'Tis The Season

We've been packing some fun Christmas festivities into the last couple of weeks, despite mama fighting a nasty cold, we've been having a lot of fun! Here's what we've been up to...




We got our Christmas tree from a lot close to our house. We had big plans of cutting one down in the Uintahs, but it didn't pan out...maybe next year!




We had tons of fun decorating gingerbread houses with some of our very most favorite people. The event was complete with DELICIOUS food, but Lydi was mostly interested in eating the houses :)

Other things we've been up to...

-Shopping (of course)
-Reading (Gary finished his book and I finshed The Glass Castle and LOVED it)
-Checking out fun lights around town...we saw a really cool nativity scene off of 2700 W in SJ that Lydia was loving!
-Playing in the snow...Thanks to Daddy, Lydi has really been enjoying the snow and the four-wheeler!

Under the Weather Has it's Upside

I caught my usual late fall cold just before our trip to Disneyland! Being the big wimp I am, I didn't do much while I was sick...but it gave me the chance to read two books. I loved them both so much I had to share...

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith...I picked this up a few months ago and when I finally had the chance to submerge myself in it, I fell in love with it! It's the story of a young girl (Francie) growing up in Brooklyn at the turn of the century. She is very poor, but fortunate to have a mother who values education and realizes it will be the thing that will give her children a chance at a better life... Highly recommended!

I also read (after stealing it from Gary) Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell...the book is a tale of his journey as a Navy Seal and his courageous battle against hundreds of Taliban fighters. He lost three of his best friends and sixteen other men died trying to save his team. This book enlightened me on the war in Afghanistan and the huge sacrifices being made for our freedom. Must read! (disclaimer #1: harsh language, I'm a little numb to it...others may not be. #2: If you're a liberal this is probably not the book for you)

If you have any good suggestions for me please leave them here! I think I've got the reading bug and I'm counting on it to get me through this cold, miserable winter!

The Magical Kingdom

This year we decided to take off for the long holiday weekend! It was a big change from the traditional turkey dinner with family, but we had a blast! Disneyland was our destination. Grammie, Lydi, Gary and I headed out Thursday morning and came home Sunday night! We squeezed more fun and excitement into three days than you might believe!

Lydia was skeptical of the characters at first, but definitely warmed up to them by the second day! Gary was in awe, this being his FIRST trip! How does one go thirty something years without seeing the most magical place on earth?!?! Mom was loving every minute of it...she's been a few times in the last few years...I think it will always be one of her most favorite places!

There were definitely A LOT of people with our same idea ;) But when my mom and I mentioned the 45 minute lines to one of the over-zealous "cast members," he was quick to let us know this was one of their "slower weekends." We'll just say I'd hate to see busy if that was slow!

Here are some pictures of us braving the crowd and having a great time...




(had to throw this one in...little evelyn here entertained Lydia for 30 min plus while we waited for a show to start. She was SOOO cute...notice her 6'5" sister next to her...she too was so tall! Looked 11, acted 5..true age: 7, we loved her!)

Halloween.

When the Blackberry Calls...

Yesterday I officially failed in the balancing act we call "the working mommy." I was in my bathroom with Lydia trying to do her hair for the day. I heard my phone ringing and realized it was in another room, I left her to run and grab it and returned right back to her and carried on with my conversation. Being a Realtor/mom has required me to be a great balancer of the Blackberry and child care. I'm usually pretty good at it. I typically favor the child, thus the reason I'm on my 3rd Blackberry in 18 months (those stories deserve their own post)!

Today, however, I failed. It was my sister in law. On the phone. She had a real estate question. I suddenly found myself in Realtor mode. I couldn't help her without stepping out of the room once again to sit down at my computer. I ran to quickly look up a number. Seconds (literally seconds) later I heard a blood curdling scream. I hung up on Jesi and knew right then what I would see when I got to the bathroom. I grabbed Lydi and looked for burns. Low and behold she had horrible burns on both sides of her wrist. I. WAS. SICK. I couldn't believe I had just violated so many rules and my sweet, innocent, beautiful girl was now blistered and heart broken! I called Gary up from his office to help with the situation. He was mad at me. Rightfully so! It was an accident, but a very preventable one. So, for those of you out there who have a child...remember these simple rules...

