A December to Remember......

..... I wish!!!





This December was crazy!! With finals the 12th and 13th of the month (Monday, Tuesday) and being busy with school stuff up until Finals were over, it left us (me) with just under 2 weeks to get Christmas ready! Luckily we were able to get our tree, house lights and other decorations up the weekend of Thanksgiving so that was one thing we didn't have to worry about the few weeks leading up to Christmas! We are so lucky that Braxton is still to young to understand or to know what to "expect" during the Christmas season! I had great intentions of doing all the fun holiday traditional stuff - making sugar cookies, going to temple square to see lights, sitting on Santa's lap, going to Festival of trees, going on a family drive to look at lights on houses, movie night with pop corn and hot chocolate, etc. I'm very sad to say that we didn't get to any of those things. We really need to be better next year about making sure we do some of those fun family things. Brax will finally be to an age where he will start to remember and hopefully appreciate the fun times!

I did get our 2 Christmas movies out which Brax just LOVED!! We watched them both at least once a day - "Ginch" aka How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carry and "Train" aka The Polar express. It was fun to watch him learn fun Christmas words while watching the movies and seeing the excitement in his eyes when we would turn them on.

My Grandpa gave us his train last year for around our tree and Braxton thought that was the coolest thing. He would giggle so hard when we would turn it on and it would peek around the tree!

The Lamberts gave Braxton a Little Peoples nativity set in October while he was in Disneyland. We set it up for him on our end table so he could reach it. He loved playing with it and carrying the people and animals around.

Nate and I went to see the Forgotten Carols with my family the beginning of December. While growing up my family went to see the Forgotten Carols for quite a few years in a row. My Junior and Senior year of High School my Choir group was able to be the choir in the program for a couple of the shows each year. I have only been once since I graduated so it was fun to go back and see it again. I brought back many fun memories and he has made some changes in his show from when my family went last making it a little more exciting - not knowing exactly what was going to happen.

Despite our crazy December we have a couple of fun memories and were able to get a few family holiday traditions in - Christmas movies, nativities, Forgotten Carols, Christmas trains and family and ward Christmas parties.

Thankful Thanksgiving wrap-up

So, my Thankful Thanksgiving posts didn't make it as far along as I had hoped! It's amazing how quickly the last month and a half have gone! I'm hoping next year I can keep up with it a little better. However, despite my lack of Thankful Thanksgiving day's I did have things to be thankful for.......

-snow tires and a garage to park in

-a very patient child who was able and willing most of the time to entertain himself on those test days full of cramming!

-an amazing mom, dad, sister, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, grandma's and neighbors who have been our saving grace with Braxton during this last semester of school! For their scheduled day's" for watching Braxton and still picking up a few more on those really crazy weeks. For being willing to drop everything at the last second when a sitter fell through or something else came up!

-the GREATEST husband in the world! I could not have made it through the last 4 months without him.

-the gospel. For the peace it brings and for all of the blessings that me and my family receive every day! I couldn't have gotten through this 1st semester of school without my Savior - his help and blessings!

-the jobs that Nate and I both have. During these difficult economic times it has been so nice to know that Nate and I both have jobs that are able to provide for our family and the stage we are at in our life.

-Braxton!! He was definitely sent to our family for a reason! He has been such a blessing in our lives. He has taught us so much. He is so happy and easy going (most of the time). He is just SO fun!

There are so many more things running through my head but we'll leave it at that for now. Just know that I am so very grateful for all of the many, many blessings that we are blessed with daily - the little things as much as the big ones! Thank you to all of you who have been a part of those blessings!

Thankful Thanksgiving - Day 6

Sunday 11/6/11

DAY 6

I'm so Thankful to be in the Nursery with Braxton! I was called to the Nursery when Braxton was 15 months old but they told me I could bring him with me. Since then we have had 2 hours every Sunday together to play and learn and sing. It has been so fun to watch him learn to interact with friends, follow directions, clean up, sing fun songs and eat snacks! He is growing up so big and seeing him in nursery every week and comparing him to what he was like when we first started going blows me away! My baby is getting so big.

