Goodbye 2007...Hello 2008!

I am super excited for this new year we are heading into. Our family has had some great blessings in 2007 along with a few trials and life lessons and we are grateful for everything we have learned! It wouldn't be New Year's Eve without a little reflection and goal setting...here are my top 10 for the year....

10. My mom came out to visit us in March....we enjoyed her company for 2 weeks along with a nice trip to Utah to visit family. We also were given a little set back when our civic's transmission went out on us and we had to invest $2700 to get it fixed...UGH! We loved having my mom here with us and can't wait for her next visit this coming March.

9. Elodie successfully potty trained in June....what a huge relief!


8. We found out we were pregnant with baby #2 in July and are very anxious and excited to expand our family!


7. We enjoyed another trip to Snowflake for the Big Dirty Family Reunion...always an adventure...


6. Elodie turned 3 and officially hit big girl status! She has made some great friends this year and we are so proud of the little lady she is becoming.



5. Christopher worked for 3 different Engineering Firms this year.

4. Christopher graduated from ASU 1st in his class and accepted a job here in Arizona.

3. We made some awesome friendships that have grown throughout the year...

2. Christopher and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary on December 15th...sandwiched between graduation and Disneyland....

1. We made it to Disneyland and enjoyed 6 awesome days in California!!


I always enjoy reflecting on our blessings and seeing the ways our trials have helped us. We were certainly blessed and tried in 2007 and have so much to look forward to in 2008....a new location, a new job, a new baby just to name a few!

I've thought alot about goals I'd like to set and accomplish for 2008...a few of them include...

-Doing better at Family Home Evening...I'm the worlds worse!

-Scripture study!

-Start planning another family vacation!

A new year is such an exciting time and I can't wait to see what this year holds for our family!

Rest of Christmas Day...

I'm a little behind (hence Disneyland) but I'm trying to get everything posted before the year ends....Disneyland won't happen but atleast all of Christmas will be in the right month!

After all our presents were opened and we did Christmas at home we packed up and headed to Snowflake to spend the day with Chris' family....after traveling to and from California we were all over the idea of being in the car for 3 hours on Christmas day but it was fun to spend time with family..even if we had to listen to Elodie say "I want out!" the whole way to and from Snowflake! Not even a movie could keep her distracted! We came home Christmas night and crashed and have tried to keep from doing much long distance driving since!
Enjoy the slideshow!

Another reason my Disneyland pictures aren't done...

Just before we left for Disneyland our dear friends the Schneider's called and asked if I would do a wedding cake for Creston's wedding on the 27th. I immediately said yes and as soon we got home from Disneyland got to work....Everyone loved the way it turned out and I was so happy I could help make Creston's wedding day special!

Here is the finished product...

It's all Disneylands fault!!

So I had my check up with the doctor this morning...29 weeks today. I have to say I was super nervous going into this appointment..even though I haven't gained much weight I knew with the way that we had eaten while in California and the Christmas holidays that it could all come back to haunt me when I got on the scale this morning...sure enough, I've gained 4 pounds....not a huge deal since I hadn't gained any weight at my last check up....but think about it....4 pounds IN 2 WEEKS!!!
Other than that...the baby looks great...she is breach, which is totally fine...Elodie was breach up until the last couple of weeks. It just explains why I've felt so much pressure in my ribcage....it's because I've got a head pushing on it!!!
I can't believe I only have 10 weeks left in my pregnancy..it is going way too fast!!

P.S- and for all of you wondering, I've got over 300 pictures from Disneyland to upload and tweek before I can post them to my blog..it's going to take me forever..so be patient as it may be a few days before I start with day one on Disneyland!

Christmas Dress...

A new Christmas dress is a must have in our house...I bought this one for Elodie back in October from Costco and fell in love with it! All of her Christmas dresses up until now have been red,black, and white....some combination of the 3....I was so excited to find a holiday dress that with the exception of the black (which I don't think you can get away from) was not like anything she had had before!!

These pictures aren't the greatest...we were rushing out the door for church so there just "stand in front of the tree and I will take your picture!" Elodie of course still looks beautiful but I'd like to get some more posey ones before we take the tree down so when that happens I will post those too!

Christmas Morning..

We had a very low key Christmas morning this year...because we spent so much money on our Disneyland trip and it was so close to Christmas, we decided a long time ago that we were going to keep Christmas small...Elodie didn't know any different and she got everything she asked for so she was a happy little girl! It was so cute on Christmas morning...we actually had to go in and wake Elodie up to open presents. Christopher went in and crawled in bed with her and as soon as he said "Elodie, Santa came to our house last night..." she JUMPED out of bed, completely out of it, and started shouting and screaming "SANTA CAME!!" It was super cute....I'm bummed I didn't catch that part on video!


