The Christmas Hustle and Bustle

That is EXACTLY what we've been doing lately...running around from one Christmas show or party to the next!! While is has been hectic and our kids are beginning to think their bedtime is after 10pm...it has been so much fun! Here are a few highlights!

Our little angel Lilee!!

She had her 2 month check up...about 2 weeks late. AMAZINGLY...Lilee weighs in at 13lb. 10oz. She is in the 75-90% for weight. However, she looks itty because she is 25 inches LONG. She is completely OFF THE CHARTS for length! And of course, our kiddos are doomed with small heads(although this in NO indicator of brain size...I've asked)! Her head is in the 10th%. She is our little super model with her length!

Sittin' pretty in her bumbo!

Her head FINALLY fits into the walmart hair bands!!

Our trip to the Temple Lights. It was RAINING...but we still braved it. Keat was more interested in splashing in puddles than in the lights...oh well!

Then, we went to the zoo-lights! Again, Keat had more fun on the carousel than with the millions of lights that were all over the zoo!!

Here is dinner at Peter Piper Pizza's with cousin Carsten before the zoo!

Then off to the zoo!!

And finally, last night we went to the McCormick Railroad Park in Scottsdale with Grandma/Grandpa and Carsten! Keat is OBSESSED with "choo-choo's" so we though this would be perfect!! It was SO MUCH FUN and the kids even made it on the Live News!! YEAH!!

With Grandpa looking at the model trains...like a kid in a candy shop with these two!!

Waiting for the train...grandma and Seth waited in line with Lilee so we could "play"

At the end, we got a picture with Santa...my kids did GREAT!! If you know Keat, you know he is a CUDDLE BUG...and he had NO FEAR of sitting on the big jolly man's lap...he had NO CLUE who he was, but still...no fear! We don't have the picture...I'll have to see if I can take a picture of the picture and add it later!

OH, and PS...for all those wondering...I failed! :( I decided that taking on the Book of Mormon in ONE month...being DECEMBER...was too krazy. So, I will vow to do it in January or February when we aren't HUSTLING AND BUSTLING!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

An E-mail

I just received this E-mail and had to post it because it is so touching. It is similar to a thousand different E-mails I've received, but is nonetheless meaningful!! ENJOY!

A Baby's Hug

We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, 'Hi.' He pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment. I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. 'Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster,' the man said to Erik. My husband and I exchanged looks, 'What do we do?' Erik continued to laugh and answer, 'Hi.' Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby. Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, 'Do ya patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek-a-boo.' Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments. We finallygot through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between meand the door. 'Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik,' I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's 'pick-me-up' position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man. Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love and kinship. Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time. I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, 'You take care of this baby.' Somehow I managed, 'I will,' from a throat that contained a stone. He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, 'God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift.' I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, 'My God, my God, forgive me.' I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. I felt it was God asking, 'Are you willing to share your son for a moment?' when He shared His for all eternity. The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, 'To enter the Kingdom of God we must become as little children.' Sometimes, it takes a child to remind us of what is really important. We must always remember who we are, where we came from and, most importantly, how we feel about others. The clothes on your back or the car that you drive or the house that you live in does not define you at all; it is how you treat your fellow man that identifies who you are. 'It is better to be liked for the true you, than to be loved for who people think you are.

If you are not crying at this point....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Becker Christmas Tree

We got our Christmas tree!! YEAH!!

The evening started at a small tree lot near our home...we wanted to go to a private lot to get a more "chop it down yourself" feel. The trees were beautiful...and $80!! So, next stop, Home Depot. Not exactly the same feel, but a fantastic tree for $40! MUCH BETTER! Then came the funny part.

Here we are with our 7 foot tree and Seth pulls up in our Corolla!! HAHAHA. The man was a good sport and told us about a guy who got a 9 foot tree and pulled up in a COBALT!! So, it could have been worse. Then, he starts tying the tree to the car. About half way through, Seth and I realize that we can't open doors. We comment to the guy, who says, "Well, get in the car now then"! So, we climb through the car put the kids in their seat THROUGH THE WINDOW and wait for him to finish up. Then, we are on our way home!

