Happy New Year

Happy 2012!
We are so excited and feel so blessed to begin a new year. Yesterday, as we took down the Christmas decorations and re-organized a few things in the house, I found myself in a goal setting spirit and I was looking forward to a fresh start, a new year.

Last year was a good year, a year full of big decisions. I was able to improve my health by getting a sinus surgery and that was a big blessing to myself and my family. Nick started his masters program and continuing his education has already been a blessing, even though it's a little harder on managing our time...we feel like we're beginning to get the hang of it. Jack got over his fear of swimming in the big pool and now jumps all the way in. He also started pre-school which has been so wonderful for him and our family. Phoebe is growing and talking a lot more and becoming a little lady. She is nurturing and spunky!

Looking back I can see the hand of the Lord in our lives. I cherish the hard moments and welcome the good, as I reflect on the things we've all learned and the ways we've grown individually and as a family.

Now, looking forward, I am excited and motivated to improve our lives a little more. We are hoping to continue education, develop more talents in new and exciting ways, learn more about the Gospel and Jesus Christ: individually and as a family, improve our overall health: continuing fitness daily and eating even more healthily.

We've implemented a few more items more regularly into our diet and I am hoping to always continue improving what we eat.


Raw foods: nuts, grains, and beans are a good way to get protein, antioxidants and fill our tummies in a yummy way with the good fats our bodies need.
Of course, eating all the raw fruits and veggies we can is also a great way to get energized and feel good.


Coconut oil is a great alternative to the harsh oils that our livers have a hard time processing sifting through. I now use coconut oil along side olive oil in my regular cooking.


I was introduced to Liquid Aminos a while ago through my Mom....who, did I mention before, is an amazing chef and always cooks yummy, gourmet meals with nutrition as the top priority. Liquid Aminos are vegetable protein which can be used as a way to add flavor to many meal. It tastes a bit like soy sauce, but is a hundred times better for your body.
I just used it last night in flavoring chicken that went along side thai peanut noodles and steamed veggies and brown rice.

I hope that we can accomplish our goals to improve our lives in a big way this year! I'm all for small and simple and steady. Lifestyle goals that can begin with small steps. Hope the new year is a good one for you too!

Autumn is Awesome

October was an exciting month! We had some much anticipated visitors come into town with in a week of each other. First off, Joel, Bonnie, and Katelyln came to visit from Virginia. We had so so so much fun! So much in fact, that taking pictures of all of our fun just went to the back-burner in my mind. We were so enthralled with spending precious time with our family that we just didn't document it all...and now, I do regret that! But, the memories live on in our hearts. :) Highlights; seeing Jack and Katelyn play so well together...they do love each other and it is so sweet to see. Katelyn is darling! She is so loving and caring towards all her cousins, she's like the mother of the group. I loved talking to Bonnie, Oh, how I miss talking with her face to face about meaningful things and life. She is so faithful and such a beautiful person, inside and out. I miss having Joel around! He is always so calm and steady and he plays so well with all the kids! We loved going to the zoo with every one...

Phoebe with cousin Gracie.

Jack and Katelyn and Jade too...so cute! He was being a "real" gent and letting the damsel sit in front :)

We also went to the park and enjoyed watching Joel play "jail" (an andrews family favorite) with all the kid cousins. Phoebe was hilarious! She chased Joel around and growled at him, and then rescued him from his prisoners. She fell in love with JoJo that day and hasn't stopped talking about him since. Another highlight was the adult sibling game night we had at the "main hub." Wow..I don't think I've ever laughed so hard as we all did watching Mike reminisce about growing up in our family and do impersonations! He is hilarious and it was just so fun being all together..but we missed Rachel, who came to visit for a short while from BYU-Idaho, but wasn't there that night. Sitting around smelling Scentsy bars and talking as sisters was an insightful and fun night. So, all in all, it was great seeing Joel, Bon, and Kate and we love them and now miss them again.

