Merry Christmas!

Christmas morning the boys were up early. They actually have not slept in most of the time we have been in Tucson. This particular morning they were both awake before 6:30 a.m.!

The first thing Jacob saw was the wooden train set that Santa brought him. Of course we had to put it together right away so he could play with it. We also used it to stall him so we could eat breakfast before opening the rest of the presents.

It was funny because when we got around to opening the rest of the presents, Jacob would open one and then go play with his train a little bit more. It was pretty funny. Ephraim took a nap for the first part of the opening of gifts, but then woke up in time to "help" us open his presents.

The boys got many really nice presents.

Jacob got the train set and many accessories, a small dump truck, plastic zoo animals, a train hat and whistle, a Nemo memory game, a toy circular saw and Thomas the Tank engine book and game. He also got some summer pajamas and tarantula T-shirt from Auntie Em. Of course he got some books, including an Elmo lift-the-flap book, The Polar Express and The Mitten.

Both the boys got a Sit 'N Spin to share, which they have been having fun with. They also got matching sweaters that are very cute. Ephraim got three pairs of long pajamas (two striped and one polka-dotted), a sweater, and pants-sweater outfit; all of which are adorable. Auntie Em made him a cute hat, and he got mittens and a board book of "The Mitten". His favorite presents included the box of band-aids and the puff cereal.

I got a lovely blouse, a black leather jacket, a music book, lunch trays, a tupperware container and some other items I can't remember. Joe got a pair of pants, a shirt, two ties, a glow-in-the-dark robot shampoo bottle, a miniature pocket knife, and a new suit.

We had tons of fun opening our presents and watching the boys. When we were finished with the presents, Joe and I went on a bike ride. It was so fun! Only in Tucson can you go on a bike ride on Christmas Day. Then we came back and had lunch with the family and spent time with everyone the rest of the day.

We had a very nice Christmas this year, and I hope yours was wonderful too!

Twas the Night before Christmas

We have been having a great time here in Tucson. The weather is so nice and warm. Jacob has been enjoying his Grandparents and Auntie Em tremendously!

The day after we got here we mostly relaxed and ran a couple of errands. Joe and I went and got our rings cleaned like we do each year. We also looked at some bands because I would like to change my solitaire to a white-gold band sometime in the future. We also ran to Franklin's (a men's clothing store) because Grandpa Devereaux is getting Joe a new suit for Christmas this year. Joe picked out a really nice charcoal gray suit, which is going to look really great.

Jacob had fun playing with some of his dad's old toys. He played with a tow truck and was having a great time with it. Then last night he decided that he wanted to sleep in the camper with Grandpa Devereaux. He says that he is sleeping there with him again tonight too!

Today we had a great time. This morning Joe and I went on a long bike ride. We were disappointed to find out that our bike tour up near Phoenix was cancelled for next week, but at least we got to get out and enjoy ourselves! Tucson has a lot of great bike paths. We rode our bikes over to the University of Arizona and had a great time.

Then in the afternoon Jacob got to go with Grandpa and Daddy (and Mommy the photographer) over to the church to play with RC cars. Jacob didn't quite understand the concept of remote control cars. He wanted to hang on to the Hummer and "drive" it by himself. What a goof!

We also decided this evening (after close inspection) that Ephraim has finally grown his two front teeth! Look closely at the videos in the slideshow and you will see that Santa brought Ephraim his two front teeth!

Welcome to Tucson

Our Christmas vacation is finally upon us! After spending the previous week getting ready, passing out neighbor gifts, and attending ward and work parties, the time was finally here for us to take our annual pilgrimage to Tucson. Jacob had been excited to go for days! He kept saying that he wanted to go to Grandpa Devereaux's house NOW.

Needless to say we didn't get a lot of sleep that night. Jacob was exited and Ephraim was teething! As planned, Monday morning Joe and I got up just after 1 a.m. to leave for Tucson. We got everyone up and ready and left sometime after 2 a.m.! We leave that early in the morning because half of the time we are traveling the boys are asleep. It is also nice to arrive in Tucson before dark.

We spent about 14 1/2 hours in the car on Monday. I have to say that it went suprisingly well. The boys were very well-behaved in the car. We thought we would have to stop to take extra potty breaks, but we really only stopped about four times. Ephraim was a bit bored because he couldn't really see or interact with the rest of us.

We were very happy when we made it to Tucson just before 5 p.m. The weather was great! Jacob was so excited to see everyone! He wanted to investigate every room and then go see Grandpa's camper. We basically unloaded everything that we absolutely needed from the car and then crashed for the evening.