And you can't end the night without jumping through your window to get out!! Or at least that's what Seth said!!

Then, came a wonderful night of dressing the tree. It was a blast...with a few broken ornaments(thank you Keaton) and some reminiscing of past Christmases! It's amazing what has happened over the last 4 1/2 years! Our family has grown and we have been so blessed!! Here are some pictures of the finished product!

The stockings!! Courtesy of Grandma Francois!!

And here is my latest "GIRL" adventure! I just couldn't resist...although it's not the BEST paint job ever! :)

Here is a new outfit from our friend Lorelei and Bridget!! How cute is she?!

Just smiling!!

BoM Challenge

Seth and I have challenged ourselves to read the WHOLE Book of Mormon in 30 days this month!! YIKES!! I'm already behind!! I think I can do it though...I KNOW I will do it! Seth has it a bit easier than I do...he is going to LISTEN to it while driving to work. I just have to find the time to read 11 chapters a day, and then it'll get done!! Wish me luck.
I really think it will be a huge blessing to start the new year off with. I'm sure I will have a greater understanding and will grow spiritually. I am excited for the blessings that will come from being so diligent and I hope that I can maintain the same level of scripture study after the challenge is complete.
I am thinking of starting another blog that I can write my journal entries as the month progresses. If I do, I will have the link on the side, so you can keep up with my thoughts as I do this!!

Thanksgiving

We had a BLESSED weekend together as a family. We started Thanksgiving Day off with a Turkey Bowl in the morning for the guys from our ward. THANK YOU RYAN B. FOR GETTING THAT TOGETHER!! It was lots of fun...and Keat enjoyed playing around on the playground equipment. Then, we headed to Seth's mom's for a Thanksgiving feast for Kings...and Queens!! It was delicious and we snapped a FEW pictures.

BLACK FRIDAY was a BLAST!! A good friend, Lindsey, and I headed to the stores at 5am. (This being the first year for me to really commit to shopping, I was all set for 5am...only to find half the stores opening even earlier at 4am. I was prepared for 5, so we left at 5!) First stop...Walmart. GREAT SALES! Second, Toys R Us and Mervyn's(they are next to each other). Next, we were on to Target...pretty picked over by that point. Had time to kill before restaurants opened for lunch, so we headed to Kohl's...good sales, but line was too long...left our stuff there and headed to Joann's. Again, didn't want to wait in line for fabric to be cut then again in line to BUY it!! Ate lunch. Finally, we stopped by Walgreens and ended the day being pampered with a pedicure!! I personally recommend this for ending ANY shopping extravaganza!! It was a blast and we were home by 2pm!! That night we took Keat to BOUNCE U...a fun place filled with inflatable bounce equipment. He and Seth got all their wiggles out after being cooped up inside all day playing video games with Mike and Amy(Lindsey's family).

Saturday...I can't even remember what we did...OH YES...we went to a friends to watch the HOLY WAR...BYU vs. Utah State!! GO COUGARS!! Utah kept it interesting, but BYU pulled through victorious!

Sunday was the Francois family Thanksgiving...err...cook out dinner!! Instead of overdoing the whole turkey thing...we had steaks and potatoes!! It was delicious!! We took some family pictures that turned out pretty good and Keat and Carsten played around most of the day! It was a great time had by all!!

I can hardly believe we fit so much into four days...but it was so much fun and I'm DONE with my Christmas shopping!! YEAH ME!!

We are so thankful for so much!! We have been blessed beyond measure and continue to be given things we are so grateful for!! We love you all and hope that this season of Thanks was wonderful for you and yours!!

Here are some pics of the weekend!!

Uncle Justin and Lilee

Aunt Mandy and Aunt Amie...with Aiden


Keat...with a stick...you'd think it were the first time he'd ever seen one!


