Relief Society Christmas Dinner

My friend Tabatha and I agreed to "dress" a table for our Relief Society's Christmas dinner. Neither of us wanted to do it alone so we thought it would be fun to do it together. We used a combination of our things to make a beautiful and festive table. I think it turned out beautiful!! I miss the opportunity to do things like this. I love throwing a nice party and using all the pretty things I don't otherwise use.

Tabatha found these darling sparkly snowflake ornaments that we used to tie our silverware. They were perfect and then people even had a favor to take home.

Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends!! We hope you have a great holiday!

Friends Reunited

One of my dear highschool friends, Kindra Pigott and I recently reconnected on Facebook. It has been so fun to chat back and forth and catch up on what has been going on in our lives. I think the last time we saw Kindra was at our wedding almost 14 years ago (and you know how much you actually get to visit with people at your own wedding...not much). After finding out that Kindra and her husband, Frank had little boys who LOVED trains, I thought it would be fun to see if they wanted to come up here (they currently live in Visalia) and enjoy a ride on the "Polar Express." We chatted back and forth and within a day or two, bought out tickets and set a date for our reunion of sorts.

Kindra arrived on Saturday afternoon with her daughter Ali, her husband Frank and their two boys Aiden and Ashton. Grant had a blast playing with the kids but had a special LOVE for Ali. What four year old boy doesn't love a 14 year old girl! After all, she won't steal his toys or even fight over them, haha!!! Loren loved Ali too as she would let her play with her cell phone.

The boys had fun playing pirates and Ashton fell in love with "Red" from Lightning McQueen!

My kids fell in love with Kindra's fourteen year old daughter, Ali. Grant loves to play with anyone but I think he especially likes older kids (probably because he won't have to share his toys with them). Loren wanted to play with Ali's cell phone the whole weekend!



We had a couple days of festivities planned and had a blast while they were here. It was fun to see Kindra and spend time with her again. She looks great - not really all that different (not sure I can say the same). I wish we'd had more time to just chat, the two of us, but maybe we will have to save that for another trip.

Today I am grateful for...

ANTIBIOTICS

I have never been more sick in my life (at least that I remember) than I have been for the last few days. I had the worst sore throat I have ever experienced. I was in tears, could hardly swallow as my tonsils were so swollen they were almost touching. It literally felt like I had shards of glass in my throat. I couldn't sleep, eat or drink. I went to the doctor on Sunday morning. They said my throat looked pretty bad, they did a strep culture and sent me on my way. The nurse told me they would not prescribe an antibiotic until the strep culture would come back - she assured me it would take 8 hours or less. In fact, it was over twenty-four more long hours that I had to suffer before finally getting the POSITIVE STREP test and getting some Penicillin. I have never been more grateful in my life for an antibiotic. Seriously, I felt so bad on Sunday that I just wanted to lay in bed and cry. My body ached, my neck was so sore I could hardly move it, my teeth were sensitive to hot and cold. I cried but it hurt. I have felt increasingly better with each dose and can at least swallow, eat and drink - oh, and sleep (which I was in desperate need of). Leads me to wonder how people survived years ago without the benefits of modern medicine like antibiotics. I am grateful to have been born in a time where we have these things available to us. So, for now, I say HOORAY for ANTIBIOTICS!!!

Hopefully I will be back to blogging very soon. I have much to write about - all the holiday festivities of December, etc.

Happy Birthday...
to the most WONDERFUL husband and Father!!!!

I LOVE this man, I love my life - I LOVE my life with HIM!!!

We LOVE YOU more than you could possibly know!




I had intended to do a full post about Daddy and all the wonderful things he does for us (and there are many many things which we are grateful for). Maybe I will still find the enery to do it but suffice it to say this will be a birthday to remember as Mommy is sick with strep throat!!!

