and you thought Max was cute?

I never thought a girl would be so much fun. I am getting into the ribbons and bows...

It is apparent that we like em' thick and chunky!

The problem now...

is that Max loves Avalon, like really loves her. So much to the point that she starts crying when she hears his feet coming on the hardwood floor. When we are leaving, he tells me "Take Adalon." If I don't get her fast enough, he goes over to her and drags her car seat to the door. He gets in her face at least a hundred times a day to kiss and hug her. He asks, "Adalon, Adalon, how doing?" And then he giggles all crazy. I was so sad when he didn't like her at first. It broke my heart. So now that he adores her, I can't stop him (although it is hard for me to watch because I still fear her life.) She will just have to get tough. Until then, she will have to endure being mauled over and over again. I love the last picture where he is giving her all his cars and trucks. Often times, he covers her with his stuffed animals so she can't breath. The best day will be the day when they both love each other. (That does happen right?)

Just Happy...

that we get to celebrate with Brig today. I got an email from a friend whose husband is currently deployed and it made me feel so glad that my husband is now home and still alive. While learning the ropes of setting up a house, Brig had a little accident that could have been tragic. Since that day a few weeks ago, I have been ever so grateful for Brig. Here is the burn pic from a 'dryer shock'... ask him for the long story. We love our Daddy. Max and Avalon will tell you that he is the absolute best. He shares his cookies, reads lots of books, takes naps with them, and makes sure that they have all they need to enjoy a happy, comfortable life. Life with Daddy is so much better - I sometimes wonder how we survived so long without him.

Eventually, I will catch up on here (or maybe not) with Thanksgiving pictures, Avalon's 3 months, Emily's visit, Arizona vacation, and Max's newest adventures - but a few pictures will have to do for now.Daddy and Max enjoying a Halloween hay ride in the beautiful Oklahoma corn fields.
Avalon is protesting the "Truck, Truck" book, as Max calls it. It has 20 trucks or cars on each page, as well as a little goldbug that you have to find. Max can find him quickier than Brig or me.


Avalon's blessing day - Nov. 1, 2009

Daddy taking a nap with Avalon, most of the time he is the one napping!

For Little Grandma

Happy Birthday, Little Gma. Thanks for these cute pj's you sent me. I wouldn't sleep this night until I was propped up on Daddy. I am growing fast... just imagine, if Max was growing as fast as me, he would be the size of a 3rd grader come December. I can't wait to see you over Thanksgiving, that is, if I can keep my eyes open long enough to see you. This is our stroller. I like to go for runs with my mom, but it sure is crowded when Max brings "Tamel-Elmo" along.

Hi LittleGramma! Happy Burfday to you. I can sing the whole song if you like. We will call you later. Here are some pictures of me. I thought you would like to see them. Here's me trying to be like my daddy. I love hats right now, and if what they say is right, I might not be able to wear them in a few years cause my head is growing fast.

Thanks for claiming me no matter what I do.

Look at the below picture where I am dressed as a lion to get this one. I couldn't put the pictures in the right order.

I just liked this one because I really look like a weirdo. My parents won't give me a haircut so I will punish them in every pic for making me have a mullet. Just call me Terry Bradshaw. I got four packages of Smarties for putting this dumb, fuzzy thing over my head. Four packages didn't last long enough. I begged for it to come off after 5 minutes (see picture above). Daddy sure did get teased about my tights. He kept trying to tell everyone that I was a wrestler. Don't worry, I didn't step on Avalon that day.

This picture here is classic. My parents must not have believed me. They asked me, "Max, what are you doing?" They were ignoring me on our trip. I said, "Max picking nose." They turned around to see and then got a picture of it. Thought you would get a kick out of it.

We love you so much! Hope you have a very Happy Birthday. We send lots of slobbery, snotty kisses all the way to Gillette.

Happy Birthday, Mama Skinner!

Today is my mom's birthday. Unfortunate for her, I will never forget how old she is because I will always be 30 years younger. Her increase in age just reminds me how old I will be come January. For some reason, I feel my mom's birthday is a holiday and now that I think about it, it might as well be. In fact, when I was on my mission, I missed home more on Oct. 28Th than I did on Christmas. I remember doing sit-ups in my apartment, and every time my head touched my knees, I thought about some thing she had done for me that made me so grateful for her. In honor of her, here are a few of those things: (if I did the sit-ups today, I would hurt so bad tomorrow morning that I couldn't get out of bed for a week)

She wore the same pair of big, blue, dorky glasses for at least 10 years so that my siblings and I could get trendy, new ones every couple of years.

