I debated about dividing all these events and photos into separate posts, and then I decided to just do one huge one instead. The first of these photos are from about November 5...just sweet baby Beck relaxing on my bed. He was already growing out of this little outfit, and now it is much too small for him. He's getting so big!
That was a busy week for me, because I had several rehearsals and concerts with the American Festival Chorus. One, our John Rutter concert, was on the same Saturday as my sister-in-law Missy's bridal shower. I was able to attend the shower for about a half hour before I had to leave for a dress rehearsal. I snapped a picture of Missy with Beck, and with her soon-to-be sisters- and mother-in-law.
Tyson and I took a quick Sunday drive up to Standrod to check on the house. The new staircase/banister had been completed! We were at the house for about five minutes before we left to head back to Cache Valley. Well, I guess we stopped at the Hansens' house for a few minutes to say hi to them and to Grandma. We happened to crash Brian and Ammon's birthday celebration.
Sawyer is becoming very...well, very TWO. He is very sweet most of the time, then sometimes gets feisty and talks back, hits, and bites. He is talking more and more (and I am understanding more and more of what he is saying). Sometimes he is loving and attentive toward Beck (who absolutely beams when Sawyer looks his way), and sometimes he tries to drop heavy objects on Beck's head. You know, he's just...TWO.
Sawyer loves to eat "appas" (apples). Sometimes I slice them up thinly for him, but sometimes I just peel an apple and let him nibble away at it. I gave him an apple one day and went about my kitchen chores. By and by, he told me it was "ah-gon" (all gone) and I turned to find that all that was left were a few seeds and the tough part that surrounds the seeds (like the core of the core). He had even tried to chew up one seed, before finding out it didn't taste too good (this is the chewed up seed he is showing me in this picture). This kid loves his apples!
Beck is so good-natured and smiley all the time. He laughs quite often, and has a range of different sounding laughs. However, they all sound painful or distressed in some way! Just a unique laugh, I guess. (Hey, nothing wrong with that. I have quite a recognizable laugh myself, I've been told.)
Brotherly love. (But Sawyer is probably about to take Beck's blanket away.)
My sister Kara got called into duty to host our family Thanksgiving this year. My mom's kitchen was being remodeled and the work wasn't completed in time for the occasion. Kara has a lovely home full -- and I mean full :) -- of things she has found at D.I., on KSL, or on clearance and refinished, repurposed, or upcycled into beautiful furnishings and decorations for her home. I don't know how she does everything she does. For instance, here is the table she set for Thanksgiving:
(Now, there were plates on those chargers, but I took this photo while everyone was in the other room dishing up their food, Tyson must have been first in line. That's his had setting his plate down. See those little picture frames at each place? Those were our place cards.)
To fit all of us into her dining room, and to fit all the Thanksgiving food into the sitting nook in her kitchen, Kara had to undertake a mass rearrangement of all her furniture. But she did that, baked like six pies, dressed her three kids (under age four) in cute, dressy little outfits, had her whole house clean, looked perfect herself, made picture-frame place cards, etc., etc., etc. And she is pregnant!!! I don't know how she does it. As far as I know, she's not on meth. She's just always been super-capable. And sneaky. She seated herself and myself (the mothers of the five young children who were relegated to the kitchen) at the interior end of the dining table, where we were essentially blocked from leaving the dining room. She seated our parents (the grandparents of the five young children) right at the dining room entrance. So guess who had to get up when kids asked for "more water" or got in a fight, or yelled, or threw things? And guess who got to eat a meal in peace (for once in the entire year)? Thank you, Kara. You are an evil genius!
The food was delicious beyond delicious. My mom made the turkey and the baked mashed potatoes. She got roll dough from The Lion House, and those rolls were so good! There was honey butter and raspberry butter to go with them. Oh my! Mom also did the stuffing and the gravy, of course. So basically, as she said, she "played Grandmom" (her mom). I guess these are the "mom" food assignments. I dread the day when I have to attempt to make the turkey! Kara, as I said, hosted and made pies, and probably some other things too, that I don't remember. Krista brought the traditional raspberry layered gelatin salad. Okay, Jell-O salad. It's the one time per year my family eats Jell-O. And it was mighty tasty! Krista also prepared two dishes of mashed sweet potatoes. One included orange flavor, the other didn't (I'm a non-orange fan, myself). They both had pecans. Heavenly! I had thirds. These were not from a can. They were just simply prepared mashed sweet potatoes, that let the true beauty of the sweet potato shine!
