New Endevors for 2012

New year = new priorities/interests/goals/hobbies/experiences

Brigs got a train set for Christmas and it's all he plays with. He has built the track in many different forms and runs that train around and around and around...

He's also - somehow - found his sunglasses from last year and likes to wear them on his head, you can't really tell from the picture, but he likes the glasses part on the side of his head - like a true G-funk!

In the year 2012 Brigham would has set a goal to relax more and enjoy life in and out of the highchair

and we have found a new love (thank you "Dinosaur Train" and Aunt Jana) DINOSAURS!!! Oh my oh my oh Dinosaurs. He can say all of their names...full names {ever since I was little I vowed to not have a child that reffered to a brachiosaurus as a "long neck" or T-Rex as a "Sharp Tooth"} We are working on Velociraptor, but so far it is coming out "Waffle Tractor"

Other than learning more dinosaur names and facts then we'd ever thought we would know we are both staying pretty busy. Me with rehearsals for the upcoming Steel Magnolias & Ryan broadcasting wrestling & basketball and a few conferences for the Ag Station. We both responded to a casting call for Mormon couples for a documentary on marriage, but alas didn't get picked. Next time.....next time....

Merry Christmas Baby

This is how it started. The ward Christmas party and Santa Claus......I have to admit that I LOVE this picture. I was told to make it part of my Christmas decor and I think I need to find a perfect frame.

Christmas morning was at the Steineckerts. Brigham, being the youngest, got to go first and got this dinosaur puzzle - he was happy to just have this all day long...little did he know that he had truck loads of gifts from both Grandparents.

Charlie the Ranch Dog!! Brigs was thrilled to have this and can pretty much read the entire thing all by himself.

Ryan's parents both turned 60 and since July all of us kids have been planning a surprise birthday party for them. It was alot of work, but SO MUCH FUN! We were so happy to celebrate this with them and that the surprise went so well. Lots of friends - the best red velvet cupcakes I've ever had - great memories. {Jana, on the far right, is preggo with our soon-to-arrive nephew Cole, we can't wait!}

Aunt Allie got us tickets for the Natural History Museum at Thanksgiving Point. What a great museum! It is so kid friendly, full of hands on activities and TONZ of dinosaurs. Brigham is still talking about it!

The annual Caldiero Bucca Di Beppo {post}Christmas dinner. We had a wonderful time with Grandma & Grandpa full of parties, food, food, presents, food {I got to try sugar cookies from the Sweet Tooth Fairy & a red velvet bunt cake from Nothing Bunt Cakes - oh so good!} sleeping, eating some more, family pictures, food...you get the picture.

It was a wonderful way to celebrate the end of the year, surrounded by our families and ....really, realy, good food!!!

The Christmas Tree Hunt

We found snow!! We had to make quite the drive and do some off roading, but we found it and Brigham loved it! He loved walking and then stopping to look behind him at his tracks. He also liked finding bunny & deer tracks.

After hiking around Mom & Dad found a tree that we thought would work. Brigham gave us the thumbs up and Dad went to get the chain saw.

While Dad was cutting our tree down, Mommy & Brigs hung out in the warm car.

There's "Mort" the Steiny Christmas tree of 2011.

Brigham had a great time with Mort. He liked pulling on his branches. Putting them into his mouth. About a day after we decorated Mort we had to re-decorate him so he was bare two feet up.

Sadly I didn't take any pictures of dressed up Mort...it was a busy holiday.

Our Thankful Tree

The Thankful Tree

In the spirit of being Thankful this month we all took some time every Monday night to say at least three things that we are thankful for & then taped our "Thankful leaves" to the sticks and made a "Tree". Ryan rolled his eyes at first, but I think this is going to be a tradition that will stick in our house. Here are some of the things that we are thankful for this month:

Brigham - Horses, T- Rex, books,puzzles, juice, prayer, whales & Jesus (seriously said Jesus!)
Momma- Brigham, naptime, , my bed, Ryan, Internet, yummy food, telephones, FB & Pinterest, Kisses from Brigs & Daddy, family, hot showers, pjs, good friends & heaters.
Daddy - Snow, good job, chocolate & fresh vegtables (don't know how the two are connected, but oh well), temple & priesthood, Mexican Mondays, Brigham, Days off, Momma,Brigham kisses & hugs & 2 good working vehicles.


