Mexican Train Dominoes

One of our favorite games to play is Mexican Train Dominoes.  We love to play it together as a family on Sunday evenings.  We have been wanting to get together with a few couples and play together for a while.  We finally organized a game night to have a dominoes tournament.  It took a few tries to find a date that would work.  We invited 5 other couples over for a date night to play dominoes.  We were so excited to host a fun game night with some friends.  JJ did most of the work to put it all together.  We had everyone bring a Mexican side dish to share to go with out theme.  We made some enchiladas and got some chips and salsa from a local Mexican restaurant.  There was only 1 couple that had never played, but there are several ways to interpret some of the rules.  We went over the rules and same as when we play with my family we go with "house rules".  So we made sure we were all playing the same way.  It was interesting to see the different ways everyone set up their trains.  We all had very different playing strategies as well. 

 Three of the couples we invited couldn't make it so we had 4 couples total playing.  We played at 2 tables and drew again after each game to see which table you would play the next game at.  It worked out perfect.  We had such a fun time playing! After each game we would eat more food and visit before starting the next game.  It is also an easy enough game that you can still visit while you play without losing focus. 

Becca won, she beat us all pretty bad! Sharla lost but did really well, she had never played before but caught on really fast.  We looked high and low for decorations and prizes to go with out theme but couldn't find anything.  So the winner won a pack of 100 grand candy bars and the looser got milk duds.  It was a fun group to have over and we are glad we did.  We will defiantly host it again, maybe around cinco de mayo.  The company, food and entertainment was a blast.  We enjoy having people over and are thankful for such great friends who enjoy coming over to play with us. 

We got a babysitter for the kids who played well in the basement.  We decided to give a younger girl in our ward a chance to babysit and get a little experience.  Since we would be home we would be there to help.  We feed Nolan and put him to bed so all she really did was play with and watch Lucy and Garrett.  They had a fun time together and it was a fun evening for them as well. 

Pulling Up

It is amazing how much babies can change in such a short amount of time.  Monday (11-17) morning Nolan decided he wanted to pull himself up on things.  He has been pulling himself up a little on my legs when I am sitting on the floor with him.  He got to the side of his excersaucer and worked really hard trying to pull himself up.  He did a pretty good job.  When I went to put him down for his morning nap he went right to the side of his crib and pulled himself up.  He was so happy about it! We will have to keep the side rail up from now on. 

Nolan has been so close to moving forward for a while.  Thursday (11-20) was the first time he started to scoot forward.  It was a mix between an army crawl and an little inch worm.  He uses his left foot to help him push forward.  He can go from sitting position to all 4s and tries to go on all 4s but then ends up on his belly.  He then scoots from there.  It seems like he is really enjoying being able to move around and get things he wants.  It is such a fun age, he is learning and growing so much everyday.  I am so glad I get to be with him all day so I can watch him experience these things.  I take little videos of things and send them to JJ during the day so he can feel involved in these little steps too.

School Pictures

 Lucy 2nd Grade

Garrett Kindergarten

Nolan 7 Months!

Nolan had his 7 month birthday on Saturday.  I didn't have time to take a picture of him and I figured I would take one Sunday when he was all dressed up anyways.  He was pretty tired and ready for a bottle when we took these but we still managed to get some good smiles out of him.  He is such a smiley baby and loves to give smiles to anyone who will pay attention to him. Nothing really new to report on him.  I wrote a little bit about him when I posted about his recent doctor appointment.  His top tooth came through last week and the other one will probably come through this week.  He gets up on all 4s and is ready to crawl.  We aren't sure we are ready for that but it seems he is.  Maybe this month he will figure it out.  He eats solids very well and loves the little puff's.  He is getting pretty good at getting them in his mouth.  He usually take 4 naps during the day.  He goes to sleep around 8:30 PM and sleeps until about 7:30 AM getting up once to eat.  Every once and a while he will sleep straight through the night.  He is looking less like a little baby to me, he has grown up so fast!

