The Middle name Controversy

Okay so it's not really a controversy, but simply a fun poll to see what everyone thinks of some middle names we're kicking around. We don't really have a first name but kind of do (we have a hard time agreeing on girl names for some reason, but we do have one that seems to pull the old heartstrings) So we just want to know what people think of these names for middle names. We may use one of them, we may not and use something completely different. Maybe it's sort of a barometer to see who actually comes to our blog. But we do want to see what people like. Or if you have great ideas of your own feel free to post them in the comments. As a reminder, our baby girl is due in March, only a few short months away.

On a side note, we have been tagged several times, and we have been too busy/lazy/sleepy to actually put things about us on our blog. Maybe one day we'll get around to it. Plus we kind of like not doing the expected (it's that rebellious spirit, ya know?) Have a great one!

Joe and Liz

Joe and Liz came out to visit us on saturday before they had to head back to Utah. It was a good visit, especially since we got to watch the BYU-Utah game together. We don't have cable here so we bought the game on the internet and hooked it up to the TV. It was a great game. It was really good to see Joe and Liz and see the bulging belly twins. Natalie got to play with Liz and her computer (Natalie is going to be very tech-savvy). We took them to the airport for their flight and Natalie was sad to see them go. She must've thought she was going on the airplane with them to go back to Utah.

Crescent Bay Tidal pools

On Friday after Thanksgiving, we all went out to the beach at Crescent Bay Beach near Laguna Beach. You can't come all the way from Wyoming and not go the 10 miles to the beach, right? We headed out in the morning and it was a gorgeous day. It was high tide going out so there wasn't as many pools as when we had gone previously. Grandma and granddad had to leave in the early afternoon, hence the early morning jaunt. We clambered over the rocks and looked at the pools and all the great sea creatures. We even saw a sea lion out on the rocks about 100 ft from the shore where we were. We went around the point and found a small bay with what we thought was black and white sand. Upon closer inspection we found it was all seashells! most have been pulverized by the waves, but there were a few good shells that we collected. It was a great time had by all. Natalie was a little sick, probably with an ear infection, but she was a little trooper. There was a few people out there while we were there and by the time we left the people started showing up. We had to head back though so grandma and granddad could hit the road. They ended up driving to St. George that night and continuing to WY the next day.

Walking across the beach to the tidal pools

Heading out across the rocks

Looking for shells; all that black and white looking sand is all seashells, smashed up, broken, ground up, and even whole

Grandma and Granddad about to make the long trek home

Turkey Day

Well, we had a great Thanksgiving this week. Grandma and granddad from came all the way from Wyoming to spend turkey day with us. It was a great couple of days and wish they could have stayed longer. Mom and grandma spent all morning on Thursday cooking up a storm. Then grandma's sister and husband came from Anaheim to eat dinner with us. It was great to have them here, though Natalie was confuse with all the Korean being spoken between grandma and her sister. We did teach Natalie to say "Give me a kiss" in Korean and it was a big hit. Dad and granddad fixed the brakes on the car in the morning and played with Natalie a lot of the day. it was a great feast, and we enjoyed each others company. It was really nice to have family come out and visit us. Sometimes we feel like we are on the edge of the world and so far from our families. We are looking forward to coming back home for Christmas and seeing all our family for a little bit. We have much to be thankful for this year.

Grandma and Natalie enjoying pie

Grandma giving Horsey back rides after the feast

All the family a couch can hold

Our newest addition

This last week we had the opportunity to buy a piano. It's used but in good condition. We bought it from a lady who bought it for her two kids, they never play it (it's been sitting for 6 months), and she wanted to get rid of it for some Christmas money. We were more than happy to take it off her hands. We have been wanting to get a piano for a loooong time and are so happy that we finally have one in our home. The nice thing is it's a digital piano so we can turn the volume down and even use headphones if needed. It's got full 88 keys and they're weighted so it sounds and feels like a real piano. And it's not a bear to carry up and down the steps to move in. Natalie loves to sit and play on it and is learning to recognize music notations. She is a fast learner! We're glad our parents had both of us learn to play the piano and appreciate good music. It definitely brings a wonderful spirit into our home. Now dad doesn't have to go all the way to the church to practice!

Natalie the Dancer

Natalie is a true dance machine. She has this toy that is a steering wheel and has buttons you can push that play classical music. She has loved to play with it ever since she could sit up. She'll go pull it out and bring it to wherever you may be and say, "Let's have some music" and play the music from it. We love to have her come and turn on her music for us, especially since it's classical and not some cheesy electronic toy music. She started turning it on and start dancing to it. Here's a video of the aforementioned dancing...

Silly Natalie

Natalie is our ray of sunshine to say the least. She wanted to make some silly faces and take the pictures so we did.

