OH so GOOD!!!

MMMMmmmmmmmmmm!!! Did anyone else fall in love with the Twisted Peppermint scent from Bath & Body Works over the holidays? I love love LOVE this smell, so much so that I just received four more in the mail that I ordered.

They are on clearance for only $3.00 right now....sadly, all they have left is the lotion. (I couldn't find any in the stores, that is why I purchased them online.) If only I could get my hands on the body spray (OR the body cream) and I'd be set until next year...

I'm tellin' ya, you're missing out big time if you haven't partaken of this yummy aroma.

Did I mention that I LOVE it???

Like I could just cuddle up to it, and sniff it all day kind of love?

Okay, so that's a little overboard but you catch my drift, right?

Anyone else hearing me on this?

Click here to order yours:

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=twisted%20peppermint&origkw=twisted%20peppermint&sr=1

OR

you can always come visit me and I might let you try one of my six bottles for yourself. :)

Interpretation of tongues

This is the (stinkin' adorable) face that we're constantly getting from Emmie these days: Our interpretation of the sticking out of tongues:
"Nah-nuh-nah-nuh- naaahhh, naaahhh!
I'M CUTER THAN YOU!"
What a lucky girl. She's not only cute, she's SMART too!

FOR REAL?

Yep. That's our backyard fence. The little bit of it you can see is on the right, the rest is covered by well over a foot of snow. That's from the TOP of our fence that has over a foot!

Where do we live, you ask? The polar tundra?

Pretty much we may as well be. Wikpedia describes it (polar tundra) as "home to several peoples who are mostly nomadic reindeer herders"....Parker would like that. He loves reindeer. We'll have to try that out next winter. For now however, we are in hibernation. All phone calls will be returned next spring.

What's all this I hear about global warming again?

Not in my neck of the woods........

Bounce bounce bounce

Where do you take a wild but fun, energetic, rambunctious two-and-half year old little boy in the dead of winter in Utah?

I found just the place! THE KANGAROO ZOO! We took Parker here this last Wednesday and he loved it! He bounced, slid, climbed, & ran, all the while exerting plenty of that endless energy he has pent up inside of him! Admission was only $6 for a great morning of fun. The only bad part was leaving because Parker of course didn't want to go. I went to a similar place about 8 months ago with some friends and our kids, but Parker was too young and needed my assistance the entire time, and six months pregnant I just wasn't into climbing plastic mountains with a (almost) 2-year-old in tow. Parker was still a little small to climb up all by himself on a few things, but he was able to do much more this time around and he LOVED it! We will definitely be going again.....I've been thinking about enrolling Parker into gymnastics to let him bounce and run around for an hour a week, but I think this may be the perfect alternative.

So if anyone's interested in a playdate at the Kangaroo Zoo, let us know, it's a date!

(Cami, Tammy & Jill we're ready to do it again! I'm not prego this time around so it won't set me into labor... :))

We're moving

You heard me right.

Our bags are packed, we're READY TO GO!

WE'RE MOVING!

It's decided, we've talked it over, and we are soooooo moving into this beautiful victorian farmhouse in gorgeous Sonoma, California!!!

Well, IF we WIN it, that is!

HGTV is giving away this amazing dream home! I REALLY hope to win it, :) but if I don't, I REALLY hope someone I know DOES, so that we can come and visit!!! You can enter to win everyday until February 19th, 2009. So hurry up and sign up, it only takes a second. Oh, and did I mention that the home is brand new and worth over $2 million? Click here to view this incredible home and to enter for your chance to win!

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv-dream-home-2009-giveaway-enter/package/index.html
Chris and I always dream about raising our kids in a small, classy, country town on lots of land...
If YOU could live anywhere in any style of home, money being no object, where would it be and what type of home??
I don't have many complaints about where we live now, but Sonoma California is looking PRETTY GREAT if you ask me! :) I've also always dreamed of living back east in Vermont or Connecticut for some reason... we can always dream, right?

Thirty-something

Alright, so this is late, but, aren't I always?

Chris turned the Big 31 last Sunday, January 11th & Parker, Emmie and I just wanted to once again wish him a

Happy Birthday!

He is such wonderful guy and I am so blessed to have him as my very patient husband and as the father of my adorable 2 kids, who were very blessed with his adorable genes.

We LOVE him dearly and so appreciate what a wonderful man he is, for his strong spiritual side & his extensive knowledge and love for the gospel, for the hard work he puts into providing for our fam, and among many other awesome qualities, can I just say how much I love that he is the such the handy man? In my eyes, a 'real man' is a handy one. :) He's done sooooo much around our new home this last year... In the very little spare time that he's had (due to working OT to pay for a fence, and a new bedroom in our basement), he has managed to: lay sod and install a sprinkling system in our backyard this last summer, install & build shelves in a downstairs closet, put up bead board in Em's room, paint Emmie's room and our family room, he has built a number of the furniture pieces in our home, built and installed a marble countertop for our laundry room, installed cabinets in our laundry room, the list goes on and on.... and he fixes just about anything that needs it. (Including the toilet when he clogs it!:)) I can't tell you how many times a day I hear this from Parker, "Uh oh... it's bwoke. Daddy will bix (fix) it". Yep. And he usually does. I hope and pray that Parker will be just like him when he grows up. We are tremendously blessed by our 'honey'. (Whenever I call Chris this, Parker starts calling him it as well. It's so funny...)

