Happy Thanksgiving!

What did I put in these kids cereal yesterday morning? Yes, that is underwear they have on their heads. Clean underwear? I have no idea, I was afraid to check.



My kids just love to be silly. I love that they can laugh at themselves. They love to play together. How funny are THEY and how cute are those little legs?



And...as I check the kids before I go to bed every night, this is what I found. Jordan just cracks me up. He has his baseball hat on on top of it. When I took away the covers, he also had socks on his hands. Ahhhh funny!

So, on this Thanksgiving day I just wanted to express how thankful I am for these two beautiful boys. They make me laugh every day. They let me hug and kiss them and they make me feel like the most important person in the world. I am also thankful for an incredible husband who treats me like a queen. He gives everything he has to his family. He NEVER puts himself first. I am thankful for his goodness and his love for us. I am thankful for a loving immediate and extended family. I'm grateful that I have a roof over my head and food to eat. I'm grateful for the Gospel in my life and for the peace it brings.

Tomorrow we are off to Florida and Bahamas for 9 days and I can't tell you how grateful I am for THAT! I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving. I am so grateful for all of our friends and family. Thank you for all you love and support .

Warm weather here I come...

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our 11th anniversary. I remember the day so clearly. The Manti Temple was radiant. It was an unusually warm day for November and their wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful day and I was marrying the man of my dreams!

I love this man, and I would do it all again! So, Happy Anniversary to the love of my life!!

Old friends...good times!

Laura, Beth, Tamara, Shelley, Karen, Kim, Maryanne, (front row) Cindy, Me, Kathy



My friends and I from Jr High and High School still hang out! That's about 28 yrs now (Yes, I am dating myself but we all know how old I am). We were able to find three more friends on the internet and through our high school reunion that we hadn't see since graduation in 1986. We decided to get together last Saturday night. We had a great time. It was so surreal! It brought back a lot of good memories. It's interesting to see that although lives change, people's personalities, good humor and love for each other don't. All these girls are great people who I'm glad to call my friends. 86 Kicks! :) Cheers to us!!!!

Mommy, I'm not a baby anymore.

So... it was time! Time for Mommy to let go and get out the big boy beds. Jordan has been in his toddler car bed since he was two. He loves that bed and it was hard to relinquish it to his little brother. He even asked if we could take off the wheels and put them on his twin bed. When we said no, he didn't cry but we did have to bribe him with being able to choose any bedding set he wanted. He picked Walle and hasn't turned back since. He did so well and I'm proud of him.



Kasey will be three in a few months and although he is still small enough to fit in his crib and he doesn't mind, it was time. He has been able to crawl out of his crib now for a year and he has coveted the 'car bed' for quite some time. Ode to joy when daddy put it in his room and it was finally his. This was difficult for me however. It has been hard on me surrending to the fact that I can't have any more children. I think about it almost daily. So, even though I am extremely greatful for the two children I do have, I sometimes feel that there should be at least one more. I have thought at times that maybe this feeling is due to the loss I felt at losing Jordan's twin sister. Anyway...my reason for refering to this is that it has been really hard to let go of Kasey as my baby. Although he can still fit in my lap, his head is now over my shoulder instead of in the nook of it. My favorite thing with my children in their infancy has been to envelop them in my arms and just "be". So, Even though I can no longer envelop them, I can still hold them in my lap and that I will cherish for a little while longer.

Kasey said to me the other day "mommy, I'm not a baby anymore". And although this crushed my heart, I knew he was right and it was time to break down the crib. SO,,, here is Kasey in this new big boy bed!!! As you can see, he could hardly contain himself!! The first thing he said to me when he woke up the next morning was "mommy, I didn't fall out of bed." (I apologize for not turning the pic the correct way, I realized this AFTER I had done all the writing and couldn't bring myself to start all over.)




Jordan was excited for Kasey and wanted me to take a picture of both of them in Kasey's new bed. Time flies...but you will always be my sweet babies!!!




