Mission Accomplished!

These pictures were taken approx. 15 min apart! Wow...do you think he needed a haircut? His little smile makes me melt. He's such a stud!

What a DOLL!!!

I took Londyn outside to get a few pictures of her this morning, and I couldn't help but put this one on here. I know I'm her Mom, so I'm biased, but I think she's absolutely ADORABLE!

2009

I can't believe it's 2009. I've already signed "08" about five times, and I had to scratch it out and put "09" in it's place. It's always weird to switch to the new year when writing checks...etc. My brain is a little behind!

2009....WOW....I honestly can say that I'm pretty shocked that it's 2009 already. I've been thinking a lot about my resolutions this year. I really want 2009 to be a great year for us. Here are a few of the things I've decided to work on.

The people that mean the most! I started thinking back around Thanksgiving about who is the most important people in my life. Besides the easy answers like my husband, my kids, my family, my in-laws...I really reflected on who is important to me. This year, I really want to keep in better touch with the extended family and friends that I love dearly. I just want everyone to know that I love them, so I'm going to try harder in that department! I may even get CRAZY and send a birthday card or two! :)

Being a Mom: I really want to be a better mom this year. I feel like I've come a long way in this department already. But, I have a lot to improve on also. I REALLY want to focus on making memories this year. I want to spend more time at the park VS time in front of the TV. I want to read more to my kids. I want to be more patient with them.

Having FHE. Ever since we've moved to St. George and Dan has been so busy, I've really gained a testimony of the importance of FHE. Some weeks without FHE, the kids wouldn't have spent much time with their Dad. SOOOOO, I'm committing myself to having FHE consistently in 2009.

Food Storage: Dan's parents gave us some extra cash to start our food storage for Christmas this year. It was a great gift, and I'm excited to get going on this task. I'm a procrastinator at heart, and I know this area cannot be one that you put off or it could be too late. So, this year I will prepare my family for the event of an emergency. I'll be starting by getting our 72 hour kits in order.

Don't OVER REACT! I tend to be dramatic and I tend to over react sometimes. Don't take this statement wrong, but Dan tries to pick fights with me sometimes. I'm not sure why he does this, but he knows how to push my buttons and the drama-mama in me can't handle it sometimes. This year, I really want to work on this. I want to work on having a soft answer.

Work out! I've been working out routinely since we moved to St. George, and I just wanted to write that I plan to continue doing that during 2009.

Save Money: I really want to focus on saving more money this year. Our financial adviser told us that everyone should focus on having at least 6 months of your annual salary saved at all times. This was pretty overwhelming to me. I know that this won't happen instantly, but I really want to save some money for a "rainy day."

Increase my knowledge of the scriptures. I really want to become more "scripture smart" this year. I'd be embarrassed if you knew the last time I read the Book of Mormon cover to cover. I plan to change that this year.

I guess my theme for this year is PRIORITIZING. I want to spend time doing things that are my number 1 priority! WISH ME LUCK!

VEGAS BABY!

Sometimes you just need a break, ya know. I feel guilty saying that I needed a break from the kids, but I kind of did. I love my kiddos, but it was really nice to be away and miss them soooo badly that I couldn't wait to see them. I got to go to Vegas with a few friends on Saturday, and we had an absolute BLAST! We left around 9:30 am and didn't get back until past 10 pm! We shopped til we dropped, ate yummy food, and laughed A LOT! IT was so much fun. We went to California Pizza kitchen and Panera bread company. It was all DELICIOUS! Oh, and I got to go to H&M for the first time. I loved it!

We went to Sephora, and as you can see, we had a little bit of fun with the make-up. That place is a blast! I look a teeny bit like a clown! :) I put on about 20 different colors of lip gloss before I decided which one to wear. Oh, and I've decided that "Dior" show mascara is SWEEEEEEET. I put some on that day, and seriously it hadn't MOVED by the time I got home that night. It looked just like I had applied it thirty seconds before. I have NO idea how much it is though!

