Our Christmas Adventures

We were not able to do all of our Christmas traditions, but we made the best of what we did this year. We were able to take a break from packing to go to the Jubilee of Trees, what a beautiful way to get in the Christmas Spirit.


This year they celebrated cancer survivors/patients, I really loved the Pink Breast Cancer tree!

The boys were excited to see Santa and brought the Lego magazine to show him EXACTLY what they wanted (to bad Santa already did all the shopping and doesn't have $425 for a Lego set!)

We were able to go to Home Depot (the absolute best place to get a tree!) and picked out the most perfect tree! It has the most perfect shape and the smell is amazing, even after 3 weeks people still comment on the tree smelling so good. We were lucky to have Grandma Kathy here (to help us settle in) and she got to pick out the tree with us. It was great to show her some of our traditions.

This year our ward had a Pajama Breakfast Christmas Party, it was so fun! I had to battle Ryan, and give him one of his presents but he finally wore PJ's with us. The boys were so cute in the pajamas that Laura had made us. We ate good food, got to know more friends, listened to the Desert Hills High School Madrigals perform and had Santa tell us a story about the true meaning of Christmas. Then the boys (Ryan , Parker and Jordan) took on some other ward guys in basketball...look out the Schudde boys are in the house!

Then to top it all off...we WON the Family Pajama prize! A free family week pass to the Wash Co Rec Center...awesome a week of swimming! See Ryan, it was worth it.

We love you all, and wish you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful Holiday season!

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Parker's Christmas Performance

This was the day we had been waiting for, Parker's big performance. He had been telling us about this special day since Halloween! At first, he kept saying "we are learning a song/dance/gymnastic move/etc to show our Mommy on our special day". I wasn't sure what he was talking about, so I just nodded and said how excited I was to see it. Then one day after school he told me."we are having a special day that our Mommy's and Grandma's can come and see what we have learned", that sounded awesome. I asked "can Daddy's and brothers come too?" Parker's reply was "I'm not sure, I'll ask teacher!"

After watching Jordan's performance the day before, Parker was soooo excited and ready to entertain! Due to a horrible accident on River Road that morning, Ryan and I were a little late and missed the first song. I was so upset, I could barely control the crying...by baby was performing and watching for me and I wasn't there!

Anyway, when we got there I saw the best show ever! Parker was singing his heart out, doing all the sweet dance moves and having a blast! (He even gave me a little wave between numbers) They sang a few songs, did a tap dance, and showed off their skills in gymnastics. I couldn't believe how much taller Parker was than all the rest of the class, I mean I knew he was tall, but this really brought it into perspective. Afterward, a Mommy came up to me and said that Parker was the obvious leader of the class...she was glad her son was by Parker so he could follow him during the routines. We are so proud of Parker, all that he is learning and that he is such a leader. This year he is learning to play the violin, dance, gymnastics, music as well as his ABC's and how to read (hopefully)... we are so blessed to have such great schools for the boys this year! Here are 3 of his 5 great and so cute teachers! Thanks to all the teachers out there...what a hard yet fullfilling job!

After the show, Parker gave us a cute little package with this darling little ornament. I absolutely love the picture in it, I guess they took it one day at school...I'm going to have to get a copy!

If you want to see the entire show, check out the Smilebox!

Enjoy!

Free digital greeting card customized with Smilebox

Jordan's Preschool Christmas Program

For a few weeks, Jordan has been telling us about a program that he was practicing at school. He said he was learning songs (which he would not sing to us) and we learned his "special" part. After much anticipation, the big day finally arrived. I didn't know what to expect, Jordan is my more timid guy. Here is Jordan debut into showbiz...

To our surprise, Jordan was the star of the show. He knew his part, he sang all the songs and did all the actions! I loved watching him, and laughed so hard I was crying. Afterwards, Jordan's teacher said that he was always so serious during practice. He always sang, learned the actions and never goofed off...this was serious business! I had many people tell me he was the star of the show!

What a cute kid! I love him so much, he is truly a blessing in my life. I love his sweet personality, his great sense of humor and his newly found gift for preforming.

After their last song, Santa came. The kids were so surprised, even Parker got in on the fun...they both came home with a bag full of candy and prizes!

Jordan and his cute teachers, they are so good with the kids...Jordan loves them and is always excited to go to school!

If you want to see more of this entertaining performance...watch the Smilebox!

I know that some of the videos maybe choppy, but you'll get the picture!

Enjoy!

This scrapbook made with Smilebox

Home Sweet Home

Yep,that's right we finally sold the house and moved!


