Time Flies!

Wow, it is already the end of January and I haven't even attempted a blog post since before Christmas! Time flies. Christmas was fun but we were all sick so we didn't take very many pictures or leave the house very often. We had an awesome New Year's bash that ended at 8pm and Dustin and I were in bed by 10pm! We are so old and tired.

We are still chasing the kids around. They are as busy as ever and as messy as can be! We are now looking forward to a trip to Kauai next month and we are already stressed about the flight. Dustin has been working hard to get lots of toys on eBay for a good deal to break out intermittently during the 6 hour flight.

These pictures explain what our days are like with two almost 18 month old toddlers! I think it is hilarious that Brock is a meticulous eater and Indie is a little "Pig Pen" when it comes to eating. Brock probably doesn't want to waste any chocolate pudding!

Asserting Independence

I am not sure that I am ready for this kind of independence. It seems like all I do is mop the floor!


Now whenever Brock eats, he grabs his spoon by a "death grip" and it is impossible to get it back. I guess I need to let go of the control and embrace the mess!

An Afternoon with Uncle Josh

Uncle Josh and Aunt Emily invited the family to see a F-16 jet while they were taking their Christmas card pictures. Josh is a fighter pilot at Hill AFB and he gave us the grand tour around a few of the bunkers.

Josh gave a detailed explanation of the plane to Dustin and the kids...I am not sure how much the kids remember. They did have a few incidents of slipping on grease in the hanger, but overall no big catastrophes.

Brock is giving the camera a good cheesy smile!

It was a great day and pretty interesting. Pretty crazy to think that Josh flies F-16 Jets, he is kinda like Maverick but taller.

Griswald Family Trees

So we made a trip back up to Bear Lake to look for a Griswald Christmas tree!!! We didn't quite have the experience that Clark Griswald had, but we found some pretty good trees.

Emily, Josh and Emma searched with us and it took us a few hours to find the perfect trees. When we asked Emma if she liked cutting down Christmas trees, she informed us that it was boring! (She is five years old.)

Brock and Indie enjoyed the trek through the mountains, mostly because they both got to ride in their Kelty packs.

When Indie and Brock did walk it was disastrous, too many rocks, trees and dirt. Plus their coats and boots are too big, hopefully they will fit better next year.

Halloween

Brock the BAT and Indie the BUTTERFLY! I had to bribe them with tootsie rolls just to get them to stay in their costumes and to take pictures. Luckily after a while they forgot they had them on.


This is just before heading to the Dopp's Halloween Party. First time for all of us, we had no idea how much fun it would be. We all loved it!


Indie is doing her best to steal Brock's tootsie roll, this is nothing new at our house!

The best part of the night, TRICK OR TREAT!!! The kids rode in style in their chariot until we started the festivities. No big surprise, Indie was the Queen of Trick or Treating. She was on a roll, she walked the whole street and got a lot of candy. Sometimes she just traded what was in her hand for a new piece. In fact she loved it so much on Saturday morning, she wanted to put her shoes and costume back on and go outside. Too bad she has to wait until next year. Brock on the other hand, Mr. Mellow, was pretty indifferent and would rather be carried than walk. Trick or Treating was just not his thing this year. Overall it was an awesome holiday!

Pumpkin Carving

Well the kids got their first taste of pumpkin carving(and of course raw pumpkin) this year! Indie loved it! She just loves taking objects out of things. Brock was not that into digging out the pumpkin, he just wanted to eat the dessert, brownies and ice cream.


Dustin wanted to carve a pumpkin like the kids, always yelling with just one tooth hanging out!

Bumps, Bruises and Bear Lake

This little mishap happened a couple weeks ago. Of course the kids left my sight for a few moments and I heard a loud crash from the office. Brock was once again beat up by Indie, but this time it involved the office door being pushed into his head. It left a pretty sweet goose egg and bruise for a good couple of weeks.


Conference weekend we were able to go to Bear Lake again. The weather was pretty bad, but it was awesome to hang out in the cabin. Dustin was able to catch some conference talks in between entertaining the kids and the dogs!


We spent some time outside with the kids and went for a few walks. Indie can walk forever! Brock had a hard time staying on his feet. He was pretty much covered in mud just like any little boy should be!

On Saturday morning a mother moose and her baby walked right through the driveway and around the cabin. It was so great to see them so close!


Leave it to Grandpa Jackson to figure out a makeshift high chair for dinner one night! Brock was entertained for a few minutes but then wanted to be free to roam and eat!