Here are some photos from that evening.

The Weather Outside is Frightful

It has been snowing BUCKETS outside today! I have personally shoveled at least six inches of snow off of our driveway! To gather more pity, I should mention that my driveway is HUGE. We have a carport as well as a two car garage. That makes for a lot of cement!

In addition to being a lot of work, the snow has been fun today... for Jacob at least! While I was shoveling, he was having fun snow adventures. So a couple of times I had to take a break and get out my new camera (ooh! ahh!) to take some pictures.

At first he decided to help me with the shoveling. What a hard worker!

Look how deep the snow is!

After "working" with me for a while, Jacob decided that it was time to take a break and have some fun. I decided to take a break too... camera in hand. Jacob had a fantastic time in the snow. He tromped around in it, he sat down in it, and he carried it around.


Jacob helped me remember what it was like to be a kid and LOVE to play in the snow. Even when you are cold and soaking wet, it's still fun. Snow is really amazing stuff, you know!


It must have seemed like the world turned into an enormous sandbox for Jacob to play in! Unfortunately, snow doesn't work quite the same as sand.

Why won't the snow come out of the bucket?

Pretty soon Jacob was covered with snow from his head to his toes. I think by the time the day got over I ended up changing Jacob's clothes twice because he was soaking wet!


I kept running from shoveling to the house to get the camera because Jacob kept doing funny things. He even got out the big equipment to lend a hand!



I am starting to get so excited to share Christmas with my husband and two little boys! It is going to be great! I won't even have to do any shoveling because we will be in Tucson for Christmas.

Heiner Family Christmas party

This Saturday my family got together for our annual Christmas party. We met at Jeanette's house in Logan because it is about equal distance for all of us.

It was fun to see everyone! The kids are all growing up so fast! I couldn't believe how big my brother Shon's kids are getting. We don't get to see them very often, so every time we do it seems like they have changed so much. His oldest daughter will be 15 next month, which is unbelievable!

We drove up on Saturday morning, and just beat my sisters Shannon and Jalene there. It took a while to get everyone organized so we could have lunch before opening the presents. While we were waiting, Grandpa Heiner took the opportunity to take a little snooze with his newest granddaughter Samantha.

Isn't that sweet?
We all tried to help out as best we could, but sometimes its hard to get that many people organized. We finally had lunch and then got around to opening presents. This year we did it in Jeanette and Greg's garage, which was nice because there was plenty of room for everyone!

This year Jacob is MUCH more excited about opening presents! Last year he didn't quite get it, but he sure does this year. He loved opening the papers and seeing what was inside.

Here he is getting down on the ground to rip at the wrapping paper. This present was from Grandpa and Grandma to Jacob and Ephraim. It was a whole set of chunky, plastic Tonka trucks. Jacob has been having a great time with. We have even persuaded him that he can share with Ephraim... a little. :o)

One of his other favorites was this Thomas the Tank Engine. It rolls along on wheels and makes a chug-chugging train sound, which Jacob loves. To top it off, the smokestack has a red light in it that goes off. Jacob has been using Thomas as the engine and all the other Tonka trucks as the cars. Then he pushes his little "train" around the living room until the trucks peel off different directions. It's pretty funny.

The other thing Jacob does with Thomas and his trucks is carry them around EVERYWHERE in the red bag that Aunt Jeanette made for him. He thinks it's so much fun!

As you might imagine, Ephraim was not quite sure what all this opening presents stuff was about. He did help me with the wrapping paper here and there.

Somewhere along the way we lost Jacob to Grandpa and Grandma... he ended up sitting over with them. At least he was having a good time, right?

Apparently Grandpa and Grandma were enjoying everyone's company too!


I know I was having a great time! Joe let me open that big box that he had put under the tree! I honestly didn't know what was in that box... especially since it was so light!

That Joe! He took the camera out of the box and then wrapped it empty! Then when I opened the box my dad pulled the camera out from it's hiding place and started to take pictures. Needless to say I was really surprised! I was SO happy too! I couldn't believe that I didn't have to wait MANY more months to earn the money to get the camera of my dreams! He used all the extra money he earned doing tech support at a conference to get it for me! What a sweet man!


Just in case you were wondering... this is what Joe got me. The Canon XSi with two lenses. I am in heaven! We have already been having a great time trying it out and taking lots of pictures.

So I guess you could say that I am happy with my Christmas present!


They say that if Mommy is happy, then everyone is happy. Well, do these guys look happy to you?

I thought so!
I hope your Christmas is as wonderful as mine has been so far!

