Winter Wonderland...

I have to admit...I love the first snowfalls of the year! It snowed so much on Saturday and although it is scary to drive in, it is beautiful to look at! In fact I made OJ leave the blinds open as I fell asleep last night so I could look at the tree outside our window covered in snow!

These others pictures are from today before church....


Oh and by the way....last night Graham slept like a champ! We have started to try to put him to bed earlier...so...he ate at 8:30pm, went to bed around 9:30pm, I fed him again at 2:30am he slept until 7:00am ate again....and took a nap from 8:00am-10:30am!!! Wahoo!

Extreme Home Makeover Edition

For the past 6 months we have slowly been remodeling some aspects of our condo...we started with painting, then moved to tiling, and finished with new carpet. Let's just say it has been a long process and I am ready to be done and have my house normal again. I guess I should be showing the finished product but if I show these pictures first then you will appreciate the

finished product even more! (Plus I want to get my house put back together before I show you the "finished" pictures!) It looks really nice, and feels a lot more "home-like".
I really can't say I contributed that much except for some painting, grouting, and pulling carpet staples out of the floor. OJ deserves the real credit. He has been working so hard. Sometimes staying up all hours of the night to get it done. Although the process hasn't been "argument free" :) I'm grateful to have such a thoughtful husband who wanted our home to be nice. What a good guy I married!







I love this picture...we had to move everything to get the carpet in...OJ is the master packer...he fit almost everything on our "tiled" areas...which really isn't a lot of space!

Graham's new talent

Let me give you a little background...OJ has always teased me about my "finger toes". Yes, I can pick up pretty much anything with my feet and toes. It's nice...if I don't want to bend over and pick something up....I can just do it with my toes! Since the day Graham was born, OJ has joked that Graham has my "finger toes". For the first couple of weeks after he was born he would not relax his feet and would spread his toes so far apart.

So a couple of Sundays ago I thought it was time to prove the talent. I decided to see if he could hold a pen...TaDa...he CAN!! I have such a talented son! The best part was when he started to lift his other foot up to help him hold the pen. I was just going to take a picture and show OJ but right when I was doing it he walked in from his meetings and saw it first hand!

The Sugared Plum

My sister-in-law Dani is hosting a holiday boutique in a couple of weeks (December 14th and 15th) It is in Herriman (just west of the freeway where Draper is) If you are looking for some fun, creative holiday gifts this is the place to go. For more information and directions on how to get there check out the site...www.thesugaredplum.blogspot.com

Tagged

So my cousin Britta tagged me a long time ago and I am just now getting to it...sorry Britta!
Here are 6 random facts/habits about me...

1. I LOVE to read! Reading to me is like watching t.v. or blogging to other people...it is addicting! It is also my escape from stress. I have to discipline myself or I could read and read and read and the day would be gone. What do I like to read you ask? Anything...I love mysteries, romance, church, self-help...really anything. I would much rather read then watch a movie. OJ and I will go to the library and I just get a huge pile of books (b/c I go through them so fast) some are good and some are not, but that is how you find the really good ones! When I was younger when I was supposed to be cleaning my room I would sit and read and I would keep telling myself "okay only 10 more minutes" but that always turned into an 1 hour or so. (I don't think my mom knows that :) funny... Reading is my reward...when I was pregnant and always so tired and not motivated to get anything done I would have reading be my motivation to get stuff done..."okay tara, if you do this and this and this then you can read!"

2. I hate when the toilet seat is left up...not even just the boy lid...the whole thing has to be down. I don't know why it bugs me so bad but it does! In fact wherever I am...if the toilet has a lid I put it down, even if it is at church or a targetl...it goes DOWN! :)

3. I love to TRAVEL!! Especially with my husband! I love to learn about new cultures, and explore. I don't love flying on the airplane...but I like it when I get there!

4. I'm scared of water...I like to do recreational things in the water like wakeboard and waterski. But if I sit in the water too long and I start to think about how deep it is below me and what is down there, well then I start to freak out! I like water if I feel like I am in control, if not then once again I freak out.

5. I LOVE LOVE LOVE musicals and plays!! Whether I am in them or watching them its all the same. Probably because it combines my favorites of dancing, singing, and acting :) Here is a list of what i have seen and/or been in....Les Mis (several times) , Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Beauty and the Beast (several times), Grease, The Wiz, Wicked, Once on this Island, Little Women, Nunsense, Aida, Cats, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Pirates of Penzance, Evita...okay I could go on and on...you get the point!

6. I used to hate grocery shopping....until I had a baby and now I LOVE it! The reason I hated it before I had Graham was that I hated to go alone. I would wait until OJ could go with when he got home from work. It was so boring. But now I love going by myself! (I don't mind if OJ and graham come with either) Probably because my opportunities to get out of the house by myself are limited. Its funny, alot of things I used to hate doing really aren't a big deal anymore since I had Graham....thanks Graham:)

Okay...I tag...Allice, JoJo, Cori, Jamie Prax, Tiffani, and Breena

My nightmare came true...

