The Christiansen Family: November 2009

Thanksgiving Weekend!

YUM!! We started Thanksgiving out with Nate's family ... I forgot to put my memory chip back in my camera, so this is one of the only pictures I got from the actual day! :(
We had a great day, filled with lots [too much] food!! And great company! [even if Casey did kill us all in scrabble!!]

The next day we went to look at the Caring & Sharing Christmas decorations. So pretty! Jackobi loved all of the lights and colors! {can you tell by that CHEESY grin!!} It's such a fun tradition & great cause!

We usually plan it just right so that we can look at everything at the Caring & Sharing and head out just in time to watch Santa ride around the square and light up the town! It was a lot of fun! Jackobi really enjoyed watching {and waving profusely!!} to Santa -- she was dancing to the band and everything! It was very cute to watch her so excited! (we'll see how she feels about Santa when I try to get a picture of her on his lap!!)

The fireworks afterwords were another story! She really liked them at first, but the loud BANG in combination with her napless day did not mesh well!! Let's just say she waved "bye" to them and then had a melt down.... I guess we'll force the nap next year!

Sara was home for the holiday and stayed with us a couple of days, Jackobi sure loved the extra attention and made a new best friend!! It's fun to watch them play together!!

All in all, we had a great Thanksgiving weekend!! We're excited for the next month of Christmas decorating, baking, shopping and all it entails!!

THANKFUL!!

We have so many wonderful blessings to be thankful this year!! I've tried to jot down something I'm 'thankful' for each day this month and have come up with quite a list! Some of them are silly ... but oh well! I'm just thankful!!

1. A wonderful husband and daughter that make me smile and laugh each day.
2. That we can be a family foreve
3. I have a great job that allows me to stay home each day to spend time with Jackobi
4. We're blessed to live so close to each of our families. I'm happy they're such a big part of our lives.

5. We have a great group of friends who we are able to count on no matter what
6. Wonderful neighbors
7. A great church family that we are able to surround ourselves with each week.
8. [GRANDPARENTS!] our own and the ones that SPOIL Jackobi!
9. Higher Education [and the opportunity you have to take advantage of it NO MATTER what stage you are in life!]

10. MUSIC
11. Our Nation and all the freedoms we are able to enjoy.
12. Modern technology and the ability it gives us to keep in touch with friends & family
13. Jackobi's hugs and kisses [even the slobbery ones!!]
14. Our warm, cozy home
15. Forgivness
16. BASEBALL!! It's a huge part of our summers, we love it! {this was mostly Nate's contribution!}
17. Christmas Lights & Fireworks [they make me happy!]
18. Missionaries (We miss you Bubba!!)
19. The small town we live in & good community we get to raise Jackobi in
20. Our good health & a healthy {and happy} little girl!!
21. Traditions
22. Sundays!! [and the naps that usually follow!]
23. Our dogs, as whiney as they can be! They make us laugh & Jackobi adores them
24. The beautiful area we live in & are able to enjoy each day
25. This wonderful holiday season & the opportunity it gives us to remember all of our many blessings!!

Kenzie's Birthday Bash!!

Kenzie's birthday was the day before Thanksgiving, so we celebrated the weekend before!! Even thought Jackobi 'hid' in the living room the entire night, we had fun!! We've had so much fun wathing Kenzie grow up, it makes us excited for what we have to look forward to with Jackobi! Happy Birthday Kenz! We hope #7 is the best yet!

oLd fRieNds ...

Chelsea and I have been friends for almost 14 years, I was SO excited when she and her little boy Teejin came to visit us while they were in town!! It's always good to get together with good friends & catch up! I'm so thankful for such a good friend ...

fAvoRite ThiNgs ...

Jackobi has hit a stage lately where she LOVES babies!! Ash gave her a little Cabbage Patch baby for her 1st birthday and now she goes nowhere without it!! She love calling for her 'babee' (baby in Jackobi talk). She also has a thing for putting diapers on her stuffed toys. Mostly her teddy bears, but she's obsessed with changing their diapers and 'checking' to see if they went potty. It's pretty funny!! It's fun to watch her with her 'babies' ... she loves them, cuddles them, kisses them and tucks them under blankies and tells them 'ni-ni' (night night). She's such an affetionate little girl, it's sweet to watch her 'take care' of them.

bEstiEs ...

While Sara was down the other Sara was able to make a quick trip too!! It was good to have the 3 of us all together!! Since we're all spread out over 12+ hours from eachother it doesn't happen often enough!! We had a great night full of laughs!

Sweet Girl ....

Isn't this one of the cutest little girls you've ever seen??!!

My sweet friend Laura let me help her take some pictures of her little girl Peyton. I had fun spending the afternoon with them [and Jackobi enjoyed raiding Peyton's toys!!] Peyton is such a sweet baby! She didn't feel very good and was an angel!! I know one day soon she and Jackobi will be good friends!! Mom's get to pick their kids friends, right??

Bunco Buds!

Once a month there's a group of girls that get together and play bunco! It's so much fun & I look forward to it each month! It's nice to get out of the house and socialize with friends (and other moms!) with no hubby's and no kids ... sometimes it keeps me sane! Tiff Jensen put together a group of fun girls, we have a blast every month!! November was my month to host ... we're missing a few girls, but here's the group! I was so excited that it worked out my sister could be here for bunco!! She had to be in SLC Friday, so it worked out perfect! -- it was fun to share with her what I do every month!

MaBeY FaMilY PicTurEs ...

Ashley's brother Tony in in the military and came home from Korea to visit. We decided to sneak in a family picture! It was the first family picture with EVERYONE in it in 20 years! I think they turned out pretty good!

I had a lot of fun taking them & am glad Ash always lets me put them through my bossy picture taking! :)

Grandpa Ike turns 80!!

Nate's Grandpa Ike turned EiGhTY today!! This past weekend we had a birthday party to celebrate! Almost the ENTIRE family was there. It was nice to be able to celebrate with him! Above he's posing with the card from us, Jackobi worked pretty hard ( a good 1/2 hour) on it. She's the next Michelangelo don't you think??

While we were there Jackobi made a new friend, Kyler. They had lots of fun together playing 'Ring Around the Rosey' and running around! It was funny, Jackobi didn't want to share him with anyone! She would get mad when his little sister would come and try and sneak some of his attention! Funny!

We had a fun night celebrating Ike's birthday with him.
Happy Birthday!! Thanks for all you do & have taught us!

Mischief ...

The other morning I had to do take the garbage out and when I came back inside this is what I saw ...

Yes ... singing and dancing in a huge pile of diapers (82 to be exact ... a small case!)

Apparently leaving a new box of opened diapers in the reach of a 1 1/2 year old is on the 'not to do' list ... she sure had fun playing in them!

Bed head and all, she happily helped me clean them up. I'm glad it was one of her less destructive messes! :)

Our Little Jacko'BEE'

Halloween came and went and was a hit! After the initial 'I hate it' reaction, Jackobi decided she loved her costume. By the end of the night we had her trained to 'bzzzz' like a little bumble bee!