News! News! News!

So a lot of things have happened in our little Rich family in the past couple of months. Instead of overwhelming myself with all the blogging I need to do to catch up, I decided to just take it little by little. So our first bit of news is...

Coulson will be a BIG BROTHER the first week of August!

He made the big announcement to our family this Christmas by wearing this cute shirt to our family Christmas parties. We are all super excited and we think Coulson is starting to understand the idea slowly!

Stay tuned for more of our family updates coming soon!

Oh Santa!!!

So my poor baby is deathly afraid of Santa! We went to our Ward Party on Saturday and as soon as he heard those jingle bells, he grabbed on to us so so tight and wouldn't let go for anything! I felt so bad for him. We stood in line to see him and he was just shaking uncontrollably the whole time. The closer we got, the tighter he would hold on to us. He was scared of him last year, but I was hoping that since he was a little older he would do better, but I think it got worse. When it was time to sit on his lap, he screamed and screamed. In the second picture, we got him to say cheese while he was crying, it was so sweet. I felt so bad for him, I kinda felt like a bad mom for making my poor baby go through it. But, these are the memories you tell your kids about, right?!!!

Christmas Kick-Off 2010

I love Thanksgiving and the day after Thanksgiving (especially in good old Rupert, Idaho)! I love how everyone is in the Christmas spirit and ready to kick-off the Christmas season. I was a little sad that we were unable to be in Rupert on the Square, so we went to Pasadena's Christmas kick-off and it was really fun! In Old Town Pasadena, they have a huge Christmas Tree that Santa drops in and lights up. Everyone also is given fairy dust (hence we don't have any snow here in CA) to through up in the air when the lights come on. It was a really enjoyable evening and completed with hot chocolate and cookies.

I have been trying to load a video of that night for days now and it won't upload, so I give up! I really wanted to post it, because we were pretty impressed that Santa knew how to repel. That is how Santa came to the party, he showed up on top of some tall buildings and then repelled down to the big Christmas tree to light it up!

My top 5 things I am thankful for this year...

As I look at everything I have around me, I can't help but think how blessed I am. I couldn't ask for anything more. I love this time of the year. It always makes me reflect on all the things I am grateful for. Here are a few of many...

I am grateful for Family!

I was blessed to marry into a wonderful family, who raised an amazing son and brother for me (and a crazy BSU Bronco Fan!)

I am so grateful for my family. I couldn't have been born into a better family. I am so grateful for all their love and support.

I am so grateful for this amazing man that I get to be with for eternity. Thank you for always providing for us and making sure we are happy. You are a wonderful husband and daddy!

I am so grateful for this cute little face! He brings so much joy and happiness into my life. He is my little best friend!

I am so grateful for my Savior and his gospel. I will always be in debt to him for the ultimate sacrifice he has made for me. He is always there for me.

I have so many things to be grateful for today and everyday. I am grateful for each of you that are reading this, because you have been a part of my life. I hope your Thanksgiving is a day filled with your greatest blessings and joy.

LA Clippers

This past weekend we went to the LA Clippers game! It was pretty fun! Avery has a suite box at the Staples Center, so we have the awesome opportunity to go the the LA Clippers, LA Lakers, and the LA Kings games. The Staples Center is really nice. We are so lucky to have this opportunity!

Coulson loved watching them play, "Ball!"

Chilling with my Dad in the suite with my popcorn.

He got pretty good at clapping and cheering when he was suppose to!

It was a pretty good game that actually went into overtime, but they lost! Darn it!

Rose Bowl

We have the cool opportunity to live only about a 1/2 mile away from the Rose Bowl. It is a great little area. We wanted to make sure we got to go to a game there before we moved in February, so this past weekend we went with our friends, the Goodmans. It was the UCLA Bruins against the Oregon Beavers. It was a really close and awesome game!

Coulson loves to say "Cheese." It is so funny, because he totally squints his eyes when he says it!

Cheesing it again!

Nursery

Coulson went to Nursery for the first time about 2 weeks ago. He is growing up so fast, we can't believe it. He did so well the first week, way better than we expected he would.

I think it was harder on me then him. We took him in there and hugged him goodbye and off he went to play with all the toys. We left the room, but I stood outside the door and peeked in through the crack of the door for almost an hour. As tears rolled down my cheeks, I couldn't help but wonder if I had taught him everything I needed to in his short little 18 months he has been on earth. I know this all sounds so silly, it is after all just nursery, right?! I couldn't help but think about my parents and how they went through all this with me and more importantly how our Heavenly Father felt when he sent us down to earth. Being parents is such a growing and learning experience. As a mother, I feel I need to be so in tune with the spirit to raise these precious children that Heavenly Father has trusted us with. I am sure as most Mothers do, you worry whether you are teaching them everything they need to know. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't pray to my Heavenly Father asking him to help me to know what I need to teach Coulson. I just hope that I can raise my children in truth and righteous. Thank you to our Moms and Dad for teaching us all that we know. I owe everything I am to my family.

As I watched Coulson, I was so proud of him. He seemed to do everything that he was suppose to... he shared and was kind, he obeyed and listened to his teacher, and he cleaned up when he was suppose too. The only thing that I saw he did (which didn't surprise me) was... during snack time, he ate all his crackers, cheese cubes, and apples slices. He wanted more apple slices but there wasn't any more, so he went around to everybody else's plates and ate theirs. Don't mess with Coulson and his apples. He loves them! So I guess he was the little apple stealer in Nursery. I can deal with that if that is the least of my worries though!