Christmas Letter

It’s Christmas time once again! It’s crazy how quickly this year has flown by.


Ross is now in his third year of medical school at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. He is now in rotations working with a different doctor, in a different field of medicine, every month. Ross loves being out of the classroom and working with patients. He has been in 4 different rotations and honestly has loved them all. What he wants to focus on has changed quite a few times, but now he is sure he wants to do something in surgery. This year has been a lot less stressful for him, and usually he is able to be home by dinner. His first priority when he gets home are his 2 favorite boys, and yeah me too. Apart from being busy with medical school, 2 sons, and me, Ross is also the Young Men’s President and scout master. He loves the boys and enjoys serving them.

I too am trying to keep myself busy. I am staying at home with Braden and Cashel, which I absolutely love, and think that I have the best job in the world. I get to play with them and do activities every day, it’s a blast! My latest hobby is trying out new recipes for dinner a couple times a week. Not all of them are successes, but I’m having fun, and Ross has liked having new things to eat. I’m also the Primary Chorister which occupies my mind a lot of the time trying to come up with fun singing activities. Even though I’m still learning, I’m really enjoying myself a lot more than I thought I would.

Braden is now 3 ½ years old and full of lots of undying energy. He keeps us on our toes and laughing constantly. He has found some really great friends that he asks to see every day. I’ve started home schooling Braden until next year when he’ll start pre-school. Of course like every other parent we think our son is amazingly smart. He can now not only recognize each letter, he knows the sounds they make and can write a good amount of the letters. He has also mastered spelling and writing his name. He also knows all his colors and can count to 20 but for some reason can never remember 16. Braden started gymnastics this year and has had so much fun doing it! Even though he is getting a little more rambunctious he is still just as gentle and loving as always He absolutely LOVES his little brother and is so good with him. He’s very obedient most of the time, and does well with other kids. Ross and I are very proud of him!

It has been such a joy having Cashel come into our family this year. He is already 7 months old! We can already tell that he is going to have such a different personality from Braden. He is a very happy baby and always full of smiles and laughs. But when he wants something to eat, be picked up, to eat, a toy, to eat, or whatever, he lets you know and is impatient about it. When he’s eating if we’re too slow getting the spoon to his mouth he starts gruffing about it. And when it’s time to nurse he doesn’t cry, he yells.He seems to be very anxious to start crawling, getting up on his knees but only scooting back at this point. Cashel loves his brother just as much as Braden loves him. Cashel will just watch Braden it seems for hours and I can tell he wants to get into the action, especially when Braden and Daddy start wrestling.

The best thing about this time of year is taking the time to reflect on all of our many blessings and remembering the real reason we celebrate Christmas. Remembering the birth of our Savior will bring us more joy this season than anything else. We hope that you have a great Christmas and know how much we love and miss you all.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ross, Lindsay, Braden and Cashel

Thanksgiving in Las Vegas

This Thanksgiving we went to Las Vegas to be with Ross's family. Everyone but Kristy's family, and Jay were able to be there. My sister Amanda came out to be with us all too. We all had so much fun. There was lots of shopping and lots of other fun activities to be had. Including putting up Christmas lights in Mike and Jackie's backyard, and enjoying them that night while relaxing in the hot tub. I was one who was pretty content at just staying at the house to chat and catch up with everyone. The kids absolutly had a blast together. From the time we set foot in Jackie's Braden was off playing with his cousins.

Braden loved this little 4 wheeler

And Ross loved this sand rail. Mike took Ross and Adam out to the dunes for a day, Ross loved it!

Amanda and Kayla had fun hanging out with eachother

Another reason we all gathered together this holiday was to be there for when Josh got the Aaronic Preisthood.

We got to see Grandma Woolsey on Thanksgiving, unfortunatly Ross was out shopping

Haylee was awesome with all the kids

So the plan was to have all the kids sleep up in the play room...didn't happen. But they did hang out for awhile up there before we took them to our own rooms. Josh was really great the kids too. Braden and Hannah as good of friends as always.

Grandpa Jones treated us all to In-N-Out. It was really good!

Here is my and Haylee's first bite of an In-N-Out burger

Haylee doing her laughing test to make your true laugh come out..it really works!

