Tea Time

One of MaKenna's favorite things to do is have tea. Especially when grandma comes!! They had a tea party yesterday and then Kenna just kept asking all day when she got to do it again. We promised after her nap we would have a real tea party and that is just what we did. We made hot chocolate and had an assortment of little tea snacks to go with it. Then mommy put Kenna's special tea party music on that she has from all the princesses. It was so much fun and so cute. I am so glad that Grandma makes life so much fun for my kids. Thanks Mom!!

Christmas Day

We started our Christmas Eve night off with our traditional Seafood Buffet, crab legs, salmon and shrimp with many sides. It is the yummiest tradition and so worth all the work. Then we had a suprise visit from Santa and he brought the kids their pajamas...oh did that get them excited for the rest of the night. I Believe do you? Sometimes the years with least are the ones that are the most memorable. We didn't have much under the tree this year and not much to exchange but without being cheesy I truly felt I could count my blessings. MaKenna and Hunter got bikes from Santa and Brianna got some toys. We were so lucky to have Brian's parents here for the holidays as well. I am so blessed to have in-laws that are so geniunely sincere and love my children unconditionally....plus they raised an amazing son and for that I will be eternally grateful. We had a late breakfast with our family and neighbors and enjoyed watching Wall-E together. Oh, and my sister Lindsey got a St. Bernard Puppy too. This is a lifelong dream that was finally fulfilled. She will have her hands full now. It's almost like she has 3 babies now. Good luck Linds! Relaxing and eating all day is what Christmas is all about!!!! What a great year and look at the milestones we've crossed.

Who could ask for more?

As the year nears an end and I have tried to take time to reflect on the past year, I realized that the blessing far surpass the trials. As we thought that we might lose the newest member of our extended family(Baby Chase) And then not only to have him come home but start to grow by leaps and bounds. Then Grandpa got married to Grandma Alice after two years of lonliness since Grandma passed. We have experienced many ups and downs with our business and yet somehow life seems to move forward and we are able to always put milk in our cups and food on the table. Our little baby is no longer so little and she gets into everything. No she is not walking yet but for some reason I am ok with this. She is 3 1/2 months slower than the other kids and she has no intention of walking anytime soon either. She knows that Mommy will pick her up and lug her around if she gives the slightest wimper. She tries so hard to be as big as sister and brother and love them so much. The two older kids are in Preschool three times a week. They each love their teachers so much and each one fits them so well. Hunter has grown up to be the littlest man. He has the sweetest demeanor and the most sensitive personality. He is quite talented with a basketball and even at the age of 3 he rarely misses a shot. He even has form when he shoots a basket. He is so loving with his sisters and is always willing to give them compliments and Kenna will surely fish for them if they are not offered too. MaKenna can almost count to 100 all by herself and she is getting better at letter and number recognition. We cut her hair this year and ever since the cut she couldn't get more girlish if she tried. She has to put her "lapstick" or lipstick on every morning before she even considers leaving the house. What a little diva. Brian has stayed busy trying to make ends meet with our business. He is a great dad and never fails to keep his priorities in check. He is wonderful Dad and husband. He does things to help out that most men would never dream of doing. Thanks for being there for me too honey. I just can't wrap myself around the thought of how big this little family of mine is getting. We are so blessed to have each other forever. May the next year be just as great as this one. With health, strength and love. Happy Holidays!

Annual Christmas Party

We had our Annual Christmas Party on Saturday. I cook a turkey and ham dinner for about 30 of our friends here in town. We are so lucky to have so many friends that we can have fun with. I make all the dinner, that is something that I really look forward to every year. Plus it is our Christmas gift to everyone too. It took four days of preparation and 2 ovens cooking all day to be ready but so worth it. Then at the end of the dinner we have a white elephant exchange. It is a blast and full of unexpected adult items. ha ha ha I guess it is a good thing that the kids are not invited to this party. One of the wanted gifts was my Brian in his "sweater" in a framed picture. There is a joke behind this picture that is too long to write. And of course some dumbo ears? Who wouldn't want Dumbo and his trunk...oh yeah Kerry Dorius doesn't. Well thanks everyone for coming it was blast and we hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!!

No Turkey, Just Mickey!

No Turkey, Just Mickey!

