I'll be HOME for Christmas!

I just received a new church calling as our ward's Enrichment Leader.

I'm a little Nervous and Excited about this new calling but I'm
up for the challenge! We have a great group of creative
girls on the committee that I know will be fun to work
with and we have already started planning our first party
for November 19th (Oh my! It's coming up quick!!).

This time of year gets so busy that we sometimes forget the true
meaning of Christmas and that we are celebrating the Birth
of our Savior Jesus Christ. I decided on the theme of
"I'll be HOME for Christmas: Simplifying Christmas and making
the small things more meaningful". I wanted to help the women
in our ward to simplify so that they would actually be home to enjoy
this time of year. We have a lot of fun things planned for the night!

I made 75 of these invitations and passed them out on Sunday,
I also made an advertisement to put in the foyer of the Church.

I hope that people come! =)

So, I have a few questions! How do you incorporate our Saviors birth and the true meaning of Christmas in your home? Do you have any tips on Simplifying Christmas? Fun Holiday traditions? Stories? Inexpensive gift ideas? Neighbor gifts? Recipes? Anything that makes your Christmas easier and more meaningful? I would LOVE for you to share!

Trick or Treat?

Dorin found this crawling around our house!



Aren't phobias weird? Catching this spider in a jar was as easy as pie but when a bee flies into the house I nearly pee my pants =)

The look on my boys faces are priceless, I love boys! =)

I'd Turn Back if I Were U

We had a fun Halloween this year. One of the highlights was putting together this little spook-alley on our front porch. Dorin and Aidan had a blast escorting the kids through it and almost didn't want to go trick-or-treating themselves. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and it was great to see my boys join in on the spooky fun. My younger brother Ben and his wife Nicole came over and helped out too, it was such a fun night. It was fun to see the trick-or-treaters faces as they decided weather or not they were brave enough to enter, surprisingly it was the teenagers that hesitated more. It got even Spookier after the sun went down, with all of the glowing lights and scary sounds.

I tried to make it feel like you were touring a Witches house...









































I stole this photo from Ben and Nicole's blog (thanks guys!)


This year we went with a 'Star Wars' theme. Dorin was Darth Vader and Aidan was a little Ewok. =) How long do you think I can get away with making Aidan into Dorin's chubby little sidekick? haha I love it! The Ewok costume was made out of a cat costume and scarf (I cut the tail off of the cat and made the ears out of it). He even has a furry little Murse (that's a "man purse" people) that we used to hold his candy. I love making the costumes, it just makes everything more fun. =)

Love, Sweet Love.

It was such a beautiful day. Bryon and Darcy have such an amazing story and it was such a lovely experience for all of their friends and family to gather and watch as they started their new lives together. It really was an honor for my sisters and I to be able to help decorate their wedding and I think everything turned out so beautiful! (and on a budget too!)




















Isn't this great? Darcy saw this circle pattern in a Bride's magazine and loved it! I thought it was really special that they were married in the middle of the circle surrounded by friends and family.





















I had to throw this picture in too! My 2nd and 3rd row were completely filled with over 150 Pom-poms! Which I then used for the ward Tea party a few days later!....More of the Tea party to come!

Clowning Around!

Aidan turned 2 last week! I can't believe how fast the time
has gone, it seems like he was just born. What would we
do without our little Aiders? His name actually means
"Little Fire" and it is sooo true! He is our little fire cracker!
and we just LOVE him to pieces!

For his birthday this year we went with a couple of
friends to see the Barnum and Bailey Elephant
Parade at the Gateway Mall. I had never been before
but I think we are going to make it a tradition. It is
pretty close to Dan's work so he was able to meet up
with us, which made it even funner for the boys!

Later that night we went as a family to the Circus.
It was such a fun show and it was fun to see
the boys reactions to everything. It was such a
fun birthday and Aidan really knew that it was
his day which made it even funner for us all.
Happy Birthday Aidan Thomas, we love you so much!

Sun Rays

I just love this picture that I took of Aidan the other day. I love the sun rays and the light. Things have been pretty busy around here, I'll blog all about it when I get a minute. I hope you are all having a lovely weekend!

I Like You

And I Know Why...

I love vintage children books. There is something so innocent and charming about them. The illustrations are always so lovely and the messages simple. I've collected a few over the years and my favorite is called "I Like You" by Sandol Stoddard Warburg from 1965.

