The Tree is Here

We went to the tree farm on Friday and cut down the tree that we have been patiently waiting for. It is always a little hard to tell exactly what your tree is going to look like. When picking it out you are outside and there are many trees by your tree. So I kind of get a little nervous taking the tree home. We have had a few times where the tree just didn't look quite right. We got the tree home and put it on the stand and Shaun tells me it is the most perfect tree he has ever seen. (Didn't he get to pick out this tree) I couldn't agree with him more. I went to K-mart to buy more lights and I came across Purple ornaments and tree skirt screaming my name. As much of a pain it is to decorate a tree it sure does look good in the end. Happy decorating to all of you who haven't quite finished yet.

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Thanksgiving was at my house this year. I was really excited to be the Host! We had a lot of good food, good fun, and good entertainment. My mom and her sisters love to pull faces when getting their picutres taken. We had so many pictures I just couldn't decide which ones to choose, so sorry for another slide show. This year I am Thankful for my Sweet Husband who works so hard for our family, and loves me despite my faults. Lexi because she always looks on the bright side, MaKaya who makes me smile everyday, Savanna who can now say 20 words. I am also Thankful for the Gospel, my Neighbors and my Home. I am Thankful for my Dad and his good advice on everything, my Mom for making me laugh, Adam for helping me with various projects and for being one of the Greatest people I know, Stephanie for her creative ideas and the giving heart she has. I am very blessed with great friends and family who surround me with love. Thanks to all who help make my life so great!!!

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Kates wedding was one of the sweetest weddings I have ever been to. Myself and everyone around me could not stop crying our tears of joy!!! We are so happy for you Kate!

Biker Chick

Getting ready for the rest of our journey. My dad calls that my "cute" hat
Peacock and his leather
Peacocks cost-him-a-pretty-penny-trike.

About a year ago my Dad bought a motorcycle. I have wanted to go on a ride and now I finally got my chance. He told me that Peacock (his biking buddy and dentist) said that he had invited a few other couples to go with us. As we pulled into the meeting place there were about 15 bikes waiting for us. I was a bit intimidated this being my first time on a real motorcycle ride. Was I sitting right, did my helmet look funny, were my clothes okay. I didn't get off the bike because I was not sure if there is a right or wrong way to do this. But then maybe sitting on the bike with the kickstand down is the wrong thing. Do you see how confusing this was to me. Needless to say a few minutes later we were off driving through Provo canyon. I have often watched a pack of bikers and thought to myself that is kind of of strange them all riding together like that. And now here I was riding with a pack myself. Our first destination was to eat lunch at Daniels Summit. Because I had now ridden more that just around the block I wasn't quite so intimidated. Eating lunch with the unknown bikers also relieved some pressure because I realized that underneath all that leather are really nice people. I also learned at lunch that they have different biker groups. They have one that rides all over the country going to all the different temples. I guess at one temple they thought they were having an attack by all these bikers, but no they were there to do a session. I also realized that there was a purpose for all that leather. See me being a girl that likes to shop and wear clothes never has a purpose for something I am wearing other than it being cute. So I never imagined that wearing chaps and a leather jacket was more than just looking the part, it was to keep the wind off you. So as much as I want some leather chaps and a jacket to look the part it will also keep my legs a little warmer. After lunch we continued on our journey through Indian Canyon which spit us out into Helper and then we took Spanish Fork Canyon home. Other than my butt being a little sore I had a great time on the back of my dads motorcycle. So Dad anytime you need a passenger I am ready to go. And now I will be on the lookout for some pink leather!!!

I've been Tagged

Tag you're It!!!

4 places I've lived: Springville, Provo, and Spanish Fork (How Exciting)
4 jobs I've had:Clogging Teacher, Hogi Yogi, Dillards, Taylor Drug
4 things I'd like to do before I die: Perform on Broadway, Go to London, Sing the National Anthem at a game, Run the Wasatch 100.
4 favorite desserts:Chocolate Brownie with ice cream, cheese cake, Five Chip Cookies, Better than Sex Cake
4 interesting facts about me: At the age of 10 I learned to water ski on my first try. I am on a bolwing league, I LOVE to be pregnant, 7 layer bean dip is my favorite food right now.
4 favorite movies: Hairspray, Somewhere in Time, The Last Samurai, Barbie as the Island Princess
4 people I'm tagging: Krista, Jennifer, Sydney, Kerri
Copy and paste to your Blog and tag someone else.

