Christmas Morning!

Christmas this year was so great. The pictures say it all. The kids were so excited and it was so fun to see their faces light up with all the new goodies that came their way. We decided next year to go to Disneyland with my family in November'ish and my mom got the kids the cutest piggy bank with this poem:

This little pig
Will sit in your house
Right now he is quiet
Just like a mouse

He will get heavy
If you put money inside
And soon you'll enjoy
The Disneyland rides

So mind mom and dad
Leave no chores undone
Cause mickey is waiting
To show you some fun!

It wasn't just about the gifts this year at all. It was so neat to teach little Macie the reason why we celebrate this special Christmas holiday and we went through the whole nativity scene with her to explain that it is the Savior's birthday we are celebrating. She was cute and sweet and of course LOVED the gifts (likened to the wisemen bringing gifts to the Savior!) Anyway, my mom also wrote this so sweet poem and I just love it:

How grateful we are
For the dear Saviors birth
And all that he taught us
When He walked the earth

He didn't have much
And was born in a stable
He didn't have ipod's
He didn't have cable

So as you are giving
Your gifts bought with love
Don't forget to give
thanks to our
Father above.

So sweet and so true. Hope you all had a merry one!!!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Our Chrismtas Eve Dinner...super fancy that I am pretty sure we used paper goods!

Baking Cookies for Santa! (MOMMY!!)

Our favorite elf Mr. Peeps! This was so fun this year to have a special elf that was magical and would move to a different spot each night to watch the kids for Santa. On Christmas Eve, we put him on the tree so Santa could take him back to the North Pole!
The view of the mess from up high! That dang kitchen took Dave forever to put together! So much for just whipping it right out!

Here are a few of our "newest" family traditions on Christmas Eve because we are up here in Boise all by our lonesome's. We didn't make it to Utah this year to be with our families so this is what we did instead.......which I have to say was super fun and the kids had a blast!

Christmas Jammies! Macie the great!

Debuting Chefs Daddy Dave and Macie Moo!

Bunco has begun....finally!

So ever since I moved up here to Meridian I have been talking about putting a Bunco group together. A year in the making and we finally played our first game last night at my house. I am so bummed that I didn't take pictures...but we had the best time! I can honestly say that I have just grown so much to love it here and have made some great friends. After Bunco, we all went and saw the movie, "August Rush!" Talk about a feel good movie. I was loving every minute of it and it is a must see!!

Christmas Cards and the stress of it all!

I will tell you why I am so bitter this year about my Christmas cards. My really good friend Amber Buhrley makes her Christmas cards year after year....as do many of you! More power to you girls!!! I thought about it and said, I like the print your cards at Costco machines and go type of card...you still get the cute picture. So, then Amber proceeds to show me the cute paper she had just purchased to make her cards. That sold me and it actually seemed a little fun to put them together. She talked me into making my own cards as well this year.

It took some time to cut, glue, fold, and create, however, they were all made with love! HA! I was so thrilled to have completed the task and they were all addressed, stamped, and ready to drop off at the post office. I took them in because I needed to mail a package and I was informed that the "bumps" which were really brads and sooooo cute, were going to cost me an additional .17 per card. Do the math and times that by 65 cards plus the already .41 stamp on there....and paper, embellishments, pictures, and TIME! Okay, so I just needed to vent about this little tradition that we all make ourselves crazy over. I think I overdid it this year and for all of those of you are on my address list....dont fool yourself and I hope this isn't a trap because I will not be making my cards every single year. I will simply create a Christmas message with an updated letter on our family and enclose a picture. amen.

Much love to you all and Merry Christmas!!!

Girls Retreat!!

Tiffany, Lorrie, and I during a tour in the kitchen at Buca Di Beppo!

Dallas: St George, UT, Married, nurse (the best one out there )pregnant with twin boys! Rachel: Salt Lake, soon to be Kamas UT, Married with 2 kids; Anjali 2 and Ethan 6 weeks! Tiffany: Springville, Married, pregnant with her first little girl, Kennedy! Lorrie: Star Valley, WY Married, dental hygienist, 2 boys: Dylan almost 4 and Daxton 4 months. Lindsay: Meridian, ID Married, 2 kids, Macie almost 3 and Dalan 16 months, blah, blah, blah and NOT PREGO!

Tiffany, Dallas, and I at the crime scene at our hotel on our floor. Oh yea....Murder Inn...

