Our Christmas

Like Christmas every year, it went by too fast, but it was fun. My sister, Jill, was here for the week and Megan couldn't get enough of her. They became good friends fast and Megan is still asking for her. My brother, Jef, couldn't get work off to come for Christmas (which was really sad), but he was able to fly out for the weekend. Megan liked having him around too and had lots of fun chasing him all around the house and doing Cookie Monster impressions to each other. We went up to my dad's wife's house in Sandy on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for brunch. It was fun to be with them too and my dad got Megan way too many gifts. He loves to spoil her! Jill, Jef, and I also worked on a little project while they were here, big shock I know. I'm always doing projects when they are around. Last year we painted and decorated the upstairs bathroom. This year's project took a lot less time and not as messy! We tried to recreate a picture of my mom and uncle since both Jill and Jef look like that side of the family. Here's a sample of our attempt and a few other pictures from our Christmas.

Here's the result of our "project". Not too bad!

This is my favorite picture of Megan opening presents. I love all the wrapping paper in the background and chaos of it all!

Just hanging out on Christmas day and trying out my new flash. It makes indoor pictures look SO much better!

How many babies can YOU hold at once?!

Megan loves her new stroller and my slippers!

I love Megan's wild curls after her baths.

Even hippos need a ride sometimes

Playing "Up and Down" with Auntie Jill

We play Monopoly every Christmas and try to beat Eric. Jill was giving him a run for his money...

But sadly, she lost. This is Eric's third year in a row winning.

Happy 50th Birthday Mom!

Today would have been my mom's 50th birthday. She died about 4 1/2 years ago from cancer. Ever since she died, Eric and I try to do something to celebrate her on her birthday. Usually we go to dinner, but since tonight is our ward Christmas party I think we'll just get a big piece of chocolate cake from Magelby's and watch her favorite movie, My Fair Lady. My mom always had a smile on her face and was constantly thinking and doing for others. She was a great example of how to love serving others. Each Christmas, we would always pick out at least one family to do the 12 days of Christmas to, which coincidentally starts on her birthday. One year we picked 5 families and their homes were all over the city we lived in. I think I spent more time in the car that Christmas break than I did at home. It's one of my favorite Christmas memories that I have with her. I think about my mom everyday and am always trying to be a little more like her. Happy Birthday Mom!

Thanksgiving and California

We hosted Thanksgiving this year for Eric's Dad, his sister, Amy, his Aunt Nancy and Uncle Richard, and his sister Diana and her husband and baby. His mom was suppose to come too, but woke up the day they were suppose to fly here really sick and couldn't make it. We missed her and it just wasn't the same without Grandma. Megan got to know Grandpa (or "Papa" as she calls him) really well. She'd call out from the top of the stair, "Papa - where are you?" when she couldn't see him. It was very cute. Some of Eric's brother's and their families stopped by for dessert in the evening. We had a great time visiting with family. I meant to take a picture of everyone that came, but only got one of the table before we ate instead. Sometimes I get all caught up in visiting that I forget that I wanted to take some pictures. I didn't even get one of our little family, lame, I know.

On Dec. 1 we flew to California for a long weekend at Eric's parent's house. We were suppose to take the trip in October, but had to delay since Eric was really busy with work. The trip started off on a sad note when I realized on the plane that I didn't have my camera bag with me. The flight attendants were really nice and let me run off the plane minutes before we were suppose to take off to look for it by the gate. It wasn't there of course and I came back and had a good cry in my seat. We called the airport when we landed and fortunately I had left it at security and it was in the lost and found already. I still had no camera for Disneyland though. So, we went to Costco the next day and bought a point and shoot to use for our trip. We ended up having a great time and Eric ate more Mexican food than I thought humanly possible in a 5 day span.

We saw "Wicked" with my sister, Jill and her boyfriend, Will. It was awesome and I highly recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to go.

Disneyland!!!!!







This was Megan's first time to Disneyland and the highlight of the trip for me. I love Disneyland and was so excited to take Megan. I almost cried when we walked though the gate. It's just such a magical place and holds a lot of childhood memories for me. Megan did pretty well while waiting for the rides. We had to get a little creative at times, but we did ok. Jill and Will met us after naps as well as Eric's parents. Disneyland looked so pretty decorated for Christmas. It was more crowded than I like and am used to, but that's what we get for going during the Holidays.