We have been so blessed, everything fell into place and we were able to move into the perfect house, on the perfect (large) lot, in the perfect neighborhood/ward on the perfect street (a huge cul-de-sac...with lots of dirt hills for the boys to play on). Things were a little crazy, we bought a house - sold a house-moved, had Thanksgiving and celebrated our 6 year anniversary in less than a month! It was such a blessing how everything fell into place, and worked out. Ask me about the Wiring Miracle, that we discovered in the old house when the inspector was there. The Lord is ALWAYS watching us and protecting us...even if we don't know how much. We moved out of our old house the day after Thanksgiving, which was spent last minute packing at the old house and cleaning the new house! At least we didn't eat or indulge to much this year ;) After a few days of homelessness, we decided to live on the edge and moved in (we had closed, all the papers signed, just not recorded) and have been busy setting up house.

I really wanted the kids to have Christmas with all the traditions, especially because their lives had been so disrupted. So I made sure I knew where the Christmas decorations were packed and knew where they were unloaded. After getting mostly settled, I began decorating our beautiful new house. What a BLAST ! I love Christmas, and all the fun that comes along with it ( I even love to go shopping, even if I don't need anything, I just love the crowds and the feeling of happiness). Then Ryan said, "you have worked so hard, we should have a Christmas party so everyone can see it." So we decided to have an Open House...just two weeks after moving in ( yeah I know I AM crazy...I guess I'm at my best under stress) We were able to get everything put away, most pictures hung, Christmas decor out and lights hung outside... and were ready to party!

This invitation personalized with Smilebox

Here are a few pictures of the house, for those that couldn't make it.


I love all the room the kitchen has, I even love to go grocery shopping...coming home unloading the car and having counter space to put everything and storage space!

Our new KING size bed, Ryan is so happy! Note the canvas picture of the SLC Temple. Ryan took that picture last fall, I (with some help from my amazing brother-in-law John) edited it and printed it. I think it turned out pretty good, what do you think? Also, see the light switches on either side of the bed? We can turn off the lights, fan and reading lights from the bed...no more kicking Ryan out of bed to turn out the lights ;)

The boys each have their own vanities, so they are learning how to keep track of their own things and cleaning up after themselves.

TOY MANIA ! Finally, a place for the toys. I think I love this place as much as the boys...if only we can keep it looking like this :)

We feel so blessed, the neighbors are so SWEET! We have been welcomed with open arms, I can't list all the things that have been done or said. The boys are making many friends, there are 8 boys under 8 in our little cul-de-sac, and the house behind us has 5 boys under 9! Needless to say the Primary is huge! Every time I go out to check on the boys, other parents come out and it turns into a block party...how did we get so lucky to get such great neighbors? Next to us is a huge empty lot, that the neighborhood kids have built a great bike trail and jumps...my boys love to watch (Parker says he goes TOO fast when he goes down the hills) We don't have callings...yet, nobody tell about our Cub Scout days, we don't need a repeat! I was good to see so many of you the other night, I know it is a busy time, thanks for taking the time to visit! For those that couldn't come...stop by anytime!

To quote a famous little red-head, "I think I'm gunna like it here!"



At the request of those out-of-state, I made a little Smilebox of the house. ENJOY!

Another free scrapbook by Smilebox

Doing Our Duty!

This morning as we traveled to preschool, the boys noticed all the flags. They of course asked why the flags were out. I began to explain about America and our freedoms, when Parker stopped me saying " I know all that from school, when we say the Pledge. " I am so glad he is learning about our great country! We also saw people out holding and waving signs. I then explained that one of our rights is the right to choose our leaders by voting. Parker quickly said... " lets get our sign up so we can be the leader!" Parker will be a great leader... look for him in 2040 ;)
So the boys and I went over to vote, they were so excited to see how it all works. I don't want to be the leader, but I am grateful to those men and women who devote their time to serve us and our country. Hopefully Washington will take notice, and LISTEN to the people!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
Please excuse any mistakes... I am doing this from Ryan's phone :)

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Halloween Week ?!

