Sweet Baby Smiles

Some of you may know that Jody and I tried pretty hard to consider our family complete after Kutter was born. We've always been so glad that we decided to go ahead and have another -- Brielle is such a joy. It really hit me today, though, when I was trying to catch this picture of her clapping (her latest discovery) that Heavenly Father must have known that I would need her sweet, joyful smile in my life right now. It's impossible to look at that face and not be reminded that Heavenly Father always has a plan, and it's always the right one!

Trayson's Christmas Wishes

I didn't want to copy Michelle, but I just couldn't resist posting this. Call me a vain mom, but I just can't help thinking my kids are adorable sometimes! Forgive the spelling, but I wanted to copy it verbatim -- you can tell he didn't have any help, because he didn't even ask how to spell one word!

dear Santa, MOM and dad

Santa List Just a fue Little toys, MOM i Just need love from you, dad i Just wont a freae day to play with you

Santa Just 1 more thing from you A transformer pleas

I guess Santa gets off pretty cheap this year!

Random thoughts and Christmas parties

So my last post was a bit of a downer, and it's taken me a few days to be able to imagine posting anything a bit brighter. I've decided to follow my sister's wonderful example and focus on all of the positives around us. Hayley has been such an amazing support through all of this. (Yeah, isn't it supposed to be the other way around?) I have always admired her, but I guess I never realized how truly strong she is. She is just amazing. I know she's had her moments, and there's probably more to come, but she keeps managing to pull it all together and it is truly inspiring to watch her helping us all cope with this devastating news. I can only assume that she can feel the tremendous support and the prayers that have all been shared on her and her family's behalf. Thanks to my friends for being part of that! People are always saying that we learn from our trials. So far I've learned that having friends you can laugh with is a joy, but having friends that you can cry with is truly a great blessing!

Last weekend we were able to go to the Wolfley family Christmas party. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to celebrate, but it turns out that all that Wolfley craziness was a big help. It's difficult to completley wallow when you're surrounded by 2 parents-in-law, 7 brothers-in-law, 7 sisters-in-law, one boyfriend, 12 kids, and one dog ---plus my family! It was pretty chaotic and that is just what I needed. They let me melt down a little bit, and then they did their best to distract me. Thanks, Wolfley clan, for all the crazy fun!

Trayson has been so excited to hang-out with cousins Dristan and Cayden. You can tell they are three of a kind!

Do you think it's possible that the real wise men were anywhere near as cute as my Kutter?

Nothing's sweeter than watching your kids take part in the nativity scene. Some took it so seriously (I'm pretty sure that Aliah BELIEVED that she was Mary there for a minute) some just couldn't stop smiling (Mostly Trayson and Kutter) but even the big kids got into it and we were all touched. It just never gets old!

Blind-sided

Yesterday started just like any other day--calm, kinda boring, nothing happenning--and then it felt like a mac truck came speeding right into us out of nowhere. Some of you may know that my brother-in-law, Travis, had cancer a couple of years ago. Yesterday was his two-and-a-half-year check-up and there wasn't a doubt in my mind that it would be a reason for celebration.

Reality check: His cancer is back in the worst way. I just do not know how to process this information. We love Travis so much and it's impossible to imagine him and his family going through this. At the moment, it is difficult to even write about. I just want to make it all better, and I can't. Hayley's family needs our prayers, so I am writing to ask all of you to please pray for them during this difficult time!

A Few Firsts

We had our first Christmas party of the season this weekend-- a kids' party for Jody's work. that meant Brielle's first-ever time to meet Santa Claus. I was worried. None of my kids have been huge fans of the big guy, but Brielle thought he was marvelous! She just grinned at him and went right for that beard. I wanted to get a better shot, but Santa was kinda lookin worried that he was gonna lose his beard in front of forty small children. !

Brielle loved getting presents, too, but she just loved them for the paper. I don't think there was a kid there more excited to get his gift than Kutter was!

We actually got enough snow for the kids to build a snowman! They were thrilled! The snowman looks pretty happy about it, too! I'm mad that I somehow missed getting pictures of the whole process, but they're pretty proud of their new friend!

Tree Trimmin'

Decorating the Christmas tree has to be one of my all-time favorite traditions. We usually do it for family home evening and it is often the first night of Christmas music playing in the background, hot chocolate with cool whip, and EVERYBODY getting along for that one sweet moment in time.