Here's a few other things going on with our family this month:

So Barnes & Noble has an AWESOME online Story Time where celebrities and authors will read their children's books along with their pictures (think Reading Rainbow). I love it. Brigs loves it. We love it. One of the books on there is "Charlie the Ranch Dog" by Ree Drummond (the Pioneer Woman) and Brigs LOVES it. He honestly watches it over and over and over and over and over and...well you get it. He's even memorized a few key phrases and will go around the house saying :

"Oh No! Wher'd ey go?" (oh no. Where did they go?)

and Daisy! Nooooooooo!!!!

We also have some new-to-us snow boots while we wait for the snow to arrive. Brigs is so cute walking around in them. It's hard to describe it, but he kind of gets this little buck-a-roo swagger to him when he's walking in them and he tends to kick his toe out as he walks. It's great. As you can see he loves to wear them everywhere!

His creative side is coming out. We are finding new uses for the things that we find around the house. Like this normal looking tupperware can be used as a space-aged hat and you can see through it! (Sort of. He walked right into the table after this picture was taken. Don't worry this hat served as a pretty good helmet as well as a fashion statement.)

Thanksgiving was great. We didn't have any family come up our way this year, but we spent it with our close friends, The Paramores. It was really nice only having to make a turkey & a dessert instead of being incharge of the whole feast. As usual Brigs blew everyone away with his vocabulary, his eating & his blue eyes.

As always, when we reflect on this year and all we have been blessed with we realize that our family & friends are most dear to us. Thank you for all the love, support, laughter & fun we've had with you this year!!

Happy Halloween punk!

"Say hello to my little friend...."

Those notorius chubby cheeks are out on the streets and they want candy!

Brigham had a really great time at Halloween despite the freezing cold winds. His "Mob Boss" costume was a HUGE hit with everyone and Mommy was pretty happy with it too (I didn't make it though. We inherited it) That suit is two pieces and a breeze to take off and on - plus - it is large enough that I was able to put a coat on him under the jacket so he could stay warm. Ryan made him the tommy gun...he really had fun with that.

We went to a party at the library and our towns annual main street "trick or treat" parade and Brigham made a HUGE haul!! When we got home we picked out all the candy we didn't like and gave it to the trick or treaters that came (yeah!!! a bowl full of the candy that we like!). I think that Brigham liked the trick or treaters coming to our house more that going out. He loved handing out the candy....and then eating some.

Earlier that day Brigs & I carved pumpkins and listened to Halloween music. We stopped once for a dance break to "Thriller" and Brigs tried to mimic me with the "thriller moves" that I have - it was SOOO much fun.

Happy Halloween

7th Anniversary is Copper

It's been seven years. Seven years ago I called Ryan my boyfriend. I slept all by myself. I fit into that dress.

It really doesn't feel like seven years. It's hard to put a time frame on how long you have known your soul mate. I'm just so happy that I found mine and that I get to share this blissful life and wonderful eternity with him.

For an anniversary gift this year I wanted to do something unique and meaningful. Something that would reflect the 7 year milestone. Well you know how there is something (gem/metal/flower) that corresponds with every anniversary? Well for the 7th anniversary it is Copper. Not sure the significance, but the mention of copper makes me think penny and that made me flash back to a pin that I saw on Pinterest of this:

A sweet penny key chain that has pennies with the dates of your birthdays (and you can add anniversary, children, etc).  I thought it would be perfect! and I thought that I could pull it off all by myself......I dug through our pennies & I found our birthday's  & the year that we were married and grabbed the hand drill (can you already guess how this is going to turn out?). I don't know how that gal gets nice smooth, small holes in her pennies, but mine were large and gnarled with sharred copper and zinc and whatever else is used to make a penny. I didn't even make it through the 1979 penny (pure copper back then) before the drill bit broke. I showed Ryan what I had tried to do to which he responded, "that's really great that you tried" - pretty much it was like giving him a macaroni necklace that I made by myself in kindergarten class. So for our anniversary Ryan got a new drill bit (and a few other things)

This year Ryan was in charge of our anniversary activities. He got a sitter and we planned dinner & a movie. Dinner didn't quite go as planned. He wanted to surprise me and take me to the local Thai restaurant in town but between ordering your food & getting it is a two hour wait (she makes EVERYTHING from scratch) and by the time the sitter came and we got going there wasn't time for dinner and the movie at 7pm (our town's movie theater only has one showing 7pm) so we went to our favorite mexican restaurant instead

Then we headed to see "Contagion" because our love is like a deadly disease. You can't touch it without catching it!!

"Multiply it by infinity, take it to the depths of forever and you will only get a glimpse of how much I love you."

Graham Crackers

Recipe at Smitten Kitchen really good recipe

Your house will smell like vanilla all day!