1. Don't leave the child alone on the bathroom vanity.
2. Don't leave the child alone with hot flat irons (or anything hot) within reach-or in the same room for that matter.

Bet you're thinking you would never do that! I know you would never do that! I, on the other hand, have done that...along with many other stupid things, but I hope I will never do it again! My baby, unlike my Blackberry, is irreplaceable...Maybe it's time for an ear piece? I Don't think so! No offense to you Blue Toothers!

In an attempt to redeem myself I bought Lydia the Snow White movie and we watched it twice yesterday. It's a little scary for her, but she loves the singing and the animals...who says money can't buy love?!?!


Her Cousin Always Cheers Her Up

Her New Favorite Coat, courtesy of Old Navy Stuff and Save :)

The Burn/Blister, Just One of Three

...and that what it's all about!

You've got to check out this news clip! I have two of the coolest nephews around...not to mention fabulous ball players!
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705337508/Miracle-League-Kids-with-disabilities-get-to-play-ball.html
...sorry it's not letting me add the link. Just copy and paste it to your browser :)

Leaves are falling all around

I was standing in line at one of my favorite guilty pleasures the other day (Great Harvest) and the clerk was saying to each person in line, "What's your favorite season? I'm taking a survey." Not surprisingly, four out of the 5 people in front of me (busy day there) said Fall. My reply, of course, FALL! Here's what I love about it...(I didn't bore him with this part)

-Cool, crisp air
-Sweat shirts / Sweaters
-Running
-Leaves changing
-Halloween
-Thanksgving

We've had a lot of fun with Lydia this fall. She's getting excited to wear her Halloween costume and she has loved picking our pumpkins and seeing all the fun things in the stores.

Though fall will always be my favorite, there are a few things I don't like...

-HUNTING Season
-The onset of winter
-The endless amount of leaf raking we'll be doing...anyone looking for a service project?

Life is Good!

Lydia: Cute.
Gary: Understanding.
Work: Busy.
Home: Messy.
Us: Happy.
Me: Grateful.

More to come later, just had to remind myself today that all is well.

My Baby is 2 (yesterday)!

I wouldn't be me if I weren't posting this a day late. But I can't believe my little sweet Turk is already TWO!



Here are jsut a few reasons why I LOVE my sweet Lydia...

-You make me laugh everyday
-You remind every day what life is all about
-You keep me on my toes
-You're beuatiful-even with dirty sally hair :)
-You're fun, fun, fun!
-You know what you want (I hope you never change)

I love you through and through Lydi Bugs! Happy #2!

Super Saturday

We had an eventful Saturday beginning with our much anticipated "try"athlon. It was a lotof fun and we were all pleased with our times...except maybe Sundie who came in only seconds behind me with a flat tire :( My time was 50:18 and Gary beat us all with a time of 47:02. My mom and Lydia were our #1 supporters, cheering us on from the sidelines. Christy finished the race as well. I hope I'm half so ambitious at her age!!! Dave treated us all to lunch afterward in Park City. It made for a great Saturday!

Oh wait, that was just the beginning...

I ran to a work appointment quickly after we got home and then it was time to prepare for Lydia's Luau! We celebrated Lydia's #2 with a fun-filled Hawaiian style party that included Hawaiian Haystacks, Limbo contests, Hula contests, Luau music, cake and ice cream, and swimming! I insisted that Jen be our photographer because I realized I had gone to a lot of work for something Lydia is unlikely to remember!

One day I will scale back the birthday parties...one day.

Disclaimer: These events (all in one day) would not have been possible without help from some good friends and family. Thanks to everyone for all the help!

Special Thanks to:

Amy-for doing Lydia's hair and changing her outfit mid-party!
Jen-for great photography
MOM-for helping me clean and shop late Friday night and for picking up the "Costco Cake"
Gary-for preparing my bike and swim gear for race day and for shopping around all week to find me a good pair of running shoes :)

Lydia is a lcuky little girl to have such a big family and so many good friends who love her so much!

Our Little Garden

"Gardening will bring us satisfaction and remind us all of the law of the harvest, which is relentless in life. We do reap what we sew." -President Ezra Taft Benson


Although I'm no "green thumb" and I admit to enjoying an over-processed Hostess Twinkie once in a while, I do love my garden and I especially Love the fresh veggies we get to enjoy on its behalf! Gary has been more consistent with this than I have, thanks to him, this garden has definitely been our most successful yet!