Boo is 2

So pretty!!!

Savanna turned 2 on Friday. Kate got married that day so we celebrated Sat. Sun. and Mon. On Saturday the neighbors came over and we sang and had cupcakes. Sunday we went to the inlaws and had a little party. On Monday my family came over and we had another little party. Boo was so cute everytime she would open her presents she would say yeah and clap her hands. It was very cute. The few words that she can say are very cute. So thanks to all that helped us celebrate 2 years of Boo!

Fun with Gran

On Friday night Lexi, Myself, and Gran went out for some girl fun. Lexi loves to go out and pretend that she is a teenager. She is really fun to take out because she is "so mature". We went to Outback (my favorite place to eat) and had some good Aussie Autumn and a chocolate brownie dessert because Lexi loves dessert. Thanks Gran for taking us out to dinner.

Will She ever talk?

Savanna just turned 2 and can maybe say 15 words. And of those 15 words 7 of them sound the same. I thought for sure that she would be my earliest talker becasue she has needed to talk. She has a very demanding personality and does not just go with the flow. It is her way or no way. The problem is, we have a hard time figuring out what her way is. The other reason I thought she would talk early is becasue she has done everything else early. Lexi and MaKaya both were talking in full sentences by the time they were two. I have been waiting for this day for months and I am sad to say we are still playing charades every day. MaKaya said "Mom you told me that when Boo was 2 she would talk". I was just really hoping that would be the case. This is what I hear all day long. YeeAhh, YeeAhh, YeeAhh, in all different tones. She carrys on all kinds of conversations only she can understand. The only thing is she gets really ticked off when you can't figure out what YeeAhh means. I know that her speach is not a hearing issue becasue she understands everything I say to her. She is one sassy little no talking 2 year old.

She dosen't miss a thing

What an Outfit!!!

MaKaya is my very observant child. She is my shopping companion and is very aware of peoples clothes, shoes ect. She has dressed herself from the time she was 18 months. If I want to buy her clothes she has to come with me because she is so picky she has to approve of the clothes I buy. I can pick what Lexi is going to wear but everyday MaKaya picks out her own outfit. Now I can't guarantee that the outfit meets my approval but she indeed is the one picking. She will tell you that she likes your shirt, or that your shoes are cute. She may comment on your hair style or the bracelet you are wearing. She may also whisper in my ear that a certain person doesn't look very cute or that her outfit is ugly. She watches me get dressed so she asked me why I wear a bra. I told her it was to help my boobs not be saggy. One day we were at Shauns Grandmas visiting and MaKaya kindly tells Grandma Ardelle that she likes her shirt. When we get in the car MaKaya tells me that Grandma Ardelle does not wear a bra because her boobs are really really saggy. As true as this is what 4 year old notices stuff like that. Stephanie came over to visit, MaKaya was talking to Talyor and then asks him why the extra tire was not on the back of her Jeep. She notices everything. She has a very good memory and will tell you what you wore to a certain event. She is not only excited about her own clothes and shoes but she gets excited for other peoples new purchases as well. Another thing about MaKaya is that she doesn't really like to share. She will because she knows I will make her but it is not done with a smile. If you borrow something from MaKaya just know that she will NEVER forget what is was and that she will be impatiently waiting for you to return it. If I have misplaced something or need help remembering something MaKaya is the girl to ask. I hope she uses this power for good in her life.

Flirting

So Lexi is 7. Should she be flirting? Becasue she is. We have a lot of boys in our neighborhood and when the ones she likes come around a whole new Lexi transforms. She starts acting very silly and drawing alot of attention to herself. It makes me crazy. I just want her to be herself. The sad thing is, I remember doing the same exact thing. There is one boy named Jayden and they have a love hate relationship. I don't know if he hates her becasue she loves him and then she hates him becasue he is rude to her, or if he hates her becasue he likes her. Flirting at age 7 is differnt than flirting at age 14. They hit each other, chase each other, tease each other, call each other names. So I guess the ruder you are the more you like each other. How am I going to survive years and years of this.

