Time flies by so quickly. Here's a bit of an update since our last post. First, the wonderful women that Jason works with had a little baby shower for Jack. Jack got passed around, and actually behaved himself for the most part. Those ladies are great, and we appreciate all that they do for us. Here's some pics of Jack and the ladies.
Of course, Kimball, not to be out done by her baby brother, stole the show and was voted in as the office mascot. They even found a "Junior Water Watcher" t-shirt so she could represent City of Henderson water services.
Jacks hair continues to grow, and we have discovered that after bath time it has quite a bit of curl to it. He really wants to give his Uncle Austin some competition in the hair department. As you can see in the picture, he's also demonstrating his amazing talent of crossing his eyes. He likes to show off this skill all the time.
Then it was finally time for Thanksgiving. To echo my little sister, we must have had too much fun because I barely took any pictures. But here's a couple.
This Kimball chillin' in the backseat. She's become quite accustomed to all the road trips up to my parents house in Midway, UT. And, just to show how grown up she is, she mimics everything Jason and I do, including wearing sunglasses. And, trying to put Jacks pacifier back in his mouth when he cries in the backseat.
Thanksgiving was awesome. All 3 of my sisters (and husbands) and my brother Ben (and wife) were there. We had a great time of Texas hold'em (don't worry, we play with skittles and swedish fish), great food, and good story telling. If you ran out of candy playing cards, then there were consequences. Including, sharing your most embarrassing moment, or singing a song in another language (which even my dad was able to do... not pretty, but he did it), or other random recitations.
My parents also makes sure we don't go away without feeling the spirit at some time during the weekend, so we had a "family meeting" where we shared something in the last year that has been a challenge but something that we learned from and become stronger. It was good to hear the experiences that we have all had in the last year. My youngest sister Sam and her husband both talked about their son Ashton, and the surgery he had when he was only 3 mos old, and how hard it was to hand over their baby to a surgeon to trust him and the Lord that everything would work out. They also shared, how hard it was to see their little guy in pain, and so swollen that he couldn't open his eyes, and not being able to take that pain away. Makes me think of our Heavenly Father, and how it must have felt watching His Son on earth, and not being able to do anything about his pain. I'm so grateful for the Atonement! Here's a pic of Ashton, trying to take a ride in the toy stroller.
Hearing the different experiences of my family made me very thankful for all that Jason and I have been blessed with. And very grateful for the gospel! I'm so thankful for brothers and sisters and in-laws that share these things and that we can all tie our experiences to the gospel, and the strength that it gives us to get through the bumps in our roads. And, thankful for parents who never let an opportunity go by to share their testimonies with us.
I'm grateful for 2 healthy kids, who bring so much joy, and learning experiences to my life. Most of all I'm thankful for the BEST husband, who stands by my side no matter what, and is the BEST dad to Kimball and Jack. I love him so much and know that I'm lucky to have him.
Sorry this got so sappy, but when counting blessings, it's just what happens.
On Monday, the whole Herschel (Jason's Grandpa) family got together for a little Christmas party. It was fun to see most of the family, including aunts, uncles, and cousins, but my favorite part was getting Grandpa Herschel, Lowell (Jason's dad who's really Herschel), Jason, and Jack to get into this picture. This is 4 generations of Hafen men and 3 of them are Herschels. Maybe I'll make Jason an honorary Herschel, so he doesn't feel left out. I hope when Jack grows up, he realizes how great the men are that he is named after. He has big shoes to fill. No pressure little guy.
I'm just going to make this post all about Jack. He's starting to get really cute. He is learning how fun sticking out his tongue can be. It's now if favorite pose. He's also still demonstrating his cross-eyed look.
