Richard's birthday

We had the pleasure of spending Richard's birthday with him. We had so much fun. They totally outdid themselves. They rented a car that would fit all of us. Then took us to Dave & Busters and then we went to LaserTron. Richard was so funny. He had invited some friends from his hometown that we didn't know so he had us all fill out a get to know you form and on the way to dinner he told us facts about how we were similar. We really love Richard and Kelly and are sad that they will be moving away this summer. Happy Birthday Richard!

Baby stats

I forgot to post Tyson's 6 month stats. Here they are:

Height: 26 3/4 in.

Weight: 18# 3 oz.

Head Circumfrence: 17 3/4 in.

He's in the 50th percentile for everything except head circumfrence which is in the 75th percentile.

Here's Tyson's 9 month stats:

Height: 28 1/4 in.
Weight: 19# 13 oz.
Head Circumfrence: 18 in.

They didn't tell us percentages this time but I'm assuming he's still mostly average.

He is such a good little boy. So happy and such a pleasure to be around.

He still doesn't have any teeth but likes to eat EVERYTHING. This morning while we were sledding he ate for an hour and a half straight. He was eating cookies, bagels, pretzels, bananas, and graham crackers. He thought he was in heaven.

He loves people but especially little kids. He will stare at kids until they look at him and then crack into a big grin. He, like his mother, is very ticklish. He will squeal in delight when his thighs or neck are tickled.

He sleeps from 8pm to 7am with two naps during day - each lasting about 2 hours. I love that he's such a good sleeper. He won't sleep if there are any people around which makes church tough but he usually doesn't get cranky and takes a loooong nap when we get home (which allows us to sleep also).

He loves to dance and to be sung to. He is starting to enjoy books but still won't still for very long.

He loves mommy and daddy. He sometimes will cry when daddy leaves for school and always gets excited when we enter the room. It's so much fun.

If you can't tell, we are quite taken with our little man. I love watching him discover new things. To me he is perfect- so sweet, adorable, energetic, happy, and loving.

winter wonderland

Rumor has it that this is the worst winter in 30 years for Buffalo. It hasn't quit snowing since Christmas and it's been so cold. I'm about convinced that I want to move to Phoenix after living in this winter wonderland. For now I find myslef looking up cruises during the day. This is a picture of our driveway. Our car barely fits through the narrow valley between the mountains of snow. We have found some fun things to do while it snows. We went sledding this morning. Tyson enjoyed the food and girls that were there but he didn't like the cold snow that much. I had a tough time getting my sled to go straight and not backwards. Thayne conquered the slopes and may go pro.

Last weekend we were stuck inside due to the storms. Luckily I had this kit on hand.

We are not very creative and tried to copy the picture on the front of the box. This is our masterpiece. It was such a fun night. We laughed at our lack of creative talent.

One of our favorite things to do when it snows (or any other time) is to play with the little man. He is so funny. He has learned to clap, wave, and is starting to catch on to high five. It's all on his timing. If he's not in the mood for any of these games, there's no coaxing him to show off. His favorite game to play when it snows is horsey. He giggles and laughs. We love it.

Some fun and some not so fun

When we got home from vacation, Thayne and I had a surprise waiting for us. Our house was about 30 degrees, our dining room was full of snow, and our front door was wide open. Upon further investigation we found drawers wide open in all the rooms in the house. We thought nothing was missing at first but when we went to use the internet we couldn't find our laptops. Sure enough, they were stolen. The night before we got home our sweet neighbor saw a light on and a window open in our house and knocked on our door to tell us our window was open. We think the burglar(s) were most likely in our house at this time because the door was shut when she came over. At first Thayne and I weren't going to tell people about this but we think it's good if people are more aware of what can happen. We should have stopped our mail and probably even paid somebody to shovel so it wasn't so obvious we weren't home. We don't live in a scary area. I feel completely safe in my home. It's a weird feeling to think that somebody has been through your stuff. I was a little upset at first but now I just don't get it. I don't understand why somebody would steal from us. We have an ancient TV, hardly any movies, second hand furniture, it was pretty obvious we don't have a lot of money so why would you take anything from us? I have a really hard time getting this. Thayne feels violated and doesn't like the feeling that somebody can get in the house when he's not home. We are trying to take this experience and learn from it and try to not let it happen in the future. However we have really bad luck. In three years of marriage we have had our car broken into, our luggage stolen, and now our house broken into. Maybe God is trying to teach us something and we just aren't getting it.

Anyways, on a happier note. . .

Thayne and I have been on some fun dates lately. My favorite was the night we went to pizza hut and bought a $5 Mia pizza and shared it in the car (we were so cheap we didn't want to pay a server). Look at that cheese. Yum!Tyson enjoyed the crustWe then headed to the golf dome for some mini golfing. This place was awesome! We had to get some glamor shots in. Tyson was our caddy (Notice the golf club he's holding). We placed a small bet and the winner got to choose dessert. We were neck and neck most of the game but I missed my last shot and Thayne ended up winning so we went to McD's and got ice cream cones. Exciting, I know!

We also went bowling one afternoon with a couple other couples in our ward. It was so much fun! After bowling on the Wii, I think Thayne and I were a little over confident. I won the first game but Thayne didn't even break 60. I think it was the worst I've ever seen him do. The second game we decided to do crazy bowling. This is the score at the end of the game.

I'm N of course, but I actually did worse than this. Every frame where there's a 1, it should be a 0. We liked to call them pity points. I want to point out that I didn't lose. I was asked to not tell you who "R" is but maybe you can figure it out if you look at the pictures that are at the bottom of this post. Notice Thayne's score. He couldn't break 60 bowling regularly but broke 100 by bowling between his legs, with his left hand, on his tiptoes, with his eyes closed, etc. Hilarious, huh? My husband once again proves his amazingness.

Family Pictures

Since we were all together for Christmas this year, we had family pictures taken. One of my old roommates is starting up a photography business and she was going to take outside pictures for Thayne, Tyson, and I, but due to bad weather and the passing of Grandma Henrie it didn't work out so we had to settle for the indoor type. I think they still turned out cute.

Christmas 2008

Thayne and I were able to go to Utah for Christmas this year. I've been to Utah twice in the past few months and Thayne had to stay here both times. I was so happy to have him with me this time. Our plane had some trouble landing due to another plane skidding off the runway. Bags were delayed and the airport was packed. We got in a few hours late but atleast we were there. All of my family was together for Christmas. We played games, went swimming, opened presents, played Wii, ate lots of yummy food, looked at the mountains (Thayne is obsessed), got new hair-dos, and played basketball. It was lots of fun.

Tyson's favorite activity was to pull the videos off the shelf.

Thayne's grandmother passed away while we were in Utah so we were able to see all the Gardners and Henries. It was the first time Tyson and I had met most of them. Thayne's grandma had been sick for a long time and while it was sad that she passed away it was good timing for us since we were already in Utah.

Thayne and I had a little Christmas with our family before we went to Utah. I made us matching pajama pants. If they shrink much when I wash them, they won't fit us. That's okay, it was fun while it lasted.

Tyson once again loved the packing peanuts.