Our Snowy Day! And other stuff!

Well, I have to tell you, I have been a serious chicken about this cold weather. I actually hate it if I have to be in it, so in the winter I stay inside as much as possible. Welllll...the kids were, of course, DYING to go play in the fun, fluffy, white powder that has blanketed our front and back yard. (As well as the rest of the town!) And since being a mom is ALL about sacrificing, and sometimes doing things we don't necessarily **like** (such as being out in the FREEZING cold!) I gave in and took them out this morning. Turns out, other than the hour it took us to get ALL of our snow clothes on, it was quite fun. We attempted a snowman, snowfort and sledding..Apparently this isn't **the snow** for such things! We did make snow angels, run around, write our names and the kids ATE the snow. (I know they saw we shouldn't let them,but I survived it....)

These kids are just so amazing. They are growing way too fast, and I am scared of the day they are 'too big' to hang out with mom. I dread the day I am no longer the center of their world...







Other things that are happening: Konnor is into EVERYTHING, has learned to climb onto the bottom shelf of the table and bakers rack. We found out this morning that they are just remodeling apartments and letting the families move into them as they get them done. So, we should still have a place to live. Meanwhile, may I tell you, remodeling is NOT a quiet thing.....GAH! Woody is starting a new job soon. I am ecstatic to have him out of the truck for the winter!



I have to include a little bit about our FHE on Sunday (we were counciled to do it on Sunday so that Woody would be there.) After our lesson, we played a game of Uno. Cierra and I against Woody and Blayke. Man oh man they took us! LOL! And Cierra said to her dad, "maybe next time I will be on your team." This, of course delighted Woody! So, we switched kids. Then Blayke and I won. So we are tied. 2 games to 2 games! It was so fun. And every single night Cierra wants to play Uno! LOL!



Trying to think if there is anything else?? There are so many things I want to remember..That I never want to forget...I wish I was better at keeping a journal...

Christmas Traditions

Oh so excited for Christmas this year! It is our first year away from our families, and I have a list a mile long of traditions I want to start this year! We have started by decorating the tree, drinking cocoa, and eating popcorn the day after Thanksgiving. We bought each of the kids their own ornaments, and will do so every year, then when they are grown (GULP) they will have a box of their own! We also have enlisted Woody's grandmas help in making a very SPECIAL white stocking. This won't be just any stocking, but it will be Christ's stocking. We will hang it every year, and on Christmas day, put the "gifts" we want to give Him throughout the year. The next Christmas we will read them, and talk about how we gave Him those things. We are doing an advent calendar that has the story of Christmas, and we will be reading a Scripture a day (in addition to our normal reading) that somehow relates to Christmas. On Christmas Eve, we will be doing Santas cookies, reindeer food and a movie box. In it will be a movie, Christmas jammies, hot cocoa, and popcorn! WHEW! We are in for a LOAD of fun! I hope!! If anyone wants to share their traditions, that would be awesome! Love to all!

"Tis the Season!

Blayke putting HIS ornament on! Cierra putting hers on.
Daddy helping Konnor put his on.

Our tree..Someone wanna tell me how to get them turned around?!

First, Thanksgiving. It was awesome! We went to our friends house, ate WAY too much food, laughed, and visited. I love having good friends close. It has made such a huge difference to have them here! We are so blessed!!

NOW...Christmas!

So, our Christmas tree is up. We are listening to Christmas music. We went to the Parade of Lights. Christmas is in the air!! We are so blessed. We live in a beautiful little town that is very much like living in a snow globe!! It is blanketed in snow, decorated and in a friends words, "SWANKY"!

