Happy Birthday Marq

That's right... Marq is 30!!!Marq celebrated his big birthday this year by spending a week in St. George. His parents were nice enough to let us and some friends stay in their house.
We had a great time. My brother and his family came down for a few days. We played and relaxed and had a great time!
Marq's friend Mike came down on his birthday so they got to go for a nice bike ride while I made dinner and a birthday cake at the house.
Happy Birthday Marq! We love you so very, very much!!! Here's to growing old together :)

Merry Christmas

We always spend Christmas Day with Marq's family. We opened lots of great gifts and got spoiled again. Ledger's Aunt Kim sent him that adorable hat! What a stud!!!
We got to watch Marq's mom open her surprise airline tickets to go visit her daughter in Portland the next day! She was SO happy!!!!
Ledger got lots of great gifts and loved spending time with the family. It was a good day.
I hope everyone had a very special Christmas. We sure did!

Christmas Morning

Ledger's first Christmas morning was magical, at least for me :) I loved seeing the excitement and joy on his face. And the love in our house that morning overwhelmed me.He wasn't quite sure what was going on but he loved all the toys.I need to post the video of him doing laps around our house behind is new CAT walker. He loves pushing it and loves the independence it gives him. Marq has fun pushing him around the house and plowing things over, "watch out doggies!"
My goal this year was to not buy any disposable Christmas wrapping. I always feel so bad about the amount of waste Christmas brings. I did use some that I had from past years for other people's gifts but all of our wrapping was reusable. I made fabric bags for most of our gifts and I was really happy with how they turned out.I am so thankful this year for all that I have. It is nice to give/get nice gifts but this year I am very aware of all the love and family that surrounds us. Some friends of ours made us some awesome bread, Noelle made us some fantastic syrup, Tahna made me a wall hanging, Kim gave us a photo shoot... those are the gifts that I love! They are personal, thoughtful and much appreciated. Merry Christmas to all my friends and family. Thank you for being a part of our lives and sharing your love with us.

Christmas Eve

Every year we spend Christmas Eve with my family. We get together, have dinner, reenact the manager scene and open gifts.
This year my sisters baby, Sawyer played the baby Jesus and my other niece and nephew were Mary and the wisemen. Luckily grandma kept it short and sweet this year for the short attention spans.
Ledger loves to rub Uncle Nick's head. He's like a Buddha.
My family is large and we are all really loud. The gift opening was a bit of a tornado and I don't think Ledger quite knew what to think about all the noise, action, gifts & wrapping paper. We all got spoiled!
We Skyped my sister and her family in Texas and were able to open a few gifts together and tell them Merry Christmas.
We came home that evening and got Ledger to bed around 9 pm. Santa stopped at our house early and was gone by 10pm so we got to curl up on the couch and watch a Christmas movie while everyone else was at home trying to get their kids to go to bed :)

Here we go...

Guess who took his first steps tonight? Oh boy!!!

Saturday

Here are a few photos of our little family screwin' around at the park on a sunny but cold Saturday afternoon.

Learning Lots

Last night we were getting Ledger ready for bed and when I say "we" I mean the whole family. Anyway, before reading books Chevy & Koda were singing their new Christmas song when out of nowhere Ledger started clapping! We have never worked on clapping and never seen him do it before but it was so fun to see the excitement and understanding on his face :) Today he waved "hello" to Marq. Such a smart little boy. It is so much fun to see him interact more and more each day.

SANTA!!!

That's right! Today my baby met the big man for the first time.I have been SO looking forward to these photos and I love how they turned out.
The photo shoot was so much fun. It was short but I think we managed to get a few great shots.
He sat on Santa's lap and just stared at him. The Christmas season is in full swing at the Rasmussen house this year. I might even get Marq to put up some lights!

10 Months Old

Ledger is...a crazy man!
His new favorite foods are... anything he sees you eating. Last week he cried when he saw me put on chapstick because he was convinced I was eating something and not sharing.
His favorite toy is...our doggie door or the dog's water bowl.
His newest trick is...climbing out the doggie door.
He says...Mama & BawBaw when he is mad and Dada ALL the time.
He has... 6 teeth.
He is wearing... 6-9 size clothes and even a few 9-12.
He likes to... play in the bathrooms and laundry room.
He has started... giving kisses, it's SO cute!
He loves... his cousins and all the attention they give him.
He likes... washing his hands.
He drinks... about 24 oz a day, sometimes more, sometimes less.
He usually...takes a morning nap around 10am and an afternoon nap around 2pm, usually totaling about 3 hours.
He is sleeping... he had been sleeping much better until he got a bellyache. The last few nights have been miserable.
He loves... mirrors.
He hates it when... you tell him no or eat in front of him without sharing.
He had... his first babysitting experience with his cousins Madi & Aidyn. They are his favorite!
He is... crawling on his knees almost all the time now, getting very fast. He can toddle from place to place really well and he is really strong but no interest yet in standing alone or walking.
I feel like he has changed so much in just the last week or two. I don't know if it was all the holiday festivities or all the attention he got from his cousins but he seems so happy and grown up. He has such a fun personality!

