Our Christmas Memories!

Christmas Memories....

Well this year we had the opportunity to spend Christmas with...well, us. It was a very successful Christmas & it was fun to wake up in our house on Christmas morning & make new memories together. We have spent the last week doing several activities. We took the boys to the Life & Science Museum on Christmas Eve, let the boys pick out a new book at Barnes & Noble, played electronic Monopoly, went for walks in our neighborhood, watched movies together, played the Wii, and made alot of good memories together. Evan & I tried to really take advantage of his time off & made sure that we spent as much time with the boys as possible. We had a lot of fun spending time together & making Christmas memories to remember in the years to come.

We are grateful for the Christmas memories made this year, but.....

As much as we enjoyed our time together, being our first time as a family away from our families, it felt like something was missing. We missed our families & the traditions.

North Pole?

So Yesterday we told the boys we were going to take them to see Santa. We got them all in the car & ventured to the mall. As we arrived we said to the boys "Okay we are here to see Santa"....

Kaden said "This is not the North Pole Mom!"

I said..."No, it's not the North Pole Kaden."

Then he said..."This is the fake Santa, I can pull on his beard."

Me..."No Kaden you can not pull on his beard! "

Evan said..."How do you know if this is not the real Santa, If we haven't even seen him yet?"

So we took them all into the mall & luckily Santa had a real beard. Kaden looked at him & his eyes lit up.

I love this time of the year with kids because there is something magical about the way their eyes & face lite up when they see Santa or sing Christmas songs or look at the lights hung on the Christmas tree. They make Christmas magical for me.

May you and your families have a very Magical & Merry Christmas!

10 years...

Sorry but this might get a little sappy, so bare with me....

Ten years ago today I was sealed to my Best Friend. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world & was so excited to start my life with him. Although back then I didn't think it would be possible to love him more than on our wedding day....but, I do! As the years have passed by, every moment we spend together gives me a greater love & appreciation for him. I still feel as though I am the luckiest girl in the world & believe that I always will. Evan is such a wonderful husband & father and he makes me proud to be his wife.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Eternally yours....

***Happy Anniversary to Chris & Lianne!

Family Traditions

Last night we had some friends over for family night & decorated gingerbread houses. The kids loved it. After we decorated the houses & endulged ourselves by eating way too much candy, we decided to pull out the wii. We had alot of fun & were glad The Christianson's could join us.




My family has baked & decorated gingerbread houses for many years. Evan and I have continued that traditions since we were married & we plan to continue it for many years to come.

Much to my surprise....

So, this morning I woke up & much to my surprise....there was an old man sleeping in my bed. I soon realized it was my husband & boy is he getting old. Don't worry though, Babe...they say "one year older & wiser too", (so there is always a postive side).

HAPPY 32nd BIRTHDAY, We love you!

All I Want For Christmas....

What more could a girl ask for? I have 4 handsome boys & a wonderful husband. They bring me more joy & happiness than money could ever buy.

Ethan asked me what I wanted for Christmas the other day & I told him "I just want all my boys to give me a great big hug & kiss."

Christmas Time

Oh, how I love this time of the year....

I love.....Christmas Music, Christmas Movies, Christmas Goodies, Being with Family, Christmas smells, Giving, The Spirit of Christmas....the list could go on & on. But most of all, I love all the things that remind me of our Savior & the true meaning of Christmas!

O Christmas Tree

DaDa....

A few weeks ago, Landon started saying DaDa & of course that makes Daddy proud. So he thought he would rub it in my face by showing me that Landon isn't saying MaMa.

Whenever we try to coax Landon into saying MaMa he either says DaDa or he shakes his head as if he is saying NO. We got a kick out of the whole thing so we thought we would share.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We just want to wish all our Family & Friends a.....

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Why do we buy toys?

I often find myself wondering why I buy toys? It seems as though my boys find so much joy in things that are free, so why spend the money?