I am so excited about Christmas!! Last night, we put up our tree, drank hot cocoa, and ate "treasure popcorn". (Popcorn with treats in the bottom. Last night it was green and red M&M's!) The kids were a blast to decorate the tree with, and I am so blessed to have these kids in my life! We got each of the kids their own ornaments, and will do a new one every year and give them to them when they turn 18 to start out their trees!! The kids are, of course, thrilled! They love the lights, the tree, everything!! We are going to go participate in Wake Up Santa next weekend, and I am SO excited for that. The kids get to 'sing Santa awake', get their pics taken, and there will be some crafts for them to do. (Did I mention what an awesome town we live in?) I think, and don't quote me on this, but I think even Woody is excited!

I bought an Advent calendar and it has little books for each day with the Christmas story in it, I am excited to do it with the kids. I plan on cherishing these memories! And making many many more!

November 24 and 25,

On the 24th I was just so thankful for my awesome life. I have such a blessed life, and couldn't ask for more. Cierra was thankful that when we got into our VERY minor accident, nobody got hurt! =)

On the 25th, we were both thankful for Heavenly Father and the Savior, Jesus Christ, and for all of our many blessings!

My randomly-meandering-late-at-night-after-the-kids-are-in-bed-thoughts!

DISCLAIMER: There is no point to this post...just up late, waiting for Woody to get off of work...

Winter is here...And has been for a couple of days. We have lots of snow, and are supposed to be getting more (secretly, I am hoping for a full on blizzard tonight, so that Woody can have 3 days off instead of 2! LOL!) I put up a few Christmas decorations, which is weird for me. I never decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving....But...as I type, my window lights are a-blinking away!

I am SO SUPER DUPER excited for Thanksgiving! We are having it with a family that we have become really close friends with, and it should be lovely! Cierra and I made cornucopias out of sugar cones dipped in chocolate and muddy buddies. They turned out SUPER CUTE! I love Thanksgiving! It has always been my favorite holiday. It has been fun to learn of the first Thanksgiving with Cierra. (We learned that Thomas Jefferson got rid of it as a national holiday, and that the lady who wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb" appealed to Abe Lincoln to get it reinstated...)

Life is so good. I am trying to remember how blessed I am, even when I get frustrated with some of the circumstances of my life. (Namely: Woody's job and our housing situation.)
I have started working out again. I wanted to join the gym and go with some friends in the morning...But truth be told, I am just TOO LAZY to get up at 6 A.M.! So, I get up at 7:30, do my morning work out, and after the kids go to bed Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I do a second work out.

The kids are growing way too fast. I was laying with Blayke for his nap today, and got sad thinking that at some point, he will be all grown up, and too big for me to cuddle. **SAD**!!

I am still breastfeeding, almost 7 months strong. This is an especially huge deal to me, as I have never gone this long before. Speaking of Konnor eating..I had to fish out a piece of cardboard that his brother attempted to feed him this morning. That was fun.

Blayke still won't go #2 in the potty, and now hides to do so in his pants...Slightly frustrating. BUT I refuse to let him wear a diaper, except at night...So...I am constantly cleaning poopy underwear...Also fun...But, I will NOT surrender....Yet.

We got a new-to-us Suburban. (It is older) I love it. Well, I loveD it...Until we got home from Idaho and the transmission went out. I am sure that when THAT bill is paid, and I get it back tomorrow, I will love it again. (By the way, I am thankful that it waited until we got home to go out. It literally went out as we were pulling into our driveway!)

I have been reading the talks in Novembers Ensign, (thanks Jen!), they seem so much more powerful when I can read them and really focus on them without chasing my kids around... Everytime I read one, I feel like they are talking to me.

Ok, that is it. I think. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that you all have a lot to be thankful for. I know I do!

November 23, 2010

Today I am thankful for having a healthy body and sound mind. Cierra is thankful for Thanksgiving!