Ovard Turkey Bowl

Thanksgiving Day brings family fun and... flag football :) I don't think I have EVER participated in the family football game but this year my nephew Brigham invited everyone to play (even the girls :)
Most of us strapped on our flags and had a great time. Ledger was totally entertained watching everyone run around and he & I even made a few good "tackles".
I have no idea who actually won but... GO UTES!!!

I am Thankful for... Madi & Aidyn

I love all of my nieces (8 total) but I am especially grateful for Madilyn & Aidyn. They are both at the age where they can't get enough of Ledger.
Madilyn is always the first to great us and grab Ledger from me. He LOVES to laugh and play with Madi.
Aidyn was so excited to see Ledger again. She is such a big help and is willing to do whatever I need her to with a smile. Ledger loves playing with her.
The girls were brave enough to babysit Ledger one night while we went to dinner with my family. Thanks for taking care of the little man girls. We love you both very much!

I am Thankful for... The Ovards

I am thankful for my older brother Nick and his awesome wife Noelle. Marq and I have so much fun hanging out with them and they are always up for anything. Nick is always willing to do whatever he can to help us and include us and they are always happy to drive all the way up here to eat at our favorite restaurant together!It took me a long time to give Noelle a chance. Nick & I were really close growing up and I was a little protective of my big brother but once I got over that I discovered that we actually have a lot in common, she's really fun and she obviously makes my brother very happy :) Love you Noelle!
Although their kids are a few years older than Ledger I think the age gap will narrow over the years and our kids will be able to build some wonderful memories together. Ledger loves his Uncle Nick & Aunt Noelle and they are so sweet to checkup on him from time to time.
Thanks for being so much fun to hang out with guys! We love you all.

I am Thankful for... Grandma Marjean

I am so grateful for my Grandma Marjean! She is such an amazing, feisty, beautiful and loving woman.
Grandma has always been there for us when we needed her, she even moved in with us for awhile when I was little to help take care of us while my mom was in the hospital and my dad was serving in Desert Storm. I don't know how she managed to juggle 6 temporarily orphaned grandchildren and a severely injured daughter not to mention a full-time job, her own life and the rest of the family.

My grandma is one of my heroes. We have always been close and she is never afraid to "tell it like it is". I look up to both her & my grandpa Alan. They are two of the most loving, accepting, funny and hardworking people I have ever known. I miss my grandpa terribly, he is the one person from my childhood that I wish Ledger & Marq could meet. I am so thankful that Ledger & I get the chance to visit my grandma often. I love you Grandma!

I am Thankful for... Rikkie

Today I am thankful for my oldest sister Rikkie (which I'm sure she'll appreciate me pointing out :) I like to refer to Rikkie as the Cruise Director of our family because we always count on her to arrange and execute everything. She cooks, bakes, plans, purchases and arranges all the parties, events and gifts for our family. She is constantly on-call for her 5 siblings, 6 nieces and 5 nephews. I don't know how she finds the time or energy between all of us, a husband, a job, a church calling and her 3 very busy children but she does. I swear she is in 3 places at a time and is always in her car! I appreciate everything she does for me and for our family. Thanks for keeping us together and well-fed Rikkie. I love you!

I am Thankful for... My Dad, My Hero

I am very thankful and proud of my dad. Today he retired after 41 years of military service to our country.My dad is an example to me of courage, dedication, loyalty, hard work and sacrifice. I admire what he has done and I love and appreciate him for it.It wasn't always easy, he served in two wars. When I was 10 he had to leave his wife who was recovery from a traumatic brain injury & 6 young kids behind to serve in Desert Storm. In 2003 he was called again to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The "Goodbyes" and the many months without him were always very, very hard but the "Welcome Homes" were a BLAST!I also admire the sacrifice my mom has made on behalf of my dad and his service. I can't imagine what it was like to be separated from her husband especially with her circumstances.
I appreciate the sacrifice that my entire family has made. It was hard for all of us at times.
Thank you dad, for your service. Thank you for showing us what honor, dedication and patriotism look like.
YOU WILL FOREVER BE OUR HERO.

I am Thankful for... Sisters

Today I spent the day with some of my favorite women, my sisters, sister in-law, mom and Tahna. We did some shopping, had lunch and went to a movie. I appreciate all of these women for the example they are to me and their support and love.

I am Thankful for... Melissa

My older sister Melissa and her family are arriving today from Ft. Worth, TX for the Thanksgiving holiday. We are so excited to see them!
I am so thankful for Melissa, even though she is so far away I talk to her more than any of my other siblings. She is always there if I have questions or just need an adult to talk to :) I am grateful for her experience and advice and most of all her unconditional love and acceptance. She is the peacekeeper in our family and I love her for it.
I'm happy Ledger will get to know his Aunt Melissa better over the next week.