Ephraim, Thin and Tall

Our Doctor's appointment on Friday went pretty well. The only pain was that they were running behind, so we had to wait for a while. Actually, Ephraim and Jacob would probably argue that the shots were more of a pain than that was!

Ephraim only had to get two shots, which was nice. Since we were at the Doctor's office, I decided to get Jacob his flu shot. He was upset by it, but forgot about it by the end of the day. It was nice to finish our appointment and then take the boys home for their afternoon nap.

Ephraim is still growing! It seems that both my boys are on the tall and thin side. Here are the stats:

Length: 28.5 inches (70th percentile)
Weight: 18 lbs 8 oz (20th percentile)
Head circumference: 45.5 cm (40th percentile)

Doctor Arnold said that Ephraim is still doing great. He went down a bit as far as his weight percentage is concerned, but he's is very active and still growing taller so it seems it's all good.

Ephraim constantly has his hands and everything else in his mouth. It's because he's still working on teeth. Dr. Arnold and I were both laughing at how silly Ephraim's teeth are growing in. Right now he has three bottom teeth and one on the top. Right now it looks like he is going to end up with his right front tooth, a gap, and then his left incisor on the top. Then his other front tooth will come in. He will have quite a grin for a while!

If you look at this photo up close, you can see the tooth on the top that is in and the ones that are working on it. What a cutie, huh?!

Ephraim at nine months

Our little baby boy is NINE MONTHS old! Time goes by so quickly! I actually missed his eight month post and pictures because the time just got away from me.

Just look at how much he has grown! If you want to see all of his monthly photos, just click on the "bear compare" label below. It's amazing how fast these little ones grow!

What a sweet boy! Don't let the innocent face fool you though... he is into anything and everything! Ephraim crawls incredibly fast! I guess he is just trying to keep up with that brother of his. Not only is Ephraim crawling, he is already pulling up on things and cruising around the furniture!

Can I just tell you how hard it was to get these photos! This boy is lightening-quick. He does not want to hold still because then he might miss out on some of the action.

Here is a photo of his cute little backside... which is probably what I see most! Hehe! I have had to move things around quite a bit because he can reach the top of the coffee table, the end table in my bedroom, the bench in his room, the piano bench... and on and on! Ephraim is very curious and wants to touch EVERYTHING.

He also adores his older brother. When I was trying to get Ephraim's photos, Jacob had to run and get his bear to have his picture taken too. Aren't they cute!


I love my boys. Some days they may test my patience and drive me a bit crazy... but they are worth it. They bring me such happiness and joy.


In other developments... Ephraim has decided that he can crawl up the stairs. I caught him the other day when he was already on his way up. What a character!

See ya Mommy!

This isn't so hard.

Are you still watching me?!

Look how high up I am!

He nearly gave me a heart attack! I've got to keep my eye on this one!

We have our doctor's appointment tomorrow, so I will have to update you with all the stats later. The boys will both be getting flu shots too, so that should be tons of fun. ;o)

I have been working on getting out the next size up clothes for Ephraim because he is growing so fast. I can't help but smile and reminisce when I look at Jacob's old clothes. I remember how little he once was and it amazes me. Then at the same time I look at the clothes and think about how BIG my little Eper-beeper is getting. It's so crazy.

We love both our boys and are glad they are part of our family. It is going to be so much fun sharing Christmas with them this year!

Scholastic is Fantastic!

So late afternoon/early evening on Friday I went to the Scholastic Warehouse Sale with Melinda, Andrea, and Karyn. We had a great time! You would not believe how many books there were... and they were all on a really great sale! It was like a librarian's dream. :o)

Look at all the pretty books! An entire warehouse full, stacked to the rafters.
What's a librarian to do?!


It was so hard to chose! You just can't beat half off the Scholastic regular price. I got some great books for Jacob as well as some of my other nephews. Here is a photo of the other ladies checking out.

Melinda and Karyn needed boxes because they got so many books! We all bought over $50 worth in books because then we got $10 off. I could have spent twice what I did... but I managed to refrain. Here we are with all of our loot! What fun!

I ended up with 15 books and Melinda ended up with 34! Can you believe it?
I am definitely going to have to save up so I can go again the next time they have a sale!

Sunday Morning Candids

Yesterday we enjoyed a little bit of family time before getting ready to go to church. Somehow the camera got involved... so of course I had to share!

Look at the huge grins the boys gave me!

Ok... I'm smiling Mommy! Is this big enough?

I guess at the Devereaux household we are happy about going to church. We were just having fun playing around. Here is a cute picture of Joe and Ephraim:

Jacob was even being pleasant and smiling nicely for the camera. Maybe there is hope for us to get a nice family photo (without the drama!) in the future after all. Doesn't he look sweet?

