Our Christmas.

Christmas this year was more fun with a little guy that loves to play. Last year, Easton was only 2 months old, and it still seemed to be just Dan and I. But this year was a completely different story. We went down to Hurricane, Ut (close to St. George) and spent Christmas with my Mom. The weather was so NICE & WARM! (At least compared to the cold, cold snow that we came home to.) We went shopping at the outlets, to the movies, we ate an unlimited supply of yummy food and just relaxed. On our trip, Easton really learned the meaning of "opening gifts", and just had a blast with all the many toys he came home with. Here is a picture of Easton (and Dan) playing with the TRAIN set that Santa brought.

I was lucky enough to find an Ipod Touch in my stocking, which is totally awsome! Not only does it play music, but it holds pictures, plays movies, acts as a day planner, and I can even check up on this blog with it, and surf the web. Santa really knows what I like. Dan's favorite gift was the Mountain Hardwear jacket and a dvd of Brian Regan's comedy.



Here is a picture of "Mema" and Easton. (Do you think that they have the same color of hair?)



Growing up a tradition on mine was that on Christmas eve we would open a gift, and it would ALWAYS be pajama's. This was the 4th Christmas that Dan and I had spent together, and so far we have kept up the same TRADITION. Here is us in our Christmas PJ's.

oUr ChRiStMaSy PoSt

1. Wrapping paper or gift bag? Real Wrapping Paper

2. Real or Artificial tree? I have always done artificial, but there can be some nice looking real ones. (I have to keep myself green)

3. When do you put up the tree? I really like having mine up for Thanksgiving. (I know... I am pretty wild)

4. When do you take the tree down? I also really like having the tree up for New Years Eve, but it's gotta go the very next day.

5. Do you like Eggnog? I have given eggnog many chances, and the verdict is always the same... No, I do not like eggnog.

6. Favorite gift you received as a child? I would have to say barbies, I was pretty into those things when I was little.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? yes.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Dan, unless he tells you EXACTLY what he wants (but where's the surprise?)

9. Easiest person to buy for? Our little Easton McKay. He would be fine if we just gave him a wad of wrapping paper in the shape of a ball.

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received? haha i can't think of one but i'm sure i've gotten a few

11. Christmas Cards? I always have the best of intentions, we even got as far a filling them out/ and addressing a lot of them last year, but never seemed to get as far as the mailbox. As far as this year, no.

14. Have you ever 'recycled' a Christmas present? We do with white elephants sometimes. Work party one day, Dan's family party the next... Just kidding. BUT it really is pretty tempting.

15. Favorite thing to eat on Christmas? This may sound funny, Dan still can't quite grasp the concept, but it is Captin Crunch!

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear, i like things simple.

17. Favorite Christmas Song? Carol of the Bells, performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. That song gives me chills every time I listen to it, it is seriously THAT GOOD.

18. Travel at Christmas or Stay Home? I am happy with either. As long as I am with family.

19. Can you name Santa's Reindeer? Sure.

20. Do you have an Angel or a Star on top of your tree? Right now we just have a silly bow.

21. Open the Presents Christmas Eve or Morning? One on christmas eve ( it's always pj's ) and all the rest on christmas

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Nothing, I am going to be sad when it's over.

23. Shopping...Mall or on-line? I did all of my shopping on-line for Dan, but there is a certain excitement about going to the crowded malls in search of the perfect gift.

24. Do you decorate outside for Christmas or just inside (or at all)? mostly just inside. We did put lights on our balcony outside our bedroom. (I told Dan that it was so romantic... he told me that I was being such a girl)

25. Favorite Christmas cookie? Soft sugar cookies, in the shape of a star with yellow sprinkles.

26. Do you own Christmassy clothing or jewelry? I have a pj top that has a picture of a reindeer that says "up on the housetop". It is actually cute, and have considered wearing it during the day time.

27. Do you believe in Santa? Who doesn't?

28. What's your favorite annual Christmas show? The Grinch.

30. What's your favorite Christmassy type decoration/ornament? Lights and Garland.

Cousin Time.

So, I am quite a bit late in posting this, but a couple of weeks ago, Dan and I babysat for Dan's sister and brother-in-law for a couple of days. We were watching their 6 month old baby Tyson while they and their 2 older children went to Disneyland. We had a lot of fun having him around and pretending like we were a family of four. But I now have a deeper respect for those many women in the world that have more than one baby! It really isn't as easy as one might think. I even thought I knew better because I have one. I guess you just don't know until you are in the situation. So, for all of you moms (even if you only have one), I am truly amazed by you.