So I think I mentioned the word "genes" somewhere above... well check out THESE jeans! Pretty sweet, ay? I found this picture of Chris with Karl Malone when he was a kid and it cracked us up! I'm not sure who has the better outfit... Chris or Karl....it's a close call. Karl looks like he is primped up like a woman, and Chris looks like he just rolled out of bed, jumped into his favorite 3-day-old, acid wash, grass stained, peg-legged jeans....

Alright, Karl, maybe YOU WIN!

Chris was just a kid, he didn't know any better. But you look like you borrowed your wife's outfit for the day... and maybe even her legs! Those are nice!

Gotta love the 80's!

Happy Birthday, Chris!

xoxo

p.s. I have no idea what in the world Karl Malone was doing in Chris' neighborhood for this picture to take place... I'll have to investigate...

All about Emmie

On Christmas Day Emmie turned FOUR months old! I can't believe how the time has flown. She is getting to be such a big girl in every sense....she had her four month check up yesterday and here are her stats:Weight: 15 lbs, 8 oz.....71st %ile

Height: 26 inches....92nd %ile

Head: 49th %ile

Little (er should I say 'Big') Em is SUCH a delight to have in our home!!! We are all in love with her, including Roxy the Dog. She weasels her way in to sit by Emmie wherever we go, as demonstrated in the above picture. She lays at her feet constantly and the getting kicked in the stomach repeatedly by Em's tiny feet doesn't seem to phase her. I guess it must be nothing compared to the abuse that she endures from the 2-year-old who chases her all day pulling her tail and inflicting all kinds of torment upon the poor little pup.

Back to Emmie... she is SUCH a SMILEY girl! We just love those big grins. Her cheeks are so chub that they bury those dimples, but they are in there, I swear! She LOVES her brother already....whenever he comes nearby her legs go crazy and she flashes her gums with an adoring smile. Parker is such a helper to pile her toys up on her stomach. She thinks any attention from her brother is great so she loves it. Lately they love to hold hands and Parker talks to her in a super high pitched voice, always saying, "Hi baby, hi baby, how'r you-ou?" It's so precious!
She started rolling over on December 29th and hasn't stop since. Every time I set her on her back she flips herself over and seems to love the tummy time. She can flip herself back again but seems to enjoy chillin' on her belly. She also likes to suck that thumb... I'm not sure I like this little habit but Chris assures me that at least she always knows where to find it when she needs it. I can't argue that point but I am still encouraging the binky.

I am thrilled to say that she is still a champion sleeper. She usually sleeps all the way from 10-5 a.m. before waking up to eat, then goes back to sleep! Ahhhh.

Did I say she is heaven-sent or what??? It is a dream come true. I've said it before and I'll say it again...I really had no idea that you could actually sleep at night for more than 2 hours at a time with a newborn.

I am LOVING it, and even more, I am LOVING HER!!!

Our family has truly been blessed by this sweet, tender, beautiful baby girl!

We love you, Emmie!!!

Where do I go to order more just like her??

Christmas in Review

Despite the craziness that seems to accompany the holidays, we really had such a great Christmas! Sitting back and watching Parker and Emmie enjoy the magic of this time of year was true joy. Okay, so Emmie being four months old is a little to young to begin to understand it all, but just having her here with us is a joy in itself. We got some really awesome presents for Christmas this year, and are so appreciative of it all! However, the most important things in life sure aren't the things. We are most blessed by those who are a part of our lives, and are grateful that we could share and enjoy the holidays with them!

There are way too many pictures that I wanted to post, and way more than you're interested in viewing, so for my own keepsake I threw them into collages...We spent Christmas Eve with the Hansens. They just completed an addition onto their home this last year which looks so great and made the holidays all the more roomy for everyone. It was a great evening and we were even visited by one of Santa's elves which I failed to get a picture of. Chris' brother, Eric and his wife Cindy and son, Atticus were in town for the holidays from Texas (top right) so it was fun to see them. Christmas morning fun!

My little brother, Steve spent the night and we all had fun watching Parker see what Santa brought him Christmas morning. He strolled into our room at 3:41 a.m. rearing to go, but that did not fly so Chris rocked him back to sleep and he reappeared 3 hours later to start the day. He was a good boy this year so Santa followed through on his requests for "Pat Pat" (Little Einstein) and Mickey Mouse toys. Emmie loved her new Bumbo chair.

Later on Christmas day we went to my Grandma's house with my Dad's side of the family. We've done this for every Christmas that I can remember. My 83-year-old grandmother is quite the hostess and such wonderful memories have been made in her home. She puts so much time, effort and energy into making the holidays and birthdays special. She is also quite the decorater... I had to take a picture this year of her dining room table (posted above). We later headed over to the Hansens once again for a fabulous turkey dinner and more festivities. It was a wonderful day - thanks to everyone for making it so great!

On Monday the 29th my Mom and Stepdad were in town and we had yet another holiday party at my Stepsister's home. It was also a fun time! I didn't get any pictures, however!

PHEW!!!

Bring on 2009...

I'm ready and excited for a New Year and fresh beginnings!