Christmas Letter Time

Yes, we're finally going to do one this year:

1. I am not pregnant and climbing a mountain every day, so I have energy.
2. We are not scraping by on students loans and a very tiny income.
3. We just got some cute family pictures taken.

Please email me at briannehlindsay@gmail.com with your address if you would like to receive our letter (immediate family and grandparents do not need to respond).

Cheers!

I have arrived.

Caleb is in school now. (I know. Weird.)

So we carpool with a couple families in the area.

When it is my turn to drive, I need two extra boosters, which I bought for about $40 total.

In my van, I have two car seats and three boosters.

I only have three children.

I think this means I have arrived.

And not to be outdone...

My mom also sewed these fantastic costumes:

Cinnawewwa
(we also had glubs for her hands, but forgot them for the picture)

Still has both shoes so far

Jack Jack
You may remember from 3 years ago that my mom made this costume (I helped a very little) for Caleb, who was Dash. And since Savanna refused to be Violet, Caleb decided that Joseph should be Jack Jack. Got that?!

Wall-E

My parents came to visit this past week. When I asked them to help me make Caleb's desired Wall-E costume, I never in my wildest dreams expected it to turn out so AWESOME! Mom sewed it, Dad painted it. WOW!

Caleb painting his Trick-or-Treat bag next to Grandpa.

The front

The back

The eyes

The hands

In cube formation

The bag

Little Pigs

Bryan (outside of Savanna's room): Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in.
(Lots of squeals and giggles coming from inside Savanna's room.)
Caleb: We're not little pigs!
Bryan: Little kids, little kids, let me come in!
Caleb: Not by the hair of our chinny-chin-chins!
Bryan: You don't have hair on your chins.
Caleb: What?
Bryan: You don't have hair on your chins!
Caleb: Then not by the hair of our heady-head-heads!

Okay, now for some pictures.

I never want to forget this: sucking his left thumb, fingers through the blanket. You know he's tired when he sticks that thumb in his mouth and reaches for something, anything, to hold in his right hand, including but not limited to a burp cloth, towel, or just my shirt.
P.S. I can't remember who gave this blanket to us. If it was you, you win! It has been christened as Joseph's official baby blanket!

Seconds later, waking up with a smile on his face.

Waking up little more.

Smiling some more.

Wearing a hat my sister Audri made, sucking on the tablecloth.

People often ask me, "Is he happy like this all the time?" And the answer: YES! He does cry like any normal kid who hasn't mastered language yet, but he is truly very happy 99% of the time.

Savanna modeling the hat Audri made for her.

He likes these toys. I mean toes.

See, always smiling.

Hanging out with Caleb.

These boys really like each other.

And last but not least, FHE and cookie-decorating with some friends. Bryan knew Drew from his mission. I knew of Kelly at BYU because she also graduated in vocal performance a couple years before me. And their daughters are both gorgeous.

Update

I am officially annoyed with blogger right now because it won't allow me to upload pictures.

So I will do that later, but for now I will give you a short update on our family.

Bryan is a (very) little less busy than he has been. He still works 50 hours a week at least. So it's hard to justify doing anything besides spending time with him when he's home. Because, frankly, if he works 50 hours a week, that's 10 extra hours a week I work too, without a break for me. But how can I complain when he's not getting a break either? And we thought we were busy in college...

I am (slowly) finding my place in this small town. I have recently been able to use my musical talents (a little) more than before, which pleases me. I am getting more comfortable with my visiting teachers, who, while quirky, are actually quite nice. And I'm tearing down some walls, one brick at a time, with the young women I work with. I'm starting to mesh a little better with the other leaders too, the more I get to know them, and the more they get to know me. Mostly, they just intimidate me because they are all such amazing women with amazing talents.

Caleb is enjoying school, but still "not learning anything." Which is not entirely true. But if he thinks school is just fun, that's fine by me. He loves to play with (tease) Savanna and Joseph. But he does really love them, I think. He is also very sensitive. Both in that he gets his feelings hurt easily, and that he has great sympathy for others who are sad.

Savanna is talking in paragraphs now, and some of the things she says just catch me off guard. She is transitioning to no-naps, which breaks my heart into thousands of pieces. She can throw a mean tantrum, but she is also learning how to say "please" and "thank you" and ask for things without whining. She loves everything princess, mostly Cinderella. So we are trying to use this obsession to encourage her to be "modest like a princess," and "talk nicely like a princess." And since she is still not potty-trained yet, I thought about making a princess throne so she can "go potty like a princess."

Joseph aims to please. He always has a smile on his face, as you will see with the forthcoming picture post. He is a happy little guy. Even when I'm having a rough day, he can smile at me and melt all my frustration and angst away. I LOVE this little guy!