Our Anniversary

Last Saturday we celebrated our 12th anniversary! I can't believe it's been that long, yet I can't ever imagine my life without my hubby. He totally surprised me this year. He bought us a couples massage. My cute sister Ange came over to babysit which was super nice. First we went to the spa, which was SO nice. I didn't expect it to be that nice. We changed and then went to wait in the "relaxation" room, where there were light refreshments and drinks available. Then we got called back for our massages. At first I thought it might be a little weird, but it totally wasn't. We were in the same room and the massage was fantastic. Afterwards we went back to the "relaxation" room where there was some sparkling cider waiting for us. It was so nice and relaxing and quiet. We had a wonderful time.

After our massages we went out to eat sushi at Happy Sumo. I loved it! DH has been branching out a little and is finally starting to like it. There were so many choices. The food was fabulous. Then, we walked over the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and got carmel apples. Mine was an apple pie apple, and hubby got a strawberry cheesecake apple. Both were delicious! We had a wonderful date and it was nice to get away and celebrate our anniversary!!

I'm so thankful for a wonderful husband, who cares about me and our family. He is my best friend and I'm thankful for him daily.

"Tis The Season

My SIL borrowed my computer for a little bit so I wasn't able to post, but even if I had had it December has been a very busy month with very little spare time. We kept ourselves busy with so many things.

'Tis The Season For:

~Decorating
~Baking
~Flash Game
~T's Dare Graduation
~Birthday parties
~Scouts and Activity Days
~S's final games for Little Hoopsters
~Ward Christmas Party (which I was in charge of)
~4H Showcase (which I also had to help put on)
~Dance classes
~Dentist, doctor, and eye appts.
~Blood tests at the hospital
~Dance Open House
~Treats to school
~School Parties
~Teacher Gifts
~Friend Gifts
~Yummy Neighbor Gifts
~Christmas Cards
~Christmas Stories
~Progressive Dinner with Friends
~Taking the kids shopping for their dad
~Sewing matching p.j.'s for the girls and their friend
~Chirstmas music
~Christmas Eve Party with family
~Acting out the nativity
~Christmas Lights
~Wrapping gifts
~Opening presents Christmas morning at 4:45 a.m.
~Playing the wii!
~Our 12th Anniversary!
~Dinner and game night with good friends!

December came and went. It's been a busy but wonderful month for us. We did lots of fun things and made lots of great memories. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season as well!

Happy Holidays!

I'm Scared, but I'm Thankful

Sunday was testimony meeting and T & S were trying to talk each other into going up to bear their testimony. T really wanted S to do it, but S was very nervous. Finally they wrote down what S would say on a piece of paper. He was very close to going, but then decided he didn't want to go by himself, then decided he couldn't do it at all. T went up to do it all by himself. I was so proud of him. He gets very nervous in front of people. Then after that S didn't know if he wanted to do it or not. He didn't want to let his brother down. He got himself so worked up that he started crying. Then he told me that he was scared, but he was still thankful. I told him it was okay to be scared and that he didn't have to do it. Then he looked at me with his

big-melt-your-heart-eyes and said, "Mom can you just go up and bear your testimony?" How on earth could I say no to that? So up I went, even though I had just given a talk 2 weeks previously. When I came back to my seat, S gave me a big hug and with tears still in his eyes said, "Thank You! I love you!" What a sweet boy. It amazes me the faith of a child. I know he was feeling the spirit, and that is what moved me to go up and bear my testimony. I am so thankful for my children and for the wonderful example they are to me. I truly feel blessed.

Photo Shoot

My SIL Amanda takes really good pictures, and she said she would do our family photos when they were down for Thanksgiving. So, we headed towards the canyon looking for a good picture start. We stopped on the side of the road in two different spots and got some really great pictures. I thought she did a great job.

Now, I have to decide which one to use for our Christmas card.

I really love this one!

Another good one!



Aren't these some of the cutest kids?

It's too hard to choose.

Just The Six of Us!

Dinner

We went out to dinner Saturday night with some of DH's family. It was a lot of fun. I'm so thankful for a wonderful family and for all the good times we have together!!! After dinner we went over to my SIL's to play games. S and Uncle Kent playing with a camera.

T and J
Aren't they cute?!

Me and my sexy hubby!

S and cousin Hannah

What a stylish little girl:)

Pizza, Trax, & Lights

We had a great Thanksgiving. I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner. CRAZY! T made this cute fall decoration for me at one of his scout meetings. I love it!