Dont they look like cousins? I always thought that Easton was a pretty big baby, but this little guy is quickly passing him up!

TaGgEd AgAiN.

HERE ARE THE RULES:
1.The player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves - try to find 6 you haven't already posted about!
2. At the end of the post, the player tags 6 people and posts their names, and then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know they have been tagged.

Okay this was a little harder than it looked, but here I GO!

#1. I have a pretty big family. 1 mom, 1 dad, 1 mother-in-law, 1 father-in-law, 5 sisters, 4 brothers, 5 sister-in-laws, 10 brother-in-laws, 20 nieces, 15 nephews, 1 husband, & 1 baby. I have an even bigger extended family, but I wouldn't know where to even begin.

#2. I am a bargain shopper. I am such a sucker for feeling like I got a good deal! I love shopping sales, second-hand, ebay, and outlets. I am not sure why, because my better half (Dan) keeps telling me that if you "aimlessly shop" for the good deals you are going to spend more than if you had something specific in mind that you paid full price for, you will have things that you don't actually want, more clutter, and it will usually not be as good of quality. NOT to say that there is anything wrong with searching out the best deal. Because I still have such a hard time paying full price for almost ANYTHING. (I even bought my wedding dress at the DI, and I had it cleaned and altered, it turned out to be BEAUTIFUL and exactly what I wanted... for only $80)

#3. Now, on the flip side to #2, I love to go grocery shopping. I do not go out of my way shop sales, or bargain anything on the things that I eat, and I do not spend the time to clip coupons (because I have tried to do that, and there just aren't any coupons for the items that I purchase). This is probably a bad habit to put myself in, but I buy my food for nutrition and quality, not price and quantity. I could spend all day at the grocery store sometimes, and just go up and down all the ailes, and read product labels, and figure out different things to add to my list of "regulars". I don't though, because babies (and sometimes husbands) can last only so long at walmart.

#4. I used to ballroom dance. I say "used to" because I haven't in a while. Growing up I was around dancing quite a bit. I took lessons in scottish dance, modern, jazz, and while I was in college, I was on the ballroom dance company and was able to perform and compete. I loved it! I keep telling myself that Dan and I need to take a class together. I am sure that we will someday.

#5. At one point in time in my life I wanted to become a radio dj. My freshman year of college my major was communications. I have gone away from that now, because I am not working, and I really don't have the "voice" for it. Oh, well. I am still undecided on what I want to be when I grow up, I feel like there are just so many options and opportunities to do anything. Right now, though, I am doing exactly what I want.

#6. I don't watch televison. We don't have cable or antenna. I haven't watched tv in such a long time. Me and Dan have netflix, and if we feel like sitting down and watching something, we watch a movie. Right now, though, we are watching "The Office". We are only on season 2 still, but that show is hilarious! We love it.

Okay, now the hard part. I need to tag 6 people. I choose... Cailie Ercanbrack, Lindsey Shumway, Kimmi Dibb, Megan Asper, Joy Frandsen, Amelia Low.

What's in YOUR wallet??

1 block mozzarella cheese - $3.50



1 booster seat w/ tray - $40



1 sleeping baby - PRICELESS




I know that was a little cheesy, but that credit card commercial is so true. There really are LITTLE MOMENTS in life that money can't buy. Moments like this are just so precious to me. I LOVE that life is always changing, and I feel so lucky that I get to just sit back and ENJOY.

Just a Quickie...



I REALLY LOVE this picture of Easton...

This one shows his personality lately, he has just been so stinkin shy lately. He knew his picture was being taken, and he acted shy about it... he must of gotten his shyness from Dan. :o)



I love his little boy jeans.

Daddy's Little Helper.

Dan was working on our desk the other day,(yay! it is soooo close to being all the way done!) and of course Easton was MORE than eager to pitch in and "help". Who knew that sandpaper would literally provide hours of entertainment for a 1 year old boy? He LOVED it, and I am sure that Dan was quite proud at that moment, too. For any of you that don't know us well, I have to let you in on a fact that Dan has a slight OBSESSION with woodworking, tools,HOME DEPOT, magazines that show tools or woodworking, and anything else invovling such things. So you can imagine that this was a pretty big day for all of us.


