Sammy blowing his nose!

Sammy learned how to blow his nose the other day! It was really funny when he did, because it was completely random! He just grabbed a tissue box and started blowing! Hope you like it!

Dillon Mark Mattson

Here is the newest member of our family! As you can see his name is Dillon. He was born on Dec. 16th at 1:33 p.m. and weighed in at 7lbs. 5oz.

Congratulations Trevor Jamie and Kendra!

Christmas List (Hannah)

Christmas is creeping up on us, and so here's a Christmas list from me.

1- Ladybug ipod player from Costco. (I like the red and black ones)

2- White tank-tops. I need these desperately, mine are all ripped or don't fit. I need at least 4 good ones at this point.

3- Forever 21 gift cards.

4- Downeast Outfitters gift cards.

5- Boots, or money for some.

6- Up! movie.

7- Money for books (college books are ridiculous).

8- Daily Planner. I need something small that I can carry with me easily in my backpack. Something that looks more like a notebook rather than a Franklin Covey binder would be best.

Christmas List- Caitlin

Ok, since no one has put up their lists yet, I decided I would, now that I kind of have an idea of what I want. (This includes my list for the things I'd like from Mom & Dad, so don't think I'm expecting you to spend hundreds of dollars on me.)

• A CAR!!!! Of course, you already know that.
• If not a car....a new mattress :)
• A subscription to Seventeen Magazine
• Clocky- Clocky is a new alarm clock that my friend got for her birthday. It's just a normal alarm clock, except when you press the snooze button, it sounds off a loud alarm and rolls off your desk and finds a hiding spot and keeps going off until you go find it. Her's is awesome!!
• Sheet Holders-I know this is weird, but we saw these things at Smith's that hold your sheets on your mattress. This is a constant battle with me, and I would definitely like some. Especially if I get a new mattress!
  
• Harry Potter Movie #6-I'm not sure if it'll be out by Christmas, but if it is, I'd love to have it!
• A new straightener- I have really bad luck with my straighteners. The one I have now has a short in the cord, so if you move it a certain way it shuts off and I have to re-heat it every time I use it on a different layer of hair. So a new one would be awesome!
  
• iPod car dock- I don't know if I really need this, but if I were to get a new car, I'd like to have on of those iPod car things so I could listen to mine in the car.
  
• My Sister's Keeper- The movie just came out and I haven't seen it, but I'd like to have it!
• Misfit Spotted Elephant-Yes, like the one from the Rudolph movie. I think it's adorable and I really want it!
  

Well, that's pretty much it! :)

Christmas Lists

Hello, it's Caitlin! Well, since Christmas is coming up, I think it'd be a good idea for everyone in the family to start posting their Christmas Lists like we did last year. I'm not one to talk, because I have no idea what I want yet, but if anyone knows what they want already, post it! (Trevor and Jamie, if you want/need something for the new baby, post that as well!) Sweet, thanks! I'll probably be posting mine sooner or later when I find what I want.

Sam and Dobby are Friends.

Our Family (by Hannah)

As everyone already knows, I have been having a lot of trouble with the start of school this year. Anxiety and panic have been a very large part of my days, and I've been calling everyone every day with my problems. Usually when calling people I have been on the edge of very irrational tears. I know that the way I've been feeling has been pretty irrational and crazy, but it's not easy to make that sort of anxiety go away. Even as I work on it, I still get anxious easily and it's frustrating.

But I do know that I have been feeling so much better, and that is solely thanks to everyone in this family. I feel like I haven't expressed my gratitude enough when actually talking to you. Instead it seems like I just keep complaining more. So I just wanted to thank all of you so very much. Thanks for all the advice, thanks for reminding me of what's most important, thanks for listening to me and letting me vent, thanks for telling me how much you love me and thanks for being such a great family. 

Dad, you've cheered me up so much with our talks and even when I'm feeling so anxious for no reason, you always keep cheering me up, so thank you.

Amanda, you've talked me through it all and empathized with me. You've helped clear my head and reminded me that I'm not dying just because I'm stressed out.

Mom, you've been so logical and you've helped me feel better just by leaving a message on my phone. Being able to talk to you always cheers up my day.

Caitlin, hearing about your day and talking to you cheers me up. I miss talking and hanging out, I can't wait to come down and visit again.

Trevor and Jamie, having you here in Utah is so nice. I love having you here to come hang out and having you close. I also love seeing Kendra and all the mess she gets into (like trying to trick Jamie into giving her more candy), though I'm sure it's not so fun for you.

I'm sure this is a little (well, a lot) cheesy, but I wanted to tell you all thanks since I haven't really been able to get some thoughts together. I hope everyone reads this and knows how grateful I am for all of my wonderful family.

Apology

So I need to apologize to Trevor and Jamie. While we were on the trip, I think I discouraged them with my comments about what it was like having a new baby at home right around Christmas. I was mostly commenting on the negative--like, how tired we were and how Sam was kind of a non-exciting blob. So, I feel bad about that.

Then, today, I came across this picture....

Look at how cute and tiny he was! His stocking was as big as he was. And, even though we were tired, it really was great having him there. It was a very special Christmas and I won't ever forget it. I'm sure it will be the same for you.

This year, he will probably be more like this:

Funny Sammy!

While Caitlin has been at girls' camp, I (Hannah) have been watching Sam while Amanda goes to work. Sam, while not officially crawling, is just days away and is very mobile. What he enjoys doing in particular is to roll around to whatever it is he wants. The other day, I had him up in my room, and he rolled over to my metal trash can. He thought it was absolutely hilarious, and he kept laughing and smiling at the baby in the reflection. I pulled him away from the trash can and he scooted right back over! This video is after a while of him doing it, so he's not as excited about it but it's still pretty cute.

KA!

On Saturday night the 30th, we went to the show KA as a part of a Mother's Day gift. We weren't able to go closer to the actual day, so decided that this past Saturday would be the best that we could do.

A couple of fun things in regards to the show were:

1. They do a "pre"-show as people are arriving, and during the pre-show, these strange looking characters come down from the catwalks that are used as part of the set. They are tethered together and kind of repel down. Before it started, Caitlin and Amanda went out to get popcorn and drinks, and on the way back in, one of the characters came down and landed right next to Caitlin, nearly causing her to wet herself! But the best part might have been that Amanda, in her eagerness to get back to her seat and chow down on the popcorn, didn't even notice the guy. One of the ushers (who are also dressed in character) called out to the guy, "You aren't supposed to scare the guests like that, you nearly made that one girl pee herself, but that other girl didn't even see you!!!"

2. One of the most amazing parts of the show is the stage itself. It does everything! It is hydraulic and moves up and down, back and forth, and tilts in almost every direction. (You can kind of see how they use the stage in the picture above.) The characters climb up and down the stage, and they do all sorts of amazing scenes with it throughout the production. It was awesome!

3. I personally thought that this show was one of, if not the best show on the Strip and I think everyone really enjoyed it. Mom said, "I enjoyed it very much, it was very, very cool." I guess then the whole thing turned out to be a success!

4. Finally, the last thing on the show was Caitlin's Sunday School Teacher. When she went to class, she was talking about going to the show, and her teacher told her that all the cirque du soleil shows were of the devil. She was then removed from the class. (This last part was due to the fact that they had split her class a couple of weeks ago, and she didn't want to go to the new one.) But it sounds better if she got kicked out :o)

After the show we went to eat at the Rainforest Cafe. I guess you pay for the ambiance, because we all agreed that the food was pretty mediocre. But anyway, it was still a fun night for everyone.