November 22, 2010

Today I was thankful that I made it to Williston to get groceries! We had kept putting it off, as the weather hasn't been extremely cooperative with an hour long drive, but we were down to hotdogs and milk! LOL! It was time. It was, for sure, not the funnest trip I have been on..Me, 3 kids, and a cart and a half full of groceries....But, I made it, and the roads weren't even bad! WOOT!
Cierra is thankful for Nephi! (Because he was a good man)

November 21, 2010

I was thankful for my boys naptime. Seriously. When they don't sleep at the same time, I feel like I spend the whole day chasing one or the other around. When their naptime occurs at the same time, I feel like I can breathe for an hour. (On REALLY good days, 2) Cierra hasn't napped since she was 2, but she is a little easier to handle than the boys! LOL
Cierra was thankful for Heavenly Father!

A quick update!

Just thought I would post about how the kids are doing. They are as happy as I am to be back in North Dakota! They missed their daddy! =) We have been doing Thanksgiving crafts, and each of them include talking about things we are thankful for. Cierra is getting big. She talks to me like an adult that has just been placed in this itty-bitty body! She is a beautiful child, inside and out! She will turn 7 next year, and I can't believe it! She is so special to us! Blayke is VERY SLOWLY potty training. He will now go #1 in the potty. For some reason he is scared of #2. He is just as smart as his big sis. He is always so eager to learn, and I love it! Konnor is growing so fast it is insane. Just this morning he actually CRAWLED for the first time!! HOLY COW! BEFORE I know it he will be a toddler! *SIGH* Well that is all for now!

November 20, 2010

Today I am ohsothankful that I get to stay inside. It is biting cold and snowy out. I think with the wind chill we are in the negative! BRR! It chills me to the bone just to WRITE THAT! Cierra is thankful for Jesus Christ!

November 19, 2010

Today I am thankful for the knowledge that when Heavenly Father seems to be closing one door, He is forever opening another. We just have to look for the newly opened doors. This is especially important for me to remember right now as we are struggling with finding a place to live, vehicles breaking down etc. I know that all of these things are happening for reasons that I may not understand right now, but in the future will be able to look back on and see the reasons.
Cierra is thankful for her bed...Long story, but she doesn't even have one right now...LOL!

Novemebr 18, 2010

(Running behind..OOPS!) Today I am thankful for my 2 ND friends, Audra and Nancy. I know it seems sad that I don't need a whole hand to count the friends I have here, but these 2 women make living here so much better. For my birthday, Audra text me, offered for her older daughter to babysit MY 2 older children so that we could go out to lunch. It was so nice to just have some girl time. Something I have lacked in as of late! (OH, the baby slept THE ENTIRE TIEM! WOOT!!) It was so fun to be able to visit and laugh! Oh, and did I mention that woman knows EVERYONE! I was so impressed! LOL! (And Audra, we DO need to do the whole lunch thing more regularly!) Then there is Nancy. She came over and hung out, and brought me a birthday cake. I just love these girls! I am SOOO blessed. And a lesson I have learned is that a couple of GREAT friends are far better than a lot of NOT so great friends!
Cierra is thankful for all of her blessings!

November 18, 2010

27......

Since I turned 27 today, I thought that I would post 27 randomly random facts that you may or may not know about me!

1. I don't even hit QUITE 5'2". I am just a little bit shorter. I always say I am 5'2" though.

2. I love ketchup on my macaroni and cheese!

3. My favorite cookie is white chocolate macadamia nut.

4. I want 2 more kids.

5. I prefer salty snacks to sweet.

6 . I am thoroughly ADDICTED to soda. I need to kick the habit, but it is a hard thing for me!

