Making Christmas 2010

Because of Matt's 4 day weekend and his motivation to get things done.

We got all the Christmas stuff out of the attic and "made Christmas" at our house.

The boys were so excited. We rearranged our living room to get the tree up. And got to work.Mattix started putting ornaments on the tree before Matt had the tree put all together.

The empty tree box made a fun airplane for the them and a great distraction from what daddy was doing.

My favorite part of decorating is the memories that are attached to just about everything.

Our stockings.

The 2 with the snowmen are the original stocking that I bought for Matt and I on our first Christmas together.

Our tree all lit up.

I'm afraid until we are done having little ones our trees will just have to be half decorated.

I let Mason and Mattix decorate. The perfectionist in me was trying to control myself from "fixing" it. But when it was all done. I looked at it and felt like it was absolutly perfect.

I love our collection of ornaments. Nana and Papa give the boys each an ornament for Christmas every year, we try to find special ornaments for boys and of course all the ornaments the boys make and we recieve from friends and family. Every one the boys pulled out of the box the boys wanted to know who it came from and who it was for. They loved it.
This one was from 2009. Our first Christmas with 3 boys.

Mason's first ornament.

Baby's first Christmas 2005.

Mattix's snow"ball." We looked everywhere in 2008 for an ornament that was shaped like a ball.

Mason's cousin Kelly made this for him in 2006. It's a stocking.

When I told Mason who made this one he said, "I like this one. Kelly is good to our planet. She made something out of recycled stuff." Toothpicks, a popsicle stick and a cany wrapper. She's very creative. this is one of my favorite ones.

My good friend Tonya gave this to me when I was pregnant with Mason. It means so much to me. I keep it up all year. But it's one of my most special decorations that holds so much meaning behind it. Good friendship, good advice, and good support.

Last but not least our very first angel. Our first Christmas together we didn't have much money. I found this at the dollar store. Every year after Christmas, the Christmas stuff goes on clearance super cheap. Matt keeps telling me we can get a new one. There are some very pretty ones out there that light up, sing, and move. But like I said Christmas to me is about memories and feeling the spirit of Christ. It's easier for me to remember what Christmas is all about when I remember what got me to this point. I am thankful for all my memories and the traditions my family shares and enjoys.

It's Potty Time!

We've got the potty seat.

We've got the super cool Super Hero underwear.

And we have the special Mattix only Potty Treats.

Daddy decided on Thanksgiving that he was done changing and buying Mattix diapers.
Personally I am too. So he flat out told him "NO more diapers!"

Of course the Thanksgiving ads with all the toys in them sure helped to bribe the kid. Because apparently Santa only brings big boy toys to big boys that poop and pee in the toilet.

We've bribed him with everything under the sun. We'll see what happens.

He's averaging 2 accidents a day and has only had 1 messy accident. (poop) He's finally starting to feel when he needs to go without being reminded. I am feeling quite hopeful and very proud.

Way to go big guy! Keep up the good work!

Can't believe he's 1!

Looking through pictures it seems so long ago, but at the same time I can't believe it's been a year. My baby used to be this little.

Happy Birthday big guy!

We celebrated Manning and his cousin Olivia's birthday together at Nana and Papa's house on Sunday. When it was time to open presents he was a little unsure. He had a look in his face like"should I really be ripping this" and every time a piece would rip, he'd look around waiting for someone to take it away. Once he figured out something was inside he'd get excited and say "wasdat" (what's that). He's so ready for Christmas now. He knows what to do.

I made Olivia and Manning both cakes. Olivia was turning 8. I made a pokadotted Littlest Petshop cake for her and Manning a puppy cake.

Daddy blew out the candle for Manning he was a little unsure with all that singing going on.

He looked at daddy with a look like "are you sure mommy won't take it away because it's messy?"

Uncle Chad coaching him on how to make a bigger mess.

Today we had Grandma and Grandpa over with Jackson and Erica.

Here's his cake for today. Mommy was mean and scheduled his 1 year old appointment for the day of his birthday. What mom does that? Poor guy got 6 shots. He was so grumpy. I drugged him up and hoped he'd have a good night. Because of him not feeling so good. We decided to keep it low key and short. But he still have fun.

For some reason I didn't publish this the other day. Oh well.

Day 11 -

I am thankful that I am a Daughter of God.

