explores and learns. He is a fun little guy with a contagious laugh.

Wrapping Paper Test

You Are Considerate and Mature

You approach the holidays with responsibility and cooperation. You'll do your part to make sure that everyone else has a happy holiday. You aren't particularly picky or high maintenance during the holidays. You're happy to be in the company of people you love, and you're willing to "go with the flow." Of all the types, you are the most likely to give someone exactly what they want. You're also the most likely to wrap all your presents well - to prevent peeking!

The Wrapping Paper Test

Broken

Today I was videoing McKay and the camera battery died. So, I plugged it in, set it on the kitchen table and started taking pictures with my digital camera. McKay is getting taller and can reach EVERYTHING. He started to pull on the video camera strap. I reached to save the video camera from sudden death and the digital camera in my hand hit something... still not sure if it was the table, a chair, or the wall. The lens won't retract now and the camera doesn't work. :( I have a few pictures I haven't posted yet and I CAN take pictures with my video camera - the quality isn't as good though. I wonder if it is too late to send a letter to Santa...

McKay-boy & the Christmas Creche

Can you tell where the oatmeal landed when McKay was in-charge of the spoon? Now I remind him, 'nice and slow', with each bite he takes. He gets excited and goes too fast and oatmeal flies off the spoon REALLY well.

McKay loves to peek at us when we open the fridge. Some games never get old!

Tuesday night we went to Palo Alto to the Christmas Creche exhibit. We were not allowed to take pictures but you can click here to go to the website. We were able to watch a Marionette show about the birth of Christ, which McKay really enjoyed, especially when we sang songs. It was amazing to see the different nativity scenes from all over the world. Each one was so unique and reflected the country in which it was created. All of them had a Baby Jesus even if instead of sheep or donkeys they had elephants. We figured that at least 50% of the people there were not members of our faith and several of the nativities had been loaned by other churches in the area. What a wonderful tool to bring the community together, in our church building, to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. No one who attended this amazing event could have any doubt that we are christians. Every room in that church was filled with nativities and a sweet spirit. We plan to make the Creche exhibit a part of our Christmas each year.

2008 Christmas Letter

Minutes from the Annual Moser Family Meeting
Date: December 1, 2008
Attending: Jordan – Managing Member, Maria - Managing Member, and McKay – President

All present agreed that 2008 had two major events that affected the entire family.

1. In April, Jordan graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor degree in Construction Management.
2. In May, the whole family moved to Santa Clara, California. Everyone present at the meeting agreed that this was a good move for our family and that we are enjoying our new location. We were very fortunate to find a great duplex with several parks within a mile of our home. We have enjoyed several day trips including to San Francisco, to the Beach in Santa Cruz, and to the state parks.

Next, we discussed the activities of each member of the family.

• Jordan was thrilled to graduate from BYU after four and a half years of intense schooling. With the recent turn in the economy, we are even more grateful we decided he should increase his credit load and go to school year round to graduate a year earlier than planned. After a seemingly endless search for a job, he accepted a position as an Office Engineer for Hensel Phelps Construction in Northern California. He has enjoyed the learning curve and has progressed quickly. He has been trusted to oversee responsibilities seldom given to an office engineer and is quickly earning the respect of those with whom he works. Jordan enjoyed going with his Dad and some of the other ‘Moser Men’ on a four-wheeling trip to Moab, Utah. The trip was the perfect graduation present! Jordan’s current calling is to make sure the church gets cleaned every Saturday morning (every other month). He has taken advantage of the opportunity to play basketball after the work is done.

• Maria has enjoyed transitioning to being a full-time stay-at-home mommy and a CPA part-time instead of the other way around. She likes the change-of-pace of being able to work for King & McCleary (the firm she worked for in Utah for four years) several hours each week, depending on their need and her time. She loves being home with McKay and watching him learn and grow. She is the second councilor in the Young Women’s Presidency and has enjoyed getting to know the young women in the ward as well as the other leaders. She always has some project she is working on and never seems to get bored!

