ChRiStMas FuN

Even with record breaking snow totals we were still able to fit in some of our favorite Christmas activities! Christmas cookies, craft projects, Christmas movies, shopping in a winter wonderland, siblings gift exchange,ward Christmas party and a Christmas dance recital.

12 days till Christmas

I was reminded today that there are only 12 days till Christmas, which means I have a lot of fun traditions that I still need to squeeze in, I need to go out and get the 12 day of Christmas countdown presents, lots of Christmas baking to be done, gingerbread houses to decorate, secret Santa shopping to do, some fun Christmas crafts and maybe just maybe getting some of my Christmas bought would be a good idea too!

I just don't know where the time is going I feel so behind this year, but it was a good reminder this morning that I need to get my butt in to gear!

Kind people

This week has been one that if I could erase I totally would. With the week long flu visiting every member of my family, an extra crabby little boy, feeling the stress of being a single parent and more snow than I could handle on my own. It was not only a physically draining but mentally as well.



On the upside though I realize that we are surrounded by kind people in our lives. I am one that would probably rather cut off my own arm than ask people for help, but have realized that sometimes as much as I hate to do it, it may be necessary for me in the next couple of months.



So today I am grateful for kind people in my life that have pulled me out of my "poor me"mode. I am grateful for a couple that have adopted my husband and have treated him like a son, invited him to go to activities, dinner, the movies and have made him feel at home in their home. A friend that called to offer any help that she could even though she has three small children all under the age of four, ward members that offered to help clear the foot of snow in my driveway(I may be exaggerating I've never been good at measurements), a good friend that showed up with a gallon of milk today after going one whole day without it,(lesson learned, I need to start watching the weather a little more!) and a neighbor who in all actuality is a complete stranger, snow plowed my driveway today.

Mase Lightyear

Hannah's favorite movie right now is "Toy Story" and whenever she request to watch it Mason is right there with her watching it.
He now walks around pointing his laser beam arm at everyone pushing his imaginary button on his arm making shooting noises. Of course his favorite toys to play with right now are Buzz and Woody which of course are Hannah favorites' right now too!

I must say he makes a pretty cute Buzz Lightyear!

Maddy's Goal

Madisyn finished her Faith in God a couple months back, she completed all the required activities plus some, memorized all the articles of faith, and had her interview with the Bishop, she is officially ready to enter Young Women's... now she just has to wait till she turns 12 next month.

Good job Madisyn!!

Wacky Hair

Hannah had wacky hair day at preschool and was so excited to wear her wacky hair to school! Hannah has had a lot of fun with all the fun activities that she is doing in preschool and is super excited to do all of the fun Christmas projects ahead of her.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! We had a great Thanksgiving my mom, brother and his family joined us this year. As we sat gathered around the table we all listed off things that we were thankful for, it was nice to hear what everyone was thankful for:
Family, health, the world, everything, homes, cell phones, our many blessings, jobs, salvation, and Ruby. I am very thankful for family near and far and I am thankful for the time I get to spend with each of them!

I Am Thankful For

Good people in the world:

We have been looking for a place for Mike to stay in Omaha, while we stay in Minnesota to sell our home. We were praying for a older couple to take Mike in from one of the wards in the Omaha area, knowing that there was NO way we could afford to pay rent for a place out there. Our prayers were answered and my heart was deeply touched by a couple willing to offer up their basement to a complete stranger and the only thing they asked in return was helping clear the snow from the driveway when it snowed, people are GOOD!!


Family:

My kids have been more than supportive in this new crazy venture that we're putting them through. A brother that has helped us with a number of house projects and is sacrificing part of his Thanksgiving weekend to help us with more. Family that have offered help that has put my mind at ease.

Good Friends:

A friend that will take time out of his BUSY days to call a list of bishops to find a place for your husband to live. A friend that has put my mind at ease about Omaha, been a listening ear and contacted friends of hers for a place for Mike to stay. Friends that have offered to make our move to Omaha as less stressful as possible.

My Husband:

Our life is as good as it is because of Him. It's the risks and moves that he has made that have made it possible for him to provide for a family of seven and for me to be a stay at home mom.

My Heavenly Father:

He has showered blessings on me that I'm not sure I deserve. He has picked me up on days where I felt like giving up, he answered prayers even though I had no faith they would be answered, He continues to love me in spite all my imperfections.

Home Remedies:

Clove oil = instant relief from dry sockets!! I LOVE CLOVE OIL!!

Here we go again

If you would have told me 6 years ago that I would be living in Minnesota, I would have told you that you were insane! I never had any desire to leave Utah, I never wondered what it would be like to live in another state, like so many of my other friends did. Mike and I loved living in Utah, loved Sunday dinners at his parents, we loved having my sister over at least every other night just to hang out, enjoyed seeing our parents a couple times a week, loved having our girls take dance class with their cousins and loved having my oldest brother's house just minutes from ours. But, life happened and we ended up having to move our family to Minnesota, the easiest move, not hardly it was honestly the hardest thing that Mike and I have ever had to do. It took me a year, but I adjusted to living so far away from our family, we were blessed to have Mike's oldest sister and her family join us just 6 months later and my oldest brother and his family join us a year later in Minnesota. We were always blessed with a great ward family!!

But life has happened again, Mike has been seeing the writing on the wall for a while in his department, his department is slowly shipping the work overseas and hiring a lot of part time people to do the same job he is doing. So with some urging from other guys in his department and Mike's own common sense he started looking for another job. After many failed attempts of the job posting in Minnesota, the perfect job posting came up, only problem was that it was in Omaha Nebraska, after talking about rather he should put in for it or not we decided that he probably should.

Mike and I knew after his first interview that he was going to get the job, we both just had that "feeling" and two weeks later he was offered the job. Then reality set in for me, how are we going to sell our house in this horrible market, how are we going to afford Mike living in Nebraska, while I stay here with our kids till the house sells, how are we going to live without Mike for who knows how long, how am I going to yank my girls from their lives they've been living for the past 5 1/2 years??

I know that we have been handed a HUGE blessing, I honestly know that Mike's job that he is in right now probably isn't going to be there very shortly, and with that I know that I need to have a lot of faith right now, I know that Mike was lead by the spirit and though we may not have the easiest road ahead of us, I know that our Heavenly Father has a plan for us.

Graciously accepting any prayers sent our way. :)

A Hobbit Halloween

We had a great Halloween, a yummy dinner of chili and broccoli soup. The kids did trunk or treating and then went around our friends neighborhood, they came home with way too much candy; so thank goodness this day comes only once a year!!


The Joker
The Nerd

The Hobo

The Geisha girl

Cinderella

A Manly Bug

The perfect execution

takes a whole lot of planning for the perfect face......

A whole lot of cutting.......

and a WHOLE lot of gutting......

5 perfect pumpkins

Over the weekend we went to the pumpkin patch to pick out 5 perfect pumpkins, the kids had a blast playing in the corn pit, climbing the hay bale tower and finding their perfect pumpkins!

Hannah was so proud of herself when she got to the very top of the hay bale tower.

Shoo mom don't bother me

Today I found Mason kicking back on his old bouncy seat sucking on one of the girls' suckers he snatched out of their bags. He was one happy little man!