Good-Bye Autumn.

The other day Easton and I had an official day of FUN outside before it gets to be too cold! We went to the park behind our house and we played on the SWING.
That is definately Easton's FAVORITE of everything at our little park, we will miss it for the next 6 or so months!


CONGRATULATIONS DAN!


Here is an update from an earlier post. Dan submitted an oil painting he did a couple of weeks ago titled "Baby Jesus" to the Springville Art Museum's Religous and Spiritual Art of Utah Exhibition, and it was ACCEPTED!!! So, if you are interested in checking it out, it will be on Exhibit starting TODAY going through until December 27th.
You can also go to www.sma.nebo.edu for more info.


*Thanks to Scott & Marianne for letting Logan be Dan's model for Baby Jesus.

I GOT TAGGED!

A~Attached or Single: Attached for sure.
B~Best Friend: The guy I am attached to of course. How would I ever learn to play chess with out him?
C~Cake or Pie: I LOVE pumpkin pie!! LOVE IT!
D~Day of Choice: I love Sunday's! I get to hang out with Dan all day long, and he isn't working or in our garage!
E~Essential Item: I would have to say a toothbrush. I REALLY don't think I could survive without one. When I was in school, I was studying a particular culture in Africa, and they brush their teeth with sticks, because they just don't have tooth brushes!
F~Favorite Color: You know, about a month ago I would have to say TEAL, but now I am second guessing myself, and am without a favorite color.
G~Gummi Bears or Worms: Neither, really.
H~Hometown: I kind of moved around a bit. So, I would have to say Utah is my home.
I~Indulgences: I love SHOES. It has been mostly contained since I have been married, but if I had my way, I would have SO MANY! Dan asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and since it's a little too late for him to build me a bench, I said SHOES! And he doesn't understand why. Oh, and I also love Sunday clothes, dresses, skirts, ect.
J~January or July: January is way too cold and boring. July is too hot, but at least it is FUN. So... JULY wins!
K~Kids: Easton Mckay, our little strawberry-blond 1 year old.
L~Life is Incomplete Without: Faith, Love, Family, Friends and Happiness.
M~Marriage Date: March 18, 2005. I love remembering that day. I hope that I will always remember it the same way I do now.
N~Number of Siblings: I am the youngest of 10! 5 sisters, 4 brothers.
O~Oranges or Apples: I like good oranges, too often they are tart. I like apples, though. Especially dipped in carmel! YUMMY!
P~Phobias or Fears: I think my BIGGEST (out of many) is car accidents. I am really not sure how this happened, but I totally freak out sometimes. It drives Dan crazy!
Q~Quotes: "Doing nothing is very hard to do, you never know when you are finished." -Leslie Nielson
R~Reason to Smile: It's my birthday tomorrow!
S~Season: Autumn for sure.
T~Tag Three: Cailie, Carly & Megan - TAG you're IT!
U~Unknown Fact: I am really good at spelling. But I am really visual about it. I can only spell words that I have physically seen written down before, and I can't spell words out in my head, I have to write them down. In elementary school, my teachers would always wonder why on the tests I would get 100%, but if I ever went to a spelling bee, I would do terrible.
W~Worst Habit: I have actually STARTED biting my nails, but I wouldn't call it a habit just yet.
X~X-Rays or Ultrasound: No x-rays. I had an ultrasound when I was in high school, because I had an unexplained pain that wasn't ever figured out. But it was awful, because I had to drink 2 liters of juice to fill my belly up with fluid, and I had to go to the bathroom so bad and it was so painful, I thought I was going to pee my pants when they pushed on my belly. I was afraid of getting an ultrasound when I was pregnant, but then I realized that my belly was already filled up with fluid.
Y~Your Favorite Food: I like a lot of stuff. Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Thai, and I love bagel sandwiches. My favorite dinner that I make is grilled chicken, rice and steamed veggies. (It's not Dan's fav, though). My family will be shocked to hear that I don't really care for cereal anymore. I still eat it sometimes, but it isn't an everyday occurrence like it was my enitre life.
Z~ Zodiac: Scorpio

A weekend of new & old.

So this weekend was filled with new things, and some old.

On Friday we traded in our Taurus, and got a "sweet new ride".

