Christmas

What a wild past few weeks we have had! For starters, the east coast was hit with the biggest storm they've had in 13 years. We live in a beautiful house right on the Potomac River, but we didn't feel it was the ideal place to ride out the storm, so we headed to Culpeper to Jake's parents farm. After the storm...meaning 3 days later...we were finally able to head home. The schools and federal government offices were shut down, which was nice, but it also meant the girls' Christmas break started 2 days earlier than expected. It also meant that I had to do ALL my shopping on Christmas Eve with all the other idiots. However, with the girls home, I was able to get all my baking and sewing done.



My parents and favorite brother came in Christmas Eve/Christmas morning at midnight. We all had a midnight snack and went to bed. Christmas morning brought lots of presents and even more wrapping paper. Jake and I got a GPS system from parents and a baby hiking carrier from my grandparents. Best two gifts ever! After breakfast, we headed to the Miller Farm to open more gifts.



The day after Christmas, we all headed to Monticello. This is Thomas Jefferson's home. It is absolutely stunning. That man was a true genius.



Sunday we headed to yet another Miller farm, this time Uncle Mike's, for the annual Miller Christmas Party. All the kids had a blast. It was fun to catch up with all the Miller's scattered everywhere.

On Monday Jake and I received the best gift of all. My parents watched ALL THREE kids overnight, so that Jake and I could have a night away. We went to a brand new, beautiful hotel in Bethesda. We had a nice dinner, then stopped at the most FABULOUS cupcake shop! It was bitter cold and the wind was howling, so walking around town was quickly thrown out the window. Gratefully, our hotel had a hot tub. What an awesome gift! Thanks Mom and Dad! And thanks especially to the Baby Chauffeur! ;)


This year has flown by and I cannot believe how much has happened. Our family has truly been blessed and I have much to be thankful for. I have a wonderful husband and three healthy, beautiful kids, awesome in-laws, fantastic parents and the best brother anyone could ask for. I am one lucky gal. Happy New Year to everyone!

White Trash

Truth In Advertising

October and November Catch Up

I'm going to do a quick overview with photos of the past two months. So much has happened, that I don't have the time nor the energy to do a full report. Here are the highlights.....

We left Utah....

....attended Zeb and Erika's wedding....

....celebrated Bostyn's 10th birthday....

....went to Mount Vernon....

....went to Montpelier....

....went to Gettysburg....

....went to the pumpkin patch....

....took the kids to D.C. on my own (Smithsonian Castle)....

....attended The Miller Halloween Party as a drunken/womanizing/half-asleep pilot and a stewardess) ....

....carved pumpkins and celebrated Hayden's 1st Halloween....

....went trick-or-treating....

....went biking in D.C. ....

....fished on the Potomac River....

....went to Virginia Beach....

....went to the Air and Space Museum....

....went canoeing on the Potomac River....

....celebrated Bailee's birthday (and Jake's, but unfortunately no pictures)....

....celebrated Thanksgiving....

AND....celebrated my dad's birthday early.

I'm baaack!

After a very long two months, I'm finally back online. Apparently it isn't that easy to link up to civilization when you live on the edge of the world. At least the view from the edge is gorgeous.

High Five

Tuesday morning my Uncle Randy was honored by KSL in their High Five program. One of his neighbors nominated him, because he goes around taking care of people's yards. He spends hours meticulously maintaining to lawns, weeds, edges, hedges, sewer grates and fire hydrants. Randy never asks or expects to be paid or even recognized. He loves to help and make things look beautiful. Randy is an example that everyone can learn a lesson from.

WAY TO GO RANDY!!

The story ran on the early morning news this morning. Check it out HERE.

BYU Weddin....

I wondered if it was a coincidence that my friend's wedding colors were the same as BYU? All doubts were relieved when we asked what his honeymoon plans were. "We are going home to open presents and watch the BYU game." This led him to also explain that the time of the wedding was set specifically, so that there would be plenty of time to get home before kick-off. Too much. All joking aside, I want to again wish my buddy Doug congratulations on his marriage and best wishes for a great future. Congratulations Doug and Shalisa!

WSU

On Saturday, the girls cheered in the WSU Homecoming Halftime Show. I am proud to say that Bostyn didn't do anything crazy this time, so she was able to be on the field sans crutches. I am amazed at how grown up my girls look with a little mascara and some lipstick. It's a very terrifying look at my not so distant future. Bailee was asked to be a tumbler at the beginning of the performance and she was very nervous. She did a great job and didn't fall (unlike the little girl next to her). Bostyn did awesome as well and it turned out to be a really fun night.

My beautiful girls.

Bailee rockin it!

Oh so cute Bossy...

Busy Bee

Last week went by in a flash and I cannot believe we are halfway through this week. I have been super busy. Jake is back in Maryland at his new job. He is loving it and having a great time being pampered by his Aunt Mary. I can't say the same for myself. I am going 90 miles an hour in 10 different directions. I have been packing the house, getting rid of the junk, cooking meals, chauffering the kids around, taking care of a baby and trying to maintain my sanity. Obviously, some things are falling through the cracks. I'll let you guess which ones. :)

Anyway, in addition to all my responsibilities, I have managed to have a little fun with the kids. On Friday night, we had a family party and my Aunt Patti and Uncle Dave from Greece were able to attend. It is always a blast to see them, because we rarely get to spend time together. Also, my cousin Charity and her husband James came and brought their new baby Isaac! What an absolute doll. Here are a few pics from the party.....

Uncle Dave and Aunt Patti

Isaac (1 month) and Hayden (6 months)

Mohawk

Every baby needs a mohawk right? Hayden's hair is finally long enough to "style". So I slapped some gel on his melon and spiked it up. I'm quite the hairdresser if I do say so myself.