• McKay turned the big ONE on July 17th. This year included a lot of FIRSTS for him including, walking & running, seeing the ocean, flying on a plane, his first words (mama, eese (Cheese) yoyo (yogurt), ha (hat), dada, ya), lots of baby sign language & animal sounds, his first hair cut, a mouth full of teeth, and the list goes on. He LOVES to be outside and points to all the airplanes, birds, dogs, flowers, and butterflies we see. He is very friendly and waves to everyone he sees & usually is rewarded by a smile and ‘you’ve made my day!’ He loves to smell all the roses in our yard (sniff sniff!) a few times each time we go out and loves to spin around on the grass and pretend to be dizzy long after the real dizziness has worn off. He loves to play on the beach and can’t wait for his parents to set him down once we get close enough for him to walk. He loves to read books and to go to the library program for ‘Young Ones’ each Thursday morning. He empties the lid drawer in the kitchen AT LEAST once each day (with permission… the drawer is too heavy for him to open on his own!) and plays with his Lego-blocks every day. He loves to watch Baby Einstein, especially Baby Da Vinci which talks about body parts. McKay loves to sing songs, especially if they have actions, and bobs his head every afternoon when the music truck (a.k.a. ice cream truck) drives past. He asks for a bath in the evening and gets SO excited when it is finally time to dump all his bath toys in the tub. McKay loves to do whatever we are doing and often insists on being able to watch what we are cooking, which can be quite tricky sometimes. He imitates the inflection in our voices and always makes us laugh at his accuracy. Whenever he sees or hears Daddy and Mommy kiss, he can’t be left out and gets a kiss from Daddy and Mommy too. McKay is our delight and joy. We love being his parents and couldn’t imagine life without our sweet ‘little man.’

After discussing our activities for the year, all present agreed the Moser Family had a wonderful year and hope our family and friends enjoy a safe and happy holiday season as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and usher in a New Year.

Thanksgiving

We went to my Aunt Mary's home in Palmdale, CA for Thanksgiving this year. The drive both ways was AWFUL. The freeways just weren't big enough for the volume of cars. A drive that should take five hours took us at least seven each way. On the way back we went about ten miles (and that is being generous) in one hour. We agreed it would have been better to drive 9 hours straight than to be stop and go, crazy drivers cutting you off, etc the whole way. Oh well. McKay was pretty patient both ways, thank goodness.

My brother Christopher (missionary next to me) is serving his mission in Palmdale/Lancaster and was able to come for Thanksgiving dinner. His release date is February 11,2009 (my birthday). It was a lot of fun to see him again and we had a very enjoyable Thanksgiving day.

Elder McCleve's birthday is December 4th so we surprised him with a cherry cheesecake with 21 huge candles on it. It was delicious (if I do say so myself ;)) and he was really excited to eat it. We figured a missionary going home soon didn't need anything that takes up too much space... so we gave him a huge bag of Peanut M&M's, a bag of homemade granola, and a cd of Christmas Music. We really enjoyed spending the day with the missionaries.

Mary offered to watch McKay for us while we went to Universal Studios (thank you!!) We had a wonderful time. The park was not very crowded and we only had to wait about 10 minutes for one of the rides. As we were returning to the park after lunch, a couple asked if we wanted their 'Front of Line' passes since they were leaving. SURE!!! It didn't take us long to see all of the attractions at least once. We really enjoyed our day.

The set for 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas'.

War of the Worlds. We only saw previews but it was pretty amazing to see a plane cut in half!

McKay with Aunt Mary showing off her 'Best Aunt' award. We REALLY appreciated her watching McKay for us as well as her amazing hospitality. We had a wonderful weekend.

Things to Remember

11-24-08
McKay likes to go behind the table and mess with the outlet that is three feet off the floor. So I arranged the table and chairs so he couldn't get back there & plugged in my wall flower. He got up from his nap, moved his high chair and the chair and got back there! I guess that 'trick' won't work anymore.

11-19-08
Today McKay and I met Jordan for lunch. We were talking and I said 'really' in a surprised tone and McKay copied me almost exactly from the back seat (only he didn't say 'really'... just the same tone & pitch as I did).

McKay's current sign vocabulary: way too many to name!