7. I hate mustard. Think it is the most awful tasting stuff.

8. I have only been out of the country 1 time. I went to Belize and Guatemala. Awesome places!

9. I have lived in:WestVirginia, Florida, Ohio, Arizona, North Dakota, Montana and Idaho!

10. My favorite flowers are Cali-lillies. Followed closely by roses

11. I make an awesome stuffed jalapeno! LOL!

12. I love to cook.

13. I hate to clean. I love how a clean house feels, but I HATE cleaning it!

14. I love the smell of clean clothes, babies and anything baking.

15. I hate hate hate talking on the phone. And most days only talk to my husband.

16. I am grossly double jointed! (I can bend my toes back to touch the tops of my feet!)

17. I am thoroughly enjoying learning all about the Gospel. For the first time. Ever.

18. I think texting is the greatest thing ever invented!

19. I love the Spanish language.

20. The only thing I have ever wanted to be is a mommy!

21. I adore my in-laws. And am thankful that I do!

22. I could EASILY polish off a bag of Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn

23. I have never been skiing or snowboarding.

24. I love love love flying in airplanes....

25. ....But other than that, I am DEATHLY afraid of heights!

26. I hate shoes and socks, and wear flip flops well past the first snow of the year!

27. I suffer from severe inadequacy issues! But, it is getting better!

November 17, 2010

Today I am thankful for my mom. After all, without her, I wouldn't be celebrating 27 years today! Cierra is thankful for her blessings.

November 16, 2010

Today I am thankful for my daughters sweet, generous spirit. Woody and I seem to be running into roadblock after roadblock. On top of that, he was going to take the evening off of work for my birthday tomorrow, and now he can't. We haven't been on a date in almost a YEAR! SERIOUSLY! I was so excited. We EVEN had a sitter lined up. **SIGH** He says maybe Saturday..Yea..I won't count on it. Apparently, the oil fields don't give a dang about my love life! LOL! Ok, enough of that. Back to the point. Which is, after I broke out in tears today, Cierra made me an early birthday card. It said, 'Dear mama, I love you, you are very special to me. I am glad it is your birthday tomorrow'. So very sweet! She is thankfu for her cousins!

November 13, 14, and 15, 2010

In the haste to get packed, and headed home, I haven't been blogging my thankful list...Oops! So, for your viewing pleasure, here is our November 13, 14, and 15 list! On the 13th, we were thankful that it was almost time to go home! On the 14th, we were thankful I was home. And on the 15th, I was thankful that I got my home cleaned, laundry done, and no bake cookies (which I have been MADLY craving) made. Cierra was thankful for her daddy who works hard for her and helps her survive. (I use her words exactly!)

November 12, 2010

Today I am thankful for my in-laws! Every last one of them, but especially my mother- and father-in law! They are such wonderful people! They are always there to help us out, no matter what it is. If them going without means that their family is taken care of, then they will go without! They are the most kind, non-judgemental people I have ever met! I am especially greatful to them today, because for my birthday, they paid for me to get my hair cut and colored. Now, that may sound a bit superficial, but really, I have massively thick hair, and get insane headaches when it gets too long. Plus, it was nice to go do something for "JUST ME"! (A rare occourance!)
Cierra is thankful for her Aunts!

November 11,2010

Today I am thankful for Christohper, Matthew, DJ, Angus and Aaron. All my brothers. All military or vets! I am also thankful for the freedoms that I enjoy thanks to these and many other brave men and women and their families!
After a brief discussion (We will delve more into it when Cierra is a bit older) about why we celebrate Veterans Day, Cierra also decided that she is thankful for her Uncles!

November 10, 2010

Today I am thankful for the Opportunity to be a stay-at-home mommy!!! As a stay-at-home mommy, I dabble in many careers daily! I get to be a: nurse, teacher, chauffeur, dancer, singer, cleaner, and the list goes on. And on! I am thankful that my husband is not only supportive of this, but that he would not have it any other way! I know that in 18, 20, 50 years I will not ever have the regret of not spending enough time with these sweethearts!
Cierra is thankful for her house. (Great thing to be thankful for, especially in our situation!)

November 9, 2010

Today I am thankful for all of the resources I have at my fingertips that make my life so much easier! How blessed are we that we live in a "google"-ing kinda time? Your 6 year-old wants to know why lady bugs have spots?? Google it! Want a good cookie recipe? Google it!! I use my internet for everything, and have found everything from recipes to information on extended breastfeeding! =) We truly live in a remarkable time!
Cierra is thankful for her clothes! (She IS a girl!)

