First Snow...

Photos by Jaicee

Mmmm... snow. Delicious.

Family portrait. We're thinking about having it framed.
(Left to Right: Norah, Naivie, Jaicee, Jordan)

Snow Angels

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"

"In the sun he melted, melted, melted..."

Baby Faces!

Posted By Jaicee

Here are some super cute pictures. No story or anything...
just the beautiful Knutson girls!

Mmm... egg nog mustache... Naivie loves that stuff!

"Mo nog pease?"

Norah steals the stage!

What can I say? We've got funny kids!

New Hair-do!

Posted by Jaicee

I tried curling Naivie's hair for the first time on Sunday. Usually I just put it in pigtails either on top or down behind her ears, so I decided to try something new. I've been hesitant to do this because I didn't have faith that she'd sit still... but she did better than I had expected! I love her hair curled and so does Jordan. She's such a pretty girl!

What a CUTIE!

Next time I'll have to use hairspray and mousse because half an hour later it had lost its curl and was straight again as always. Darn! It was cute while it lasted! I will definitely be experimenting some more... maybe next time we'll try a bouffant or finger waves!

Let the Nog flow!

Posted by Jordan

Today I have many reasons to beat my chest and grunt triumphantly: First, I fixed the clogged garbage disposal (you are welcome Sweetheart). Second, my oldest daughter has learned to have a bowel movement on demand (I will refrain from further commentary). Thirdly--wait, you have to mentally leave the bathroom now and go back with me to the kitchen. Sorry, there really is no pleasant segue from potty training to Thanksgiving dinner--THIRDLY, I have been consuming turkey and pie for approximately 36 hours straight. I believe that Tim Allen would raise a throaty growl on all three counts.

Yes, today is a day of rejoicing in the Knutson household. But it has also had its fleeting moments of remorse. There is a song in Michael McLean's Forgotten Carols that goes something like:

"I cry the day I take the fall wreath down
I want the Harvest to last all year round..."

...They were Thanksgiving carols, right?

Seriously, though, I love the fall. I love it. There is so much to enjoy about the fall, I just don't understand why some people see the first leaves turning in September and immediately think "It's almost Christmas! I can't wait! I'm going home to listen to some Christmas music right now!" Yeah, you know who you are...Shaelie. Tinselmonger!

And I know you think I'm a scrooge because I won't crank up Brenda Lee and rock around the Christmas Tree just as soon as I can tear off my Halloween costume. Truth is, I am as excited about Christmas as anybody! But for Pete's sake, let me have just a few weeks to savor the season of pumpkins and gourds and Indian corn, to relish the cornucopias and turkeys and pilgrim hats with buckles! Let me revel in the Harvest Holiday and all of its bounty! Give me just a moment to inhale the smell of wood burning stoves and frost-bitten grass as I crunch through the last of the fall leaves! It's Thanksgiving!! And I'm always thankful for a few extra days of Fall before Winter sets in.

This year, Jaicee and I set a personal record for making Thanksgiving pies. For me, the pie making has become a tradition which I greatly anticipate each year. I have made pumpkin pie (from a pumpkin, and not from a can) every year for the last 8 years, starting on my mission when I found out that Russians had never heard of anything like it (they eat pumpkin salty like squash, but not sweet like a dessert). So I made them a pie. They loved it.

Layered cheesecakes became a regular three years ago when Amy Anderson released her long-famous perfect cheesecake recipe. This year I made a blackberry, strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry. The blackberry was my personal favorite.

And for this Thanksgiving, Jaicee and I baked our first apple pies. Because Jaicee did most of the work on the apple pies, I can say without reservation that they were as good as any I have ever tasted. (She learned from the best; thanks Moms and Grandmas!)

Naivie was anxious to help with the crust...



I have experimented with different kinds of pumpkins and found that Buckskin makes the best pies. It's got a dull, powdery skin that looks almost fake if it's a nice big one without blemishes. It can be a real nice ornamental pumpkin until you decide to cook it.

Their flesh is a lot like spaghetti squash; it's very soft and it scrapes out of the skin nicely after it is cooked. And it makes super-tasty pumpkin pies...bread...cookies...anything.

This year we also tried a recipe for Caramel Turtle Pumpkin Pie that Jake Neeley gave me last week. Thanks Jake! It was the first pie gone!

But I digress...

Thanksgiving is now behind us; the turkey and ham are dwindling, and the pies are waning crescents. Today being Black Friday, and having a day off from work, I took the opportunity to help Jaicee gather up all of the pumpkins and gourds from throughout the house (which turned out to be quite a few) and put away all of the Thanksgiving decorations.


