Disney playhouse live

Paige is a huge fan of Disney playhouse in the morning. Her two favorite shows are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Little Einsteins. When I heard they were coming to the Energy Solutions Arena, Scott and I decided to treat Paige to the show. My mom joined us on out little outing.
Paige was able to nap on the way down which probably helped her immensely but it made her a little groggy when the show started. I think she was overwhelmed with all the surroundings. She recognized the show but couldn't quite figure out what was going on. She finally got into it during the second half and even sang and danced to the hot dog song. She may have been a little young this year but she talked about the show the whole way home telling me that Goofy had been flying. She's such a cutie and we loved being able to do a little something for her.

Snowmobiling

That's a really tiny sled!

We were really lucky to be invited to go snowmobiling with Deborah and Christian Jackson to the Uintahs. Their cabin is special to us because it's where we became engaged. Now we were going back with Paige and a baby on the way. We left friday afternoon and drove all the way up with a pitstop for munchies and a potty break in Evanston. When we got there, it had been raining and the snow was a little low. We unloaded all the supplies onto the snowmobiles and headed up the the trails to the cabin. After unpacking the supplies at the cabin, the boys went out for some more fun on the snowmobiles while Deborah and I got dinner going. After watching the Jungle Book with the kids, they went to bed and the adults played a rousing game of Settler's of Catan (Christian's favorite). We had a great time. After a somewhat restless night with Paige and Brody both falling out of the bed, my sore pregnant back, and a trek to the outhouse in the middle of the night, I decided to sleep on the couch for some reading which helped me fall asleep. Then up for a yummy breakfast and the boys heading out again for another couple of runs. Then it was time for the kids. After hoping for snow during the night, we actually got it during the day so we decided to have the kids go sledding close to home and use the long driveway. They loved it and even Paige went by herself. She's such a snow bunny. She even made a snowman while brody sledded down the cabin stairs. It was so fun to see her enjoying the outdoors even while it was snowing and cold. Next was lunch, and then we took turns babysitting while the grownups went out for a ride. I found it was to bumpy for me so after a short ride of getting stuck and tipping over, I decided to call it good. It was just so much fun to have a weekend with great friends and being able to relax. Thanks to the Jackson's, we love you guys!
Scott getting stuck
Scott getting stuck again
Still trying to get unstuck
Isn't he handsome in all his gear
Brave Paige all by herself
Paige and her sledding buddy
Paige and her rocking buddy
Paige and Brody watching a movie
Me asleep on the couch

Paige makes me laugh

Paige has been so much fun lately. We went to the store the other day and the whole way there she pointed out everything she was seeing. She saw a boat, a christmas tree, a giant blow-up snowman, a tractor and many more. She talks so well and we're lucky that we can understand most of what she says. She is so fascinated with princesses right now. At the store I purchased a swimsuit and coverup dress for her to wear on our upcoming trip to Vegas. She immediately took off her boots and tried to strip down right in the store so she could put on the "princess" dress. She didn't get far but I promised she could put it on when she got home. 4 hours later we were able to pry it off her. Same thing with any of her sunday dresses. She'd wear them everyday if we let her. We finally got some princess jammies that we could trade and put on after the dress came off. The other funny princess dress is my garment tops. With most of them being maternity, they are quite flowy. She usually gets them out of the basket before I get a chance to fold them, and then we tie them around her neck and she walks around twirling all day. Lately she's been waking up at 6:00am. It's a little trying when I can't wake myself up so while I'm trying to pry my eyes open, she'll watch disney playhouse. She wakes up requesting Jojo's circus which has been discontinued so we endure lilo and stitch. What's so funny is she knows all the music for all the shows. She's really good with singing music and can recite most of the words. While driving around town, she'll entertain herself by singing songs like wheels on the bus, old macdonald had a farm, I love to see the temple, I am a child of god, and itsy bitsy spider. I finally found the Children's hymn book cd with all the kids songs on it ie: hinges, do as I'm doing, wise man built his house on the rock. She loves them. She may be a future american idol winner, who knows. I just love her and realize how much joy I receive from her.