I Love my calling but there are some Sundays when I forget how grateful I really am to be in there. Yes, some Sundays are harder than others. I've wondered how Braxton would do if I ever got released and he had to be in there "alone." Well, today Brax was sick so he stayed home with dad and I had to go to Nursery all by myself. It was so sad! The whole time I was thinking about him and what he would be doing at each moment. I kept thinking myself "get all the time you want with that ball while Braxton isn't here!" Yes, Brax is a major ball hog, even in nursery! Having one Sunday without him in there made me truly grateful that I get to be in there with him! Love you buddy~

Thankful Thanksgiving - Day 5

Saturday 11/5/11

Day 5

Today I am THANKFUL for instructors who care about us nursing students. About us doing well, understanding what we are supposed to know and sacrificing time with their families on a Saturday morning to help us at the lab to get our skills down before we have to pass them off. Those who are so kind and patient, take the time to not only explain what we need to do but show us exactly how it's done as well as give examples and explain why it needs to be done that way so we understand what we need to be doing and why it's so important to do it that way. Those instructors help to make this school thing a little more doable! Thank you~

Thankful Thanksgiving - Day 4

Friday 11/4/11

DAY 4

Thankful Nurses

There is nothing like running around like crazy for an OR room, trying to help fix mistakes, trying to help figure out and find what the doctor is requesting which no one has heard of, helping with traumas, and taking care of problems - then having the nurse come out after the surgery is over and thank you for your help. There are some nurses who will thank you for all of your help today when all you did was take them a washcloth.

Their thank yous and noticing what we did makes all the running around and long, busy Fridays like today totally worth it!

Thankful Thanksgiving - Day 3

Thursday 11/3/11

Day 3

I am THANKFUL for HOUSE PROJECTS!!! They are a lot of work and at the time we wonder what we are doing to ourselves but they are always so worth it after all is said and done!We seem to have had one big project a year that we have lived here. The first was ripping up the linoleum out of the kitchen/dining room, entryway, 3 bathrooms and laundry room and replace it with tile and pergo wood in the Kitchen/dining room. Our next project was our yard - both front and back. This was the first one where we really wondered what we were thinking! It was an insane 1st summer in our house but we have LOVED having it done and being able to enjoy all of our hard work. Our next big project was last year when Nate decided to paint our entire house and redo all the baseboards and door frames about 2 months before Brax was supposed to be born. Much to our surprise he decided to come 2 weeks early. As we were sitting at the hospital thinking about all the work that still needed to be done and the HUGE mess we left we again were wondering what we were thinking. This year we decided to finish our basement. Things were coming along smoothly until we set a date for carpet and realized only a few days before that we still had a ways to go (that is even after bumping the date back a week!). The last couple of days before, as we were going crazy trying to get the last minute stuff done we again were wondering what we were thinking! The best thing about our projects is that they have always paid off in the end. It has been so fun to be able to enjoy the progress we are making on our home and to know we are that much closer to being done with the "big things" - for now at least. With all of our projects we would be totally lost and maybe even ended up in a psych ward if it weren't for our wonderful families! They have bailed us out so much! Spent countless hours helping us get things ready to go and finished up, often times into late night hours. We really appreciate all of your help with everything and for always being there for us. We love you guys!!

We have already decided our project for next year. It's a little ways out and we don't plan on turning it into a huge project like everything else has! We are even planning on completing it a little early so we don't have to worry about running out of time - like last time.

We will be getting this room

ready for this little one!!!!

