Merry Christmas!

We will for sure have our white Christmas this year! We went to bed last night as the snow begin falling.... we woke up to the snow STILL falling and by 4:oo pm we had 11 inches of snow! Steve was outside shoveling our driveway for 4 hours (Thanks babe!) and finally gave up because there was just nowhere else to pile the snow. I should have taken a picture of the piles of snow. Our kids were so excited to get out there and play. They could care less that it was freezing cold and that they are already sick with coughs.

Brook and Brin getting in some sister bonding time. Steve had covered Brooklynn's legs up with snow and made her a snow pillow to lay her head on. She was having a blast!

Steve tried making Braden a bed of his own... but he wanted nothing to do with it. When I brought him in, his boot was full of snow.

Our little Brinley absolutely dreads getting near Santa. She has always been like this. Every picture we have of her and Santa she is crying or clinging on to someone for dear life. This year, she didn't even want Santa to bring her anything because she is so afraid. But every year, despite her fear Steve and I force her to do the unthinkable.

Braden was really cute this year with his Santa list. He also didn't want anything from Santa, not because he was afraid, he just didn't want anything. At pre-school, his teacher had all the kids make a card to Santa. She helped them write what they wanted. Braden's letter says "I just want to give you a card. Merry Christmas Santa!"

Brooklynn LOVES Santa! This year Santa sent our kids a special letter in the mail. I watched Brook walk out to the mailbox to discover the letter. She was so excited! Her jazz hands were flying in every directions. She didn't know what to do with herself.

We hope you all have a Merry Christmas. We are so thankful for this time of year as we have the opportunity to remember the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving in Idaho

This year our family made the trip up to Idaho for Thanksgiving Weekend. It was so much fun to be around all the family. Steve's sister Jana and her family came up from AZ, along with Grandma Jody. Steve's brothers; Bill, Brian and Joe live in Idaho so we were only missing John and his family. We had a blast going to movies, going out to eat, making several trips to the grocery stores, playing games and just watching the kids play with each other.

To make the weekend even better, Bill and Jeanna were sealed in the temple to their adopted son Trent (and of course, my daughter throws-up that morning so I get to stay home with her and miss this great event). We are so happy for them and excited to have Trent as a nephew and cousin.

Who goes swimming in Idaho during Thanksgiving? Oh well, the kids had a blast! And thanks Steph for thinking that there was even a remote possibility of me fitting into one of your size 0 bathing suits.

The kids spent countless hours playing games with each other. Thank you to the cousins for helping my kids have a fun trip.

This picture was taken BEFORE Thanksgiving dinner... Whats that all about?

Thank you to Brian and Angie for letting us come spend Thanksgiving with you and your family. We love you!

What have I done?

Rules are: Anything you have done has to be in bold. How much have you done?
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a Mountain
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Been to the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Tied a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (is a fish an animal?)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Visited Italy

Our Crazy Lives!

A month can fly by so fast! Seriously, I swear it has not been that long since I last posted anything. Well, I have a lot of catching up to do... so here it goes!

We celebrated Brin's third birthday. She is getting so big! I really can't believe my baby is 3! We never have a dull moment with this kid. I'm telling you she has more curiosity, crazy ideas and funny sayings than any other child I know.

The other day, Steve told Brinley that if she started wiping her own bottom that we would take the family to Disneyland. Well, Brinley has not forgotten, infact, she lets everyone know how awesome she is. Someone rang our doorbell the other day and Brinley stood at the top of the stairs and yelled down to the person at the door "hey guess what, I wiped my own bum!" She was so proud... All I can say is Daddy better fulfill his part of the bargain.

Another new event is that we decided to put our house up for-sale! It has not been a fun process. I am not one for surprise visits and so luckily we sold our home pretty quick. Only about 50 days of being on the market we got an offer and we decided to take it. Both Steve and I are sad about this move. We are really going to miss our ward and neighbors, but we know that this is the right decision. Luckily, we found a home to rent in the neighborhood for the next little while until we can decide where our next move will be.... (this is still in debate:))

Lastly, to my dismay, Utah has already seen its first snowfall. My kids were in Heaven! They have so much fun playing... or I should say, eating the snow. I love sitting in my warm cozy home where I can peek out the window at my kids playing in the snow. They are so entertaining. It brings back so many good memories of me and my siblings spending our days out in the snow.

Thanks for not giving up on me. I will hopefully blog again soon!

