Give Thanks

This picture may seem a little odd but it's the only one I had taken over Thanksgiving that had a good amount of family members in it. This was taken on the Thanksgiving morning hike.

Thanksgiving is such a great holiday. It is a holiday focused on family and remembering the things we are thankful for. This year we spent Thanksgiving in St. George with my side of the family. It was so fun! Nothing real fancy happened. It was just great to hang out with family and taking a minute to relax and not have to focus on the "have to's".

As always our feast was delicious. The cousins played for hours on end and we spent many hours playing games. The babies toddled around and the adults laughed and had fun. It was a great day (or should I say weekend). I have much to be thankful for.

I am grateful for my family. I am grateful for the gospel. Those two things are an anchor to me throughout life's storms. Without them I would be tossed in turmoil in this world of uncertainty. But thanks to the gospel and my family to depend on I am prepared for what life throws at me.

Lexie is 9

Lexie really, really wanted moon sand for her birthday.

Lexie having a lot of fun at Classic Fun Center for her birthday

Lexie with her two best friends

It baffles me that Lexie is 9. That means in one year she will be 10. How does time fly by so fast?

Lexie has always had a special place in our family. She was the first child for Steve and I to have together. She bridged our blended family.

Lexie is a cute, funny, unique little girl. She loves to have fun. She loves to look forward to events, especially holidays. Lexie loves to be creative and loves any art project.

Lexie is an awesome swimmer. She has passed all the levels of swimming lessons and has started the swim team at Gene Fullmer. Lexie likes school and always does well. Lexie often times gets overlooked being a middle child but she certainly is not forgotten. She is a a very special girl in our family. We love her very much.

My Baby is 1 Today!

I can't believe my baby boy is one today. Time flies when you are a parent. Elijah is such a joy to our family. Life could not be imagined without him. From the moment he was born he has been his unique, fun little self. He is just a happy guy.

Just in time for his birthday he has started walking or I should say started taking steps. He can take about 5 steps before he falls down. He is persistent. I give him a couple weeks until he starts running.

Also just this week he learned how to go down the stairs. We discovered that new talent yesterday when he was downstairs and no one had put him down there. My biggest challenge these days is making sure the girls have put the lid down on the toilets. Elijah loves the bathrooms!

On the Move

Elijah has taken off! He is anywhere and everywhere. Elijah discovered he liked crawling under the baby disc better than playing in the baby disc.
He can balance and stand without holding on to something but no walking yet. He also has learned to crawl the correct way. For awhile he would lake on his tummy and pull himself along with his arms. Then to get momentum he would push with his foot. It looked like a hard upper body workout. But he is now on all four. One thing is for sure if there is a cramped place in the house that looks like you might be able to fit in, Elijah needs to check it out. In this photo Elijah had crawled under his crib and wasn't quite sure how to get out. He kept bonking his poor head as he tried to crawl underneath.

Homecoming

It's hard to believe Emily is dating age. In true teenager form Emily was asked to Homecoming just days before the dance. She scrambled to get things together for the big night. Emily and I don't seem to speak the same language so I am never clear of her plans and I was left clueless how the evening was supposed to go.

To make a long story short Steve and I ended up being their double date. It sounds a lot worse than it was. We casually entered the dance several couples after them and sat on the side enjoying apple juice and cookies as they danced.

I have to say I am so proud of Emily's modesty. That night there were so many girls who were scantily dressed. I asked myself, "Where are their mothers?" Emily shone along with the other girls that were modest and were examples of latter-day saint young women.

Afterward we accompanied them to Applebee's for dinner. We offered to dine separate but they wanted us to eat with them. I think they were actually happy we ate dinner with them because it helped the conversation flow. It was Emily's first "real" date. Although she was not thrilled with us accompanying them she was a good sport. I am proud of the way she handled things.

One in a Million....

Life has been so busy I have not had time to post on my blog. So today I promised myself I would. And I thought I would start of with my amazing husband. I am so lucky to have such an awesome guy!

Steve has been going to school for a LONG time! I don't count before we were married. So just since we have been together he has been plugging along for 10 years. It is really hard to go to school when you have a big family.

Steve just passed another big test! For the past five years I have been saying he has about two years left to get his bachelor's and I can officially say he has less than a year to go! I notice I am using lots of exclamation marks but this is a big deal in our life. I don't know what life is like to have a husband who goes to work and comes home to the family.

Besides school he always dedicates his time to our family. I noticed he spends every extra minute he has taking care of our family. He is always helping with the children. He really is a great dad. He also is very thoughtful. He makes it a point to give me one night a week to go do whatever I want. He knows I have the children a lot and wants to give me a break.

So there you have it folks. I am married to the sweetest, most loving, most amazing guy.

Bear Lake Family Reunion

I am blessed to be married into such a great family. We were able to go to Steve's mother's family reunion last week at Bear Lake. It was so fun.The first night the family went to dinner and a play. I was able to enjoy the dinner but had to miss the play due to baby 'Lijah.

At the playhouse there was this fun horse swing that was made from tires.

The next day was water day! The kids just loved to play and play in the water. You could wade way out into the water before it got deep. It's amazing how many hours of fun sand will give you. The water was a little cold but once you got used to it, it was fun to play in. There was a sand castle building contest. This is one Sadie, Emily, their cousin Nick and his friend Chris worked on.

This is David enjoying the sand castle building contest award. It was a big ice cream shaped lollipop. David earned the award for not stepping on the castles.

We stayed at a KOA in a little cabin. Little cabin means log room with beds and electricity. You bring you're own bedding and there is a community bathroom/shower. It is definitely a step up from sleeping in a tent. David loved it. He called it his house. I forgot to get a picture of it but it was so much fun.

Finally I was able to snag a picture of Anna.
She is always missing at picture time.

Each year there is a pinata and a money dig. So my kids go away with pockets full of candy and coins. But I love spending time with the extended family. They are a happy, positive, welcoming group and I love them. Thanks Donna for making it possible for us to go! I was stinky about getting very many pictures. Better luck next year.

This is Steve's parents.