Grandma and Lilee


Uncle Steve and cousin Carsten...with their matching jerseys!

The Francois Clan

The Cousins...Keat, Carsten, and Lilee:)

How stinkin' handsom is HE!

Tagged...by Anna

I have been tagged again! This time by Anna. Here are my answers!!

Four Places I've Worked:
1. Full Time Mommy...hardest and most REWARDING job ever
2. Home Depot...for 2 weeks...aweful!!!
3. Montessori Children's House (preschool)...awesome job!!
4. TJMaxx...with all the girls from High School!!

Four Places I've Lived:
1. Goodyear
2. Flagstaff (west side)
3. Flagstaff (east side)
4. Scottsdale

Four Favorite Television Shows:
1. House
2. American Idol
3. Top Model
4. Curious George...it's on TWICE a day you know...I bet Keat even knows what times!!:)

Four Movies I Want to See:
1. Dan in Real Life
2. The one with the girl and guy whose son is a musical genious and they are trying to find him after giving him up for adoption...anyone know the name of it?? ooooh, i just looked it up...AUGUST RUSH!
3. Bee Movie
4. Enchanted!

Four Favorite Foods:
1. chicken ceasar pita
2. pizza...Peter Piper Pizza that is!
3. Red Lobster...I love their scampi!
4. Ice Cream...MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP...from Baskin Robbins that is!

Four Weird Things about Me:
1. I'm double jointed
2. I have to balance my tastes...for instance...if I eat something salty, I need to eat something sweet to balance...you said WEIRD!
3. I HATE FEET...they disgust me...and I can't stand when someone says...I have cute feet...there is NO SUCH THING!! They are gross and they don't look CUTE...not ever!
4. I bite my nails...don't know if it's WEIRD or not...some may think it's gross...but it's a bad habit that I haven't been able to kick!!:)

Four Places I'd Rather Be
(1) Anywhere with Seth
(2) Anywhere free...nothing beats a vacation or hotel that you DON'T have to pay for!!
(3) Anywhere that I don't have to cook or clean
(4) Anywhere with good friends!!

Okay...now I'll tag anyone who wants to and has the time to do this...it was fun!!

Holiday Season

We have had a fun couple of days...I just love the Holidays! The weather is getting cooler...FINALLY...there are yummy foods available...cider, eggnog, candy canes...people are nicer...generally!! It's just such a fun time of the year!! This week Keat and I have done a whole lot of NOTHING to bring in the new season!! We will probably wait another week or so to get our tree and start decorating...but I thought I could "decorate" my blog a bit early!! I hope you enjoy the new layout!

Here are my little TV watchers!! Already, just like two peas in a pod!!

Keat and I busted out the playdoh today...compliments of cousin Carsten who no longer plays with it!! It was a blast...and Keat spent over an hour smooshing the stuff everywhere and cutting it with the KNIFE and SCISSORS...thank goodness for plastic utensils!!!

OH, and last night Keat just COULDN'T WAIT to get into the tub!! When I was getting Lilee ready, he just jumped right in...clothes and all!! What a silly boy!

SUPER MOM

Super Mom....heehee, yeah right! Well...at least that is how I felt this last week. For those who know me, you know it is completely UNCHARACTERISTIC of me to venture off on my own, with both kiddos...but I did it...all the way to Flagstaff! It was such a great time! I got to go and visit with our friends the Oldroyds. We had a baby shower at Olive Garden on Friday for Bec and the boys. (Becky and Dave are adopting two little men, J D and Lucas, from Guatemala) It was great to see old friends from the ward and eat in peace. THANK YOU TYNE FOR WATCHING THE MONSTER THAT IS KEATON!! :) After that, Dave and the Oldroyd girls all watched my little munchkins while Becky and I went shopping and to dinner. I guess it's not hard to adventure on your own when you have SO MUCH HELP! Thanks again Dave, Britney, Jessica, Faith, and Kara for watching Keat and Lilee. OH, and here are a couple pictures of their evening...compliments of Brit and Jess.

