Charlie bit my finger!

Watch this..one of the cutest videos ever...adorable little boys!

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM

Our little future baller :-)

So maybe Shannon and I are a little off our rockers in thinking this but Easton seriously loves watching ESPN....of course he does watch when the TV is on because he likes all the colors and so forth but usually he won't pay attention for too long and gets distracted...but when he watches football and basketball with his dad literally nothing can distract him. Baby Einstein and sports...that is what Easton loves! This may be biased seeing as how everyone tells us since he is so big already he is destined to be a linebacker in the NFL so we probably just have it in our heads that it is his calling in life and we must prepare him...but you should see him when there is a game on...no cooing, no smiling, just sheer concentration!

All ready to start baby league basketball in his little Jordan outfit...I'm not a big Micheal Jordan fan...but Shannon likes him so....
Easton being mezmerized by a basketball game just chillin with his dad! Believe me I tried to get his attention but he was too tuned in!

Rub a dub dub, chub in the tub!

Here is a couple of pictures of Easton during bathtime, he hated it when he was first born and now he loves it! Mom's glad he likes it because it takes a long time to scrub between all those little fat rolls!!

I tried putting him in the tub without his head rest but his head kept falling to the side, so we had to pause pictures and put the headrest back on!
I'm coming to get you mom....

Camera shy

So here is Easton in front of the camera, this is how his pictures go....he starts off doing well... smiling...usually having to be entertained by dad while I take the pictures... as you can see in these first three pictures...Isn't he precious?

but then this is where he starts to notice the flash and the camera and a familiar looking woman behind it all....

and this is the part where I just get blank stares for the remaining pictures no matter how much I entertain and try to make him smile he is fixed on the camera and just stares!! Usually the only really good pictures I get of him someone else is holding him and even then soon enough he figures out where the camera is! The beginning of my film usually starts out with a couple smiles and then goes into stares, it is the reason it took me till he was 3 months old to get a picture of him smiling. I'm learning to be a quicker photographer!!

See ya in 2 years!!

This last Wednesday we traveled down to Provo to take my little brother Tanner down to the MTC...he is going to the Detroit, Michigan mission. We traveled down Tuesday night and ate at Maddox as a family then stayed in the Marriott Residence Inn so that we could get a bit more time to spend with Tanner. The day started out quite emotional when my dad gave him a blessing...and got even more emotional at the MTC. Having four sisters and a mother that are quite emotional and all bawling, we seemed to be the most emotional crowd in the bunch. I'm sure people were looking at us like...he's not dead, just gone for two years! We are really so grateful he is going and don't want him anywhere else! After this experience my older sister is saying she is glad she has girls, and my younger sisters are saying they hope they have girls!! Great..I have a boy(whom I adore)...so if I react this way to a brother leaving...I'm scared of my reaction when Easton leaves!

Here is Tanner with my parents at the MTC, what a handsome young man...he will be a great missionary!! Easton might be big enough to wrestle with ya when ya get back!!

Birthday shoutout to Marcus....

Here's another birthday shoutout to Marc...my sister Hailey's husband....you are a great bro-in-law...here's hoping you have a great birthday and a wonderful year!

Birthday shoutout to my one and only.....

Shannon's birthday was this last Friday, January 11th....he turned the big 27!! So to Shannon...

• the one who is a clean freak and has the house spic and span on Saturdays when I come home from work just to hear me say thanks
• the one who makes me look bad on days I don't get much done because when he watches Easton on the days I work he manages to clean the whole house and run a million errands
• the one who makes mean Sunday dinners with homemade rolls
• the one who watches Easton while I take naps and sometimes wakes up with me in the middle of the night
• the one who works really hard
• the one who is a smart, caring, and a wonderful husband
• the one who is a wonderful father

Love you sweetie!! Hope you had a happy birthday!

ahhh....Relaxation!

The holidays have been so stressful this year! With all the holiday parties, shopping, a baby who still won't sleep through the night and putting in long, full days at work so that everyone can have their hair done for the holidays I have been exhausted and have not kept up on our blog at all so I have been working and have done a plethera of postage...not sure if that makes sense? (scroll down for a whole month worth of posts) I worked three full days in a row (new year's eve, new year's day, and the day after) this all coming after the crazy wedding and missionary weekend. Shannon on Wednesday flew down to Arizona to attend the Fiesta Bowl with his dad and brothers, so I went out to my parents house in Aberdeen and got some rest...well atleast the next day at home Easton and I took a long nap together! McKinley and Halle (my neices) were also there because my sister and her husband went on a trip to New York! I was downstairs playing guitar hero....when I got yelled at by McKinley to come upstairs so I could take a picture of her and Easton together...here are the results....

McKinley, Halle, and Easton in their jammies lying together....Halle and Easton are 6 months apart...however, as you can tell in this picture they weigh the same....people tend to think that because they are the same size they should be able to do the same things......not so, Halle can crawl and Easton still struggles holding his large head up on his body!
McKinley and Easton (do you think he looks frightened?)

Bring on 2008!

We celebrated New Year's Eve this year at my house in Aberdeen with all of the Wahlen extended family since they were all in town for the farewells and homecoming! The night can be summed up in a few phrases....family, eating appetizers, guitar hero III, fun, more eating, more guitar hero, laughing, watching a dirt bike rider break the world record by going across a football field on ESPN, more eating, and CELEBRATION!! We had a blast ringing in 2008, here are some pictures from the night!

