frosty

Coming home from church today I noticed so many snowmen!! So before it got too dark (this is around 3:45), we rushed out to take some pictures.

I still have never made a snow man - I don't know what I'm waiting for... maybe New Years?

Happy snowman making!

*added at 9:39pm: the face-less snowman now has a face! Guess they just weren't done with it.

my thanksgiving list

• family - immediate and extended (and especially new additions!)
• friends - wish I could name you all
• a living prophet
• a home
• love and support 
• clean drinking water
• clean air to breathe
• delicious food to eat and cook with
• electricity (and indoor plumbing!)
• artistic inclinations (whether they turn out or not, it is fun!)
• Buckwheat
• uplifting and inspiring media (music, television, films, etc.)
• my happiness
• military efforts to protect freedom and people's liberties 
• good health

I just asked Mark what he's thankful for:

• his muscles

I'm also thankful that he can make me laugh!

when the first baby laughed

Yes, that is our timer beeping ever-so-loudly. 

I finally got Mont's laugh on video tonight with the help of his funny dad. I love his big ole' raspy laugh.

little man

No, this is not a BabyBjorn add, but if it were, I would buy it! Mont is too cute for me to resist. My friend lent me her carrier to try it out for some upcoming travels. So far, Mont really loves looking around while Mark walks around. He hates to face towards you and be strapped in though, so that's too bad. But at least this way is golden. Here are some other pictures from today:

I love how he looks at the lights. We set up Christmas today; can't start it too early with the Bensons, I've discovered. Seriously, one cousin of Mark's has a Christmas ROOM in her basement where she has Christmas set up all year long. And after July 4th she begins listening to Christmas music. ha!

Mont has found his voice!! Along with laughing, he'll carry on full one-sided conversations with us. We love it.

He really does look concerned with whatever it is he's explaining, doesn't he? What a fun munchkin:

And some more pictures of us lounging around the house tonight:

He has the same stick-out ears I do! awww:

He's figured out that he can hold up his weight as long as I hold him steady. He loves that 'standing sensation' and will stand straight as a board even when lying down just so I'm forced to put him upright.

This is "Big Chief" face, as I call it.

Or as Peter Pan would say, "Red Man"

14.5 lbs?!

Two days ago, I hopped on the scale, then hopped off.

Then Mark handed me our tall baby, and we hopped on together.

The scale went up 14.5 lbs!! He's only 3 months and 1.5 weeks!

This weekend Mont was cranky all the way from Friday night to Tuesday morning. It was a rough little weekend, and it was the first time in Relief Society I had to back out of the room while giving everyone (felt like everyone was looking) the "I'm sorry" look!

I thought it was a tooth coming up, which I can feel a little rough spot there, but after he was happy again yesterday, and after I weighed him, I think he was just having a major growth spurt. I haven't measured his length in a while, but I think he has to be over 25 inches.

He nurses every 2 hours or so during the day (holy schneikies), and at night he can go 7 hours from the time he last eats before he falls asleep. Then after that, he can go every 3 to 4 hours until 8 o'clock when it's time to get up.

Now we work on getting him to go back to a 7 or 8 o'clock bed time. Hard days in a row (like he had) always get him off his schedule (if it can be called a schedule)!

Beijing, China

Outdoors. The Summer Palace.

As I have come to expect, Mark has captured more incredible scenes through the lens of the camera he gave me exactly one year ago (happy birthday to me, tomorrow!). There are many photographs that I want to showcase (chose my favorites from ~800), so I'm going to put them in subcategories. enjoy!

Landscapes:

Mu Tian Yu. The Great Wall.

Man at work. Summer Palace.

MY man at 'work.' The Great Wall.

Architecture:

Rooftops. The Summer Palace.

The Summer Palace.

The Summer Palace.

Architectural Detail:

Outside. The Summer Palace.

Tile Rooftop. The Summer Palace.

Black temple wall. The Summer Palace.

Marble Staircase. The Forbidden City.

Outside. The Summer Palace.

Outside door. The Summer Palace.

Side Rooftop. The Summer Palace.

Indoors. The Forbidden City.

Wall. The Forbidden City.