I think it's one of those rare Christmas moments that blend the "fun" parts of Christmas -- you know, spending too much money, gobby decorations, long wish lists, etc -- with the true spirit of the season. This year, as I watched the kids' eyes twinkling and listened to their excited laughter while decking our tree, it reminded me of one of my best "mommy moments" ever. Breje was four and Trayson was two, and the big controversy that year was that maybe "good" parents shouldn't emphasize the whole Santa part of Christmas. It was something I thought about a lot. I adore Christmas. Everything about it. I revel in it and had always planned on helping my kids do the same, but the latest mommy buzz was that Christmas as we have come to know it was teaching our kids to believe in something that wasn't real, or at least messing up their priorities some. I wondered if I should scale back a bit -- and then we decorated our tree.

Anyone that has children knows that joyous moments are plentiful, but joy with peace and contentment is a bit more rare. This was one of those nights. Breje just sparkled while Jody helped her place ornaments, and our just-barely-toddling Trayson hadn't yet figured out how to pull the darn thing apart. We giggled and sang Christmas carols and just reveled in holiday spirit. When Jody put the star on top Breje looked up and said, "I just feel so warm and happy inside!"
I had one of those little light-bulb-above-my-head moments and asked, "do you know what that is?"

"It means that I feel the spirit!" she replied. She was just glowing (but not as much as me!)

That's when it hit me that Christ wants us to celebrate His birthday! He wants us to laugh and sing and give gifts and, as long as we remember why we are doing that, we have our priorities in exactly the right place! A huge relief to me, and a wonderful reminder that the greatest gift that we can give our Savior, in memory of His birth, is to share His kindness and love with everyone around us. Merry Christmas!

I know! It's been forever since I blogged! I'm sure you've all missed me desperately! The worst part is that now I am forced to torture you with the longest post ever! I will try not to ramble -- it's mostly full of pictures that I just couldn't choose between. (Imagine that-- me not being able to make a decision!)

Our holiday was just full of so many good things! No one has ever had a better turkey dinner than the one my mom prepared! The turkey could've seriously done a backstroke in it's own juices -- i'm not exaggerating! My brother is the king of mashed potatos and there were more desserts there than people! A dream dinner for yours truly!

The day after was almost better, as my sweet husband agreed to watch most of the kids so that I could revel in my traditional shopping trip with my mom and sister! This is the first year that Breje really wanted to come too -- bad enough to get up at 7:00 to come with us!(no, we do not do 4:00 am!) What a treat! (We are always loads of fun when we have not slept at all and are on a sugar high!)

We were lucky that Heath and Kaycee decided to bless their sweet little girl on Sunday, so we got that in, as well. It's so great to be close enough to catch some of those moments! I forgot to get the camera out while she was still in her dress, but I did get a couple pics on another day!

You can probably tell that my very favorite part is watching all the sweet kids playing together! No pictures of juicy turkey or Hayley's perfect mini-cheesecakes, but I'm gonna have to thrill you all now with pictures of the most beautiful children that have ever existed! It's fun to see how much Simon adores Trayson -- to the point of dragging him around the kitchen by his shirt!

He loves Sienna, too, but it's not always so innocent! This hug is genuine, but the look on Sienna's face says it all!

Ady is 7 years younger than Breje, but they have the sweetest bond ever! I'm pretty sure this is 2:00 am, Thanksgiving morning. Eventually, Breje became the pillow!

Grandma Linda made this dress for Breje when she was about 4, and Ady was absolutely thrilled to try it on! She called it her princess dress and I thought we'd never get it back off of her. You can totally tell that she feels pretty!

Brielle caught a peaceful moment with Great Gram!

This was a fun discovery. Simon will listen to Trayson read for hours! It looks like they're the only two people in the world right now, and you can tell how much they are enjoying it!

A RARE moment when Sienna agreed to snuggle with uncle Jody!

This little guy has more sweetness in him than you would ever believe! His smile just melts my heart!

Jody trying hard to get Ryann to fall asleep. I think she tricked him!

Well, this one pretty much sums it up for me! This is joy!

Giving Thanks

It's that time of year again -- time for me to get all cheesy and list everything I'm thankful for. It's amazing how my list has grown over the years. I'm now thankful for a million little things that so often get taken for granted. Like premade cookie dough -- what a miracle! Baby formula and pacifiers are high on my list this year. So are "educational" computer games, Zaboomafoo and Playhouse Disney, and the movie Cars! Where would I be without clear acrylic stamps, book club, bunco, and my blogs! How did I ever survive without a dual-screen dvd player in the car -- not to mention cup holders, heated seats, and keyless entry?!