After closing the lid on the box and wiping a small tear from my eye, I raised a glass of Egg Nog to a Fall season thoroughly enjoyed, and to welcome the kick-off of the Christmas season.

So HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone I didn't get to talk to yesterday!

AND NOW, MERRY CHRISTMAS TOO!!! Let's turn on some Christmas music, eh?

Which reminds me: The best version of Little Drummer Boy ever recorded--except, of course, for Steve, McLain, and I playing it as an accordion trio--is by Jars of Clay and is the first song on the playlist at the bottom of this blog. If you have good speakers on your computer, turn it up and take four minutes and twenty seconds to be enlightened.

Happy Poop Day!

Posted by Jaicee

I just have to say "thank you" to my wonderful husband for trying so diligently to unclog the garbage disposal that I so lovingly clogged with yam peels. I will never shove them down so hurriedly again... unless he proves to be a pretty good handyman.

Speaking of "unclogging", tonight we are celebrating a very happy time in every parent's life: Potty-training progress! I did not have to change a single poopy diaper today (from Naivie, at least), because she pooped in her little training potty three times!! Woo-hoo! (However, to make up for the diapers I had to scrape the poops out into the big potty three times...I'm not sure which is worse.)

But no matter! I am hoping that a fistful of Nemo fruit snacks and Daddy's three different versions of the "Happy Poo Dance" will encourage her to continue. We'll see!

A Diabolic Plan...

Posted by Jordan

My daughter's nefarious contrivances came to fruition today. Yes, I believe she has been planning this. And she executed her scheme with such artifice that we never once suspected that we were being had for foolish pawns.

Norah has been dubbed the "Enemy of All Cleanliness" by Uncle McLain. This is due mainly to her perpetually over-productive mucous and salivary glands, as well as her propensity to regurgitate abundantly at random intervals. The last severe strike was on the brand-spanking-new overstuffed microfiber recliner in our living room. (It actually belongs to my brother, but we consented to his keeping it at our house until he moves into a home with enough room for it. Oh, the burdens we bear for family.)

After one particularly substantial feeding, as she sat bouncing in her mother's lap, Norah managed to suddenly propel the entire contents of her stomach--plus a little extra she'd been saving somewhere just for this occasion--all over the recliner, herself, and her mother. In addition to the recliner's entire arm and seat-cushion, she strategically aimed for the most vulnerable part of the chair: the space between the cushions that opens up only when a person is sitting in it, and which cannot be easily accessed after that person has leapt up screaming "Jordan, Jordan, quick! Bring me some rags!"

Inasmuch as the chair was brand new and did not even belong to us, we felt compelled to have it professionally cleaned and restored to its original splendor. This was partially to alleviate our guilt, and partially because neither of us wanted to sit in it anymore, knowing what soaked in before we could wipe it all down.

Before the recliner's departure for Alpine Cleaning and Restoration, it sat in one corner of the living room, creating a functional barricade with the wall and the entertainment center that blocked access to one of our potted plants: a little Hoya perched on a two-foot metal stand. But now that the recliner was gone, the plant stood unprotected. And we never gave it a second thought.

Little did we know that this was exactly what the little one had anticipated.

This morning, Jaicee went visiting teaching, leaving me alone with the girls. (Which is never a good idea...) I was in the bathroom combing my hair because I had to leave for work in less than 30 minutes. Naivie came walking in with her brow furrowed, looking slightly agitated. All she could say was "Noah, Daddy, Noah, Daddy" and point out the bathroom door. Even then, I did not conceive that I would walk down the hall and out into the living room to find the roots of my Hoya exposed and my youngest daughter happily consuming the dark, rich, fertile soil from the overturned ceramic pot.



Now, after telling this story, I want to firmly asseverate that my daughters are generally not into mischief. Well, at least Naivie hasn't been. Unfortunately, I think that our luck in teaching Naivie not to destroy things has spoiled us a little; it has put us a little too much at ease for a time. But now it is evident that we must resume our guard, man the posts, keep the watch, batten down the hatches... and, er... something like that.

I admit, it is insanely frustrating to repeatedly find the child trying to pull the contents of the bookshelf onto the floor, then to pull her away, get her attention, tell her a firm "no", and place her in a more appropriate activity... only to turn around and see her at it again with vigor. But once she grasps the concept (and not the houseplants), life can be much more enjoyable and we can all sit and bask in the warm glow of a Christmas Tree decorated all the way to the bottom.