Paige sledding down the hill all by herself

Paige climbing up into the baby's basinet

Paige loving her curlers (shocking!) and dancing of course

Paige loves the snow and was a big helper shoveling

Paige making a snowman

Falling asleep on the floor in her princess dress

New Years

My next favorite celebration is New Years!! This year, Paige had a cold and I had worked on New Years Eve so I started out kind of pooped. We decided to stay home from a couple of invites because of the copious amounts of snot running out of Paige's nose. We ordered pizza and set up a blanket in the living room for a picnic. Hopefully Paige enjoyed our attempts at making it fun for her too. After she was off to bed, Scott and I pulled out the board games. I must of been really tired because he beat me two out of three times (twice) at Sequence. Unheard of!:). Then we snuggled on the couch and watched a movie that was playing on tv. I couldn't keep my eyes open and so at 11pm, I went to bed. I know, party pooper. Scott stayed up long enough for the ball to drop and then he came to bed. It was a good think I didn't stay up because Paige was up at 6am the next morning. What was she thinking.
We then headed to Logan for another tradition we celebrate. Sledding, buffet all day, and games. I love this day for those very reasons. Sledding is fun because my brother in law has a four wheeler that hauls everyone up the hill. Because of my pregnancy, I didn't sled but took a few pictures of all the fun. Paige loved riding on the four wheeler and she laughed the whole way down the mountain with aunt Angela and dad.





Angela's family who brought all the equipment and provided a fun day for all of us.

Then home to eat our hearts out. We had such a lot of good, yummy food. Then some fun games for the kids and adults. Angela left early to take her good friend to the airport so we threw in a movie (Horton hears a who). I was unimpressed but it caught the kids attention while we cleaned up a little bit.



We stayed to the next day to help my mom clean out some of my dad's closets. I'm not a sentimental person when it comes to clothing. I'm too practical so either I'm the right person to help or the wrong. It depends on how you look at it. My mom had a hard time but had said when she tried to do it alone, she couldn't do it so I think in the end it was good to have me helping her. We attemted the sledding again but it had rained and was a little slushy so after two attempts down the mountain, we bagged it.
A little side note, (Scott is rolling his eyes right now), Scott and I took my mom on a run to the Home Depot. I had showered but hadn't done my hair which was frizzy, curling, and no makeup. I'm feeling fatter than usual because of the pregnancy, I was dirty from cleaning all day, and not at my best looking when who walks by, my old boyfriend Jay. Not a big deal because I'm married to the most amazing man who doesn't care what I'm looking like but you just don't want to run into an ex looking like crap. You want his jaw to drop and wish he hadn't ditched you. Hope you girls out there understand what I'm saying or maybe you're just laughing at me. Just hope the next time I run into him, he'll see a better side to my looks :).

Friends party 2008

We have started the tradition of getting together with our friends from our old University ward every Christmas because they're so spread out, it's the one time we can all get together. I always laugh so hard when I'm with these guys and being pregnant with a weak bladder makes me take extra precautions. We love the amazing friendship we share and are amazed that as these years go by, our families grow, and our lives go on but our friendships are so solid. WE LOVE YOU GUYS!!

Christmas 2008

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I absolutely love the Christmas holiday. I love the music, the christmas trees, and driving through neighborhoods to see their christmas lights. I especially love the traditions of our family for Christmas. Our season started out with putting up the Christmas tree. Paige was a big helper and after she broke one of the glass balls, I pulled out the less breakable ornaments for her. She took her job very seriously and was very precise about where they went (just like her mom). Her ornaments had their own little position on the tree right at the bottom all clustered to gether. She was so funny about it and would take off and replace her ornaments throughout the month.


The next outing was to travel with our good friends, the Stones, on the train down to SLC to see the lights on Temple Square. Paige loved it all. She liked the train ride and seeing the temple. Normally I have no need to view Christmas lights year in and out but with Paige it's a whole new experience.


The next event was the Roberts Christmas party. It was nice to have it in Scott's parents almost completed basement. He and his brothers have spent a lot of time trying to get it finished for big functions such as this. With the size if family he has, it is always a tight fit but we have so much fun with each other. Their was good food, fun games, and good times. What a wonderful family Scott has.


Christmas was extra special this year. We knew it would be more emotional so we added some special things. Our traditions include meeting together for Christmas Eve for soup bread bowls and potato bars with our 90 year old neighbors coming for dinner. We follow that by watching the Christmas Nativity the Church put out a few years ago. (It tends to hold the kids interest better). Then comes the pj's and my mom reading a kids Christmas book to everyone. My mom took charge and got everything organized for it. I was so proud of her. Scott and I stayed with her that night and she said that before she went to bed, she put on some perfume my dad liked of hers, then sprinkled some of his cologne on a pillow. When he drove long haul, he would miss Christmas occasionally and he would call my mom and sing the "Merry Christmas, Darling" song to her from the Carpenters. So she sang that, cried a little and then went to sleep. She told us it was a good night and I thought it was sweet.
The next morning, Scott, my mom, and I made breakfast for the fam. It was yummy but the grandkids missed grandpa's runny eggs with the green things in them (chives). We missed him. Then off to open presents. Paige took a while to get into the spirit of opening gifts but once she got her princess Aurora doll, it was over. She even helped haul a huge gift to my mom (I think she was hoping it was hers). This year instead of buying for each other, we used the money we would have spent and bought just my mom Christmas. That was special to us and we included a gift "from dad" that the tag read, I love you forever. She was overjoyed and so appreciative. Scott and I needed to get back to Ogden and a storm was coming in so we packed up and left but not before a quick visit to dad's grave and a merry christmas to him. Did I say I missed him??



