'Tis the Season

Lil' David

Sweet Steven

The new "hang out". The boys love staring at the lights!

Merry Christmas from our family! Just thought I'd share a few (ok, a LOT of) pictures of the boys enjoying this wonderful Christmas season (and a few random ones too... just because they are so darn cute!). We love you!

Thanks for the book Aunt Jenny! He loves it!

BEST FRIENDS!

Yes, that is a BYU hat! This picture is dedicated to Grandpa Steve, Uncle Sam & Aunt Jenny!

Happy 6 Months Steven!

I can't believe our baby boy is already 6 months old! I just wanted to post a few pictures and write a couple things about our little chubby-cheeked boy! :)

10 Things You May Not Know About Me (if Steven could talk)

1) I share my birthday, May 22nd, with my Grandpa Ping-Ping Christiansen (that is the nickname for my mom's dad that has been around for years) and my Great-Grandpa Warren Watts.

2) I slept in a Pack-N-Play for the first 5+ months of my life. Mom & Dad finally got my big brother a toddler bed & I got his crib. I love it!

3) I love to eat! I much prefer veggies, fruit or oatmeal over my boring bottle now.

4) I love to sleep! I go to bed with my brother around 8pm & we wake up together around 7am. Then, I get so pooped out playing all day that I usually take 2-3 naps during the day!

5) I love holding my own bottle! I feel so independent when I can do it all by myself.

6) Even though I am 14 months younger than my older brother, we weigh about the same!

7) It took me a while to learn to roll all the way over. I blame it on my chubby thighs. But now I am good at it! My next adventure... CRAWLING! :)

8) I REALLY love my big brother! He always plays with me & I just beam with excitement whenever he does!

9) I am a pretty calm baby, except around 5pm. That is my designated crabby time. I do that just to give my parents a little excitement. :)

10) I am the apple of my parents' eye! They may not know it yet, but I have them wrapped around my chubby little finger! :)

Our sweet boys

No, there is nothing wrong with your screen, Steven really is that big. :)

Aahh, kisses!

Chef David

So cute Steven

If I made a list of all my blessings, these 2 little angels would definitely be at the top (right along side their handsome father of course)! I just wanted to post some recent pictures of our goofy boys. They are both developing such funny personalities. We took them to the doctor a few weeks ago, David for his 18 month appointment & Steven for his 4 month appointment. David weighs 22 pounds, which is in the lower 6% for his weight. Skinny kid! Steven weighed 18 pounds, which is in the upper 90% for his weight! Can you believe they are only 4 pounds apart? It's so funny to see them together. Nonetheless, they certainly love each other. David has learned how to give good kisses & loves to share those with his brother. And Steven just smiles whenever David talks to him or kisses him. So cute!

Before the much needed haircut

After the haircut... isn't he handsome?

Our little thumb sucker!

David can't wait to play with his lil' bro

Playing with Daddy

James may kill me for posting this picture, but I couldn't help it! He's so dang cute!

Such posers!

New York, NEW YORK!

Keri, James & Lady Liberty

New York Stock Exchange

Manhattan Skyline

Enjoying Liberty Island

Amazing

Chrysler Building

The fam from the top of The Empire State Building

My sweetheart

Beautiful view of the city

Busy Times Square

Oh, what a weekend! James & I had so much fun on our short anniversary trip to New York City! The fun started when we arrived at the Salt Lake Airport to catch our plane and I realized that we didn't have a stroller or carseat or two little munchkins to chase around the airport. Now, you all know how much I love my boys, but it sure was relaxing to just travel and spend the weekend with my wonderful husband! :) When we arrived at LaGuardia Airport in New York, James had surprised me with a personal driver to take us to our hotel. Then when we got to our hotel room, they had delivered flowers to me along with chocolate-dipped strawberries from my sweetheart. I'm the luckiest girl in the world!

We enjoyed many activities while we hung out in the Big Apple! We saw two musicals on Broadway, including Mary Poppins & West Side Story. I personally liked Mary Poppins better. It was awesome! The sets were amazing and the actors were great! We also were able to visit the top of the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, Times Square, Little Italy, SoHo, New York Stock Exchange... and lots of great stores and neighborhoods. It was fabulous to see so much culture & so many different types of people. It was so much fun to spend the weekend with my sister & her husband, and my brother & his wife... and especially with my hubby.

A big giant thanks to my parents & nieces for watching our boys for the weekend. I'm glad they were so good for you. Love you!

Waiting for Mary Poppins

The show was SO good!

From the top of our double-decker tour bus

Random Update

Hi all! I just thought I'd sit for a moment and give a brief update on our lil' family. Things are so busy, good busy, that I feel it difficult to keep in touch with everyone individually. Sorry. I figured a one-way conversation would have to do for now. :)

For starters, James & I are doing great! Really! We officially started a healthier lifestyle together on August 3rd. So in the past 6 weeks, James has lost 23 pounds & I have lost 14! It feels great! We are both eating way less calories & just being smarter about what we put in our mouths. It sounds easy, and it really is, once you get used to it. The first 2 weeks was pretty tough on both of us. Poor James felt like he was starving for the first week. But once we learned how to eat healthier, it really did get easier. I am using an awesome website called, myfooddiary.com, to help me count calories & I have been exercising every morning to burn even more. We both believe this healthy lifestyle (not a diet) is here to stay!

On another note, both of our jobs are going great. James' hotel is still in their busy summer season & he loves it. I went back to work on August 10th, and it hasn't been too bad. Although I hate being away from the boys, I forgot how much I enjoy adult conversations. :) Another big thing on the agenda is our trip next month to New York City to celebrate our 3rd Anniversary! My Mom and Dad have been so wonderful to offer a weekend daycare for us so that we can travel to The Big Apple with no babies in tow. We can't wait!

As for David, he's a doll! Although he is only 18 months, he's definitely nearing the 'Terrible Twos", where whining and pushing the envelope are his everyday missions. He is beginning to talk more, which is fun to hear. He still doesn't have very defined words, but his annunciations have definitely improved. He loves his little brother & is very eager for him to keep growing & be big enough to really play with. He loves to help me do laundry and puts things in the garbage for us. He is becoming a very good helper. I sure hope he keeps that up!

Steven is our "lil" chunk! He is so easy going, as long as he's fed! :) We have a jumper thing that he loves to play in. He just bounces until his little heart is content. And he smiles at everything! His face just lights up when anyone talks to him, especially his big brother. It's so cute to watch! I can't believe he is almost 4 months old! Time certainly does fly.

Well, that's our family update for now. Hope it wasn't too boring. Have a great day!