I can't remembe why Jordan was upset at the moment, but I am for sure going to save this one for when HE has kids!



This is how I found Jordan on his first night when I went to check on him before I went to bed.

Veterans Day

Today is Veterans Day. Veterans Day is an annual holiday honoring military veterans. It is also celebrated as Armistice day, the day that ended World War I. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for Novermber 19, 1919. In 1953, Government expanded Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who served in World War I.



I come from a large family of men and woman who served in the military in the U.S, as well as England. This is my Grandpa and Grandma Smith and my mom in July 1943. I always think of my Grandpa on these holidays as he is the Grandparent I knew the longest. My Grandpa served on the USS Iowa, a ship off the coast of Okinawa. He left soon after my mother was born, 3 months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After he left, he did not return on shore leave until my mother was almost two. He then came home after the war was over, when my mom was 3 1/2.

My Papa didn't talk much about the war. He would say it was way in the past and he was uncomfortable discussing it. But from the few stories he told I could tell it was an incredible sacrifice.

My grandfather sacrificed much to serve his country. He left his daughter behind, only being able to establish a relationship with her starting at the age of 3 1/2. He also left his wife. I think we also forget how much credit is due to the women who had to stay behind. My grandmother had to take care of a newborn baby alone. She had to stay with people who were very unkind and demeaning to her. Every day my grandpa was away she had to wonder if he was dead or alive. She sacrificed her mental stability.

I remember crying at his funeral 4 years ago as they shot the gun salute. I remember feeling proud at the sacrifices he and my nana had made for me.





This is my mother’s Aunt Annie. She also served in WWI and was a member of W.A.C (The Women’s Army Corps). Over 150,000 American women served in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) during World War 11. Members of the WAC were the first women other than nurses to serve within the ranks of the United States Army. Too often they are forgotten.

My Great grandpa Smith was in the Spanish- American war, a major in WWI and a Colonel in the US Army. My Great Grandpa Holden on my father's side served in the military in WWI in England. My Grandpa Chilvers served in the Army reserves. My father and two of my uncles served in the US Airforce. I am also a member of the Daughters of the Revolution on my mothers' side. So, this is in memory of all those in my family who helped to provide freedom for me when helping the oppressed was still the right thing to do.

Accident prone

Poor Kasey is always getting hurt. It's probably because he never stops running, jumping, climbing, wrestling or soaring through the air. Usually when he gets hurt, Jordan is close in proximity which leads me to wonder,,,hmmmm! Lately I have tried to curb my motherly instincts to protect my little baby boy, since he and Jordan have so much fun together; however, this does lead to many "I want mommy" cries. This time, he tried to fly off the couch and slid into the carpet with his nose. He then sobbed that he needed a blankie, an ice pack, and to rest on the couch. It was a photo opportunity I couldn't resist.

Halloween Hoopla

So, here are our halloween festivities. Jordan really loves scary things and is also into bones etc..so he had to be a skeleton. He went around the house scaring me and Scott and when he went trick or treating he said to the people "here comes a scary skeleton to your door." Very cute. Kasey is still into being "nice cute stuff" as he says. He was a little mouse and he did the squeak to go along with it. When he would run to the houses his little puffy mouse butt would shake and waddle. It was hysterical. We did a trunk or treat at the church on Tuesday and then went to my brother Marks house for halloween night.



Here are some of the little chitlins. Julia as Dorothy, Adam as Slash, Jordan as scary Skeleton, Kasey as little mouse and Caroline as a little witch.



This is Kasey after the Trunk or Treat eating the loot.



We started out like this.....

and ended up like this after only 1/2 hour. The kids jumped in and said "I'm done". Have you ever heard of such a thing? My brothers and I would be out for hours getting every last peice of sugar we could. I guess I should be thankful, as there will be less of the nasty, tempting, fattening stuff around to make me sleep walk in the middle of the night and eat. REALLY it's not my fault. Hope you all had a fun Halloween.!!!