Elodie with all her presents...she was so excited to see that all her presents were wrapped with princess and strawberry shortcake wrapping paper...


Elodie opening her Cinderella Dress...she has been asking for this dress for months and anytime you would ask her what she wanted this dress was at the top of the list...she was super excited to see that Santa had listened and gotten her the dress!


Admiring her new dress...


It didn't take her long to want to put it on and prance around in her new dress....


A Strawberry Shortcake Dance Movie...this was another one at the top of the list...she couldn't wait to watch it!



Elodie is very big into Princesses right now and with our trip to Disneyland, we pretty much fueled the fire! She especially loves these little Polly Pocket style Princess dolls....her favorite princesses are Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.


Elodie got 3 new board games for Christmas too...Candyland, Hi Ho Cherry-o, and Chutes and Ladders. We've played all 3 and it's so fun that she is getting to the age where she can somewhat understand the idea behind a game...


Another new found favorite is Care Bears...she hasn't seen too many Care Bear movies but she certainly loves the bears....and of course it had to be pink!

Overall, we had a great Christmas morning together....Christopher scored a new i-pod for Graduation/Christmas and he suprised me with a pedicure/manicure that since we did so much walking at Disneyland, I cannot wait to use!
I cannot believe how fast this year has come and gone....it's frightening! We hope that everyone that reads this had a fabulous Christmas too and got to spend it with friends and family! Merry Christmas!

We're BAAACCCCCKKKKKK!!!

Details and pictures to come (all 300 of them)..made it to and from Disneyland safely.....exhausted...too much money spent....it was everything we could have hoped for...Elodie was in heaven.....6 days is a long time to spend in California..Ginger was well taken care of....happy to be home...laundry awaits!

Proud Mama...

This will go down as Christopher least favorite post but you can't expect me NOT to blog about GRADUATION! It was an awesome day and I am so proud of Christopher and this HUGE accomplishment he has made!!

The day started out with a luncheon put on by the Fulton School of Engineering. All the graduating engineers got to come, the faculty was there, and family were invited too. We were in for a huge suprise when we got there, opened the program, and saw an acknowledgement that Christopher was voted by the faculty with the Senior of the Year award AND was #1 in his class!!!!! We knew the he was graduating high in his class but he had NO IDEA that he was #1!! It was a special suprise!

Sadly, Elodie had to go to the bathroom right before they presented Christopher with his award so I missed it!!! Thankfully,a sweet lady sitting at our table took this picture of Christopher after he sat back down....the flash wasn't on and it isn't the greatest picture but I appreciate her thoughtfullness. Thankfully, there was a professional photographer at the luncheon and she got a couple of shots of Christopher recieving his award and one of him with his advisor so I will post those once I get them from the school. Perfect timing on Elodie's part but what do you do when she's got to go potty!



After the luncheon was over we had a few minutes to kill while waiting to be seated and waiting for Christopher's parents to show up...they were coming from Snowflake...so we got some pictures outside. I'm so glad we thought to do this because by the time we got out of graduation it was dark....










Graduation was great...I didn't take any pictures because it was so dark and they had professional photographers there and filmers to record the whole thing....we will be ordering those so I'll post some of them once they come in the mail.

Pictures after graduation...








Today was just how I pictured it...it was so nice to honor Christopher and this huge accomplishment he has made. We are all so proud of him and are so excited for the future! We love you Dad!

Quick Update..27 weeks pregnant

Had my check up with the doctor this morning....highlights as follows...

-no weight gain since last visit- WOO HOO!
-glucose test...drink tasted like hawaiian punch but because I hadn't eaten any breakfast it really made me sick.
-Waited in the lobby for an hour for drink to work it's magic
-Blood work followed
-RH Factor shot since I'm O negative
-Great heartbeat
-I start seeing my doctor every 2 weeks now!

Plugging along!

6 months pregnant...

Because I know you are all dying to see my lovely baby bump..here it is in all it's glory! I'll be 6 months prego on the 15th (our wedding anniversary) and I'm feeling really good. My belly really isn't getting in the way so there are some days I forget that I'm even pregnant! Then I'm knocked back into reality when I realize that we are going to have a new baby in our family in about 2 and a half months! YIKES! This pregnany has gone by super quick...a combination of being a mother, Christopher's last semester of school, and the anticipation of Disneyland has made these last couple of months FLY by! I've gained about 7 pounds and I have my next doctor's appointment tomorrow!