 

Grandma Rahm's 90th Birthday

Saturday afternoon we had my family over to celebrate Grandma's 90th birthday.  It was a cold and snowy day, perfect to sit inside and visit together.  We turned on our fireplace and it was nice and cozy.  I made pumpkin pie for her, her favorite.  She said she loves pumpkin pie because she feels like it is a little bit healthy.  She also said this is the season to eat pumpkin pie and drink hot cider.  I also made some cookies because there are a few people who don't like pie, including my kids.  We made hot chocolate and apple cider.  I also cut up some cheese and we ate that with some crackers.  We had a nice time sitting around together visiting and watching the snow fall outside.  We played a card game that was fun to play as a group.  We got her a few little presents, she always tells us that she doesn't need anything.  Our family got her some apple butter and a hand towel with a crocheted top to hang over her oven handle.  The kids helped me pick them out at the farmers market last weekend.  She loves apple butter and I figured you can always use a new hand towel.  She loved them both and said it has been years since she has had a hand towel like that.  It had a bright colorful pattern that she really liked too.  My parents got her some roses which they said she absolutely loved!  They helped her put them in a vase of water when they picked her up and she told them over and over how much she loved having them.  They also got her a new puzzle to do and some mixed nuts.  She opened the nuts and we all snacked on them.  I asked her what has been the biggest thing she has seen change over the past 90 years.  She said the biggest thing is the overall way of life, it has changed so much.  She has seen a lot change in the past 90 years and she said the biggest changes have really come in the past 10 years.  Life when she was growing up was so different and she commented that even when we are old things will have changed so much.  Things are always changing.  She told us stories about when they first got a telephone and how when she was first married they had an outhouse to use the bathroom.  She said people's homes now amaze her compared to the way she lived as a little girl and a newly married women.  Another huge change she said was the way we eat.  She said growing up unless they grew it they didn't eat it.  It is neat to be able to visit with her and hear stories about her life.  I am glad my kids know their great grandma and can learn from her and love her like I do.  It was a wonderful afternoon and it was so fun to have everyone over.  It almost felt like a holiday with the fire going and the snow falling outside.  Grandma said she had such a nice time.  She has been busy the whole month with visitors coming in town to take her out for her birthday.  We have been keeping her busy. 

Uncle Jordan

Nolan and I went out to be with my Mom on Wednesday.  We got all caught up on her thank you notes.  She was so excited about that.  We even got all caught up on birthday card, wedding cards, sympathy cards and get well cards.  My Mom loves to send cards to people, she is very thoughtful about things like that.  While I was there Jordan went to get a haircut.  He came back and had a little hair product sample that they used on is hair.  He asked if her could put a little bit on Nolan's hair.  I thought he looked so cute and grown up with his hair in a little faux hawk.  What a handsome little kid he is.  Jordan loves babies and has fun with Nolan while we are out here.  Nolan loves Jordan too, he will watch him and loves to smile at him.  

I walked by Nolan's room while he was taking a nap and noticed he had his little bottom up in the air.  I love when little babies sleep like that, I think it is so cute.  I love him!  

 The weather early in the week was really nice.  We made sure to get outside and enjoy it, we knew by the end of the week it would be freezing! We are sad that our bike riding and playing outside is coming to an end as it gets to cold.  I am hoping that we will get days here and there that we can still get out.  We put up the bikes so we could clear space for JJ to start parking in the garage again.  That is a sign to the kids that the warmer weather is gone for a while.

Bike Riding and Puzzles

JJ used his birthday money to get some new things for his bike.  He got some new pedals and a new seat.  Jordan helped him fit his new seat to his bike.  They have been trying to find a time to go riding together for a while now.  The weather has been nice and it was in the forecast to get pretty cold the next week.  We headed down there Saturday afternoon so they could go riding together.  My Dad joined them to and it was a nice boys activity.  They had a beautiful ride and they had a lot of fun riding together.  I know they all enjoyed going and doing something fun.  JJ said it worked good, they all rode at different paces but would stop and regroup after a little while. 