This year for Thanksgiving we decided to pass on the Turkey dinner and get away. We went to Disneyland. The kids have been asking to go there for quite some time now and so we decided to suprise them. We told them we were going on a trip and we did not tell them where until we got to California. My parents, sister Christie and little nephew Brendon went too. THere is so much magic there, i just don't know how they do it. MaKenna lived to see all the princesses and enjoyed an intimate conversation with each one of them. Hunter could care less about the princesses, all he wanted to do was go on the Buzz Lightyear ride that you shoot with guns and see Mr. Incredible. Brianna was really sick the whole time, we could not figure out what was wrong so we just tried to keep her in a happy land of tylenol and motrin. When we got home we found out by taking her to the doctor that she had Roseola. Ooooppps, she was really contagious. The wait for rides was no longer than 30 minutes and we spent some quality time with each other in a Magical Land. "Thanks Walt Disney," as my neice Hanna would say. The whole place was decorated with Christmas and the shows really helped you get in the spirit of Christmas. The trees, the lights, and the parades were specatcular and something worth seeing. We enjoyed our stay and can't wait to go back already. MaKenna said on our way home, " I miss Disneyland already, when are we coming back?" We chuckled and responded, "not for a long time."

My Baby turned 1

Brianna turned one this last month. AAAHH, they grow soo fast. Her birthday was the day after the BYU/UTAH Game so we had a big party. As most of you know that Brian and I are split in one thing and that is which team we cheer for. He is blue and I am red. So we did Brianna's first b-day cake in blue with red letters. It suited the situation well. We decided that it would not be an argument with the kids in trying to make them choose a team. Leave them out of this one. However they did choose red on their own. Love you honey and some day you will come to your senses. Ha Ha Ha. Well Happy Birthday Bri and know that no matter what mommy and daddy will always cheer for your team! We love you sweetie!

Halloween

This Halloween was really fun....I wasn't on bed rest like last year and the kids are at perfect ages to really enjoy the holiday. MaKenna was Ariel(the little mermaid), Hunter was Mr. Incredible and Brianna was a Lady Bug. We had a Halloween party with all of our friends on Monday and then the kids had various parties throughout the week. It was a lot of fun to see all of our friends dressed up. We had dinner and games and awards too. Brian's parents came down on Friday morning and spent the holiday weekend with us, it was great to have Grandma and Grandpa here with us. We love the holidays and this year was even more enjoyable with our children. They told Brian and I that they wanted to Trick or Treat without us because they did not need our help. That was a "blow" to our self-esteem. What a great memory we made this year that will last forever. Happy hauntings!!

Summer Fun '08

This summer has been so much fun and so busy. I have not had time to even blog all the fun we have had until now. And it is not going to slow down anytime soon. With our growing family and lots of activities going on it seems harder and harder to keep up with life. We have loved spending so much time with family this past little while on both sides. What a blessing family is! We love our cousins and as Hunter would say "Grandmas and Grandmas and Grandpas and Grandpas." We have spent time with friends too and they are so great to us here in our little town. Life is so great and nothing to complain about. Our little cousin Chase is doing well and growing big...his challenges are not over yet but he is doing well. We spent time doing so many fun things with so many loved ones. Thanks everyone for a great Summer.

A Day in the Mountains

We went to the mountains to have lunch this past week and just enjoy the sun. I love Southern Utah. The weather this time of year is one really good reason that we live here. We love the mountains and have not had enough time this year to really enjoy them. Yet we had a great day last Friday....and maybe there are more to come in the next month. This kids came home all covered in dirt and we needed showers before we could nap but so worth every bit of it.

Cousin Chase

Our little Cousin Chase arrived this past July. He was seven weeks early and there were many complications to overcome but yet a such a precious little guy. As I watched Ben and Lindsey work their way through this great trial in their lives and see the strength that they had, it was amazing. The times I went to the hospital with Lindsey and see to the love that she had for this baby that she had yet to dress, bathe and hold whenever she wanted like most of us have the blessing of doing shortly after our babies arrive on earth. Her strength and faith in our Father in Heaven was phenominal. I found great courage in her as she pushed forward into the unknown future of her family and found unwavering faith in prayer, the gospel and her husband. We are so grateful for the future of this little boy and know that he will be bless many lives in his lifetime. Even though the trial is far from over, we believe that the countless blessings in Chase's behalf allowed him to be here on earth for a purpose and that we are grateful. We love you Chase.