Artwork and Sculpture:

One of thousands. The Summer Palace

Character stamps. Shangri La Hotel, Beijing

Outside. The Forbidden City. *Mulan's friend?*

Display on walkway. Summer Palace.

Outside. The Forbidden City.

An artist's signature. Summer Palace.

Nature:

Tree bark. The Forbidden City.

sweet addictions

*same as this, but different angle now that you can see homes around the steeple

So I tried to not post today... but I have been overloading on pictures lately, and I just want to post, post, post. I even told my dad tonight that I wasn't going to post, because I've been posting every day since, I think, Friday? Good golly.

But while thinking of my 'sweet addictions,' here's a little list of some other things I can't get enough of:
. finding old family pictures (black and whites, preferably)
. staring [and laughing] at Mont
. peanut butter m&ms
. reading under a blanket while Mont naps
. watching the snow fall
. reading D&C
. listening to Pandora Disney (and singing to Mont until he cries)
. Aveeno baby lotion
. sitting on the floor by the fire with Mont
. my flannel pillow case from my mom (so soft!)
. Ensign reading to Mont (while floor sitting by the fire)
. ice water
. warmed Carnation chocolate for breakfast (soothes my throat)
. and more peanut butter m&ms

. will you please tell me what your sweet addictions are so I don't feel quite so quilty?! thank you bunches.

Beijing, China

More pictures from Mark's trip to the Orient coming soon!

ps - phoenix birds in China represent The Queen
(or Empress)

how magical!

polar bears

are a grateful (yet mere) 500, or so, miles to the left of this picture.

snowy night

Doesn't the snow look like glitter?!

I snuck out to our front porch to take a picture

after Mont fell into a dreamy sleep.

I wonder if he's dreaming of Indiana Jones,

or maybe his furry friend Buckwheat?

Yesterday he laughed for the first time.

It made my heart race with the

fun possibilities

of how I can get him to laugh from now on.

So fun!

I am so happy tonight. It is snowing!

first snow

While Mont slept, I strapped on these hot-man-boots (hope no one saw).

Then I explored the space.
Only going a mere 10 yards or so... didn't want to stray too far with a sleeping babe inside.

lovely!!

3 months

*taken just a few days before the 3 month mark

warmth

"Dancing begets warmth..."

~Henry Fielding

Funnel cakes are still on my doorstep ... I think they need me.

ideas

I have loads of ideas on my mind of what to post about.. here's a quick run down:

box:

... there was a box on our door step tonight: 5 funnel cakes.

... written on it is "Evans"

... I would have answered the door, but little Mont was eating.

... It says, "keep frozen"

... Do I...

... a: eat said funnel cakes

... b: knock door to door to

find the "Evans" household

... c: leave it on the doorstep

and pretend I never saw it?

... So far, I'm going with C.

... good thing it's frozing outside.

fire:

... I've left my pilot light on our fireplace for nearly a week now.

... I keep telling myself I'll turn it on when nursing Mont at night.

... I turned it on this evening; even without a fan, it is quite warm.

... I love it.

house:

... our home is nearly complete, with just a few random blank walls

... these bare walls are walls that really shouldn't be bare.

... like in our master bedroom and

... Mont's wall behind his crib (crib is still vacant at night).

... and above my piano.

... with enough encouragement, I'd cave.

You want pictures?

All Hallow's Eve

After a feast at a friend's house, I'd say it was a very successful, and pumpkin-filled Halloween for me. Last night, Molly carved a pumpkin, from which we extracted it's gooey gobliny guts for seed-purposes. Today I made 4 dozen pumpkin cookies (some with craisins, most without), and tomorrow I will season and bake those yummy little seeds!

No, this isn't my Halloween costume, but my MIL did want me to be Sarah Palin so she could "get a picture with her;" I was happy to oblige. Alaska sure misses Mark's family; especially the little Alaskan in my arms.

In the last week, Mont has:

-gotten SO good at holding his head up.

Barely a bobble topper these days.

-found his fists; tries to shove his whole hand in his mouth.

-saw himself in the mirror

-loved being held!

-talked a whole lot! (soft little owl-noises)