December

Happy December to All!

it's december first; and that is a great day. December first means hot chocolate and egg-nog. December first means time to put all the pumpkins in your pocket, and bring out the SNOW PEOPLE! December first means CHRISTMAS MUSIC by sufjan stevens and the MO TAB.

it means time again for my beautiful Willow Tree nativity

given to me by Bill last year on my birthday (he has good taste, does he not?)

it means it's time for THIS to live in the corner...

(if you look close, you can see a couple of carolers that bare a striking resemblance to Mr. McCrery and I - if we lived in a Charles Dickens novel)

...and the stockings were hung at the bookcase with care.
in hopes that some day, we'll have a mantel of our very own.

HAPPY DECEMBER EVERYBODY!

Wyatt McCrery, Age One

Thanks to a lot of help from some very important people, Wyatt's FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY was a completely AWESOME TIME!

Some of the awesomeness included (in no particular order)...

Wyatt giving a good whack to his first pinata (perhaps taking some revenge out on the elusive bathtime rubber ducky? That thing swims FAST!)

The beautiful Ms. Megan D. at the Fish Pond.

My wonderful ChimChim working her frosting mojo behind the scenes (Seriously, Ali! Could NOT have done this without you!!!)

Ryder trying out the "Drag Racing" booth

Annika showing Noah how it's done at the "Sharp Shooter" booth

Kenya and her ladybug reward for visiting the face-painting booth

Grandma Becky, Grandpa Boyd, and studly Kale watch the chaos from a safe distance

the loot (Savannah shows Wyatt "like this!")

enjoying the red velvet cake (still being a bit dainty at this point)

an exhausted birthday boy

Wyatt would like to say something to everyone who helped and to everyone who came to his party...

(did you catch that?)

for more carnival footage, go here

Supa Saturday

Last Saturday for the S.F. 11th ward was certainly SUPER!

Heather Hunt (always happy) had fun stories.

our beautiful Anne working on an i-spy pillow - one might presume it is for 9 month old hunk Teristan...but it might be for Cody.



Kristy and Robyn dish...over a beautiful quilt they are making for the Humanitarian Project.

I have no idea who's children these are, but they are a treat!

Bill ran the Nursery - and was the best Nursery worker EVER.

Wyatt plays with friends in the nursery - and mom tries to pretend not to think about how many dirty little hands have played with those toys in days gone by...

our fabulous RS prez - a powerful combo of good sense, kind heart, and fabulous fashion.

Jen and Hillary - aren't they striking?

Someone once told me that they couldn't tell me apart from Hillary, this gorgeous red-head here. Imagine the thrill!

The Great Northwest

We had SO much fun in Seattle - everything was so beautiful with all the fall colors and the cool, crisp air....At the end of the week, we didn't want to leave! We had a great time staying with our gracious hosts the Hansen family (my aunt and uncle and cousin Alex), and seeing our new niece Peyton (Bill's brother's first!), and seeing all our family and friends, Amaze Entertainment, the restaurants we've missed, and the gorgeous, GORGEOUS treeeees!

Wyatt decides to spell Mom and Dad during the 13 hour drive to Seattle and takes the wheel...only to get pulled over for indecent exposure.

Wyatt, meet your new cousin, Peyton! Yes, she's an actual person who's smaller than you! No, you may not toss her to see if she bounces.

Uncle Brian knows the BEST games! He probably brought this one home from when he served overseas...looks like a toned down version of a "we have ways to make 'em talk" method.



Some of our favorite people...Hailey, Uncle Gary, Spencer, Aunt Shirley.

A place to rest our weary bones at the SEATTLE AQUARIUM! SOOO cool. Wyatt was in HEAVEN!

Wyatt invites his new friend to c'mon and get in his boat, fish fish!

Dad is being eaten by a giant octopus. Wyatt is nonplussed (but bursts into tears in about three seconds. Two...one...)

Wyatt and Heather's two girls, Zoe and Phoebe - officially the cutest little girls (older than one month, of course, Peyton!) on the planet.

my new niece...so small, so warm, so perfect. I asked if I could keep her and I think Amy probably said yes, but she was distracted. And then I forgot her. So they'll have to mail her to me.

McCrerys Go to Washington

We are headed to the GREAT NORTHWEST in the wee hours of Thursday morning - and I am noodley with excitement. I have to be honest, I have missed Washington with a vengeance. I am so excited to introduce the most wonderful place on earth to my little MonkeyFish!

Things I'm looking forward to doing:
- Meeting the new niece Peyton! (the reason for the trip)
- Seeing the Hansen Family! Getting a fix of Aunt Shellie.
- Seeing family and friends that hail from there
- Pike Place Market
- Izumi!
- Cactus!
- Wandering the piers!
- Zoos and Aquariums!
- Trader Joes! must stock up on couscous
- Whole Foods Market! You haven't been 'til you've seen the one in Redmond.
- visiting Amaze Entertainment and showing off my offspring to my old co-workers who only knew him as the expanding tummy-bump
- RUNNING AROUND IN THE RAIN!!!

Ward HALLOWEEN party!

Kickin' off one of the best holidays EVER with a smashing ward halloween party!

The Dragon, the Dark Knight, and her Faithful Steed.

A fearsome beastie!
Honestly, the best part for me was watching my little dragon's tail waddle back and forth as he crawled around with all the other kids. He was just SO excited to be there!

Who says Dragons and Monkeys can't be friends?

It was quite a party!

The Dragon's loot

ZOO!

We loved the Zoo! None of us had been there in SO LONG - so we were gratified to see that they still had elephants and giraffes.

Bill points out the tiny monkeys to Wyatt (who liked watching the people as much as the animals).

Cute Ali sister, leading our crazy bunch.

Steve adjusts his distinguished army beret - He had come straight from training. He got free admission in those duds, and they don't even offer a military discount!

Ali makes friends with a bear.

Dad and Wyatt check out the tortoise that was as big as a tuff-shed.

At the bird show - SO FUN! There were tiny and giant birds flying RIGHT over our heads the entire show! A falcon nearly took Bill's head off!

A Day Off

Bill got out of his work conference early one Friday, and we decided to spend the day in SLC! We had a picnic at sugarhouse park where Wyatt got to play on the swings and in the grass! Stepper found a Whole Foods Market which made her day, but made her miss Seattle, and Bill bought some smoked cheese! It was a GREAT day! Even the part where we ate at the worst Mexican food restaurant we've ever been to on the Whole Foods check-out girls recommendation.


It's unclear who likes swinging more - Stepper or Wyatt.


Wyatt loves to swing - he would do it for hours if he could.


...especially when Dad plays games with him!


Wyatt loved crawling around in the grass. It felt cool and soft under his hands, and he found lots of sticks to eat! (But didn't get to, don't worry!)