So every night I set my alarm to wake Graham up to feed him. Right now he can go 6 hours but I usually set the alarm for 5 1/2 -45 minutes b/c I am paranoid. And lately he will never go that long anyways, usually he wakes me up. But I always set my alarm just to be safe. Usually I will take a feeding and then OJ will feed him a bottle for the other feeding. I have had several bad dreams thinking I didn't wake up or sometimes I wake up thinking OJ hasn't fed him. Its really a horrible feeling. Well, last night the dream came true! The alarm didn't go off!! I fed him at 10:15 pm and I woke up and the clock read 4:50am. Hello panic! OJ and i both jumped out of bed and ran into his room...he was fine....and definitely ready to eat. I have to admit, it was super nice to sleep that long and not wake up once!! I feel so rested today.

( For those of you who don't know...with Graham's metabolic disorder he can only go without eating 1 hour for every kilo he weighs....so right now it is 6)

Go Cougars!

Are you ready for some football? What a game! We are proud to be alumni of BYU :)We got Graham dressed in his game gear, he wasn't really interested in the game but we wanted to train him early. Owen tiled our house and I worked on my Young Women's lesson while we watched the game, it was a nice leisurely Saturday. We went to Costco after the game...I love Costco. I had a Churro....MMmmmmmm they are so good. Someday when we get a house OJ wants to have a Churro maker :)

Its been nice having OJ home the past 4 days. If only he could stay home everyday too...oh wait..someone has to make a living. What can I say? I like to hang out with my husband. Today has been a nice day...church was a little rough but, I am coming to understand that it usually is with a kid :) Graham was exhausted, had a blow out, and threw up all over my skirt...awesome! I had to fly solo during Sacrament meeting b/c OJ had to sit on the stand. I know I only have one kid but it sure is nice to have someone to trade off with.

The Many faces of Graham....

He is really starting to smile a lot now...I love it!

He loves to stand!

This looks like the face he makes right before he has a blow out! :)

So cute...

Classic Graham...all of his little cousins always think he is mad!

Don't you just want to squeeze him?  In a "oh what a cute puppy" sort of way.

Graham seems to grow in leaps and bounds every time he wakes up in the morning. He is growing so fast. I love being his Mom. I love when I am trying to get him to smile....the moment that his eyes get this sparkle when he recognizes that it is me and he gives me a big grin! Priceless...

Hastings Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving day was spent with the Hastings this year. The food was delicious! Laurie had to work that morning so we waited for her to get off before we ate. (We missed you Anita!) I had so much and I wanted so much more! We waited to have pie and good thing we did because we had 7 to choose from. Chocolate Cream, Banana Cream, Pecan, Pumpkin, Razzleberry, Peanut Butter....hmmm I can't remember what the last one was. There was tons left over. Owen and I decided not to take any home with us...b/c we were so sick from eating so much. Let's just say today we are regretting that decision!

Everyone looking stuffed...except Braden!

Do you think his Aunts like him?

The Chocolate Peanut Butter pie that I made, so rich but so good! Sophie especially enjoyed licking the frosting on the sides. Hmmm I look a little tired :)

Graham just hanging out and being festive :)

Happy Thanksgiving

The turkey Grandma Ber made!

Waiting for the feast to begin!
All the celebrating made Graham a little sleepy.

The finished product!

On  the Sunday before Thanksgiving we celebrated with the Carlson's.  As usual the food was delicious. After dinner we made gingerbread houses, a tradition to kick off the Christmas season. My Mother-in-law makes all the gingerbread and frosting, lays out the candy and we go to town. Its fun to just chat with the girls, decorate, and steal ideas for your gingerbread house :)     I'm thankful for such an awesome in-law family who I love spending time with.

Graham's Shots

Last week we took Graham for his 2 month shots. This is normally not a concern but when we saw his specialist last month he said that this is the first "moment" of concern b/c sometimes babies will get fevers so, he told us to keep him on tylenol for 2 days. So far so good!
He was fine when the nurse did the first leg and then came the shriek of pain when she did the 2nd leg...man I hate that sound!
Other than that Graham is growing like a weed. He weighed in at 15lb 6 oz and 24 in long. Which means he is in the 100% for weight and 90% for his height.
Way to go Graham!


Here are some other cute random pictures









Sorry I'm too lazy to go and fix them so they aren't sideways :(

Girls Night Out

Last Friday the girls went to Hale Theatre's production of "Once on this Island"! I felt so weird being somewhere without Graham and without anyone to take care of :) as a result I felt really ansy. It was nice to be with the girls. Grandpa Steve was kind enough to babysit :)
Anyway, it was so good. I was in this show in High School so I was excited already because I love the music and storyline. These performers were awesome, I was so impressed. I highly recommend anyone to go see it. It is playing at the Salt Lake Theatre.

Graham's Blessing

On Sunday we blessed Graham. It was such a nice day. He definitely didn't look like a newborn in his cute outfit...but thats okay. It was nice to spend time with family and eat yummy food thanks Mom and Coz!
We have such awesome families who are so supportive. Thanks for being there everyone.

Say Cheese...