After they left, we had a few days' time before my Dad's siblings came into town to visit from Maine. Aunt Carol came and Uncle Gerald came and brought his girlfriend Sandy, who we hadn't met yet. It was so great seeing them and catching up! Maine just seems too far away! Aunt Carol is beautiful! I wish I would've gotten a picture...but, she has the most soft, olive colored skin I've ever seen! Hope it's genetic and gets passed on :) Gerald was a crack-up as usual, teasing every one and joking with us all! I'm glad he brought Sandy, it was so nice meeting her and getting to know her. They are all so wonderful and fun to be around. We enjoyed going to Gardner Village with them, playing games, watching BYU football and eating breakfast at Callies.



Here's a shot of Gerald and my Dad with all the kids, waiting for us girls to be done in one of the shops. Gerald was so funny with Phoebe...I think she tried to ignore him most of the time, and then the last day they were here she finally warmed up to him and we couldn't keep her away!


Here's Jack on the pony at Gardner Village. He loved it!

After all our family visitors left, we had to get ready for Halloween! Jack had a Halloween costume parade at his preschool. For me, it was one of those moments that makes motherhood so sweet. I enjoyed watching with pride as Jack paraded around as a Tiger, then sang spooky fun songs for all us parents. He loved it! And I loved it because he loved it and soaked it up!



Jack has so much fun at preschool and loves his teacher...(and Sofia...more on that later. Right now...he's just sad, because Sofia had to move and isn't coming back to preschool.) :(


To keep the tradition alive, we visited Hee Haw Farms as a family. Jack and Phoebe were all bundled up and had a blast together riding the animal train, seeing the animals, sliding down the massive slide, and running all over. It was fun for Nick and I to watch them play together and have so much fun. It was a good night and they slept well!







We had a great night at the Baird's for their annual Halloween Party. Nick took all the photos on his phone, so I don't have any to share. But, wow...Scott and Lisa put so much work into the party. The dinner was amazing and included brains, guts, fingers, witch's brew, monster lips, and many more fun halloween treats. The games the kids played were so creative and fun. I think Nick and I had perma-grins on our faces the whole night just lighting up watching them have such a great time. Grandparents are awesome! That's all there is to it!

Well, Halloween night came and we got together at my parents house for soup and dancing and trick-or-treating. All the kids had a dance party before dinner. We ate and then headed out for our traditional route around the neighborhood. It was a super night!


Sorry for the blurry shot...the kids were all getting a little antsy to go by this point and were not thrilled about sitting still. Phoebe is the little lion in the front sitting next to Jack the tiger. My mom made that amazing owl costume in the back! So creative!

Enjoy!

Tribute to Nick

This handsome guy...my wonderful hard-working hubby just started a master's program this fall. Nick is probably the hardest worker I know! On a regular day he wakes up at 5am, gets to work by 6 to 6:30am, he is a manager for his company and is helping his boss constantly create a better working environment for employees and is currently in charge of implementing exciting new changes for the company, when work is done, he makes it home around 6pm, if he doesn't have any church meetings we have dinner, play with the kids, then he helps me put them to bed around 7:30pm, after he begins homework...which can last till 11pm, he goes to bed, and then starts over.
The masters program he started is an online program from the University of San Diego, USD. We do get to travel down there every 6 months when he needs to be on campus, which will be a nice little break. USD is a catholic university with one of the most beautiful campuses around! And believe me...I'm not the only one who's noticed...it's ranked in like the top 5 for the most beautiful campuses in the country. He is really excited about the program and what he will be learning. I know it will help his career out a lot and provide him with many more opportunities.
Even though most days since he's begun I do feel like a single parent (but don't...cuz I couldn't even imagine what that would be like!)...he still makes time to be silly with me and make me laugh and feel loved. It's clear that the last person he thinks about is himself. He is such a great man and I'm happy to say he's my best friend.
I'm so proud of him for beginning this new adventure. I know it will be full of hard days...but it will be worth it.
I love you Nick!

Check out the campus for yourself...

FALL

So here are some recap pictures of Jack starting preschool. We can pretend this was his first day. They were actually probably taken on his 5th day of school.


Here is a back shot so you can see his cute new backpack. I snagged it at a cute children's boutique in La Jolla, San Diego when we were there a few weeks ago. I could have spent hours in that shop! But luckily for Nick, we were all exhausted from playing on the beach all day...so, I made it quick.

I love the elephant face!

And this picture is probably my favorite! Just imagine in a few years...they will both be in the picture with cute little backpacks and ready for school.


