general cuteness

Making brownies with mom

Christmas tree cutting

The next day we drove up Bent Mountain to go hunt Christmas trees. We found a farm that sold trees for 5 dollars a pop-no matter the size. I intially thought that going to a tree farm wouldn't be as fun as going to the mountains to chop one down, but I was wrong. Believe you me there was still plenty of hiking involved as I drug the family up, down and back again over several foresty acres. I prefered Pine trees (because they aren't pokey) and Bryan like the Spruce. So we splurged and bought two Christmas trees. As Bryan cut down the trees we enjoyed the first snow of the season. Princess and I enjoyed it from inside the car.
That afternoon we decorated with way too many lights, ate cinnamon rolls and then went to a work party. We decided to take advantage of the open bar and get milk shakes. (hey people who don't drink should be able to benefit from the company's generosity too right?) That was the highlight of that shindig.
Oh yes, and Bryan created a facebook account. On a general note, I about died when the weather was forecast for 'frigid' last night and today. There is something not right with the world when the word cold is no longer sufficient and we must resort to 'frigid'. You can take the girl out of the desert-but she'll probably freeze to death.

Christmasy activities in Roanoke

We spent this last weekend enjoying many local festivities to start the Christmas season. Friday night we spent in downtown Roanoke at the Dickens of a Christmas party. Charles Dickens novel came alive as characters roamed the streets. We enjoyed seeing the Scrooge heckle shoppers, and Bryan participated in a little dance with some other characters. In addition to Scrooge and the like there were magicians, dancers, jugglers, and plenty of street fair food and trinkets. It was very cold but Little princess enjoyed the sights and rode patiently in her stroller.

Cute Princess-isms

it's the perfect size for me (anything she wants to wear) it's too small for me (anything she doesn't want to wear)
I little king, you big king and daddy is queen.
What happened to your belly mom? it's ok when daddy come home he fix it.
Did you hear that noise? did you hear my bum? (after she toots)
Boogers are 'licious.
It's ok. When daddy come home from work-he fix it.
eww that is soo disgusting.
I got baby brother in my tummy

Holidays underway

Since I've last posted two super fun holidays have come and gone. For Halloween we dressed Little Princess up as tinkerbell. She looked absolutely precious and loved wearing her costume. We tried to go the the stake trunk or treat but were too late. So we decided to bring out community togetherness by going trunk or treating at the Baptist church down the road instead. Next we hit a swanky neighborhood with huge houses. Despite hours of practice Princess was too nervous to actually say 'trick or treat'. However, she did learn to sucessfully open her hello kitty bag wide open and say 'thank you' every time. She was so cute she made out like a bandit. Now one of her favorite things is to go around the house trick or treating. Luckily she accepts anything from toys to dirty socks (not that there are any of those around here ;) ) Thanksgiving was spent with some friends from the ward and their parents. The dinner was delicious and the company delightful. Bryan and Princess spent the day out on the go cart having fun. The morning after was filled with shopping. I couldn't bring myself to leave the bed before the sun was up, but I still got everything I went out to get. I guess nobody was beating down the door at Wal Mart to get a 3 dollar princess towel- so I was in luck. I also managed to get Bryan a really nice watch for our big 5th anniversary coming up. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I let it slip. oops. In addition to this first thanksgiving, we decided to have a second one. So last night I cooked up a turkey and all the fixin's. I don't think the food is quite as good when you do it all yourself-but I didn't burn anything down and it was all done on time so I consider it a success. Anyways..this is pretty boring stuff-but I had to write something. Hopefully I'll add some pictures soon.

I've finally decided to make somewhat productive use of my web time and set up a blog for my family. It has been a year and a half since I graduated from school and year since Bryan finished up and we left the great LC. Immediately after school we packed up and moved to Alexandria VA just outside of DC, where Bryan began working as an auditor for KPMG (an accounting firm). While we enjoyed the diversity and cultural attractions of the area we felt like it was not the place for our family. This could be because despite the fun we were stuck living in a roach motel in the ghetto, which cost 1200 dollars a month. I still have nightmares. So our intial plan to live there for a few years quickly deteriorated. I saw the name Roanoke and it just felt like a good place to live. So I googled KPMG Roanoke and found Bryan a job. Wham bam six months after moving to DC we said hasta la vista and moved to Roanoke. So here we are. It is a medium size town nestled in a the Shenandoah Valley. Southern hospitality is prevelant and we have never felt out of place. Our ward is fantastic, it is in full swing missionary mode and we are lucky to have families baptized left and right. We enjoy the spirit that this brings. Bryan is serving as 11 year old boy scout leader. This is a fun calling. Princess especially loves the boys-they're her first crushes and she won't stop talking about Josh and Ammon. I just recently received a calling as a personal progress specialist. Oh boy, I'm excited for the opportunity but really nervous too. I love staying home with Leilani. She has become someone I can really pal around with. She lets me do her hair in cute styles and dress her up in tutus. Her vocabulary is amazing and continues to grow. I am currently preggo with baby keele number two. This little boy is due to meet the world February 2nd 2009. I am a little worried about caring for a little boy, as I had no brothers, nor any boyish traits, yada yada etc. I know I'll miss the cute dresses and bows, but I great this new experience with an open mind. Anyways, this is just a little synposis of what is going on with our lives nowadays. I want everyone to know that I miss them and that my heart is in the land of enchantment. However, we are confident that we as a family are where the Lord needs us to be in order to grow as an eternal unit and serve in His kingdom. So with that, we are filled with hope for the future and can't wait to see everyone again. Until we meet again, I'll keep this updated to stay in touch.