The Denver Aquarium

Saturday we went to the Denver Aquarium in down town Denver. It was a blast. The kids loved it. Zoey was running all over the place, and she loved the otters. There was one that kept doing backflips off the wall in the water. She laughed and laughed. The colorful frogs were also a favorite, and the tigers. After she was all done at one tank, she'd day, lets go find more fish, or lets go to the next one! She ran the whole thing. Liam loved watching the fish swimming and couldn't figure out why he could not touch them. He'd poke the glass and then look at his finger like it was broken. all in all, a very fun family outing!

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas! Zoey and Liam are on over load. Zoey woke up at 7:30 this morning and ran into our room. "Santa came! Santa Came!" We let Liam sleep a little more and went out to see what Santa had brought. Zoey was thrilled with her princess scooter, sit and spin, and Princess art kit. Damon loved his replacement wedding band ( he lost his other one about a year ago), and large supply of jerky and cashews. I was thrilled with a kate spade diaper bag that I had been eyeing for months, fabulous knee high leather boots, and a ton of new make-up. It was agreat chirstmas. Both kids had too many presents, we actually snuck 6 away for a later date. It was wonderful to have Christmas with our little family. I am calling this christmas the attack of the Barbies and Sports Balls.

Christmas eve we went to farrish by woodland park and went sledding, and had hot chocolate, and played in the snow with our friends the Ovards and the Nixons. It was a blast, and a great way to spend the day. That night we opened our christmas jammaz, ate sausage and eggs, and watched the luke two, and Zoey was facinated by it. I have been letting her play with the nativity and she gets it all but the wise men. Pretty good for a 3 1/2 year old. I can point to different figures and she'll say, baby Jesus, baby Jesus's Mommy, ect. Her favorite was baby Jesus, and the sheep. After Liam went to bed, we watched the grinch with Zoey. After she went to bed, we got to talk to my brother Max in Estonia on his mission. He sounded like he was still adjusting. Then Santa came! It was a great night.

We are so blessed. It was wonderful to celebrate the birth our our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope you all had wonderful christmas as well.

Zoey's Christmas Message

Love to you all.

Damon, Rachael, Zoey and Liam

Cody's visit to Colorado

My brother Cody is here for the weekend! It has been so fun to have him all to ourselves. We haven't really hung out since he got home from his mission. He is really enjoying hanging out with one of my former young women, Brealle Taylor. They seem to have hit it off quite well. Look at me, I'm a matchmaker. ;) They are cute together. We went on a double date last night to dinner at Wahoos and then went to the Broadmor and walked the grounds. It was beautiful and quite romantic. There was the coolest black guy and his wife there and he was complaining about how cold it was. He said they had been married 45 years. I told him congrats, and he said, "Awww. We're still datin'." That impressed me so much. You could tell that they really loved eachother. I hope Damon and I will be like that after 45 years. Then we drove around the beautiful neighborhood around the hotel. That is where I would like to live someday, if I ever become massively wealthy, have 8 kids, and want to clean that big of a house...

Zoey is really anticipating Christmas this year. It is so fun to see her wave hi to every Santa figure she sees. I am going tell her about Santa's elves tonight and have cody be outside with jingle bells so she can hear them. I love Christmas.

Liam is officially mobile. He can army crawl with the best of them. My presents under the tree are needing to be relocated. He has a new love of the circus animal cookies.

Merry Christmas!!

The Polar Express

We are hangin' out in Durango, Colorado. The drive here yesterday was crazy. The wolf creek pass had so much snow that it was higher that the pacifica. In some places the snow was so high that you could not see the speed limit signs! Damon found out that they got 7 feet in a 24 hour period. Wow. My brother Cody is dying to get here to snowboard. He will be here on thursday!

