Four Christmases

I can't believe that Christmas is over! We had a wonderful holiday and got to spend it with all of our family. We literally had four Christmases! It was exhausting, but a lot of fun. Christmas #1 was spent at Mitch's Dad's house in Shelley on Christmas Eve. This was Kelli's first experience opening presents and she loved it!

She thought all of her presents tasted yummy!

Michael had a blast opening presents.He couldn't get enough and was helping everyone open their gifts too.

Christmas #2 was spent at our own home Christmas morning, and I forgot to take pictures!! I did have the video camera on though. Mitch and I were so excited that we woke the kids up at 6:00 am to open presents. (We had to start early because he had to be at Mitch's Mom's at 8:00 am). Again, Kelli ate all of her presents and Michael couldn't get them opened fast enough.

Christmas #3 was spent at Mitch's Mom's house in Rigby Christmas morning. We started with a wonderful breakfast and then opened presents. Michael was so excited to dig in.

Kelli cared more about the paper.

Christmas #4 was spent at my Mom and Dad's in Blackfoot Christmas day afternoon. Michael was a definite pro by the time we got there. Kelli was so exhausted by this time, that she slept through all of the gift opening, but Michael was more than willing to open her gifts for her.

Michael with his cousin Brooklyn hiding in all of the wrapping paper.

We had a GREAT Christmas and we are so glad we got to spend it with our wonderful families. The kids got spoiled rotten and they loved every minute of it. I think Christmas is a lot more fun as a parent watching the excitement on your children's faces and hearing the squeals of delight as they open their gifts. I am so grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ, the real reason for the season, and for the wonderful GIFT that He gave to us.

Michael and Kelli each got new church clothes for Christmas and I have to say that I have the most handsome/beautiful children in the world.

Happy Holidays!

It is that time of year again; the time to reflect on the last 12 months and to look ahead to the next 12. I can hardly believe that 2010 is coming to an end. It has been a good year for us and I hope the same for you.

Mitch is still working part-time as a courier for FedEx as he finishes up his Business Degree at BYU-I. This past semester has been his toughest yet as he has had to help run a business on campus, working at least 4 hours a week there, completing all of his other school assignments and working between 20-25 hours a week at FedEx. But he is such a hard worker and hasn’t complained (much). He only has one more year of school and he is counting down the days. He is currently serving as 2^nd Counselor in the Sunday School Presidency in our ward. In his spare time, if he has any, he still enjoys watching a movie or playing video games and, of course, spending time with me and the kids.

Stacie quit her job at State Farm Insurance in April and is thoroughly enjoying being a stay-at-home mom, the exhaustion and all. She recently started her own business as an Independent Distributor for Premier Designs Jewelry which she absolutely loves. She has had the opportunity to meet lifelong friends and is having a ton of fun. She currently serves as the Primary Secretary in her ward which is the best calling ever! In her spare time, she enjoys reading.

Michael just turned 3 and has more energy than anyone I know. He is such a funny little boy and keeps us laughing all day. He, just like his Dad, loves watching movies, his favorite being Toy Story 3, which he watches at least once, sometimes twice, a day. He has a big imagination and I love to just sit and watch him play. His favorite food is chicken nuggets and sometimes he eats them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He is a great big brother and loves to play with Kelli. He can make her laugh louder than anyone else. He is so excited to go to Primary in a couple of weeks and loves to sing “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam”.

Kelli joined our family in May. I can’t believe that she is 7 months already! She is such a sweet baby. She loves to jump, play with her toes and “eat” anything she can get her hands on. She just started crawling and loves being able to explore the house. She adores Michael and just sits and watches him. She loves to play “Peek-a-boo” and loves to be tickled. Her laugh is so contagious.

We are so grateful for all of our many blessings. We are so grateful for our Savior, and for this season that we get to celebrate Him! We are grateful for each of you and love you so much. We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Festival of Trees

We started our holiday season last week by going to the Festival of Trees in Idaho Falls. Of course, Santa was there and I was so proud of both Michael and Kelli for not screaming.
Michael's favorite part of the night was when he got his face painted. He wanted a zebra, and I must say I was pretty impressed with the outcome.

It was a fun night with lots of yummy treats and beautiful trees (I forgot to take pictures of the trees.) I love this time of year!

I Have a Three Year Old!?

On November 15, 2007, I was a cranky 3 day overdue pregnant woman pleading with her doctor to induce labor to bring a beautiful baby boy into the world. Today, November 15, 2010, I have a 3 YEAR OLD! Where does the time go? These last 3 years have been wonderful. Michael is such a happy boy. He loves to make people laugh and he is so friendly to everyone he meets. Everywhere we go you can expect to hear him say, "Hi. I'm Michael." to any passersby. He is so polite always saying please, thank you, excuse me, and bless you. He is so smart; he knows all of his letters and numbers and can count to 13. He is really in to cars, Toy Story and Bob the Builder. He loves to watch movies and play games (just like his dad). He is a great helper and loves to play with Kelli. He loves chicken nuggets and some days eats them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He hates wearing socks and shoes and takes them off every time we get in the car. He likes to play with friends, and says that mom is his best friend. We love him so much and are so grateful to have him as part of our family.

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY, MICHAEL!

Yesterday we celebrated his birthday with our families. He got lots of attention and presents. He got puzzles, books, clothes, movies, transformers, bubbles, and lot of Toy Story things. It was so fun watching him open his presents. He would open one and say, "Oh, gosh!" (I have no idea where he learned that.) And then he would say, "Look, everybody!" and walk around and show everyone what it was. It was so cute and he loved all of his gifts. (Thanks, everyone.)

