And the Terrible Two's are official

On February 25, 2009 David Christopher joined our family and changed our lives forever. Here are a couple pictures of some of his first days in this world.

He is our precious boy and has received MANY kisses everyday of his life.

Starting with the first one.

1 year later he had changed into this handful(cute as he may be, handful none-the-less)

Now, he is more than 2 handfuls, but we wouldn't change it for the world.

This is his "cheesy" smile as he sits on Carol's lap.
Carol and Joe are some of our dear friends and we are lucky enough to live

about 2 miles from them now.

His new favorite toys. He always knows where they are. Too cute. He can't play with one and not the other. They are a team, you know.

Presents are the best. Soon he will figure out that those particular shaped boxes are always clothes. Until then, he just wants to tear the paper.

He got a new book, always a perfect gift. Thank you Carol!

Loves to go around. Da is always good for a "Big Bear Hug."

The new church duds. He looks so much older now. Why do they grow so fast?

All the fun was too much to handle. He was tired and couldn't handle all the attention.

David is speaking more and more everyday. His favorite words being "Buzz" and "Oody"

He is such a joy to have around(2-year-old fits excluded of course).

He loves to run in our new large back yard.

He loves to be a big boy and eat his food all by himself, and he is really good at it.

He has successfully given up the pacifier, and now is not as attached to his blanket too.

His best friend is Jessica(wanting to do everything she does and be just like her).

He could watch the movie "Toy Story" everyday, ALL day if I let him.

He can spot anything that has Toy Story on it.

He would be completely content if his diet was made entirely of fruit "nack" snacks.

If it were possible to kiss a hole in his cheek from kissing it too much, it would happen everyday. His cheeks are soooo kissable.

Our lives would not be the same without our favorite little guy, David. Everyone loves him dearly. The girls fight over his affections, and I don't think he would have it any other way.

We love you David!!!! Happy 2nd Birthday!

5K fun run

On February 26, we all got up and went to a neighboring town to run a 5K. Dad met us there and off we went(sort of). We didn't have a sitter for the kids, so Jason ran first and when he got back I took off.

It was a very small race. Actually it was the first race this particular group had ever put on, so it lacked some of the formalities we have seen in other races. You know things like a timer, placement of any kind and in turn medals. However, it felt kind of nice to have a new place to run, having the help of the adrenaline that comes with a race, but not really having the competition(just a FUN run--if that exists). Most of the people who did it were walking. I am really glad I did it. I woke up that morning with full intent of just watching Jason run, but seeing as it only took him about(no timers remember) 24 minutes to run it, I had time to do it myself. WARNING: Self patting on the back approaching! So, as I said I started later than everyone else(around 30 minutes later), but I finished before at least half of them. Remember that most of them were walking though, so don't be too impressed. It did feel pretty good though.

Here are some pictures from the race.

It was kind of a cold morning, so Jason waited until the last minute to take his long pants and sweater off.

Dad got there just a few minutes before the race began, but was ready to speed-walk his way through the course.

The kids were cold and anxious to see Daddy cross the finish line.

Cailyn is so good at cheering us on when we are competing. I think she is ready to have a race of her own. We will sign her up for the next 1-mile race we find on a Saturday.

Jessica can find a reason to smile anywhere she goes.

David, however, wasn't very happy with the cold temperatures and having to stay in a specific area.

In order of finishing:

Jason won the race by several minutes. Speedy, speedy!

Dad walked most of it with another man, just chatting away. He is very gregarious! He walks very fast and did a great job that day too. Way to go Da!

Here I come, after running the entire time, trying to catch Dad. I didn't make it but had a great time anyway. I probably beat my personal best, but there is no way to really know. Overall I am proud of all of us. Now on to the next one. It will be much harder, but probably more fullfilling too.

Cailyn's music program

A couple of weeks ago Cailyn had her first School Music Program. She only goes to music once a week and had only been in her new school for about 6 weeks, so she only had 6 practices before she sang. I think she did wonderfully. She was terrified of being on the back row of the risers, so she was a little pre-occupied the whole time. Oh, the price to pay for being tall for her age. Poor thing!

Check our that sweet face. My heart was beaming!

Could she be any cuter?

All the kids were given some time to wave to their parents before the program started and this was Cailyn's sweet love being sent from across the room. We are so proud of our precious Cailyn. She is at the top of her class and learning fast. She makes my heart melt.

We love you Cailyn!

Getting settled in

We have officially been in our house for 2 months. So the question remains, are we settled in yet? Maybe some of these pictures will answer that.

The kids seem to be sleeping well.

We have our favorite decorations out.

AND the kids have their books and toys back.

We are very happy to be in our new home. We are still trying to figure out where we want everything(trying new spots frequently), finding things to repair or change, and still creating our routines. We LOVE our new house. Please come visit us, we love showing it off. By the way, our "Open House" went very well(which I of course didn't get any pictures of) and want to thank all of you who came by. It was very fun and somehow makes being settled more official.

Who are you listening to?