Tiffany, Me, Lorrie, and Dallas at our hotel!! Group photo...missing Rachel.

We had the best weekend EVER! Since we are all scattered, we decided that a girls retreat in SLC would be the perfect meeting point for all of us! We have talked about getting together for a while and finally made it happen. It was so great to pick up right where we left off and reminisce and talk about our lives now with children...and a few on the way! I am happy to report that I am the only not pregnant, nursing mama at the moment and it felt so great. Hey I did my time 2 summers in a row!! We went out to dinner at an Italian family style restaurant called Buca Di Beppo and of course had to order dessert....chocolate brownie ala mode~! We then went back to our hotel to catch up and had a night that we will never forget. We laughed, cried, (due to deaths in the family) and then our night turned to panic and fear, which is a whole different story....which goes a little something like this:

Rachel was leaving to head home, ya know the whole nursing the baby in the night thing! She pushed the elevator door (see picture above) and when the elevator opened, she saw part of the crime scene with blood all over the floor and walls....talk about a pit in your stomach. We then realized that there was blood all down the hallways of our floor and we were so scared....and so curious. In the meantime, Rachel was ready to get home because it was snowing and the whole nursing thing. We all walked her down to her car so she could get going. As we came out of the staircase doors....more blood all over the hallways of the hotel lobby. We were not at a Motel 6 or even a Comfort Inn....this was at a Hilton! (In your face Paris!) Anyway, come to find out there was a gang fight that broke out which resulted in a table being thrown out the window and all other kinds of damages to the room as well as injuries. We were all shocked and it resulted in a long night of restless sleep and bad dreams....but so worth it to see all those cute girls!

The next morning, we all got up and got dressed (sharing one bathroom!) it took us a bit to get out the door. We went and had lunch at a really great Mexican restaurant and then headed to the mall for some shopping. It was the perfect trip and we cannot wait to plan another reunion...maybe in the spring next time girls!

Anyway, it was refreshing and rejuvenating and so nice to come back to my home with my hubby and kiddies, ready to fulfill the mama in me! They are the best thing that ever happened to me...and my roomies witnessed all the fun and heartache of dating, cramming for exams, lots of late night popcorn and brownies, the freshman 15 on my part....and we are all now happily married in a new chapter of our lives. Fun times!!

A perfect day!

So I just need to tell you all what a fantastic day today has been. My friend Kirsten somehow roped me into going to "boot camp" at the YMCA this morning at 5:30 am. I am a gymboree'r, but usually don't get my butt there until atleast 9:30-10'ish. I found myself all night long tossing and turning so nervous that I would sleep through my alarm clock. I awoke at 5 am and had no idea what I was about to experience. Real live boot camp. Talk about a super good, wake me up, man yelling to MOVE IT, kind of work out! I felt the burn....but it felt great.

I then made it home by 7 and was showered and ready to go by 8. Kids still sleeping until around 8:15, Macie more like 9. (We had a late night....we took her to dinner and to see the movie Enchanted for Family Home Evening with our friends, the Buhrley's.) Anyway, kids fed, dressed and out the door by 9:45 and back to the YMCA by 10:15 for my 60 minute massage. Is it bad to tell someone the first time you meet them that you love them. I confessed my love to this massage therapist who worked wonders and unknotted the knots in my neck. INCREDIBLE

I knew getting home would be a breeze to feed the kids lunch because then it meant nap time! It has been just a beautiful day and the sun is shining, literally.

Who knew that early mornings would hold so much joy and accomplishment for one person in a day. Too bad I love my sleep so much. I am going to try to get up a little earlier and enjoy just a little bit longer me time....I'll let you know if I survive by 4:00 this afternoon! Am I super selfish?

Happy Thanksgiving

So this year was not the so called traditional Thanksgiving that we are used to. However, we sure had a great day! We were not with our family this year, which I have been pretty bummed about. Basically, that is the reason we began to celebrate Christmas so early this year...as we seemed to skip right over the Thanksgiving holiday. Dave and I and our 2 beautiful kids went to Golden Corral. Apparently, we were not the only ones with this great idea because we waited in line for a half hour in the brrrrr cold. It felt more like a nice sunday dinner....out, but we didn't have the cooking or clean up to worry about, and it wasn't Sunday.

After our lunch, we headed to the Festival of Trees and met Josh, Lindsie and baby Ava there. It was a perfect day to go because there was no traffic, and no crowd. Macie did a craft with Matti's help, and both Macie and Dalan got to sit on Santa's lap. We had a great day, but I am hoping next year we can celebrate Thanksgiving day with our families.....at Golden Corral!