The boys with Grandma and Grandpa Jones

Being all dressed up in our Sunday best we took the opprotunity to take some pictures.

It was so good to be with everyone! Unfortunatly I apatrently didn't have my camera with me eough, I didn't get pictures of hardly anyone! But we love you all and can't wait to see you again!

Scarecrows and Target Practice

At library time Braden made scarecrow hats, I thought they turned out cute! Here's Braden and his friend Noah.
Ross had a day off and was really wanting to take us to the shooting range. I wasn't all too thrilled but it turned out to be pretty fun. Braden had fun shooting guns with his Daddy. Cashel and I pretty much hung out in the car since it was pretty loud.
When we were leaving Braden said that he wanting to go shooting again, but he wanted to shoot a buck next time. Haha how funny! We've got another hunter on our hands!

I made it out of the car for a little bit and shot a 22 for the 1st time, I actually had pretty good aim!

The next day my Mom treated us to the midnight showing of New Moon, it was lots of fun!!

Cashel at 6 Months

Time has FLOWN by! Cashel is now 6 months and 2 weeks old. Really quick, these are his stats:
Height: 27 1/2 in, 100%
Weight: 22 lbs, 100%
His little personality is coming out and he is SO much fun! Cashel is now able to sit up by himself with a few tumbles here and there. When we lay him down the first thing he does is roll over to his stomach, we can’t keep him on his back even to sleep. He scoots backwards and is anxious to start crawling. He is wanting to be a part of everything especially play time between Ross and Braden. When they are wrestling, tickling or whatever, he just watches them so intently and will wiggle, start jumping in my arms and whining. He still loves his big brother, and laughs for him more than anyone else. Cashel is now eating vegetables and is loving it!

Stake Conference

This weekend is Stake Conference and because we are getting a new Stake President Elder Russell M. Nelson is here.

The spirit in the meeting was so strong, everyone who spoke did such a good job. Ross said that when Elder Nelson started speaking (they were in the hall) Braden said he wanted to see who was talking, so he ran over to the door and looked in. Ross then took the opprotunity to tell Braden what an apostle was. Then after the session Ross, Braden and I went to the front so they could meet Elder Nelson. We were towards the end and they were trying to get him out, he actually passed us and then turned to us and came back. He came up to us and touched Braden's shirt (Ross was holding him) and said, "There's my little Bishop, there's my bishop." Then when we were all getting into the car Braden started crying and when I asked what was wrong he said, "he didn't see my baby!" How cute is that? He wanted Cashel to meet him.

Fall Crafts

Ok this is not so much a craft as just something fun to do...playing and drawing in shaving cream. Cashel tried it out too

Braden fingered painted leaves for his fall hand tree

One day we went and gathered some leaves and sticks and a couple of acorns (Braden loves to joke and call them coconuts, it cracks him up!) and glued them onto a piece of paper with a tree drawn on it.

It's Halloween!!

We tried to take it somewhat easy today since Braden's been sick. We did go to McDonald's for lunch (Braden was excited) before going to the grocery store to buy my ingredients for my chili for the ward chili cook-off. The boys sported their matching Halloween outfits (thanks aunt Jackie!) to the store.We got home and Braden watched Halloween cartoons while I (with the help of my great husband) conquered "Dragon's Breath Chili", which won me 1st place in the cook-off by the way! (I'll be putting the recipe on my recipe blog) Then we got ready and headed to the party.

Poor kid was so tired and just not feeling that well, the only way to keep him from coughing was to give him a sucker. He wouldn't even do most of the games! :( This is the only shot I could get of him with his patch.

I loved JD and Megan's costumes!

Uncle JD helped keep Cashel entertained, and Cashel had to dress down to cool off

Braden and his friend Noah

This is what Cashel did while Braden Trick-or-treated

When we got home the boys tried on Ross's glasses

Look out those cheeks!

Despite the sickness Braden and the rest of us had a fun Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving and Gymnastics

For FHE we carved our pumpkin. Braden and I were in charge of scooping out the goop.
And Ross carved it!

Braden chose what to carve it as...

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Braden just got done taking a 6 week gymnastic class. He had such a good time doing it we're going to put into another one!