Christmas

Here are just a few pics from our Christmas... The kids didn't get up until 7:15 am, and by this time I was just dying... I had been anticipating them to be up at 5...

Jaden sure loves his trains...


This kid is OBSESSED with money, so look how thrilled he was to find Santa had left him some one dollar bills in his sock... The look on his face was priceless...



Complete and utter shock of what Santa had left her (a new cell phone)... Love this..



A little bit of disbelief for him, Santa left him tickets to go see his favorite basketball team play.. The kid is obsessed... :)


What a great holiday... It really was a Merry Christmas...

Jaden

Trying to be just like his daddy, putting on his hat and gloves.. Too cute...

Birthday Wishes for Kyle...

A birthday shout out to my brother in law, he is turning the big 40 today!! Here are a few of our faves about him..
1- His great sense of humor.. He has this ability to make anyone laugh, no matter what the situation.. Love his awesome personality..
2- His deep love for his family... Love it when guys are so dedicated to their family..
3- His great spirit, his energy is felt by who ever is around him..
4- His work ethics, love that there are still people who have great work ethics, he works so hard to provide for his family...
5- His knowledge about everything, he is pretty smart about A LOT of things...
6- His kindness to always help out the fam with car troubles, I know he probably gets annoyed sometimes by all of the car trouble questions, but yet he still does it and never complains (at least not to us :)
7- His big heart, has a heart of gold... :)

I wished Kyle and his family lived closer to us, so we could see them more often.. Thanks for being part of our family, and for great memories you've shared with us... Love you and hope you have a great day!!! :)

Happy Birthday

Just wanted to give a shout out to my sister in law Terilyn and tell her Happy Birthday... Some things that we love about her....
1- Her amazing mommy skills, she is the bestest little mom...
2- Her cuteness in style, her hair, her clothes, her overall appearance...
3- Her darling smile...
4- Her love for her family.
5- The way Troy has a special place in his heart for her, (don't get me wrong he loves all of his sisters), but Teri just has this cute bond with him... I guess that's what happens when you are the baby of the fam.. Love it...
6- Her sweetness to my kids.. :)
7- Her cute personality..
We are so proud of where you are today Teri, and are so happy to have you in our lives... Happy Birthday kiddo... Love ya...

Merry Christmas!!!

I just wanted to wish all of our family and friends a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!!!!

My Christmas Spirit...

Some years I have struggled in finding my Christmas Spirit, but this year, this week I found it... Before I tell you my Christmas story I am going to give you a little background first... From the time I was a little (as far back as I can remember) my grandparents have always had a Christmas party every year.. We would travel from Vernal every single year to make sure we didn't miss it.. Some times even venturing through snow to make it here. But we did, and just as it was every single year it was so much fun... There was always food, family (cousins, aunts, uncles), friends, sometimes there was Santa but always every single year there was the Christmas Spirit... Well about 5 years or so ago, there were no more Christmas Parties.. I am not sure if it was just getting too expensive or if it was because members of the family were not getting along... Whatever the reason, the parties stopped... It was very sad... I asked my mom a few times why we never had it anymore, and she really couldn't give me a reason, just that it had and there were probably not going to be anymore...

A few months ago we were camping with some family and we all agreed that we loved those parties and wondered why we couldn't still have them... So we decided to do just that. Only we decided we would have one stipulation this year, to surprise my Grandma and Grandpa...The invites were sent out, the meal was planned, everyone was on board and so excited... Saturday was the big day, and we were all going to meet at the church in front of Grandmas house.. My aunt had driven down in her RV and so we all decided to pile in there to drive over there.... I was one of the first into the house as I wanted to capture it on camera, and then our families all came in... One after another hugging Grandma as they came in... Family they haven't seen in years, families who had traveled from far away, all walking in the door... It was at this very moment that I felt that same feeling that I have missed feeling in years past... The Christmas Spirit.. It was back and it was felt by everyone there, I know it was... Feuds were set aside, bridges were mended, love was felt... That is what Christmas should be... Its not about the gifts, or money, it's about family and that unconditional love in your heart you have for them... Having that feeling, that swelling in your heart; that's what Christmas means to me... I know we couldn't have given my grandparents anything that would have equalled that moment... The only thing that could have made it better would have been to have shared it with Nancy & Levi (they were on a cruise :(..I will forever treasure that memory in my heart....

