It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. Here are a few pictures of our Christmas activities. Enjoy!



And here are a couple of more pictures just for fun!

The trick to blogging

So after having spent so much time blogging over the past two weeks, I have come to realize why some people (my sister Mauri) are more successful at this than others (yours truly). The trick is to write something every day or two so that you don't get three or four (or more) days down the road and realize that you, yet again, have to write a blog entitled or prefaced with something like, "Here are pictures from a bunch of different things," or "Please excuse my rambling on about numerous different topics."
My sister is great at blogging. She typically will post something every day or two and will have a post on one topic with corresponding pictures. I, on the other hand, find that I wait for two or three events to occur before it dawns on me to post something on the blog and then my post turns into a menagerie of rambling thoughts. That being said, please excuse the forthcoming nonsensical rambling.
First, I have been meaning to post this picture for a while, but since my posts have recently been focused on Maggie's arrival, I thought I'd wait to share this. Never has a truer description about an internet phenomenon been said.

So here comes all the little I have to say to the few of you who actually will read this.

During the past few days, some of Josh and Maggie's cousins have been in town to meet Maggie. On Friday, Josh and I went to the zoo with Jenna, Jared, Jacob, Abbie, Grandpa, Grandma, and our friends Thomas and Eric. The kids all had a great time.
Josh riding on the Carousel with Aunt Jenna. Uncle Jared, Jacob, Abbie, and Grandpa also took a ride.
The zoogoers. Jacob and Jared, Abbie and Grandpa, Josh and Dad, and Eric and Thomas.
Josh (on the right) and one of his best little buddies Eric enjoyed watching the fish.

Saturday was a big, yet depressing, day for BYU sports. Grandpa came over and picked Josh and I up to go to the BYU vs. ASU basketball game. ASU was favored, but BYU was winning almost the entire game until they lost at the end by one point after the officials waived off BYU's game-winning basket at the buzzer. Despite the loss, it was a great game and we had a fun time.
What wasn't such a great game was BYU's loss to the University of Arizona later that evening. Maggie got all dressed up to support the Cougs in her first exposure to BYU football, but unfortunately, she was one disappointed Alma Matter daughter. Interestingly enough, the first BYU game Josh saw (and went to) was BYU loosing to UofA in Tucson two years ago. Note to self: our kids introduction to BYU sports = loss for the Cougars. Sorry guys. At least Maggie looked cute. Go Cougs!

Cute Kids and a crazy dog

This post may be somewhat rambling, but I figure no one really cares about what I type, you all just want to see pictures. Maggie is getting cuter every day and is still sleeping great and as happy as a little girl can be. Here are a couple of pictures from the past two days.

It looks like we might have ourselves a thumbsucker!The other day, Josh said he wanted to try to go to potty on his own. We got him up on the toilet and oh what happened!
At least his face will make it easy for us to know if he is guilty.
This morning Josh was eating breakfast when he looked out the window and said to Nana, "Look at the doggie." At first, she thought it might be a big cat but upon closer examination she saw it was a dog. Josh said "Get daddy help doggie." That dog was walking back and forth along the fence like a cat. As I got closer to it to help it down, it decided to jump down on the other side of the fence into a back yard. I have no idea how it got up there, but I think it jumped back into it's own yard because there was another dog there too and that dog didn't seem to concerned about a new dog coming into its territory.

The Prayer of a Child

Last night, we were all gathered together around the ottoman for family prayers. The following conversation ensued:

Dan: Josh, do you want to help me say prayers or do you want to say them by yourself.
Josh: I want to say them by myself. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank thee for this day. We thank thee for our blessings. Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Dan: That was a great prayer buddy, can Daddy say one now? Do you want to help me?
Josh: Yes.
Dan: Dear Heavenly Father.
Josh: Dear Heavenly Father.
Dan: We thank thee for this day.
Josh: No! It's time for Amen!!!
Dan: Please bless us to have a good night sleep.
Josh: No! It's time for Amen!!!

Josh apparently felt that his prayer was sufficient and there was nothing Dad could add to make it any better.

For those of you wanting your fix of Maggie pictures (Mauri), I'll try to get some more to post today.