Time to gear up for Christmas! I made Dave go shopping with me on black Friday and I can say that we had a great time. I just love the hustle and bustle of this time of year because even though it can get stressful trying to find the most perfect gift for each person on your list, the feeling and the whole Christmas spirit out weighs all the stress and head-aches! I hope you have all caught the fever!!

Happy Birthday BIG Buff Stud-Muffin Dave!

A happy birthday letter to daddy from the kids.

Macie got daddy a puzzle for his birthday for him and her to do together!
Dalan got daddy a set of sports balls to teach him to play catch!
I took Dave on a hot date out to a nice dinner and then dessert. We went with a few friends of ours and had a great night!
Look at some of Dave's presents....he already opened a few! I didn't have a chance to bake him his favorite yellow cake with chocolate frosting so I wrapped it instead. Our babysitter, Rhianna, made it while we were gone! Totally on her own....so cute and sweet of her!

He did get a couple new pairs of jeans, a nice shirt, a belt, a new CTR ring, a motorcycle figurine, and a new coat! OH, he purchased a new grill for his car all on his own too! Happy Birthday!!
Isn't this bithday boy so cute! He is one hotsy...and I love his smile!

Happy Birthday to my sweetie. I love this day because a very special person was brought into this world 29 years ago. He is an amazing daddy, husband, provider, and friend. I love so many things about this man. He still makes my heart thump. He makes me laugh. He takes me out on dates once a week. He is the man I dream about. The one I love seeing before I close my eyes, and then wake up to each morning. I am amazed at how much he loves the gospel and what a wonderful example he is to me and our children. He continues to make me weak in the knees and melts my heart daily.

We are going on a hot date tonight to a restaurant called "Lock Stock and Barrell," which has amazing prime rib we have been told. We are then going to a french bistro for a chocolate souffle that is to die for!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABA!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Look what we woke up to this morning! The news called it "flurries" but the kids and I determined it to be snow. It was all melted by noon and the sun was back to shining. I told you it is winter now and it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Oh Christmas Tree....Oh Christmas Tree

The Stockings were hung...
Macie's own little tree for her bedroom

My favorite little helpers!!

Here are some pictures of our Christmas tree this year. Like I blogged about before, I finally bought a new tree this year and new ornaments as well. I am so happy with the way it turned out! I even got great feedback from 2 of my closest friends up here, who are both awesome decorators. Thanks girls (Lindsie & Amber!) Our house smells like Christmas and now it looks like it too, even though it is pre-Thanksgiving! Maybe I will inspire you all to get your trees up....then we get to enjoy the holiday season a little bit longer! Love you all and hope your holiday season is filled with much joy and happiness. I sound like a Christmas card!

Ho, Ho, Ho!

By the way, I am very aware that the bottom portion of our tree is untouched. We did not decorate the bottom for a reason....the toddler in Dalan has one mission only...DESTROY!

Christmas in November??

We are already getting in Christmas mode. I had this bright idea to go ahead and put our tree up today. Usually, we wait until atleast the day after Thanksgiving, but not this year. I made a purchase while I was in SG and bought new Christmas tree ornaments and decor. ps. I have been using my mom's old hand-me-down's and finally decided to get my own, which I am so thrilled about. Stay tuned for photos!

We have Christmas music playing and cookies baking. Oh, how I love this time of year! ps. We feel like we can celebrate early since we are currently living in winter wonderland. All you St. Georgians....you must wait until December or until atleast the temperature drops below 70 degrees!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL....AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!!

The bride and groom!

I have to say what a beautiful wedding this was. Ron and Amber's sister-in-law Kira is amazing. She is a caterer and she also does amazing flower arrangements. I am bummed that I didn't get a picture of the food, but trust me when I say it was incredible....again, all made by Kira! It was asian themed so there was poached salmon, teriyaki chicken, shrimp, some other fishy thingies that I heard were amazing, salads, chips and dips, and of course....the chocolate wedding cake! They also gave out fortune cookies dipped in chocolate! It is fabulous to see Amber smiling and so happy again. She deserves it and I just love her guts!

This is just the beginning of a life full of happiness! Congratulations you two!!

The Wedding Party

Here are a few ramdom pictures of the guests at Ron and Amber's wedding. What a wonderful day it was!