The Wilhelmsen Botanical Blog

Well, I hope that everyone had a good Christmas.  This year we decided to start a few of our own traditions a little bit and sort of worked them around being out of town.  Next year we plan to go all out and do the Christmas at home, ham dinner Christmas day thing.  Good thing I have a year to be prepared. 😉

So, last Monday we flew to Arizona.  We had been listed on the 12:40 flight but the 11:10 flight was running late so the customer service agent at the gate stuck us on the earlier flight.  This enabled Aiden to have his own seat!  🙂  That was nice and he slept on the flight.  The only trouble was that our luggage was on the later flight and would not arrive until about 2:30.  It worked out though because Brandon’s grandma came later and they picked up our luggage when they picked her up.  We ended up eating at a chicken place called Church’s for lunch and man was it GOOD!! Better then KFC!  The chicken was moist and tender, the crunchy covering wasn’t greasy and the fries were salted the way I like them!  My tummy was HAPPY!  We also went to the hangar where Brandon’s dad works and got to see the outside of an airplane up close and personal.  He also gave us a tour of the facility. 

Tuesday the whole family went to the Mesa temple in the evening to see the lights.  After that we ate at Cici’s (an all you can eat pizza and pasta place.)  It has delicious garlic cheese bread and cinnamon pull aparts.  OH BABY!  Why can’t Utah open a branch? 

Wednesday was Christmas Eve.  That evening we ate hors d’oeuvres for dinner.  Veggies, fruit, mini quiche, little smokies in bbq sauce, little smokies pigs in a blanket, and mini pastry cups.  One of Brandon’s sisters and her family joined us.  I LOVE Little Smokies in BBQ sauce!  Oh we also had meatballs in raspberry chipotle sauce which was just a little too spicy for me.  This was also an exciting day for Aiden because his top two middle teeth finally broke through his gums!  My baby now has 4 teeth! 

Thursday morning we woke up and ate Christmas morning casserole.  It was delicious.  We also opened gifts.  Which happened gradually through out the day.  This was new for me because I am used to getting everything passed out and then taking turns unwrapping until they are all open.  After which everyone disperses to play with/enjoy their gifts.  We had a late lunch of ham, turkey, orange rolls, green bean casserole (which I have begun to really like), funeral potatoes, and yams with apples.  Dessert was cranberry apple dessert with a slice of chocolate pie.  😀  Christmas day we spent with all of Brandon’s siblings and their families and it was a lot of fun. 

Friday morning after we woke up we walked to Walmart with Brandon’s brother Torren.  We all had cash/gift cards to spend.  I got a couple of pairs of shoes and we bought some food for Aiden.  He really liked the mashed sweet potatoes with glazed carrots.  We ended up eating at Del Taco/KFC for lunch.  In the evening Brandon made a dinner of cornmeal waffles and homemade chili which turned out pretty good. 

Saturday the whole family got together again for family photos.  We went to the ward house and used the foyer.  We got a lot of shots with several cameras and so there are some good ones and some funny ones.  Then everyone came back to “Grandma and Grandpa’s” for a lunch of homemade tacos and our niece and nephew decorated a gingerbread house.  Which we took pictures of and then people started to eat.  This is new to me!  You are actually supposed to EAT your gingerbread house?  I guess I could if it was a graham cracker house (which is what I usually make) because I don’t like gingerbread.  But usually Erica (my sister) and I would make them,  keep them until after Christmas for decoration and then my mom would throw them away!  I guess it’s cool with me if my family wants to eat their gingerbread house after Christmas. In the afternoon some of us went bowling and then to get ice cream.   I got frozen yogurt because it is SO expensive in Utah.  It was fun to go bowling but I didn’t break 100 either game.  Boo.

Yesterday we went to church.  Torren actually was speaking in sacrament and that was neat.  Aiden was sort of on one yesterday and a bit ornery so he was kind of difficult in sacrament.  He slept through most of Sunday school and then was in a good mood and played in relief society.  I don’t know what was going on but he seems in better spirits today.  Yesterday for dinner we had enchiliken.  If you want to know what that is then ask.  It was tasty.  I also miraculously got Aiden to walk while holding only one of my hands.  He has done it a few time since.  I will tell you one thing about my little guy though and that is that he likes to do things his own way and only if he feels like it.  He could easily be walking, his stomach muscles are strong, he has good balance (this I know from his various feats on tippy toe to reach the unreachable) and we have been practicing how to walk with him for at least 6 months.  He just doesn’t feel like it quite yet.  😉

Today we are just kind of hanging around and we fly home this evening.  I will write about any activities we do between now and our flight in our next blog entry.  I hope everyone has a Happy New Years Eve.  Thanks for reading…

Well, hello everyone.  This past week has been super busy with all of the last minute preparations before leaving today for Arizona.  There will not be pictures posted until we return home from our trip because internet access is somewhat limited but I thought that I would at least try and write before we left.  I will also try and write again next Sunday.