Gettting used to home

Maggie has been home for almost two days now and she is settling right in. She is a great little sleeper, for which we are very grateful. Additionally, Josh loves being a big brother. He is always asking for Maggie and wants to hold her and hug her and give her kisses. Today, Josh was a great helper giving Maggie her first bath at home. He told Maggie all about baths so she wouldn't scream and flail about like he did during his first bath. She just sat there quietly and let me wash her off.
Before we got in the bath, we were getting Maggie out of her diaper and Josh made a very keen anatomical observation about his new little sister. "Where's Maggie's peanuts?" A few months ago, we starting teaching Josh about his penis. Being an frequent flier and an airplane aficionado who loves getting peanuts on plane flights, Josh wasn't quite clear on what we had said and he understood us to call his private parts "peanuts." For weeks thereafter, every time we changed Josh's diaper, he would point to his penis and say "Peanuts, on air plane." Needless to say, he was quite confused that Maggie didn't have "peanuts."

Maggie is getting cuter by the minute (a trait she inherited from her mom) and she has been a complete joy to have in our home.

And we aren't wasting any time making sure she is a fully indoctrinated true blue (or pink) Cougar fan.

Welcome home Maggie!

Holly and Maggie came home from the hospital today. They (especially Holly) are very glad to be home. Here are a few pictures from today's events.

Day three and life is good!

In my ongoing efforts to keep new pictures of Maggie on the information superhighway (all while studying for two finals) I am on the computer once again to share our little princess with the world. Holly and Maggie are doing great and the good Doctor has said that they will be able to come home tomorrow (Friday)! I can't tell you how excited I am to have us all under one roof again. After I spent the morning studying, I went out to the hospital to have some time with my girls. Maggie, however, has become quite the sleeper in her old age and only woke up for about two minutes during the entire four hours I was there. Oh well, it's a tough world out there and the girl will need to be well rested. Here is a picture I was able to snap of her while she slept.
Also, we are especially excited for our friends, the Allens, who's little girl decided that Maggie needed a friend to join the world with her. The Allens' baby girl was born early this morning and is doing well. Congrats you guys!!!

More Miss Maggie

Well, I've had numerous requests for daily picture updates, so I'll try to do my best. Maggie was able to meet Josh today and he was great with her.














He was sitting on the bed with Holly and, on his own without any prompting, said "I hold Maggie." He he held her for a minute and then said "Here you go" and passed her off to Nana (Holly's mom).


















So far Maggie has met Grandpa Dave and Grandma Julie, Aunt Lizzie, and Nana. She's excite to meet everyone else as soon as possible. She is such a sweet little girl.














































She doesn't cry at all (much different than Josh when he was born) and is a great sleeper already.















As you can see, she is BYU's biggest little fan. Co Cougs!



















So Josh doesn't feel left out, here is a picture of him climbing into the cabinets in Maggie's crib at the hospital.

Introductions please

I am proud to introduce to you Marguerite May Colton.

In a preview of what I am sure will happen throughout our lives, Maggie decided to do things on her own schedule (not on her dad's schedule who has two finals to take this week) and join our family last night. Maggie was born on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 8:56 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 1 oz and was 19.5 inches long. Both Holly and Maggie are doing great. Josh will come to visit his sister for the first time on Wednesday, we'll keep you posted on how that goes. I will be sure to post more pictures as I get them. Thank you so much to all those of you who helped us throughout the past nine months. We love you all!

Mess Maker

Last week Josh was being quiet, a little too quiet. . . when we found him he had gotten into my makeup and this was the result. He got into my lipstick, rouge, and mascara. . . I think he watches me put my makeup on too much. The funny thing is that he got the right makeup on the right part of his face, mostly. He sure keeps us laughing!

Frosting fun!

Josh is definitely two and excels in coming up with new ways to make messes! A few weeks ago while my mom was in town we made gingerbread houses out of graham crackers. Josh loved it! His favorite part was the frosting which he smeared all over his hands and then would lick them off. He loved dunking the candies into the frosting and then eating them, hello sugar high! He was really hyper afterward and kept us highly entertained by watching him run laps around our living room! Here are some pictures of the fun night we had. . .

Thank you thank you!!!

Thank you to of you who donated to help my mom and my sisters reach their goal of raising $6,600 for the Susan G. Komen for the cure 3-day cancer walk. Not only did they reach their goal, but they were able to raise a total of $6,847. In all, the event raised over $5.2 million that will be put to use to find a cure for breast cancer. Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women directly and I can tell you that it affects each woman's family as well. Here are some pictures from the 3-day 60-mile walk. To read more, check out my mom's blog - Darla's Story.

Here is a picture of the opening ceremonies. There were over 2,120 people who participated in the 60-mile walk.

My sister Jenna, my mom Darla, and my sister Mauri ready to begin their 3-day journey!There were people all along the route to give words of encouragement and to cheer the walkers as they passed by. Some folks took this opportunity to be a little irreverent, but hey, it's for a good cause so we'll let it slide!


