Thanksgiving in Colorado!!

Well this is Bradley reporting in for this blog update! It is that time of year again and we had a great start to our holiday season in good old Colorado! I had a whole week off of school (including one day of skipped classes!) so we had plenty of time to party hard! We left Des Moines right at 11:30 in the morning and we actually made the journey to Colorado springs in only 10 and 1/2 hours which is a new record! Oliver was a great traveler although he did get a little grumpy every now and then! Here are some of the things we did while we were celebrating!

We had an awesome time trying to hit golf balls at the driving range!

What a Swing!

Getting ready for a great drive

We played a seriously intense game of jenga

After all of that hard work hitting golf balls and playing games we had to go and get some refreshment right? So we went to this cool ice cream place and got kids sized cones for a dollar! Yes those are KIDS sized cones! It was crazy!

Oliver just loved his first thanksgiving (although he didn't really enjoy the mashed potatoes that we force fed him!) One of his favorite parts was when he got to jump on a tampoline for the first time with mom! In his new bear suit and all!

All in all our Thanksgiving vacation was really fun and it was just too bad that it had to end so quickly! The best part was of course being with family especially so that Oliver could get to know his family better even if they are a little crazy sometimes!






















After it was all said and done I knew more than ever what I am most thankful for in my life! The two best people in the whole world! Happy Holidays everybody and a Merry Christmas!!

Baby Love

There are two things babies love: food and things that light up. Oliver started rice cereal mixed with juice, and man does he devour it! (Hence the unbreakable concentration.)



We weren't going to put up a Christmas tree this year because we won't be in town, but while Bradley was at church (I stayed home sick), I decided to surprise him and put it up anyway. Oliver has a hard time looking at all the sparkles. It looks like he just got out of a whirlpool when he stares at it too long.

Five-Year-Old Flying Lesson

Bradley went to church without me today because I was sick. The Primary lesson was supposed to be on the Resurrection.

"So, what can Jesus do for us that we can't do by ourselves?" (Looking for the Resurrection answer)

"Can Jesus fly?" One of them asked randomly.

"People can't fly." Another answered smartly.

"The only way people can fly is by hang gliding when you have to hang stuff on your arms and legs so there's no way for the wind to get through when we fly."

"I know some people who can fly. Batman and Superman."

"Yeah, but those aren't real people."

"I know how you can fly," another piped in. "If you don't understand the law of gravity you can fly. But if you do understand the law of gravity, you can't fly."

Then one of the students tried to levitate out of their chair.

"Look! I don't understand the law of gravity!"

Our Windows are Covered in Goo.

We have a fly problem at our house. For weeks I was wondering where all these darn flies were coming in from. The weather has changed. Summer's gone. There shouldn't be house flies buzzing in at every moment.

Well after two weeks, I'd had enough. I was sick of smashing flies with an old Ensign magazine in windows and against our newly painted wall. I began wracking my brain for places they could be originating. Maggots, anyone?

I thought of Oliver's diaper pail. Nope. Not there.

The garbage? Perhaps an old lump of steak had fallen somewhere and had attracted the little nasties.

Then it hit me.

When we first moved into our lovely, brand new apartment, a bird nest had been built on a fire sprinkler on our deck. Birds had left a giant mound of poop in front of our sliding door and also...we THINK...a few little birdie eggs that DECOMPOSED.

Bradley went outside with an apron, gloves, broom, and a Walmart bag. He knocked the nest down, and BANG. Flies. Lots of them.

I'm still mortified. Every once in a while a little sick one still wanders in, begging for a snack.

Too bad we took his away. I just hope whatever was whetting his appetite was tied directly to the decomposing nest. If not...something seriously disgusting found its way into our sprinkler head.

Nerd Alert

Happy Halloween! I bet no one can guess what we dressed up as. Expectopatronum, dude! Ha!

Oli was Hedwig/An Obscure Owl. Isn't he cute?!


At least we weren't the only nerdy ones there. We dig other nerds.

The Epic Dual...

We found Dumbledore. Phew.

Oli + Dad = Still Distracted

Snot, drool, tears. Poor little owl. He didn't know what to think.

The trunk-or-treat was awesome this year because it was beautiful outside! That is definately one thing I'm loving about Iowa. There's actually a long fall! Yippie!

Oli Pop

I just can't get enough of this little guy! He looks just like a little lolly pop that got licked and stuck to the carpet. His hair is so crazy!

Crazy Iowa Colors

Being from Colorado, I'm a little biased. When you enter the state line, the sign says "Welcome to Colorful Colorado". I thought nothing could be more colorful: the red rocks, the purplish mountains, and bright indigo sky.

Iowa's taken me by surprise. Here's a progression of a sunset from my deck. It was wild!







The whole sky was literally orange. Not just part of it. The whole thing. I'd never seen anything like it.

A few days later, we were at a local park, and this was the bright green algae on the Raccoon River! I thought it was totally nuts! It looks like Mormon Jello salad. Ha!