Thank you Dan for watching the kids all day so I could go. Thank you Liz for organizing the trip. I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

Christmas pictures finally...playing catch up!

The kids were playing Mary and Joseph for the entire month of December. I really tried to teach them why Christmas is such a special holiday. To me, Christmas is all about Christ, and it's pretty hard not to get caught up in the shopping/hustle and bustle of it all.

Overall our Christmas was great. The kids are at the perfect stage where they believe in Santa, but they don't question everything yet. I'm sure Santa will have to be a little more particular about his handwriting and such here in the near future! You might need to click on the pictures to make them bigger to be able to see them all!

Londyn was so excited to ride her giraffe!

Oaklyn was hilarious Christmas morning (as you can see from the pictures). Her expression says it all. The only thing she asked for was an Ariel barbie. Santa surprised her with a few extra things.

Connelly asked Santa for a remote control Lightning McQueen. Santa had a hard time finding it. Thank heavens for online shopping! Also, Santa decided to bring him the SAME guitar that Oaklyn got. Thank you Santa for preventing 100 fights by doing this :).

We took the kids sledding behind the four wheeler at my parents house. They had a blast! It's pretty fun to take the kids to Holden and let them experience the things that I grew up doing. They LOVED it.


We decorated Christmas cookies, and the kids had a blast. Unfortunately the cookies were harder than a rock...ummm I need a good recipe for sugar cookies. I STRUGGLE when it comes to making them for some reason.


It was fun for the kids when it snowed so much to be able to make a snowman. I have to admit, I was a little relieved because they'd been asking me when it was going to snow, and I kept saying, "Ummmm, I don't know if it will." They are used to Cedar City weather, where they got to make at least 5 snowmen every year.

2008 Highlights

Highlights:
Moving to St. George
Finishing my Masters Degree
Reading books for fun again (specifically the Twilight series)
Making the switch to be a stay-at-home Mom
Meeting some SWEEEEEET new friends (you all know who you are!)
Taking the kids to Disneyland
Our annual pumpkin carving bash
Several special spiritual experiences that helped us make some hard decisions.
Decorating Londyn's Nursery
Having a SKUNK run AT ME inside someone's house in Cedar City.
Getting our pics taken by Justin Bowen (seriously the best pictures we've ever had)
Watching Londyn grow...wow a year later makes a huge difference.
Taking the kids to "the farm" for the annual cattle round up.
Going to the Twilight movie with a bunch of SWEEEEEET girlies.
Starting our Bunko group.

Lowlights: (Per Dan's request)
Dan sold his truck (I'm still hearing about this 11 months later)

All in all, 2008 was a great year. These are all I can think of for now. I'm sure there were other events that I can't think of right now!

Do they look alike?

Dan and his brothers all got a Murray High plaque from their parents for Christmas. They were all highly involved at the school and have a "strange" high school pride. :) (At least I tease him about it!). They all loved Murray High, and when they tore the old school down to build the new one, it was pretty sad for them. So, their parents got a brick for all of them along with a tile from the hallway wall.

So, do you think they look alike? LOL.

Merry Christmas!

A lot has happed this year. Here are some of the highlights to give you a small update.

We moved to St. George in July and it has been great. We love our neighborhood and have felt at home from the very beginning. We accepted a new position within our company and Dan is staying really busy keeping up on all his responsibilities. I get to help him in the office a few hours daily, but most of all, I get to be a mom and stay home with our three beautiful kids. This switch was needed, but a lot of prayer and guidance from the spirit allowed it to take place. I love the chance I get to be at home.

The kids are great. Oaklyn, 5, has definitely calmed down during the past year. She is definitely still a “red-head” but she’s starting to really help me out around the house. She loves to take care of Londyn. She’s growing up! I can’t believe it! She started kindergarten and enjoys her class. She loves her dance class and stays busy pretending almost all day! She loves to color and is very offended if I throw her “art” away.

