Our Elf Family!

Okay...this is the LAST post today... I promise! This is jsut a little glimpse into the future when holden and our next little boy grow up! LOL Check it out!!! :)

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1403441338

12 Days of Christmas!

Okay, so this is my 3rd post today...forgive me! I just wanted to share what I'm doing for my hubby for Christmas. I love doing the 12 days of Christmas and it's something we always did growing up. Doing the 12 days for someone in need or just someone that needs cheer has been one of the greatest blessings for me during Christmas time. Josh and I have done it to families since we have been married, but because we are on a little bit of a budget.. hehe...I thought I could find some way to do it anyway. Well, I decided my husband is so wonderful and does so much for our family, that I decided I would do it for him. Plus, he's not picky on the gifts I would have to give! :) Anyway, Here is the first day that I did last night. I will post pics of each day and what I did for him. Just thought it'd be fun to share! The card says, "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, One Golden Me-mo-ry." Then it says, "There have been many "firsts" in our marriage but none so monumental as that first kiss! So, on this first day of Christmas, I give you one bag of kisses and my memory of our first kiss!"

Also, we had Josh's work party the other night. It was so fun to hang out and just enjoy time with friends!

Family Pics!

Here are some pics from our photo session with the Adam's family...lol.. that sounds kind of funny huh..lol They were amazing and we were so grateful to them for doing this! Thanks again Emilie and Brian!

My Gratitude for Healthy Holiday Treats!

So, right now I'm STUFFING my face with the most yummy healthy treat. Compliments of Rachel! I'm sure Emily is doing the same thing right now!...I'll tell you how it all began.
Yesterday was fun filled! Rachel called me in the morning and told me to come hang out with her. Yes, she threatened! lol Okay, maybe not quite, she just knows I'm a lonely desperate soul, so she thought she would do a good deed by inviting me over. Well, that's my opinion anyway! We called Emilie and we had a little party over at Rachel's house. We just hung out and chatted while Rachel was making treats for the neighbors.
Rachel was telling us that it was a yummy treat because it's not too sweet and you can eat a lot of it- AND it's even a little bit healthy for ya! The healthy part? There are almonds in it! LOL We were totally laughing and joking that because of the almonds in the mix, we don't have to feel one bit guilty about eating a lot of it! Thank goodness for that! Why doesn't everyone add some almonds to every treat- then I would have my holiday diet! Just think...you make fudge- add almonds...you're good! Think of the possibilities! Okay enough of my stupid ramblings! Healthy or not, We tasted of the fruits and could not get enough, so she made us each our bag of treat mix and wished us a Merry Christmas. Of course neither Emily or I waited to get home to eat it. We opened our bags right there and started to chow down! To make it sweeter, we watched Polar Express while we ate and played with the kids. How fun is that? :) Here are some pics of us hangin' out!

Rachel and "Katie" LOL

Emilie and McKenna

Me and Holden

PS That is a self taken picture of me and Holden...pretty impressive eh?
Later, Emily- like a good mom, took McKenna home for a nap. So, taking advantage of my patient child's sweet disposition, I accepted the offer to go to Walmart with Rachel. After Rachel's post about how horrid this place is and how long the lines were, when we went there, there were no lines and we waited about 5 minutes for her pictures she was picking up. I think she was making up the whole thing! :) LOL
After that, poor Fletcher (Rachel's little boy) hadn't eaten and had been so good, so Rachel treated him and us to some Panda Express! When I asked to pay, she just told me I "owed her lunch"! What a great idea! Now she's TOTALLY obligated to hang out with me again! It was such a nice day and good to get out of the house! Thanks again Emilie and Rachel for a great day!

One Step Closer to Independence!

So, I thought I would see how things would go if I just gave Holden all of his food on his tray and let him go at it! The first pic is the beginning- all clean! Second pic is the aftermath on his face! Not too bad.. and there was only one piece of food on the floor! It also turns out he doesn't like anything on his tray except what he can shove "full fisted" into his mouth. I kept putting his cup on his tray to have a drink and he kept side swiping it off. He only wanted food on his tray. Funny.My cousin Bryan is in town and he, my aunt and Grandma picked me up to go visit my brother, his wife and their kids. This is a pic of my aunt and grandma with the baby!This is THE aunt that is an amazing cook! From Mayonnaise cake and homemade bread to her famous burritos- her kitchen is heaven!

Later we went to my sisters house to see my little sister who got in from Washington for Christmas. After using the Garmin to find a KFC ( a sore spot), we picked up some chicken and were on our way to the gathering! It was fun to see her and her new little baby and little girl. So, these are pics from the festivities!

Visit to Jeff and Natalie's

I just wanted to post some of these pics cause they were so dang cute! I took back a pack and play that Jeff and Nat let me borrow and while we were there, we got some pics of Holden and Elayna, Madelyn and Holden! They are dolls! Holden loves to play with them and play chase!

December...So Far!

Well, considering we got through Thanksgiving and are well into the Christmas season, I thought it about time to give an update of our comings and goings thus far! The first thing on the list was the Festival of Trees.

It was amazing . I love it every time we go. Josh DRAGGED his feet going, and kept telling me this was "my thing" and that he was just there for me. He was trying to be sweet to do something I really wanted to do- but in the end, he was the one taking the camera and snapping pictures of his favorite trees. He ended seeing so many things that he thought were unique and creative. He had a really good time and I'm so glad we made the trip to go. Holden was so cute in the stroller. He reminded me of a MAJOR rubber necker on the highway looking at an accident. We strolled slowly by each tree so he could see, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from one to look at the next. Once we snapped him out of that, he would see the next tree...and the cycle continued! He loved it- I didn't think it would be that entertaining to him. He loved the bright colors and lights- but especially the toys! Josh and I kept joking that one day we could buy a tree from there and we'd be set with books, toys and board games for the rest of our lives! There were so many fun trees and ideas. To show some pics of our favorites, I will start with one that was in the lobby. I was looking at it with Holden cause Josh was still parking the car. I couldn't believe how it caught me so off guard. It wasn't that amazing the way it was decorated, but as soon as I looked closely, my eyes welled up with tears. Surrounding the tree in picture frames were photos of fallen soldiers from the war in Iraq. People surrounding the tree were not talking, just staring at it in silence. There was such a sweet and reverent spirit surrounding the tree. I just found myself giving thanks to not only those soldiers, but to those thousands who are still fighting for liberty. They are making so many sacrifices that we cannot even imagine. We should all remember them and their families this Christmas season.These were Josh's favorites! He loved the upside down tree. I thought it was ugly when I first saw it, then after some persuasion from Josh, it grew on me. :) The second is made of gingerbread. Isn't it crazy? I thought it was pretty amazing as well! Josh loved the dragon and wizard though...neat!
This one was my favorite. A little bit of European, French style, classy! I loved it! Actually, the tree wasn't that great, but everything else with it! :)
This one was "Holden's" favorite. Okay so it was really Josh's! It was this big candy making factory built around a tree. Wow- some people have quite the imagination! This one and the tool tree made of wire!

Okay... I just had to post this for Marshall, my bro-in-law! Maybe this will make him feel better over the loss to BYU! :))

We also saw a Polar Express show and got some fudge. Fun stuff! It was good to kick off our Christmas holiday season!