 We bought a nice bike for Lucy a few weeks ago from some friends.  She is pretty excited about it, it has hand breaks and gears.  JJ said she could now go ride on some trails with him.  That made her pretty excited.  We bought her bike down with us too.  When they got back from their ride JJ and Lucy rode around the woods behind my parents house a little bit.  Lucy was excited to try her bike out on something other then pavement or gravel.  JJ said it was a good start for her.  They had a lot of fun and Lucy loved it.

 We started this puzzle last weekend and slowly over the week people have been putting in pieces here and there.  I told my Mom we should finish it.  It still had a ways to go but I told her we could work really hard on it and finish it tonight.  It was pretty tricky, there was a lot of white building pieces and a lot of trees.  We brought down some pizza and had a nice time visiting, eating and working on the puzzle.  JJ helped us at the end so we could finish it.  It was so fun to work hard and get it finished, it turned out really good.

I had an interesting talk with my Mom while they boys were riding their bikes.  We were talking about when she was asleep in the hospital.  I asked her if she could hear us talking to her and what she remembered about the whole thing.  It was interesting to hear her side of things.  She also asked me questions about what it was like for us while she was in the hospital.  There were a lot of details she didn't know.  There were lots of things I didn't know as well.  She said some really neat things and it was an emotional conversation that was really special.  I love her so much and I am so thankful for this opportunity we have to spend time with her here.  I am having a really fun time getting to spend time with her.

6 Month Dr. Visit

JJ and I took Nolan to his 6 month visit on Friday.  I can't remember why but we are a little off, he is almost  6 1/2 months.  I think the Dr. was out of town earlier in the month.  Nolan has grown a lot since his last visit.  His height is 28 inches, weight 21.13 pounds and his head is 18.  He is at the top of the chart, 98% for his weight and head and 95% for his height.  He is right on track for his growth and development.  She said to have him eat more food and try to add a little more to his diet.  We are just doing straight vegetable and fruits but she suggested we try some more of the dinner baby foods they have.  He has also outgrown his infant car seat.  We will need to start shopping for a new one.  His top teeth are just about to pop through.  He was obsessed with the paper on the table and kept trying to eat it.  He ripped it all up and we finally just took it off.  He was such a happy little boy and loved looking around and interacting with the Dr. and nurse.  He was not happy about all his shots, those are always so sad.  They haven't seemed to bother him to much this time which is good. 

Sitting in the Bathtub

Nolan has been sitting for a while but still every once and a while falls backwards.  He is more stable now and so I recently started letting him sit up in the bathtub.  Such a fun thing! I love when they can sit up and play in the bath.  He is so happy and even starts to wave his hands and kick his feet with excitement when the bath water starts to run.  He loves to hit the water and splash.  He also loves to play with his little ducks and bath toys as well as suck on his washcloth.  Such a happy boy in the bath, I love this fun baby age!

Lucy had her first "poster project" due this week.  She was so excited to put it together. She wanted me to go to the store and get poster board that night she came home with the assignment.  They are doing a unit on national symbols in social studies.  They had to pick a symbol to do their project on and include specific facts about it.  Lucy chose the Liberty Bell.  They had learned about it during school so she was able to use some of her school work to find her information.  She got on the computer and found the picture and typed the title out all by herself.  Once she had the things all written out she then wrote them on the poster board.  She did a great job and she was excited to be the only one that used a green poster board. 

Garrett's class earned a pajama day, he was so excited to wear his pajamas to school.  I love how little things are so fun and important to him.  Garrett has been doing this silly fake smile, it is so goofy!  We always tell him to stop and do his real smile and he then says this is my real smile. 

Nolan is such a handful when I change his diaper.  He has entered that stage where it is impossible to get him to stay still.  He immediately wants to flip over or sit up.  I try to distract him with a toy or something like the package of wipes to keep him still long enough. 