Princess Shoes

From the moment Loren got these light up PRINCESS SHOES from Grandma Ols for her birthday, MORGAN has been obsessed with them. If Loren puts them on, Morgan will screech until she gets a turn to wear them. She will find them herself and bring them to me and sit down while she wait for me to put them on her. It's hilarious to think that she was just over a year old when Loren got these and she was already wanting to play dress up. She is definitely ALL GIRL!

Christmas Decorations - Part 2

Before heading to Fresno for Thanksgiving, we pulled out the Christmas decorations and started decorating the house. Decorating with kiddos is a whole different story and we've learned to decorate in shifts, over several days. We got the tree out one night and got it up and fluffed - but not decorated. The next day, my parents were here so my Mom was nice enough to help me put up all the other decorations before we headed out to do Christmas shopping. Sadly, the tree sat undecorated until we returned from Thanksgiving.







After returning from a few days in Fresno for Thanksgiving, Loren helped me put all the decorations on our big family tree. After doing the kid tree and helping with Grandma's tree, she definitely had the hang of it. She proudly announced that it was "mommy and her tree" because we decorated it. It took at least a few more days for me to get out the ladder and put the beaded garland on the tree but it finally got done.

I still need to take pictures of the outside but we had our lights done on the front of the house again. Daddy doesn't particularly like ladders and ladders don't like me (broken foot in my history) so we hired the same company we had last year. They do a great job and it's done quickly and efficiently. The kids love turning on the lights every night and Grant even said, "Mom, it's nice that we have lights for other people to enjoy!" Very thoughtful - especially since we spend many an evening looking at the lights that others put on their houses.

I love this time of year - I love getting out all the decorations and having our house feel so festive.

Christmas Decorating....Part 1

Prior to Thanksgiving, the kids were begging to start putting up the Christmas decorations. I wasn't quite ready to haul them all out but I agreed to find the one tote that was full of ornaments, the train and other decor for the "kids tree." We found the box with the kids tree in it and quickly set it up. The kids were most excited to put up the train (which they must have played with for hours). You could just see the excitement in the kids' faces. It is clear the kids love Christmas as much as Chris and I do.

Even Morgan got in on the decorating although I had to rescue her from falling head first into the tote of decorations several time.


The kids have been pretty good about not touching the tree, for the most part. Occasionally, they still take ornaments off the tree but the novelty has pretty much worn off - thank goodness. The train is mostly derailed and just sitting underneath the tree. The kids LOVE having their own tree.

Thanksgiving 2009

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year and were blessed to be able to spend it in Fresno with our family. We went down to Fresno on Wednesday afternoon and were able to spend some time visiting with our families that evening.

Thanksgiving Dinner was hosted by Auntie Steph and Uncle Scotty at their house. We all pitched in and contributed to feast. I made chocolate pudding pies for dessert and my mom and I made a cheese dip for an appetizer. We also brought along some shrimp and chips/salsa. We definitely weren't hungry that day because there was so much food to eat. Chris' client was even nice enough to give Chris and each of his staff a smoked turkey. We took the turkey to Fresno and had it on Thanksgiving. It only had to be reheated since it had already been smoked. It was simply delicious!!! Grandma and Grandpa Sly made a bunch of food along with Auntie Mel.

Grandma Sly was even nice enough to make me my very favorite Stove Top Stuffing (she knows how I despise homemade stuffing!). You can call me spoiled, I guess but they have put up with me for many years and have been gracious enough to accommodate my picky eating habits!

In attendance at Thanksgiving dinner was our family, Grandma and Grandpa Ols, Auntie Ally with Santana and Sierra, Auntie Mel and her family, Auntie Steph and her family, Grandma and Grandpa Sly, Uncle Bob and some friends of Mel and Al's. It was a large group, quite crowded and cozy but it was fun and the kids had a good time with their cousins.


Grant tried turkey for the first time and said he LOVED it. Morgan was exhausted and eventually just fell asleep on me. Loren had fun playing outside on the swing set with her cousins.



