I Need Your Help

So, for quite some time I have been pondering on the whole idea of a "private" blog. Last night I went out with some girlfriends that I used to work with before my mission, and we got talking on the subject...in a round about way. Some pretty disturbing things were brought up, and I was led back to thinking: "Should I make our blog private?" I have tried to make it as safe as possible without using last names, or giving specific birthdates or anything along those lines. But is that safe enough? So, I need your help. Lets have a discussion on the pros and cons of having an open blog vs. having a private blog.

Now, I know there are people out there who look at our blog and never comment. I'm sure I don't even know all the people that stop in to see how we're doing. I do it to others, so don't worry--I understand. I really do want to hear everyone's point of view on this.

Let the comments begin!

2008 Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas!

We hope you are all enjoying this beautiful time of year, with lots of good food and good company. This is our first year doing a Christmas letter, and we couldn't be more excited to share with you the happenings of this past year.

Brock is still working for the same company. He has been with them almost 5 years, and works so hard to provide for our family. Earlier this year, he finished his first triathlon. The Spudman. Before he decided to do it, he had never been in to cycling or swimming. He is a natural athlete and finished in 2 hours46 minutes. He also enjoyed putting in our garden for the first year, and giving us a shower in the upstairs bathroom. He is the absolute cutest daddy to our darling little boy, and such an amazing husband.

I, Lindsay, am doing what I have always dreamed of: being a full-time mom. After 3.5 years working in banking, Brock and I decided that it was most important for me to stay home and raise our kids. So I retired :). We feel so grateful that it has worked out that way so far. I LOVE being home with Dane! I have also discovered that I really enjoy being domestic. It has been fun to learn to be a better cook, and try out all sorts of new recipes. Poor Brok has had to suffer through a few of them, but it's all for the greater good :). I also enjoy making our house more of a home. My very favorite part of it all is being a mom. I never imagined it would be this good. What an amazing thing to be entrusted with such a special spirit. There can be nothing better in this world than being a mom.

Now to the best part. Dane. Dane Brock was born in June. He weighed 7 lbs 12 oz, and was 21.4 inches long. He is now six months old, and just keeps growing. He is such a joy. People often comment on his cheeks--htey are rather squishy and quite kissable. He is a GREAT eater, and has enjoyed adding more variety to his meals as we have introduced cereals. He doesn't like to sleep during the day, as he is worried he might miss out on something, but he sleeps through the night, so we can't complain. He currently has two teeth, can roll over, sit up, and LOVES his voice. He is the happiest baby I have ever seen. We feel so blessed to be his parents, and are learning so much from him already. He is truly the best thing that has happened to us. We adore our beautiful son.

Last but not least is Cooper. He is such a great dog. People askall the time how he is with Dane, and are mostly surprised when we tell them that he is so gentle, and sweet with him. They are mostly surprised because those aren't two words typically used to describe our "little" pup. He is a bundle of energy, and has had some struggles not being king of the hill anymore. But he does love Dane, and we couldn't ask for a better dog.

We are so grateful for this beautiful Christmas season. We have much to be grateful for. OUr lives are full of happiness, joy and love. These blessings are made possible because of our savior, Jesus Christ. We are grateful for His life, and His teachings which help us know how to find true happiness in this life. We are grateful for His atoning sacrifice which makes it possible for us to return to Him as eternal families. We love Him, and know that HE lives and loves each of us. We are grateful to our Father in Heaven for sending His Son to earth, who's birth we celbrate this holiday season. may we all remember that He is the reason for Christmas. He gave us the greatest gift of all--His life--that we may have eternal life. We love him, and we love each of you, and thank you for your part in our lives. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and an amazing New Year.

(So, I know Christmas was yesterday, but we still hope you have an awesome holiday season!)

Family Pics

We had one of my friends from high school take some pictures of our family a few weeks ago. Here are a few of my favorites.

Don't you love the drool?

This picture just cracks me up!

LOVE little baby feet :)

He is such a happy boy

And he pulls the cutest faces

Jen did such an awesome job! If any of you need a good photographer who has very reasonable prices, check her out here

Recap

I admittedly am not the best blogger in the world. It's not because I don't have a million and one pictures of the cutest little boy in the whole world, because I do. I'm just not sure how much everyone else wants to see them. However, I do have some really fun things (at least in my oh-so-proud-mother-ly mind) to share with you.

Dane's first experience with food:
(it's kind of a long video, but I think it's darling in my completely unbiased opinion, of course)

Sorry, I can't figure out how to turn it...

Tummy time:My parents and I went to Boise to my cousin's mission farewell, and while we were there we visited my Grandparent's grave. My grandma passed away 3.5 years ago, and I really miss her. She was one amazing woman. It was the first time I have been back to her grave-site since. This is the first picture of Dane sitting up all by himself, and I love it because it's like he's looking at the headstone. I really like to think that he already knows my incredible grandparents. I just wish they were here. They would be the greatest great-grandparents.

He did get to meet Uncle Bill. He's our favorite!

We went down to St. George for Thanksgiving with my family. We were able to see some of our very good friends, JR and Brynn, and their darling little girl Haley. We were going to surprise one of my dearest friends (we've been friends since elementary school) with a visit as well, but for the second time in a row, she was up here visiting family while I was down there. Blast! I was so looking forward to meeting her newest addition (she now has FOUR beautiful girls...WOW!) and seeing her new home. Kamille--next time we need to get this right:)

While we were in St. George, Dane cut his first tooth. He is such a big boy! I can't get a picture of it, because every time I pull his lip down, he sticks his darling little tongue out. It's still pretty small, but it's there:)

And some not so fun stuff: two weeks ago today I was upstairs cleaning when I heard a loud "pop" and then water gushing. Fun times! I ran downstairs and water was just pouring out of our water softener. The nut on it was plastic (genius) and just snapped in two. I didn't know where the main shut off valve was for our water, and couldn't figure out how to turn it off, so I was running around the house grabbing towels and sheets to try and stop the water from getting to our computer or other electronics. Luckily my mom came over with our friendly neighbor Dan, and he was able to turn it off (and show me where it is for future reference which I will hopefully never need). Brock came home from work and with the help of my wonderful father in law, we spent the rest of the day tearing up carpet and sucking up water. The good thing is I was here, and our basement isn't finished, so there could have been a lot more damage done. Also, the carpet was going to go at some point anyway, so it's just speeding up the process. Fun times!