Then, on Saturday, Keaton's friend, Jacob, turned TWO...so we went to Scottsdale for the party!! He LOVED the Curious George theme and was more excited about the cake with George on it than the presents everyone was opening! While I didn't get any pics of this...if you check out "Ang and Cody Thomas" on the left...you can see pics on their blog!! CUTE FUN TIMES!! Thanks again for inviting us!!

That brings us to Sunday. We got to go to church at our NEW time...11am...in our NEW building. Things were a little rough...seeing as Keat usually naps about noon-1. However, we got through church, got home, and Seth turned on the TV for football, as usual. This is what was on....and this is Keaton BEYOND THRILLED!!

I am nervous that we may have to spend our weekends watching NASCAR now!! The kid LOVES cars...he was clapping and yelling "GO, GO, GO" over and over again! TOO CUTE!! Just what I need though...two boys fighting over what sport to watch on TV!! I didn't expect this so soon!! :)

Sleeping schedule!

I forgot to mention...Lilee slept SEVEN STRAIGHT HOURS this past week. I think it's a trend. On Friday and Saturday night, she slept 6 hours, then another 4 after a feeding. Then, on Sunday night, she slept 7 hours, and then 4. Since then, she's given us about 6-7 hours each night. Then, about 4 more after that. SO...we are down to waking only ONCE a night!! WHOOO HOOOO! NOW, if my kiddos could just sleep in until 8, I'd be in HEAVEN!!

(: SMILES :)

Be still my beating heart!!

Have you ever seen such an adorable smile?!

I FINALLY got it on camera!

Here is my Lilee Bean.

To get her to smile...I had to sing a song I made just for her. If you are familiar with the primary song..."Popcorn Popping"...it goes like this...

"I looked out the window and what did I see...

Little Miss Lilee and she's looking at me...

God has brought me such a nice surprise...

She looks at me with her big blue eyes!"

Here is how I found Keat the other day. I checked my e-mail and the phone rang, so I went to answer it and found him ASLEEP on the floor, with my cell phone open!! HOW FUNNY!! I have NO idea what he was doing or what he was dreaming about...but he took a NICE LONG NAP...and that was nice for mommy!!

Then...a few days later...my little curious boy was found watching tv and putting my mascara on!! Luckily he didn't know to put it on his eyes...but it was all over every other part of him. It's hard to tell, but it was covering both hands, his legs, just everywhere!!

Being a mommy is a dream!! I love my life!!:)

Busy Blessing Weekend!

We had such a busy and wonderful weekend!

Saturday, we started our morning out by supporting my brother, Steve, and his company at the Juvenile Diabetes walk to cure diabetes! While our little bunch didn't exactly make it the full walk, we had a great time. Here are a couple photos of Keat playing on the inflatables! He couldn't get up them himself, so a group of kids came and "adopted" him. It was too cute for words!!

Then, after the walk, my mom had a MEET LILEE party for all my extended family!! It was so fun to have everyone there and catch up with everybody!! Thanks again, MOM, for putting that together!! Here is a couple photos of grandpa with his little grand daughter!!

This past Sunday was awesome!! We blessed our little girl at church on Sunday and had a brunch at our house afterwards!! It was so much fun to see everyone there supporting our little family!! And the brunch was a blast. Thanks to everyone who was able to come and those who couldn't, but kept us in their thoughts that day!! We love you all.

Daddy blessed her with many important things...health, good friends, strong testimony of Christ, many many good things!! She didn't cry at all, and was awake the whole time, listening to everything her daddy was saying to her!!

Here are the TWO pictures that we actually remembered to take!! I think I'm gonna have to put her in the dress again and get some photos...she looks like such a princess!!

Here is a group of us...not everybody there made it into the photo...but this is about as good as you get with all those people and kiddos!!

Here is our adorable little family....HAHAHAHAHA....Keat did NOT want to cooperate!