And then Loren just HAD to hold baby Jackson. If there is a baby in the room, you can bet that Loren is nearby. She loves being a little Mommy and I was proud of how nice and gentle she was with baby Jackson.

After dinner, the bigger kids broke out the Rock Band game and were playing it. Apparently this happens quite often in Fresno - ahah! Auntie Mel and Auntie Steph said this is how they spend their Friday nights. All the kids were into it but none more than Lil Grant who had to get in on the action. He had several turns at the drums and loved it!!!

Gotta love Auntie Mel playing the guitar - love the look on her face as she is totally into the game!!


After finishing up at Auntie Stephs, we took the kids back to my parents, changed them into their pajamas and then went over to Grandma Sly's. She wanted all the grandkids to decorate the Christmas tree they have in their family room. Our kids took their turn but tuckered out pretty quickly!! Emma, Lily and Madison finished up the tree with Grandpa's help. Seriously....no branch without an ornament...that's the rule of Grandpa Sly.

Auntie Steph, Jackson and Madison!

Morgan entertained herself by doing the dolls hair. It was pretty funny!

We had a great thanksgiving and I am so grateful for my wonderful family - all of them.

Grandma and Grandpa Ols' House

When we go to Fresno, we usually stay at Grandma and Grandpa Ols' house. The highlight of our stay is the kids playing with the "cashuator, " as Loren calls it. Grandma bought them some play money and they could sit there for hours and play "shopping." Loren gets things to buy, bags to put them in and then must always have a purse to carry (of Grandma's, of course). We have cash register type toys at home but none are as good as the real one that Grandma has. This makes me laugh because I remember playing "store" with my siblings all the time while we were growing up. And I was just the same, the more "real" the scenario, the better. What kind of store has a pink princess cash register, hahahaha!!!

He is my EVERYTHING!!!

Last night I was visiting with a good friend when she said to me, "Chris is so sweet!" I smiled and agreed. She told me that Chris appeared to be a very doting husband and father. She couldn't have been more right! That man is AMAZING - he is an amazing husband who spoils me rotten and he is an AMAZING father who is adored completely by his children. Sometimes I think I forget just how great he is and I am grateful that occasionally, others remind me of what I already know. This January, we will celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary and then March will mark 20 years of being together. Life with this man is wonderful and I wouldn't change it for the world. I adore and LOVE him more than ANYTHING!!!!

Gotta love this kid...

Loren was recently going around the room saying, "I love Mommy, I love Daddy, I love Morgan and I love Grant!" Then she stopped for a minute and then, with her hands in motion (as she often talks), she said, "And....I LOVE MY OWNSELF!" I love that she uses those words...that instead of saying "myself," she will say, "I did it by my own self!" Too stinkin cute!

Thanksgiving FHE

The week of Thanksgiving, we always do a special Family Home Evening. Last year we made some turkeys and the kids glued the feathers on and then we wrote what they were grateful for on the feathers. This years, I decided to change it up a little bit but keep the same idea. I decided to make trees and the kids could glue on different colored fall leaves. After they glued all their leaves on, we talked about what we are thankful for. I wrote the things that each of them said on the leaves of their tree. The kids really enjoyed it and it was a good reminder of how much we have to be thankful for. Even Morgan got in on the coloring of some leaves :)!!!





This one is Grant's tree. The things he said he was thankful for included Mommy and Daddy, Grandma's and Grandpa's, friends, Jesus, food, turkey, his toys, his family, his teachers, his sisters and himself. It was funny because Loren kept listing all of her toys individually and Grant kept telling her that she needed to be thankful for something OTHER than her toys.

This was Loren's tree. The things she was thankful for included her family, nursery, grandma's and grandpas, Jesus, Mommy and Daddy, dollies, her brother and sister and herself.

We love this time of year and the time to reflect on all the blessings we have in our lives. I am truly most grateful for my wonderful husband (Daddy to our children) and these wonderful kids that we were blessed with. Life couldn't get any better, really!!!