So, Norah, let the learning commence: With your intentions fully manifest, I now have my eye on you!

We've Achieved Mobility!

Posted by Jaicee


Norah started started to crawl about two weeks ago (YEA!) but I haven't been able to get a good video of her... until now! I'm just so excited for her to move around by herself because every step toward independence means less whining (until she turns two, anyway :).



Also, I would love for anyone reading this to tell me if they have faced a similar problem: Jordan and I always call each other "mommy" and "daddy" if we are talking to the girls. We've never felt natural calling each other that when we're just talking to each other, and now Naivie calls me by my first name about half of the time. She knows I'm "mommy" but calls me "Jaicee" sometimes. So for the past couple of days we've been trying extra hard to never say our first names, but it's just not something that is coming naturally to us! We welcome any suggestions!
.

I feel so empowered!

Here's to the future...

Jaicee wore her old Rob Bishop shirt today (she got it back during his first campaign). Mr. Bishop was Jaicee's High School AP Government teacher. She has always revered him as a great man.

Our Happy Halloween

Posted By Jaicee

Halloween came quickly this year, leaving us all wondering what to dress up as. Jordan and I were unsure that we would even find costumes this year, mainly because Jordan thought he would have to work Halloween night (luckily that turned out not to be true). Even though, he still got home right as trick-or-treaters began coming to our door, and didn't have time to dress up. But he did get some really good pictures for us! I dressed up though... I dug through my closet and found my old pair of scrubs and decided I could pull off a "Dr. Fritz" (my amazing version of a crazy doctor). However, I elect not to post my close-up portrait. But here are some super cute pictures of the girls:

Norah is SO close to crawling!!!

Naivie has shown an affinity for running around the house with blankets on her head. She also was really excited to learn the Halloween words like ghost, pumpkin, scarecrow, bat, leaf, witch, moon, and scary. She learned that ghosts say "boo!" and loved to try and "scare" us by saying it repeatedly. So we thought she'd have fun being a ghost... and she was a cute one!

Every time trick-or-treaters came to the door, she saw us giving them candy and would dig her little finger into her cheek (the sign we taught her for treat) and ask us for some, too. How could you say no to this? Needless to say, she got a lot of candy to eat (we convinced her that raisins are candy, and slipped a lot of those in there, too. Thanks Grandma Merrie).

"BOO!"

All ready for trick-or-treaters!

We carved more pumpkins this year than we have before. We created our own little pumpkin walk. We love pumpkins! Jordan got really into the pumpkin carving thing last year and was disappointed that he didn't have more time to "sculpt" his pumpkins this year. But they still turned out fun!

I'm converted.

Posted by Jordan

I just took Jaicee to see Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband. I loved their music before, but now I feel as though I have reached a new level of enlightenment. This band is incredible. Their concert in the humble Kent Concert Hall on the USU campus was perhaps the best concert I have ever experienced!

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most experienced concertgoer. I have, however, seen a few bands. Some of them were pretty big names. But this was the best show of them all.

Now, you have to understand which criteria I am using to pass such a judgment: First of all, this was not a huge venue. It did not have fog machines and a laser show. There was not, in fact, a lights show at all. There were not pyrotechnics. Nobody was lifted off the stage to fly over the audience by invisible cables. There was not an irrigation system above the stage that created indoor rain... in brief, it was not a Las Vegas show. And if a Las Vegas "show" is your idea of a good concert, then this might have disappointed you. (But I still think they would have won you over.) There was nothing about this concert that could not have been performed in your own living room... well, okay, it would have to be larger than a living room. But if they could fit the whole band and the drum set somehow between your sofa and entertainment center, they still could have pulled off the most incredible show you've ever seen.

Thing is, these guys have personality and stage presence like I've never seen. They were hilarious, they were animated, they got the crowd going, they pulled you in, they got you singing and dancing and screaming for more. And, if their humor, energy, and stage antics were not enough, these guys are hands down the most musically talented individuals I have seen perform. MASTERS of anything strummed, plucked, or pounded upon, I tell you! Many times tonight their insanely smoking-hot, string-busting solos caused me to involuntarily erupt in to giggles like a child that is being tickled against his will. They also pulled some novelty stunts with their instruments that blew my mind. If you get the chance to talk to me sometime, I'll tell you about it.

Better yet, go to their concert. The next one you can find.