I love the fall! It's by far my favorite season of the year! I love the weather cool-down, the crisp air, the harvest moon, the beautiful colors with rides and hikes up canyons and mountains. Nick and I will be celebrating our 5 year anniversary this season! It's truly a time to celebrate and enjoy one another!

Big Boy!

Jack started pre-school today! I cried. Phoebe even cried. But Jack didn't cry!! He was so brave. I am so proud of him for being such a big boy and going off to pre-school for two 1/2 hrs with out Mommy. He loved every minute of it...so, he said in his excitement that he can't wait to go back! (I think he kinda has a crush on Mrs. Diana...his awesome teacher).
I just can't believe his 4 yr old birthday is just around the corner! What happened?! Anyone?!
I called Nick who was at work just after I dropped him off, with Phoebe crying in the back for Jack, and me with a tear (or two) in my eyes exclaimed to Nick, "I did it." I let Jack go...and that was a hard thing for me. But he did great, and Phoebe and I had some fun one on one time together that doesn't happen too often.
So way to go, Jack!! We love you and hope your pre-school experience is full of fun and learning and adventure! My camera battery died just as I was taking pics of him with his backpack ready to go...so, I snapped some with my phone...not so cool.

But I do have some pics to share of a fun time we had with our good friends swimming at Nanny and Poppy's pool last week...


Cute boys!



Thanks for remembering your camera Brit!

I found this old picture on Nick's phone that made me smile...


I LOVE them!

Little Update

I had a great birthday in June. Nick was so sweet and left a scavenger hunt for me to do during the day while he was at work. It was very creative and the poem-clues all rhymed and some were actually pretty hard to figure out! When I figured out the location of the clue, I would go to it and there I would find a treat with a love note and the next clue. There were 5 total...because, my birthday this year marks the anniversary of our first date 5 years ago. (Yes, just smell the cheesey cuteness) And...believe it or not, Nick was the one to think up that one..not me.
Anyway, we ended the lovely day with a date night to the rodeo. The strawberry days rodeo in PG which happens to be right down the street. I'm a country girl and happen to love the rodeo! Nick took a large benadryl and managed not to have one problem with the hay-fever he normally gets around horses and large amounts of hay. I sure love him!!



Just a random picture of a sunrise by our house...isn't that so beautiful?! I love the mountains around here!

A few weeks later Nick and I decided to take a little excursion and explore some dirt roads up the mountain by Heber. He remembered finding a picnic spot up there once, years ago..So, we packed up the kids, grabbed some dinner and had a nice drive up the mountain...but then we started going back down the other side without finding a picnic spot. I began to be a little annoyed. A few minutes later, which seemed like an hour...we found a beautiful spot that was the beginning of a trail for a small hike. It was a natural spring flowing with small streams and had natrual travertine stone everywhere. We got the kids out of car, ate our dinner and hiked along the path. The path had many little bridges that would go above and over the streams of water, where we could see small fish swimming because the water was so clear. It was a pleasant surprise. And Jack and Phoebe LOVED every minute of it.



I can't believe how big and grown up Phoebe is getting. She is the personality of our little home! She keeps us all smiling and laughing. Nick and I joke about how she will grow up to be an actress because of how funny she is and also DRAMATIC. She loves to make Jack laugh and is always coming up with new ways on how to do this! Yesterday, I saw her crouching down, hunched over and walking around like an 80 year old woman. It was hysterical! I love her! And am so grateful to be her mother! She has a strong personality, just like her Daddy, which I know will be so important for her to have in this world! She's beautiful on the inside and out!



Our Jack buddy! Jack is so special! He warms your heart, just by being around him. He is growing into such a fun boy. He loves all things "boy!" Right now, Nick and I switch off telling him stories before bed which include our versions of: spiderman, wolverine, buzz lightyear and woody, and also Blble and Book of Mormon heroes. His current favorite is Jonah...he could recite that whole story to you in about 1 minute! He is learning to continue to share and to be patient with his younger sister...who often times comes in to his room and destroys his 'towers" or "castles" and puzzles...you get the idea. I love watching him ride his bike..his new found love. He's such a sweatheart! I charish our mother-son bond!