I also happen to be extremely grateful for my pajama pants, and a husband who doesn't seem to notice that I practically live in them! Which does bring me to the cheesy part . . . I could only avoid it for so long! I know so many men who see their families as people they spend time with as an obligation, and only if there's time to spare. I am so grateful that my man wants to spend time with me -- and I'm especially grateful that he seems to look forward to spending time with the kids. (let's face it, by the time he gets around them, they've pretty much used me up and spit me out!) So they don't always make it to bed in time if he's in charge, but they know their daddy loves them and I couldn't ask for more for them!

Of course, as much as they've been wearing me out lately, I gotta say that I am thrilled to have such great kids. They certainly keep me on my toes. Someone around here is always saying something random at the funniest moments. My home is filled with laughter and sweetness most of the time and it is so fulfilling to watch them grow everyday! We have the whole gamut right now, from a precious new baby, to rambunctious boys, to a beautiful young lady, and each day with them brings at least one new learning experience and one precious moment to be tucked away (and brought out again during the not-so-precious moments!)

I also seem to be extremely blessed to be constantly surrounded by incredible people. I have the most amazing family a girl could ask for-- and our relationships just grow stronger each year. I am happy to be able to say that my parents, brother, sister, and in-laws are usually the people that I most want to be around! How many people can say that? I'm also so grateful for the many wonderful people who've become my friends over the years (and the dozen moves!) I'm not sure how I meet the most kind, generous, talented, funpeople in each town that we move to -- but somehow I do that and I trick them into being my friends!

So that's why I'm most looking forward to Thanksgiving. My life has changed tons each year, but it always remains that my greatest blessing is the people in my life. I get to spend this holiday with most of them, and whoever is missing is sure to catch up with me on my blog. I am such a lucky girl!

Another Quiz!

So my friend posted this on her blog FOREVER ago, and I was intrigued, but hadn't read the books yet. I finished the first one today and still couldn't get enough, so I thought I'd try it out? What do you think? Is it accurate?

Which Twilight novel character are you?

center
You're Bella Swan - You are intelligent and kind but not quite sure what you want out of life yet. You have a feeling there's something more out there for you. You're attracted to those who are real and avoid the fake. Sometimes you're a bit accident prone, but your true friends will always be loyal to you and come to your aid when you need it.
Take this quiz!








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My Girls!

I was just chattin with some friends last night and we got to talking about our kids. You know talking. The kind of talking where you are more complaining. Complaining about how no one listens, no one minds, no one helps, someone is gonna think you're abusive. That kind of fun stuff.
The problem is that, once I got the complaining all out of my system and got on my way home, I started thinking about how really great my kids are! I thought my kids should know how much I truly appreciate the people they are becoming!

Breje and I still have our ups and downs, but there have been significantly more "ups" lately. I've recently realized that I've been focusing too much on how scary it is going to be to have a teenager, and forgetting how much fun I had with my mom when I was one! I've always thought that nothing would make me happier than to have the same relationship with my daughters as I have with my mom, and it seems we are on our way. Breje is getting to that age where she wants to go shopping with me! What could be better?! Also, some of my favorite times this summer was when Breje and I got to go jogging together. We had some great talks while jogging around our enormous block, betting who would quit first. Thank you, Breje!

It's also been so much fun getting to know our new baby girl! Brielle is all girl so far -- okay, except all she wanted to do with these flowers is eat them! The best part of having two girls is watching how much they already love each other! I am so lucky!

I'll have to get to my boys next time, but, for now, I wanted to celebrate my beautiful girls!

oops!

The link for the chocolate quiz is www.blogthings.com/whatkindofchocolateareyouquiz/!

What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

I just thought that this was my kind of quiz!

You are White Chocolate

You are White ChocolateYou are sweet, caring, and truly very innocent.Whether your naive ways are a bit of act or not, people like to take care of you.You are a quiet flirt, and your power is often underestimated!

http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href= What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

What a Woman Should Have!

I ran across this on a friends' blog and thought it was great! I hope she doesn't mind me stealing it! She addes some things at the end that work for her and I thought it was a wonderful idea. I want my bloggin friends to share thier own tips with me!

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .a youth she's content to leave behind....
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .one friend who always makes her laugh ... and one who lets her cry...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal, that will make her guests feel honored...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...a feeling of control over her destiny...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...how to fall in love without losing herself...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without; ruining the friendship...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...that she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips , or the nature of her parents.
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...that her childhood may not have been perfect...but it's over...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW. whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...where to go... be it to her best friend's kitchen table... or a charming inn in the woods... when her soul needs soothing...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...what she can and can't accomplish in a day... a month...and a year...
It made me think of a few others that "work for me".