Today is my last day of work! Woo Hoo! I go back after the first of the year to work through January and then I am done for good! I've really enjoyed my job and all the walking I do makes for good excercise! It's been good for me! Overall, everyone is happy and healthy and for that I am so blessed and grateful!

In every picture...there is always one!

So we finally got our family pictures taken in front of our Christmas tree for our Christmas cards. It's usually not a big deal and as Elodie gets older it is much easier to get her to look at the camera and smile without someone having to take the picture for us. This year, we just used the tripod and the timer...a little photo editing and voila! I won't spoil the big reveal so you are extra suprised when you get your christmas card in the mail but I did want to share one picture that just cracked me up!

My sweet little Ginger was not having the family picture this year! She pretty much growled at us and refused to look at the camera for every shot we took....with the exception of this one picture where she is actually looking at the camera WHILE SHE IS STICKING HER TONGUE OUT!



You would expect this from maybe a 6 or 8 year old and I guess since Ginger turned 6 this year maybe she is entitled too....LOL! Silly girl.

Ward Christmas Party Recap...

So the big ward Christmas party was over the weekend and I am so relieved to have it behind me. As most of you know I'm the ward's activity leader and this was the biggest task of the year. I have 6 other people on my committee and it was such a relief to know that they could be relied on and they all worked so hard to pull this off! We had a great turn out..over 200 people showed up! We set up every table and chairs we had in the building! Suprisingly, we didn't run out of food and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves...

The best part about this party was it was the last big thing I had to accomplish before being released and moving out of this ward! I haven't been released yet but the next ward activity won't be planned until February and by then we will be long gone! AND, it was the last big thing on my plate before our trip to Disneyland! With the exception of getting my Christmas cards and letters out this week and getting my house in order to leave, I am stress free!

I have to give an extra big shout out to Christopher who even though he isn't techically on my committee was a huge help in setting up tables, decorating, taking care of the hams, running to Costco, and getting Elodie dressed so I could be at the church early! Thanks hon!

Of course, Santa and Mrs. Clause made their big appearance and unlike last year, Elodie was all for sitting on Santa' lap and letting him know what she wanted for Christmas. She asked for a Belle gown (which we will be getting to take to Disneyland with us) and a Strawberry Shortcake dance movie...since the sit with Santa she has added to her list a cinderella gown, a cinderella horse, a strawberry shortcake flashlight she saw at the dollar store (I think we can manage this one) and a Disney Princess camera she can take to Disneyland with her....her list just keeps getting longer!

Overall, it was a great night and a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders!

I heart Costco...reason 27,849

Wednesday I stopped by Costco to place my cheesecake order for the ward Christmas party (which is tomorrow night and life will finally get back to normal afterwards!) and that was the ONLY REASON I WAS THERE! But of course, you can't go without atleast browsing the isles to see what new things they've gotten in..especially around the holidays. We were so close to getting out of the store without seeing anything we wanted until we came across this little gem!

It called to me and I couldn't resist. And now let me justify....first, it was only 20 bucks! For the past year, anytime I went to a scrapbooking store (or saw something at Wal-Mart)that was related to Mickey Mouse, Princess, Tinkerbell, Minnie, or Disneyland, I would pick it up. My idea is that when we get back from Disneyland I am going to make an album. I've accumulated a bunch of stuff and figured if I did it a little at a time it wouldn't hurt the budget as much and wouldn't be so overwhelming for me when I sat down to get started. This little kit takes care of everything! It has the album already included (which by itself would have probably cost my 20 bucks!) and over 350 stickers, embellishments, 20 sheets of scrapbooking paper...the works! Add to it all the stuff I've already bought and I can easily make a great album of our vacation! My friend Melissa told me I better make sure I take a lot of pictures...seriously, does anyone need to worry about ME not taking enough pictures! It was certainly meant to be and yet again, I left Costco with atleast one thing in my hand!

The end is near...

Today is Christopher's last day of class! I can't believe it has finally come!! It has been such a long time coming that it really doesn't feel real. I've heard other's say that it takes a couple of months to adjust to the idea that you don't have to go back to school...especially with the holidays, it just feels like we are taking a break and starting back up in January. It's been that way for so long that I think it will be February before it all sinks in!

We are so proud of Christopher and although he is thinking more about homework assignments and finals right now, I know he is also really excited to be done! WOO HOO! One more thing to check off our list!

