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!