I've been tagged

3 Joys:

• Knowing that my Family can be together Forever
• My Husband! He takes such great care of me and the kids. (I love you babe!)
• My kids! (I found this quote on my friends blog that I love. )

"Making the decision to have a child-its momentous.

It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body."

3 Fears:

• Snakes
• Losing a child
• To be alone

3 Current Goals

• Keep my house clean
• Exercise more frequently
• Eat healthier

3 Current Obsessions

• Reading
• Junior Mints
• Being outdoors

3 Random Facts

• I love getting new clothes, but I hate to shop. (Maybe its just because I absolutely dread taking my kids shopping with me)
• I can never make up my mind. For example, my daughter's birthday is Friday, so I went to buy her some new clothes, I found way too many cute things and I then couldn't decide which ones I liked the best. So, instead of choosing one, I buy them all. This way Steve will have to be the one to decide.
• I like my toenails painted, but hate my fingernails painted.

We just got back from our family trip to Island Park. We had a blast! We only wish we could have stayed longer. Here are a few pictures of our adventures.


Steve and the kids had never been to Yellowstone. We walked around through the geyers and even got to see Old Faithful.
We went through a passage in Yellowstone that was full of Buffalo. We spent a lot of time watching them.
I'm telling you, the buffalo were everywhere. They would just stop traffic and not let anyone pass. These two buffalo stayed in that position for at least a half an hour. I guess when you are in there territory, they are in charge.
We were able to see a few different waterfalls. They were beautiful! Here is a family picture of us at one of the tops of the falls.
And here we are again with the buffalo. This time the buffalo were right in front of us. We had a blast watching them... Until... they turned around and started coming right towards our car. Both Steve and I got a little nervous and all three kids were in the back just crying their eyes out. It played chicken with us for a long time just standing right in front of our van, starring us down. Finally it walked right next to the drivers side of the car and went on its way. By then we were all happy to be leaving the buffalo's territory.

At one of our picnic spots, the kids found this teeter-totter log. This is our kids with their cousins.
On the way home we stopped at two temples. This is the Rexburg, Idaho temple.
Here is our family infront of the Idaho Falls temple. The temple grounds were beautiful.

Usually it would take us 5 to 6 hours to get home from Yellowstone. We finally drove in our driveway 9 & 1/2 hours later. But we had a great time and are so thankful for this opportunity to spend time with our family.

Our new passion.... The Sip-n-slide!

With the weather being hot and the kids getting bored, Brook and her friend decided that it might be fun to try to sell some lemonade. They were determined to sit out there until they had a customer...(2 hours)... and the customer was me! It didn't take long, though, for them to realize how hot and thirsty this job made them. as you can see in the picture more lemonade was drunk than sold.

After attempting to earn some cash, the kids wanted to cool off on the sip-n-slide. We decided to try it on our front yard slope... and it was a hit! They were having so much fun that I just kept on thinking... "why didn't I think of doing this 2 months ago?"

More Summer fun!

We have had a summer full of fun! We have tried hard to cram in as many things as possible and I think, so far, we have done a pretty good job! Steve's side of the family all got together in St. George, where we spent the week swimming, golfing and playing with cousins. In the middle of the week, Braden had a birthday. All the cousins were very eager to join in on the fun.

Our big boy turns four-years-old! He had a blast spending his birthday with so many of his cousins. All he wanted to do on his birthday was "go swimming!"

Our kids could not get enough of the water! "Yes, I am four today!"
Brinley kept on stealing all the other kids toys and floaties! (that doesn't sound anything like Brin... does it.)

Summer Fun!

Brook had her dance recital in June, where she danced to the song "Itsy bitsy yellow polka-dot bikini". She definately is a performer. We have to bribe her a little, but if you tell Brook that you will buy her a treat if she smiles and does her best... she will not let you down. While she was dancing she did not stop smiling and did a great job at remembering the whole dance. After it was over, she did not let us forget our part of the bargin. We love watching her dance.
Before our family reunion with Steve's family we met up with Angie and her kiddo's (Sister in-law and cousins) at the zoo. The girls had a great time.

Every tuesday evening and Saturday morning you will find Steve and I at the t-ball field. Brook plays for the city of Lehi and Braden plays for Saratoga Springs. Lately, the kids games have been overlapping, so we have had to split up. We have had a blast watching these kids learn about the game. For the first few games, all the kids on the field would run after "every" ball whether it was near them or not. Then they would tackle each other to see who would end up with the ball. Other kids would hit the ball and instead of running to base, they would run after their own ball, pick it up, and take it to the base with them. We have had quite a few laughs.
Braden is the youngest on his team. The cut-off date was the week of his 4th birthday, so he barley made it. He was a little nervous at first but it has not taken long for him to get comfortable. Although there are several times when he gets a little bored and will sit down on the field and start picking the grass right in the middle of the game. One time he was playing second base, he decided to take a break so he sat down on the base. The ball was hit near him but he didn't budge. The player at first ran to second... he still didn't budge. He was just enjoying the cushion I guess.

