Honestly the Honesty. . .

When we moved into our home in July, we found beautiful red rock in the front yard for landscaping. The yard was a nightmare and the rocks hard to find, but they were there and we were so excited to use them to make a flower garden. Thinking that the previous homeowners had stared a project that they couldn't finish, we got started on one of our own. Talking to the neighbor one day we mentioned the rock. She politely told us that the previous owners had "borrowed" it from a construction site. I was appalled!!! How do you "borrow" expensive red rock from a construction site, you ask? Well, no one was using at the time so they just took it. We felt so dirty even using that rock after that, but there was no longer a construction site to return it to.

That story has troubled me since we moved in. Then today when we got home from church, we were getting lunch/dinner ready and I looked out the window at our back yard. Just behind our house they are building new townhouses. They are a little too close for my liking, but it's been really fun watching them progress. Anyways, as I was looking out the window, I noticed a car stop by the construction site and a little boy (probably 5-8 years old) get out. He was picking up various pieces of particle board and my first thought was, "holy smokes! that kid is totally stealing wood from the site!" so I called Trent over. We watched as he picked up pieces and then set them down studying them closely while his mother (I assume) waited in the running car. Then he started clearing the snow off one of them. "Whew!" I thought, "He's just clearing the snow or playing in the snow". Nope. He cleared that board of snow and then tried to take it to the car. He couldn't handle it by himself so his mother came to help and together they threw it in the back of the car. Trent was mad. He walked out on the back porch and whistled at them to get their attention. They didn't notice us. They sat in the car for a minute then the boy got out again, picked up another piece of particle board and a strip of metal, threw them in the car and then they went on their way home. What was so disturbing about this whole scene--other than the fact that they stole from a construction site in broad daylight-- was that they were on their way home from church. Our church. Our ward. And it was also saddening to watch this mother set such an example for her children. She taught them today that it's ok to take things that aren't yours. They were not poor, or at least didn't have that appearance in their new SUV and fancy church clothes, so I wonder why it was so important for them to take those things? Why it was so important to give up their integrity for $15 of particle board. Maybe I'm over reacting. I tend to do that. But it made me think. Is that what this world has come to? I hope that I'm a better example for my children. I hope that my children grow up with a sense of integrity and accountability. We are always, always, setting an example for our children. The choice is ours whether it's a good example or not. Maybe it's become common place for people to "borrow" indefinitely without a care in the world, but I do not wish that for my children.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

This year for the holidays Trent got really excited. I don't know if it's because for the first time since his mission he hasn't been in school or if it's because this year Jane actually understood, for the most part, the whole "Christmas thing". Either way, Trent is our jolly elf this year! We decided, given the cost, that we'd invest in a fake tree this year. It saddens me but at the same time it's so much more practical for so many reasons. Trent and Jane had fun setting it up and then we had a fun FHE decorating it. We've had some good snow storms this month and with those, we've discovered another "joy" of being homeowners: shoveling your own driveway. What a work out! It's still fun to do but after a few more storms, I know we'll be sick of it and want to go back to "the good old days" of student housing where the walks and parking lots were cleared for you. Jane, however, will probably never get sick of the snow. She's not afraid of it this year and so she's had a wonderful time helping us shovel, sledding, and eating the snow. The second weekend in December we had the pleasure of attending the annual Bassett Family Christmas party. Thanks again Todd and Jenn for hosting! Last year everyone got all dressed up and we somehow missed that memo so this year we got dressed to the nines! Jane got to wear her new Christmas dress, Bubba his new Christmas sweater vest (very dashing), and Trent and I wore our Christmas sweaters. I even put my hair in curlers. But, you guessed it, no one else really dressed up!!! Guess we missed the memo again. oh well. It was a smashing party with the whole family there. Food, a talent show, and a visit from Santa! Jane was scared to death of the guy. As soon as he stepped in the door, she started screaming "NO!!!!" and shaking like a leaf. Poor kid. Maybe next year. . . Last weekend we decided to take a family tip to Thanksgiving point to drive through the lights. We got the kids all bundled up and ready to go, but when we got there, the line was seriously a mile long and not moving so we decided instead to go see Santa's reindeer. When we got there, it wasn't crowded AT ALL!! The reindeer were so cool, they even made me believe in Santa! Jane got to feed one. He ate right out of her hand and she wasn't scared! We were so proud of her!!!! She thought it was the best thing ever. On Sunday we went to Kaysville to decorate gingerbread houses with our friends Joe and Britney. It was such a fun night hanging out with them and watching our kids play together. Their son Tyson and Jane are about the same age and so are Bubba and their new little girl Brielle so we were all perfectly paired :) Yesterday we did a day of baking to make treats for our neighbors. We've lived here for about 6 months so we decided it was about time we met some of them. Jane loved helping make and eat the cookies. She was a mess by the time we were done, but oh so happy. We are excited for the week ahead and hope that you all have a merry little Christmas!