This morning, McKay was getting very frustrated because he didn't have my full attention. I finally finished what I was doing and took him to the rocking chair and held him close while we rocked. Every now and again he'd lift his head up, grin at me, turn his cheek for a kiss and lay his head back down. After 5 minutes or so, he was happy again. He's such a sweet boy.

11-16-08
When I ask McKay if he wants to read a book or go outside his response is usually 'ya ya ya ya' with his head bobbing up and down.

When we say 'come on' to McKay he starts waving both his arms in the 'come on' motion.

I think more people in our ward know McKay's name than ours.

McKay pinches his knees together when I am trying to fasten a clean diaper on him or snap up his onesie. The grin on his face tells me he knows EXACTLY what he is doing.

11-13-08
Today McKay and I were outside enjoying the 75 degree weather. We like to sit on our front porch step together. Well today, McKay kept coming over to me holding out his hand for me to hold and as soon as I would grab it and stand up, he'd laugh and point back at the step for me to sit back down. This happened several times; it was pretty funny.

11-6-08
Whenever McKay hears water running in the bathroom he starts asking/signing for a bath. He gets so excited for bath time!

McKay can point to his head, hair, ears, eyes, mouth/tongue, fingers, toes, and bellybutton. I'm sure I missed something...

McKay is very friendly and waves to everyone he sees walking or driving by. There are a lot of people in the grocery store!

Thanksgiving ABC's

This is the result of our Family Home Evening this week.

A - Apartment
B - Book of Mormon
C - Car
D - Degrees (education)
E - Eternal Family
F - Food & Friends
G - General Conference
H - Health
I - Ice Cream
J - Job
K - Kisses from McKay
L - Library & Laughing
M - Music
N - New Days/Years
O - Outdoors
P - Prop 8 Passing
Q - Quiet time
R - Revelation
S - Spouse
T - Temples
U - Understanding of the Plan of Salvation
V - Vision
W - Walks
X - eXamples
Y - Young'un
Z - ZZZZZ's (sleep!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Animal Sounds

McKay recently started doing the sounds for pig & snake so we got him on video doing those and some other animal sounds. (Click here to see McKay roaring like a lion). He likes to see himself when he is being videoed and I didn't do very well at getting his whole face. Sorry! The good thing about him being right up next to me is that you can hear him doing the sounds really well!

Husband Tag

1. Full name: Jordan Lance Moser

2. How long have you been married?: 3 Years on December 29th

3. How long did you date? Our first date was June 9th, second date was July 9th and then on from there. We got engaged over Thanksgiving and were married 5 weeks later. ;)

4. Who eats the sweets? Both of us, especially Ice cream

5. Who said "I love you" first? Well if you count singing with Brooks & Dunn 'Maria, I love you' then Jordan. But we ALL know that doesn't count so I did.

6. Who is taller? Jordan, by about 8 inches.
7. Who sings better? I am more musically inclined. ;)

8. Who is smarter? Depends on the subject.

9. Who does the laundry? Almost always me.

10. Who pays the bills? I do. Something to do with my profession...

11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do... closest to the door.

12. Who mows the lawn? the gardener every Wednesday

13. Who drives? Jordan most of the time, especially if it is a new place.

14. Who admits they are wrong? That would mean one of us would have to be wrong...

15. Who kissed who first? It just kind of happened - neither of us can claim that or holding hands first.

16. Who asked out who first? Jordan asked me out. I got home from work and my roommate told me Jordan Moser called (Jordan who?) and I was supposed to call him back if I got home within 20 minutes or so (everyone knows what THAT means). He needed a date for that night (Thursday) so he flipped through the ward directory. I had said 'Hi' a few times so he called. We hit it off but he went out of town then I did so it was awhile later before we went out again. How he asked me out for the second date is another good story...

17.Who wears the pants? We both do.

I am so lucky. I couldn't ask for a better husband! We compliment each other so well and have a lot of fun together. Life is good when you are married to your best friend for eternity.