Today was really fun. We went swimming, and played at McDonalds, went to fuzziwigs candy store, and serious texas bbq. If you haven't been there, its worth the trip to durango just to eat there. They have the best ribs. By far and a away the best thing was riding the polar express train this evening. Zoey and Liam's eyes were like saucers. Zoey has never been so excited about something except when grandma and grandpa come. She kept asking all day, "lets go ride the express!" or " Lets see Santa!" She even broke out in to song a few times. "Santa clause is coming to town!" This is the first Christmas that she really understands whats going on. It is so much fun for me. Zoey was so excited to see the train pulling up to the station, with all the steam and the whistle blowing. She loved the hot chocolate and Liam loved the rice crispy treats. Liam could have cared less until Santa showed up with a bell for him. He just gawked at him and then grabbed that bell faster that you could imagine. They both looked so cute in thier jammas and slippers. That is a really fun Christmas tradition. The best part for me was how many compliments I get on my kids. The driver of the train and the conductor both stopped us and told us what beautiful kids we have. I want to make a shirt that says, "My kids are cuter than yours!" I think I will and only wear it around my house. I am such a vain mother.

Liam is so funny. Zoey always plays with him and pretends she is a monster. She growls at him and he smiles and laughs. Yesterday he started growling back! It is the funniest thing to hear this 8 month old growl at his sister.

Zoey is still not asleep, its almost 10:30. She is making train noises in bed. She is on overload for sure.

Snowbound in Colorado

Its snowing. I swear it has snowed every day for the past 2 weeks. OK maybe not every day, but close. This week was fun, and cold. Sunday was scary. The shootings here happened 5 minutes away from our home. We call that church "the great and spacious building", but it is terrible that that happened, and really frightening that it happened so close to us. Sunday night we had a stake christmas music fireside, and I got to play violin in a few numbers. It was really sweet, and now it really feels like Christmas. I love playing the songs and singing the hymns of Christmas and our Savior. Music makes me feel the spirit more than anything else. I am so grateful I got to play. Tuesday was a big snow day. We got about 5 inches. Zoey's pre-school was cancelled, and we had a fun day inside making and wrapping presents, and making cookies. Snow days are going to be fun in the future. Tuesday night Damon and I went to Damon's first cycling class. I got him a road bike for Christmas, and am a little miffed that he wanted to use it before Christmas, but oh well. It was quite fun to totally kick his butt, but he did much better than I thought he would. He really enjoyed it and I am so glad we found something that we can do together, that we both love.

Liam is so so close to crawling. He is getting a bit frusterated, he spins in circles and can't quite figure out how to move forward. He is such a happy boy, and calls me all the time. "Mamamamam" He loves me most. He eats like crazy, and has recently developed the habit of what we call 'night pooping'. He always always always poops between 2-4 am, and during nap time. Not fun to walk into that room and be floored by the smell. Yikes. He rolls right over to the presents under the tree and plays with the ribbon, and Zoey promptly tells on him.

Zoey rocked gymnastics again this week. Mr. Zach is her favorite person in the world. She finished her christmas shopping, and was very disappionted that she couldn't get Liam the barbie island princess doll for a present, and Dad a bride dress up. She has started asking to go to bed when Liam does, so its been a very nice week for us. She showed us some major attitude when we sent her to her room. She stomped down the hall, yelled something that we couldn't understand, and then slammed the door, then repeated this 5 or 6 times. It was so funny, we couldn't stop laughing, which, I think, made things worse. what a doll. Zoey is really starting to notice phrases. Yesterday I was getting the christmas cards ready and she plopped down and said, "Whats up mommy." I am constantly taken back by how fast she learns. I taught her how to use sissors, and now my poor vacum it constantly sucking up zoey confetti. She has figured out how to dress herself, and she love to help me put on makeup. She is growing up way to fast.

We made a gingerbread house yesterday. Zoey thought she had died and gone to heaven. It was a free for all candy. I knew that things had gotten out of hand when Damon started squirting the frosting directly into Zoey's mouth. Lovely. The house turned out great, and Zoey was buzzing all night.

