New Things

2011 has been a year of "new things" for us, some good, some bad, some sad, some strange... But, all in all: new things.
For one, we now have three children. Yes, I know Audrie was born in 2010, but, seeing as how she was only 5 weeks old on New Year's day, I count her as new this year. When they're that little, you've done it all already.

So we have two girls now. They're both crazy, they're both girly, love glitter, and dresses, and pink, and frills, and everything! Audrie loves chocolate, which is also a new thing for us. I'm not a HUGE fan... I have my days, but mostly not. And Kaitlyn isn't too big of a fan either. (that's my girl!)

LOVE this picture of my mom with Audrie at our family reunion this past May!

We had a sport being played for the first time on a team (since Josh and college soccer) this year. Scott played t-ball!! It was SO fun to see him play and be all crazy with the other kids on the team. Kati is anxiously awaiting her turn to play next year!
We also got a new house! We are so grateful for the comfort and strange sense of sanity that comes from buying a home; like you're finally an adult even though you're closer to 30 than 20, and it took buying a house to make you realize that there is a life outside of college, apartments, and boogers. Oh, and poopy diapers. And vomit.
Moving on...
Because of this new house, Josh got a shotgun this year. A new for me at least. Josh grew up with guns. I didn't. They scare me. Mostly because of all the horror stories of kids finding them and injuring themselves or others. We have 2 handguns, but they are under lock and key. So, the shotgun is new. At least it's not loaded. All a robber needs to hear is the shotgun being cocked and they'll be 1 of 2 things: gone, or dead.
We went to the circus this year. I've never been, so I thought it'd be nice to live vicariously through my children... but they were either asleep five minutes in, or bored out of their minds. Sad. Maybe next time (if we do a next time), we'll sit closer than nosebleed.
Another new thing in our family, we lost Grandparents this year. I lost my mom's dad when I was younger, in my early teens, but I didn't know him very well.
This year, we both lost a grandparent that we were close to and within a week and a half of each other too. My Grandad, my dad's father, passed away in his sleep on October 11th and Josh's grandfather, GrandBob, passed away after three weeks in the ICU on October 22nd. They were both amazing men and we will miss each of them equally.
In Fast and Testimony meeting in November, a couple of weeks after both of our Grandfather's returned home, about every other person to get up and bear their testimonies in Sacrament meeting spoke of the loss of a loved one from the previous month.
I've decided that the Lord is calling forth a large "senior" army! I'm sure there are some old coots in Spirit Paradise who are unwilling to listen to those "youngin's who don't know nothin'!" I dunno... seems logical.
Anyways, another new thing in 2011: We have officially adopted three new pets into our home. With the sad failure and heartache that our (mean, snotty, sent from hades) cat, Simba, brought us, we have been given renewed faith in rescue pets starting with our sweet Bella. She is a beautiful brown/gray tabby that is a little over a year old. She is a sweetheart and we are grateful for her sweet spirit in our home!
When I went home for my Grandad's funeral in October, I found little Jasper: a five week old kitten barely alive, underneath my Nanny's house. After a quick trip to the vet for some antibiotics, wormer, and prescription food, we brought him the 25 hour drive with us to Utah.
After a few days of poofy tails and kitty hissing, he and Bella are wonderful friends! His name was going to be "Edward" to match the unintentional "Twilight" theme we'd started with Bella, but I decided that 1. I really don't like the name "Edward" and 2. They're more like brother and sister than soulmates meeting at last after a generation of loneliness!
Then, yesterday, my wonderful husband surprised me with the news that he was ok getting a puppy and we went to the humane society to pick up our/my lovely, sweet, fabulous, adorable black lab, Alice! She is two months old and wonderful!! Still trying to figure out that you potty outside, but we're working on it and, honestly, she's almost got "sit" down to a T!
We also got another new sister this year but on MY side! My brother, Stephen, married his sweetheart, Camille, in the Bountiful Utah Temple in August of this year! It's so nice to have more women!
This year has had a lot of "news" in it. Along with the new house come lots of other new things... like exploding pipes in the winter, grass needing to be mowed by us, dog poop that not only comes from our pet, but has to be cleaned up by us, Christmas lights!, decorations!, painting walls, having to organize everything we own instead of just chucking it in a storage unit somewhere, separate rooms for our kids, and many others. We also officially own 3 cars... a first for us, while we sell our Nissan to my sister, Aubrey.
So, 2011 has been a wonderful and sad year. But, mostly fun and heartwarming.
We are so excited to continue to get to know our new REAL neighbors and to continue to grow our family and raise our children (and pets!) in this new home with many more "news" to come!

