Happy Anniversary!

This week Mike and I got to celebrate our 11th Anniversary. The funny thing is I told my girlfriend Natalie it was our 12th until Mike reminded me otherwise...I guess I am getting old. We went to dinner and then spent forever wandering around Barnes and Noble reading books and laughing - so simple but so enjoyable. (notice the diaper on the ground next to us...so classic)



I honestly can say that I just love being married to this guy. He is so perfect for me and all my ups and downs. I couldn't be more grateful to have him in my life. So many highlights of my life have happened with him:






*College life we shared together
*Mission life we kept in touch
*4 kids have blessed our home
*Moving 7 times about killed us
*Law School was one of the best choices we ever made
*Our first home was a dream come true
*Our final home is the dream I didn't know I had that came true
*A yard helped us work side by side for WEEKS - totally worth the farmers tan
*So many wonderful friends that we have crossed paths with together
*Callings have helped us support and encourage one another
*Lots of late night movies and brownie sundays have bonded us
*Wonderful family members have encouraged us through tough times
*Sacrificing, budgeting, vacations, homework, laughing, crying (always me), and serving the Lord has made our marriage even better.

I love you Mike and I look forward to the next 11 years: high school, dating, missions, colleges - am I ready?

My awesome deals!

So I used to be a food coupon freak in our younger years, but got tired of it after a while because I was buying food would we normally wouldn't eat, usually all the processed stuff. Well thanks to a dear friend (CHARMOIN!!!), I have be converted again. But this time its for lots of non-food things...check out my latest deal:



I got all of this (Blue - Ray movie, 20 packs of batteries, hot chocolate & a camera) at Target for $12!!!!! I also got the new Tinkerbell DVD for $5 but it is already wrapped! I should have spent $76 but only spent $17!!!!!

The website is Freebies2deals.com and she posts all the things that are up for grabs that day. Usually its at Target cause they have their own coupons. You can price match at Walmart but they won't take Target coupons.

Anyway, I am loving my new way to save some cash...hope it helps!

P.s. The battery deal lasts until March, so go to her website and look at the post from 12/14/09 or around there and it will send you the link to Rayovac! They are completely free!!!

Congrats Mike!

Mike just got named as one of Utah Business Magazine's 2010 Utah Legal Elite...so proud of you honey and how hard you work! Can't believe we have been graduated from Law School for 6 years already...where does the time go?

This girl cracks me up...

All of this done while we are potty training...never a dull moment!

Halloween Piano Recital

Mikey and Dallin have the coolest piano teacher. We love Chelle! Each Halloween she has a concert where all the kids have to dress up and play spooky songs.

This year she also had them come up with their own compositions. The boys did such a good job practicing and writing their music. Dallins was entitled "The Devils Song" and Mikeys was "Beware of the Haunted House."

They got to submit their music to the school Reflections program and got advanced to the next level! They were so excited - mainly for the cool medal that hangs in their room. I figure I want these kids to be well rounded, so music and sports seems like a good medium! I just want them to be able to play hymns on their missions - nothing fancy. Mikey now has the job of playing our opening songs in Family Home Evening!

Good job cute boys!

Science Experiements!

Our kids LOVE science experiments. It comes from their smarty pants Daddy who thinks physics and chemistry is the coolest thing ever. Today we played with dry ice...they were amazed!

Karly was having issues sharing...we are still working on that one.

cooking blues...

Some times I wonder why I even set foot in the kitchen, regardless that I love to cook and love eating even more. After so many times of hearing "yucky!", "ewwww", "I WANT SOMETHING ELSE!!!", etc... You get kind of worn down, ya know?

Seriously, am I an idiot or does such things as Italian Chicken, Stuffed Chicken Crescents, Hawaiian Fajitas and Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread really sound that gross? I get them to eat Oatmeal at any given moment, so where did I mess up?

I think I need to take my kids to a foreign country for awhile and let them taste Jellied Pig Knuckles on Rye Bread (Denmark) or Fish Soup (China) - maybe they will appreciate me more.