She made my lunch every day, catered just to me - a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with grape jelly that wouldn't get mushy, a pack of raw Ramen Noodles, a snack, something to drink, and a love note.

She came to all of my sporting events even if she forgot me a few times after practices (with 8 kids it was bound to happen).

She taught me about the Saviour's love and what it is to be selfless. She taught me to pray and and to always rely on the Lord.

She has always had faith in me, even if it was her faith I was wanting to lean on. She told me again and again, "I don't worry about you, I know you will make the right choice."

She reminds me not to be a nagging wife and shows me what it means to truly love my companion.

She never yells, gets upset, gives up, or judges.

She is pretty much perfect. I can never repay her but as a start, I have given her the two cutest grandchildren she has! (Don't get me wrong -Kennedy, Rowan, Adayla, Tally, Ryann, Madden, and Bridger are up there too!) Enjoy some pictures of your grandbabies, Mom, and just know how much the Udalls love you.

The Peanut and The Muffin

Avalon is more like a walnut now. She tips the scale at 13 pounds.

She has a little more hair than Max did at this age but not much.

Max loves his hunting hat that Uncle Bomba (Boomer) gave him.

While taking out the trash, I got caught talking to the neighbor.

Max is suddenly scared of his dog and was waiting by the door for me - I thought

it was so cute even though he was so afraid.

We just got back from our vacation to Arizona and have lots of pictures to post. I would love to write about our travels but am reminded by my husband that sometimes multitasking is less effective. (I leave the wipes lid up and the swing on after I take Avalon out - if you do the same, please say so I have some justification)... I am writing one-handed because I have an unhappy baby on my hip. I just wanted to post a few pictures of our ballies.

Little Grandma and Hi Baby's Visit to Oklahoma

I know, I know. This is late... about a month. We were without Internet for over a week and surprisingly, I didn't mind. We had a family over with the missionaries for FHE, made Halloween decorations for playgroup, and enjoyed homemade Cafe Rio with some friends.

We have missed family being with us. Max needs to be kept busy. This week, he can only talk about Grandma and Grandpa Udall since we are going to visit soon.

Here are some pictures of my sweet mother, aka Little Grandma, and my baby sister, Julionna. They enjoyed spoiling Max and taking care of Avalon. I couldn't get over how much my 15-year old sister loved little babies. She would just sit on the couch and hold Avalon. She gave her a bath and made sure she was always comfortable. My floors that hadn't been cleaned for awhile (I won't say how long) got scrubbed and my freezer got stocked. Brig and I were able to enjoy a date even if it was to a stake YM/YW dance... (take about taking us back and making us feel old - the music was too loud and the dancing was a bit much!) Needless to say, we loved the time with them and we ever so grateful for all their help!

Avalon is already a month old!

Max meets Avalon

I meant to put this on earlier but forgot. It was Max's first time seeing Avalon. Since this, Max hasn't been near as excited to see her but he still calls her the "New Baby."

Udall Update

Our little Avalon will be 3 weeks on Wednesday and she isn't so little anymore. At her doctor appointment last week, she weighed in at 8 POUNDS 3 OUNCES. She gained 2 pounds in 11 days! The doctor gave Mama the "Don't listen to Grandma when she says she is too fat" speech. She is really coming into her own and getting cuter by the day. Another post will have pictures of Little Grandma and Aunt Jewls who came to visit.






Max is still cute even though he is having a rough time. He lets us know how he feels towards the "new baby." When we aren't looking, he has been found hitting her with two hands as hard as he can. He doesn't like that she is still around. When someone is holding her, he gets very jealous. Last week, he threw his favorite stuffed animal "Camel" in the toilet. We are hoping for a quick adjustment... He is speaking in simple sentences and can count to 10 (with Dad's help past seven). He knows hundreds of animals, the "YUCKY BEETLE" being his favorite. He plays hard, sleeps great, and has stinky fat kid feet! He loves nursery, donuts, tootsie rolls, hot dogs, the trampoline, and watching Sesame Street and "Movie Move It!" (Madagascar) with Daddy.











Brig's parents came to visit. While they were here, Brig's father ordained him to a high priest and he was put in the bishopric as 2nd counselor. He is now back to work putting in long hours and in his spare time, he studies for the LSAT. He will be glad when that is over so his wife quits nagging and he gets to spend more time with the kids.



Shayla finally graduated from BYU... We didn't go to the commencement due to Avalon's arrival but she did put on a cap and gown for a picture before leaving Provo in April. This is her fan club, the Moffat family, who took care of Max while she went to class.