Christmas Traditions

Kevin's mom is one of the most caring people that I know. She is always helping people, thinking of others, and gives the most generous and thoughtful gifts. She has always made me feel so included into the Buskirk family! This year has been no exception. For an early Christmas present she made me the most beautiful Christmas quilt and pillow as part of a family tradition.


I already can't wait to get back to California so we can start decorating out apartment for the holidays and find the perfect spot for the gifts!! She also gave me some exquisite Spode Christmas china. My mom has Spode Christmas dishes and I have always wanted some. Kevin started the trend last year by buying me these great Spode glasses...
and then Shari got me a set of these gorgeous Spode plates and mugs this year.


Now I just need to figure out a way to throw a Christmas dinner party (if only we had space for a kitchen table! :))! These gifts have made me so excited for Christmas!! Thanks Shari!

Black Friday

We spent Black Friday trying to help boost the economy. We headed up to The Gateway outdoor shopping mall in SLC for a day of nonstop girl time and shopping! We found some great deals and I actually came home with some clothes that were colors other than black... which was a definite plus!



After shopping, we got to visit with several of Kevin's cousins, aunts, and other relatives for the blessing of baby Dallas (Kev's cousin Heidi's little baby). It was fun to spend time with everyone and be part of such a special event.

We ended the day with a family birthday dinner (for Elise & I) at The Foundry Grill at Sundance. The food was great and I got my dream of a meal- all potatoes and veggies! I had the roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, and french fries, plus broccolini and carrots. The waiter thought I was weird, but I was in heaven.

Birthday girls

Andrew surprised us by being SO well behaved and funny despite being awake past his bedtime. Grandma Julie and his Aunts & Uncle kept him entertained throughout dinner and he loved being the center of attention, as usual.






After the busy day of shopping, eating, and spending time with family, we went home and watched a movie and pigged out on chocolate pudding pie! I love leftovers and Thanksgiving desserts!

Thanksgiving Togetherness

This year I have felt especially blessed to have two incredible families that we get to spend the holidays with! Although our trips to Utah have become very busy, we LOVE having Shari and my parents living within a few minutes of one another. Yesterday was so fun because we got to spend time with both families.

We started off the day with a short airplane flight from SFO to SLC. Most of the travelers that skipped flying on Wednesday night decided to fly with us on Thanksgiving. The airports were packed! Our flight went as well as can be with a little boy who wants to be on the move 24/7... I am NOT looking forward to my flight back to SF on Wednesday alone. :)

Dan & Elise picked us up at the airport in their snazzy new Range Rover and then we headed to the Smith house for some Thanksgiving fun. We shared the things we are most grateful for and we were excited to hear the news from Elise and Dan that they are expecting a little baby in May! Elise is about 3 1/2 months pregnant and is feeling great! We can't wait for the new addition to the family!! Judging by how much Andrew loves his Uncle Dan & Aunt Elise, they are going to be awesome parents!


Later in the afternoon, we headed to Shari's house for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner! The food was great and Andrew loved getting to hang out with his cousins and play with Grandma Shari's toys!

Andrew had so much fun playing with his cousin Kate

He and Leah also enjoyed roaming around together and enjoying Grandma's toys!

Brett helped Andrew climb around and stay away from the fireplace

... and Leah showed Andrew how to climb up the stairs! He was not about to just sit by and watch! Good thing we only have one level at our place in Cali or we would be in trouble!


After we let our stomach's rest for a bit, The Johnsons and Buskirks all jumped in cars and headed down to the Smith house for a BIG dessert extravaganza! In typical Smith form, there were WAY too many desserts! Everything made by my mom and the Buskirks was delicious and we all ate way too many treats!

Lots of pies!

Andrew loved getting introduced to ice cream by Grandpa Kim & Grandma Julie

He even tried to steal a little bit of Jessie's whipped cream and pie and Jess laced his pacifier with whipped cream too... :)

The cousins had fun performing and playing around in the theater room w/ the love sacs

After all the eating, it was nice to relax and spend time together chatting. I am so grateful that our families have so much fun together! Our nieces and nephews love coming to my mom's house and the girls love all of Jessie's American girl dolls. It is nice to have so many cute kids around for the holidays and it is fabulous to get time with both families and not feel like anyone is getting neglected.

