Christmas Devotional

Tonight, after watching the Christmas Devotional for FHE, we asked Annie what she could do to help someone during the Christmas season. She candidly replied, "I think we should help the Germans, cause they don't have lots of money."

If you heard President Monson's talk, you'll know why we almost died laughing.

BOO!

Yes, we are alive! Halloween was a blast, and here are a few pictures to prove it.

Max got right in on the fun this year.

A gorilla named Grandpa came trick-or-treating with us.

Then we had a great time and Gram and Bomp's Halloween party (Annie's fake smile shows just how much she wants to go play with Thatcher).

Together again. These cousins are serious buddies.

Our little bees getting ready for a feast.

UNO!

My little man is one today! It seems like he should only be three or four months old, and I still baby him as if he were. I remember the first time I saw his little face, and I wasn't surprised at all. It was like I recognized or expected him.

Maxwell has developed a sweet little personality. One is his best qualities is patience. I have to be careful to remember when I've fed him last or changed his diaper or else I'll forget because he doesn't cry and complain. He also has to use a lot of patience with his big sister who isn't quite sure how to play with him yet.

He's also super friendly. Everyone who meets him thinks they're so special because of that big smile he gives them. He grins at everyone he sees and says hi to all the cars that drive past our house. Max is always looking for fun, and fun is synonymous for dad. So around 4:00 each afternoon he starts wandering the house saying DaDa? DaDa? Thomas doesn't get much time to himself after work. Max insists on being right in the middle of whatever he's doing.

Maxwell is a snuggler too. He gives me lots of hugs and pats throughout the day, and he attacks any stuffed animal with kisses and loves. Even when he decides to wake up at three in the morning, I can't be mad at him because of the way he melts onto my shoulder.

Some of Max's skills are walking (just barely though), clapping, waving, stacking blocks, throwing, and emptying.

I love having this little guy in our family and am excited to see what the next year brings!

Thanks Lynne for the photo shoot! Isn't she amazing? She got Max to hold still for a few minutes without screaming his head off. I should hire her to help with diaper changes.

Speaking of Miracles . . .

Annie was asked to give a talk in Primary. We had practiced it with her, but Thomas went up expecting to help her a lot. She rattled it off without a hitch! Once I had her home in front of the camera she sped it up a bit, so hopefully you can understand her. The paper she's holding has Annie-glyphics to help her out. She's not reading that well yet.

A long time ago, before we were born,

My Great Grandpas went off to a war.

They fought for this country and our liberty,

Then each one returned to his family.

My mom's Grandpa Hammond hung this picture on his wall,

So he could always see it when he walked down the hall.

When my mom and dad met, they discovered very soon

That my dad's Grandpa Zollinger was in this picture too.

Of the fifty-five in this photo, all that came home were three;

One Grandpa Hammond, another Grandpa Z.

Miracles still happen. I know that it is true,

Because I wouldn't be here, if not for those two.

Jesus is my Savior. He died for you and me,

So families could be together for Eternity.

So the miracle I'm grateful for each night when I pray,

Is that I can hug my Great Grandpas again someday.

Fancy Pants

Annie headed out looking ravishing the other day.

To jump on the trampoline of course.

shout hooray

Thomas officially left his twenties in the dust in June. We did some serious partying. Unfortunately, the photo documentation of said partying is limited. He did get this trifle which he'd been asking me to make for months.

We also celebrated Annie's half birthday in June. Since she's pretty much a Christmas baby, we do birthday presents on the half. She was a little excited about her present this year.

All she'd been asking for were hot dog sticks (random), but we decided to make a fire pit to accompany her objects of desire.

Maxwell and Mom were big fans as well. Check out the grip Max has on that fork! I love his face in this picture, because we managed to capture how he looks almost all the time. He's the happiest little cheeseball in town.

whiskas

Since Thomas hasn't been able to work for a couple of weeks, he thought this would be a perfect opportunity to fulfill one of his lifelong dreams; growing a beard.

He decided to shave. What do you think of the different looks?

1.

2.

3.

4.

Hello Glenn circa 1987!

Let the Tom Thumb Jokes Begin!

Last Saturday (the 1st), Thomas decided to run a threshold through the joiner at his shop. His tender little thumb slipped into the churning blades and he landed himself in the ER then the OR with a joint that is MIA. That's right, the whole middle joint is in the pile of sawdust in his shop. So he won't be able to bend it anymore, but they reattached the tip to the base and hoped it would take.

Pain killers made him a little too loopy for life, so he discontinued those after a few days.

Here's the cast he had for the first while.

Yesterday, the gory wound was revealed. Dr. Larson was SUPER happy with how well the tip attached. We give credit to excellent blood flow and a wonderful Priesthood blessing.

Stitches (or sewing according to Annie) come out Wednesday. They'll also do an x-ray then to see how the bones are lining up and fusing. The hooks will be there for 8-10 weeks, but Tom doesn't mind having a built in bottle opener.

This was out of nowhere

Maxwell's milestones seem to be instantaneous. Either that or I'm just a very inattentive parent. For instance, a few weeks ago he just started sitting up. He never went through the tipsy or slouchy stage. He just sat up one day like a pro.

This new trick was the same. We were getting ready to leave my parents' house, and he just started playing his favorite game. Surprise! Now he wants to play all the time. He even yanks on the collar of his shirt to try and cover his face. It's pretty stinkin' cute!

Max's mechanic

Annie slid herself under Max's walker the other day and announced, "I figured out the problem! The motor's rotten."

Seriously Overdue

So I finally got around to emptying off the camera, and I'm alarmed at all the catch up I need to do. So here's a start...

We decided to make a quick trip to Washington so Thomas Maxwell could meet his namesake. Grandpa Mounts seemed to like meeting the little man too.

Annie liked these pink fish at Pikes Market.

And Grandma Mounts helped her make apple juice.

We went to the Aquarium in Seattle. The touch pools were amazing. I think I enjoyed it as much as Annie.

Maxwell liked the bright colors . . .

and he made a new friend.

I was seriously terrified of the drive with thing one and thing two. But they were the best kids any mom could ask for. They traveled phenomenally! Maxwell complained a little, but never even cried. Maybe he was just excited to meet Grandma and Grandpa Mounts?