We laughed, we visited, we ate and made memories for my grandparents to treasure forever... It was so fun to visit with and reminisce with cousins, aunts, uncles and old friends... Thanks family for reminding me the true meaning of Christmas...

Whitters

Well today it's official, my baby sister is 21!!!! No longer a young woman but now a real life grown up adult.. :) Things I love about her..
1- Her gorgeous smile...
2- The way she loves my kids..
3- Her 6 am texts...
4- Her cuteness in style.. Her hair, nails, clothes, jewelery etc...
5- The way her, Nancy & I recite back movie lines (its so funny)..
6- Her sense of humor..
7- Her great big heart....
So proud of where you are today Whit, just wanted to tell you that I love you and have a Happy 21st Birthday

Family Pics

Here a few of the pics we took out in Vernal when we were out there for Thanksgiving...

The Whole Fam

The Grandkids

My Mom & Whit

Nancy & Levi

Andy & Allie

Tuesday...

This is what happens when a 2 year old is left in a room alone for one minute (who was playing so good with his trains when I walked out of the room) with an unattended pen.


I get out the camera take his picture, go into the other room to find the damage the unattended pen has done, and he gets the camera, turns it on, and takes pictures of himself...


Oh my busy boy... :) Pretty funny though...

My Brother...

I am not sure why I don't talk about him much, and I have rarely mentioned him on my blog, and I feel bad about that.. It's not that I don't love or miss him, I do very much so.. We both live very different lives in separate towns and I don't get to see him very often but I have never stopped missing or loving him... With that said, I was able to spend Thanksgiving with him and I must say it just made me realize how much I do miss him. I wish he could see my kids more, and us see his kids. I miss him teasing me, and my sisters. I miss him being there for family dinners, for birthdays, for holidays.... Well I just plain miss him. It has been probably 10 years (maybe more) since I have spent Thanksgiving (or any holiday for that matter) with him, and I miss that... It is both of our faults that we haven't seen each other in so long... I guess we both have just gotten busy with life and have both been slackers... It was one of the best times I have ever had with him and his family... He was so cute with Jaden, taking him out and letting him feed his cows, letting him handle the puppy as he pleased... My kids (the boys especially) just love him... It made me realize that we do need each other in our lives, even though we have different lives, it is OK... We still need each other.. I know that it meant as much to him us being together as it did to me... We went up to the mountains and took some much needed family pictures(will post some soon).. It was awesome.. The kids were great, the weather was great and all of the pictures were great... Something I will treasure forever... My family said it well, that it was like "going home" for Thanksgiving, it really was... Thanks family for a wonderful holiday...


My brother and his cute family...

Vampires, Dinosaurs, Birthdays... Oh My...

Wow what an eventful weekend... Here are the highlights.. On Friday the Twilight movie came out, my sister-in-law Tammy was able to get tickets through her work, and invited me and my friend Casey to go... We decided to make a night out of it and went to dinner and did a little shopping beforehand(thanks Casey).... Then it was off to see Twilight.. I have read the first 3 books and am working on the last book, but I wouldn't consider myself an "addict". I really enjoyed the books so I was up for the movie... It was a good movie, kinda "out there" in parts, but good. I still think the book was much better... I guess that is always the case with movies vs. books though... In the end it was a fun night out, and I am glad we went.. Thanks Tammy for hooking us up with tickets...

Saturday (Troy was off.. YEAH), we decided to take the kids to do something fun... So we headed south... We were thinking of going to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point, and since we were going to be south we decided to eat at one of our favorite restaurants down there, the Brick Oven.... An absolute MUST if you are ever in the Provo/Orem area... So we went down there (on the BYU campus) to eat some lunch.. It was fantastic, as always... It was pretty funny one of the waiters there was totally decked out in his Utah shirt(kinda brave of him, GO UTES!!)...