Got Milk?

So back in October we noticed some blood in Bubba's diaper. It happened again a week or so later and 2-3 times after that. We took him to the doctor and were told that he probably had a "milk protein intolerance" and the cure was for me to stop consuming milk products. I wanted a second opinion so we went to another doctor and were told the same thing, only he said that I not only should cut out milk products but also soy. (I'm actually kinda glad the doc said no soy milk. . .that stuff is nasty!) I never realized how much dairy I consumed! There is milk in EVERYTHING! I have now been milk free for a week and there has been no change with Bubba. We'll go back at the first of January to reevaluate.

St. George

We had the opportunity at the beginning of the month to go to St. George for our niece's baptism. We went down on Friday and discovered that a road trip with two little kids is a lot different than just cruising down by ourselves. . . we stopped in every major town from Nephi to Beaver before they finally fell asleep! We got to the hotel just in time to go swimming before the pool closed. Jane was so excited! She'd been looking forward to swimming the whole week! It was Grant's very first time swimming and we thing he enjoyed it. . .he didn't cry so that was good. The next day Cambree was baptized. She looked so beautiful and grown up and we were so grateful we could be there! It was also nice to see the whole family and get away for a weekend. Some other trip highlights were Chad and Terral's house (seriously looks like the North Pole with every Christmas decoration known to man!), staying at the hotel in a room right next to Todd and Jenn and their girls (Jane couldn't have been happier), and Hogan's mullet.

Attack of the Tub Toy

Last night Jane was in the tub and Trent wound up her little swimming turtle and let it swim around while Jane laid there. Well, that dang tub toy swam around in Jane's hair and got all tangled up! We tried to get it out but with no success. We finally had to cut it out.

Catching up November

So the month has once again flown by and I have neglected to blog about it. So here's a quick re-cap of the month's major events:

Bubba started eating rice cereal. He's still not a fan but we work with him every day. He also had his 4 month check up weighing in at 15 lbs! Go Grant!!
Jane learned to love leaves this year. Last year the big piles in the village kind of scared her but this year I took her to my Aunt's to help rake and she was in kid heaven! She loved to jump in the piles, throw them in the air, and stomp them with her feet.
Jane and I were able to go to Disney Princesses on Ice mid month with my mom and aunt. It was so much fun getting her all dressed up to go, riding there on trax, meeting up with two of her cousins, and watching her light up as the princesses came out. Stupid Disney on Ice makes me cry every time! It's amazing that even at 27, it still feels magical :)
Yesterday Trent and Jane put up the Christmas lights on our house. Jane mostly stomped around in her boots talking about Santa, but Trent was able to manage on his own. We are super excited for Christmas this year. It's amazing how bleak and cold the world can seem, but at Christmas time, things seem so much brighter.

Trick or Treat

Holidays are so much more fun with kids around, that's for darn sure! We took Jane trick-or-treating this year and she loved it! She had been practicing all month and now it was go-time! The first house we went to, she knocked, they answered, she said, "trick-or-treat" quietly, and then they put a handful of candy in her bag. She lit up like Christmas!!! At the next house, she was more confident with her "trick-or-treat" and even added a "thank you!" when given candy. As we turned to walk down the steps she happily announced, "Next house!" We made it all the way around our block and as soon as she got inside our house, she started pulling out her loot and eating as fast as she could! She even liked it when other kids came to our house to trick-or-treat. It was a "one-for-them-one-for-me" kind of a deal with her sneaking candy from our bowl every time I'd go to hand it to the kids on the porch. I was, however, very disappointed in the amount of trick-or-treaters we got this year. We live in a neighborhood abundant with children and we only got maybe 10 groups of trick-or-treaters! I still have 2 heaping bowls of candy that I have no idea what to do with! oh well, I'll save it for next year. . .that will teach them!

Jane all set to go out

Jane and Grant

Knocking on doors. . .

The best way to trick-or-treat. . .ride the whole way.

Jane getting into her loot

A happy boy

Yep, she fell asleep in her costume. She refused to take if off for bed. I went in hours later to remove the dress so that she could sleep comfortably and as soon as I touched it she woke up screaming, "MY DRESS!!!!!" Our little Sleeping Beauty :)