Overcoming fears and a lollipop

Ever since Elodie was born Christopher has always gone to her pediatrician appointments with me. When she needed blood drawn for weight issues Christopher took her. Sadly, in the last 3 years I never took Elodie to the doctor alone. I don't like shots, I hate to hear Elodie cry over shots, and it really makes me sad as it probably does most mothers. I just don't have the backbone that some of you may have. Really, I don't think it's a bad thing. Because Christopher worked at the Schneider's for most of Elodie's life it was easy for him to take off work or go in later so he could go with me. We just worked around his schedule and all was well with me. And really, I look at it as the more support the better! Until today...

Elodie turned 3 in September and as you all know she was due for her yearly wellness check up and boosters. I have been putting it off for weeks simple because I knew with Chris' busy last semester of school and working farther away at his "real job" now I knew there would be no way for him to get out of school or work this late in the semester. I was going to have to suck it up and go it alone. The only thing that put in pressure on me was that I knew I couldn't do it next week with graduation looming and Disneyland around the corner. Past experience has taught me that Elodie usually is grumpy the day of and the day after shots and usually runs a fever or has a runny nose attached to shots. I certainly didn't want her to be sick on Dad's graduation day and more importantly Disneyland (I'm sure by this point I have completely jinxed myself!). So last week I called and made the appointment for this morning. Did I mention I hate my doctor's office layout? It's just one big room..sick kids and well kids all in the same area..it really can make me itch sitting within a few feet of another child who is coughing or sneezing..ugh!! I love Elodie's pediatrician but they could seriously upgrade their office area. Anyway, I made the earliest appointment possible, 8:30 am, and Elodie and I were on our way....we did say a prayer in the car in hopes that we would both do well during the whole ordeal!

Elodie is a champ....she's a tough girl and I knew I was more worried about me than her. Something about me knowing what was coming but not really being able to explain it to her just always sits wrong with me! Luckily there was a strawberry shortcake poster in the exam room and she couldn't talk enough about it..even asking her ped. about the poster! So she got her 3 shots...2 boosters and a flu shot...cried for a few minutes...I didn't cry...and we were both good to go!! Chris must have sensed when we were done because he called a few minutes after the shots and that helped us both alot!

So we pulled through and overcame! A great feeling! She's a little stuffy this afternoon complaining that her arms are hurting (the downfall of the nurse who moves so fast and pokes you 3 times in about 20 seconds!) but other than that we are good!! So glad it's over though and we don't have to go back in for another year!

Status wise Elodie is a whopping 26 pounds...a total of 3 pounds gained in one year! This may not seem like a lot but for those who know my child, she is a petite little thing and only gained one pound between her first and second year..so 3 pounds! We were all proud of her! She is proportional to her weight and height....36 and 1/2 inches tall...(I need to check the height requirements for Disneyland now) and overall a healthy little girl! We couldn't ask for more!

Because Elodie did so well throughout the whole visit I promised her a special treat. She wanted a lollipop, so we stopped at the mall to Fuzzywiggs candy store and bought her a lollipop! That was definitely the icing on the cake!

Little Mother...

Saturday evening we were hanging out at home, not much going on, and Elodie was playing in her bedroom. A little while later, Elodie comes out of her bedroom with her stroller, a backpack on her back, and her baby and rabbit tucked nicely in the stroller...both with snacks...TOO CUTE! She is such a little mother and I have no doubt will soon be a great big sister!

Let the countdown begin!

I got this idea from my scrapbooking kit club The Scrapping Spot

Super easy to make and didn't take me long to do. I bought the actually advent christmas tree from Starbucks..I totally scored though and got this one for free. Starbucks was out of the trees but had the display up. They didn't know if they were going to be getting more in so the store manager just gave me the display box! SCORE! I think they would run you about $15 because there are truffles hidden inside each box. If you didn't want to buy the box, I've also seen this done with little wedding boxes you can buy at Michael's or JoAnns..Wal-Mart even. Just hot glue them together to form the christmas tree.

We probably won't do anything with this one this year since Elodie is still alittle small but next year I plan on putting in candy and maybe some reminders about Christmas. Also, my numbers are a little big so I can't really turn the boxes around either. it's still super cute and I would much rather look at this side than the reverse. Oh and I just painted the backs of the boxes!

Hoping this gets your holiday juices flowing! I loved adding new decorations to my home and it is especially fun when I can make them myself!

Look what we got!!

Our Disneyland Package arrived yesterday afternoon- about an hour or so after my waiting patiently post! WooHoo! We are so excited and can't wait to get to Disneyland! I can't believe we have been planning this trip for a whole year and it is finally time to go..almost. Kind of sad in a way too. I told Chris I need to start planning our next family vacation as soon as we get home from Disneyland! His response? "Let's just get through Disneyland first!"

Here's to the happiest place on earth and to one happy family super excited to go!