Easton enjoying his chance to stay up till midnight which he did!
My cousin Kelsey who was nice enough to play games with McKinley
McKinley, my aunt Wendy, and my Mother
Whitney (little sis) holding Easton
(from l to r) cousin Cory, brother Garrett, Shannon, and my Uncle Val watching ESPN

Triple Threat

Last Sunday we attended two missionary farewells and one homecoming all within the span of about 5 hours....at 8:30 a.m. in Aberdeen it all started with my cousin Ladd's report, he is going to somewhere in Brazil...I cannot even pronounce it much less write it so....and he reports to the Brazil MTC on January 9th..but has to leave January 8th in order to get there. Then we headed up to Lakeview church to attend my cousin Cory's homecoming at 10 a.m....he served his mission in El Salvador, we then headed back to Aberdeen for my brother Tanner's farewell at 12:30...he is going to Detroit, Michigan (that I can pronounce and spell!) Tanner and Ladd both gave wonderful talks and Cory had a great report of his mission! It was quite a day of emotions! To top it all off Easton messed through two outfits....yes..two...it was just lucky I came well prepared...I literally change it immediately after he does his business and I still can't stop it before it goes all the way up his back(sorry for the gross details)! We then drove back up to Lakeview and had a soup bar, cheese & crackers, meatballs, and ice cream sundaes for lunch! We didn't stay too long due to sheer exhaustion from the day before...see Seth and Maddie's wedding for details!! We are so proud of these boys and wish Tanner and Ladd good luck on their missions, they will be missed!

Ladd, Cory, and Tanner (with Garrett in the corner) didn't get a picture that day but got one New Year's Eve....a bunch a studly young men aren't they??
Tanner holding Easton....crazy to think Easton will be 2 by the time he comes back from his mission!

Seth & Maddie's Wedding

Saturday, December 29th Shannon's brother Seth and Maddie Wright got married in the Salt Lake Temple. After they got married they had the luncheon at Buca di Beppo a really great authentic Italian place....they then had a reception at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building which was really nice because it was on the 9th floor and out the window you could see temple square with all the christmas lights and then it started snowing and it was a really beautiful view! While waiting for the sealing in the temple Dallin H. Oaks walked past us, which was really neat! It was great to spend the day with Shannon's family and see his brother Sean and nephew Bridger who live in Oregon and we haven't seen in a while! Overall, it was a great day....also kinda crazy because we had to drive back to Idaho the same night for Ladd & Tanner's farewells and Cory's homecoming...and didn't get to bed till 12:30 and had to be in Aberdeen by 8:30 a.m. all with a baby!! Anyways....Congrats to Seth and Maddie!

The whole fam in front of the Salt Lake Temple minus Shannon's oldest brothers and their families
Shannon with his brothers & sisters at the wedding reception
Easton laughing with his Uncle Sean
Emma Grace and her mom (shannon's sister sue)
Bridger Lucas (nephew) dancing around

CHRISTMAS!!!

On Christmas morning we did Santa gifts with my family and headed up to Rexburg to spend the rest of the day with Shannon's family. His mother made a wonderful breakfast casserole that she has been making 25 years for Christmas morning! We then opened some presents and watched them open ours, took a little nap, and then headed to IF to Shannon's brother Scott's house for Christmas Dinner...which was excellent...ham, turkey, prime rib and all the fixins! We also played out the christmas story...Easton got to play baby Jesus at both households this year being the youngest boy on the Lucas side...and the only boy on my side. We had a great Christmas this year and hope everyone else did too!

Joseph (nephew Logan), Mary (neice Ava) and baby Jesus(Easton) in the makeshift manger (a.k.a. laundry basket)
Easton looking a little uncomfortable playing baby Jesus, he wasn't this content for too long....reinforcements in the way of a binky came in handy!

We spent Christmas Eve with my family out in Aberdeen and it was great, we pretty much just vegged out on snacks all day, played alot of guitar hero, played out the christmas story from Luke 2, talked about what Christmas means to us, and opened presents. Overall, a great Christmas...we also had a lot of fun playing Santa this year to Easton!

Whitney with Easton passed out on her shoulder
Garrett as a shepard and McKinley as an angel getting ready to play their parts!
Shannon and Easton
Easton with his first christmas presents, he was so excited he passed out!
Tanner and Garrett enjoying Santa gifts!

Wahlen Christmas Party

The Thursday before Christmas we had a little Christmas party because my little sis Hailey and husband Marc were going to his family's house for Christmas. My family is big on Christmas Eve so usually those of us who are married go to our house in Aberdeen for Christmas Eve and then the in-laws for Christmas day it works out well....but Marc's family is big on Christmas Eve too and his family lives in Kuna so it was a little too far to do both so we got together so Marc and Hailey could get the gifts from the fam. We will probably start having to make this a tradition as we have more kids and do our own Christmas! We had the party at Angie and Chandler's house...we had soup in a bowl, a hot chocolate bar, and cookies for dessert. It was delicious and a great evening overall!!

Tanner hanging out with Easton...
My neices McKinley and Halle, McKinley who got to open an early christmas present showing off her High School Musical barbies Sharpay (I don't have girls or watch HS Musical so I'm not sure of the spelling) and Gabriella; and Halle learning to stand up with Garrett and Chandler in the background!

Varsity Christmas Party

Shannon's division at work had a little party about a week before Christmas, we went to ISU and went bowling and had pizza. Those at the party were Shane Campbell (shannon's boss) wife Laura and three kids Sariah, Katie and Isaac, Sara Barthlome (co-worker) and her husband AJ, and Lindi Smedley (co-worker). We had alot of fun...although I was pretty embarrased because Shannon told them all I was a really good bowler and I think I barely broke 100, not my best work!

Isaac with Easton getting some practice for his new little sister coming in May! Although I'm sure his little sister will be about 1/10 the size of Easton....

Shane (shannon's boss) with his little girl Katie at the bowling alley

Sarah (co-worker) with Katie at the party!