Santa and Super Heroes

Christmas 2011 is going to one to remember for sure. This is the first year that Mc actually "gets" all the fuss about Santa, Christmas lights and the "chocolate door" advent calendar. She has again found her love for The Grinch and graces us with the Who's song almost daily, "Welcome Crees-maws, bring your light". She has told anyone that will listen she is getting a doll house for Christmas and wasted no time in telling Father Christmas the same thing, the second her bum was on his lap ("she gets right to business doesn't she", he said). She loves the baby Jesus in the nativity and takes it to bed with her almost every night.

It has been fun getting gifts for her and talking about all the magical stuff of Christmas that you kind of forget as you get older. She is SO excited to leave cookies for Santa!


Here is their picture with THE original Father Christmas at the Dickens Festival. The same Santa I remember when I was little. Kingston looks a little off but Mc, was poised and ready!





My favorite part of the Christmas season is the mail! I have always had a small obsession with getting the mail and opening letters addressed to me. I love to open the mailbox and find 5 cards a day addressed to my family and adding them to the collection.

Now there was one card this year that still puzzles me. I had an appointment with this OB office when we first moved back to Utah and I have been on their Christmas list for two years (even though I never went back). Last year's card...a little weird but this year...judge for yourself. How on Earth they got these Doctors to dress up as Super Heroes, much less pose with names like, "Captain Jelly Fingers", we will never know. One thing is for sure, I would feel MUCH safer with Wolverine delivering my baby or giving me my yearly exam.

Jack Attack

My child is starting to remind me more and more of Jack Jack Incredible, everyday. The smilest kid ever!

A day that will live in infamy

Prior to babies and blogs, Mark and I took a trip in 2008 to Hawaii to see U2. We flew into Hawaii on D-Day and while we were there had the opportunity to tour Pearl Harbor while the vets were there. What an amazing and humbling experience. These two men were nice enough to let me take a picture- the sweet man in red was MORE than willing and wanted me to consider leaving with him instead of Mark. The one in blue, as you can see, not so fond of being in the picture but did it anyway. It is 70 years tomorrow since Pearl Harbor. As the years go by I am sure less and less of the men that lived through and fought will be around to talk about what happened and how they felt. What an amazing honor that truly made me thankful for where I live.

To everything turn, turn, turn

Do you ever have one of those moments where you really have to think if something really happened- was that really my life? my kid? I stumbled across this picture today of Mckinley on her first birthday and did just that. We had come home to Utah to celebrate with family. I remember bits and pieces of that day, that trip, but the problem is at this moment, today, Mckinley was never this small. It feels like she has always been a vivacious three year old and we have always lived in Utah. Pieces of my past are starting to seem like they never happened- those six years in Arizona, life before kids, life before two kids, college. Maybe it is because I am knocking on 30's door but I am feeling like I want time to stop right where it is. Kingston is at the best age (really, babies start being fun @ 5 months), Mc is so excited for Christmas and Santa and I guess (seriously, getting teary eyed) I know someday I am going to look back and wonder, as Mark and I sit in our empty house with our kids gone and living their own lives...was that really my life?

Early Christmas!

As a kid, early Christmas meant getting something REALLY cool (ie-a Hypercolor sweatshirt, a Gameboy or the like). As an adult, it takes much more to really, really get excited and for me, that excitement came in the form of an L-shaped, gray sectional. Let us rewind, 8 years ago. Mark and I were getting ready to relocate to Arizona and had just given the two hand-me-down couches we had used in college to a homeless guy. My parents, so generously gifted us with the below green RC Willey gems-keep in mind, these couches had serviced a house full of 5 kids @ my parents house for at least 5 years prior to us taking over. So needless to say, 5 moves and 2 kids later, this couch didn't owe us anything. They were the most comfy couches, still smelled like eucalyptus from being under my mom's wreath and were free BUT it was time for something that hid the formula stains and didn't need to be spotted D.A.I.L.Y.

The new couch was a score! It fits the space much better, provides one extra seat and is stain repellent! The pillows were the floor standard so I am hoping for some yellow, turquoise..something brighter. Here is to you all finding what you want under/next to/around the tree this year!

Stuck in a moment, and I can't get out of it...