Man, I am so wiped out tonight from tears at the dinner table. My reality - little stinkers....love em all, but they sure are picky.

Our new baby girl...

We finally did it and joined the ranks of dog owners all over the world. The kids have begged for years and I have been completely against it. Shedding is not my thing. Until my Aunt started breeding Yorkies - who do not shed - did I become interested. For months we talked about it and Mike finally got on board. He loves dogs but only big ones - but I was NOT ready for big dogs and big poop.

We got her two weeks ago and our kids are in heaven. Maybe too much. The poor thing never gets left alone, but she is so happy. She loves to eat socks and chew on Karlys nightgown.

Oh yah, and biting Dallin's ear falls into her favorite category too. We need to work on that.

I do feel like I have a baby again and finally get to rest when she goes down for her nap. Cleaning up the poop is my lease favorite job, so I am counting down the months till she is potty trained! All in all, she is so fun to have! We named her KC - the kids wanted to name her after Karly, and I said "No." Then they wanted to name her after me, and I said "No." So our initials are KC and that is what she became. I really wanted "Molly" for some reason - but they all shot that down...regardless, she is one dang cute dog!

Halloween Fun

Witches night out with some of my homies from the neighborhood!

We danced and partied all night (well, not really) and it was SOOO FUN!!!!

Eating out with all the witches was quite the sight -

Karly wanted so much to look like me so she got into my lipstick and wrote all over her face before I left. She called herself "SACRY!!!". Love these little kidlets...

I try to excercise, I really do!

I love to do Yoga, especially as I get older and my knees and back just don't work like they used to.

But so do my kids...can you tell?

I have to get up by 5:30 or 6:00 am, quietly - ever so quietly - sneak downstairs and start my workout. I am so careful to open up the tv console carefully so as not to make a sound.

But inevitably I hear little feet tapping upstairs through the hallway to see what Mommy is doing. I don't get how they hear me, but they always do. Whatever happened to kids wanting to sleep in? Probably will come when they have to start early morning seminary...


So today I let them join me. Was a bit hard to move around them and the toys, but they just loved it.



And quite frankly, after seeing the pictures, so did I.

WHAT?

To my terrible dismay, I was moving couch pillows around and found this-

How could I raise a child that doesn't like peanut M&M's (they are my favorite treat - well, one of the many...)? She had carefully eaten off the yummy sugar & chocolate coating, then left the peanuts all to them lonesome selves.

I have alot of work to do with that little girl...

Football madness...

Man, despite the "owies" we get, my boys still LOVE football. Dallin and Mikey talk about "plays" all day, they work out together, get ready for practice with excitement and come home sweaty and tired - still talking about it.

So far, with lots of prayers from me, our injuries are minor. I just read an article that persuades readers to feel this is just an awful sport for young kids - and I used to agree. But the comradery that has formed with their team, the acceptance they feel and the growth in their self esteem has really pushed me to now disagree. They love being apart of this band of brothers on the field and the loyalty that comes from working so hard together. I insist that Mike coaches so that they have an emotionally stable coach (some are crazy - I almost went off on a competators coach Saturday because he was so nasty, but decided I didn't need a fight in front of the kiddies...oohh, but he was a mean man).

We played against their biggest rival on Saturday (not the nasty coach though) - their own classmates who play on a different league. I wondered how they would feel about it and to my happiness they were so positive! They would say hi to each other before plays, then ram into each other has hard as they could, then help each other up. It was so awesome. It was the closest game EVER, but we ended up losing by one touchdown (14-20). I hoped they wouldn't be too bummed and as I went to congratulate them on a great game, all they could think of was running over to the other side to congratulate their buddies. THESE are the kind of boys I want - competative and hard working, but compassionate and good to other people. Ready to do what it takes to win, but not ready to give up friendships over it. The referee said our team has the best sportsmanship he had ever seen in a game. I think its the best compliment.

That day I couldn't have been prouder of them...

Mikey going for his second touchdown!