I finished christmas shopping yesterday. I am done!! Now the christmas cards go out today, and I can relax. Whaoo! The cards turned out cute. I love that picture of the kids. I am so blessed to have such beautiful children.

Today we hung out with the petersons. Jen and I went to culvers for lunch witht he whole crew. Its sad when the kids out number the adults 2 to 1. Andy is Zoeys little boyfriend and they always kiss goodbye when one of them has to go home. So cute.

We leave for Durango on Sunday. We go to ride the polar express. Should be fun.

Update

Its been a while since I wrote and update.

Its been a wonderful week and a half. Liam's baby blessing was on December 2, and Damon's parents, and my family was up to visit. Friday we decorated the tree, Saturday was our "Christmas", and we all exchanged gifts, and had a big turkey dinner. I still can't believe we crammed all 10 of us around the table. Zoey loves her pair of Chirstmas dresses that both Grandma Eddington and Pullman gave her. She calls them her fancy dresses. The blessing was wonderful and we have had so many people comment on how cool it was the Liam was blessed with a sense of humor. Damon bore is testimony which was also so sweet to hear. It was so nice to hang out with our family.

Max is in Estonia now! He seems to be doing really well, and enjoying himself. It was really cool to see Damon on the phone with him in the air port chattering away in Russian.

Grandma Eddington gave Zoey an advent calendar, which a few days ago I found empty with a very satisfied Zoey looking up at me. She said in a very triumphant voice, "Look Mommy, I ate it all!!" I guess I didn't really explain the whole concept very well.

The countdown to Christmas has begun! I am so excited. I was able to play in Church and at a Stake Christmas Music Fireside. It always feels more like Christmas after things like that. Friday was our ward christmas party. They had so much food. It was a lot of fun to hang out with friends and be all christmasy together.

I'll continue the update later today, I have to go to playgroup!

Zoeyisms

I thought I would post all the things that Zoey calls her little brother.

Wiam
Yeeam
BOY! BOY! BOY! (this continues until he looks at her)
Baby Broyer!
Silly goose
Seeker ( She is trying to say Squeaker)


On a totally different note, I just herd Damon in the bathroom asking Zoey if she "dropped the kids off at the pool, Oh you did! You went poop!" I have no idea where he gets this stuff. Never a dull moment at the Pullman house.

Zoey's latest

She has formed the habit of saying "gross" to everything. Liam had a booger this morning, and she said," Ewww! Wiam has a booger! Ewww Gwosss!!" She'll walk around the house and if anything repulses her, and I mean anything, she yells, "EWWW Gwoss!!" I love how she says it too. Gwoss! A plastic bug, Gwoss! Liam eating a banana, Gwoss! Zoey going pee, Gwoss! Gwoss! Gwoss!

Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!! We hope you all had a wonderful one! We had a great thanksgiving with our friends, the Egberts. Zoey was very exctied to eat dinner with her friends, and then we had a pie party at the Drapers. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends. I made a flourless chocolate cake that was, to say the least, the best thing I have ever made. The cake was topped with a chocolate ganache, in a pool with raspberry puree, garnished with fresh rasberries and fresh whipped cream. It was the hit of the pie party. I have outdone myself. I am going to make it again for our families who are coming in a week!! I am so happy!

Liam enjoyed the stuffing rolls at thanksgiving, although he has had the nastiest poop since. Must be a pullman thing because I have not been able to sleep in the same room as Damon. Wholy stink!! Good thing I love him so much. I am debating re-naming thanksgiving dinner Reeksgiving dinner.

We decorated the house for christmas! We are saving the tree for the family to help us decorate. It feels like Christmas! I was one of the crazies this morning that woke up at 4:45 and went to wal-Mart, and shopped and shopped. I am now done with Christmas gifts. Wahoo! All I need is stocking stuffers.

Love you all!