My Boys are always finding things to play with beyond the toys we buy. They can practically make a sword or weapon out of anything they find. They are constantly finding sticks and turning them into a sword. And who needs a play house when you have a tree to climb. Or, In Landon's case who needs a rattle when he has his feet.

From sticks & rocks to trees & feet.....Why do I still continue to buy toys????? It's a mystery to me!

Proud Mom!

When you send your kids off to school each day, you can only hope that they have learned the values that you have taught them. Braxton came home from school yesterday & made me so proud. They have assigned seats on the bus & the kids that he was assigned to sit by were saying really bad words & doing things that he didn't like. So he went to the bus driver & asked if he could sit somewhere else. I was so proud to hear that he stood up for his values.

Horrible Mom!

A few weeks ago our furniss was out for about a week, it was't too big of deal since it wasn't very cold, but we were worried that the little ones would get too cold at night. So, we purchased an oil heater to get by until the repair guys could fix it.

Today I had plugged it in to quickly warm my room. I set Landon clear on the other side of the room. (I figured he would be okay for a few minutes since he is not yet crawling). I walked in the other room for a couple of minutes. I heard a loud cry & started running. Landon had rolled all the way across the room & right into the oil heater. I feel like a horrible Mom. Needless to say, I don't think we will be using it again.

He burned his cheek & upper lip.

Observation Park!

Ready, Set, Take-off.....

On Tuesday, we went to the Observation Park at the airport. The Boys had so much fun. We played in the sand, learned about all the different airplanes, went to the outlook area to watch the planes take off & land, we had a picnic, & we pretended we could fly. (and I hope for just a moment, they truly believed they could fly.)

COOK OFF!

Just to give you a little insight on how the Cook-Off got started.....While my parents were here we went to a BBQ Festival. We had a lot of fun, but we were all hoping to try some BBQ Ribs, unfortunatlely we didn't get the chance to. So on the drive home Evan & My Mom got on the subject of BBQ Ribs and how good their ribs are. Don't ask me how it turned into a contest, but the next thing I know we are stopping at Sams Club to buy some baby back ribs. The rest of the way home there were alot of comments such as...."Oh your going down" , "Your on!", "It's a showdown", "I don't want you to get your feelings hurt, but..." & so on.

Me & My Dad had a lot of fun watching these two rash it out over who's would win. We made up score cards & did taste tests. And boy was it a tight race, but I can tell you this much, I enjoyed every minute of those ribs. I would rather eat Evan's or My Mom's ribs over most any resturants...mmmmm. Is anyone hungry?

Halloween Party!

A Halloween party enjoyed by all! I don't know who enjoyed it more the kids or the adults. We had so much fun....it all started with a Halloween dinner, silly pictures (as you can all see), games (such as pin the stitches on Frankenstein & Halloween Bingo), and a whole lot of laughs. Me & my Sisters even talked my Dad & Mom into dressing up.....this will be a Halloween we all remember.

Monster Bash....

Ganyard Hill Farms...

While my Sisters were here we went to Ganyard Hill Farms....It was so much fun. They had so many things for the kids to do. We did the Corn maze, Hay maze, Cotton pickin', Hay Mountain, Hay ride, pumpkin patch, and fed the animals. The Boys loved every minute of it.

Ganyard Hill Farms!

Beach

A Day At The Beach!

A day at the beach, says it all. It is such a beautiful place to be.

We went while my Sisters were here last week & we had so much fun. The boys loved playing in the sand, climbing on the rocks, & searching for sea shells. While we were there Ethan managed to be playing on the beach near the water, when the tide came in & soaked him. If anyone knows Ethan...it could only happen to him.

GIRLS DAY!

Well, My Sisters came to visit on the 15th and just left on Wednesday. We had so much fun while they were here. One of the days we were able to have a girls day. My Dad kept the boys while Me, My Sisters, & My Mom went out shopping. It was so good to have them here.

