Thanksgiving 2011...

This Thanksgiving has been really great. I love it when Spencer has a lot of time off and I love all the family activities that take place. Me and Lylah kind of missed out on a lot of things this year since she is so little but I got to spend a lot of quality time with just her and I really enjoyed it.

Me and Lylah spent most of our day baking cookies and pumpkin cupcakes...mmmmm! And Spencer took Preston out to the lake. We finally had Thanksgiving dinner at 4:30.
This boy was H U N G R Y.

Out of Spencer's cousins there are 3 boys the same age as Preston. They were all here for Thanksgiving and Preston LOVED to play with them. They would be his 2nd cousins once removed? haha I don't know Ron was trying to explain it to us the other day and I think I'm still confused.  He also loves those bigger cousins too...they always get excited to see preston and they help him and play with him. They are all so sweet. We love those coon cousins!

Most of the girls...

Miss Lylah Kay...she was SO good. She let everyone hold her and was just a sweet smiley girl.

And this was us trying to take a family picture...

It didn't work. haha!
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

22,23, & 24...

Okay so I'm behind on Thankfuls again...

Saturday morning we were able to go to my cousin Vanessa's baptism. It was a wonderful morning and she has such a sweet little spirit. We were so glad we were able to be there and share that special day with her. 

I'm so thankful for sweet little examples that my children have to look back on. I'm so thankful for such good Aunts, Uncles and cousins that my kids can look up to. 

On Monday night we went to the park with a ton of Spencer's family. We had dinner, visited, played tennis and they also had a big game of dodgeball!

I'm so thankful for Family Nights. I LOVE that our church recommends that we have a night a week that we set aside just for family time, it's usually monday nights but it could be any night. It's especially fun when we get the familys together. 

And Yesterday was such a good day for me. My sister was able to watch Preston that morning so I could go and get my hair done. I have been needing a little "pick me up" since Lylah was born and getting your hair done seems to always do the trick. It just makes you feel so good. Mandy, from my ward, started doing hair again in her home and she did a fantastic job! It also helped that Lylah slept the whole time i was there! I also had bought a groupon last year for a body wrap but found out I was pregnant before I could use it. I made an appointment and was able to go last night while my hubby watched out kiddos. I have never gotten one before but I wish I could get them on a regular basis! I LOVED it. I felt so good afterwords and she took my measurements and I lost 12 1/4 inches from my body! Now I just can't eat it all back at Thanksgiving...haha!

So I am SO thankful for days that I can pamper myself. I feel like those kind of days are few and far between but i really am SO thankful when I get them! 

Thankful 21...

This thankful is something I recently got myself into. I have really been trying to keep myself, my children and my house as healthy, clean and pure as I possibly can. I've been trying to be "greener" and started buying "green" household cleaners, etc. But even those have dangerous chemicals. And in the last few months even Johnson and Johnson's company has been all over the news about their baby shampoos and their other products that have dangerous chemicals in them that could lead to cancer. You can read more about that here. It makes me sick thinking that I used that on Preston when he was a baby. This has been going on for YEARS and it's barely on the news for us all to hear. 

Luckily I found a company called Melaleuca. They sell products that are completely safe and natural. No ammonia, no chlorine bleach, no toxic chemicals and best of all they don't even need safety caps for children because if your child got into it, it won't hurt them. If that isn't a huge relief for a parent then I don't know what is. Preston gets into EVERYTHING and I used to worry constantly about where I was going to put my stupid cleaning supplies but now I really don't have to worry.

I switched over a few months ago and I can honestly say that these products work. They clean great ( maybe even better then the stuff I used before ) they smell clean and fresh and again they are completely safe. They also have baby and kid shampoos and body wash that I started using and I love them. My children smell clean and fresh and it gets them really clean and I know its safe! I use their laundry detergent too and I love that as well...I really could go on and on. 

I'm really trying not to sound like a commercial or sound like I'm trying to sell anyone on anything because I'm really not. I don't sell these products. Every customer is referred to by another customer and because I really fell in love with this stuff I just wanted to let anyone who reads my blog know about it because its amazing. So if your interested...watch these videos ( I recommend watching all 4 videos on the bottom of the page...don't worry they are short ). And if you want to sign up let me know! Each member signs up members that they refer. 

So today I am SO thankful for Melaleuca. I think I'm actually more thankful for the peace of mind that it gave me. Thank You Melaleuca!!

Lylahs 2 months...

Lylah had her 2 month check up yesterday. Her stats are...

11 lbs - 50%

Head circumference - 15 1/4 - 50%

23 1/2" long - 90%

Doc says she has a perfect head, not flat at all. This girl likes tummy time and she also is amazing at holding her head up.

Funny how both my babies have always been above average in length...I'm sure that won't last long since both mommy and daddy are short haha. 

This cute girl has the cutest smile and dimples to die for. Gosh she is just the cutest little girl I've ever laid eyes on. At 2 months she is...