I brought chilled shrimp and cocktail sauce and kalamata olives for appetizers, and then green and yellow string beans as a side for the meal. Okay, I know it sounds like I didn't try hard, or make anything fancy, but I'll have you know I prepared the shrimp from raw, and did them in a special made up shrimp boil, and a also made the cocktail sauce from scratch by combining the Martha Stewart's cocktail sauce recipe with my Grandma Baker's remoulade sauce recipe. The shrimp turned out especially tasty, if I do say so myself.
We were joined by Krista's mother-in-law Penny, and after dinner many of our Dustin cousins and their kids came for pie. After we got back to Cache Valley we went to Tyson's parents house and had pie there. What a day! I didn't take many pictures, but here are the few I did get.
The next day was a big day too -- Missy's wedding! I can't believe Melissa is married. She was only 16 when Tyson and I met. Has that much time gone by? I guess so. Missy married Andrew Felix in the Logan Temple. We were privileged to be a part of their special day! Tyson's younger siblings Katelyn, Taylor, and Rachel took care of our boys in the temple waiting room while we were in the sealing ceremony. Afterwards, we all waited outside for Missy and Andrew to emerge. A little cold! I was running around after Sawyer and trying to keep Beck warm, so I only got this one picture. After Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Felix came out of the temple, it was picture time. Once that wrapped up, we headed to Perry, Utah for the wedding dinner at the Maddox Lodge.
I had made a DVD slideshow for Missy and Andrew, so I went to the Lodge a little early to set up the DVD and make sure it worked. It appeared to work, though later there were some unfortunate technical difficulties. While I was there by myself, I snapped a few photos of the cake and of the empty room.
When I returned to the car, all my boys were taking a little rest. Sawyer was all tuckered out from all the running around he did as we waited for Missy outside the temple. I couldn't resist taking a picture of him. Such an angel! (When he's sleeping, that is!) Those eyelashes are killing me! Like daddy, like son.
It was finally time to go inside and eat. Many friends and family attended. In this picture you see Val and Lannis, Bryanna (sorry, probably spelled wrong), Katelyn, and Ray.
Sorry, this one's gross, but this is what Sawyer did when I asked him to smile.
Sawyer absolutely loved Missy's bouquet. He grabbed for it every chance he got. He kept saying, "Minnie's fwowas" "Minnie's fwowas pitty" "pitty fwowas" Too cute!
Okay, the next day was ANOTHER big day. The Jones Family Christmas Party! Woohoo! Let's see. Guess who came. Santa, yes. And. AND...Missy and Andrew. The day after they got married! What a good sport, Andrew. I bet you wouldn't have let Missy talk you into this if you had realized what you were in for (see picture later in this post).
Sawyer ate olives off his fingers.
Tyson built a little sculpture out of little plastic table decorations.
Sawyer hadn't finished eating when it was time to move into the Relief Society room for the talent show, so he had to stay out in the hallway in his chair. Aw. Jared was there to keep him company.
Sawyer finished dinner in time to sit on Santa's lap. He didn't freak out.
And neither did Sawyer.
Even though this gift looked a leetle familiar. Okay, I told you I haven't bought any Christmas presents yet!
After Sawyer sat on Santa's lap, he wanted to sit right up front to watch the rest of the kids get their turns. He really liked Santa!
So did Beck, who didn't freak out either.
If this guy was freaking out, he didn't let it show. Like I said, Andrew Felix is a good sport. Welcome to the family, Andrew Felix. (For those who are wondering, Tyson and Missy have a brother named Andrew as well, so Andrew Felix is usually referred to just like that... "Andrew Felix", even sometimes when we are talking directly to him. Weird.)
If this guy was freaking out, he didn't let it show. Like I said, Andrew Felix is a good sport. Welcome to the family, Andrew Felix. (For those who are wondering, Tyson and Missy have a brother named Andrew as well, so Andrew Felix is usually referred to just like that... "Andrew Felix", even sometimes when we are talking directly to him. Weird.)
After the Christmas party, which was in American Fork, my parents watched our kids at their house while Tyson and I went out for sushi at Takashi in Salt Lake City. This is the best sushi in Utah, in my not-so-humble opinion. If you like sushi, go there. Do not delay!
This is just a random picture of all my favorite boys:
And. last but not least, Grandmom and Granddad came by for a quick visit on Tuesday. Granddad made us a beautiful wood nativity puzzle which Sawyer has had fun playing with. They also brought us TWO WHOLE BAGS of their dried fruit, and Tyson has already polished off the first bag. I have the kindest and most generous grandparents in the whole world, in case you were wondering! I love them!
The end. Of this post.