Connelly, 4, is all-boy. He loves to rough-house and play sword-fighting. He loves to ride his bike, tackle his dad, and throw a ball. He’s in preschool and loves his teacher. Among his top five things he’s grateful for: Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, and The Buzz Light-year Ride. (I couldn’t stop laughing).

Londyn, 1, is such a happy baby. She loves the bathtub and can’t get enough of her daddy. She follows him everywhere. Her hair is blond (which came as a surprise to us since Oaklyn’s hair is red and Connelly’s is dark). Daddy’s nickname for her is “pixie dust” and it seems to fit her perfectly.

I have never been so busy, and not so busy at the same time. I guess what I mean is that I’m used to being busy, but in the professional way. The kind of busy I now experience is more like “Oh shoot, I forgot Connelly’s doctor’s appointment” or “BLAST, the laundry in the washer is sour…I’ll re-start it for the third time!” I’m trying to keep up! I still enjoy decorating when I can!

Dan is doing great. He is great as the manager, and his fix-it skills impress me and others daily. He enjoyed helping carve 55 pumpkins for our annual Halloween bash. He got to water-ski a little less than usual this year, but I have a feeling next year will be a lot better (since we now live 5 minutes from the lake!)

As you can see, this year brought lots of change and blessings for us. We are so grateful. We hope you are all enjoying your holiday season. We hope we can all remember the real meaning for Christmas and celebrate the birth of our Savior. Thank you for enriching our lives. We love each one of you.

Oaklyn Performance

Oaklyn is the one on the far left! Didn't she do great!?!?

Oaklyn loves her dance group. She is a member of On-Stage Dance Studio. In fact, she is on "Tiny Team." The little girls on the team are absolutely darling. It is so much fun watching them improve with each performance. Heather (her teacher) is great. She was Oaklyn's teacher in Cedar City, and we were lucky because she has a studio in St. George too! I was really excited that I didn't have to change her to a different studio when we moved.

Here are a few pictures of her. I am totally a proud mom whenever we go to watch her. Good job honey!

Santa...

The holidays are so much fun with two kids at the perfect age for Santa! They both were so cute with Santa. As you can see by the pictures...this guy is the best Santa I have ever seen. He was great with all the kids, and a real beard, had white eyelashes...WOW...it was so fun. As we left the clubhouse, Oaklyn looked up to the roof and said, "Where is Santa's sleigh?" I told her that he had already left to travel back to the North Pole. :)




Unfortunately, Londyn didn't like Santa. The pictures we took of her were all blurry because she was flailing herself away from him...So, you get to see her new favorite activity....sitting in the car seat in the living room! Her hair is growing so fast...which is a dream come true for me.

Diamond Earrings....WHAT!!?!!!

Ok, so I went to Bunko again this last week, and Liz did a GREAT job with everything. We had the most delicious meal I've had in a LONG time. We had a blast chatting with each other, and then we started playing. I don't know what has gotten into me since I've moved to St. George, but I WON AGAIN!!!! This is the second month in a row. YES! I actually NEVER won in our group in Cedar City. So, as you can see, my prize was SPECTACULAR!!! Oh my gosh...I was so excited. I couldn't stop grinning. Liz's father in law is Vice President at Morgan Jewelers. So...her prizes got to be extravagant because of that. I am so lucky! Thanks Lizzy.

Twilight Bunko more pictures!

I know my Bunko was forever ago, but my friend had a few pictures of the "Welcome to Forks" sign and the table setting. So....I had to post them. My original twilight bunko post can be found here.

Gingerbread Houses with Grandma!

The kids had a great time making gingerbread houses with Grandma Julie while we were visiting for Thanksgiving. It was so fun watching them. Between licking the frosting off their fingers and sneaking a candy here and there, the house actually got built and it turned out darling! Great job kids.

Tagged by Jo

Tagged: Fours

Four things I love about my Hubby:

1. His eyes, you can see into his soul. :) They are so gentle and loving.
2. His craziness. I LOVE that he can be wacky. It makes me smile.
3. His musical talent. He sings all day, and I love it.
4. His ability to see the big picture and not over react about small things.