 He is also teething, getting his top two teeth.  It has been rough for him the past few days.  He wants to snuggle and be held a lot.  So we have been doing a lot of that.  It is so unlike him to want to just sit with you, he is usually such a busy baby.  Such a sweet boy, I don't mind taking things easy and relaxing with him.  It gets a little hard when there are things I need to get done. 

 We saw Nolan taking his nap with his feet hanging out of the crib yesterday, it was pretty cute.

Aunt Val Visits

My Aunt Val came in town from California to help with my Mom.  It was so nice and helpful to have her come.  It was also so nice to see her and visit with her.  It is fun to hear how things are going for her and her family back home.  It was so nice of her to take the time to come, we all really appreciated her so much.  She was so good with helping my Mom become more independent with taking care of herself.  I am not sure that is something we would have thought to do.  I don't think we realized how important that was or that she was ready or even that we needed to make that step.  She worked with her to be able to do her medications and feedings independently.  We will still supervise them and be there for her if she needs help.  Doing simple things for herself can be like little exercises for her.  It will also help her become stronger and be able to return to the way she was quicker.  It is amazing how well she is doing and how well she is recovering.  She still has her delays and difficulties but we hope with time her body and mind will remember more.  She was able to sign off of the physical and occupational therapist this week, which is excellent!  She can even take small sips of water now, which is a wonderful and huge milestone.  She will continue with the speech therapist and her home nurse. 

 

It was nice to be able to spend time with Val while she was here.  We got together over the weekend and I saw her during the days I was able to go out to the house.  They also came over to my house, which was fun to be able to show them where we live.  I always like to see where people live, it is nice to be able to have that association with them.  I know my Mom commented to me that she loved the time she was able to spend with her.  It was a great visit and I am so grateful for her and the wonderful example she is to me. 

 

Trick or Treating

The kids were so excited to go trick or treating.  We wished the weather was a little better, it was freezing cold and windy.  We have had such great weather this fall it was to bad it ended up being so cold for trick or treating.  We bundled up really well hoping we wouldn't get to cold.

 Garrett couldn't see very well out of his helmet and he said it fogged up.  He looked pretty cool and really loved his costume this year.  Lucy thought her nose was a little weird but she said it kept her nose warm. 

We ate a light dinner and headed over to some friends house before trick or treating.  They live a street over and host a potluck dinner every year.  We all huddled around the fire or in the garage to keep out of the cold wind.  It is fun to visit with everyone and hangout for a little bit before trick or treating.  We sat the three babies up together, it was their first Halloween.  Vale didn't get the memo to be a dinosaur.  Pierce is about a month older then Nolan and Vale, such cute boys! 

 

After visiting and eating for a little bit JJ headed home with Nolan to hand out candy.  Nolan was ready to take a little nap anyways so it worked out good.  I took Lucy and Garrett around to trick or treat.  It was really cold and we stopped by the house after a little while to ditch some costume parts for warmer clothes.  We went up and down two streets and that was plenty, their buckets were full to the top.  We didn't get as many trick or treaters this year and everyone seemed to quit pretty early.  I am sure the cold weather had a lot to do with it.  The kids were excited to dump out their candy when they got home and see what they got.  It was another fun Halloween and the kids were sad to see the day come to an end.

Butterfly House

It worked out nice that we were all home together on Halloween.  The kids were off school and JJ was off work.  We put off our normal Friday errands and spent the day together.  The weather was cold and windy so we picked something inside.  We headed to the butterfly house, where it was nice and warm.  The kids had their own little brochure with the different kinds of butterflies inside.  They enjoyed having that to look at so they could identify the butterflies when they saw them.  Nolan enjoyed looking at the little waterfalls and all the plants.  We saw lots of owl butterflies and paper kites, they were so pretty.  After we finished there we headed to the mall to ride the carousel and do a little shopping.  It was a fun activity and I am glad we wee able to spend some time together.