The Joneses

Josh and I have made a tradition of putting up the Christmas tree and all the decorations on the first Family Home Evening we have after Thanksgiving. Sadly, this year, Josh's mom is letting us borrow her HUGE 9 foot tree (SO EXCITED TO SEE IT IN OUR LIVING ROOM!!) and so we didn't HAVE a tree on the first FHE after Thanksgiving. It wouldn't fit in our van on the way home from Twin Falls. Sadness.
BUT... I did put up all the decorations I could and we put the lights up on the house on Saturday. I should take pictures...
Anyways, in the middle of putting up the lights, our neighbor across the street and slightly south of us yells across the street, "So, I guess you guys are the Joneses!"
I thought it was so funny! Thing that's funny, is that there were three other families putting up lights at the same time as us but I guess we were officially first.
I don't care.
This is my favorite time of year (not including the fact that there's pretty much always a new "Twilight" movie that comes out around now... sorry, had to say it!) and I'm not going to be ashamed of the fact that I want it to last longer than the calendar says it should!
And, hey, if it's not meant to be: it just started snowing! As if to prove my point!
So, Merry early Christmas!! I swear I'll post pics soon. I'll wait until it stops snowing so you can see how pretty it looks!!
YAY for Christmas! Yay for everyone thinking of Christ and treating each other with kindness! Yay for homemade treats and growing waistlines and Yay for family (whom I miss SO much this time of year). May your days be merry and bright and twinkly with all your Christmas lights!

Thanks

This season always tends to get me nostalgic over all the little things. I was sitting in my mother and father-in-love's living room this afternoon with a plate piled high with (fabulous) turkey, stuffing, (awesome) creamed corn, yams, potatoes, and all the other extra little fillins, and I looked over at my children. There was bright-eyed, little miss attitude, Kaitlyn, sitting next to my father-in-love and making silly faces causing him to give her one of his huge heart-warming smiles without her even knowing. She is laughing and being goofy and I realize in that moment that she is me... only smaller... in every sense of the word except personality!
Scottie is sitting next to her trying to get away with only eating one bite of candied yams so he can pretend he ate the rest and can go upstairs, play the Lightning McQueen Wii game and be done with the rest of us! He is independent, almost 5, and, honestly, the most handsome, sweet, loving little boy, son, and big brother I've ever met.
Then there's Audrie. To be perfectly honest, she's crazy. I've decided this. Here she is in her second outfit of the day because 1. she likes to drink her cups upside down and 2. because, apparently, one bath isn't quite enough for her; and she is singing. To me. In baby talk.
My heart melts.
I don't know why I've been blessed with such a perfect family. I will never comprehend how I am worthy of these precious souls. Either they are here to teach me or I'm way cooler than I think!
Or both. Who knows.
All in all, a wonderful day.
My mother-in-love took me and my two sisters-in-love to "Breaking Dawn" last night and I was sitting there in the midst of hormones and giggles and blushed cheeks and realized how amazing family is. Two generations (almost three... for heaven's sake I'm almost 10 years older than my two sisters-in-law) and 3 different families all tied into one.
The Lord truly knows what He's doing.
I'm so grateful that He sends me these little moments; these tender mercies: a glance into the depth of His heart and into the love He shares for these little people and big people alike; the reason He placed us in families to begin with; and why we'll be that way forever.
What a smart man, that Heavenly Father is.
So, Happy Thanksgiving. May you sneak a peek into the Father's heart and share that love with everyone around you!

PAR-TAY!

My party was Friday night. I had 23 RSVPs so I planned on 30, and 16 came! Still, a great turn-out and just enough seating, food, etc! It was SO much fun but, instead of sitting here and writing more of the same thing over and over again... here is a link to my facebook TWILIGHT PARTY PHOTOS!!
ENJOY!

Crazy November!

This has already been a crazy month!! Not only have I been preparing like a psycho for my party in TWO DAYS (AH!), but I started the hCG diet (Don't know what that is? Look it up. I've had decent success... doesn't help that I'm a flake sometimes... but 8 pounds in two weeks isn't bad!), we had our first "real" snowfall (flakes that actually stick!), Audrie learned how to walk!, we FINALLY finished painting our living room, and both my girls had their birthdays!! FULL and it's barely half over! We still have Thanksgiving. Crazy.
So, because of all this craziness, I've decided to post a bunch of pictures!

First of all, the snowfall! My kids actually WANTED to go play in the snow this year. I'm sure it has something to do with how much fun they had last year when Grandma and Granbuddy were here for Thanksgiving and we had that crazy blizzard, built an igloo, and the kids had a blast!
They attempted to build a snow-man with Josh, but it turned into a pile of snow that vaguely resembled the peak that the Grinch who stole Christmas lives on. It did take a while to melt, though.
Second, painting the living room!! We lost our painting mojo about a week after starting and our stairwell, most of our corners, and the veeeeeeery top of the ceiling has been naked since. With my party coming up and at least 24 people (5 of whom I don't know) will be entering my abode, I decided to finally rouse the troops and finish!

Boy-toy Brandon, came to help tape up the ceiling. Silly mom aaaaaaalmost unable to reach the very tippy top!Psycho sister painting the corners about the entry and whining about falling off the ladder. lolSexy man painting the corners above the kitchen cabinets.

