Happy Holidays!!

Kayla on our after-Thanksgiving burn-off-the-huge-meal hike.

So my Mother in Law and I started decorating together last year. She really got me in to it! Her and I have decorated four Christmas trees so far and I still want to do more! We have had so much fun spending the time together, enjoying our finished product and talking about our favorite Christmas traditions growing up. Here are some pictures...

The Santa Tree:



The Copper Tree:


The Red Tree:





The Kayla Catherine Christmas Candy Tree:

BCS Bound?!

It was a really good weekend.
Need I say more?


PS. I love all my BYU fans too but I am really excited that we did so well. Like I have always said, as long as you have a team you love and you cheer for, we are all really on the same team.

Dora Party!!

Soooo... Kayla turned TWO!
I decided to have a birthday party for Kayla. I invited about ten little friends for this "Dora the Explorer" party.
Here is what happened:
First, all the kids arrived and danced to a Dora the Explorer party CD and played with bouncy balls.
About ten minutes in to this, the doorbell rang and I announced to all the children that we had a very special guest for the party! All the kids followed me to the door, when we opened it, there was DORA herself (actually my sister, Miriam and her fiance dressed like Dora and Diego)
They gave out necklaces and whistles to all the kids.
Then "Dora" told all the kids that she had to go save some puppies. When she asked who wants to help, all the kids squealed in delight.
Out came the "Map" (from the show) with three main steps; The stairs, the singing gate, and then Puppy Mountain! (actually a huge love sac with a stack of stuffed puppies on top)
They all followed "Dora" down the stairs, she led them in a song at the singing gate, passed out stars along the way, and THEN PUPPY MOUNTAIN!!
The kids were so excited!
There was one little girl that was glued to "Dora's" side. When she would have to go away from her she would say "I'll be right back Dora."
What an unforgettable second birthday. We had lots of fun!

A Few Things I have Adopted from Sean's Family

I never really had a huge desire to plant until I met my mother in law. When Sean was gone for 6 months with the Marines, I came home really sad and crying from work because I missed him so much. Debby, my mother in law, asked me to come with her to the plant nursery. She asked me to pick out something we could plant. She explained the difference between the types of flowers. I chose a few different colors of columbines. We went home and she showed me how to plant them near the front door. Now, I love working in the garden. Tomatoes are my favorite thing! This year we harvested hundreds of tomatoes, what a great year!
I never really had a passion for fashion (if you will) until I met my mother in law. She works at Coldwater Creek (bonus for me!) Now, fashion is one of my favorite things!

Dogs, well I guess I could take them or leave them. My husband's family have a dog named Kiowa, a golden retriever. When he was a puppy (for about two years) he was wild and I couldn't stand him. Now, I love that dog. They make great companions!

Growing up in my family, I never really felt short. The tallest one was my dad, and he was 5'9" Since joining my new family, my husband is over a foot taller than me! In his parents house, everything is tall. Even the counters are a lot taller than I have ever seen. Sometimes I feel like a hobbit.

Football! Another thing that I have grown to LOVE! Since my father in law used to play for the U of U football team, that is the one that we are partial to. My father in law takes us to all the home games. I love it so much! My philosophy about college football is that if you have a team and you cheer for them, follow their progress and support the team, that's what counts. So my love goes out to the BYU fans too. Lets not hate each other.... just love the game and your team!