Dear Santa,

Yippy! Aden went to the City Christmas Party with his dad and Auntie Laura...Thank you Laura for all your help :).

What would a Christmas Party be without Santa? Well while other kids waited patiently and excitedly Aden was not so sure....until they showed him the candy:).

Aden was really into the giant inflated train. He was all over the place and is starting to really enjoy these events :). I was sad because I didn't get to go but at least they got some pictures so I could see.

New layouts and animation!

Hey Every one,
Thanks for the great tips I really have been getting more and more in the Christmas spirit the closer it gets. Sounds like every one has great things that they use to get that holliday cheer flowing :). I got some blog layouts done and one animation so far and it has really helped. You can check them out by clicking here. I hope to do more animations so check back....sorry if it doesn't happen quickly...the wedding is almost here!

Gettin into the Holiday Spirit

As far back as I can remember, I loved Christmas. From about November on I counted the days hours and minutes til Christmas. I thought that the magic just wore off as I got older but last year I was so excited for Christmas because it was Aden's first. This year in theory I should be even more excited because he gets so excited about things and has even more personality than last year. But I have been struggling this year to force myself to be excited for Christmas. I have finally decided I am so consumed with wedding and other things to really enjoy everything. So I did the only thing I could think of, I made some Christmas Blog Layouts. That along with some animations and adding Christmas songs to my play list, I am hopping will do the trick. The funny thing is I am done Christmas shopping earlier this year than any other year and yet, still not in the mood. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear what everyone else does to get this Christmas spirit in their homes.

His Uncle's Look-a-like

For Courtney's wedding we have been going through old pictures to find all the ones of Courtney for a slide show that will be shown at the reception. Well, along the way I found a few of a different member of the family that caught my eye......let's see if you can pin point why they freaked me out.

Luke 13 months oldAden 13 months old

K so this one freaked me out because if I didn't know for 100% sure that wasn't my kid, I would have been fooled. Aden makes that same exact face.
Luke at Christmas 14 months old.

Since Aden was born I have had people say how much he looks like his uncle Luke. It mostly came from people who we grew up around....since we grew up here in Castle Dale mostly.....I get it alot...now I can see what they mean...how about you?

Surviving an Aspiring Artist

Ok so any one who knows me well will not be surprised when I say I gave birth to an artist. On several occasions I have found that little boy drawing on anything and everything he gets his hands on. He loves crayons markers pens and pencils alike. If you sit and color with him he only gets more excited and will draw for as long as you let him. So far we have been really lucky, he hardly draws on things besides paper and as long as he doesn't get a hold of important papers, we just let him draw. The other day however, we were at my mom's and I put him in Courtney's room for a nap and he found the colored pencils.....well I don't know if it was before he fell asleep or after he woke up...but he left some artwork on the wall. I took a picture before we washed it off, and with a little scrubbing it all came off.

Aden has hit a few milestones since last I posted. Aden is now able to count forward to 5 and backward from 3. He hasn't gotten the counting on his fingers quite down yet but he does pretty good verbally. When he asks for a cookie or cracker I always ask if he wants 1 or 2 and he usually says 2 but I always giggle when he says 3! I count them as I hand them to him and he counts them a couple times as he is eating. It is so cute and I am always amaized at how smart he is. He watches Dora the Explorer some mornings as he is eating. Well one morning he was watching and they started counting backwards for a rocket blast off and they got to 5...4.... and not mimicking, not repeating, not after but right in unison with Dora, Aden said 3....2....1. As clear as day! I was floored:).

The Successful Hunt :)

BAMBI DISCLAIMER: If anyone is not a fan of hunting or really doesn't like hearing about the slaying of animals do not read on.

