We're going to see STING!

one more.... how did I miss it?

Sunday Best

This morning we had a couple of minutes before we needed to take off for church so we took a few family pics. Addy is looking especially festive with her new winter dress. I may be biased but I think she is adorable. (yes Dana, that is gum in her mouth... darn Asays)

What a princess!
Logan has grown nicely into the suit from Grandma and Grandpa. What a handsome boy.
And lastly, here is Mommy at 28 weeks. Looking mighty fine!

The day we gave away the binkies

When Logan was about 18 months old, he lost interest in his pacifier and was able to "quit" all by himself. Addy's experience has been a little more complicated. For her, the binky was like a drug or a switch that told her mind that it was time to sleep. We are fine with her using her binky but we started to get worried that with the new baby coming, she would have a harder time "quitting" if baby #3 was constantly using one in front of her. So.... we decided that she needed to make the transition before the baby gets here. So we told her to gather all of her pacifiers and we put them in a bag. We took the bag to the store and "gave them to the guy" in exchange for "binky bear."

It was a traumatizing experience and I am sure that she will never quite trust the poor guy at the store, but she is now going on 2 weeks without a binky. Sleeping is the biggest challenge. Without that switch to tell her brain to settle down and sleep she has had to relearn to do it on her own. But overall, she has done a really good job. Hopefully when the baby comes, we won't have to struggle again with it.

sugar plums dancing....

We went to a branch Christmas party and had Sarah come over to watch the kids. When we got home we went in to check on them and there they were, cute as ever... had to take a picture. Especially of Addy sleeping on Piglet.

new pj's

One of our traditions is to give the kids new pajamas before Christmas. This year we were so excited, we gave them on the first day of December.
Logan and Addy are such good kids, it is so fun watching them get excited. They are growing up so fast.

Happy PJ's day!!!

let it snow

We had our first real snow storm a couple of weeks ago. It was not enough to go out and play in but Addy sure had a blast watching it fall.

Makin Flakes

Last year we found this cool site that lets you cut out digital snowflakes. This year we made a family night out of makin flakes. Batman, Mario and Logan's masterpiece.


When he was done, he typed in his name. Computer class is his favorite time at school. He calls it "playing dot com."

Decking the Halls

With Thanksgiving over this weekend, we have been putting up our finishing touches to get ready for Christmas. We put the tree up the week we got back from the states but due to some exciting twinkle light short outs, we just got around to putting on the ornaments.
We put up the table and unpacked the boxes. It is fun to see all of the ornaments from years and memories past. This really gets the kids excited.
Logan and Addy each got a new ornament, they look like sugar cookies, cut in the shape of an "a" and a "L".
Addy took a bite just in case it was real. You can also see in this picture the results of her literal run in with the corner of the kitchen table.
Here are some other ornaments we fashioned out of trinkets from our travels this year. This is a plastic copy of an Allosaurus claw. (fits in beautifully next to our Alcatraz spoon)
This Lego man represents the hours Logan and I spent building Lego sets this year, and also our fun-filled trip to the Lego store at Disneyland.
This is a bat from the Haunted mansion at Disneyland. We had a blast this October trick-or-treating in the park with the kids. What fun memories.
Here is one of our new santas with a couple of Korean tigers.
Drum roll please.... here is the final product. We will have to wait for it to get dark to get the full effect of the 4000 + Chinese LEDs. Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

gracious gifts of the Most High God

Proclamation of Thanksgiving

Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863

This is the proclamation which set the precedent for America's national day of Thanksgiving. During his administration, President Lincoln issued many orders like this. For example, on November 28, 1861, he ordered government departments closed for a local day of thanksgiving.

Sarah Josepha Hale, a prominent magazine editor, wrote a letter to Lincoln on 28, 1863, urging him to have the "day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival." She wrote, "You may have observed that, for some years past, there has been an increasing interest felt in our land to have the Thanksgiving held on the same day, in all the States; it now needs National recognition and authoritive fixation, only, to become permanently, an American custom and institution." The document below sets apart the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise."

According to an April 1, 1864, letter from John Nicolay, one of President Lincoln's secretaries, this document was written by Secretary of State William Seward, and the original was in his handwriting. On October 3, 1863, fellow Cabinet member Gideon Welles recorded in his diary that he complimented Seward on his work. A year later the manuscript was sold to benefit Union troops.

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

October up the canyon

We are still wading through 4000 + images, will post some soon:)

Logan's new favorite dance song... give it about 30 seconds

Uncle Ryan taking Logan fishing!

Logan had a great time fishing with Uncle Ryan. We sure appreciate you taking Logan and he will always remember this fun experience with you. Love you guys!

What a Month!

Tie breaker results......

It's official, we went to the mall yesterday to take a peek at baby number 3 and the verdict is......


GIRL!!!

Logan and Addy are both excited to have a baby sister.

Utah is great, we went to walmart at midnight to buy fixings for salsa:) something we couldnt do in Korea.

Sorry for the confusion....(spencer's fault)

We have an appointment on Friday in the states (Saturday in Korea). We will let you know when we do. Did you all vote for girl because you think we gave up the answer?

just sayin....

Really.... another girl???

You guys really think I can handle another one? This house is not big enough for two pirate princesses....

Wah Waaaah .... wah wah wah wah wah wah.....

giddy-up little GTO... HERE I COME!!!

Allen.... Jeeps can be convertibles too :)
Dad.... I hear Goats eat S2000s for breakfast :)

UTAH, DISNEYLAND, NEW MEXICO... HERE WE COME!!!

Logan said, "It's better than Christmas"!
Visor.... check.
Crocs..... double check
Smiles..... okay buddy!

Second continent to the right and straight on till morning!

Baby Poll

All, we are going to hopefully find out the gender of #3 on Friday, if you would like to wager a guess, feel free to participate in our poll (Below on right). For the record, the Chinese calendars are undecided :)

A little of this and that.

So here I am 16 weeks pregnant and bigger than I ever was with the other two. (Or at least I feel that way.) But we are doing great and super excited about our new baby coming in March.
Logan and Addy were sick yesterday and I was in charge of Sharing Time in Primary so Spencer stayed home with the kids. I thought this was so cute, Logan decided to do Addy's hair and bless her heart she sat still for a long time.
This little girl is CRAZY!!
She didn't like me interrupting her reading time.
Addy loves, loves, loves books...and she loves them even when I'm not reading them to her.
This is a fun activity she enjoys to do while Logan is at school. I am pretty impressed she makes every single word herself. We lay out all the letters and she has a blast finding the right letters to fit the word.