Well, Kingston turns 5 months this week. I missed the 4 months post so I figured I would combine them both :)

Dearest Kingston,
You are getting SO big! You are such a happy, mellow boy and are such a sweetie. Your little thighs are edible and your sweet disposition is such a blessing. You aren't such a fan of rice cereal. We keep trying every other day to see when you will stop gagging but so far, no such luck. You are generally sleeping through the night- occasionally you wake up @ 4:45 (usually on my nights!) and HAVE to eat. You get offended when we give you your binkie. You still hate your car seat. You can roll to your stomach like a champ but HATE being on your stomach- you will first, barf and then fuss until someone rolls you over, repeat. You love your sister! You could watch her for hours, listen to her sing and play and it will be so fun when you two can play together.

Still boggles my mind that in December, you will be in our family for 6 months! You are growing so fast but I am grateful everyday that I get to be home with you, bathe you (as you eat your washcloth) and see you learn new things.

Silver Lake

A few weekends ago, we had regional conference. Now let's be honest, 2 hours with two kids crammed on the fold up chairs- not gonna happen. The last time we tried, I ended up in the cry room- a fancy way of saying, we will plug in a 12 inch TV and you guys can come in and just let your kids cry all you want. It was bad. So, we decided to celebrate the Sabbath by enjoying the beauty of the Earth.

We packed up a few snacks and headed up to Silver Lake. We weren't the only people that had that idea. It was packed! The weather was perfect and Mc had a blast. She was so excited to experience the "forest" and to look for fish. We got to see some deer and the beautiful fall leaves. Living in Arizona, you truly forget how breathtaking the mountain side is when the leaves start to change.

Come with us and you will see, this our town of Halloween!

Halloween was so much fun this year! Mckinley is starting to understand the concept of holidays and the excitement that comes along with family traditions (we have already entered into the "this was the best day ever" and we haven't hit Christmas yet!!). I scored her costume @ a yard sale months ago and she fell in love. Notice the bows on top of this sweet little dragon, most people thought she was a boy so we had to "girl" it up a bit. We have massive amounts of candy at our house thanks to the ward Trunk-or Treat on Saturday and then Alex took her trick-or-treating @ her mom's work (we are talking full size candy bars!!). She loved saying trick-or-treat, helping Grandma Mary Ann pass out candy, playing at Mimi's with Brynlee & Devon and her rendition of "This is Halloween" (hello-ween) is pretty unforgettable.

Kingston was a little bat. A size six month onesie that Mark thought FOR SURE would be too big. It fit quite perfectly and looks rather darling if I do say so myself.

I lamed out this year and didn't dress up...something about two kids, time and creativity that seems to be lacking as the years go on. Maybe next year I will get brave and plan an adult Halloween party so Mark and I have a good excuse to bust it out.

On to Thanksgiving and Christmas! I love this time of year!

OOOOOOO, Witchy Women

Our annual Witchapalooza was a success! It was a great time! It is so fun to get dressed up, have some food and see a great show. We decided to make this our October Lindquist Ladies Night-me, Bree, Mom, Ashlee, Sunni, Jamie and Grandma. Grandma Cookie for a MONTH had been saying she wasn't going to dress up but as we were walking around Country Furniture, this little lady all in black sneaks up....it was Grandma! She looked awesome and definitely dressed to impress. We were missing Terrie, Ali and Debbie so we ended up with three ladies on our table, sans witch costumes and excitement, but still a great time. Here is to next year!!

THREE!!!!

We now have a three year old! I can't believe it! To celebrate the birth of our first, we partied it up Friday, Saturday and Sunday (crazy, I know!). After we put her to bed on Sunday, she looked up at Mark and asked, "are you coming to my party tomorrow?". Friday we hosted the Lawrence Family birthdays, Saturday- a pool party with her friends, and Sunday- the Williamsons Family birthdays. It was fun to see her get so excited about her presents, singing Happy Birthday and just being a big girl.

The pool party was awesome! I was worried with 10 kids, it would be a mad house but the Rec Center put on a great party. We had a princess theme but of course, a dinosaur cake (with the requested "cano" Volcano). Cannon, Devon, Ashley, Jane, Jill, Megan, Braeden, Avery, Brynlee & even Aunt Britty (who was a great helper!) all had a good time swimming, eating pizza and cake.