So last weekend while all the women folk ...and Dale....went up to SLC to shop for a Wedding Dress, Craft and flower supplies, and to pick out a wedding cake, Chris, Aden, and Bompa (my dad) went out hunting. Chris has wanted to hunt deer for, well I don't know how long, but has been dieing to go since he joined our hunt happy family :). Because of funds and bad timeing he hasn't been able to go deer hunting for the last few years. Well this year we didn't think he would get to go yet again...but thanks to my Uncle Gary getting depravation doe tags, Chris was able to go. They went out first thing Saturday morning, the first deer they saw was a mix of bucks and does...Chris was afraid he didn't have a clear shot and didn't want to hit one of the other deer and they took off before he even took a shot. Feeling slightly defeated they moved to a different area and found some deer bouncing along. Chris made a fantastic shot! This doe was mid bounce when he shot it in the perfect kill area. The bullet angled up and shattered the spine, killing her instantly and dropping her mid bounce. She is a nice sized doe and will be a great contribution to our food storage. Congratulations Chris on your first successful deer hunt, and a special thanks to Gary and Dad for your making this possible. I know it means the world to Chris.

I've Been HIT!!!!

Ok so not so dramatic....I have been taged by Laurie on a couple of tags so I decided to do them both in one post...

First the fourth picture in the fourth folder....

So I guess now I explain...well it is me playing

photographer at the City Celebration. Aden and I love the City Celebration and the County Fair because we get to go down to the fair grounds and hang out with Chris...even if he is buisy he makes time to hang out with us or have lunch. Aden loved the playground equiptment and, while I had a heart attach or two at his complete lack of fear, he played for forever and I got some great pictures!

Rules are ONLY one word answers, TRICKY huh?

1. Where is your cell phone? pocket

2. Where is your significant other? work

3. Your hair? brown

4. Your mother? beautiful

5. Your father? supportive

6. Your favorite thing? family

7. Your dream last night? odd

8. Your dream/goal? Artist

9. The room you're in? Family

10. Your hobby? Photography

11. Your fear? Loss

12. Where you want to be in 6 years? Here

13. Where you were last night? Home

14. What you're not wearing? Shoes

15. Your middle name? Jean

16. What is one of your wish list items? Laptop

17. Where you grew up? Castle Dale

18. What is the last thing you did? Clean

19. What are you wearing? Jammies

20. Your TV? HOme

21. Your pet? Dogs

22. Your computer? Lifeline

23. What do you think of e-mails like this? ok

24. Your mood? Good

25. Missing someone? YES

26. Where would you rather be? Scrapbooking

27. Favorite store? Ebay:)

28. Your summer? Short

29. Love someone? YES!!!

30. Your favorite color? Alot

31. When is the last time you laughed? Yeasterday

32. Who will re-post this? Dunno

Happy Halloween!!!

Trick or Treat!!!! So I got some great pictures of Aden in his costume! He loves Nemo and so it only made sence that he should be Nemo. Here are the pictures:) Also there are a couple at the bottom while we were actually in our costumes out trick or treating!

Finally you can see the T-shirts I painted for Halloween :)

Dancers

So last night Aden and Tianna got a chace to play...and well it turns out they have a common interest!...DANCING!!! They were so dang cute!...the audio isn't great so just imagine a good song playing....it was "C-drives me crazy" from Sesame Street...(tune from the popular song "she drives me crazy")

Now I had a couple other videos of Aden from the other day....also dancing and listening to music so I thought I would share those ones too! The first one Aden is dancing and playing with a ball at the same time....notice how everything is on the beat! He kills me sometimes. The other one is cute til the very end Aden gets cranky when I try to help him.....it was close to nap time. But enjoy:)!

New Halloween Animations!!!

Ok I know not every one that reads my blog has a blog of their own. But for those that do I have exciteing news! I have some new animations for Halloween that I am super excited about.







To get one for your sidebar click here! Follow the instructions in the left side bar and enjoy. I am currently working on a couple more, so be sure and check back!

Aden in the Fall Leaves!!

Well the fall leaves are so pretty I took the oportunity to take some pictures of Aden in the foliage.

