January Instagram

Happy new year 2015!  This pup should really appreciate the many times we take him out in the freezing cold for potty breaks!  Nice way to ring in the new year!

New Year's Day should always include a movie!

Everyone is doing their part getting ready for a special day tomorrow.  Squish takes her role as destructor very seriously.

Baptism day was perfection....

First Sunday of the new year!

Missed each other!

K's preschool moved from a house to an actual preschool building over Christmas break.  She was so excited for the new toys, lots of rooms and the playground!  Until we arrived of course....

#morningslikethese

Good morning Monday!  One of us is ready for you:)

She was telling quite the story.....

Fresh cut and color this morning.  My hairdresser is the best, she always has candy, entertainment for my kids, and cokes on hand.  Love that girl!

Can't be in Layton and not make a quick stop at Cutler's for cookies!

Ladies Vogue is calling!

Show and Tell....she's taking my candle:)  She's funny.

He loves going down the street to pick up the boys from school.

I guess I'll take the final tree down now.

The weekend is rolling in along with the stomach flu:(

They get a wee bit competitive....both hate to lose.

Sunday morning things.....curled  up in bed with a good book.  I want to be nine again.  I have a good book I could be reading too.  If I didn't have clothes to iron, dinner to throw in the crockpot, and five people to get ready for church....oh and cookies to make.

Blue bright skies out there today, felt good to walk to church.

I'm sorry my baby is the cutest!

Tippy toes:)

I love stolen moments away with your kids.....you know those times when it would be so much easier to just go at it alone but seeing an opportunity to reconnect you take it.  I didn't make it grocery shopping until 7:30 tonight.  It was cold and dark and I didn't feel like going alone.  Brought my Lancey boy and it was a night I can now cherish instead of just another night at the store.  We both loved it so much we didn't want our night to end....so naturally we went for donuts.  He's a good boy, a really good boy and I love that I am his mom.

Always in each other's business.

Date night ready:)

Basketball with two very different boys.  Oh Luke gives me anxiety to watch.....he's very enthusiastic and a pro at traveling with the ball.  He also rarely passes and has no problem marching around until he finds a good spot to shoot.  Lance's biggest fear is fouling someone, is an excellent rebounder and both are awesome at making baskets.

A happy early birthday celebration with this girl.....it was a gorgeous day to celebrate turning 32 on Wednesday!

Oh sweet girl....

It kills me the way she carts around her baby.

In keeping with tradition of birthday week Eric brought home birthday pie....because I take pie over cake any day.  Especially sour cream blueberry!

And just like that 32!

Somebody missed the memo it is her mom's birthday and is throwing her third tantrum in the last twenty minutes.  

Maddox with my birthday twinner!

Great to be 8!

Loubird was baptized Jan 4, 2015

I feel bad that every year I seem to use the excuse that his birthday falls right after Christmas and that is why my lack of preparation for his parties is very minimal.

But really it's so true.

I was beyond stressed when two weeks before his baptism we still had no finished suit (it was being altered), I had taken no pictures, no invitations were ordered, menu was not planned, cute little decor or treats or nothing was thought out and I then came down with step Christmas Eve.

I actually had a mini crying session in the middle of the night feeling like such a failure and that I would be letting him down on his big day.

A very wise friend gently reminded me none of those things were holding any significance to the baptism itself and even if none of them got done it would still be a glorious day.

I never did get pictures taken or invites sent out.

I grabbed a few nic nacs the night before that represented our Luke, grabbed a quick baptism book for people to sign along with his current picture I have displayed at home.

Thanks to amazing family, the food was delicious, the suit was done just in time and my best idea yet we rented out the Hyde Park Civic center for his luncheon afterwards.   Which meant I no longer had to concern myself with a clean organized put away home.

Nope it could remain the bomb of Christmas presents it was and not one person would be the wiser.

And this sweet boy loved every second of his day.

A lesson to his momma that sometimes less is more especially when it comes to important days like this.  He felt the spirit, his parents felt the spirit and he was supported by all those that love him.

I loved this day.

My makeshift Luke shrine......

Oh and his silly momma forgot hair gel, combs and whatever else to tame that mop of his after the baptism.

So yeah, he looked straight from the font for the rest of his day and he never looked more handsome.