Graham has been smiling for awhile now but it is still random enough that it is hard to get on camera. This was a couple nights ago while we were getting him ready for his bath. He is asleep but you get to see how cute his grin is! I love it!

He is getting so strong! Today he actually rolled over to his back. I think it was on accident...but it was still exciting!

Halloween Fun

I had some more Halloween pictures to post....but I can only do it on OJ's computer and he and his laptop are attached at the hip so....these will have to do. :) We had a fun Halloween with lots of festive activities. We had a party with my family and with OJ's extended Frampton family and I went to my sister and nephews school parades.

My nephews go to the same elementary school that I did so I went and visited all my old teachers... they all totally remembered me! (or they at least pretended to :) After I finished elementary school I made the comment to my mom that every year I got the teacher that I wanted...I thought that was so cool. I found out later that my mom picked my teacher every year (she worked at the school) :)

Anyways, I don't think I have ever celebrated Halloween so much in my life! Its been fun...till next year...

Owen's New Hobby

It all started when Tyler let me fly his foil kite. From then on I was hooked. I had heard back in 2000 of kitboarding; my friend Moan Doan showed me some videos. At the time I just thought it looked fun. It wasn't until Tyler took us up to Flat Iron to give his kite a spin that I really started thinking about kiteboarding.

Some time later my buddy Jason and I started talking and decided to try out the sport. We did some research and found that the best way to get into the sport was to get a trainer kite. Supposedly, your supposed to be able to fly the thing and tie your shoe at the same time. Then your ready for some real kiting. So we flew a 2.5 m2 IMP trainer kite for about 2 months. Then the time came to upgrade. We found a steal of a deal on a 12 m2 Ozone Frenzy kite and are anxiously awaiting the snow to come. I haven't been able to take it out yet, because it hasn't been too windy. Next wind storm thought we are going out.

For those of you who have just heard of this sport, let me tell you it is serious fun. This kite is made to fly. Normally you have a kiteboarding harness that the kite clips into, for now though I will be using my climbing harness just to get familiar with the kite. Why a harness? Because this thing gives you some crazy pull. For the more advanced rider you can get some sweet air. It just makes me giddy thinking about it.

It turns out that Skyline, about an hour south of Provo has the best kite skiing in the US. The Kiteboarding US open will be held there next March. Needless to say I am hooked. It will only be a matter of time before we get Tara hooked. I don't have any pictures yet, but as soon as we get out I'll let you know how it goes. I'm going to be making a kiteboarding bar we can hang from Graham's car seat so he can start practicing holding on to the bar.

www.flyozone.com

True BLUE

Oh my goodness, Oh my Gos"h"

I was up at my mom's house this week and we were watching Sophie and Claire. I had just fed Graham so he was awake and alert. Sophie and Claire were sitting there talking to him when Sophie says, (with a big smile on her face) "Oh Graham, don't look at me like that", then she started giggling. I asked her, "How was he looking at you Sophie?" She said, "He gave me a grumpy look." I said, "Don't worry he gives everyone a grumpy look."

For those of you who haven't met Graham yet his natural look is a scowl on his face. OJ prefers to call it his "focused look" :)

Our First Date....without Graham

Laurie came down and babysat Graham so we could go on a date. I told OJ that it had to be something where we could "talk". So we decided to go to dinner and a corn maze...we just had to be back early because Laurie had to work the next morning. So we had dinner, it was great....the couple behind us were on a blind date so we sat and listened to their conversation...pretty soon whatever they were discussing became our subject of conversation...thank you blind date couple :)
Well we made it to the corn maze and it was SOOOOO crowded and it was already 8:00 (we needed to be back at 9:00) So we thought to ourselves...."what could we still do in our short amount of time"....."Cabela's, of course"....that is right, we went and looked at wildlife, shot guns, and bought sugar coated nuts...really it was like we went camping...what a deal!

Halloween Party at Hastings

Happy Birthday Landon!!

Landon is two! Wahoo! This is my cousin's little boy...they have lived in the building next to us since he was born! I've watched him grow up everyday...He is my buddy and I can't believe he is two! Time flies...

Five Weeks Yesterday!!

We just got back Graham's newborn pictures! They are adorable (thanks Cori!) We are getting ready to send out his birth annoucement...I know I don't have everyone's address...so friends if you would like me to send you one...could you email me your address?
Being a mom is getting better and better each day...Graham smiled at me this past week...it just melted my heart! I am getting used to functioning without sleep, although I may ask you to repeat something several times, I won't remember anything you tell me, and I have awesome dark circles under my eyes. It really is amazing how your body just starts to adapt and survive under the circumstances. Graham has another appointment with his Geneticist tomorrow. He has really chunked up so maybe we will be able to add another hour that he can go without eating...we will see

Presenting.....the dancing cousins!!!

Nothing like a good old dance party with the cousins on a Sunday night! Next time I think it should be all the adults instead :). . . Now that would be a good post!

Conference Weekend

I love conference weekend! I love listening to the brethren and the desires to become a better person. I love just relaxing at home. I love spending time with family. I love Sunday morning breakfast that my parents make. I love hanging out with the girls during priesthood. I love conference weekend!