We hope to expand our garden as the years go by and use it as a means to teach our kids to work and reap the rewards...for now, however, Lydi "no like mayos (tomatoes)" but she does have fun checking up on the garden with us and she works hard a keeping the dogs out.

High School Flash Back...

Last night was our MHS class of '99 reunion and it was a blast from the past;) We had such a good time looking at old pictures and watching a hilarious video. Anyway, it was a lot of fun to see old friends, but we sure missed the 85% of the class who didn't show up...maybe the 20 year will be more enticing...WOW! I don't even want to think about being 39?!?!

This is how Tom Boys are Made..

Lydia spent last Saturday with the boys doing "boy" stuff while I worked! I think she loves the great outdoors as much as daddy. This weekend is shopping with mommy! We'll see who wins out in the next few years...

Momma's Girl

It's time for me to get a new camera. I have one REALLY old one and one REALLY big one. I need a nice little point and shoot that I can keep with me. Anyway, here's a rambling of a few things that have been happening around our place lately...(this sure would be a lot more fun with pictures...)
We took a "fun" two day trip to Mesquite last weekend. the time spent with the Cannons was great, but the car-ride was not what I would call fun! Lydi hates her car seat right now! Monday, following our little jaunt south, I took Lydia to Lagoon with my mom, aunt and sister and the kids. We had a blast. Lagoon is an annual adventure for me. I don't think I could handle more than that, but once a year is great. Since it was a Monday there were no lines so we got to do lots of rides. Lydi was a trooper. Her favorites were the boat ride and the water park!
While we're mentioning Lydia...she is talking up a storm and repeating nearly everything we say. Gary's favorite is "Holla." I have to remind him to watch the vocab if he wants Lydia to have any friends. She has really been a mommy's girl lately and I Love it! She is so much fun to snuggle with. Gary usually drops her in bed with me about 7:30 (I know, I'm lazy) and she and I have a few minutes of snuggle time. My favorite thing is when she whispers "bobba, mommy bobba." She knows it's a no-no before breakfast but she loves to try me...sometimes I give in :)
She is loving books! I'm so happy about this. I love the chance to rock her and read to her. It reminds me of when I was little and my mom read book after book to me in our old rocking chair. There are few things more comforting than a book, a mom, and a rocking chair.

As you can see, life has been mostly about Lydia these days and we're loving every minute of her. She will be two in just a few weeks, can you believe it!

The picture below was taken a few weeks ago at a little get together at our home. I think these are some cute little ones (the mommies are pretty cute too) I guess those SUU boys did OK!

It's High Time...

for an update.

Not much exciting news here, but we've certainly been enjoying the craziness we call summer. We've had fun filling our days with lots of sun and lots of water. Lydia is usually dying ot get in the pool by about 10am every day. She absolutely LOVES it!

Other exciting things we've been doing or thinking about lately...

-RUN, BIKE, SWIM...we are "in training" for our first "try"athlon and boy is it consuming. Gary has even decided that he needs 7000 calories a day to sustain himself during this very strenuous activity. I told him he might be 300 lbs. before it's over...in seriousness, it has been a lot of fun and we've had a blast with our team!
-SEW WHAT? Um, blankets and stuff. Thanks to my good friends Sundie and Cristy for helping me dust off and put to use the sewing machine I got five years ago, I've had fun a making some baby gifts for friends and family.
-PARTY CENTRAL...I hosted a work party and a big SUU alumn get together over the last couple weeks and Gary has now declared August to be a party-free month at our house (with the exception of Lydi's #2- of course...I hope!?!)

Stay tuned for some photos of our summer fun!

The "Staycation" of a Lifetime...

That's what you get when you combine your favorite people with your favorite activities at your favorite place (home). Thanks for a fun-filled weekend. I didn't get pictures of everything but seom of the highlights were:
*SWIMMING-lots of it! Ash and Cole trying to teach me how to dive :(
*EATING-Too much of it! But lots of yummy food!
*FIREWORKS-I think our driveway show was better hen the city's show!
*TENTS-nothing beats sleeping out in the fresh air and waking up to the sunshine!
*BIRTHDAY CAKE-celebrating mom's special day wiht her! To the greatest mother in the world, I hope your birthday was a happy one!