After three days of walking, they made it to the finish line!!!

Please read this and help if you can

Click here to help fight against breast cancer

As many of you know (and for those who don't, now you do), my mom has been battling breast cancer for the past couple of years. During this time I have tried to learn more about what breast cancer is and how it is treated. Unfortunately, there is still a lot that science has yet to discover about this terrible disease.

Breast cancer has the potential to affect all of us in one way or another. Each year over 200,000 women in the United States learn that they have breast cancer. Approximately 1 in 8 women will develop some form of invasive breast cancer at some point in their lives. While early detection and treatment have significantly increased the number of breast cancer survivors, this horrible disease still claims the lives of over 40,000 women a year in the U.S. alone.

Breast cancer develops in stages: stage 0 through stage 4. My mom's breast cancer is currently at "Stage 4." That means that the cancer has spread from her breast to her bones and to other organs in her body, specifically to her liver, lungs, neck, spine, and hip. While there is still hope that my mom will be able to find the right type of chemotherapy to hold the cancer at bay for a while, there is still no cure for breast cancer that has reached this stage.

It is the hardest thing in the world knowing that there is nothing I can do to immediately help my mom. I have gone through the full range of emotions and, to be honest, it has been a rough ride. While I work to come to grips with the reality that there isn't much I can do individually, I find great comfort supporting those who are working to find a cure. Hopefully they can find something to help my mom but, if not, I can only pray that someday doctors will be able to come up with something to help someone else's mom, wife, sister, or friend.

This week, my mom and my sisters are participating in the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Breast Cancer 3 Day walk. Their goal, among the three of them, is to raise $6,600 to help find a cure for breast cancer. As of this minute, they have been able to collect $4,847. They are only $1,753 short. The walk begins this Friday and I want to do my part to help them raise their goal to helping find a cure for breast cancer.

I am asking all of you to please help me help them help everyone. I understand the economy is tough right now and for many of us money is a little tight. However, think of this as an investment. You may not see immediate returns, but the day they find a cure for breast cancer, we will all be able to reap the benefits by knowing that those we love will no longer have to suffer from this terrible disease. Will you all please join me in this important cause? Your donation does not have to be large in number to be significant in purpose. Every penny you provide brings people like my mom one step closer to winning their own personal battle against breast cancer. It is my hope that everyone reading this today will chose to donate at least $5. If you feel you can donate more, that would be wonderful, but every bit helps. Thank you so much for your help. Thank you on behalf of myself, my family, my mom, and all those who suffer directly or indirectly from breast cancer.

Click here to help fight against breast cancer!
Then click on either my mom (Darla) or my sisters' (Mauri and Jenna) name and follow the instructions to donate. Thanks again!

Halloween and stuff

I guess I could have made one post for Halloween and one post for the rest of what I'm going to say, but just in case some of you only look at the top post and don't scroll down, I'll put everything together. This Halloween we had Dan's mom in town helping out with Holly and Josh. It was great to spend time with her. While she was here, she made our traditional Halloween dinner "Pumpkin Stew." I'm not sure if that's the actual name, but it makes sense to call it that. See below:














You clean out the pumpkin, put in all the fixings, put the lid back on, and then put the whole thing in the oven. As Josh would say, "It's yummy delicious!" Josh had a blast drawing on the pumpkin before we cooked it. He had some help from Grandma.














Unfortunately, Josh caught a bit of a cold and wasn't able to go out trick-or-treating. However, he loved answering the door and passing out candy to all the ghosts and ghouls who roamed our neighborhood. This included two of Josh's friends Camden and Effie who stopped by to see us.














And now for the stuff. Josh is a wonderful helper for a 2 year old. A couple weeks ago we decided to rearrange our pantry. Our little cupboard monkey was right there to lend a hand.
































Next, we have a family tradition (my Grandma and Grandpa Colton's idea) of having all our family's kids get their picture taken when they are 2 years old. Here is Josh's. Click here and type in the customer name "Dan Colton" to see the rest of the pictures from our sitting.














Finally, we are slowly in the process of weaning Josh off his pacifier/binky/binkok (That's what he calls it). He has only been using it at nights for quite a while but sometimes he finds them during the day. Do you think he's trying to send us a message? Maybe something like "So you want me to get rid of these eh? Take 'em if you dare!"














We hope you are all doing well. Thank you for all your love and support you've shown to Holly and our family over the past couple months. Only a few more weeks until Maggie joins us! By the way, Holly had an ultrasound appointment today and they were able to see that Maggie already has hair! Any bets on what color it'll be?