Okay, so I can't just NOT tell how he asked me out for our second date. The apartment complex we lived in was remodeling apartments one at a time and we were asked to move into a newly remodeled apartment next door (tough decision) so they could remodel our apartment. Well Jordan didn't know that and he kept calling our old apartment. Then on Saturday morning we had a co-ed softball game. We walked home together after the game and he waited 30 minutes to call me. Surprise, surprise, the phone just rang and rang. You can imagine his frustration! That afternoon our ward had a ward birthday party for everyone who had a birthday during the month. I went to it and Jordan (who RARELY went to those activities) was there, hoping to see me. After one guy in the ward asked me to go ice skating that night (my legs were badly sunburned from the family reunion I had just returned from) I sat by Jordan on the couch. He proceeded to complain that no one is ever home at our apartment! He finally was able to ask me out for a few hours later and we had fun on his wonderfully planned date: disc golfing, Papa Murphy's take-n-bake pizza with Orange Julius & home made cookies, and 'watching' (I think we talked through the whole thing) Pirates of the Caribbean with their surround sound system. The rest is history! :)

As a side note, my sunburned legs were quite the topic of conversation at the ward activity and EVERYONE seemed to have a 'cure' for me. Well, unfortunately for me, I tried one of them between when I talked to Jordan and when we went out. This one consisted of getting the gel out of vitamin e capsules and putting that on the burn. NOT RECOMMENDED! Talk about a sticky mess! AND I didn't have time to get it off before we went out... yeah DISC GOLFING! I got so many bugs stuck to my legs, I was so embarrassed. I kept trying to discretely wipe the bugs off. Jordan was so sweet, he kept trying to help me. We skipped one of the holes that was out in the weeds and he offered to let me use his sweater to wipe the bugs off my legs. LOL! Oh well! Still makes us laugh (and now I finally have it written down!)

I tag Melinda, Kelli, Nicky, Angie, and Lashelle.

Mystery Spot & Sunsets at the Beach

Yesterday was a beautiful day with the high around 80 degrees so we decided it would be a crime to let it go to waste. We had heard about The Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz and had seen lots of bumper stickers (now we know it is because they hand them out like candy at the end of the tour) so we decided we'd go check it out. It is tucked up in the Santa Cruz mountains and the drive to get there was beautiful. We were both very skeptical about it but after having been there, we have decided it was well worth the time and money.

It is a mystery 'spot' where there is some force that makes strange things happen. Sounds crazy, I know but just take a look at the pictures and see what you think.

We are standing on two 2x4s that are level (the guide just happened to have a level handy to check it). I am standing outside the mystery spot and Jordan is standing inside the mystery spot. Notice how tall I am in comparison to Jordan; about to his nose.

Now I am in the mystery spot and he is outside it. Now I only come up to his collar. Obviously, I prefer the first picture.

It may not look like it, but I am standing up straight. The building started on top of the hill and slid down till it hit the center of the mystery spot and stopped.

We are standing up straight on top of the table. McKay wasn't too sure about being up there. Even though he wasn't walking (honestly I don't think he could have) he was having a hard time getting his mind to adjust.

Once again, standing up straight.

Jordan standing up straight on the ladder. Pretty crazy huh?! Click here if to read more about The Mystery Spot.

After we ate a late lunch at the Santa Cruz Diner (we're not fans) we went to the beach. We found a beautiful beach and watched the sunset. We love sunsets; really it is only one 'sunset' but it looks so different from minute to minute we saw many sunsets at the beach. McKay LOVED running and playing in the sand and had a blast throwing little fist fulls of wet sand. Notice he isn't looking at the camera in hardly any of the pictures. I think he probably wouldn't have looked if we had both been standing on our heads, he was SO focused on what he was doing. Watching McKay have so much fun as well as enjoying the beautiful sunset made us go home feeling like we had spent a week away relaxing somewhere. Okay, maybe not a week but at least we felt like we had a rejuvenating weekend!

Family Home Evening

McKay loves it when we have family home evening. Maybe it is because he has the completely undivided attention of BOTH parents. Maybe it is the songs we sing. Maybe (hopefully) it is the Spirit he feels. Maybe it is because he knows we love him so much. Maybe it is everything!