Then it was off to the museum.. I had forgotten how cool it was... The kids loved it.. Definitely worth it, and so nice to spend some time with Troy... He watched the game that night, us girls shopped... Fun Fun day....




Sunday we celebrated Jaden's birthday.. I can hardly believe this little guy is turning 2... Where did the days go? Some of my faves about Jaden..
1- The way he speaks his own language, Jadenese as we call it...
2- His byes and Hi's, sound like he is from the deep south...
3- His love for his sister and his brothers, nothing is better than a big squeeze from him...
4- His darling little smile... Melts my heart.
5- His sweet but sometimes a little spunky personality.
6- His cute little facial expressions, crack me up every day.
7- His overall good nature, love that about him..
We are so blessed to have him in our family, he makes our little family complete. I am so thankful for all of my kids and that Heavenly Father has trusted me enough to make me their mom.... Love you Jaden, Happy Birthday...

Thankful for...

As Thanksgiving is fast upon us, I am once again reminded about all of the things I am thankful for...

A- Andy(his family too), Another Day
B- Barker Family, Boyd Family, Brothers(in laws)
C- Courtnee, Cole, Camera, Chocolate
D- Diet Coke (some days more than others), My Dads
E- Everyone I Care About
F- Friendships, Forgiveness, Family, Freedom, Faith
G- Grandparents
H- Happiness, Health, Hugs, Home
I- Inlaws
J- Jaden, Jones' Family
K- Kisses
L- Love
M- My Marriage, My Mom & Mother in law
N- Nancy, New Adventures, Nieces, Nephews
O- Organization
P- Patience, Parents, Prayer
Q- Quiet Times (all moms understand this)
R- Religion
S- Stockton, Sisters(in-laws)
T- Troy, Team Hatch, Today, Temples
U- Understanding
V- Vacations, Very Cute Kids(man finding a V word was tough)
W- Whitney, Well-being
X- (e)Xtra Energy (I can dream right?)
Y- Yummy Food
Z- ZZZZZZZZ's

I am sure I have forgotten many things, and will add them as I think of them... What are you thankful for???

Monday..

Wow what a week the last week has been... Gotta love those birthdays that last all week long.. Courtnee had her friend party on Friday night, it was so fun. The girls all did pedicures, (waxing their feet, painting toes) played a fun card game, sang Karaoke, ate, laughed and were just 12 year old girls... I had forgotten how energetic girls can be at 12, and 9 of them to boot... My sister Whitney made them these cute shirts, putting their names on the back with a crown on the front.. We gave each girl a pair of slippers to wear after they had their pedicures... My sweet niece came down and stayed with us for the weekend (loved having her) and she did all of the girls hair at the party... They all looked like princesses when they left... Fun fun fun..... :)


We got Courtnee a dozen roses for her birthday (turning 12) and Troy took this picture of one of them. So amazing....


Now I get to breath for a week before we have another birthday.. Although I am thinking my soon to be 2 year olds birthday will be slightly less work and loads less stress.. :) We get to spend Thanksgiving with my brother this year, looking so forward to that... It's been way to many years since I have spent Thanksgiving with him.. So excited.. Troy is actually off this year!!! YEAH!! And since I have rarely seen him the last 45 days, it will be a much needed break away for us..

12 Years Ago...

I remember Troy and I wondering how we would do at the whole parenting thing, as we waited for Courtnee's arrival... Nothing about her birth was of the "norm"... She was breech and attempts to turn her were not successful so we were scheduled for a C-section... Never going through any of this before, I was terrified... She came to us 2 weeks early, as my blood pressure was getting too risky... I will never forget when they held her over the curtain for me to see for first time, it was definitely love at first sight, I couldn't believe that little angel was ours... She was truly a slice of heaven sent to our family... It's hard to believe that 12 years have passed, and our once baby girl is now a young woman... She brings so much joy to our family, she is truly a blessing to all of us... She is such a great help to Troy and I.. She loves her brothers (all of them most days), and is a very good example to them... She is so kind, and thoughtful, never mean to anyone.. I wish some days I could just stop time and savor every memory... I am so very thankful for her in my life... She makes our days fun and our memories cherishable... I just wanted to tell her Happy Birthday, and thank her for making my job as her mom so amazing... Love ya gunderbutt...

