2nd Annual Udstuen ECO Friendly Christmas Card

Merry Christmas from the Udstuens!

Once again we are making an attempt at being environmentally conscious. Although we're blogging our Christmas card...we realize that sending pictures out in the mail really defeats the well intended effort. I guess it's about making small steps in the right direction!

It's been a wonderful year in our household. Jonah and Benjamin continue to fill our lives with joy, laughter, and those challenging teachable moments. Just last night we had a lengthy conversation at the dinner table about burps...what kind of burps were polite, what kinds were inappropriate. Of course this conversation was prompted by one of the inappropriate ones. (I had no idea a 4 year old could put out such an impressive belch!)

Jonah is in his second year of preschool. Passionate and enthusiastic are the first words that come to mind to describe him. His preschool teacher says "he always has something he wants to share with the class". (We're educators, we know the translation: "Your kid never stops talking".) But we're happy to see him enjoying the activities in his life. Over the last two years a number of people have told us we should enroll him in a gymnastics/tumbling class. Now that he has mastered full front flips on the couch...we're thinking they may be right. Jonah turns five in January and will start kindergarten at the "big school" next year.

Benjamin transformed from a easygoing, quiet 1 year old to an easygoing LOUD 2 year old. It's the strangest combination. He will give you the sweetest smile and bellow like a drill sergeant, "I LOVE YOU MOM AND DAD!!!" Other loves for Benjamin include tractors, trucks, and those rain boots in our Christmas picture above. He discovered them this summer in his cousin Marcus' suitcase. Fortunately they were too big for Marcus, because Ben wore them everywhere for the next 3 months. They were a great conversation piece at church!

Mark and Rachel continue to enjoy their jobs, as well as life outside their work. Although we enjoy our date nights, nothing beats an evening with the kids in the hammock watching the sun "go to sleep". Life continues to be great!

Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2009!

What Benjamin selected to wear to daycare the other day...

Hooray for Snow!

Unless an unexpected warm front hits it is going to be a white Christmas! It seems like about every 36 hours we get hit with another snowstorm. Mark and I are rediscovering the joys of seeing new snow outside. In the past the boys have lasted about 15 minutes outdoors in the winter. We spent more time dressing and undressing! Today we were able to spend over an hour sledding. It was warm enough and the snow was great. Now this evening, we've cancelled the babysitter and are sitting through yet another blizzard and drifting snow. A great evening to wrap presents, drink hot chocolate and watch a movie! (And for those of you who check in regularly - a great opportunity for me to finally catch up on some blogging!)







We got to sled with Aunt Jane and cousin Marcus last week




Jonah going to help Benjamin who had to make a "crash landing".

Santa!

Santa visted the daycare Christmas party today. This is the same Santa that the boys saw at the Festival of Trees 3 weeks ago. He knew their names, remembered what they had asked for - the boys were pretty amazed.

The Daycare kids with Amy. (Those of you wondering about Ben's bandana...he's a rock star - his words not mine!)

Disney World!

In November we took a trip to Disney World with our good friends, Shannon and Billy Gould, and Grandma and Grandpa Disney (Billy's parents). For most it was a return trip, but for Rachel and the 4 kids it was a first - and Rachel may have been the most excited! Teacups, Mickey, Princesses - the trip was...well, yes, MAGICAL!



Hugs from Pluto


Dancing with Donald Duck


Benjamin was a little cautious around the live characters the first few days. The stuffed ones were more his style.

Buzz Lightyear - and Udstuen boy favorite!

Benjamin showed us how to walk like a pigeon.

"Fish are friends, not food!" Fortunately that goes for kids too!

Autographs from Pluto and Goofy

Face Painting at Animal Kingdom

TERK - from Tarzan (a current Disney favorite)!

This was the closest Ben would let us get to any characters the first day - his blanket is covering his death grip on me!

Performance of Beauty and the Beast - the boys loved this.

Race car driving...they have no idea that this game requires quarters!

Ben wearing Peyton's hat!

Breakfast with the Princesses: Thanks to Grandma Disney - who knows that you need to call 6 months in advance - we got tickets to breakfast with the princesses in THE castle at Disney World.

Jonah was lukewarm about the idea at first...after all "Boys don't really like princesses" (if he only knew!), so he kept a safe distance as we were greeted by Cinderella. As they circled about during our meal he was more than willing to let them sign Ben's autograph book, just not his. But then it turned out that one did have his heart. He refused to be photographed with
Cinderella...

Snow White...

Belle...

Jasmine...

But then along came Princess Aurora (for the rest of you moms with boys - that Sleeping Beauty!) Something about her appealed to Jonah: she got to sign HIS autograph book, see his sword, AND take a picture with him!

Oh, and he'll take pictures with Knights in shining armor too!

We still have 5 days left on our passes for a future trip...I'm ready to go next year!

Training...Round Two

Let the fun begin!

Happy Halloween!

I thought that having boys was going to make my life SO MUCH EASIER when it came to clothes...but I may have been wrong. Selecting costumes for both boys was a challenge.

Jonah's choices over the last 30 days:

1. Spiderman WITH muscles.

2. A skeleton.

3. A skeleton with a sword.

4. A skeleton without bones with a sword.

Benjamin's choices between 4 and 5 p.m. on Halloween (and tried all of these costumes on during this time!):

1. Power Ranger

2. Woody

3. A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

But Mark and I left the house with a very cool Ninja:

And a very handsome Alaska Airlines Airplane pilot:

We had a fun evening at the town Halloween party and did a little trick or treating. Both boys are sleeping well this evening! :-)

Harvest time

First combine ride of the year with Grandpa!