We have started using the new nursery manual, 'Behold Your Little Ones', as the basis for our family night. I condense the lessons for McKay and will gradually do more of the activities as he is able to do them. He loves looking at all the pictures and will fold his arms when he sees children folding their arms in the pictures. He loves to point to Jesus. We often skip ahead and look at all the pictures in the book. :) It is a wonderful book!

A New Hat and a Tasty Treat!

McKay trying out Jordan's new 'haa'.

After dinner, Jordan gave McKay a graham cracker with chocolate frosting on top. I am pretty sure he has more frosting on his face than made it in his mouth!

Sweet is the Peace

With all of the emotion and contention I have been feeling in the world this last week or so I have sought to feel peace. On the 5th, when all the results of the election were becoming final and protests and rallies were beginning to take place, I desperately sought to bring peace into my home. I couldn't sit and read scriptures because dinner needed to be prepared and McKay was anxious to help me and have my attention. So, I went to the Church's website and started streaming this October General Conference. Instantly, the Spirit of the Lord filled our home and I felt peace.

The closing hymn for the Saturday Afternoon session was 'We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet' and even though I was busy in the kitchen, I was impressed by the significance of the hymn, especially the second verse.

We thank thee, O God, for a prophet
To guide us in these latter days.
We thank thee for sending the gospel
To lighten our minds with its rays.
We thank thee for every blessing
Bestowed by thy bounteous hand.
We feel it a pleasure to serve thee
And love to obey thy command.

When dark clouds of trouble hang o’er us
And threaten our peace to destroy,
There is hope smiling brightly before us,
And we know that deliv’rance is nigh.
We doubt not the Lord nor his goodness.
We’ve proved him in days that are past.
The wicked who fight against Zion
Will surely be smitten at last.

We’ll sing of his goodness and mercy.
We’ll praise him by day and by night,
Rejoice in his glorious gospel,
And bask in its life-giving light.
Thus on to eternal perfection
The honest and faithful will go,
While they who reject this glad message

Shall never such happiness know.

I am so grateful for a living prophet today who 'guides us in these latter days' and for the power of music.

In October 1978, Elder Neal A. Maxwell gave a devotional address at BYU entitled 'Meeting the Challenges of Today.' He said:

"Discipleship includes good citizenship; and in this connection, if you are careful students of the statements of the modern prophets, you will have noticed that with rare exceptions -- especially when the First Presidency has spoken out -- the concerns expressed have been over moral issues, not issues between political parties. The declarations are about principles, not people, and causes, not candidates. On occasions, at other levels in the Church, a few have not been so discreet, so wise, or so inspired.

But make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters; in the months and years ahead, events will require of each member that he or she decide whether or not he or she will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions (see 1 Kings 18:21)

President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had "never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional, or political life" (CR, April 1941, p.123). This is a hard doctrine, but it is a particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ."

Notice the date this address was given: October 10, 1978. Thirty years ago we, as a people (I wasn't around then...) were warned by the Lord's 'watchman on the tower' about what is happening TODAY. 'We’ve [definitely] proved him in days that are past.' What other counsel has the Lord given us, through His servants, that we should be following?

Freedom of Speech

Why is it that those who are crying for 'Equality for All' are so quick to limit my rights by taking away my freedom of speech? We have had 3 vote 'Yes on 8' signs stolen from our yard. The first one was stolen almost a week after we put it out. We had not been bringing it in at night and when we woke up Sunday morning, it was in shreds on our lawn. The second one was stolen yesterday afternoon. I assumed I made it too easy for someone walking by to take the sign off the wires by putting it too close to the sidewalk; I wanted more people to see it. It also rained all day yesterday. So we got another sign today at church and this time I taped it to the wires and put it out in the yard close to the house and opened the windows. An hour after the last time I looked out the window, the sign was gone. Today was a beautiful, clear sunny day. The first time our sign was gone, I was furious that someone would do such a thing and started taking our sign in each night. When they handed out more signs at church we got an extra one and I hung it up in our window. Now I have given up on putting the signs in our yard and the only sign we will have is the one in our window.