Non-Car related post :)

So I realized today that it has been a while since I have posted about things other than cars. Chris is still working for the city and loving it. Right now he is winterizing our air conditioners because a cold snap just kicked in....and it is raining. We just finished swapping rooms around and completely reorganizing and rearranging every room of the house. If you have been to our house you will know that up til now Aden has had his bed and all his furnature in the Family room which was nice to have him close if he woke up in the night, but it was time for him to have a room. So now he is in the room that Chris and I were in and we moved upstairs to the "loft" type room. We are sharing space with all my craft stuff but all of Aden's baby clothes have been organized and put down stairs. Aden is growing like a weed and it seems like he learns something new every day. We are all loving him having his own room with a door. It has been so nice to put Aden down to sleep for a nap or at night and just close the door and have him fuss for a minute and then go crawl in bed and go to sleep. I have also enjoyed decorating his new room and I will have pictures soon...sorry Mary it will look like I am a copy cat :). He loves Nemo and so we have been doing mainly Nemo stuff and he loves being in his own little sanctuary. He is getting more and more independent. His newest saying that just kills me is, when something falls or something goes wrong he walks around saying "Oh no!"...which doesn't sound like much but to hear it how he says it is just sooooo funny. He is also getting better at big words like "dinosaur" and "vitamin".....oh and last night he started saying "see ya" ...and waving goodbye. Now about me....well things have calmed down at work and I now enjoy work allot more. I have gotten Aden into a routine which helps me accomplish things I need to do. I have also gotten things at work relatively settled into a routine. I have been doing some painting lately....I painted Chris and my Halloween costumes. I would post pictures but it would spoil the surprise on Halloween. Now I am doing a mural on Aden's wall....yes a nemo Theme of course.

So I have had so many compliments and comments on the new car I thought I would give some specs on the Chrysler Pacifica....at least the one we got :).
MPG- 22-25

Engine- 3.8L V6 with

4 speed Auto Stick Transmission

yes it is an automatic and a stick transmission....Amazing I know...who knew:)

8-way Power Drivers' Seat...coolest feature ever
Ours is a 2006 with only 20,000 miles on it. It is "Bright Silver Metallic" in color and we love it already :).

New Car!

OK so after the initial heart attack at the thought of going through the whole car buying process, we went to Tony Basso's dealership in Price. We got there and told them what we really wanted and our price range. The sales man wasn't pushy, wasn't trying to get us to go up in price, just doing his best to find us what we needed in the price range we gave him. As soon as we told him what we had to trade in he got really excited.....who knew my little Saturn was so desired. He gave us twice what the blue book valued it at because he had a buyer looking for something like the Saturn.....ahhh so we know that good little car is going to a good home and won't be going to auction or a chop shop or staying on the lot long. That made me feel better about trading it in and we got more for it than if we had gone anywhere else. So after we discussed the trade in he found a car that fit what we wanted to a "T" and was in our price range. He got really excited and was saying..."I really think this is going to be the one you guys need."...He was right! We test drove 1 car! I had planned on testing several different ones that we had looked at online and haggling to death....it didn't work that way. He genuinely made sure we got a great deal on the new car and gave us a great deal on our old car. It is a Chrysler Pacifica....a crossover...or for those like me who don't speak "car" it is a mix between a mini van, a car, and an SUV. It is the perfect size and the perfect fit for our needs! I will have pictures of the actual car latter but for now I have some from the Internet to share with you what it looks like.

Surviving the Bitter Sweet.