Halloween

Well Halloween has came and gone and it seriously feels like we Halloweened it for a week straight. As much as I love the holiday I am really glad it's over.. The kids always have so much fun, from getting the pumpkins, carving them, to the trick or treating and the candy, but it's nice to be done for another year... We carved the pumpkins on Tuesday night, kids seemed to like the carving part, but definitely not the cleaning out all of the guts part.. They turned out cute though...



Troy's mom had her annual Halloween Party on Thursday, and when she does a party she goes all out... I am still amazed at her festiveness. She had everything from Halloween themed food to skeleton tongs to get the olives out.. It was fun, for everyone. The food was so yummy too.


She mummified the hot dogs, so yummy... and gotta love the 7 layer dip too...

All the kiddos..

Courtnee with Grandma & Grandpa


Cole AKA Batman, Jaden AKA the Bat, Courtnee AKA 70's GO GO Dancer, Stockton AKA Metal Skull Biker

Friday we did the Trunk-or-Treating at our ward, a little more convenient but I kinda miss the good ole days of going door to door. I guess its safer doing the trunk or treat but not quite as much fun... That pretty much sums up our Halloween.. Fun times, and now we jump right into the Holiday season, AGH where did the year go?

The Walnut Tree

We went to my Grandma's the other night to have a birthday dinner with her, and my Grandpa asked the kids if they would help him get all of the walnuts down from the tree... Man did they have fun playing in the tree, trying to help him get all of the walnuts down.. I think at one point Levi was clear to the top trying to shake down more nuts... Fun times with my grandparents... :) Too bad all of our trees are tiny... What a great way to entertain the kids for hours...

Pumpkin Patch

Our annual trip to the pumpkin patch, kids got great pumpkins, mom got great pics.. And everyone was happy... :) Casey & Mack came with us (well I sorta made them come, thanks guys).. My favorite picture has to be the one of Jaden and Cole holding hands headed to the patch of pumpkins, and that one wasn't even staged.. Cole was so excited to help Jaden find a pumpkin, it was pretty sweet. :) Can't wait to carve them... Although I am liking the idea of Kris' Mr. Potato Head pumpkins, (thanks for the idea, I may use it)...

Birthdays....

Just wanted to wish my friend Casey and my brother-in-law Levi a happy birthday.. A few things about both that I love...


Casey...

1- She is the happiest person I know, always smiling and kind to everyone, the world would be a much better place if everyone were like this...
2- She is a great mom to Mack, and even somedays to my Stockton...:)
3- She is always dressed so cute, her sense of style is really admirable.
4- She has a heart of gold, always finding the best in everyone.. Love this..
5- Her photoshopping skills are something to be admired...
6- So creative, comes up with the cutest things..
7- She is a great friend to everyone and is always going out of her way to make someones day, doing the little things in life that most of us forget...
Thanks Casey for being one of my best friends, love ya...

Levi....

1- He is a great husband to my sister, loves her so much.
2- Is always good to play with my kids, (even when some days I know he doesn't want too.) He will make a great daddy some day...
3- So mellow and always happy, I don't think I have ever seen him get mad...
4- Works out of town, away from my sister to provide for them... (I really admire this, I don't know if I could do it..)
5- Loves his family very much... They mean the world to him... Love that...
6- Accepts all of us as his family, (he's gotta be a keeper for that right?)
Thanks Levi for being a part of our family and for being so good to my sister... Love ya...

14 Years...

I just want to wish my hubby a Happy Anniversary today... I can hardly believe that it has been 14 years... I am so blessed to have him in my life.. He is the most caring, loving, thoughtful, kind and hardworking man I know... Not to mention he is an outstanding dad to our kids... Thanks honey for an amazing 14 years together and hoping for 50+ more... I love you, thanks for all you do for me and the kids, you are simply amazing...


Isn't it great to look at old pictures? Man how time has changed us... Troy is still just as handsome as he was back then ...


Also want to give a little shout out to my grandma, it is her birthday today too. What an amazing day this was, my Grandma's birthday and marrying my soul mate.. :) Bliss...