So, the earlier part of the week consisted of laundry.  I wanted to have everything washed so that we would have plenty of options when we were packing.  Funny how big trips always seem to begin and end with a ton of laundry. 😉

Tuesday evening I went and helped my dad to do some Christmas shopping for his family and friends.  We were surprisingly successful and I think we picked some good choices.

Wednesday morning we took Aiden for his 10 month photos at Target.  They turned out cute.  It is always hard to choose photos and sometimes we go a tiny bit overboard but this time we stuck to our budget.  That evening Aiden was baby sat while Brandon, my dad, and I all went to see Glenn Beck’s Christmas show.  They were showing it live at the movie theatre.  It was a good message and not at all what I had been envisioning and rolling my eyes about.  🙂 Glenn Beck is a good man.

Thursday I spent part of the day buying my mom Christmas gifts with her money.  She didn’t want to know all of the things that she would be getting and wanted stuff to open on Christmas day.  She told me that if she were to use the money she would probably just use it for things that she needs.  So, I happily took on that opportunity to give my mom Christmas.  You see, I enjoy shopping and if I could get paid to do it I would.

Friday evening we went to an open house at the home of the bishop from our old ward and then to a wedding reception.  It was a terribly stormy night and the roads were not in the best driving condition but we drove slowly and made it just fine and without any mishaps.  Friday was also Brandon’s last “final” (it was actually a presentation of a paper he did earlier in the semester.) and now my hubby can take it easy a little bit.  This week he had to finish two websites, write two one page papers, fill out a questionaire, and finish up a paper.  He also had one final and one presentation up at the U of U.  On top of this he had some t-shirt designs to do and he finished one but will be using my lap top on our trip to finish others.

Saturday Brandon stayed home with Aiden while my dad and I went out to get a few more gifts.  One of the gifts took stopping by two stores before finally finding it at a third store.  Oi!  In the evening we went to visit my grandma and she let us open our gifts.  She also enjoyed watching Aiden crawl around and around again.  He is quite the silly little boy.

Yesterday we attended church, finished packing for our trip to Arizona, made yummy food for lunch and dinner, watched Fred Claus (which I REALLY enjoyed), and then in the evening my mom came over so that we could celebrate “Christmas”.  Basically Brandon and I exchanged gifts and then let Aiden open most of his gifts.  I forgot to give him his stocking though.  I guess I better do that before we leave this morning.  It was funny watching him open his toys because he couldn’t decide what to play with.

Well everyone, have a Merry Christmas and be safe in the snow.  We love you and thanks for reading!

Hello again!  I have been over stressed for some reason even though I have felt like I have been managing the millions of things I need to do better then before.  This stress has led to me getting frustrated and overwhelmed more easily which have leaked into my mothering.  Of course, anytime time I have felt even the least bit frustrated with Aiden in all of his short 10 months I have thought that I must be the worst mother ever to be frustrated by something as young, innocent, and unintentionally difficult as my Aiden.  This in turn makes me feel even worse.  Such a vicious cycle. 

So, last Sunday and Monday Aiden started to blow raspberries with his tongue.  He hasn’t done as much as the week has progressed but it still made me laugh.  Especially since on Saturday evening my mom had said, “Just wait until he is blowing raspberries and spitting his food everywhere.”  A very interesting coincidence I might say.  Monday Aiden managed to reach the open tub of Eucerine lotion off of my night stand and had a thick coating of it on his left foot and a slightly lighter coating on his right hand.  Sorry for the lack of pictures of it, I didn’t get to the camera quick enough.

Tuesday, I was looking at everything Brandon has left to do to finish out the semester and noticed a big project for geology that he hadn’t mentioned was due that same day.  I helped him with it and we got it turned in on time.  Phew!  It could have meant the difference between passing and not passing.  We are still crossing our fingers about that one class but he feels like he did well on his final.

Wednesday was Aiden’s first real big bonk.  He was standing up holding onto a rubbermaid tote and slipped and bonked his head on the corner of the wall by our closet.  It swelled up and was really red for awhile but it healed quickly and there is only a faint purple bruise in a vertical line on his forehead left.

Thursday I made yummy oatmeal raisin cookies and then Aiden and I went over to my grandma’s.  I ended up leaving my inhaler at home so unfortunately I didn’t help much but we did have a lot of fun with Aiden.  We gave him a bath in grandma’s tub, covered him with stuffed animals, and watched in amazement as he crawled around and around and around.  He is a busy body and curious about EVERYTHING!  I like to call him a whirling dervish.  In the evening my aunt’s came over and a couple of my cousin-in-laws to help decorate grandma’s tree.  They were just getting going when I went home with my hubby. 

Friday, Aiden and I spent some brief time with Brandon and then he dropped me off at my hair appointment and Aiden off at Grandma’s to be baby sat.  I decided that I wanted a perm and so I got one.  It is still taking a little bit of getting used to but I think it is fun and that I will definitely like it even better after I get to wash it tomorrow! 

