Come on 2008!

Well it is official, we took down Christmas yesterday. Corynn helped me put away the "Activity" scene and as we finished wrapping up the last figurine, she made a fake but dramatic sniffle and said, "I'm just going to miss Christmas." After we were done I looked around and commented that our little house looks much bigger now. Corynn took a look around and commented that we had a "regular" house now. I told her that it is exciting to ring in the new year and all that it brings, she said, "Oh yeah, what's it gonna bring me?" I'm thinking Prozac if she keeps this up.We did have a great Christmas though. We spent Christmas Eve with Hyrum's family. The food was wonderful and the grandchildren love acting out the Nativity as Papa Chad reads from the scriptures. Then everyone opens their Christmas jammies from Grandma "C ". We opened gifts at our house then went back down to S.D. and spent the afternoon with my family. Papa Sam and Grandma Jeannine changed things up a bit this year and gave each family 2 wonderful sleds and warm hats and gloves to go with. Hmmm now we just have to find that snow. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and we hope you have a wonderful start to 2008!

Wicked Cool Concert!

My sister Stef and I went to a great concert Monday night. Hyrum got me tickets as an early Christmas present and I'm glad he did because it was awesome! THANK YOU BABE! We got to see Brandi Carlile, Indigo Girls, KT Tunstell, and Ingrid Michaelson. Seeing Brandi perform "The Story" live made my year! That girl has some pipes! I'm amazed at anyone who can play the piano or guitar and sing at the same time! I'd post pictures of the concert but no cameras were allowed! I've had an awesome week, now I have to get serious about finishing my Christmas shopping, time is running out! Brittany came in to town yesterday morning, we ran a few errands and got a few things for our hard working hubbies! It was fun to visit and catch up. Hope everyone has a safe and happy Holidays!

NYC in 4 days can it be done???

Hyrum and I flew out to New York City Wednesday for 4 days of crazy fun all on Edward Jones! We had so much fun! We saw everything there is to see in 4 days! I take that back it would take a couple of weeks to see everything that city has to offer but we saw everything WE wanted to see minus the Empire State building that one slipped through the cracks somehow, we did see it from distance though. Quite an experience for these country mice! We loved every minute though, crazy cab rides, subways and crossing the busy streets with hundreds of other people...oh and did I mention all the fabulous shopping? The sites were amazing, number one on my list was Lady Liberty which we took a freezing ferry ride to, we saw the Broadway Show "Mamma Mia" and Hyrum's highlight was Wallstreet of course, oh and seeing a live taping of a show he watches every day "Fast Money" from the Nasdaq building in Time Square. We missed our girls a lot though and felt that 4 days was way too long to be away from them (we are cry babies, we'll admit it) Thank you mom and dad and Holly and Lisa for all the great care you gave them in our absence! These are just a few of the pictures I'll add more later when I'm through catching up on laundry and oh yeah, I have to cook now and be a mom!

Deck the Halls

As usual Corynn has been asking to decorate for the Holidays forever! She's happy now that the decor is up and she especially liked putting up the "Activity" (Nativity) Scene this year. She unwrapped all the little figures and when she unwrapped baby Jesus, she said, "Oh mom, he's so little and cute." So are my girls, little and cute. We're ready and excited for the Holidays!

Thanksgiving X2

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend. We started off at my parents for a rather small gathering, Stef's fam. and Janelle and Sean and my family and then headed over for more food and fun with Hyrum's family. Hyrum's cousin Brian and his family traveled down from Utah and brought Great Grandma Wise with them as a surprise. We love Grandma Wise and don't get to see her very often so it was nice to have a surprise visit from her. The girls loved playing with cousins on both sides and ate a lot more dessert than they did anything else, it's good to be a kid at Thanksgiving, heck it's great to be a pregnant lady at Thanksgiving!

One year older and wiser too...happy birthday to you!