Mc & the dino cake.

Daddy and Mc in the pool (dad was a good sport to get in with her)

Mc & her cousin, Brynlee.

Mckinley and Alex. Alex took Mc to Toys R Us and let her pick whatever she wanted- she chose the Ken and Barbie duo from Toy Story 3.

Mckinley is a spitfire! She is so smart, has gorgeous "Barbie" hair, still loves Dinosaurs but has discovered Polly Pockets and Princess dolls. She loves to dance, eat chocolate, going to the pet store, watching movies and eating popcorn, loves to read books, do crafts, have her nails painted, play with her cousins, making new friends (even if they are 14 year old boys at the playgound) and playing with Alex. She loves packing up her "stuff" before we leave the house (anything that will fit in her backpack or purse), loves the movie "Rio", her daddy and Kingston.

We love you Mckinley! Happy Birthday!

The only thing that can fill the hole....

Last Thursday, clad in sweats and hair in a ponytail, I answer the door to a West Jordan city worker. At first, I was thinking someone's dog had gotten loose or that someone else (anyone else) had a water problem. He proceeded to tell me that our water usage was off the charts so he was told to come out and check our water main. Yep- it was leaking. He wasn't sure for how many days but was sure, that we had doubled, almost tripled our water usage during the last week. Mark rushed home, turned off the main and so began the FOUR DAY NO WATER ADVENTURE OF 2011. Mark's brother helped us to find a guy who would come, dig up my yard and replace the pipe but he couldn't come until Monday..M.O.N.D.A.Y. Toilet flushing, laundry, dishes, filling up bottles...all of it would be minimal because every time the water was on, gallons were leaking into the ground and we were adding $20 to our water bill (that was already outlandish).

What a blessing to live so close to family for showers, bottle washing, and laundry! Side note, nothing is more rank than a sink that has not had water run down it for 4 days. Blech! In a nutshell, we are paying someone to rip up my grass, concrete and flower bed BUT we have water. Just glad that it is going to snow soon and I don't have to look at the carnage much longer.

While deep in my stress induced cuticle chewing, Mark, in his infinite wisdom, told me to focus on something else. Who better than our sweet kiddos. Mckinley will be THREE on Sunday. Mind blowing to think that 3 years ago today, I was still pregnant, paranoid and about to become a mom for the first time! Kingston is almost 4 months, sleeping through the night and happy as they come.

Water or no water, life goes on!

90 Days

Our little man is 3 months old! By this time with Mckinley, I had already headed back to work leaving Mark at home in the Mr. Mom capacity so, for me, every milestone from here is a new one.

Things we love about the Kingman-

-has slept from 9-7:00 every night for a week

-rocks the size 2 diapers

- loves to chat and smile

-still hates the car seat

- is mesmerized by Mc singing & playing

-Wednesday nights are his least favorite. It is like he can feel my presence leaving the house as I head to mutual

-loves to "bite" anything that he can get close to his mouth

- thought you were teething...nope, just drooley

-isn't a fan of tummy time

- you are cuddler and love to just be held and loved on

- definitely a mamma's boy

This is him "talking" while I was trying to take his picture.

I think we have finally hit the routine that makes life with two kids seem normal and adjusted. It still isn't perfect but we are definitely getting there.

This is Mckinley tell me she is making a "pretty face" for the camera. Just hope this face doesn't make an appearance when we do family pictures next month :)

and if they don't dance well, they're no friends of mine

We came. We danced. We conquered (sort of). For the past few months, we had been working with Mc on going on the potty because only "big girls who pee in the potty get to do to dance class". She made it just in time! Classes started the beginning of September and she had been potty trained for about 3 weeks. Her class has 8 little girls, and one elderly, Miss Dixie (sporting her "eat, dance, sleep, repeat" t-shirt) as the teacher. Mc seemed kind of overwhelmed at first not really knowing what to expect. Let's be honest, the barrage of pink tutu's threw me off too. The galloping pony dance seemed to scare her a bit, she loved the "bunny jumping over the alligator" game and in the end, was Penguin walking like a champ. Mimi came to support her and bring her treats on her first day. I am sure it was also a show to watch this paranoid mom trying to keep her "active" child on task. All in all, it's fun to watch all the "firsts" for your kids because they are firsts for me too. I am excited to see her learn and I can't wait for the recital in Spring.