Thankful Thanksgiving - Day 1 & 2

Wednesday 11/2/11

Day 2

I am so Thankful for amazing neighbors who are willing to let Brax come and play with such short notice so I can take a test for school. It means so much to me that they are so willing to have him over and help out so much! He loves playing at their home and I don't ever worry about him while he's there. Okay, I don't worry about if he's having fun or being taken care of - I do worry about him and how he is behaving though! I don't know what I would do without them. Thank you so much. I don't know how I will ever repay you.

you know who you are~

Tuesday 11/1/11

Day 1

I'm thankful for an amazingly supportive and helpful husband. One who is willing to get dinner made with a plate set aside for me and Braxton in bed before I get home from my 12 hour work day - in order for me to be able to get right home and study for my test that I have the next day! He has been so supportive of me and my crazy schedule the last couple months. He has done extra running around with Braxton, made dinner, cleaned our house, made sure I have had plenty of study time (even when I don't want it!) and cheered me on along the way! I don't know what I would do without him! He is the BEST!! Thanks for everything babe - I love you~

Halloween 2011

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Our Halloween activities lasted most of October this month. With our busy schedules there weren't many but what we were able to accomplish was a lot of fun. Luckily Braxton hasn't figured out the "traditions" of Halloween yet, so we weren't in too much trouble

First, we were able to continue our own tradition at Gardner Village

(unfortunately Braxton's helmet for his costume wasn't done yet so we didn't get any in his costume this year)

Braxton wasn't a fan of the witches

Anytime I set him down to take a picture and he could see one of the witches he would let me know what he thought about it!

As long as I was holding him or his hand though he was okay

Getting pictures this year was a little harder than last year. He was much more distracted with what was going on around him. We were still able to get a couple good ones though

He wasn't a fan of the hay, but he loved the pumpkins














By the end we had to bust out the crackers and try to take pictures in between the chewing - didn't do such a good job with this one!

By the end he was on pretty good terms with the witches, as long as they were doing something silly or something he really likes himself!

He even tired to throw a ball to the witch with the bat

He LOVED the hula hoop Witch - we walked by her a couple of times and he got just as excited the third and forth time as he did the first



Braxton didn't last long in his stroller so we ended up taking it back to the car half way through. After torturing him with pictures I decided to just walk around with him and let him point the way. He loved looking around at all the fun things - we even found a couple of ducks in the pond!
On our way out we stopped by the candy shop and got a little sucker to eat on our way back to the car.

Because Braxton and I were both tired and starving we decided to get some lunch on the way home so that he could go down for a nap as soon as we got home! He didn't even make it to Village Baker!

Thanks for a fun Mommy and son morning, for being such a good boy and being so patient with mom and her CRAZY ideas!

The closest we got to carving pumpkins as making these cute Disney character stick ins. We made them at Grandma Hollies after Sunday dinner one night. Grandma Hollie was so smart when she bought them and she got fake pumpkins so we can get it out every year! After we got Braxton's finished he decided he wanted to comb Buzz's hair with the pumpkin scooper!

Grandma Hollie also got Braxton some Halloween window stickers. Braxton had so much fun putting them up and we spent a little while afterword looking at them. Every morning for about a week after when we got Brax out of bed we would pull open the blinds and point to all the characters and then at night when it was time for bed we would say good night to them and pull the blinds down. On the days we didn't get the blinds open, when we would change his diaper on his changing pad he would pull the blinds out to look up at them! What a cute, fun idea! Braxton has loved it.

The weened before Halloween was full of parties and fun. Friday night (10/28) we went to Grandma Hollies ward Chili Cook-off and Trunk-or-Treat. I haven't ever been to a Trunk-or-Treat before and it was so much fun to see all the creatively decorated trunks! Braxton caught on pretty quick to the idea of sticking your bucket out to get candy. We had a very proud moment as a mom and dad that night as well - Braxton FINALLY said 'Thank you" for the first time!!! After he got his candy from each trunk we would tell him to say thank you and then both Nate and I would thank them. About half way through Braxton decided to say it with us! We were SO excited!!

Saturday night (10/29) Nate and I were supposed to go to a Halloween party with some friends but they all decided to bail so we went to Grandma Donna's ward Halloween Carnival instead for more chili and corn bread! Braxton was able to wear his costume to both parties. It was nice get some use out of it!