We have the most amazing family who came to support him that day, I am so grateful to be surrounded by such love.

Luke kept saying "I just love my special lunch and special day, isn't it great mom!"

Sweet Lance and Cars were the first two to sign his book and congratulate him on his baptism.

They were both so excited to do so and so very sweet to Luke all day.

It warmed my heart, what a gift to have older brother/cousin to look up to and love.

My four favorite ladies right here!

I was so grateful to share my testimony and memories of his special day the next day during fast and testimony meeting.....here are the thoughts I wish to remember about this day.....

I stood to the side of the font to receive his implant and hearing aid from Eric before he entered the water and after he had heard the prayer.  Tears filled my eyes for a few minutes because even as he entered the waters of baptism and he comes out pure and clean, a fresh slate..... he is still not perfect.  Not in this state, not in this world.  Why the technology we place in his ears is miraculous and a blessing and quite frankly had his dad and I a nervous wreck that we would drop those oh so pricey miracles in the water.  They still do not replace whole healthy ears, he will never in this life have that blessing given to him.  But through the covenants and promises made this day he is walking the road that will lead him back to his eternity with a strong, healthy and whole body.  Thank you father in heaven for your oh so perfect plan in my little boys life.  It was heaven on earth today.

Christmas 2014

Christmas Eve really the whole week leading up to Christmas wasn't really my favorite.  I ended up getting sick the Monday going into the week and just couldn't seem to shake it.  I was so achy, with a horrible sore throat, a fever that kept coming and going.  But as long as I stayed up on my medicine it seemed to stay at bay.  I was determined to not let it ruin my Christmas this silly flu bug.  So I had big plans that week to bake, wrap presents, last minute shopping you know and instead every night I lay miserable on the couch watching my to do list fall further and further behind in the busiest most magical week of the year.  Finally the morning of Christmas Even I decided I just couldn't take it anymore and took myself into instacare wondering if I had strep throat.

  

So I go they do the cultures. It comes back negative.

I will be honest I was so mad.

I wasted my whole morning waiting in that stupid office when I could have been home with my family doing fun Christmas things all to be told there was nothing I could do but keep being miserable until the bug passed.

So home I went and tried my best to be happy and upbeat for my little excited clan.  Thanks to Eric's wonderful help the Christmas all got wrapped, cookies were bought for Santa and all the last minute errands got done in time.  We headed to Grandpa Cherry's and thankfully thanks to Advil I felt pretty good all night.

We came home, got all snugly in our new Christmas jams, opened one present under the tree, read Luke 2, tracked Santa, laid out his milk and cookies and off to bed these babies went.

I love watching them give each other the gifts they picked out for one another.

I can't ever decide who is the cutest in these scenes the happy giver, or the happy receiver.

So precious......

Christmas morning came bright and early around 7 am, we actually had to wait for dad who had left around 6 to pick up a special Santa surprise.

Once he arrived home we tore into those presents.

I need to figure out how to get the video from my phone on the arrival of our newest family member Blackie.

Luke's one request this year from the big guy was a puppy.

And that Santa came through big time.

This little guy was just made for our sweet hearted Loubird.

It was the highlight of the year watching Luke love on his new little friend.

Him and Lance loved taking our little buddy around on Christmas introducing him to all of our family members.  I have to say those first few weeks with a new pup are all kind of a blur much like a new babe.  He took some adjusting to, mostly for Eric and I.  The kids adored him from the start and the boys especially are so awesome at taking care of him.  They take him out for potty breaks, walks, feed him and my personal favorite tossing his poop over the fence with the shovel.....haha it's awesome watching Luke do this task.  So funny.

Boys best friend for sure.

My heart melts watching them together.

Kel moved to Arizona last summer and boy these two made up for many lost cousin moments over the two weeks their family was visiting for the holidays.

These little ladies are two drama peas in a pod and I love them.

As usual my hodge podge collection of pictures did a pretty poor job of detailing our day.

But it was beautiful and I did manage to feel slightly better.

Though imagine my surprise when on the 27th of December the clinic calls me back to say oh by the way your strep test was actually positive.

So yeah sorry family probably infected you all over the holiday but hey at least it was a good one!

And ten days later my strep was gone.....only to come back three weeks later.

It's been a really awesome sick winter for me.

But Christmas?  Christmas was good.