Four Jobs I've had:

1. Manager of Sunset Ridge Village
2. SUU adjunct Professor (my favorite job yet)
3. Telemarketing Trainer/Supervisor (my least fav job ever)
4. Farm SLAVE :)

Four Movie's Watched More Than Once:

1. 8 seconds...my all time FAVORITE show
2. Sound of Music
3. South Pacific
4. Hatari (John Wayne is the best)

Four TV Shows I Watch:

1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Chuck
3. Life
4. Lost

Four (cool) Places I've visited:

1. Zihuatanejo, Mexico
2. Grand Caymen
3. Cabo
4. Cancun

Four Places I've lived:

1. Holden, UT
2. Murray, UT
3. Cedar City, UT
4. St. George, UT

Four Favorite Foods:

1. Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
2. Fresh garden-grown tomatoes with salt and pepper
3. Mongolian BBQ (at Chinese Gourmet in SLC)
4. Chips and Salsa

Four Places I'd Like to Visit:

1. Hawaii
2. Mediterranean
3. Australia
4. Church sites back East

Four People I Tag:

1. Natalie
2. Adrian
3. Angie
4. Julie


If you don't do this tag...bad things WILL happen to you!
So go.......go post this tag!

Tag from Jamie!

I've been tagged twice lately, and I'm finally getting around to fulfill them! Sorry girls. Here they are:

Here's how to play:
1. Link your tagger (Jamie) and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here it goes...I'll try to be "random" like the instructions say :).
1. I hate looking for things. My hubby can attest to that! Unfortunately I lose things a lot. If I can't find something, after about 2 minutes, I lose patience and ask Dan to help me find it. Hallelujah for Dan because he helps me find my make-up, my cell phone, my shoes...yada yada on a daily basis.

2. I love gardens. Someday I will have a HUGE garden of my own. My very favorite foods to eat from the garden are yummy tomatoes with salt and pepper on them and peas!

3. I love to create things. I've designed lots of baby announcements, birthday invitations, wedding invitations, blogs :), advertisements, fliers, logos, Christmas cards, graduation announcements, business cards, party invitations...I really enjoy it. It's a fun thing that I like to do for friends and family for FREE! :)

4. I LOVE to decorate. I think I should probably move this one to #1 because this one occupies my brain a lot. I would LOVE to open a children/baby boutique because decorating kids' rooms are the very best thing to decorate! I honestly dream about ideas how to decorate. I'm a freak!

5. I got in a bad car accident 7 1/2 years ago and it changed my life. I broke my leg (compound fracture) and I've never been able to be as active as I'd like ever since. I've had 4 surgeries, and I'm 99% sure I need another one. Only recently have I decided to live through the pain and continue to go to the gym. What a challenge.

6. I grew up on a farm. Most people seem surprised when I tell them this about me. I have operated heavy machinery, tractors, swathers, you name it. It taught me how to work hard, and I'm grateful for it now. At the time though, I loathed every minute of it. I learned how to drive when I was about 13 years old because of the farm.

7. I had my first two kids 12 months apart. Was this on purpose? NO! Lol. I was nursing Oaklyn at the time, and I was taking the "mini" pill. WELL...needless to say, Connelly was a gift from heaven. (That I was pretty upset about for a minute). But, I would never change it now. Oaklyn was a really bad baby, when I say really bad, I mean REALLY BAD. She cried every waking moment of her life until she was around 9 months old. So, I honestly believe that Heavenly Father knew I would be scarred for life and sent me Connelly so that I would keep having babies! :) Imagine finding out that you are PREGNANT when your newborn is 3 MONTHS OLD!....AHHHHH. By the way, this all happened smack dab in the middle of my last year of my Bachelor's degree...I can't imagine how I got through that.

I tag: Jo, and Liz, and Jessica, and Whitney, and Chris or Staci, and Kallie, and Shandie