The day after Thanksgiving is the first day the lights are on at Temple Square. It is so beautiful there, we thought it would be fun to make a trip up there.

First we stopped to have some pizza at Cobblestone Bakery. YUM! I'd never eaten there before, and now I don't want to have pizza anywhere else. It was fab.

We drove to Sandy and then caught Trax up to Salt Lake. The kids thought it was pretty fun to ride a train. It was nice because we didn't have to worry about parking and we got dropped off just down the street from Temple Square. The ride home was pretty crowded, but it was still fun and the kids really enjoyed it.

Temple Square was beautiful of course. I love seeing the lights there. It adds a special feeling on top of everything you feel when you are there.

Black Friday Shopping

So, I've never done the Black Friday thing before, but decided to give it a try this year. My SIL
Brenda is a die hard. I thought it'd be fun to tag along. She had me up early. Here we are at 3:30 a.m., yes a.m standing in line at Toys 'R Us. Crazy I know. But I got the main things I wanted, and they were a great price. I actually got almost all of my shopping done!! My other SIL Amanda and her hubby Kevin, and Brenda's hubby Travis were also there for the fun. We got some great deals, but boy was I tired when I got home.

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Unfortunately this was the only picture that turned out. We went to hubby's sisters' house. We had a blast. We always have such a good time together. The kids all got along great, and of course the food was delicious!

We did have one little crazy event that happened that will make this a Thanksgiving none of us will ever forget. My cute little neice Hannah, who is only one locked herself in the bathroom. She went in the bathroom and then opened one of the drawers, which made it so that the door wouldn't open. We tried several different ways to try to open the door, but had no success. After about 30 minutes, we ended up having to punch a hole in the door. Poor little Hannah was so scared, I felt so bad for her. It was quite the event.

Thanksgiving Morning

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

It's Thanksgiving morning and the activities have already begun.

The girls climbed into my bed to watch the Thanksgiving Parade.

The boys have headed out to play some football at the Turkey Bowl!

Should be a great day:)

Twilight

I finally saw Twilight today. I went with a group of friends and my mom. I was nervous to see the movie because I LOVED the book so much. It turned out being better than I thought, but I still like the book much better. I still love Edward, of course!

Sleeping Kiddos

This morning I went into the girls room to wake them up. I turned the light on and found two empty beds. Sometimes one of the kids will wake up in the middle of the night and end up in our room, so I went back to check. No one.

I went into the boys room, and this is what I found:

...four cute sleeping kiddos all in a row on the floor.

Vegas Baby!!

My 3 best friends from high school and I all met up in Vegas for a girls weekend. We have been wanting to do something like this for a long time and I have been talking about it forever. But, the actual doing took a long time. Finally we made the plans and did it!

Meeting at the airport! It was so good to see all these girls. I love them so much.
It was so wonderful that even though some of us hadn't seen each other for years, we were able to just pick up where we left off. There were no awkward moments, just good old fun like we always had when we were together. I am so glad I had the opportunity to do this!

This is a living statue at the Venetian. He was amazing. I really wanted to have our picture taken with him, and he even held out his hand for me to hold! (I actually hate this picture because my arm looks huge, but oh well. I had to show you all how cool he was.)

We also ate some fabulous Gelato (sp?) there.

Water Show at the Bellagio.

The four of us sporting some sexy glasses at the M&M's store.

It was fun to let loose and run around.

Judy and I enjoying our yummy dinner at P.F. Changs.

Afterwards we went to see the show "Stomp Out Loud". It was amazing. If anyone is ever in Vegas I would totally recommend this show. Good, clean entertainment.

Tara and I at the outlet mall. They were already decorated for Christmas. We did a lot of shopping this day. I got a few fun things. We also ate some yummy stuffed crepes!

Sheila and I doing some midnight shopping. I had not seen her for 7 years. Way too long.

We had such a wonderful time. There is NO way I will wait 7 years before doing this again!

4th Grade Opera

M and her friend Kiley.

Every year at our school the 4th graders put on an opera. They make up the words to their songs, come up with costumes, paint scenery and props, and make up actions. M was an Indian, and a very cute one at that. She got up there and sang her little heart out. It turned out really nice and I think all the kids had a great time performing for their families.

M.I.A.