It's a book about friendship gratitude and love. My favorite line from the book is:

"If you find two four-leaf clovers, you give me one
If I find four, I give you two
If we only find three, we keep on looking"

I first came across the book with my mother while we were browsing the book section of our favorite thrift store. She read it out loud and we both just adored it. My mother loved childrens books as well, she has even written a few, so the book stayed with her. After my Mother passed away we were going through her things and found it again. My younger sister Lynny kept that copy and I searched ebay to find a vintage copy for myself. When we read it we think about our Mom.

My Mother was and still is my very best friend and this book reminds me of her. She has a selfless way of making people feel loved. She saw potential in everyone and everything and I miss her everyday.

I'm planning a Mother/Daughter Tea party for my ward Activity Day Girls {girls ages 8-11}. As part of the program I am going to have each girl read a line or two from this book to their Moms.

It is still in print {though a little hard to find}. It is the perfect gift for any occasion! So pick up a copy and give it to someone you love.

I LIKE YOU

I like you and I know why.
I like you because you are a good person to like.
I like you because when I tell you something special, you know it's special
And you remember it a long, long time.
You say, "Remember when you told me something special?"
And both of us remember
When I think something is important
you think it's important too
We have good ideas
When I say something funny, you laugh
I think I'm funny and you think I'm funny too
Hah-hah!

I like you because you know where I'm ticklish
And you don't tickle me there except just a little tiny bit sometimes
But if you do, then I know where to tickle you too

You know how to be silly
That's why I like you
Boy are you ever silly
I never met anybody sillier than me till I met you
I like you because you know when it's time to stop being silly
Maybe day after tomorrow
Maybe never
Too late, it's a quarter past silly!

Sometimes we don't say a word
We snurkle under fences
We spy secret places
If I am a goofus on the roofus hollering my head off
You are one too
If I pretend I am drowning, you pretend you are saving me
If I am getting ready to pop a paper bag,
then you are getting ready to jump
HOORAY!

That's because you really like me
You really like me, don't you?
And I really like you back
And you like me back and I like you back
And that's the way we keep on going every day

If you go away, then I go away too
or if I stay home, you send me a postcard
You don't just say "Well see you around sometime, bye"
I like you a lot because of that
If I go away, I send you a postcard too
And I like you because if we go away together
And if we are in Grand Central Station
And if I get lost
Then you are the one that is yelling for me

And I like you because when I am feeling sad
You don't always cheer me up right away
Sometimes it is better to be sad
You can't stand the others being so googly and gaggly every single minute
You want to think about things
It takes time
I like you because if I am mad at you
Then you are mad at me too
It's awful when the other person isn't
They are so nice and hoo-hoo you could just about punch them in the nose

I like you because if I think I am going to throw up
then you are really sorry
You don't just pretend you are busy looking at the birdies and all that
You say, maybe it was something you ate
You say, the same thing happened to me one time
And the same thing did

If you find two four-leaf clovers, you give me one
If I find four, I give you two
If we only find three, we keep on looking
Sometimes we have good luck, and sometimes we don't
If I break my arm, and if you break your arm too
Then it's fun to have a broken arm
I tell you about mine, you tell me about yours
We are both sorry
We write our names and draw pictures
We show everybody and they wish they had a broken arm too

I like you because I don't know why but
Everything that happens is nicer with you

I can't remember when I didn't like you
It must have been lonesome then

I like you because because because
I forget why I like you but I do

So many reasons
On the 4th of July I like you because it's the 4th of July
On the fifth of July, I like you too
If you and I had some drums and some horns and some horses
If we had some hats and some flags and some fire engines
We could be a HOLIDAY
We could be a CELEBRATION
We could be a WHOLE PARADE
See what I mean?
Even if it was the 999th of July
Even if it was August
Even if it was way down at the bottom of November
Even if it was no place particular in January
I would go on choosing you
And you would go on choosing me
Over and over again

That's how it would happen every time
I don't know why
I guess I don't know why I really like you
Why do I like you
I guess I just like you
I guess I just like you because I like you.

Dorin's first day!

Dorin had his first day of school today! He doesn't start
Kindergarten for another year but he's excited for another
year of Preschool. He was soo excited to see his new class and
meet his new teacher, Ms. Sally. He didn't even look back as
we left and at one point he even said "Mom, when are you
gonna go?" haha sad. Dorin is such a sweet guy, he's the
most loving big brother and we just love him so much!