We then spent the rest of the afternoon at his parents house. We played Nertz all night. Paige really wanted the Barbie princess' that her cousins got so we had to teach her that she need to play with her princess and not take others. It was a little hard for her to not want to takeover their gifts. It was such a great day and we loved spending it with family. We are so lucky.

Catch up big time!!

I guess life has been a little chaotic these past couple of months and I've neglected my blog.

PAIGE's BIRTHDAY- I'll start with the first event which was Paige's birthday. She turned two at the end of October and almost instantly had a little bit of the two-year-old attitude. She is as cute as ever and talking constantly. She is into princesses, helicopters, and putting her shoes on and taking them off. She seems so smart to Scott and I and has quite the vocabulary. For her birthday we took her to the pumpkin patch and she got a new coat which she sometimes refuses to take off. She shared a cake and ice cream with her second cousin due to our moving mess. She wouldn't blow out the candles and didn't like the cake. Oh well! Next year we're hoping to celebrate more properly and maybe she'll get into it.




HALLOWEEN- Next was HALLOWEEN. She thought this was especially fun. She dressed as a flower and they had a little party at the babysitter's. She got really mad at me when I attempted to remove her petals off her head. I know, I'm bigger but she won that showdown. Later, we trick-or-treated in Logan so she could go with all of her cousins. She loved running after them from door to door. At the end of the night, she did not want to take off her costume. We had to create a diversion so the flower would come off. Scott also celebrated with his school buddies. He wore the infamous tight police officer outfit. He was a little nervous to bend over or sit down but doesn't he look so sexy in it. OW,OW!!




FUNERAL- Just after that, Dad went downhill pretty quick. He wanted to stick around until Christmas so he wanted to try a pretty powerful Chemo in the hopes it would help give him a little more time. His body wasn't healthy enough to take it and that night his mind seemed to slip away from us. Scott and I were able to be there the whole weekend to help him and take care of him through the nights. Christmas wasn't meant to be. It was very difficult to watch him leave us like that but it was such a gift to have been with him when he passed. It is truly a testimony to me of spirit and body and knowing that although his body is buried, his spirit is living. He was an amazing father and person and I miss him more than I can say. I am doing pretty good. I feel such a peace wash over me when I think of him and where he is. Prayers from everyone have helped so much. My family kept saying that we could feel everyone's prayers and knew that it was helping us through it. I also have an amazing husband (or as my dad told me, "You have yourself a great guy") who was there to help me take care of my dad's personal needs. Not many men could have done that and all of my dad's sons-in-law were very hands on in helping him with it.

The family the night before he died.

TURKEY BOWL- Scott's old work holds a bowling game and last year Paige wasn't real happy with the noise of the pins being knocked down. This year was dramatically different. She loved pushing the ball down the lane and loved watching mom and dad play as well. She was such a happy little thing that night and we were glad that she didn't show any signs of being traumatized from the year before. No, we didn't win.


THANKSGIVING- We thought this holliday would be very difficult for us but once again and surprisingly there was a great amount of peace within our family. We celebrated at my mom's house and everyone pitched in to make it a great success. My mom cooked a yummy turkey and we ate our stomach's out. My mom did really well until it was time to pray and she had to choose someone else to pray when my dad is the usual one to pray. After dinner, it was such a gorgeous day outside, we went outside and hung up my mom's Christmas lights. It was fun to have the nice weather so the kids could run around. We kept cursing our dad and wishing he was putting up the lights instead of us. When that was all done, we all headed to the movie theater to watch Madagascar 2. We laughed so hard that my weak pregnant bladder was leaking a little (I know, TMI). Then back to the house for pie. YUMMY! It was truly a fun day spent celebrating family and the joy of a special holliday that reminds us of all the gifts and blessings the Lord has given to us.

MOVING- Next was our big move. We are so excited about our very own home. We had so many helpers that day and it went so fast. We are finally starting to feel settled and pretty much unpacked. You'll be hearing more about our fun house later on when we can take some pictures. Stay tuned

Now that I've caught up, I just wanted to thank all of you great friends out there for your kind words, letters, cards, emails, prayers, and most of all, friendships. Scott and I are very lucky people to have so many people watching out for us. Heavenly father provides us with Angels in so many ways. Thanks a bunch.