Saturday was Brandon’s company party at the E-center.  We had my aunt babysit Aiden while we attended.  The food was good, ham, potatoes, rolls, salad, and juice and the entertainment was even better!  Who doesn’t LOVE a good game of ice hockey?  It is my favorite sport!  We left early so that we could get Aiden home to bed but after checking online today I found out the the Grizzlies won!  (It wasn’t looking so hot when we left it was 3-0 with the Grizz down).  The end score was Grizzlies 5, Thunder 3!  GO GRIZZLIES!!!  If you check out our other blog in a day or two you can check out the video we caught of a fist fight on the ice.  (This was the first time I had seen a fist fight during a game.)  SO EXCITING!!!  Oh, and earlier in the day we watched Speed Racer.  There were a few cheesy parts but I have decided that I did like the movie. 

Today we went to church as usual and I found out that last week when we went to a blessing that our ward had only had sacrament because a water main broke and was gushing into the building near the bishops office.  Apparently it had also broken some windows.  As a result they canceled classes.  I am glad that I didn’t try and go to relief society like I was thinking because the building would have been locked and empty.  Church was good though and I really liked the lesson that we had in relief society.  Oh, one other thing.  I keep Eucerine in Aiden’s room for his dry skin and I had it on the diaper changing table because I usually put it on in the morning when I change Aiden from jammies to clothes (his dry patches are on his back).  Well Brandon moved it to the shelf below and later this afternoon I went in to check on Aiden and lo and behold he had found the lotion and gotten it on his face.  Who knows if he ate some or just got it near his mouth.  Twice in one week?!?!?  Goodness.

A few other things to note.  As of Thursday Aiden has now been standing for anywhere from 5-15 seconds on his own once or twice a day.  Sometimes he will let go of whatever he is holding onto and sometimes Brandon or I will stand him up, let go and move away quickly.  Crazy to think that soon he will be walking!  On top of this his top two middle teeth are getting ready to break through the skin anytime.  His top left tooth is super close to the surface and looks ready to burst!  The last fun thing is that Aiden has started to mimic us and the first thing he has learned is how to clap.  Check our other blog in a day or two to see video of Aiden clapping.  Well, have a good week and good luck with all of your last minute Christmas preparations.  Thanks for reading…

Why hello everyone, and happy december!  It seems like things have suddenly kicked into high gear around here.  This week we have had several events to go to, not to mention shopping to be done, projects to finish, and an attempt to get our Christmas cards out.  (Still working on that.)  Luckily I finished the project that I was helping my grandma with, bought most of our last minute items (we just have to get something for the cousin Brandon drew, my sis and bro-in-law, and pick up something for B’s parents that has to wait until we are in AZ), worked on a few projects, kept the house picked up after Aiden, and attended the events I had planned on.  Phew.  Even though my agenda looks pretty clear for next week we will see how long that lasts. 

So, on Monday I just did some housekeeping items and then watched the two new episodes of Samantha Who.  Tuesday, Aiden and I went to the Ward Relief Society Party.  It was pretty fun, they fed us a yummy dinner of chicken cordon bleu and had the Woodscross Madrigals sing for us.  It made me miss colleg, high school, and institute choir.  Aiden also started having very wet bowel movements this day so I changed a LOT of dirty diapers and worked hard to keep the diaper rash down.

Wednesday I took my dad to the airport and then went to Wimpole Street for their open house with Aiden.  There were some fun things to look at but purchasing something from there was not in our budget.  After that Aiden and I went to my grandma’s to visit with my aunt and grandma for a bit and then swung by the grocery store on the way home for Aiden’s nap.  In the evening Aiden and I met Brandon at the Anniversary Inn for their open house and to have Aiden sit on santa’s lap.  It was fun to see all of the rooms in person and to eat some of their yummy, YUMMY, fresh out of the oven, chocolate chip cookies.  Aiden was kind of unsure about Santa but we did get a good smile out of him…as well as some crying. 

Thursday I ran errands getting the things I needed to finish up Christmas projects.  Which I am in the process of now.  I will start wrapping things next week.  In the evening Aiden and I went to the ward party and Brandon met up with us later.  They were doing Christmas around the World and there was a lot of good food such as shepherd’s pie and swedish meatballs.  Aiden sat on Santa’s lap there as well.  He wasn’t as distracted from crying this time…

Friday Aiden and I went to help my grandma wrap presents.  Her craft room is getting to be too full to work in because of all of the presents! 

Saturday we had tithing settlement.  Before tithing settlement Aiden and I helped Brandon take some photos for a class project he is working on.  We also bought a few ingredients for the yummy breakfast that we ate this morning.  Around 3:30 I went to pick up my dad from the airport and then in the evening we went to see the Christmas lights on temple square with my mom (driving and parking was a nightmare!  If you want to see the lights RIDE TRAX!!!) and to get hot chocolate and dessert at The Garden restaurant afterwards.  We had a good visit and Aiden liked the lights.

This morning brandon made a yummy skillet for breakfast.  It consisted of ham, potatoes, green bell pepper, onion, eggs, and a little bit of olive oil.  Yummy!  We then attended the baby blessing of my cousin’s daughter Angela.  They had an open house afterwards with yummy mini sandwiches, salads galore, and dessert of course.  This afternoon we have just been working to get various things done and wishing our computers would cooperate.  We hope that everyone has a good week, thanks for reading…