Christmas 2012 in Oregon

     After Grandma Mills' funeral, we were able to spend two more weeks in Oregon. We had a   wonderful time being with the Smith family. We spent time getting feed for Grandpa Rick's steers.

When the lights went out (which happened a few times) we made good use of the lit candles by making s'mores. I wish the lights had gone out a few more times! 

As is Smith tradition, Harrison took a bath in the utility sink

We celebrated Zane's (the "sabah-toof tigah") third birthday

We snuggled with (terrorized) our baby cousins

Played in a stream wearing our brand new galoshes. 

 We played with cousin Owen

I got appropriately dressed for rainy weather. I've never looked better.

Harrison ran around to play with all of his cousins. There are so many to play with!

We watched our aspiring paleontologist cousin, Mia, practice excavating dinosaur bones.

Dolly came with the Oregon property and so she lives with the goats.

We went on lots of rainy weather walks with the kids. These two girls are so darling.

Here is the road leading to Grandma Mills' property. The clouds are always stunning in Oregon.

Harrison hung out wit Grandpa Rick while Jonny made me my very own gluten free sticky rolls. 

Our nephews are pretty enamored with Uncle Jonathan, especially when he plays the blanket game.

Kristi and Rick took all of us to the mountains to stay in a lodge for a few days. It was so fun being together, eating in a cafeteria, and playing in a little bit of snow.

Beautiful Marah 

  

Harrison was thoroughly entertained by Zane the entire time. They are little buddies. Here they are playing "sabah-toof tigah."

Zane is a pro at cold weather and had to teach Harrison how to function with three layers of clothes on.

As you can tell, the cafeteria was all a flutter with kids moving too fast to get a picture. They were having a ball.

I have never seen such thick moss growing on tree branches. The forest was brisk and thick with misty air. 

Harrison was pleased when it got warm enough to not wear a coat. 

On the way back to Kristi and Rick's house, we ventured to see South Falls, a 177-ft tall waterfall. 

 When we got back to the house, Oscar passed out while eating his dinner.

While, Harrison went for another yummy Grandma Kristi cookie. Let me tell you, he sure filled up on these cookies while we were there. 

Grandma Mills' Funeral

Sweet Grandma Mills passed away just two days before Jonny's last final. This meant, we were able to travel to Oregon to attend the funeral after finals were over and Jonny could serve as a pallbearer. It was a beautiful service, showcasing Grandma Mills' faithful life dedicated to her family and God. Kristi sang the most beautiful song she wrote and composed entitled "There I Am." She had all of us in tears as she sang with grace and composure. Following the service, we drove to Grandma's gravesite, where she was buried next to her beloved husband, Meredith. 

Trying to hold Harrison and Mason deemed futile

Kristi (second woman on the left) with her three sisters and brother, along with their spouses. 

Safety of our littles

On Friday, December 14, we spent the day in Newport before boarding a plane to Oregon. We were heading up a day early to attend our sweet Grandma Mills' funeral. Our hearts were tender, but full as we anticipated celebrating her life. 

But, our hearts became even more tender as we spent our day in Newport. With the loss of sweet little ones from the violent acts of another in Newtown, Connecticut, Jonny and I thanked Heavenly Father for the safety of these littles. 

Finals are OVER!

Jonny finished finals on Wednesday at 11:45AM. We were there to greet him and begin partying! We went to lunch with the Wagonners and then headed over to Point Dume for a stroll. We are so thrilled  to have finals over and almost a month with Jonny!

Harrison, our dear

Harrison at 15 months is all sorts of fun. Let's elaborate:

- He puts up his hand, toothpaste, or anything for that matter and starts talking like he is on the phone.

- His favorite place to play is on his dad's desk in our room. He types on the keyboard, goes through each pen and pencil, turns his monitor off and on, and looks at all the pictures on the cork board. He loves it!

- He has embraced his opinions and likes to make them known. If he is done with dinner, he lets me know. If he doesn't want to get in the bath, he lets me know. If he wants to eat a cookie, he lets me know. This "letting me know" is accomplished by consistent pointing, yelps, and sometimes a cry or two.

- He and I can talk to each other. He will gab in his baby talk and I'll respond with a resounding, "Oh really? Tell me more!" To this he usually heightens his gabbing with more exaggeration and expression. We can go on for extended periods of time and both thoroughly enjoy it.

- This little man loves to dance. Right now, his dancing consists of bending his knees up and down and flaying his arms about. His favorite dance songs: Call Me Maybe and Everybody Dance Now.

- Finals are brutal. But, we cherish the fifteen minutes Jonny gets to spend with Harrison at night when he puts him down to sleep. Harrison loves his dad.

- He can say hi and goodbye.

- His little tummy doesn't like milk and so we have him on soy milk and lactose free whole milk. But, he doesn't seem to get a reaction from gluten and so here's hoping he doesn't inherit my genes!

- I call him "my best little friend."

- We go on walks all the time around our apartment complex. He loves waving to dogs, saying hi to our neighbors, and picking up dirt.

- He is very advanced in hygiene.  He walks around the house brushing his teeth with whatever toothbrush he has managed to snag.

- Whenever he happens upon bare feet, his mischievous expression tells it all as he tries to tickle us for minutes on end.

- Whenever we say "Harrison, it's prayer time" he stops whatever he is doing, bows his head, and squints his eyes.  This lasts for about five seconds and then he continues his previous activity.

- He has started to show affection toward stuffed animals, baby dolls, other kids, etc.  While trying out nursery a couple weeks ago, he found a baby doll amongst the toys and spent several minutes hugging and kissing it.

- Each night before bed we sing two Christmas carols from the hymn book.  Harrison has grown fond of our singing time and any time he finds the hymnal during the day, he will open it up and pretend to sing out of it.