This is a picture from our Girls Day....

(We did so many things & had so much fun while they were here. I will post more soon.)

A Perfect Date!

Yesterday, I took Kaden on a date....his first date! I try to take one of my Boys on a date every month, so that I can spend a little one on one time with them. This was the first time that I had taken Kaden & oh boy was it fun. He is such a little charmer. He is going to have those girls hanging on his every word.

We Started out the night by going to Chili's. We ordered him a rootbeer & shortly found out it came in a glass bottle. Oh Boy, did he think he was special. We talked about him & all his favorite things.
After we ate, he thought it would be fun to go to the toy store. So, we headed to Toysrus. We had alot of fun looking down each of the isles a COUPLE of times. Each time he would tell me, "that is my favorite mom" to just about everything in the store.





There was holding hands & a goodnight kisses....All in All I would call it a Perfect Date!

I SPY...

I spy with my little eye....a detective?????

Well I am sure many of you are wondering....Today I was in charge of the Primary Sharing Time & decided on a Detective theme. So let me introduce you to "Detective Julie"....

Well if you are laughing you may as well. Braxton was in a full Belly laugh almost the whole time, I guess he realized what a dork his mom really is.

A Pirates life for me....

Shiver me timber...yesterday we celebrated Kaden's 3rd Birthday with a pirate theme. He hasn't made too many new friends here yet so we celebrated as a family.

We started out by making him a pirate ship birthday cake...per his request. I was a little reluctant since I had never done one before, but I thought why not. I let Kaden help me mix the batter & before a minute had passed he was sticking his finger in the batter & sucking it off. When we finished mixing it he decided he could get alot more by licking the mixer attatchment, so that's what he did. He would giggle everytime he licked it which would make me giggle. So at that very moment I though to myself, if this cake doesn't turn out at all, it doesn't matter, it was worth every minute of it.

The cake, Not too bad...

Then it was time for lunch. Kaden chose to go to CiCi's Pizza.

Let's get the party started....

We put on eye patches, painted our faces, had a treasure hunt, & had alot of fun acting like pirates. It was a sucess. Kaden & the boys really enjoyed themselves. (Okay & maybe me & Evan, too)

Kaden was so excited the whole day. He is so glad to be turning 3 tomorrow, but as for me I'd like to bottle him up & keep him small for a little while longer.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

We want to honor my Dad today because, it is his Birthday. He is an amazing Dad & Grandpa and we feel lucky to have him in our life. Thanks for all you do. We love you & hope you have a special day.

Landon's Bad Day!

Landon will be 6 Months in a couple of days, I can't believe it. Time goes so fast. I took him in for his well-check visit & was worried he might break the scale....weighing a solid 17 pounds. When the Doctor came in I thought she might tell me that he was way off the charts, but to my suprise he is in the 50th percentile. He's not a real rolley polley baby, he is just one solid Boy!The first few pictures are from after his shots today. I was going to add the song "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter, but couldn't figure it out so if you know it & no one is in the room to hear you maybe you could belt it out & know how he felt today. The rest of the pictures are from earlier today or the last couple of days.

Landon 6 Months

Summer Days

"Blog"-wagon

Well, we finally decided to jump on the "Blog"-wagon & we survived! We are just kickin' it here in North Carolina & really loving our new place. Evan is enjoying his Residency at Duke & I am loving the hours. I actually feel like I have a husband. Braxton started the first grade a couple weeks ago & is loving every minute of it. He came home the first day & said "Mom, all the kids in my class talk funny." I said "why what do they say?" & he said "whenever they talk they say hey y'all." We got a kick out of that. Ethan is loving the constant trips to our community swimming pool, you could even mistake him for a fish. Kaden has finally stopped saying "I hate North Carolina" & is actually enjoying himself. Landon is growing so fast, he is almost 6 months old. He is such a happy guy!
I am way out numbered, but man am I loving it.