What a great week ! Does it seem that every holiday has stretched out to at least a week of celebrations, to anyone else? I am not complaining...I love it! I remember as a child lying awake and counting down the days to Halloween. I love the sense of community and fun by all ( young and old)! My Mom was the best at making sure we had great costumes, I always felt my costume was the best even if it was "homemade"...that's the best kind! Anyway, back to our fun filled week of Halloween fun. It started out with a great "Fall Festival" at Toniquant Park. I was surprised by all the work and thought that went into this. The kids had a ball doing all the "spooky" carnival games. They went "bowling" in the graveyard, captured and moved "bats" with a straw, had a spitting contest with pumpkin seeds and pinned a wart on the witch, to name a few. Seriously they had tons of games and they got a cute little prize at each one...and it was all free. We made Monster Snot, and had a nice stroll through the pumpkin path. We filled up on free popcorn, hot chocolate and Great Harvest Cinnamon rolls, Yummmm :)

We also went to the library family night, where we heard Spooky Halloween stories and made some cute crafts. On Wednesday night we had a Creepy Pack Meeting. We went to the Staheli Farm Corn Maze, and had a blast. We were able to rent the barn for the meeting, they had it decorated to the "T" for Halloween. Ryan put together an awesome Arrow of Light ceremony, and the scouts really liked making "MUMMYS" out of their leaders. After the meeting, we were able to take part in all the activities at the farm. I think the highlight was the pig races...the kids loved it. We rode the wagon out to the maze, but decided that it was too cold and too late, so we just rode it back. The boys wore their WOODY and BUZZ costumes that night... aren't they the cutest! Note the cute little girl in the pink, her name is Emma, and she and Jordan are "in lub" Jordan told me the other day, they are going to get married in the temple ... tomorrow. WOW, how fast they grow up...at least we have a cute picture for the announcements!

On Thursday, Jordan's school had a little carnival for the kids. They played games, made "Witch's Brew" and then had a Trunk-n-Treat with the parents. Parker was even allowed to participate in the fun! They each got a huge pumpkin trick or treat bag for all the goodies. The next day, Parker's class had their own celebration. The boys loved dressing up and seeing their friends in their costumes.

Finally, we got around to carving (or curving, as Parker says) our pumpkins. Ryan and the boys did a great job cleaning out the pumpkins and separating the seeds out, so Mommy could bake them YUMMM! We had a pirate flag and a bat sitting on a house, they really turned out well. The boys were so proud, they slept with them in their room that night. :)

We had a blast with our little theme this year, STAR WARS ! The boys have been obsessed with the show for a year or so, since Ryan decided it was time the boys saw the legend and showed them "Return of the Jedi". So we had a Daddy Chewbacca (he looked great) , a Mommy Princess Leia, a daring Hans Solo (Parker) and a handsome Luke Skywalker (Jordan) with whom the force was definitely strong! We got to travel in the Millennium Falcon to the galaxy of SKYWEST for their trick-or-treat party. The kids had so much fun and came home with WAY too much candy. Then after soccer game, we went to the ward Trunk-n-Treat and the neighborhood party. Chewbacca was a hit, although several children were to scared to even get their candy from him (have they not seen Star Wars...he is the good guy!) My feet may not recover from the blisters my Princess shoes gave me, but the look on my boys faces make it all worth it! I must say after spending time trying to straighten and part Parker's hair and get the perfect part and feather on Jordan...I now have an even greater respect for you Mommy's of little girls...that can't just put a hat on everyday ;)

We hope you all had a wonderful Halloween and......MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU !!

Welcome Fall !

WELCOME FALL !!! I am so happy for the beauty of fall, for the awesome (cooler) weather, the yummy treats and the wonderful opportunity to listen to another inspirational conference. I guess I was inspired by the gorgeous rain/thunder and lightning storm today, I made a yummy warm your tummy dinner and decorated for the season. Here are a few random thoughts, I have been meaning to post and finally got around to it. Happy Autumn !!!

I found this door hanger tucked into my shopping bag from Old Navy (I hope they gave it to everyone and I wasn't targeted for my haggard look!) I had a little laugh to myself and then I thought, I would hang it on the door and see what Ryan thought. I later heard him tell the boys very seriously,"this says Mommy is sleeping and we must be quite." He must of thought I was serious he he he! The next day was Saturday and it worked, they actually let me sleep in! Well not what I expected, but I will take it.

Although, on Monday, when Jordan woke up super early and Ryan tried to get him to crawl into bed with us he said, "no the pink sign is up, we can't wake up Mom."

One day after Preschool, Jordan was telling me about his day. He then told me that he had fallen and hurt his arm, I asked him if he was okay and this was his reply.