Sunday (10/30) was Grandma Donna's Birthday so we had my family over for her Birthday dinner, presents and dessert. We are so lucky to have been blessed with such a wonderful mother and grandma. She does so much for our little family and is such a good example to all of us. She is so good to Braxton and does so much for him. Happy Birthday mom - Thanks for everything! I don't know what we would do without you!

On Halloween, (Monday 10/31) I had some lab pass off for school so Braxton went to Grandma Hollie's for the day. She took him and Brynnlee to Grandpa Jeff's, Aunt Sami's, Aunt, Natasha's, and Aunt Trista's work for their annual Trick-or-Treating around the building. Families of the employees are invited to bring their kids dressed up and go around the cubicles to get candy. Braxton had a blast and got more candy than we know what to do with. From what I heard he used his charm to his advantage. When he would get to a pod he would warm everyone up with a couple of cute "hi's" then then point to their candy bowls and say "want some." After he got his piece he would point at their bowl again and say "some more." With the people who would hold the bowl out for him to pick one he would grab one piece and say "one" then put it in his basket, grab another one and say "two" then put it in his basket, then grab a third and say "three" and put it in his basket. (all of his numbers sound like he's saying three!) He is too smart for his own good and where in the world did he learn how to turn on the charm?!?!

Monday evening after we all got home we got together with the Gelters, Fesslers, Youngs and the Crooks. We took our little ones around our street for some Trick-or-Treating and headed back to the Gelters for some pizza and play as well as some ice cream cake and spider cupcakes! The kids had so much fun together and it was nice to have some adult time as well. Thanks for a fun Halloween evening

Our Football Player

Brax and Jackson playing football





Our Trick-or-Treating group

My handsome boys

-This year marked the 8th anniversary for our first date! I can't believe it's been 8 years. My, how time flies! Love you babe!-

- Happy Halloween -

My Resignation.......

I know it sounds weird but I have been craving blogging. I have so many more important things to blog about but they will all take a little bit of time. Time of which I don't have at the moment to be spending it on here! I have SOOO many things I need to get done today. I'm just trying to decide where to start.

I'm sitting here thinking about my ginormous list of "things to do" and all that I have coming up the next couple of weeks and starting to feel pretty overwhelmed and wondering if I can come up with a way to give us more hours in the day! Because right now, that is the only solution I can come up with! As I'm sitting here, a little upset with myself for wasting precious time on the computer I'm reminded of an e-mail I got a couple of months ago from Sami and after reading it again somehow everything is okay. So....... here's my resignation!!!

My Resignation.....

I am hereby officially tendering my

resignation as an adult. I have decided

I would like to accept the responsibilities

of an 8 year-old.

I want to go to McDonald's and

think that it's a four star restaurant.

I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud

puddle and make a sidewalk with rocks.

I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them.

I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends

on a hot summer's day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple; When all you knew were colors,

multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care.

All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset.

I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good.

I want to believe that anything is possible. I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.

I want to live simple. I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness and loss of loved ones.

I want want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind and making angels in the snow.

So...here's my checkbook and my car keys, my credit card bills and my 401K statements. I am officially resigning from adulthood.

And if you want to discuss this further, you'll have to catch me first, cause....

"TAG! You're it."

-author unknown

How to eat an OREO

9/3/11

- Dunk it -

- Suck it -

- Bite and Repeat -

-Don't forget the occasional drink in between bites-

-I'm not sure what was on T.V. but it was obviously really interesting-

Braxton only had to watch Nate eat 1 before picking up on the proper technique!!

Bucket - O - Water

8/25/11

Nate was out BBQing some steaks one night and Braxton decided that he wanted to go out and play! I was in the kitchen getting the rest of dinner together when I looked out and saw this.......

Braxton came up with the idea all on his own! He went and found the bucket in the shed on his own and went over to the down spout on the shed to collect the water and dump it on himself - just like he does in the bathtub. He loves to use the rinse bucket when the faucet is running to catch the water and dump it on himself. I can't believe he was able to relate the dripping down spout with the running faucet and catch the water.

His face looks really red in some of the pictures. He had only been outside for about 10 minutes, it was just really hot out there. He was sunburn free though!