I know I've been totally slacking on my blogging lately. Life here has been a bit hectic. With work and all the activities the kids are in, plus going on trips I don't feel like I even have a spare minute. Hopefully things will slow down here soon. Don't give up on me, I'll definitly still be around!

"Do You Want To Play Dinosaurs?"

S loves his Papa. He always has. He's been attached to him since he was a little baby. For a while now he loves to play dinosaurs when Papa is around. Papa is always willing and is such a good sport about it. He usually gets the slower and weaker dinosaurs, while S gets the fast and strong ones. Can you guess who usually wins the battles? He sure is going to miss his Papa.

Mom & Dad

My parents got a call to serve in the Brussels, Belgium/Netherlands mission. They recieved their call back in June and had to wait until November 3rd before they could enter the MTC. They were thrilled to go. Mom was nervous, but willing. This is a picture of them the day they were set apart. It was an awesome experience to be there with them when they were set apart as full-time missionaries.

So, Monday we said our good-byes and off they went. They were only supposed to be in the MTC for one week and they were scheduled to fly out on Nov. 10th. I got to talk to my mom a few times for a couple minutes and she told me how they were doing and learning and what a wonderful experience the whole thing was for them. Then, on Friday evening I got a call from her saying that Belgium would not give them a Visa, so they were not able to go on Monday, and could they come back to stay with us again. Of course I said yes.

Now they are here with us and kind of in limbo. They don't know if it'll be a day, a week, or a month before they will be able to go out into the mission field. I can tell they are disappointed. This has been a dream for my Dad for a very long time. For as long as I can remember he has always wanted to serve a mission, and finally his chance was here.

I hope that things will get sorted out quickly and that they will be able to leave and fulfill the Lord's work. What an amazing experience they will have. I don't know why this is happening now, and I feel so bad for them. I almost don't even know what to say. But, I know the Lord has a plan for them and things will work out when they are supposed to. Now we just have to wait and be patient.

Our Costumes

We had perfect weather for Halloween!! Here's my little ones. Aren't they the cutest ever?!

Go-Go Dancer
She totally did this pose all by herself, it was SO cute!

Indiana Jones

I took another picture first where he was smiling, but then he said oh, wait Indiana doesn't smile, you need to take another one. So, here it is!

Punk Rocker

She was so excited to be dress up like a punk.

Old man

T has wanted to do this for at least a year. It was hilarious.

Disneyland Slide Show!

A Little View of Disneyland

We've been home from Disneyland for a little over a week now, and I wish we could go back. We had such a great time there. The weather was wonderful, the crowds were small, the rides were fantastic, to food was good, we had great friends with us, and we all had a wonderful time.

I can't believe how busy we've been since we've been home. I have so much to say about our trip, so there is more to come.

500th Post ~ Answers, Finally!

So, it's my 500th post! I can't believe it. Here are your answers:



Mikelene:



~When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a nurse. My older sister got sick when I was young, and I wanted to be a nurse ever since then. The desire is still there, now I'm just waiting for the timing to be right.



~Favorite recipe? That's a hard one. I LOVE to cook, and have a lot of favorites. I love baking desserts. I love making soups. I have lots, if I make a yummy one I'll try to remember to post the recipe.



~Any tatoos? No, but I came really really close to getting one when I was in college. I even had one picked out. It was a cute little dolphin that I wanted on my lower back. Now, I'm so glad I didn't get one. It would be so ugly and wrinkly now, plus the prophet said it's a no-no.



~What do you do to relax? That depends. Sometimes I blog or read. Sometimes I go for a walk or talk on the phone. Sometimes I take a bath. I guess it depends on my mood, or how long I actually have to relax. Oh yeah, sometimes I take a nap!!



~Most embarassing moment? Another hard one. I've had a few I can remember. One that stands out in my mind is when DH and I were engaged and we had just gone to the grocery store. We were bringing the groceries upstairs and I had some serious gas coming on. I had never f@rted in front of him before and didn't plan on doing it then either. So, I politely did it outside once he had already gone inside. But, that darn thing followed me in and he made a HUGE scene about it. He was rolling around on the floor saying he was going to die. I was SO embarassed. Now, I don't care though. He's just got to live with it.



Txmommy:



~What was your favorite Christmas gift as a kid? I don't think I know. I've always loved my Strawberry Shortcake doll that I got from Deda. I still have it and I still love it.



~Who is your favorite Disney princess? Ariel all the way! I love her!