What do you think?


On Saturday, we went to our ward halloween party. It was fun to see everyone in their costumes. Especially the babies... it was like a little animal zoo. (Easton is the cute Tiger)


And here is where the OLD comes in



(I hope we have this kind of style when we grow up.)

LAST, but definately the most exciting NEW was on Sunday. Easton got his FIRST ever HAIRCUT! Now, before Easton was even born, I wanted my little guy to not have a real haircut for as long as possible. Just because I LOVE "baby hair". When I decided this, I wasn't really taking into account that my little boy would possibly have hair just like his daddy's (you know, the kind that sticks STRAIGHT OUT). So, needless to say, I tried to keep it baby for as long as possible. It worked for a while, because he didn't have much to begin with. Lately though, it has been getting longer, and a little out of control.




Easton and his NEW do.

Doesn't he look so grown up? I think he is growing into a toddler more and more each day.

What can BROWN do for you?


Yesterday I started back at my old job working very part-time for the holidays. It is at a UPS store. So, for anyone that has shipping, packing, or printing needs- I am all over it for you! We will see how it goes. I NEVER thought that I would ever want to work away from home and away from Easton, but honestly, I only worked like 2 1/2 hours yesterday. I will be lucky to get 10 hrs a week. Not too bad, right? Plus, I think that this is a good opportunity for Dan and Easton to spend good quality time together. Opportunities like that are worth it in the end, I think.

Happy Birthday Easton Baby!!


Yesterday we celebrated Easton's 1st birthday! His real birthday is actually tomorrow, but we had a fun party yesterday. It was so much fun to have so many people come and celebrate it with us. We made him his own fire engine cake, he wasn't sure if he liked it, though. And we bought him a little people "car garage", he loves cars right now (everything is a car, he slides anything that happens to be in his hand at the time across the floor like it is a car).

This past year has been one of the best ever! It has been so much fun to watch Easton grow and develop a personality all of his own. We have been loving every minute!

Traditions & Art.



Conference weekend is always filled with traditions, family, friends, food and relaxation! On friday we went to Dan's mission reunion. This was the 4th mission reunion that Dan has been to. It was really fun, and it was nice to see old friends that you wouldn't normally get the chance to see everyday. I was so impressed with the vegetable tray that I put together for it, that I took a picture of it. Doesn't it look YUMMY?

A tradition of ours is that on the Saturday session of General Conference, we go to my sister Cliss' home to spend it with her family. This tradition actually started when me and Dan had only known each other for a week! It was the first time that he had met any of my family, so it was a pretty big deal for everyone.


Another tradition (that actually started when we were married) is that on Sunday morning we have pancakes with vanilla icecream and HOT maple syrup. YUMMY! It sounds strange, but it is actually real good.


Sunday afternoon was spent with some of Dan's family. His parents were there, and they brought with them a letter (Dan gets mail at his parents house still) for Dan inviting him to participate in the Sprinville Museum of Art's religious and spiritual art of Utah exhibition. Now, he has been invited to participate in other similar exhibits before, and never really showed interest, so when we got home that evening I asked him if I should throw it away. The answer was no, that he wanted to draw something up for it. I was surprised, seeing that any entries were to be in by next week (I am not an artist, but I always assumed that artwork took a long time). But last night, he finished! In only a couple of hours, he came up with this...


Pretty amazing, huh?

Busy, Busy!


So, Easton is getting to that age where he is FAR TOO BUSY to let me dress him or change his diaper. He HATES to waste a minute of fun time for such things. Here is a picture of one of many escapes. It was just so cute with the diaper and socks, I had to take a picture of it.

It's SNOWING in September!





We had a pretty eventful day today. First we went to our ward party where we were helping with the photo booth that we made (mostly Dan made). Here is a picture of us, isn't Easton so cute standing up there all by himself like a big kid? My brother Eran was with us, too. Then, when we were going home... IT WAS SNOWING!!! So we went to Walmart and got our first hot chocolate of the season to have in our GREEN mugs! We loved it!

Yay Pumpkins!






I LOVE pumpkins! I can't wait until our front porch is filled with them. I have just been waiting until Dan is available to come with me to pick out our first pumpkins of the season. I LOVE this time of year. The colors, the coolness of the weather, and of course... the PUMPKIN pie! Yay for October, I really can't believe that it's almost here!