Jockey Dreams

Hayden had his 6 month check up yesterday. He is a BIG BOY. As if you had any doubt from the pictures.

He is 20.14 pounds and 28 inches tall. He is in the 90th percentile for weight and the 97th percentile for height.

The pediatrician told me I could just forget any dreams of Hayden being a jockey. He also said it would be wise to invest in football gear, as Hayden will likely make a superb linebacker. He said all this while cracking up. Did I mention the doc is 5'7" and thin as a rail? I think he is just jealous of Hayden's size. :)

Half

Labor Day was Hayden's half birthday, so naturally we had a birthday party. Does anyone really need a reason to celebrate or eat cake? Being that it was his half birthday, I only made half a cake. We sang "Happy Half Birthday" and of course Jake thought it was all very corny.

Hayden couldn't eat any cake, but we let him grab a little and squish the frosting in his fingers. He loves making messes with his food. In the ears, up the nose, under the double chin, no place is left clean.

The Southern Side

So....for all of you that have been anxiously waiting, here it is.......


We are moving to Virginia!


Here is the deal. Jake has been offered a job with the CPSC in Bethesda, Maryland. CPSC stands for Consumer Product Safety Commission. They develop all the safety requirements for all consumer products, so basically anything you could buy at Walmart. We will be living in Stafford, Virginia. We are all very excited, but sad to leave our old lives behind. We are leaving lots of wonderful family and friends. However, we are very excited to be close to Jake's family and make new friends!

Stay with me here......

Jake will be leaving Utah on September 13 to fly back to Maryland. He will be working back there for two weeks and will fly home September 28. During that time, I will be packing the house up. When Jake gets back to Utah, we will spend the next two days loading the moving truck. On October 1st, we are all headed to Reno for Jake's brother's wedding. On Friday, the 2nd, my parents will head to Virginia with the moving truck and my car. On Monday, the 5th, me, the kids and Jake's mom will be flying from Reno to D.C. Jake and his dad will be flying back to Utah to pick up our truck and boat. They will head out to Virginia on Tuesday. My parents should be getting to Virginia on or about the 6th and we will start unloading the moving truck. When Jake and his dad get into town, we will have a few days to spend with my parents, before they leave on Sunday the 11th.

Whew! Did you get all of that?

Here are a few pictures of where we will be living......

This is a picture looking off our back deck..


This is one looking back toward the house. Ours is the one with all the windows on the back.

We are really grateful to be staying in Jake's grandparents old house. They have built a beautiful new home in Orange, Virginia and are letting us stay in this one.

This was a major decision for us and it was not easy. We have prayed hard and feel confident that this is where our family is supposed to be. We will miss Utah and everyone in it, but are looking forward to the new chapter in our lives.

Scottish Fest

Here is a cute picture of my kids at the Scottish Festival. It was held the last weekend of August up in Wellsville (just outside of Logan). Can't say that the festival was all that fun. Something about fat guys....really fat guys in skirts just doesn't appeal to me. Got a cute picture though, so it wasn't all bad.

High Chair

I swear Hayden gets bigger by the second! This is his first attempt to sit in an actual high chair. We were out to dinner and he kept pulling himself up out of his car seat. So, I asked for a high chair to see how he would do. He did pretty well, with the exception of tipping over a few times. Before you know it, he will be sitting in the booth next to us!

Cheerleader

Both girls were really excited to be cheering in Weber High School's first football game. Unfortunately, only one of them actually got to do it. Bailee did a really great job and looked great out on the field. Watching her reminded me of my cheering days and how much fun I had.

Crutches

So Bostyn headed to her third day of school on crutches. She was at cheer practice for Weber High school's halftime show and she sprained her ankle. Her ankle turned black, blue, green, purple and yellow. It swelled up pretty good too. The worst part of the whole thing, was that she had to sit on the bleachers during the show while Bailee cheered on the field.

Too bad we can't get a temporary handicapped parking pass. ;)

School Daze...

Oy.....where did summer go?

I can't believe it is already school time again. The girls started school yesterday. Bailee is a big, cool 6th grader and Bostyn is a cute, little 4th grader. They looked so cute, yet so grown up in their school clothes. I am freaking out a little, because in a few short years we will be doing the first day of high school. Then, I am certain I won't be encouraged to take obligatory photos by the tree anymore.

Bailee posed this photo..

My adorable little fourth grader.

My trendy 6th grader. Too cool for words.........

Love

Bailee snapped this picture last week and it has become one of my favorites. It shows the absolute love between Hayden and Bostyn. She glanced up at the tv and he is staring at the back of her head. Notice her hand on his belly? She is so protective of him and in turn, Bostyn can get the biggest smiles out of Hayden. It is pure unconditional love between the two of them.

Sourdough

My grandparents own land up the Ogden Canyon called Sourdough. They have had it for years and every August 15, we have a birthday camp-out to celebrate my Grandpa Fred's birthday. This year we schlepped all the kids up the mountain for a fun filled two days of campfire and four-wheeling.


Did I forget to mention the car repair? Jake's car wouldn't start, so he and Grandpa spent some time cleaning off the terminals. No luck. We had to jump it in order to get home.



Camping is great. Most of the time is spent sitting in a lawn chair or laying on an air mattress. This is my contribution to the car repair.

Grandma with two of her great grandbabies. She has a total of 8 with one more on the way. 6 girls and 2 boys.

And of course my beautiful Bostyn. She is modeling the newest camping fashions. ;)

Hayden all buckled up and ready to go home.