I have a tile I made that says:

Princess:

Daughter of a Heavenly King.

I am very thankful to be a woman. There are so many responsiblities and opportunties that come with the role.

Spencer W. Kimball said, Each of you should be grateful to be a woman! To be a rightous woman is a glorious thing at any age.

I am so grateful for the gifts that come from being a woman. I am a mother, I have felt my child grow and kick inside me. I am a teacher I have the responsiblity to share my knowlege and gain more to share. I am a wife. I love my husband he makes me want to be better everyday. I am a friend. I am learning alot lately about what it means to be a friend. As women we have this amazing ability to "feel" we tend to feel the spirit and if we are paying attention we can know when we need to be where we need to be. We need to look out for each other. I really want to work on being a better friend. Often because of all these roles we are required to be stronger than we think we are. I am grateful for all the women in my life that have been such a good example to me. Those that have showed me and keep showing me what it means to be a woman.

My friend and I were talking the other night about Emma Smith. I am always in aw over how much she went through to stand for what she believed in and stand behind her husband. I believe that beside every great man is a great woman. Even if it's his mom.

In Nauvoo there is a garden dedicated to Women. With many statues and plaques that have quotes and scriptures. I thought it was perfect for my thankful post today.

My computer won't let me flip some of them.

Day 10 - Happy 100

For day 10 it's going to be another short and sweet post. This post just happens to be my 100th post!! So in light of this I am happy to say I am thankful for my blog.

When I first started my blog, I was only doing it to be like everyone else. It seemed like another place to show off my awesome family. But now that I am into it, it has become MY blog. I love it. I love being able to put my thoughts down with pictures and they are here and not just scattered all over. And every now and than I get feed back. Blogging is my therapy. Life isn't perfect, it tends to suck sometimes and when it does, you tend to hear about it. And when life is great and things are good, you hear about that too. I try to write in my journal but that doesn't happen to often. I put only my most personal experiences and thoughts there. And I like to share so that doesn't happen to often. :)

So in short I love my blog!

Day 9 -

I am thankful for good friends.

I am so thankful for those that love me and care about me. Always willing to make my days better even when they don't know they are doing it.

Thank you for being my friend.

Day 8 -

Today I am thankful for Forgiveness.

What a wonderful way to show someone that you love them and care for them.

I tend to relate my life to my boys all the time but they are my life. I am always amazed that one minute I can lose my temper yell and put them in time out. Making them cry and call me stupid. But when things calm down they are always willing to come right back to me wanting a hug and kiss with a small yet so big to me I'm sorry.

I know that I am not perfect and this is something that I am constantly working on. But I have had so many opportunties to see where I need to step up and let things go. and when you do it feels so much better.

I am so thankful for the Savior. I know that he loves me. He is always willing to forgive me and help me move on. And I know that he magnifies that quality he learned from our Heavenly Father. I am thankful for the Atonement. So that I can just like my boys come to my father in heaven and say I am sorry. And he will embrace me. What an awesome thing to learn in this life. The art of forgiving.

Day 7 - Mattix

I am thankful for this little boy and his amazing ability to show his emotions.

I found out I was pregnant 4 years and 2 1/2 weeks ago with Mattix. When we found out he was a boy, I was excited to be giving Mason a buddy to play with.

He's always had this ability to tell people (or show them)just how he feels. Which has it's ups and it's down. He can throw a pretty mean fit. And has learned some mean words to say when he's mad that tend to get him into trouble. Even though it drives me crazy at times I am glad he is able to express himself.

The best part about this kid is his ability to love unconditionally. He is constantly hugging me and kissing me. He's a full on Mama'a boy and I love it. He loves to cuddle with me and for as long as I can remember he's had a love for my hair. He holds it and it's his security. I see the way his daddy loves and takes care of his mom. and I know that my boys have inheritted that love for their own mom. And Mattix is very good at showing it.

Day 6 - Big Hair

But today I am thankful for the funny things my boys say.

Today I was working on curling my hair. Mattix came in and instead of complimenting me like he usually does. He says, "Mom where are we going?"

Me: " I don't know, where should we go?"

Mattix: " I know we should go somewhere so you can show people how funny your hair looks."

Me: (I thought my hair was looking pretty good) "why does my hair look funny?"

Mattix: "It's to fluffy and it needs something to tie it down." As he pats my head trying to smooth my "big hair" down.