~What is the square root of 72? I did know that there is no whole number that is the square root of 72. But I did do it on the calculator and got 8.4852814 as the square root.



razzle dazzle berry:



~Spinach Salad recipe:

Mix together:
1 c. cottage cheese, rinsed & drained
1 lb. bacon, cooked & finely chopped
1 lb. swiss cheese, cut in small pieces
1 pkg. mushrooms, chopped
2 bundles lettuce, chopped
1 spinach, chopped
1/4 purple onion, chopped

Dressing:
1/3 tsp. mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1/3 c. white vinegar
3/4 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. sugar
3/4 Tbsp. purple onion, minced

~Mix together and pour over salad right before serving.



Tori:



~How much did you weigh at birth? 8 lbs. even.



~Where do you want to travel and why? So many answers for this one. I'd love to go do a Church History tour. DH went to Missouri on his mission and talks about all the cool stuff he saw there.



I'd also love to go on a cruise. I've always wanted to go on one, whether it's to the Caribbean or Alaska or where ever.



Let's see I'd also love to go to Europe for many reasons. My dad is from France, so I think it'd be cool to go there. Plus who doesn't want to go to Europe?



~What's your fave kind of candy? Chocolate all the way! Twix, Symphony, Milky Way, almost anything chocolate.



~Who is your fave blogger friend who lived in Orem and played DDR with you but moved to Texas? Well, that's got to be you baby!! Who else?!



Chelsey:



~Do you like being a working woman? Well, it's got it's goods and bads. I like that I'm at the same school as my kids. I like seeing my friend there! I'm still trying to balance housework with regular work.



Wendler Family:



~Do you wish you could have more kids? I used to yes. But, I'm happy with the four that I have. I wouldn't change anything.



~What would you do with a million dollars? Invest, save, and spend! I would want to make sure my kids had college paid for and some extra. I'd get out of debt. I'd save some. And, then of course I would shop.



~If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be? That is so hard. I wish I could say chocolate but I don't think I'd be living too long if that were the case.



~How long have you been blogging? My first post was on April 17, 2006



Saedi Oldham:



~What is your favorite thing to do? I know this is a sappy answer, but I LOVE hanging out with my hubby and kids. And when I'm with my hubby it doesn't matter if mints are involved or not (although it is nice). I just love being with him.



Liam's Mom - Gina:



~What is your all time weirdest quirk? I have lots. I'm kind of a neat freak. I don't if that's weird or not, but I like things clean.



When I eat a Twix, I eat the cookie part first and then the carmel. So yummy!



~What is your most embarassing mommy confession? One time S walked in on hubby and I and said, "Dad what are you doing to mommy?". He was only 2 or 3 I can't remember. Luckily it was dark and he was young. He's never said anything about it. Not even the next day, thank goodness. Hope that never happens again.



Chel:



~What is your favorite color? It depends on what for. I love pink. But my house is decorated in a lot of red and black.



~What is your favorite kind of cookie? I love a soft and gooey homemade chocolate chip cookie. My favorite store bought cookie is Mint Oreos. Love those things.



~If you could be better at one thing, what would it be? I wish I were musical. But, that's only one thing. I wish I was better at lots of things.



~If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be? Ooh, I honestly don't know. I'm sure I could think of a few things , if I gave it some time.



~What is your best quality? I'm not one for pointing good things out about myself, but I'd like to think that I'm a good friend.


Yvonne:



~What is your favorite memory of your childhood? My grandparents lived in San Fransisco and we used to drive there and spend Christmas there and several weeks during the summer. I loved to go there. Her house seemed huge to me and we loved sliding down the banisters, walking on the roof down to the store, sneaking around, collecting snails, and enjoying our time there.

I also had some cousins who lived not too far away from my grandparents and I loved going to visit them. I used to cry and beg my parents to let me stay. Sometimes they would give in and I would stay there for an extra week or two. Then, my sweet dad would make the drive again to come pick me up.

~What is your favorite ice cream flavor? I love Mint 'n Chip. I've been kind of hooked on Ben & Jerry's Half Baked ice cream, so yummy. Ice cream is actually one of my favorite things to eat, so I have lots that I like.

~How about your favorite movie? My favorite movie when I was growing up was "Beaches". I loved that show. I like lots of movies so I don't really know if I have a favorite. I do love "How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days".



Klin:

~What was the first thing you did when you got to Disneyland? We ran to Indiana Jones and walked right on the ride. It was awesome! Then we hurried over to Pirates. Both great rides.