New Happenings

We finally have lost our first baby tooth! This day has been long awaited. Brook has been feeling quite left out at her school, because in her mind, EVERYONE else has already lost a lot of their teeth. (Why would anyone be excited about losing a tooth?) Its all about the tooth fairy!!!
We cannot keep little Brin in her bed. When the lights go out, the mischief begins. Brin can act very tired right up until that light is turned off, then the light in her head turns on. She begins her ritual of getting out of bed, a hundred times. Usually she is very sneaky and will just sit somewhere in the house where she can see Steve or myself. As you can see in this picture, she found her sitting spot in the middle of our stairs. this is a perfect place to sneak a peak at our TV downstairs. Who knows how long she sat here before she finally dozed off.
So the other day I decided to do some weeding. Not long after I started weeding, I found an odd looking hollow egg. It was the same size as a chicken egg but different in texture. I started doing some research and found out that some snakes lay eggs. I panicked of course, and the first thing I thought of is "thats it I am selling this house"! Imediately, I stopped weeding and have not touched my backyard since then.

A week later, we are out having a barbeque, and there it is, a new baby snake right by my back stairs. After looking on the Internet forever, I found a snake very similair to the one I found. I am pretty sure it is a bull snake. They get to be about 6 feet long and 2 inches thick. They look lots like a rattlesnake and even mimick some of the same things rattlesnakes do when they feel in danger. But the good thing is (if there is a good thing) they are not poisionous! But still, who wants a batch full of baby snakes in your back yard. I am still considering the for sale sign!

Our Carribean Cruise

Steve and I just got back from an amazing trip, with my parents to the Southern Carribean. We went on a cruise which started in San Juan, Puerto Rico and went to five other islands including: St Thomas, St Kitts, Grenada, Bonaire and Aruba. We could not have asked for a better week. This first picture is of St Johns (as sister Island to St. Thomas) This is a beautiful spot called Trunk Bay where we went snorkeling. It was so fun to snorkel in such clear blue water. (for all you country fans...around the corner is Kenny Chesney's home)
Our second stop was St. Kitts. We decided to take a tour of the Island and were lucky enough to get a fun tour guide. He took us through the rain forest, where we saw tons of spider monkeys swinging in the trees and running across the road. We also stopped at a plantation that had beautiful trees and flowers growing everywhere.
Grenada was our next stop. We visited a couple of different waterfalls where Steve did not let me down, as he climed to the highest rock and dove into the water for all to see. He had everyone cheering. This island was so green and beautiful.
Everything was a baby blue color at Bonaire. The water was so blue and beautiful. This Island had the very best snorkeling. We went to a small Island nearby to snorkel. We were able to swim with a turtle and also saw some amazing coral and fish. Aruba was just as fun as the rest. We spent most of the day on a beach snorkeling and just enjoying the sun. While we were snorkeling, we found star fishes, sand dollars, an eel and a thousand fish. At times I got a little nervous with so many fish surrounding me. We had a great day.

Too Funny

The other day, while I was making dinner, out of the corner of my eye, I see Brinley walking past me. I was busy with dinner so I wasn't paying too much attention until I heard her hit into a wall. By this time I was a little curious to know what she was doing. I walked around the corner only to see her inching her way into the bathroom with her head completly covered with a pair of her undies. I thought it was so funny, I ran to get my camera. By the time I got back to her, she had found her destination and had also discovered a nice size leg hole to see out of.

All about Braden!

Braden is such a cutie! He is so imaginative and full of energy.

We have the large tile squares in our kitchen, and Braden is always telling me "mom don't step on the crack!" Braden spends his days jumping over cracks, couch cushions or down the stairs. He never stops. The only time he does stop is to sleep. As you can see, he gives most of his bed away to all his animals, cars, balls, and blankets. It takes him several minutes to arrange his bed just the way he wants it before he will finally fall asleep.
One of Braden's absolute favorite activities is riding his bike. This winter has dragged on and on. It is too cold to ride his bike outside so he tries to sneak it in the house all the time. Most of the time I end up feeling sorry for him and I give in.
We love our little buddy!