Joe took a couple of photos too. I will spare you the one where he had his finger over the flash (sound familiar?) and thus the photo had a pink tint! Here is one that he took that I think is nice.

Hope you enjoyed Sunday morning at our house as much as we did!

To nap or not to Nap?

About a block and a half from our house they are working on a new church building. Of course that means that there are tractors, excavators and lots of other heavy equipment. Joe reminded me about it one day and told me I should take Jacob out to see the construction site. So the next day we went.

When we got there we found an excavator that was not in use. Jacob thought it was pretty cool and wanted to "get closer". I thought it was funny to see this little boy next to such a big piece of equipment.

Needless to say we have been going on walks nearly every day to look at the equipment. There was one day this week that I think we watched a bucketloader push dirt for about a half hour. Jacob was completely rivited... and I was a bit bored. Well, at least he was having fun!

Then we went and saw this large piece of equipment. I think it's a grader? Maybe not... anyway Jacob walked right up to it and touched the tire (it wasn't in use either). He thinks these trucks are fascinating, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind seeing one under the Christmas tree. Too bad they are HUGE!

Sometimes we go on these walks in an effort to use up some of Jacob's energy. Honestly, I am trying to wear him out so he will take a nap. I don't think he's quite ready to give them up yet, even though he tries not to sometimes.

When he doesn't get a nap he is grumpy and tired. Tuesday this week I could not get Jacob to take a nap. Then in the evening he came downstairs with me while I worked on the computer. Joe was helping Will out with a Christmas present for his grandkids and was going to come get Jacob when they were done (so he could play with Will).

I heard a knock on the door and said, "Jacob, Will's here!". As I headed towards the stairs I found Jacob just like this:

Yep. He had fallen asleep on one of the rocking chairs downstairs. It wasn't even 7 p.m.! It kind of made me laugh because he is such a cute little guy.

Of course when he woke up a little while later I had to take him over so he could play with Will. :o) Right now it seems we are on an every other day kind of schedule. The funny thing is that if he takes a nap it is usually 2 1/2 hours long!

I hope he keeps taking naps because that is when I get to work on my crafts, blogs, photos, etc. I am sure that he will stop napping eventually, but for now my answer is NOT YET!

Can you believe it's December already?

We hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

Aren't the boys just adorable? It is going to be fun this year, having two boys at Christmastime! Jacob is SO excited about everything, which makes it fun. And Ephraim is just a happy, smiling bundle of energy. 

It is definitely true that children make holidays more fun. Jacob's excitement and energy are infectious. Ephraim is seeing everything about Christmas for the first time! I think as adults sometimes we need help to bring that wonder and excitement back into our lives. :o)

p.s. Thanks SO much to Jeanette for helping me with this card!

Over the River and Through the Woods

So here is my Thanksgiving post... not quite a week late!

We had a great time in Wyoming. The drive up to my parent's house went pretty well. We only had to stop a couple of times for potty breaks. :o) We got there about an hour or so before the big dinner. It was quite the spread, but there were plenty of us to help eat all the yummy food!

This year there were so many of us that we actually had a "kiddie table". Jacob did pretty well eating over there with the other kids.

After dinner we all sat around and digested. :o) We talked a bit and played around on the many laptops available too. I got Jacob to put his turkey-leg hat back on so I could take a few photos. Isn't he cute?

I also got Ephraim to wear it... for approximately 5 seconds. Good thing I'm fast with the camera!

The turkey-leg hat was a source of amusement for quite a while. It got a bit dismantled, but I think Jacob liked it better that way.

Nothing like a post-dinner snack!

Even Samantha thought the turkey leg looked pretty tasty!

A few hours later Joe and I left the boys with everyone else and went on a little photo-excursion. Just before we arrived at my parents' house we were both enjoying the scenery. I told Joe that I wished I had brought the bigger camera (that I am borrowing from my dad) to take some pictures. We ended up using dad's small camera, which is a bit newer than ours, to go back and take some pictures of the scenery.

I think these photos turned out absolutely gorgeous! I took some and so did Joe. What do you think?

I hopped out of the car to take the above photo. Nice, huh?

Joe had to walk through some bushes to get the above photo. It is one of my favorites!

I was loving the red of the bushes and the frozen water. Nice!

This last photo is my favorite... and one of the first that I took. Isn't this a lovely shot?

I really appreciate Joe for indulging me and going with me to take pictures. I love being able to capture beautiful places like this.