When I asked Michael what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday he said a "lion" cake. So because I am such a good mom, I made him one. It turned out pretty cute and he loved it! When everyone was arriving at his party he would take their hand and take them into the kitchen to show them his cake. He would point to it and say, "Ta-Da!" He was so proud.

Blowing out his candles

Today we are having a relaxing day, playing with all of his new toys and watching all of his movies. His birthday has definitely been in Michael's words, "THE BEST EVER!!"

Truck for a Buck

Whenever we need to haul something large, we always have to borrow a truck from someone. It has gotten to be a pain, and Mitch has wanted to buy a truck for a long time. I kept telling him no because we couldn't afford a truck. Well, we found one that we could afford. My dad purchased a new truck and told Mitch he would sell him his old one for $1. Pretty good deal, so this weekend we bought a truck. It is a 1988 Chevy and Mitch is ecstatic. He drove it to work this morning.

Lots O Leaves

This past Sunday we went to my parent's house for dinner. My parents have a lot of trees, which produce a lot of leaves and in the Fall provides much entertainment for children. Michael could not wait to get outside to play in all of the leaves. Mitch helped him rake the leaves into a big pile. He could not get enough of them.

This one is my favorite. Silly boy.

My adorable niece, Halle, also joined Michael in the leaves.

It was tough getting these two inside. They finally agreed when we offered them ice cream sandwiches!

Halloween Cuties

I had a hard time deciding what to dress Kelli as for Halloween. We went between a bunny and an elephant and a lamb, but none of the costumes were cute enough for our little Kelli. I finally found this flower costume and decided that it was perfect because she sure "blossoms up our lives." I think she looked pretty darn cute.


Michael has a huge thing for Toy Story right now and couldn't decide if he wanted to be Buzz or Woody. He finally decided to be "Woody with the cowboy hat." He could not wait until he could put his costume on and asked me every morning if he could wear it. Well, the day finally came and this was how excited he was to wear his costume.

I had to wake him up from a nap to get him ready to go to our ward's Halloween Carnival and he was not very happy with me for waking him up, even to put on "Woody". He eventually "woke up" and then was a very happy, cute Woody.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins

Today we decided to decorate our pumpkins. Michael started by painting his pumpkin.

Next, Mitch was going to help Michael carve a pumpkin, but Michael didn't want to touch the "guts". He kept saying, "I'm too little. You do it, Dad." So Mitch ended up scraping out the whole pumpkin with Michael looking on. We were surprised that Michael didn't want to help. He usually loves making messes!

While Mitch was carving his pumpkin I helped Michael make a "Pirate Pumpkin"...

...and a "Witch Pumpkin."

This is Mitch's finished project, a Spider!

Kelli really liked the pumpkins that Michael painted.

Our "Masterpieces"

My New "Do"

I have had the same hairstyle for probably about 7 years because I was too afraid to try something different. I had been feeling bored and wanted a change so when my friend, Kayla, called me and asked me to be a model at the salon where she works, I jumped at the chance. This is the "do" that I came home with. It is the shortest my hair has been for years and I absolutely love it!! Thanks Kayla and The Defining Line Salon!!

M.I.A.

It has been over a month since I last blogged! We have had a busy month, and simply no free time on our hands. Mitch started school again at the beginning of September with a full schedule. And I started my own business! I am now selling jewelry as an independent distributor for Premier Designs and am loving every minute of it! We rarely see each other since I am home during the day with Michael and Kelli while Mitch is at school and work and then we switch in the evenings when I am doing jewelry shows! It is a little crazy, but we make it work.

FAIR!

On Saturday I took the kids to Blackfoot to go to the parade to kick off fair week. Mitch had to work :( so he wasn't able to go with us. My dad, brother, sister-in-law, and niece were all in the parade so Michael, Kelli, and I hung out with my mom to cheer for them. We sat at the end of parade, so it was a long wait. Luckily, we had candy to keep Michael entertained.

Grandma Sandy and Kelli waiting for the parade to begin.

Grandma Sandy and Michael

This is my brother, Lonny's, entry. He recently bought this Mr. Appliance franchise. They repair all types of appliances (he just repaired my oven). They service Pocatello, Blackfoot, Idaho Falls, Rexburg and all the towns between. So next time you need an appliance repaired, give him a call!!

This is my Dad's entry! KUPI 99 Idaho's Best Country music station and the ONLY station that I listen too!
Michael really enjoyed the parade, especially all of the horses and "BIG" trucks. Kelli slept through most of the parade, until a piece of candy that was thrown hit her in the head!

After the parade, we headed to the fair. Lonny and Jesse live on Shilling Ave, so we were able to park in their drive-way (FOR FREE!) and walk to the fair. Michael and Kelli both fell asleep before we even got into the fair, so Mom and I took advantage and ate some yummy lunch! I had to wake Michael up so he could ride some rides. The two that he chose were...

...the "Nemo" boats

and the "Mater" trucks.

Michael had so much fun and wanted to ride more, but they were $3 each, so we moved on to the petting zoo. The petting zoo wasn't as exciting as I remember from previous years, but Michael enjoyed it. He got to pet goats, bunnies, and puppies. The goats were his favorite and he had to pet each goat.

Michael had a great time! I am glad that it is over. I am not a huge fan of the fair. Until next time...EISF!!