When he got off the bus today he was so excited and said
that he had "10 fwens!" and held both of his hands up.
It was very cute. =)

BUT...

Then a few hours later out of the blue he started telling
me that one of his "friends" basically beat him up.
{exactly what a mom wants to hear right? } in his words
'my fwen hit me and hit me and hit me and I said STOP
and then HELP! and the teacher told him to STOP and
DON'T HIT" "and then we were fwens" haha.
Oh well, at least they remained friends!

Aidan was basically distraught after we left Dorin's class
without Dorin so He and I went to get a little treat on the
way home. I think by the end he realized that a brother
in school DOES have it's advantages....like more donuts
for him! ha.
{I let him pick what he wanted and he picked out a treat
for Dorin too, when we got into the car he placed Dorin's
treat in Dorin's empty carseat, it was sweet}

This was the teacher gift that I made for his teacher.
I bought a large bottle of hand sanitizer and decorated
it with scrapbook paper and ribbon.
The other bag was full of candy kisses.

Going to the chapel

Here is an inspiration board that I put together for my brother Bryon's wedding. He's marrying the lovely Darcy on September 26th. My sisters and I are planning most of the details and we are on a pretty tight budget {that actually makes it funner for me for some strange reason}. We found the perfect location yesterday that will accommodate more than 100, the price is unbelievable and the charm is plentiful! The only things Darcy has asked us to incorporate are shades of purple, pink and silver and also her collection of Crystal dolphins. I'll let you know how that all comes together. =) If you have any any inexpensive suggestions let me know. This is the feel that we are going for, hopefully she loves it as much as I do! I know, I know...tissue pompoms, am I a one trick pony or what? ha ha

Hotel Rockwell...This is the only picture I could find of the location.

You say it's your Birthday?!

It's my birthday too, yeah!

Yep, it's my birthday, I'm 28 today. =) {Is it lame that I'm writing a blog on my birthday? hmmm...oh well} I remember when I was a kid I thought that when I turned 22 I would be a grown up, know everything and have all the answers...ha, that makes me laugh just thinking about it. Even at 28, with 2 children of my own, I still feel like a little kid. I wonder if I'll ever feel "grown up"? =)

My sisters and a few of my closest friends threw me a birthday party last week. You know I love a good party! Luckily I have some amazingly talented family and friends who love a good party too! They rented out 'Home Again' which is one of my favorite consignment shops {after hours} and we had a sit down dinner. Seriously could anything be cuter? We were able to eat, shop, laugh and relax with out kids or husbands! The table was set so cute and the food, drinks and desserts were divine! My sister Joely even made the cute little cake! Everything was just perfect, thanks again! After the party a few of us headed to a late night showing of 'Julie & Julia', the perfect girls night movie! I feel so blessed to have such amazing friends and family, I don't know what I would do with out them! Thanks for everything, I love you guys! =)

I thought he was going potty...

until he came hopping around the corner on this:











I bet you'll think twice before letting your kids
play with our hoppity horse again... =)

And yes they go potty together, we call it the "Men's Lounge"

Garden Party

It's my sister-in-law Jenny's 30th birthday today. We celebrated last week with a garden party. The food was delish, the weather was cool and it was sooo relaxing {hmmm...it might have had something to do with the all of the children being babysat down the street}. Isn't my sister's backyard pretty? Joely also picked up this amazing cake from 'Flour Girls & Dough Boys' in American Fork, seriously the best cake ever! I finally got to make the tissue paper pompoms that I've admired at a few parties {thanks Tami and Jill} they are super cute and really easy to make, we added cellophane grass to them to give them a little color. The party favors were Salt Water Taffy's, perfect for summer! It was a fun and quiet night with just the adults { I've got to try that more often} =) Happy Birthday Jenny! I hope you have a wonderful day! And might I just add that you looked fabulous! =)

My Craft Room

Welcome to my tiny little craft room. It's actually the mudroom off
of our garage and is only about 9 ft by 8 ft.
It was a fun challenge to design the small space to be
functional and pretty. I used to have my craft
room upstairs in a spare bedroom but it wasn't very functional or
convenient and I ended up never really using it. This has been nice because of
it's location. My favorite part is the built in storage
bench and cabinet,the bottom drawers open up and store our shoes
and the cabinet stores basically everything from scrapbook paper
and craft materials to candles and birthday presents
{when i see a good deal I stock up}. The peg board is really
inexpensive from Home Depot and was pretty easy to install.
It holds all of my wrapping paper, bags and ribbon.. I love having
everything out in the open ready to grab, it makes it nice when
I'm in a hurry {which is basically always}. There's even enough room
for my vintage umbrella collection and all my Martha Stewart Magazines.
~
I'm still looking for the perfect thing to put above the built in bench. Any suggestions?
I was thinking maybe a message board? A shelf? hmmm...
~
Anyway, there's a look at my craft room I'd love see your favorite space too!