We spent the rest of the time just hanging out with Grandpa and Grandma. We were also able to see Eric's brother Arlo and family. We only get to see them a couple times a year (if we are lucky) since they live in California. Thanks again to Grandpa and Grandma for letting us come!

I AM BLOGGY TOO!! (Eric) I am thankful too...

I enjoy reading everyones blog, I have only posted onece so tonight I am home, Megan is asleep and Jen is out at a photoshop class, learning the art of editing etc. So I thought I would post something as well. It has been an amazing year 2008 and to cap it all off my parents are coming to Thanksgiving. It is a great time to be thankful and here are a few of the things I am most thankful for.

1. My Girls!! Jen and Megan just make me happy. I love them, and am grateful each day for my kisses and love they freely give me. I would be lost and lonely without them in my life. I can't even begin to express the peace I feel knowing we are a forever family. Just last week Megan called me, seriously on Jen's cell phone and I picked up thinking it was Jen, and she said, "Daddy?" Sl;kdfjasdfhalsfd, that is nonsense Megan talk but it was hilarious. She said a bunch of words with Daddy a couple times and then hung up. Jen called me right back after she realized that Megan had called me and we laughed our heads off, if only I had that call recorded. Nothing like technology when your 20 month baby calls you on your cell phone.

2. USA! USA! Seriously, if you don't love this country, and think it is the best one on earth,
then leave, get out we don't need you. If you can't appreciate what we have here, the freedom to come and go as you please, to say and live and work and do what we want to do then you are idiot. I love my country and I pray for those defending "the land of the free and the home of the brave" nightly. God Bless the USA.

3. Family- As many of you know, or will after reading this I literally have a ton or more of family. 6 brothers and 2 sisters and 1 bro and 1 sis of Jen's. Mom and Dad, and Dad and Alicia.
I KNOW their combined weight is well over a ton. But needless to say, my family has always supported me through thick and thin and there has been plenty of both. I want them all to know I love them, I pray for them and I wish to see them more, as much as possible because time goes by fast and the memories last forever but only if we get together and make those memories. Everyone is busy with familes and work and so much more, it is great to get together.

4. Work- I do have a great job, where I am appreciated and where I can make a difference in peoples lives. I enjoy greatly working with Veterans, and providing them a small service for what certainly was a sacrifice for them as they served in the military. Thanks to Eric K for the opportunity to work together again, it has been awesome and I look forward to 2009.

5. Jesus Yep, that is right Jesus. Keep in mind these things are in no particular order because I don't have to prioritize them, because I am not being graded, thankfully. I have had times in my life where there is no one else to turn to other then My Savior Jesus Christ. He had saved my life, in every way possible. As Christmas approaches, I ponder on the wonder that he came to earth as a baby and lived a perfect life, showing us by His example how to "go about doing good". He lives and I love him. I am overwhelmed by the love he offers me, and my little family.

Well that is enough for this post, I can't make up for years of no posting with one GIANT post so that is all for now. Thankfully (pun) there is unlimited space on the internet so I can post again sometime when Jen is out and Megan is asleep. I don't know how to add a picture, maybe next time after I take a blog tutorial from Jen.

A Grateful Heart

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. I think I like it more than Christmas because it's less stressful on Thanksgiving and not as commercialized. It's just a day filled with family, food, and thanks. I've already planned out our menu and get more excited each day! Before the holidays get into full swing and I get too wrapped up in all the frill and fun of it all, I feel like I need to express my feelings of gratitude and thanks.

First, I am grateful for my little family and our health. Eric and Megan bring so much joy to my life and I am lucky to call them mine. I'm also grateful that we are all healthy. We've had a couple health problems and scares in our extended family in the last few weeks, and it's really made me appreciate being healthy (even if Megan is a picky eater!). It's something I take for granted and have realized that it can change in a heartbeat.

Second, I am grateful for my husband's employment. There are so many people in our country without jobs right now and many more in poor financial situations. I feel very fortunate we are not one of them. Eric has always worked hard for our family and has found a job that he is good at and is rewarding as well. He's not without stress and loans are getting harder to do, but he's made the best of his situation. I'm usually not one to brag, but Eric is the top loan officer for his branch this year and has won loan officer of the month for the whole company 4 times so far this year. It's nice for him to be at a place where his hard work and talent are paying off.