This afternoon we had a knock on our door. Our neighbor directly behind us (they live in the duplex owned by the same woman as us and we share our back fence) was at the door. She introduced herself and said she was outside pruning her roses and saw a couple of girls who were jogging by take our sign. These neighbors have 3 'vote no' signs up in their house and one in each of their cars. She said that even though we are on opposite sides, she wanted to let me know what she saw and that she doesn't agree with it. We then went on to talk about how we are both so tired of this whole thing and are ready for it to be over. She said how much they enjoy hearing McKay laugh and play and told me she has a 18 year old son and a 21 year old daughter. I then asked if the other woman (who appears to be much older and was waiting in the car) was her mom. No, she is her partner. Excuse me while I take my foot out of my mouth! Oops! How embarrassing. We visited for a minute longer and she left. I am glad she did what she did even though she was obviously very nervous. Honestly, I had suspected them of our 'sign problems'. On all my walks in the neighborhoods around us, I have NEVER seen two opposing sides with signs out next door to each other. We assumed that we would never be very good friends with our neighbors as soon as we saw them put their signs out, a week after we put our sign out. But tomorrow, I am going to take some cookies over and thank her for her effort and tell her I hope we can be friends no matter what happens. BEFORE we find out who 'wins'. I can't wait for Tuesday to be over. Then hopefully the 'NO's being painted on the Yes houses driveways will stop and the Yes' being burned on No's yards and the No's blocking the entrance to the temple will STOP. Maybe then the media will stop being biased. (Yeah right!) I don't like the feeling of contention and anxiety I feel. Yesterday I finished making my phone calls to registered voters about Yes on Prop 8. It was a very depressing couple of hours. I hung up on one lady who was tearing into me and was glad I couldn't answer when a number I left a message on was calling me back. I probably should have answered because I am SURE he was calling to ask how he could call people for 'YES on 8' and get a sign for his yard. I was so thrilled when I got a few people who said they were going to vote yes. Unfortunately for me, I think I was calling a very liberal street. Luckily, I got a lot of voice mails and not too many, angry people, though the few I got were more than enough to last me a long time. Emotions are VERY high and it really makes me nervous for what may come. We are fighting a clear battle and all we can do is to make sure we are doing the things we have complete control over. We can strengthen our own family and do what we need to do to draw closer to the Lord. We can teach our children what a family is and how to combat the forces around us that will pull us down and teach otherwise. We can follow our living prophet who will guide us in these very troubled times. We can prepare for the Second Coming of our Savior. We can have FAITH and that is what will get us through, 'come what may'!

**Update: I had a good visit tonight with Kim and Sue. Nice people, good neighbors. Whew! That could have been awkward!

Halloween & Our Growing Boy

McKay has grown up so much this last month. I took him to his new doctor about a month ago and she wanted to see him again after she had a chance to review his record from our doctor in Utah. He grew 1 inch and 1/2 a pound in one month! Between that and his haircut, he seems so much older to us!

McKay giving my vitamins their daily shake.

We went to our ward Halloween party and McKay loved running around the gym in his dinosaur costume, kicking balloons and eating our food. After Jordan put his costume on, I helped him look at himself in the mirror. He loves his costume!

How often do you get lucky enough to have the camera all ready AND focused when your child does something like this? Funny boy!

McKay has always loved to be outside but now going out at least two times each day is a must. I am so glad we have a little yard! He is having a lot of fun playing in the leaves.

We weren't going to take McKay trick or treating but when we were outside playing earlier in the day, a couple of neighbors said they were looking forward to seeing him so we decided we had better not disappoint them! ;) McKay wasn't too sure what to think at the first house. By the second house, he understood that they wanted him to take their candy and transfer it to his bucket. He didn't quite understand why she only let him take 3 mini candy bars... there were still some left in her bowl!

McKay was very polite and signed 'thank you' at all three houses. Pretty good 'loot' for three houses huh!?! BTW: McKay LOVES to sit on the front porch step. He backs up until he can feel it on the back of his legs and then sits. He is the perfect size! We usually start our 'outside time' sitting on the step.

One of the houses had Ritz Bits (peanut butter cracker sandwiches). Obviously, McKay LOVED those! We let him have all of those and helped him eat the rest of his candy. We try to help out as much as we can!