"It really hurts...I need a kiss REALLY bad" I wish I could always make everything better with my magical kisses :)

After seeing Tarzan, we were talking about how Gorillas eat all their fruits and vegetables to get so big and strong. I then said something about a banana tree, Parker said with such surprise in his voice "Bananas grow on trees?" At my confirmation he said, "huh, you didn't teach me that yet!" Wow, what a responsibility we have to teach these little ones! It is a humbling thought, because I am sure that they are both smarter than I am. I wonder what else I have forgotten to tell them, as I suffer from Mom-nesia or Mommy brain! ;)

The other day, the boys and I were talking about temples and how we can be together forever as a family because Ryan and I were sealed in the temple. Jordan looked at me with the sweetest most innocent face and said "and we will NEVER get lost"! Yes, Jordan, hopefully we will all return to our Heavenly Father as a family and NEVER get lost!

Traveling to preschool had given the boys and I lots of time to discuss things. On our way to Jordan's school we pass a cemetery. The other day Parker asked me,"Mommy why are there so many signs in that garden?" I explained that this was a cemetery or graveyard, and that this is where people that have died and gone to live with Heavenly Father are placed. We had a good discussion on the Plan of Salvation, I thought it went really well until I heard Parker explain to Jordan on our way home... "Jordan, that is the garden where we plant people when they get dead!" HUMMMM, I guess that we will have to try that conversation again later :)

and finally my little MIRACLE!

It was a typical crazy day as I rushed out the door, with the boys breakfast (yogurt drinks,bananas and granola bars)in my hands, on our way to take Jordan to preschool. I must explain that Jordan's school starts at 8:30 and is 14 miles away...clear across town! I got everyone strapped in and eating their breakfast, and started off on the long drive to the Wash. Rec. Center. We even have to go on the Freeway, and in St. George that is saying a lot!!! On the way, I glanced around for my phone...but I couldn't see it and I thought I should keep my eyes on the road and not begin searching the "bottomless pit" purse. After dropping Jordan off, I began earnestly looking for my phone. I remember picking it up and carrying it out with Jordan's food, then I put it on the roof while I strapped him in and peeled his banana.......OH MY GOSH...I must have left it on the roof of the car and drove off! I was in full panic mood now, Ryan and I have recent new phones and he would kill me. I jumped out of the car and ran around to Jordan's side to look in his car seat, "Please oh please be there", as I opened the door I saw a beautiful sparkle on the roof of the car! My phone had stayed, in the exact spot on the roof...through the 6 miles of freeway, several turns (made too fast) and countless stops!!! I know that someone was looking out for me, and I will never doubt the Princess Pink Sparkle Cover (and neither will Ryan). How's that for a miracle.

Parker Tranforms Into A 5 Year Old

This was the news of the week! Optimus Prime needed all the Superhero's help to find the Allspark before Megatron does. We had 13 little Superheros come to our Training Camp, and help to save the day!


As the children arrived, they found their own personalized "training" supply bag..complete with mask, cape, spider web,etc. They were so cute and very excited!
First we went to Metropolis, where Superman taught us the importance of blending in. In our bags we had sunglasses to help us, but when the Superman theme played...we all tossed our sunglasses (into our bags) put our capes and masks on and "saved the day" A battalion of army guys were buried in the sand, and it was our job to find them.
Then off to New York, where Spiderman had a obstacle course for us. He had spun a web on the swing set, we had to climb through the web, go down the slide and the shoot our spider webs at and capture the bad guy at the end. This was hilarious, to say the least. They really enjoyed the silly string, I think 13 full cans of it are on the side of my house :) Does anyone know how to get silly string off of stucco?



Getting ready at the starting line. In my head, I thought we would have a couple of kids go through at a time...instead 13 kids plowed through (it was better their way!)

Getting the bad guy...I think they completely covered him!


Then on to Gotham City, where Joker had tied bombs to our legs. So we had to save each other, by destroying the bombs. They loved this, and were very fast at popping all the balloons. It was so fast we couldn't even get a picture.

Then we finally found the Allspark, and help to destroy it so that it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. They all had a turn, and finally destroyed it...and found many rewards!





Finally time for presents and cake. Parker loved all of his presents, and was even generous enough to share with his brother that night! I attempted to make a cake, well I made cupcakes, put a Spiderman ring on them and arranged them to make a #5. I thought it turned out pretty cute, and the kids love it!





It was then time for our little Superheros to make their way back to their own hideouts, to wait for the next cry for help.
Parker and Hadley...another prospect for the engagement pictures Allison?
They are the cutest!
Check out all the pictures and videos on the Smilebox...a must see for all you Mommys whose little ones were here (or anyone else that needs a good laugh!)

This free photo slideshow made with Smilebox