Can you tell I'm in the Primary? Yesterday was my birthday. Corynn felt there should be balloons and a lot of hoop-la-la, and that my mother should make me a cake. My mom did make me my favorite (pumpkin pie) Sunday night. Mom and Dad made me a pre-birthday dinner of Steak and potatoes, steamed veggies and pie (not a huge cake fan) it was heavenly to get out of church and drive down to S.D. for a little birthday girl pampering. Yesterday, Hyrum arranged for the girls to be picked up and tended over night (sob, sob, Alli's 1st night away) by Papa and G-ma Cottrell and we went to dinner and a show. So two nights no cooking how spoiled am I? Really don't enjoy cooking when I'm pregnant. So anyway 28 years old and looking forward to my next one...yeah right! When I'm done with this post I'm going to return back to rocking myself in the fetal position in the corner. Ha, ha, I'm really ok.

I've been tagged...

7 Random facts about me...
1)When I'm not pregnant, I love to cook.
2)I have worn the same shade of blush for years, I can hear all you ladies out there gasping and choking...hey as long as they keep making it I'll be wearing it. I'm not brave or creative when it comes to make-up.
3)I met my husband in the 6th grade. However he didn't notice me until I got contacts and got visited by the boob fairy...so somewhere around the 8th grade.
4)I have been to a "Lord of the Dance" production. Enough said really.
5)I used to cut my hair as a small child, and received the nickname "Butch" which I am still called on occasion. After like the 4th or 5th hack job on myself, my mother spanked me (because she had read somewhere that it would work, and it did) I stopped cutting my own hair and instead cut a few of my mother's preschool students hair...their mothers always picked them up on time after that!
6)Weird food combination favorite: Bowl of popcorn and a glass of cold orange juice. Oh just try it!
7)I was afraid of the dark until I was 12. I was the youngest of seven so instead of growing up on Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers like all my friends, I grew up on Poltergeist and MTV. When my parents weren't home of course.

ZIGGY Cottrell?

Corynn has been throwing around some pretty off the wall names for her baby sister on the way. The latest...ZIGGY. She usually has a different one each day but Ziggy seems to be her favorite for almost two weeks now and she is starting to tell family and strangers that's what she'll be naming her sis. She felt that it was appropriate for a boy or a girl. Now that we know it's a girl I thought it might change her mind...nope...Ziggy it is!!!

IT'S A GIRL!!!

We found out this afternoon that we are having girl #3. Everyone has been asking Hyrum if he's o.k.? Hyrum hasn't stopped smiling since he saw her suck her thumb and stretch her hand out towards us as if to say, "Hi guys" during the sonogram. We're excited and already prepared for a girl. Hyrum did say eventually he'd be needing a room to himself where he could escape all the estrogen. Fair enough. Corynn is happy and said she would like another sister, Alli is clueless of course that her world as "the baby" is about to be rocked. So the suspense is over and now the name game begins...any suggestions?

Halloween Cuties!

This year Corynn was a pirate (I know, but at least I talked her into being a "girl pirate") and Allison was a lady bug (she'll always be whatever Corynn was in the past, recycled costumes are grrreat!) We went trick or treating up one side of our street and back down the other and we called it good. Corynn enjoyed sitting out on the porch handing out candy to trick or treaters. All the cousins came up from S.D. to trick or treat with out having to walk miles and miles for a few pieces of candy.

Cousin Day at the Zoo!

Corynn with cousins Davin, Grason and Nevaeh

You can never have to many kisses (Alli & Nevaeh)

We took the kids to the Zoo on Wednesday, it was very windy but the kids didn't seem to mind. All the animals were out and performing like we expect them to, and the cousins had a great time.

WHAT HAPPENED D-BACKS?!!!

We were really excited to have our team go to the playoffs this year(record last year...not so good) but man did the Rockies hand it to us our guys didn't even put up a fight! We didn't follow the whole season for nothing! Guess we get to start all over again in the Spring. Silly snakes.

Grandma Jeannine's School of Grandchildren

We took lunch to Grandma Jeannine at school today. Corynn & Alli thought her classroom was the best thing ever! They got to look at all Grandma's cool stuff, do activities at the "activity center" and Corynn thought it was cool to sit in cousins Emma & Abby's desks. They left of course, with goodies from Grandma's "Big Bucks Store".

Corynn has been excited for Halloween since Aug. She's been wanting to decorate for it since mid Sept. I told her we had to wait until Oct. So yesterday morning she woke me up grinning ear to ear and said, "Mom its OCTOBER! Lets decorate!"

Corynn at her dance recital last weekend

Is it hot enough?