I should have...a good book, scrapbook supplies, chocolate, and comfy pajama pants at all times!
I should have...the time to call a friend "just because".
I should have... the desire to at least try to find the answers to some of my kids' questions. They might be important someday!
I should know... that it is okay to say "no" sometimes, even if it means that someone might not like me!
I should know... that it's okay if not everyone likes me!
I should remember... that change can be good, as long as all the important things stay the same!

Playing catch-up!

Okay, so everyone's getting on my case about taking so long since my last post. It's just that we have been so busy! We've had visits and holidays and tons of not sleeping-- don't we all have weeks like that?! Anyway, I have to start this one with this cute picture of Trayson.
You can't tell, but he is totally nervous! He just had to get up in front of the whole school and accept an award! I'm sure he's the only kid there that would rather not get M&M's if it means standing up in front of everyone, but he finally agreed! He got recognized by his teacher in an assembly for being "respectful, responsible, and thoughtful". I couldn't have been more proud!

Later in the week we got to go to Parent/teacher conferences and that was so much fun! I am actually not being sarcastic here -- we love talking to their teachers about them! Both of them had their teachers raving about how delightful it is to have them in class and how bright they are! These are the moments that get us past sleepless nights and wrestling matches in Walmart! Thank you to Breje and Trayson for being such great kids!

Fun, Fun, Fun!

Our family finally got a little excitement last weekend when my mom, Hayley, Adyson, and Sienna came by for a little visit. It is always so much fun to watch how quickly the kids just jump right into their little friendships! The girls were in dress-ups within the first five minutes, and it only took about five more for Ady to get Kutter to play house with her. It just cracks me up to watch those two get along, when their worlds are so, so different!

The kids had tons of fun just playing together. They seemed to really enjoy the relaxed rules that Grandma brings with her -- especially getting to sleep in the front room all together and watching movies until way past bedtime. Can you tell that Ady got to pick witch movie they watched?

These visits always remind me how lucky I am to have the family that I have. Not many people can say that their mom and their sister are their best friends! It was wonderful to spend some shopping time together (ok, and some eating time, too!) and to stay up a little later than we should because we have so much to gab about!

This is one of my favorites of these two. They are "surfin' USA" on my rocking chair and ottoman!

Trick or Treat?

What a CRAZY Halloween! Hayley would say that it's totally my fault for waiting til the last minute to get the kids' costumes. She's probably right, but I pretty much do that every year. They are just such a headache! My kids have inherited my incredible lack of decision-making abilities, which really doesn't help. Breje was going to be the white witch, Hermione, or Ginny Weasley; in that order, before we ended up with this spooky concoction. (This, thanks only to Sienna, who is definately better at decisions than me!)
Trayson was nice enough to wear last years' costume, so he was easy, but Kutter was a little twerp! He'd been talking for two weeks about how he desperately needed a dragon costume. He knew exactly what it looked like and swears that we already had it somewhere. I finally gave up on getting him to wear something I could just throw together and took him to Walmart to buy the dang thing! He was absolutely thrilled with it until, lo and behold, we run into his buddy who just happens to notice that this dang dragon has eyelashes! Now, this dragon's eyelashes cannot hold a candle to Kutter's actual eyelashes, but it doesn't matter. Nope, this dragon is now a girl dragon and Kutter points out that he is definately not a girl! No way was he gonna wear that costume! We had to hike all the way back through the store and trade it for this pirate costume, because it was definately manly!
I don't know what we would've done if Ady wouldn't have been willing to share her witch costume with Brielle! Fortunately for me, she did, so the entire family made it to the trunk or treat at church and we were only about 10 minutes late! We fought the crowd for some chilli and candy, then made a quick trip into town to do "real" trick or treating (Kutter was completely unsatisfied without doorbells to ring!) Whew! Maybe next year I will listen to Hayley and start a little earlier . . . but probably not!

Tagged again!

Five things I was doing 10 years ago.
1-Chasing a 1-year-old around my house!
2-I was living in my first nasty, spider-infested base housing in Oklahoma!
3-Feeling homesick a lot!
4-Waiting for Jody to get home from pilot training everyday, then helping him study!
5-Just starting my scrapbook obsession!