• Smiling a ton 
• "coo"ing - sometimes I really think she's trying to tell me stuff
• rolling over ( sometimes haha )
• wants to be held constantly
• likes to be bounced
• Still a good eater...about every 4  hours
• Sleeps really well - wakes up once at night and again early morning around 3 and 7

#20- I'm SO incredibly thankful for our health. I can't imagine dealing with health issues, it especially breaks my heart when its with babies and kids. We've been blessed thus far and I'm so thankful. 

More Flagstaff...

Okay so my thankfuls for the last couple of days have to do with my last posts...

#17- I'm SO thankful for my in-laws and my extended family. I love Spencer's parents so much and the more I spend time with them the more i appreciate and love being so close to them. And I love my sister in laws SO much...I couldn't have asked for better ones! My brother in laws aren't so bad either haha jk they are awesome. Needless to say I love the family i married into.

#18- My father in law said he saw a piece of heaven this weekend when he saw all his children out playing in the snow. No divorces, no infidelities, everyone getting along and enjoying each others company. I'm incredibly thankful that in both mine and Spencer's family's we are blessed in this area.

Okay so now on to the rest of our weekend. Everyone was there on Saturday and we decided to try and build a bigger snowman! 

I wish I had a better picture of Alyssa's cute belly...she is such a cute prego! I'm getting sooo excited for that baby boy to get here!

Lylah was sleeping while we played saturday but she woke up a happy girl...these are her don't tickle me mama moves!

She is sooo pretty!

I love these silly faces...

Spencer and John also took Preston on a ride on the ranger...he was so bundled up that Spenc said he couldn't tell if he was smiling or what haha. Knowing Preston I'm sure he loved it.

Okay so I have another Thankful...

#19- I'm thankful for weekends away! I love that we can go to Flagstaff whenever we can!

Spencers Birthday...

We decided to go to Flagstaff this year for Spencer's birthday. We got there late thursday night so that we'd have the whole day to do whatever on friday. We woke up and went out to breakfast and had yummy french toast. Then we bundled up and went outside to build a snowman. This was Preston's first time ever playing out in the snow and he just loved it. 

Preston loved to eat our "Frosty"...

After that we came inside to relax and eat some lunch. Look at what the beanie did to Preston's hair haha...

Lylah was all smiles that afternoon :) 

That night we had steaks and then an ice cream mud pie cake! It was delicious!

Happy Birthday Spencer! I really do think your the sexiest 26 year old out there and I love you more then anything!

More Thankfuls...

#12- I'm thankful that except from our home we are debt free. 

#13- I'm thankful for great friends and I'm thankful that preston has been making friends as well. He loves to play :)

#14- I'm thankful for my ( new to me ) suv. Having a bigger vehicle will be SO nice! Though I am afraid to fill her up...

#15- I'm thankful for freshly bathed children and the smell of johnsons baby lotion on their skin...ooohhh i love it!

#16- I'm so thankful for my babies who love eachother. Preston is so excited to see Lylah always and calls her "baby Yi-Yah". And she is starting to smile back at him and it is just the cutest thing.

Yay I'm caught up! I'll post our weekend tomorrow!

Thankfuls...

Wow I'm behind on my "thankfuls" and behind on blogging...and I'm really behind on unpacking from our weekend in Flagstaff and getting my house cleaned. So I'm going to make this short and sweet for today and hopefully I'll have enough time to blog about our fun weekend tomorrow. Here it goes...

#7- I'm sooo thankful for my parents! I got so lucky to have them and I miss them tons. I'm really thankful for the time I got to spend with them this year. Its the most time I've had to spend with them in a long time and who knows if I'll ever have the chance to spend a whole month with them again. Love you mom and dad :).

#8- I'm thankful for my siblings. We have so much fun together and I just love them to death. I'm so so so so thankful that my sister Corinne lives like 10 min away. I don't know what I'd do without her here!

#9- I'm thankful to own my own home. I love where we live, i love our neighborhood and I love the ward were in. 

#10- I'm thankful for Spencer's job. He's able to make enough to support our family on his own and it's flexible enough that he can still go to school full time. It's a blessing.

#11- I'm sooo incredibly thankful that I can be the stay at home mom that I've always wanted to be. I love spending my time with my kids and I really wouldn't want to be doing anything else. 

Okay Lylah needs me so this is all I can do for today...more tomorrow...hopefully!

Thankful #6...

Today I woke up to kisses from my sexy husband and the sound of rain hitting our house. It was perfect. It's getting chilly here, like sweaters and boots chilly. And this makes my heart SO happy! I LOVE winter clothes, wearing lots of layers, cozy nights by the fire ( too bad we don't have a fire place ), hot apple cider, and snuggling under blankets. Yay for cooler weather!!! This is the time when I really do love where I live. I love that we can still go to the park all throughout the winter and I don't have to shovel snow or pour hot water on my windshield in the mornings to melt the ice. I love that if I really want to play in snow that its only 2 1/2 hours away and my inlaws have a home there that we can go to anytime we want. Like this weekend for Spencer's birthday! I can't wait! So today I'm thankful for where I live. The summers here aren't my favorite and I really do like to complain about it while I'm living through it but the winters here are truly divine! I'm thinking I just need 2 houses, one here for the winters and one in California on the beach for the summers. Yes that sounds perfect. Spencer can you work on that please? Thanks...