Things to Remember

10-28-08
McKay loves to play with my vitamin bottles after I take them each morning. Everyday they get a good shaking!

I often give McKay milk to drink while I change his diaper. He pats the floor next to him and when I ask if he wants me to lay by him, he grins and nods 'yes'. "uh huh!" Once I am next to him, he'll start patting the other side of him. No, I'm not playing that game!

McKay likes the song 'If you're happy and you know it', especially when we say 'wiggle your ears!'

McKay loves 'yo yo' (yogurt) and 'eese' (cheese).

10-25-08
McKay has had a cold the last few days and hasn't been his normal happy self. Today he was 'helping' me make pumpkin bread and when he would start to whine, if I mimicked him, he thought it was the funniest thing ever, laughed at me and even started to mimic and make fun of himself.

10-24-08
Yesterday McKay figured out that his finger fits up his nose. He has had a runny nose/cough the last few days so I think that might have helped it out. It was so funny - he got a very serious look on his face and put his finger up his nose and just left it there. I couldn't help but laugh so then he thought it was funny too and grinned at me.

10-22-08
After I buckle McKay into his carseat, I give him a kiss on the cheek. Naturally one is not enough so McKay opens his mouth wide open and says 'ah' as loud as he can, asking for more kisses. I am always in too much of a hurry to see how long he'll keep asking for them and can hear him calling to me as I walk around the car.

I must say 'um hum' a lot because McKay does too.

I know dinner is good and McKay is enjoying it when he says 'uhm mmm' after each bite. His latest favorites are cucumbers and spaghetti pie.

When McKay wants to hold my hand for help down a step or to show me what he wants, he holds his arm straight up in the air reaching for me with his hand open and ready. It is so cute.

We love to hear McKay laugh and will often do the silliest things just to get a chuckle out of him. It isn't very hard most of the time, especially when HE knows we are playing with him. McKay is so much fun.

10-13-08
This morning as we were getting in the car to go to playgroup, McKay waved to a man jogging by. The man noticed, grinned, waved back and said 'that just made my day!'

10-11-08
McKay loves to nod his head and say 'ya'. Unfortunately for communication purposes, that doesn't always mean 'yes'. But like Jordan said, at least he doesn't say 'no'! He is so agreeable!

McKay loves his pacifier but he only gets to have it for naps & bedtime. Usually it falls out of the crib once he falls asleep but once in a while he still has it when we get him up. When he decides he wants a drink or something to eat, usually right after he gets up, he quickly hands the pacifier over in exchange for what he wants.

10-9-08
When I lay McKay down for his nap during the day, I love it when he lifts his head from my shoulder and puts his cheek up to my lips for a kiss. It doesn't get much sweeter than that!

McKay has gotten to where he can recognize when we are walking to the park (a couple of different parks near us) and about a half a block before we get there, he gets so excited!

McKay loves to bounce his balls in the kitchen and watch where they go. I think he likes the noise as well as the uncertainty of where they will go due to the cupboards, table & chairs. We have to be careful where we walk though because there are usually still balls on the floor!

10-4-08
Jordan usually takes McKay to bed, after we help him say his prayers. I give him hugs and kisses (usually involving our 'kissing game' see note 8-25-08) and then they head off to McKay's room. When they get to the doorway to the hall, McKay turns to start blowing me kisses. (The first time he did it, Jordan thought he was signing 'drink'.) He puts his hand up to his mouth with all his fingers spread out and softly says 'ha... ha...ha...' Usually, his hand doesn't leave his mouth. When I put him down for naps, I always blow him kisses just before I close the door and he goes through the motion of blowing them back, usually with his pacifier in his mouth. It is so sweet!

10-2-08
McKay grunts A LOT. He grunts for me when I lift him into the shopping cart, into his car seat and into his highchair, to name a few. He grunts when he is helped up or down a big step and when he throws a ball or lifts a toy. He grunts as he sits down on the floor. He even grunts when he is reaching/asking me to get him something - like grunting will make me move faster or make him taller to reach what he wants! Makes me laugh every time.