Five Snacks I enjoy.
1-Krispy Kremes
2-chocolate covered peanuts
3-chips and salsa
4-A big, icy coke!
5-Anything chocolate!

Five Songs I know all the Lyrics to.
1. Anything by Bon Jovi
2. Madonna
3. All Disney show themes!
4. Learning to Fly, by Tom Petty, a favorite of my kids'
5. I'm embarrassed to admit that I could probably churn out a few New Kids on the Block songs still. The 80's were such a scary time!

Five Things I would do if I were a millionaire.
1-By a big, giant house that my whole family could gather in and still be comfortable. (in Logan!)
2-obviously, pay off our debt.
3-I'm taking the whole family on a cruise!
4-Invest.
5-Shop somewhere other than a clearance rack for a change!

Five bad habits.
1-I'm seriously cheap. It's bad.
2-I yell at my kids way too much!
3-I ramble.
4-staying up late for any reason. I am a night owl.
5-I eat way too much junk food!

Five things I'd never wear again.
1-Do you remember those heat censor shirts we had in the 8o's? The ones that left handprints? I thought they were awesome!
2-Stretch pants
3-Anything flourescent
4-Maternity clothes!
5-Overalls

Five favorite toys.

1-Computer
2-Camera
3-My scrapbook stuff
4-Vinyl
5-Books!

Five things on my To Do List Today.
1-Go to church
2-eat a bunch
3-nap
4-play with my cute neices
5- take tons of pictures!

Five people I tag!
1-Amber
2-Michelle
3-Milisa
4-Sydney
5-Angie

A Few Firsts at Five Months!

Brielle turned 5 months old on Sunday, and she's been dying to show-off some of her groovy new moves! She's rolled onto her back before, but I have to admit she's always had a teeny little bit of help from Mommy. On Friday, she rolled over completely by herself, and seemed thoroughly impressed by her new talent. She did it over and over, grinning the entire time!
I think I can . . . I think I can . . .

I did it!

She's also incredibly impressed with her newfound ability to sit up all by herself. It's still a bit shaky . . . if anything in the room moves, anything at all, she gets distracted and rolls right over. If all the conditions are perfect, however, she sits there and just chatters like crazy!

I can't resist sharing the latest Kutter quote. I told him that he was silly, yesterday. His response? "If you insist!"

Pickles!

Yeah, pickles. We were at a friends' house for dinner and Jody thought it would be very entertaining to give Brielle her first taste of pickle. We sat back and waited for the nasty face, but . . . nothing! In fact, she went absolutely nuts for it! Jody could barely hang onto it and was worried she'd suck it right down into her throat, but she just screamed when he took it away. What a strange kid, right?!

Kutter is so Goofy!

Kutter has been so silly lately. I caught this picture of him the other morning while watching cartoons. He didn't want his special new trucks to miss "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse". Doesn't he just look like this is the epitomy of happiness to him?!

"Hey, Mom, take our picture! " He's been really hamming it up for the camera lately!

Birthday Boy!

Kutter turned four today and, boy, did he have a great birthday! He got to start celebrating early on Saturday at Joe's Crabshack, where he was thrilled to have the waiters sing to him! Sunday was a party with Grandma and Grandpa. We were planning on buying him a cool cake on Saturday, but ran out of time (see previous post!) Grandma Linda came up with the ingenious plan to stack the chocolate donuts on a plate and top it with a candle. Huge success! Grandma and Grandpa gave him a great new shirt and a huge Mac truck (from the movie "Cars"). Uncle Travis and Aunt Hayley sent him a fun Kidnex set (fun building stuff). He was absolutely thrilled!


We were able to have another little party for Kutter tonight for family home evening. He got a football field cake and a little help blowing out the candles from Trayson. He was way excited to open his present from Grandma Kay, which he knew was the dinosaur book that he had begged for from Deseret Book! He couldn't wait to get his hands on it!




The rest of us got him a fun semi truck that makes tons of obnoxious noises, lights up, and drives around by itself. (yeah, I'm gonna hate that toy by tomorrow!) We also got him a "My First Book of Mormon Stories" board book and the movie "Over the Hedge". He's thinking that he can't wait to turn five!

Funny side note:

Kutter challenged me to a race the other day and, when he thought I was going to win, starting weaving back and forth in front of me. I soon realized that this was not just clumsy running, but an actual strategy! When I asked him about it he said, "Yeah. You're supposed to zig-zag like this so no one can pass if you want to win the race. That's what "Car's" says!" I had no idea how much he was getting out of that movie!