Melanie Downing

There are many amazing people that I have had the chance to know but Melanie is at the top of this list. She has been a best friend of mine for years and becasue of that I know a lot about her. Melanie was not raised in an LDS home. Her parents smoked and because of that other girls parents wouldn't let their children be friends with Melanie (great example us Mormons are) thankfully my parents didn't care and we spent a lot of time together. It really bothered Melanie that she smelled like smoke . It makes me sad to think about it now becasue it was such a huge thing for her. You could say that her family life wasn't the easiest for Melanie. Going to church was hard without the support of your family. But even without their support she graduated from seminary and then served a full time mission in Russia. I remember when she was getting set apart Melanie credited the example of her friends for getting her where she was. What she didn't realize is that she was so much more of an example to me than I ever was to her. I had a great family, the gospel was handed to me. I had support from every direction. For her it wasn't that easy, but she still strived to live the gospel. She asked me to hold onto her temple clothes for her while she was on her mission. When she got home we were at the airport and she was asking for her clothes. She wanted to go to the temple the next day. I was blown away. She then said that for 18 months she had watched people sacrifice so much to make it to the temple and she taught about the importance of going. Becasue of this she just couldn't wait to go. After her mission she moved home with her family and I remember she wanted as much of her room to be white. She wanted to make her room as "clean" as possible in an "unclean"atmosphere. She soon met Tommy and they were married in the Salt Lake Temple. That was one of the happiest days of my life. Melanie was concerned that she would never get married. So when she did my heart was bursting with joy. I could not stop crying through her ceremony. Not only because she was married but because the odds were always against her. She rose above her deck of cards and she was so happy because of it. She now has two kids. Olivia is 4 and Tyton is 19 months. And just recently she got temporary custody of her sisters kids. Gabe is 4 and Journey is 20 months. So now Melanie is the mother of two sets of twins. I am so happy that these two precious spirits are in Melanie's care. (I have failed to mention that she is an amazing, loving, positive, mother) They finally have the chance to be in a home where they can feel the spirit and feel of her love every day. So Melanie as hard as this may be for you I am so happy that you are the kind of person that lovingly and willingly took these two spirits into your home. Once again she has set the example for me to be a better person, and serve my family better. I am so lucky to have her as a friend and as an example. I named MaKaya Joy after Melanie Joy. Lets hope MaKaya has many of the incredible qualities that Melanie does.

Date Night

Something I really really love is Date Night. We try to go out at least once a week. We haven't always been consistent but for the last little while we have. A Few Saturdays ago we went out with Sammy (the best friend snatcher) and Kate. They are two lovebirds. Not so lovey that you can't carry on a conversation (you know what I am talking about) with them but lovey enough that it makes you remember back when you were first in love. We went to Outback and then to a show. Nothing spectacular happened just some good food, with good company.

Baking

I sort of have a problem. I love to bake. Now some of you are thinking that is not a problem but to me I think it might be. This last week I have baked, 3 Poppy seed cakes, 1 batch of Five chip cookies, another batch of Chocolate chip cookies, Gooey rice Krispy treats, Homemade Oreos, Chocolate pudding cake, Bread, Rolls twice, Brownies, and then today I made Jaimes really good marshmallow popcorn. Yummy. The problem we have hear is that because I bake so much my family is not too excited when a treat awaits them. Thankfully my neighbors have graciously accepted but a lot of the goods get thrown away. So instead of sitting down relaxing and reading a good book or catching up on DVR I start to bake. I really wanted double ovens, imagine the fun I would have with those. Any suggestions? Or Recipes?

Halloween

So Cute!!!
Boo and her friend Halle
MaKaya and her buddy Tyce. He inspired her to be a Pirate. She was supposed to be Cinderella.

I really love this Holiday. Thanks to Daylight savings being a week later than usual and some great fall weather we had a great day. The ward had a Trunk or Treat. I love these. You get so much candy in a really short time and you still get to see all the people you want. This was first year that Boo understood what was happening. And for a girl who loves candy could not have been more excited. She ran from car to car and couldn't get her bag opened fast enough. She gave her candy givers the biggest smile and a pat on her had Thanking them for the candy and telling her how cute she was. It was so fun to watch her. After the Trunk or Treat we went to our house and Shauns family came over and we had some Halloween fun. Food and games what more could you want.