~What is something special about each one of your kids?

T has always been super good with babies. When I had M he was only 16 months old but we was so gentle with his new sister. He's always loved holding babies and playing with them. And, babies and kids love him back. I think it is a great quality for a boy to have.

M is so thoughtful. She always writes letters or draws pictures for people. I get one almost every day. She is always thinking about other people and what she can do to make them happy. She is such a sweet, special little girl and I'm so grateful for her.

S is my little fireball. He is full of energy and there is never a dull moment with him around. However he also has such a sweet, tender heart. You can tell he really cares about people and doesn't want to make anyone upset. He is very sensitive.

J is getting a little attitude these days, but she's still as cute as ever. She is a little cuddler. She loves to give hugs and kisses. She's got that smile that just melts your heart and makes you happy.

One for all:

~If you had the chance to have more kids, what would you name them? I've always loved the name Piper for a girl. In fact, J was almost Piper.

Brandee Lloyd:

~How old were you when you got married and had your first kid? I got married when I was 18 and had T when I was 19, although I did turn 20 three days later.

~How long did you and R date? We got engaged after dating for 3 weeks. Then 3 months later we were married. Never been happier!

b+b= fo eva:

~Guess who will be there for Thanksgiving?!!!! Ummmm, YOU?!

sevenvillageidiarts:

~Tell me your favorite extended family memory. . . with "cousins" from France, Amatchi (Marie Jean), Al's kids or your mom's side. . .

I have soo many. I loved going to the Idiarts. Us idiots and airheads had a great time together. I remember staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning just talking. There was always something fun to do there. We went to Great America a lot and had a fab time. I love my "cousins" from France and wish we lived closer together so that our kids could make similar memories together.


So, there you have it, everything you ever wanted to know!

Disneyland - guest blogger

Hi everyone...this is UtMommy's sister. She is off on a magical Disneyland vacation with the kiddos, so she will be gone for a few more days. I just wanted to let you know she'll be back soon with lots of pics and stories.

A Little More Time

Okay, I'm starting to answer questions, but will wait until my 500th to post them. Anyone got anything else for me?

Questions

So, I realized that it's almost my 500th post. I can't believe it. MSL had over 500 posts last year alone, and I'm just barely getting there. In honor of that you can ask me anything you want. And I really mean anything, and I will try to answer all your questions to the best of my ability. So, go ahead, what do you want to know about utmommy?

River Park Fun

We've gone to the river park a couple of times in the past little bit. It's only about 10 miles up the canyon from us, and it is so beautiful. We like to go up there and eat and then go for a walk, or let the kids play, or just hang out.

The leaves are starting to change now, and the colors are beautiful. The kids love to come here and hang out and run wild. It's a great time for all!Who doesn't love to throw rocks in the water? The kids had a great time doing this. T was learning how to skip rocks.

The girls found some indian grass and had a great time "dressing" R up. He was a good sport about it, and they were cracking themselves up.

Some playground fun!

Another walk down by the water.

T's New Source of Entertainment

Lately T has really been into making buildings with cards. He has spent at least an hour at a time building these and trying to get them bigger. Sometimes he even puts little guys on them and pretends the cards are they houses. I found a bunch of pictures like this on my camera. He loves it and I'm glad. Whatever makes him happy.

Black-Eyed Girl

Poor M got a black eye the other day. She was at her cousins' house while we were all out to dinner. The kids were all outside playing Ghost in the Graveyard. She went to tag S and at the same time, he turned around and they ran into each other. When we got home her poor little face was so swollen and she got a black eye almost instantly. She was a good sport about it. And, of course she got her black eye just in time for picture day!

BYU Museums & Brick Oven

The kids were out of school on Friday, and DH was surprisingly able to get the day off. So, we got up in the morning and headed out for a day of fun! We took the kids to BYU to go to all the fun museums there. We also went out to eat at Brick Oven. The kids were well behaved, we ate good food, made great memories, had a wonderful time, and enjoyed our family time together!

The "boys" waiting for their pizzas.

Me and my girlies!

Standin in front of a Liger at the Bean Museum.

Inside the mouth of a giant crocodile at the Earth Science Museum.

My foot next to a T-Rex.

In front of the Art Museum.

There was no photography allowed inside so we took pictures outside instead.

Jumping off the wall. These were so fun to take.

J at the Museum of People and Cultures.