The Week in Review

This week was busy. On Sunday night we went to Vail with Damon for work. Its a nice little break from the day to day for us. We hung out, swam in the pool, played in the snow and went up to Brekenridge. That is my favorite place to go in Colorado. Oh maybe Estes Park, its a tight race, but both are beautiful. On the drive home Zoey and Liam had a who can squeal louder contest that lasted an hour. My ears are still ringing. While we were up there Liam popped out a second tooth!

Wednesday was gymnastics, or nanastics as the zoe calls it. The whole way over she kept saying, "I wuv nanastics!" She loves it and got into the class with all her pre-school buddies. Her teacher, Mr. Zach, didn't realize how much shorter she is than the rest of the class. They have a step mat up to the bar to have them hang on it, and she couldn't even reach it. She tried several times to jump and grab the bar, but to no avail. She still did really well, and she wears her leotard evey day and practices her somersaults and back bends. She is even close to doing her backwards somersaults all by her self.

Thursday was Zoey's Preschool class thanksgiving feast. The whole class is girls, and they all had on there pilgrim collars and hats that they made out of paper. She loved the turkey and stuffing and potatoes. She especially loved the pie and whipped cream, mainly just the whipped cream. Her class is so funny. Miss Amy would hold up one of the "Thankful turkies" that they made and "say what is this?" Then all the girls would giggle and say, "A CHICKEN!!" They are a class full of sassy girls. On Zoeys thankful turkey she wrote on the feathers, Mom and Dad, Liam, Grandma and Grandpa McQueen ( G&G Pullman) Grandma and Grandpa Niggin ( G&G Eddington), Joey, and cheese. It cracked me up to realize that she does know she has 2 sets of grandparents, and that she makes the difference by Grandpa Pullman's mustang, which she thinks is Lightning McQueen from the cars movie, and G&G Eddington are by their dog Nixon. Its really funny what she remembers. I call this picture "the suspicious pilgrim".

Friday night is our rotisserie chicken night. Zoey climbed up to the table and say it on teh plate and said,"Yum! I love frogs!" I guess it does look a little like a frog... Anyways.

Liam is fast becoming expert at rolling to things. I don't think he will even bother to figure out crawling. He is so strong, and will stand with his hands on something if you stand him up. At his last Dr.s appt he said he think Liam will walk at 10 months. I just sat there thinking, 'Please NO!!" He is very strong and very coordinated. Damon is very proud. Its so fun to see him with his boy. He seriously eats about 4 times the amount of food that Zoey ate. He will nurse, and then down a 6 oz bottle, and then eat some cheerios. When he eats solids its 2 jars of baby food, juice and cheerios. Our grocery bill is going to double when he eats regular food. What a healthy happy boy!

Until something else happens..

Rachael

Liam got his first tooth!!

Awesome! The first tooth is through! Finally! He was one cranky kid. and now he is back to his charming self. Whaoo!!

Zoey's first day of Gymnastics

Hey! Zoey loved her class today. She is a dare devil. She tried everything and loved it. She didn't want to leave Miss Cathy and "nastics". What suprized me most was how she acted to this harness attached to a pulley system that flies the kids like 30 feet in the air and lets them flip all over the place. I thought Zoey would freak out a little. Oh no no no, She LOVED it. It even suprized Miss Kathy. She wanted another turn. She was up there flipping around and loving every minute of it. By the end of class, she was somersalting and flipping around the little bar thing. We have found something that she loves.

Monday we went to see the Bee movie for family home evening. That is a really cute show. Now Zoey is asking to watch the bug movie. At least is isn't sponge bob.

Liam is teething. And not well either. I'm talking the whole awful nine yards. The snot, the diahrrea ( not sure if I spelled that right, and I don't care enought to check, sorry Mom.) the restlessness. I haven't slept well in a few days, and I feel a cold coming on.

Zoey has quite the imagination. Its funny how that all of the sudden happens. An old piece of paper is suddenly a treasure map, a piece of string is a snake, she is so creative.

I lost a pound. The biking is paying off. YESSSSS!!

Till next time...