Thirdly, I feel so lucky to have the friends that I do. It makes such a difference in a stay-at-home mom's life when she has great friends. They can empathize with you when you are having a hard day and are there to help when you need it. I also have really great neighbors who are always willing to help with Megan when I have a dentist appointment or want to attend the temple during the day. I count all my sister-in-laws and my one sister as friends too. I have 6 sister-in-laws that live within 40 minutes of me and I love getting together with them. We have Girls' Night Out once every few months and I'm usually not home until after 10PM when we do. My sister lives in southern California and we don't get to see each other often, but we talk on the phone at least twice a week. I'm really looking forward to seeing her when we go to California in December. We're more alike than we look and tend to act and giggle like teenagers when we are together.

Fourth, I'm grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It brings so many blessing and purpose to my life. It gives me a greater sense of direction in my life and pushes me to be a better person. I know there is more than this life and that my family is forever. It's my calm and security in these uncertain times.

There are so many more things that I am grateful for, but those are the big ones. Hopefully we will all take a moment to think of all the things we are grateful for and give thanks. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

My Harley Man

Eric had a motorcycle in college (before we met) and has always talked about getting another one, especially in the Spring when the weather starts to warm up again. He finally wore me down and bought one this last April. He did a lot of research and actually drove up to Idaho to pick it up. It's a 2002 Harley Davidson V-Rod and he loves it. He takes it to work whenever the weather permits. It was last week that it dawned on us that we hasn't taken any pictures of it, so we had to take some. We've been really fortunate enough to have a really nice, mild Fall this year and Eric's been able to get more use out of it than what's normal for here in Utah. I'm not a huge fan of motorcycles, but I do have to say that Eric looks hot on that hog!

Prop. 8 and McDonald's

I'm sure many of you are aware of Prop. 8 in California and all it entails, so I won't go into details here. (If you're not, visit http://www.protectmarriage.com/). If you do live in California, I urge you to vote yes on Prop. 8. Many of you do not live in California though, and thus the reason for this post. My sister lives in Orange County and has recently found out that McDonald's is in opposition to Prop. 8 and has donated money to see that it doesn't go through. I have decided, along with my sister and many of her friends, to boycott McDonald's (not that I went there very much anyway). I hope that you will do the same. I know that it probably won't make a huge difference by the way of profits for McDonald's, but I don't want the money I spend there to go to a cause that I am very strongly against. Please tell your friends and family about this if you feel the same way. We live in an ever-changing world and I just want you to be informed about where your hard-earned money is going.

Fall Festival

Fall is my favorite season, by far. I love the smells, the colors, and the weather. It's magic to me and it doesn't last long enough here in Utah. Orange is becoming my new favorite color more and more everyday. I think we might even wear orange in our picture for our Christmas card this year.

There's this place called Gardner Village around the corner from my sister-in-law's and it's always decorated so cute for Halloween. We took the kids there on Sunday to feed the ducks and take some pictures of the kids running around. Megan loved it, but I couldn't get her to look at the camera for the life of me. That seems to be a common occurrence for us. (BTW - A big thanks to my sister for the cute shirt and I made the tutu!) Megan always on the go and when she's not running, she's jumping. She's at such a fun age where she's constantly saying and doing new things. She's growing up too quickly and I'm trying not to cry when I think about it. So until it snows, we will be thoroughly enjoying the Fall season!

Babies, babies, and more babies!

I've had the fun opportunity to take lots of pictures of babies in the last few weeks. It's been challenging and fun. I really do enjoy the practice. I learned a lot and am still trying to better know my camera and its capabilities. I've also been messing around a lot in photoshop elements. One big thing I learned is that I'm pretty sure I need to buy some lights for indoor shooting. I think that will help a ton. So, here are a few that I really liked!

My friend, Lindy's, little girl, Emily:

She was the easiest of the three babies by far!

My sister-in-law, Jill's newborn, Chloe:

(Eric's mom with her newest grand-baby)

My sister-in-law, Jen's baby, Mya:

Getting Ready

Megan has recently started to give up her morning naps, which has its pluses and minuses. One of the minuses is the luxury of getting ready by myself. Megan LOVES to be in the bathroom (mostly getting into things) and wants to be in the middle of all the action. She usually wants me to hold her while I'm getting ready so she can see what's going on. This really slows me down, only being able to use one hand while getting ready, so I came up with a solution. I put her on the counter, put her feet in the sink and turn the water on just the tiniest bit. She loves it and keeps her distracted so I can get ready. It's fun to watch her immediate what I do, trying to use the Q-tips to clean out her ears, "brushing" her teeth, brushing her hair, playing with my make-up brushes, etc. I was lucky enough to have my camera upstairs yesterday to capture some of our "new" routine.