Have you ever grown overwhelmed with hopelessness and fear as you think about this world and all its troubles? It seems I have done this a lot lately. I think about this country and those leading it(and where they are leading it), I think about the unrest of countries around the world(that seem to never have felt rest or peace), and I think about my generation and what they are doing with their lives and what they are teaching their children(who then teach MY children). With all of these problems it leads my thoughts to despair. I can't believe how vulnerable people today(and I guess forever) are to the destruction of the Devil. How can they not see that their decisions are causing pain to those around them, not to mention their own spirit? How can they not recognize how unhappy they are? And if they do recognize it, shouldn't that be enough to want to change? I ask myself these questions and more(usually with tears streaming) completely confused about the world today and always come up with the same answer.
Satan is good at what he does. He plays us against ourselves. We knew we would make mistakes, but somehow we forget that we can come back. There comes a point when Satan tells us we have gone too far and are not wanted anymore, and can't return. He tells us that everyone can see our sins written on our forehead and hate us because of them. He tells us we are worthless and ugly. Eventually if we listen to him long enough we begin to believe him. That belief can then become knowledge and it snowballs from there. A great big snowball of pain and anguish.
I know this is how it works because I have felt all of these things. I listened to the wrong voice. I paid very close attention to it and began hating myself, thinking that no one would ever love me, least of all Heavenly Father.
It took a very dear friend of mine to change that thinking. She merely repeated the opposite over and over until I thought that it was possible. I felt the joy of her love to me and began to doubt that awful voice telling me I was nothing. She bore her testimony often in everyday conversation until I could feel the Holy Ghost again(through her). The stark contrast from what I was feeling(or lack of feeling) everyday and what she was introducing again in my life was amazingly strong. It was enough to help me want to change and turn to Christ.
I know that Heavenly Father loves me. I know He loves you. I know that He feels pain when we feel pain. I know that He wants to take it away from us terribly, but we have to turn to Him. He is waiting with open arms aching to heal our hearts. It is possible to return. We all have worth in His eyes. I know these things because He tells me often. He will tell you too if you listen. . .often and hard enough. God does not give us the feeling of fear. That comes from a different source. However, God does take fear away if we let Him.
I thank my sweet friend Alyson for being strong enough for both of us. I thank you more than you know. I am eternally thankful for the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ because it has been a miracle in my life. I know the Savior personally through the Atonement and know that I am loved. I now pay close attention to the Holy Ghost and His promptings daily. I can recognize when I am being influenced by Satan and do what I can to counteract that. I realize that the overwhelming sense of doom I feel when I think too hard about all the pain and suffering in the world is not from my Heavenly Father and I then turn to Him for comfort and guidance. I am studying the Gospel of Jesus Christ and pray that I can live it through service and obedience. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

It is about time

It is official. We have a new home...By new, of course, I mean almost 100 years old but we love our home. Not to say it didn't take some work...Every room in the house was plastered with wall paper, not the cute "Oh, how nice" wall paper, but the wall paper that makes you go, "Wow...that's........nice?" Take a look at the "Before" pictures to get a feel for it. Please note that if the pictures give you a head ache just look away for a few minutes and it will subside.
This first picture is of a bedroom. This was the only room that did not have the 70's pea green color in it. As you can see it was toned down with a deep reddish-purple.

Bedroom Before


And then after.

The main color we chose was a conservative tan color. We think it gives the house a very relaxing and comfortable feel. The white trim accents the woodwork that you find only in older homes and adds character to the house. (We will be replacing the curtains soon) 

This next picture is another bedroom. The large windows allow plenty of natural light in. We splashed some paint on the walls and....



We did paint the lower portion of the wall...I just don't get along well with pea green.

This picture is the office area. This was the one area that we left wall paper on...partly out of exhaustion, but partly because it keeps with the time and style of the home. We may end up painting it later...what do you think, should it stay or should it go?


 For the evening entertainment we had some ballet dancers come to the house and put on a show. Here they are dancing in the hallway.


I still haven't figured out why folks on the lower side of five foot have to buy a house with 10 foot ceilings but we love the openness and spacious feeling of the house. We are pretty proud of our paint job and look forward to showing it off.


Living Room Before

Living Room After

Good help doesn't come cheap these days. However, it was worth every cent because she was fun to have around. She was a painter, court jester, and photographer all-in-one. It made an otherwise tedious day a complete "Joy".

Christmas Time has come and gone

However, we enjoyed every minute of it. Dad went up north to spend the holiday with family(mainly my brothers) so we waited to exchange gifts with him until he got back. I think he had fun!!!

Big surprise!!

Getting ready to set it up!!!

Tools of the trade!

Recruiting help wasn't very difficult!

The finished product is beautiful!!

We got a cool new floor puzzle from Jim and Candace. Thank you!

Team work!

Christmas wreaths are a must have. Again!

Christmas Lasagna!

and Bread!

Turtles in a half shell!

Hand-made, personalized gifts are my favorite!

Santa did a great job, and David didn't need any help knowing what to do with his gifts.

Overall, we had a GREAT Christmas. It was just us and very relaxed. We ate the traditional cinnamon rolls for breakfast, lasagna for dinner, but the best of all was having the time to just sit down and play, pretend, and squeal in excitement with our sweet little angels.

We hope everyone had a wonderful day celebrating the birth of our Savior. As I stop to think of what the season means, it bring tears to my eyes. What a blessing to have a time of year when we can freely express our testimonies without hesitation. I love that the world around us is turning to Christ. My goal is to share my beliefs and testimony more frequently and without a tone of apology throughout the year. I want to do this because I know that Jesus was born to atone for my sins and pains. I know that my Savior loves me and understands my heart, no matter what I am struggling with. I can trust that repentance in possible because I have used it and felt the change in my heart and life. I also know that if I follow Christ's example I will have peace and love. I bear this testimony in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.