Andrew had so much fun with Aunt Elise. She is going to be a great mom! If I'm not close by, he thinks Elise is his mom and is totally relaxed around her. He'll crawl up on her and let her hold him. It's great because I get to just sit back and relax :)

Leah and Andrew were the center of attention. We had fun just chatting while we watched them crawl, eat toys, and try to stand up.


We did miss Scott & Cat and we're looking forward to seeing them when they get back from Cali on Sunday!

We are so grateful for our families this year and we wish that they all lived in beautiful California with us! :)

On the move

Our little Sharks fan is always on the move these days. Here are a few pictures of some of the places he'll go during a short time period stuck inside at our house... he loves to explore!!

EXHAUSTED!!! Time for a short break before he starts all over again :)

Andrew is 9 months old!

We are so grateful for such a happy and healthy little boy who just makes us smile all day long!!

Some of the things I love about Andrew these days are...

- His smiles and giggles when we play hide-and-seek/peek-a-boo and he finds me
- The look on his face when he's crawling quickly towards something he knows he can't have
- The way he lays his head on my chest and hides his face and peeks out when he's being shy with new people
- His shrieks when he sees puppets or stuffed animals or when he gets his blankey right before bed
- His persistence in getting to where he wants to go despite obstacles, like chairs, tables, and moms & dads :)
- His happy sounds when he's pulled himself up to where he wants to be
- His attempts to crawl up my leg or onto the couch when he wants me... and especially when he wants my food... and then it is even funnier when I give him a taste of my food b/c the faces he makes are so awesome
- His new fascination with the bathtub and faucets... one of these days we're going to find him in
the tub!
- His love for all things paper and plastic and his sneaky little attempts to get them in his mouth
- The way he kicks his feet, moves his mouth, and makes cute sounds when he's watching his little friends do cool things like climb the monkey bars or go down the slide- he can't wait to be big like them!

Happy 9 Months to one crazy little boy!!

Birthday Weekend Highlights

Here are a few of the fun parts of my birthday weekend...

The arrival of a HUGE Mrs. Fields cookie cake from my mom- mmmm!!

A big tin of Mrs. Fields cookies from Shari, double yum!

Hanging out at the park with these cuties

Tickling this little cutie while he swings to make him laugh

A fun birthday party thrown by Kevin and a delicious ALL ice cream cake!

My super star husband even made more goodies for me... he knows me too well!
I'm easy to please... just need A LOT of chocolate and treats

The arrival of this stylin handmade apron also made my day-
and the opportunity to chat w/ the designer, my friend Liz, on my birthday, was also a lot of fun!

Being serenaded with "Happy Birthday" by all the young women at church and surprised with cupcakes made by my awesome friend Erin, was also a highlight.

And lastly, the opportunity to hang out with my handsome guys
on my special day just made the day perfect!

Are they just so cute?

And Andrew even wrote me a birthday note with his blocks ;) What a genius!

I also got several other treats, cards and presents from friends that were totally unexpected and thoughtful. I feel so blessed to have so many great friends and such an awesome family! Thanks for making my birthday such a special one.

Saying Goodbye

It is with sadness, that we said goodbye to Kev's drum set this afternoon... Fortunately it will have a nice new home w/ a kid that is going to learn to play the drums... and FINALLY I've got my living room back!! Happy Birthday to me! :) The drums have given Andrew many hours of entertainment, but they have recently become pretty scary to have around now that he tries to climb up on stuff. Can't wait til he is old enough and we can buy some drums for him and Kevin to pound on together.

Surprises!

On Wednesday I was surprised to discover a nice big box outside of my apartment- an early birthday present. It was full of some yummy treats from the Stonewall Kitchen that we can make and bake. Mmm! The box was the perfect Andrew size...

...so he's enjoyed the present as much as I have. Thanks Kath!

Erin's Baby Shower

On Saturday I helped throw a Baby Shower for my friend Erin. It was such a fun night! The decorations were exquisite, thanks to my creative friend Alie... and the shower was ice cream themed, so it was delicious as well!! So many people helped out and made it the perfect night!

We had fun serving lots of ice cream to everyone...

Here are only a few of the party helpers

Erin & Karren

We can't wait till the little guy is born so that he and Andrew can have some playdates!
Congrats Erin & Dave!

You can click on the picture below and check out all of the rest of the pictures from the night... or just watch the slideshow