Yellowstone

Our trip to Yellowstone was so fun! I was amazed at all the beauty and wildlife, I had no idea their were so many geysers {sad, I know}. Our friends have a timeshare in West Yellowstone and were able to get us their guest price, which was awesome! Thanks again! =) The trip was so fun and relaxing. The highlight was definitely when we spotted a bear! It was a good thing too because we had told the boys the whole drive up that we were going to see some bears! {I guess we both thought it was a little more common} We also saw a woman almost get gored by a huge bison! It was crazy! The boys had fun when we they spotted a chipmunk, the poor little guy kept their attention for almost an hour! I loved all of the hikes and water falls the geysers were really amazing, Old Faithful definitely did not disappoint! There was only one water fall that made me a little nervous because we were right next to the 300 foot drop! {that's twice the height of Niagara Falls! Pretty freaky with kids} It was such a fun trip, one we hope to make again soon!

Memory Mondays: Lost in the forest

This picture was taken when I was 10 on a family camping trip.
{obviously no one remembered to pack a brush but it seems
we did manage to pack every salmon colored thing we owned! ha}
~
Dan and I just took the boys to Yellowstone national
park to celebrate our 8th anniversary {you know you've
been married for a while when you take your kids on
your anniversary trip! But we wouldn't have it any other way!}
Neither of us had ever been to Yellowstone
and we had a blast seeing everything for the first time!
~
{Don't worry I will bore you with tons of pictures
from our trip to Yellowstone on a later post!}

~

I have a lot of fond memories of camping
and being outdoors with my family.
Whenever I smell a campfire it throws me
back to camping as a kid where we would all
sit around the campfire roasting marshmallows
and listening to my father play his guitar
or tell us scary stories.
I can remember the time this picture was
taken we had set up our camp next to a large
stream and even though the water was freezing
it didn't stop us from riding logs down the river
That is seriously one of my favorite memories!

~
~

Another fun camping trip turned into
something that I will NEVER forget!
My older sister Joely and my younger
brother Ben and I had gone camping
with my father who was hunting in
the Kiabab forest. He had been gone
most of the day and we were pretty bored
so we decided to play a really fun
game that I hope none of my
kids EVER try!
~
We thought it would be fun to blindfold
my older sister Joely, spin her around, lead
her away from our campsite and see if she
could lead us all back! What a fun game!
We blindfolded her, spun her around
and then began walking away from camp.
We walked and walked and hiked for
seemed like forever. We were all having
such a blast, laughing as we walked!
About half an hour into our hike we decided
it was time to test her
blindfolded navigating skills
and see if she could get us back to camp!
We removed her blindfold and she tried
for a while to lead us back to camp and
then finally gave up.

"OK guys I give up, how do we get back?

I remember Ben and I just stared at each other.
We had been having so much fun that neither of
us had kept track of where we had been,
where we were going or how to get back!
I guess it never dawned on us that our
OLDER and WISER sister wouldn't
be able to get us back to camp.
~
We didn't panic at first, we calmly tried to find
our way back. We hiked and hiked for a long time
and the panic didn't set in until it started to
get dark. At that point I can remember my
brother and sister crying and saying that we
were going to die! No one would ever
find us and we were dead.
~
It's funny when we think of it now but at the time
we were seriously terrified! We honestly thought
we were going to die. I can't remember if we decided
that the smartest thing to do was to stay where
we were or if we had just given up on life at that point
but after awhile we heard someone walking toward
us and then we saw my fathers sweet face!
~
I don't think he even knew we were lost or
how scared we had been but when we saw him
we knew we were saved! Needless to say we never
played the dizzyblindmannavigator
game ever again, and neither should anyone else. =)

What about you? Have you ever been lost?