Good Times at the Ostrich Festival

We were excited to see the festivities out at Tumbleweed Park for the annual Ostrich Festival in Chandler. The kids had a blast watching the outdoor circus, the animal races and visiting the petting zoo. I have to admit I was tempted to pay the dollar to walk in and see "the smallest horse in the world." Although it had a little of the state fair feel to it, we still had a good time. The highlight of Tyson's night was riding on a real pony. His repeated phrase was "yee-hah horsey."

Salmon Fam Get Together

It was so fun to have all the Salmon family together for Kyle's baptism and Savannah's blessing. It had been a year since being all together, and it was so neat to see how much kids had grown. We were sad to see Jen and Scott go, but it will be fun to have everyone back together in another few months for Taryn's wedding.

Murder Mystery Date Night!

We were finally able to put to use our Christmas present from about five years ago! We attended "How to Host a Murder" game night with Salmon sisters and their dates. Everyone did a great job of getting into character, and Brad did an exceptionally good job of staying in character throughout the night. It was a blast, and it was so nice that my parents were willing to host it and provide the delicious food and atmosphere for the night. It was kind of fun to note that it was the sixth year anniversary of Brad and my engagement that same night, and we were in my Dad's office, which is where he actually proposed to me. Although my character had plotted to aid in the murder that had occured, Brad's character ended up surprising us all as the actual killer. It was good times for all involved!

Christmas was a Whirlwind!

Christmas has come and gone, and life can finally get back to normal again! It was so fun participating in the annual Cookie Day at Grandma Salmon's house. Tyson enjoyed licking off the frosting more than decorating, but he definitely had a good time. We also found ourselves busy with Christmas dinners, family Christmas programs, and all the rest of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Tyson was especially thrilled this year to be the shepherd in the Nativity scene. How ironic that in the same costume last year he screamed as we put him in it, and this year he screamed when we had to take it off! We are happy to have the Hulme cousins close by again, and Tyson definitely loves to get rough and tumble with his cousins. Taryn and Syrell just headed back to BYU this past weekend, and we are all looking forward to the wedding that is soon to come for Russell and Taryn at the end of the semester. Elise is starting to sit up all by herself now, and likes to look around while she does it to make sure everyone is noting it. She has such an adorable laugh right now and is often entertained by her brother Tyson (as long as he leaves her some bubble space!)

Family Pics

We just had our family photos taken, and they were quite the ordeal! Trying to get a toddler and a baby to smile simultaneously can be a struggle. We were just happy to come out of there with a few decent photos. All I have to say is bribery can be a wonderful thing. Tyson's two faves right now when it comes to candy our nem-ma-nems(M&M's) and suckers. Both were used to pry some smiles out of him. We had quite the scare last week with Elise in the ER for a mild concussion. It is times like those that allow you to look at your life and realize how blessed you are. I find joy every day in being a mom. I told Brad just today, if anyone ever complains about being bored in their life, just have kids!
Tyson is just starting to say prayers on his own right now. The other night he said one all by himself and made sure to send extra blessings to his sister Elise. As he was going through the list of people to bless, he began with daddy, mommy, Elise, Tyson and Sister Sally(our nickname for Elise sometimes). There are so many moments of tender mercies I see from the Lord as a mom.

Oops!

I am a little retarded when it comes to technological stuff! When I changed my background on my blog, I lost my links to other friends and family blogs. Can you please leave a comment with your blog address for me so I can put them back...thanks!

Halloween 2008

Tyson and Elise were quite the duo with their Pebbles and Bam Bam ensemble. Tyson couldn't get enough of going door to door saying "trick or treat" and then in exchange getting a handful of free candy. The only hang up was when one of our neighbors decided to dress up for the occasion in a ghoulish costume with some make-up and a wig. Tyson's eyes grew wide with horror, but he was able to overcome his fear and ended up taking the candy from the man's outstretched hand. Thanks to Grammy Salmon for supplying us with the adorable costumes!