Dad's homework

So I thought that I would post something that I've been doing at school this last week. I put it here not only to show everyone that I am really doing something here in California, but that this homework made me laugh. My portrait painting teacher assigned us to do a "Master Copy". For those of you not in the know, a master copy is a copy (painting or drawing) of an old master, ie Da Vinci, Velasquez, Michelangelo, Rembrant, Sargent, etc. Well as I was painting this portrait I looked at it and realized that it looked like a very serious Mr. Noodle. I had a good laugh in my studio and when I took it to class I mentioned it thinking it would make the other students smile at the very least. No one knew who Mr. Noodle was, and there are other parents in the class with smaller children. (For those of you who don't know, Mr. Noodle is a character on "Elmo's World" that looks just like my painting, only he's very silly in the show) Anyways, that being said, here's a picture of it in progress. If anyone can guess the artist I copied from you win a prize.

Booster Seat

Our excitement this week was going to Wal Mart and buying a booster chair for Natalie so she can sit at the table. She loves not having to sit in her high chair anymore (she calls it her "I chair") and loves to proclaim ,"I'm a BIG kid in my booster seat! No More I chair!" every time we sit down to eat now. She takes it around the house and sits in it pretty much everywhere. It's hard to believe how much she is growing up!

A bunch of sickos

So we have all been sick here these past two weeks and are finally getting over what ails us. It's been a long one with everyone sick at the same time. It was aggravated by the smoke from the fires too, so it's been extra difficult. Mom went and bought a box of kleenex for the runny noses, and some little hands got creative one night. Don't worry, we still used the pulled out tissues. Mom even tried to stuff them back into the box, but have you ever tried to fit all those pulled out tissues back into the box? Nigh unto impossible.

Trick or Treating

So, here we are heading out for our first trick or treating experience. It was super fun and Natalie was very excited. I don't think she enjoys the candy so much as going out and getting all the candy. Our complex doesn't have many children so we headed out to a neighborhood in the ward that was just houses, and it turned out to be perfect. There were lots of little kids out and people went all out decorating their houses. Natalie did great always saying "trick-or-treat!" and "thank you". It was fun. There was a group of high school kids who had dressed up in liederhosen and were playing polka (think of the song in Shrek when he and Donkey go into the city and pull the lever and the puppets sing their song) and they went marching down the streets, stopping occasionally to play their song. They weren't out for candy but a good time. It was funny to see. One house went all out and the owner had built a pirate ship in his driveway with Davy Jones coming up out of the middle. It had lights and smoke and everything. It was pretty cool. What people do with money never ceases to amaze us. Now, bring on the Turkey!

The Pirate ship

After all the festivities of the night we went home and Natalie had fun with the glow stick and dad had fun with the camera.

Halloween

Soooo, Halloween was pretty fun this year. It was nice outside, no snow (what?! you mean you can wear just your costume and not a winter jacket over the top!!??) So our festivities included going to a neighbor's house and having a little party with all the kids in the neighborhood. Natalie was coughing the whole time so we ducked out a little early. They had some good food and LOTS of sweets (think cupcakes with frosting 2" deep on top. Who really eats that stuff anyways?) But it was fun had by all. It was a sweet lady who has no little kids herself but puts on this party every year for the neighbor hood kids. Then we got ready to head out trick or treating. More on that to come....

Natalie with Emily and Cheyenne, her neighborhod buddies who always come over to ask if she can come out and play.

Our little Lion, getting into the Lion cub mode

Pumpkin Patch video

This was a video from the pumpkin patch. The goats really loved Stephanie who had all the goat food. It's like they never eat!

More Pumpkin patch pics

More Pumpkin patch pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch

Well it seemed that everyone else was having fun going to pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and fun Halloween things that Mom and Natalie went with some of the ladies in the ward to a pumpkin patch up in Irvine. They had a ball as you will see in the pictures. Natalie got to play with her friends and pet some goats as well. Too bad dad had to go to school.

On the same note...

Since I was thinking about guitar solos and cool things like that and wishing that I should be able to whip out a guitar solo should opportunity present itself, I remembered where one may learn such things. There is a great website called guitarshredshow.com and it is an interactive type of experience, where you can not only see how it should be done, but how to play it and even TAB for to how to play the guitar solo. Then when you have finished your training with Mr. Fastfinger (that is the guitar guru's name after all) then you can test your skills at The Mountain of the Tapping Dwarves. Even if you don't want to shred on the guitar (though I can't imagine why not), you should check it out. Go play, have fun.

More You tube fun

So in my meanderings on the web I came across this violinist who plays "Eruption". The original of course is by guitarist Eddie Van Halen. Have a listen.