The way he explained it you'd think I had 80's hair or something. Nope just my normal hair do. Now I know how he really feels.

Day 5 - Time

I am thankful for the time we get to spend together as a family.

Today is Friday. I love Fridays lately. Matt doesn't have school and he doesn't work early Saturday morning, so we call friday's "Daddy day." I don't care if we just go to a few stores or sit and watch a movie together. I love having us all together. I love Matt being home and able to be with us. It means so much to me and the boys. We love daddy day.

Tonight we took the boys out for semi cheap pizza and walked around the mall. It was fun.

Having such a busy crazy life makes these moments that much more awesome!

Day 4 -

Today in honor of my Dad's birthday. I have to say, that I am thankful for my Dad.

He didn't have to be my dad, he choose to take on the role. I could of been like many of those other kids out there that grow up without a dad. But when I was 18 months old he choose to adopt me, ever since than he will forever be my Daddy.And for that I am very grateful.

One of my best memories of me and my dad was when I was 5 and he was getting ready to be deployed to Iraq. My dad took each of us kids on a date. He sat through Fantasia and ate McDonald's for me. I will never forget that. My dad is a very hard worker. He's served in the Army as an MP. He's worked out at the Utah State prison for almost 20 years. I am very proud of my dad. Life hasn't been always easy. He's made alot of sacrifices through the years and is very good at taking care of his family.

I forgot to mention he's a super great Grandpa!

Happy Birthday Daddy! We love you!

p.s. I put on my playlist just for my dad. A little Neil Diamond. He's the reason I am a BIG fan today! Brings back tons of memories.

Day 3 -

This may sounds silly but today I am thankful for my eyes. I am thankful that I am able to see. I can see all the beautiful fall colors. I love that I can look out my front window and see such beautiful colors. And look out my back door and see such a good view.

I am also very thankful that I am able to see my super HOT husband. I don't know what it is about him in coveralls, but he's one good looking fellow.

I learned in our lesson on Sunday that a good way to mentally be healthy is to be able to stop and treasure the beauty that is all around us.

I love my peepers!

Hee Haw Farms

Last week we took our first preschool field trip. I have never done a field trip for my preschool so I was kind of nervous. A couple of the mom's mentioned it would be fun to go to a pumpkin patch. So I started researching and found this awesome pumpkin patch at Hee Haw farms.

The kids loved it. It had a full on petting zoo, big slides and places to climb all over, a home made playground, a corn maze and of course the pumpkin patch. It was a full day. Crazy but so fun. A couple of my kids couldn't make is. We sure missed them. Thanks to all the mom's and dad's that came and helped make it a fun day.

When we first got there the kids were very antsy to get going. They could see all the fun things waiting for them.

We went to the petting zoo first. The kids got to feed the animals bread.

There were lots of little pigs.

A few goats.

I let Manning down a couple of times. He wasn't to sure about all the animals.

The kids loved being able to pet the animals and pick them up. They didn't care that it was muddy and gross. And the place smelled funny. They had fun.

There was an area where they had made a mountain out of bails of hay. They had places to climb to the top and tubes to slide down. We played there for quite a while. It was hard to get them to want to go anywhere else.

Here's a good picture of the tube slide and the climber made out of pipes.

And of course my handsome Mattix Man.

Mason said this was the coolest part. A very long slide. The kids went up and down this thing over and over. It was pretty awesome.

I wish I would of gone down. It looked fun.

My brother was here from Hawaii for the the week. I was so happy he was able to come hang out with us for the day. What a trooper surrounded by the kiddo's.

The authentic hay ride. We sat in the wagon on hay. No seats.

My friend Ashley was able to come with her 3 kids.

My 3 little hunks on the hay ride.

My friend (and our neighbor) came with her little boy.

My friend Dominique and her 2 girls. Alleigh's in preschool with us.

My good friend JaNean and her little girl. JaNean comes on preschool days and helps me out alot. She keeps up with Manning and Kate. She's an amazing helper.

We brought our lunches and hung out eatting and enjoying the rest of our day together.

At the end we each got to pick out a pumpkin to take home. There were so many to choose from. Big ones and little ones, tall ones and flat ones. It was fun to see which ones they each picked.

It was a very fun day. The kids loved it and we all enjoyed a day at the farm.

Thanks to all that came and helped out. I hope you all had as much fun as we did.

You guys are the best!