Just What I Didn't Know I Needed

Woody and I have been having some issues with his job, and have been praying and pondering about what we need to do. We have so many options, which, while we are thankful for them, it makes for a long decision-making process!! We have considered him changing companies, but still driving, we have considered him NOT driving (I am fond of this idea, especially since we are headed into winter!) and staying in ND, but doing something else, and last but not least, we have considered coming back to Idaho permanently.
HOWEVER, since I have been back on this visit, I can tell things have changed. I don't mean the obvious, like my best friend being divorced and living in a new house, or my mom moving out of what is the closest thing that I had to a 'childhood home', but little, subtle changes about my feelings here. I feel as though the changes we have made, make it hard to fit in anywhere. This no longer feels like ''home''. In just 4 months, things have changed, and North Dakota has FINALLY become HOME! NOTHING this trip has gone how I had thought/planned/hoped, and I think that I needed it, and that the Lord knew I needed it. We have already been told that we aren't in North Dakota for the oil, but to help build the Church there. What an awesome thing, we are so blessed! And I am so thankful that nothing has gone the way, I thought/planned/hoped!

November 8, 2010

Today I am thankful for: the silly things that my older 2 say that make me laugh! The most recent examples are: Cierra to her friend who called her a "woman", "I am not a woman. I am a girl. Women are old, like my mom!" And Blayke to me after we bought him new toothpaste this morning, "Mom, my tooth brush smells like barbecue!" WHAT?! LOL! I love these 2 stinkers! Cierra is thankful for her family!

November 7, 2010

Today I am thankful for my friends Sheridan and Cherry. I have known Cherry for 8 years. Together we have gone through: My divorce, the birth of Cierra, the birth of Shaylee, (her daughter), my marriage, the birth of Blayke, a really crummy year in my life, that year coming to an end in a good way, the birth of Konnor, her divorce..And countless small things. It is strange to think that I knew her before I was a mom...I don't even remember those days!! She is my best friend, and I know that no matter what, she will be there for me. I met Sheridan at work. Sheridan is the type of friend that no matter how long we go without talking to one another, she is still there for me. We met while working together at Super Save, and have been bridesmaids at each others weddings. (She let me be one of her bridesmaids at 8 months pregnant with Blayke!) These girls are amazing, and I love them.
Cierra is thankful for the Tooth Fairy! LOL! She lost a tooth last night, and a very generous tooth fairy left her five dollars!! (The tooth fairy COMPLETELY FORGOT AGAIN, until it was almost too late!)

November 6, 2010

Today I am thankful for: My husband!
I am so thankful to have him in my life! He is so amazing! He is always there supporting me, and cheering me on!!! He is an awesome daddy, and ADORES our 3 children.
Cierra is thankful for: Her Mommy! (I promise she said that!) =)

November 5-25!

Cierra and I have decided that from now until Thanksgiving, we are going to talk about things we are thankful for. Not a particularly novel concept, but something that I feel is important. In the everyday life of kids, work, housecleaning, and everything else that comes with being an adult, it is easy to forget the things (big and little) that we are greatful for. I also hope that this will turn into a tradition that we can share in as a family.
I will start with Cierra, hers is easy. She is thankful for food! LOL! Sooo my child. I asked her what she was thankful for and she said, "Food. Definitely food!"
I am thankful for these kids. They are so awesome. Whether it is listening to them laugh, or cleaning up the 100th milk spill of the day, I am so glad that I have been blessed with these 3 little people in my life! They each have such an amazing personality, and are so different from each other. Cierra is strong and independent. Blayke is funny and wild. Konnor is sweet and cuddly! I love them each for all that they are. I thank my Heavenly Father daily for entrusting these little angels to my care! How lucky and blessed am I?!