Third: My girl's birthdays! First, on November 7th, Kaitlyn turned 3!! Can't believe she's already 3 but, I guess in all fairness, she's always acted older than Scott (until it comes time to listen and NOT whine) and actually looks like she should be turning 4 in comparison to other kids her age.

I tried to do a frosting cake this year instead of the fondant I LOVE (it just looks nicer!)... and it was... eh... I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my crafts and hobbies, so it was hard for me to allow the frosting to be NOT-smooth. Kati wanted a pink cake with flowers, so I obliged. My flowers are hideous, but she didn't care!!Getting ready to open her presents! This is SUCH a Kati face! Her huge pile of presents! Kaitlyn got a Tangled Rapunzel doll from Aubrey's friend, Carla, whom Kaitlyn ADORES! She got TONS of Princess dress up clothes from Audrie and Scott (50% off Halloween at WalMart: SCORE!) and a Tinkerbell Tea Set from Josh and I. Aubrey got her a little dress up set with a tutu, shoes, bracelets and a fairy wand! My crazy in-laws got her WAY too much (like they always do!). She got 3 presents early and then got one on her birthday too. They got her the dress she's wearing in her birthday pictures, a Princess Tiana (Princess and the Frog) dress up costume, a Baby Ariel doll with 2 dresses, and then she opened a Cinderella Castle nightlight/alarm clock/story teller on her birthday!! Can we say SPOILED?! My parents got her the bee dress up dress you can see hanging in her dress up center below. Oh yeah... Josh and I made her that too. By the way, Kaitlyn wore that bee costume right up until it was time for her party!! She's such a crazy little thing!
Then, November 15th, Miss Audrie turned 1!! AH! Really?! ALREADY?! I want another one already... I know. Call me crazy.
Anyways... I knew I wouldn't get her to sit still when the time came, so, once I got her banner up, I took a picture of her in her highchair and her new sippy cup of milk. (Side note: she LOVES milk in her sippys! No more bottles for this chica!)Audrie loved ALL the presents she got (except clothes... that will come with time, I'm sure!). Scott and Kaitlyn picked out a singing "learning" cow that sings the shapes, colors, numbers, etc... Not only is it a stuffed animal, which she adores, but it SINGS! Perfection! Josh and I got her a huge pink stuffed elephant (Side note 2: it was supposed to be from Santa... but Kaitlyn found it.). Aubrey and my parents got her some ADORABLE clothes that she will be wearing very soon. My in-law's got Audrie a Princess ride-on/push-car. There are more buttons on that thing than there are on my phone and, nowadays, that's sayin' something!! She LOVES it! Because she just learned how to walk, she loves to walk around the house with it. Granted,... she doesn't know how to turn, so one of us has to go get her unstuck from corners, walls, under the piano, under the tables... etc... all day, but she can't get enough of it! Here's the cake I made Audrie. Due to the bumpy-Kati-cake fiasco, I decided to 1. use the leftover frosting from Kate's cake and 2. COVER the cake with designs so it wasn't so obvious that it was bumpy. I like how it turned out and, honestly, everyone has to start out somewhere!!Now some pictures of my girl enjoying her cake. There is nothing I love more than watching a 1 year old deal with the idea of being allowed to make a mess. LOVE her faces in these photos!
And one more for the road! She's wearing the outfit my mom got her for her birthday.
LOVE this girl!!

Party Stuff

I am in the middle of planning my Breaking Dawn party. It has been a FUN process, but I'm not even to the hard part yet!! So far, as of 11:30 on November 11th, I have 16 RSVPs!! AH!I wanted to put pictures of all the things I am designing for my party for posterity's sake and for those of you who can't be here (Mom) but would like to see the things I've made (Mom & Dad).
So... here ya go!

First off, the invitations! Here it is, front and back:

We will be making iron-on black t-shirts while everyone is here. I've asked all my guests to bring their own shirt if they want to make on. I posted these designs on Facebook to see what I should make more of beforehand. I originally had 8 designs but, with awesome friends (Chrystina, Joshy, & Heather) who suggested other designs, I ended up with 12! (Click on each picture for a large version if you wish!)

A while ago I looked up "Breaking Dawn party ideas" on Google to see what others had come up with. Asking the same question 3 years ago led to a successful "New Moon" party so I decided to check again. There is a woman HERE who does parties and whom I've gotten a lot of fun stuff from! She has designed tons of Twilight Party Themed things from Vampire Drink labels to fun quotes you can put in picture frames all around your house. However, she hasn't done any "Breaking Dawn" quotes yet, so I had to make my own! I think they came out pretty nice.
I'm also going to be handing out chocolate bars to everyone who came to the party whether they got a door prize or not. I could've just handed out a bland old candy bar but, WHY!? Inspired from an idea I saw online, I came up with this!

All in all, I'm excited for the party! I'm excited to get to see people I haven't in a while and to get to hang out with those I haven't known for very long. Call me a dork if you want, but there's no harm in having fun over something that we all enjoy!