I have heard tales of a few famous groups whose music is, in fact, created by the producer and not by the band. Oh, sure, in the studio the band members may actually play their instruments and/or sing into the microphone, but then the recording is filtered, trimmed, layered, highlighted, and whatever else they do to it to make it more a product of technology than anything else. But on stage, these groups stink. They can't actually reproduce live the same sound that they constructed on the album. If they do, it's because they are singing to a prerecorded backup track.

Then there are bands that put out albums only to satiate their fans between concerts, because something is better than nothing, even though their live performance cannot possibly be captured by a studio recording. Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband is one of the latter.

The only reason these guys are not one of the most popular bands in mainstream America right now, as we speak, is simply because they are not mainstream. Sorry you Top-40 fans. They have a fiddle, mandolin, and banjo in the band. But make you no mistake: although they may have bluegrass instrumentation, they can rock your socks off. (Right after they sing an ode to corn dogs.)

They mentioned at the concert tonight that they are doing a Christmas concert at UVU in Orem on December 6. I'm calling my secretary first thing in the morning to have her call off my meetings and clear my schedule...

Farewell TJ...

Tomorrow we send out Elder Knutson V (that's the Roman numeral five, not the letter v) to the mission field. He spoke in Sacrament Meeting this last Sunday. After hearing his mother and sisters sing like angels, he stood with teary eyes and a shaky voice and said:

"In case I don't get the chance to do so later, I would like to thank everybody for coming today. I've been looking across the congregation. I've grown up here. This is my ward, and I love everyone. And every person here has helped me to become who I am today.
...You should feel ashamed of yourselves."

Classic TJ. We love you, and we're gonna miss you.

Frightmares at Lagoon!

Posted by Jordan

I FINALLY FOUND HIM!!!
I've been looking for this guy since I was five years old! And who'd have thought I would spot him at long last... standing in line behind Jaicee at Lagoon!

You know, it's funny: once you find him, you feel simultaneously fulfilled and disappointed. I mean, my twenty-one year search is finally over! But NOW what am I supposed to do with the rest of my life?!! It's the same feeling I have when I finally make it out of the corn maze...

That wooden rollercoaster is an oldie but a goodie.

Enjoy this video:

To the family: THANKS FOR A FUN WEEKEND!!! I have a few more pictures. I'll get them to you as soon as I can.

They grow up fast...

Posted by Jordan

As a parent, I reserve the right to tell embarrassing stories about my children and post embarrassing pictures on my blog. I think it's what parents do. Heaven knows my parents delighted in embarrassing me every chance they got, and I'm sure that if there were such things as blogs when I was a child, they would have posted those nude pictures of me wearing dad's boots up to my bare thighs when I was two years old.

So Naivie should consider herself lucky. No nudity today. Just some cute pictures that show how much she loves to observe and imitate everything her mommy does. (We have to be careful now... who knows what she might pick up from us and choose to reenact in front of our friends, family, bishop, foreign dignitaries, or alien ambassadors. How inopportune!!)

So one evening about two months ago, I was doing something in the office, and Jaicee comes in quivering and red-faced, lips pursed and white. "Jordan, you go deal with your daughter; If I have to do it, I'm afraid I will kill her." Reluctantly, I took a deep breath, forced myself out of my chair, and groaned in anticipation of what I might find when I walked into her bedroom.

When I stepped through the door, Naivie looked up at me from where she was sitting on her bed, and in the most innocent little voice (which language can only be understood by intonation, for she had yet to learn any words) she reached toward me and offered up her mother's makeup, which she had liberally applied to her lips, eyes, cheeks, and bedsheets. My daddy's heart just melted. How could any father be mad at this precious child?! To my wife's dismay, the next sounds she heard were not the sounds of reprimand or beating, but my camera shutter. It was just too cute:

(It's almost too bad that the makeup was skin-toned blush instead of some bright red or blue that would be more visible.)
Then, this morning, she struck again, almost causing me to choke in surprise and laughter. I was working on something on my computer, when I heard her come in behind me. I leaned way back in my chair with a great stretch until I could see Naivie behind me, upside down... wearing Jaicee's bra. I almost fell out of the chair.

Jaicee was in the shower, and apparently Naivie had gone into the bedroom, found it lying there, and decided to show me that she could be like mommy!

If she were not so innocent and precious and young, this might be very disconcerting. Thank goodness we still have years to go before makeup and bras become a real concern. In the meantime, we're learning fast the effects of our example on our children--for good or for bad. Perhaps we should start bringing her into the bathroom with us and see if she can learn the whole potty thing...