Preschool Graduation

MaKenna graduated from preschool this past week. WOW what a year she ahs had. She has learned so much and gained some new friends too. She would come home on a regualr basis and tell us about her friend Tyler. I think she had a small crush. However we tried to steer her clear of all the boys, she would steer right back. She had a great experience and she looked forward to it every Monday and Wednesday. Gwen Wadsworth was her teacher and she is amazing. I am so grateful that there are other people in this community that I can entrust with my children. I know that without their help we would not be able to be the parents that we strive to be for them. Thanks Gwen!! And Great Job MaKenna! We love you!

T-Ball

This year MaKenna and Hunter were finally old enough to play T-Ball. It was so fun to watch them learn the game. The first game they were clueless and by the last game, they knew which bases to run to and where to throw the ball. They had a blast. Hooray Volcanoes!!!! What a team! What a year!

Mother's Day Table

I got the best Mother's Day gift! Months ago I had requested a Scrapbook table...I had bought a Cricut Machine and I could not use it because I had no where to put it. Our master bedroom is huge and so I found a corner that we could put a table. I helped Brian design it and then he did the rest. I did not pick colors or anything, he did it all. He has a really amazing talent when it comes to designing and now you can see what I mean. If only you could see all the work he does for other people. Well, I got my present Saturday night and I would love using it on a daily basis if time would allow. Ha not with 3 kids. Thanks honey, you're the BEST!!!!! I love my Table!

Birthdays, Dance & More...

This past weekend MaKenna turned 4 years old. It is hard to believe that my first baby is now four. Who would have thought? We had a princess party and all her friends came dressed up as princesses. They danced to music and made princess frames. What a "Ball' we had. Not only is she four but a beautiful ballerina too. She has been taking dance for the last year. She is really good at her curtsy and twirls. She loves all the attention that the recital preparation brings to her. She just can't get enough, and I love giving the attention to her. Especially this year because it was her birthday too. Happy Birthday MaKenna. Mommy and Daddy are very proud of you. You are a beautiful girl!!!

What a Fish!!!!

Bri has gone ice fishing a couple of times this year. We have some really great friends. We are so lucky to be able to spend time with such great people. However, this weekend the guys went by themselves to Otter Creek and after fishing all day Friday and then a good nights sleep, Bri caught the biggest Trout on the lake Saturday. It weighed 4 & 1/2 lbs. What A Whopper. Great Job Honey...you have become quite the fisher!!! Or was it just Luck? The last day trip the boys took was a couple of weeks ago and the lake had melted quite a bit. However they seemed to enjoy one another's company just as much. Thanks for being such great friends all you fellow "Hurricanites" We truly love you all are so grateful for the friendship we share with you all.

Ellie & Joshua are getting a new Baby??

Well Lindsey, Ben, Joshua and Ellie came for Hunter's Birthday and as we were all sitting around the table eating lunch, they shared with us that they are having another baby. Hooray!!

We knew that Ellie was not the end of this story. We also found out this week that it will be a baby boy. What A JOY!!! We are so excited for your cute little family to recieve a new addition. Aunt Kellie always likes hearing that she is getting a new neice or nephew too. Congrats Ben & Linds!!

St. Patrick's Day Party

We decided that we should celebrate St. Patrick's Day with all our good friends. Brian has always thought that I was crazy to color our food on holidays (i.e orange on Halloween, red on Valentine's) But the kids always seem to love it and it always brings such memories to me of my childhood. I had such a great mom who shared her love for life with me and her energy to make it great each and every day. Thanks Mom!! So we had a green dinner....Green potatoes, green chicken, green salad and even green desserts. It was such a blast. Maybe this will have to be an annual tradition.

Little Blessing

Just not 4 months ago, one of the most important events that will ever take place in Brian and my life happened. I gave birth to our third baby. She came 3 weeks early after much hardship and even surgery. She was only 5lbs. and 3oz & 18 inches long. Though early she was healthy enough we took her home less than 24 hours later. Each time we have done this it gives me such a renewed hope for life and what it is all about. These little beings are so precious and we are so lucky to have them in our arms. I don't always appreciate the miracle that takes place while I am pregnant because of all the ailments that seem to take over my body with each pregnancy. Yet I can't even begin to imagine the love that our Father in Heaven has for us if this is how I feel about just one "little" person. What A Blessing!!! We love you Brianna and are so grateful you came to our home. Kenna and Hunter love you so much too. They can't wait until you wake in the morning to "see their baby" And neither can I! We feel so lucky to have such a beautiful, healthy, happy little girl enter our home and bless our lives each and every day.