A cute moment with Noah....

As I was typing away today trying to update our blog as it has been a couple of weeks, Noah brought this picture to me. As you can see it is a picture of me with my Grandma Partin and my Grandma Thueson, taken in front of the Oakland, Ca temple on my wedding day. Here's a little bit of our conversation concerning this picture....

N: "Look mom it's you and Granny Milkshake. Maybe we can go see the other granny."

M: "Sorry, Granny Partin lives in Heaven, with Jesus and Heavenly Father."

N: "Maybe we can drive there."

M: (silence, trying to think of what to say next)

N: "Maybe we can go there super fast!"

It made me laugh as he really was serious about meeting his Granny Partin. Unfortunately she passed away before he was born. I actually credit her with our success in getting pregnant with Noah. We had been trying for a while and one of the last things she said before she passed away is: "when I get to heaven, maybe I can pull some strings, and send Dan and Shauna a baby." We found out we were pregnant about a month after her passing... so, she did a great job.

Now, I'm just trying to do my best at raising him.

Who's that girl?

Here's a picture of Zoe taken the other day at Babies 'R Us. She had managed to pick up all the trick-or-treat bags she could reach and declare: "cheap," and "I need them!"Even though we named her: Zoe Sofia McDonald, she'd rather be known as, or should I say, she insists that she is "June" from the Little Einsteins.Is this a case of mistaken identity, or an active imagination? (Remember she's only 21 months old)

She also insists that she is "My Son" and not "My daughter." When I try to correct her she says: "No, I not..I son!"

She also demands to go on the Potty, while at the mall, even though she wears a diaper, and we haven't even started to potty train her yet. Yes, she did pee in the potty. Plus, between her and Noah everyone in the restroom got a good laugh.

Needless, to say she manages to keep life interesting.

Insect Races....

Here are some pictures from a park, Noah has been begging to stop at for some time now. As, "wouldn't it be fun to ride on the bugs?" So, the other day after leaving a friends house and him throwing yet another big fit (he hates to leave people's houses) I decided to stop for a few minutes. The kids had a lot of fun, it snapped Noah out of his rotten mood, and it took up more time in the day, resulting in Nap time coming that much sooner once we got home.

Uncle Trevor's....

Here are some pictures from a recent visit at Uncle Trevor's house. He happened to be on the route to Elgin, Or. So, we decided to stop on the way home and spend the night and half of a day with him and his family. The kids had a lot of fun playing with their cousins and threw the biggest fit when it was time to leave.

Zoe swinging like a baby....
Zoe and Michelle....
One of the girls riding a horse...
Zoe running away with a doll....
Zoe thought her triplet cousins Chandra, Ella, and Maddy were all named Zoe. She kept going up to them saying, "hi Zoe!" Zoe with two of the girls. I'm not sure which ones. It's getting harder and harder to keep track as they are starting to look more and more alike. (Trevor and Sabrina please Help!) Plus Uncle Trevor and Auntie Sabrina are super cool because they have chickens in their backyard. Noah is really jealous. Can you tell?

Elgin, Or

We had a pleasant trip considering the circumstances. It was nice to see that Dan actually has Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins. Up until now I had only met his Grandma Jean and that was at our wedding 5 1/2 years ago.

I think Dan's Grand Dad Lee would have been an interesting person to know. He was a rather large man who hunted and could build just about anything. Yet he loved to Tat and created beautiful doilies and table clothes. He did a ton for the town of Elgin and will be greatly missed. Too bad some poor choices and decisions kept part of his family from experiencing all the good times and fond memories shared at his memorial service.

A picture with Great Grandma Jean. The best we could do with two very tired and not so cooperative kids. A picture with Great Grandma Jessie - same story as above; this was the best out of all our 2nd attempt photos.
(l - r): Uncle Pat (the fire chief of Elgin, Or), Aunt Sandy (who lives in North Pole, Alaska), Grandma Jean, Aunt Linda (lives in Boring, Or), and of course our Papa Mike....Dan's Cousin Angela with her husband Shawn and twin girls Ellie and Polly. Ellie and Polly with Zoe....their birthdays are about 1 1/2 weeks apart. Zoe's the oldest, but as you can see the smallest of the group.

Here's a picture of the little motel we stayed in. The Stampede Inn, located right in the center of Elgin, Or. It's for sale and Dan and I are really tempted to buy it and have our own little family business. It has 12 rooms, a little cafe restaurant, and a house on the property - for not much more than the cost of a house.

More Elgin Fun

I think the following pictures are pretty self explanatory, they were taken in front of Great Grandma Jessie's house. The kids had a lot of fun playing in the cool, crisp, fall air. Not to mention all the pretty leaves. A very different scene then we have here in Fernley, NV. I think this is the first time my kids actually got to discover the joy of playing in the leaves. We don't have any trees just a ton of sagebrush which turns really pretty colors, but isn't as friendly.

Noah is obsessed with all trailers and RVs. He insisted on getting his picture taken with all that he saw in his Great Grandma Jessie's yard. I guess she and Grand Dad Lee have quite the collection and used to travel together all over the United States. They even started a chapter of the Good Sam club for RV travelers. I guess there are more stored on other pieces of property around Elgin.

Cat Nap!

Doesn't this look like fun?