Haha okay that last part wasn't really a part of me being thankful so I take it back...

kind of ;)

When I look at pictures like this...

It does make me miss living in the snow a little. But I'm so glad we'll be visiting the snow this year. We are totally going sledding with my family while were in Utah...I just decided! Preston has never been and we always have SOOO much fun. I can't wait :)

Thankful #5...

I am SO thankful for my Church. I'm a proud member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My faith gives me a reason for life, for forever families, and peace in knowing that I can once again reunite with my Heavenly Father. I know I can be forgiven for my mistakes and that life isn't perfect and I can have warmth in knowing that if I try my very best that I will be blessed. 

If you want to read a little bit about me and mormons click my button on the right hand side that says "I'm a Mormon" :)

And if you'd also like to read Spencer's thoughts click HERE.

Thankful #4...

I couldn't be more thankful for Lylah. She has the cutest little smile with perfect dimples that I just can't get enough of. She is attached to me and wants to be held whenever she is awake and I really do love it. I wish I could just snuggle and love on her all day long but unfortunately life gets in the way. She has been teaching me a thing or two about patience...she is a colic baby after all.  But I'm thankful for what my kids teach me. They do make me a better person that's for sure. I just love her to death.

Thankful #3...

I'm thankful for each of my kids individually and since Preston is my first born I'll start with him :). 

This boy cracks me up. He lightens up any room with his bubbly personality and his silliness. He is probably 99% of our entertainment. He is such a lovable and sweet kid too and he still has those chubby cheeks that I just have to kiss everyday. He made me a mother and I can't express how much I love this boy.

Thankful #2...

I am incredibly thankful to be a mom. This is my dream "job" if you want to call it that. I can't picture myself doing anything else, nor would I want to be doing anything else. These 2 kids ( and their daddy ) are my whole world and I love that I get to spend everyday with them. I'm SO lucky.

P.S.- Lylah woke up at 3am this morning and wouldn't go back to sleep until 6:30 and Preston woke up at 7:30. I'm EXHAUSTED! But still thankful this is my life :).

Thankful #1...

It's November! It's crazy how fast time goes...especially during the holidays! I like the idea of being especially mindful of what I'm thankful for in November, since it is the month of Thanksgiving! The first thing I am thankful for is the most important person in my life. Spencer. All growing up I dreamed of being married. I had a lot of dreams and expectations that my future husband would have. Some of those were silly but some were really important. Spencer is all those important qualities. He's not perfect ( and neither am I! ) but I'll take all of his imperfections over a lot of others any day! I chose the right man for me and I'd choose him over and over and over if I had to do it again. 

It's funny how when you first get married you think your spouse just couldn't be more attractive ( at least i felt that way, hopefully you do too haha ) but seeing Spenc with our babies and being such a loving and sweet daddy makes him so much more attractive. I love how we keep getting closer and closer with time and having a family just makes our bond that much stronger. 

I love you Spencer.

Halloween 2011...

Wow yesterday was a busy day. We had a lot of fun but it was a packed day. This is what we did...

5 am- Gym time

6:30- 9 am - kids slept in! I got to curl my hair :)

10- We ran grocery shopping

11- Pumpkin Patch round 2 - some friends invited us so we went a 2nd time and had a lot of fun

1- lunch time 

2 to 4- Painted pumpkins and cleaned the house

5- Block party 

6 to 8- Trick or Treating!

10- Finally bedtime...

Here are some pictures of our day...

Preston and Kamden loved riding in the cow barrels :)

Preston and Roman eating their suckers

Preston on the air mattress thing...he loved this thing

I jumped on it with him and it really was fun...notice our red faces. It was HOT and notice what im wearing...not a good choice for a hot day.

Kamden with pumpkins...he looks soooo adorable in this picture!

We tried to get a picture of the boys but they would not smile ha

And this was Lylah the whole time we were there...

Corinne and Kamden came over to pass out candy with us! Look at what a cute Lion Kamden is!

Me and my kiddos halloween night!

Preston loved passing out candy...he was so particular about which candy each kid got. He's just too cute :)

He was not cooperative with pictures last night so I told him if he'd smile he could have the sucker he wanted and this was the smile he gave me haha 

After we came inside and Lylah was fed she was SO happy! So I tried getting some of her cute outfit and of her smiling...She is such a cute girl! 

Love these smiles!!!

Halloween was sooo great! Love this time of the year, we have so many things to look forward to...Spencer's 26 birthday is next weekend!