She was so excited to pose before dance.

Miss Dixie- the toddler whisperer.

a name and a blessing

Kingston in his "little man" blessing outfit.

It was awesome living in Utah when Kingston was born. Friends, family and everyone so close. It was even BETTER being in Utah to bless our son. We lived in Arizona when we blessed Mc and a lot of people couldn't come down A) because they had just been in town when she was born in October, B)our house could only fit so many and C) let's be honest, a 13 hour drive doesn't sound all too appealing at any time.

We blessed Kingston @ 11 AM. Family and friends filled the chapel (we were later thanked by the Bishop because it looked like a full house since so many were gone for Labor Day and our family alone filled most of the benches). Mark gave an amazing blessing. My favorite "that you may bring many to the Gospel with your personality"- how amazing is that. Mark asked his Dad to stand in the circle which was a special moment and it is always so cool to see all those worthy men surrounding our son.

Afterward, we had a little get together @ our house. We truly tested the capacity of our upstairs and had probably close to 50 people crammed and cozy wherever they could fit. We made it work!! Guessed about right on the food (not too much left over) and it was a great excuse to deep clean my house.

Mark bore his testimony about Family- I would have mirrored that testimony had I not been on the verge of tears the whole meeting. We are truly blessed beyond what we deserve. I sat back Sunday when everyone was gone. Both babies sleeping. Mark at the church doing is Financial Clerk responsibilities. We have a beautiful home. Two healthy, darling babies. Jobs. Each other. Supportive family. The ability to serve. Life long friends. Great parents. Good examples. I am grateful everyday that we are back in Utah and that my children will get to be around all the good things in life because we have our family here.

Three Generations. Just sad that Grandpa Junior missed it by a few months. I am sure he was there in Spirit.

Our Family of Four.

Mimi, Papa and Aunt Britty

Grandma Mary Ann

I think Kingston and Daddy were BOTH happy to be out of their ties by the end of the day.

60 days

Kingston is two months old! On one hand, it seems like he has always been a part of our family and on the other, it seems like only yesterday he was born. He really is a good baby and I think we (by "we" I mean Mc) have made the adjustment to this little guy being in our home. At his two month appointment he weighed 12 lbs 5 ozs and is 23 inches long. The shots were pretty traumatic- he has this heart piercing cry and because he doesn't cry very often, it was really sad. He has been a little feverish and that makes me the nervous mom wondering how he will react and constantly checking on him to make sure he is ok.

Mc decided to cooperate with the picture taking and wanting to help hold the "two month" sign for her baby brother.

Sunday night he made the switch from the bassinet to the big boy crib. He is doing 5-6 hour stretches which is really nice considering I go back to work on Monday. He still isn't a fan of his car seat. Slept all but 30 minutes of church last week and is so smiley. He loves to coo and is a sweet addition to our family.

Yo, yo look who is big enough for the Bumbo.

Summer days, drifting away

Oh neglected blog! Finding time to blog about life, aside from a quick facebook status update, has definitely been something (among various other things) that has been cast aside. I venture to say we have done quite a bit this summer and going back to work at the end of the month is going to be a little bit of a shocker. So to document the summer of 2011....

We have done lots of this:

Swimming at Mimi's. Mc has found the floaties and never looked back. Swim lessons next summer for sure.


Also lots of this:

First Family outing- Rio Tinto zoo day. Everything was F.R.E.E. The carousel, train, food. Note Mark's super excitement as he double fists an Icee. (thanks Mimi and Papa).

Mc with her first face painting. She picked the pink/glitter plastered dinosaur.

We have had some of these:

Naked tantrums. A bare bum on the cold entryway tile seems to be the ultimate form of rebellion at our house.

And we even managed to get in some of this....

YARD WORK! Our front yard is finally done. It is really nice to pull into actual plants and bushes rather than a kitty litterbox/rock/weed garden. My parents helped me select and plant these little beauties.

In the last few weeks of vacation I have left we have plans for BBQ's, cool summer evenings, more fresh BLT sandwiches, Mark working on his motorcycle, me working on my tan and soaking up every last bit of the summer we can before it's over.