Rach

Halloween

Halloween was much more fun this year. Apart from being freezing, and everyone praying it wouldn't snow, it was really fun. Our ward had a trunk or treat and chili cook-off. We decoarted the car and Zoey had it down pat. She would walk up to anyone with candy and yell,"twick or tweat!" and then after recieving the candy she would yell,"Thanks!". Everyone thought she was adorable. Liam was hangin' out. Too cold to really care. It was fun and now Zoey won't eat anything but suckers and reeses. She is wired. Hope you all had a wonderful halloween too!

A funny thing happened...

Just had to post this. Today was stake conference, which was absolutely wonderful. About 20 minutes from the end, Zoey was cleaning her hands from a rolo with a wet wipe. ( Yes, I gave her candy to keep her quiet. 2 hours of reverence is a lot to ask from a 3 year old.) Anyways so she is done and I didn't hear her when she was trying to give the wipe back to me. So out of the blue we hear her say, "FIRE!!", and then catapult the wadded up wet wipe at my face. Every one in a 3 row raduis was dying trying not to laugh. Church is much more fun with Zoey.

I got my road bike!!

Yesterday was a treat. Damon took the day off and hung out with the family. We went to Ascent Cycling and got my bike fitted, and the shoes and clips. I am ready to go. It is the most awesome thing ever! I rode for a half hour and could have rode forever. It is such a great workout, I am really sore today. Good thing its too cold to go out. I haven't felt worked out so well since I was running. 8 years ago. I can't believe its been that long. I feel so grateful that I've found something that I can compete in. Damon is going to get one in a month.

Zoey had fun at the bike shop. She kept calling all the bikes, "My tricycle." The two guys that own the shop thought she was a hoot. What a silly goose.

We had a disasterous date on Friday night too. We went to see transformers at the dollar theater, and the movie broke. So we went to get some sushi, and the restaraunt closed at 9:45, and we arrived at 10. Who closes at 9:45 on a weekend? Seriously? So we came home to a dissapionted babysitted who didn't make as much as she thought. We just watched a CSI rerun and went to bed. What a hot date. Tonight doesn't count as a date. Adult session of Stake conference never counts.

I'll never figure out the weather here. Yesterday was beautiful, and today is freezing!! Tomarrow is going to be beautiful again. Its always cold on halloween. Everyday next week is mid 60's, except halloween. 51, with a low of 35. Seriously.

Love ya!

Rach

Go Sun Devils!

Pullman Happenings

Hey Everyone.

Today was exciting. Zoey went to preschool and made the decorations for Halloween Party on Tuesday. Then we went to the park. Zoey rode her trike and is completely worn out. I love the trike. Best 30 dollars I ever spent. The weather is perfect. 70 degrees. We are savoring the last of the good weather. I hate waiting for winter. Its looming. I know its going happen. But is hasn't happened yet. At the park, we found a pet. A little frog. Zoey has named it Ribbit. She has been peering in at the little thing saying "Come here, little ribbit!" and then freaking out when it jumps. Its a love hate relationship.

I had an exciting day. I got a new lap top a week ago, and I made my first DVD. I made a slide show of a bunch of pictures. It worked! I was so pleased. Now I need some decent music to put with it. Today I pick up my bike!! I got to get it fitted tonight. I can't tell you how excitied I am about it. I want to to the triple bipass next summer. Its a 150 mile ride through the 1-70 corridor. Yeah baby. I need a new hobby.

Liam loved the park and just looked at the frog like, What the heck? Then he got mad the Zoey ate all his fruit puffs. I went to target to day with him and that has to be one of my favorite things to do. Get compliments from eceryone on how cute my baby is. I always say, "thanks, I know." Talk about the cutest kids ever.

I have to run practice the violin. I am playing in Stake Conference on Sunday.

Love to all

Rachael

Hello to All!

So this begins the Pullman Blog. Hopefully this will be easier than the "weekly" updates that we were trying to do.