(Here it is...please ignor the dirt :)...goodbye car)
I know this to some sounds a little silly, but as humans we tend to get attached to inanimate objects, and I am no exception. Since 2003 I have owned a Dark Metallic Blue Saturn SL2. It has been a great car, great on gas, great get up and go, great looking, and very very minimal repairs required. I have known for a while...since Aden was born...that we would need something bigger. It barely fits his carseat, and he can kick both mom and dad from the back seat....too small for Aden and if we ever have more kids, definitley too small for two car seats. Well I had planned on saving up and haveing a good down payment before we traided it in on something bigger....last night night those plans were dashed. I was at work and went out to get something from my car, only to find that my car was "bleeding" Coolant/Antifreeze. I called Chris and he and his friend that is good with cars came up to the school and looked at it. The good news is, it could be fixed, bad news is it would be a minimum of 600-700 dollars to fix it. So we made the decision that instead of putting that kind of money into fixing it, we would put the money toward a new car. It was nice to not have a car payment, but alas, we will be going to Price today to find a new car....we are looking into bigger cars and small SUV. Don't get me wrong I am excited about getting a new car...like I said this has been a long time comeing...I just didn't know I was going to be doing this right now. Chris is taking a half day off of work and my mom is watching Aden. So wish us luck and I will post pictures of the new ride, if we find one, tonight.

Happy Birthday Chris!

So as many know it isn't Chris's Birthday today, in fact it was a week ago, today. But last week was a crazy one and I feel terrible about doing this so late. But as they say, better late than never. So Happy Birthday Chris! In stead of going through all the things I like about Chris or all the ways he is a support and pillar in my life, I decided I would put together a slide show for him that shows what I love and appreciate him for. It is also a good slide show showing our lives together so far, centering more on Chris of course. I hope you like it Chris....and anyone else who may view it:)

Tianna Turned Two!!!

So Tianna had her Birthday party this past Saturday. It was a Princess themed party and dress up was encouraged. I made Aden a Prince Tunic and he got to wield a sword so he was loving it! I took some pictures of Aden and Chris in the yard before the party and then some at the party.....You will notice I was a little camera happy to one particular "royal"....he just looked too cute. I am sure Mary got more pictures of the party and the birthday girl so when she posts those you can see them by clicking here. Just a little note for Tianna....HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET HEART!!! (Mary please read that to her. thanks)

Sensing Change

The smell, it is always the same and always so distinct. It is how I can tell that the last of summer is ebbing away and fall is at our doorstep. It is how the trees know that their lush green leaves will start changing into the majestic last hurrah before they are gone. It is a crisp clean smell that tells the sky to change from the brightest blue to a lighter more subtle shade. It is how the insects know to get their fill of life before the long sleep of winter. It is the smell of harvest. The plants that have been nurtured and loved for months are finally ready to bear their fruits. So while I can see that the leaves are lightening at their tips, I can feel the breeze growing cooler, I can hear the rain that so often accompanies autumn, and I can taste the harvested fruits, it is the smell that truly tells me. Summer has died, giving way to the next season in the never ending cycle.

Labor Day Weekend!

We had so much fun Labor day weekend. While the Chris and my brother Luke and my Dad all went on a horse pack trip, us girls (and Aden) went up to Salt Lake for some real fun. We went to the Hogle Zoo and spent the day showing our animals the zoo animals:). Then we went to a hotel and stayed the night. We played in the hot tub and pool and got in some girl bonding time. We did some shoping and packed in about as much fun as is possible in one weekend. Aden and Tianna had so much fun together. I think they are finally getting to the point that they are actually playing and getting along really well. The slide show is of all the pictures I took with my camera but Mary has some that I don't have so click here to see her post too. We spent Monday quilting on Tianna's "big girl" quilt. Mary has spent countless hours converting one of Tianna's baby blankets into a quilt for her "big girl bed". I think it is so beautiful and will be so special for Tianna to have a quilt that her mom, aunts (from both sides of the family), grandma, and even her dad worked on. She will truly be sleeping under a blanket made with love. It was so much nice just doing something purly for the fun of it! Thank you to all that contributed to makeing this fun weekend happen:)

Washington Pics....Finally

Sorry everyone, I have been buisy and didn't get them all labeled yet but wanted to at least post the pictures so you can see what Aden and Chirs were up to for that week away.