Christmas Lists To Santa

A few days ago the girls wrote letters to Santa. Here are a few things that were on their lists that made me smile....

1. Pig

2. Birthday present for Santa

3. Triangle

4. Pot thats a toy

5. Cottage Cheese

6. Eyebrows

7. Flowers

8. Treat

9. Drink of water

10. Toothpicks

Happy Holidays!!!

New do and a fantastic lunch too!

For the past week I have been dealing with puke, puke, oh ya, and MORE puke! My family caught a nasty little stomach bug that took a couple of them out for an entire week, including Chad. It was HORRIBLE!!! By the end of the week I was in desperate need of some time to relax. And what could be better than getting a new hair-do and going to lunch with a great friend??

I started out bright and early to go and get my hair done. Ever since Chad and I have been married he has wanted me to have dark hair with bright red streaks. I have put it off over and over again mostly because I wasn't sure if I would be able to "pull off" a hair-do like that. But, I figure that I needed a little pick-me-up and I decided to get it done after all. I am SO glad that I did! The pictures below do NOT show this hair-do justice! Plus, I took the picture after I had been outside when it was really windy, ya, I don't know what I was thinking :) Anyways, I lOVE it, and Chad loves it too. I had Kristy (my amazing hair dresser) give me a different cut as well. I just told her to do what she thought would look good, and I am glad that I left it up to her! I feel so spunky! :) Thanks Kristy!!

First picture is a little windblown in the back, and in real life the highlights are WAY brighter red.....they look a little orangy in this picture

Side view of my new cut

To continue my relaxing day, I met my great friend Paige for lunch. It was so fun to chat, laugh, and catch up on life with each other over some delicious Chili's food! So nice to be able to take a break from the "grind" of life and just enjoy a good friends company. AND, it is extremely therapeutic!! Thanks Paige! I had a blast!!

I came home to one of the most wonderful things......a clean house!! Chad and the girls cleaned the house while I was gone so that I would be surprised when I got home. I love you guys!!

And to top the day off I get to snuggle up with Chad and watch a movie while we snack on some treats. So happy to have everyone healthy and happy again!!

Thankful for...

Even though we aren't to Thanksgiving yet I wanted to share a few things that I am thankful for:

1- Above all things, I am thankful to have the most beautiful and loving girls in the universe. There are times when this rock called "mom" feels like crumbling and my girls are always there to say something funny or make me feel good. People often make off the cuff comments about the fact that I have 5 kids-but let me tell you, I couldn't imagine my life without them. McKinzley, Taylin, Oaklee, Brexlyn, and Pemberlynn, I LOVE you so very much and I am thankful for you.

2- My husband, the first man to ever truly love me, and whom I love with all my heart.

3- The Gospel- We would be lost without it.

4- My family, who even though they sometimes don't see it, I love unconditionally and I always will.

5- I am thankful that my family believes in and supports us.

6- My friends, without whom my life would be empty and humorless.

7- I am thankful for my health, and that of my family, really thankful.

8- The gift of education and the opportunity that lies before me. The chance to make a new and better life for myself, and my family.

9- Having a roof over my head, clothes to wear and food to eat. Many many others around the world don't have half the things I take for granted each day.

10- That my life is full of rich opportunities that didn't exist last year.

11- That I see a world of hope and possibilities instead of constraints and necessities.

12- I am thankful for trials. Although they are hard, and sometimes the worst things we've gone through, I know they are important and a necessary part of life.

13- I'm thankful to live in this country. I'm thankful for the soldiers as well as ordinary Americans who are fighting too.

14- I am also thankful for Dr. Pepper. It is the Nectar of the Gods!

My Sweet Pemberlynn

Two years ago we welcomed Pemberlynn into our family! I can't believe how fast time has gone, and I know that everyone says that, but now that she is 2 I am realizing that I don't really have a "baby" anymore. This is definitely bittersweet for me. I am so thankful that we were blessed to have Pemberlynn in our lives. There are SO many things that I love about Pemberlynn that I can't name them all, but here are a few: I love her smile, chubby cheeks, her sideways stares that say "Really mom?", her attitude, kisses, hugs, snuggles, bossiness, and her tender heart. I love you Pemberlynn!!

HALLOWEEN

Halloween seemed quite long this year, but we took full advantage of it, and had a blast! On the Friday before Halloween, Oaklee's preschool class had a costume parade. It was so much fun to watch because all of the kids are just SO excited to be dressed up! (Oaklee is the Firefighter)

On Saturday we went down to visit Grandma Kartchner and Grandma Beverly...

Grandma Kartchner had yummy puff balls and candy for the girls, and she even sang a song to the girls about a skunk (since Pemberlynn was a skunk for Halloween). It was one of those moments that I wish I had my video camera so that we could have that precious moment forever....

When we made it to Grandma Beverly's she wasn't home. It was a bummer! But, Chad's Uncle Evan was there and he let the girls pet his blood hounds. While the girls were busy with the dogs, Chad was hanging upside-down on Evan's thingy. Not sure what it is called, but it is supposed to really help your back. Once the girls saw daddy doing it, they of course wanted to do it! So, Evan and Chad let them each have a turn hanging upside-down. They thought it was great!

These are some pictures before we headed out to the Trunk or Treat.

McKinzey--> "Starlet"
Taylin--> Little Red Riding Hood

Oaklee-->FireFighter

Brexlyn--> Tiger
Pemberlynn--> Skunk (she wasn't to happy about having her hat on)
Before we headed out to the trunk or treat we had a fun visit from Nana Paige and Grandpa Hoyt. The girls were so excited to see them and show them their costumes. Pemberlynn was surprised with a birthday present (she is almost 2!!!) from Nana and Grandpa. They got her some bath toys with body wash. She LOVES them!! She already loves taking baths, and these just add to the fun :)

Here we are at the Trunk or Treat. As you might be able to tell the wind was blowing and there was a really big storm that was about to roll in.....it was COLD!! So, we started out through all of the trunks, and when we were about halfway through was when the rain started to fall. Even though it was raining we all had a really good time.

After we finished at the Trunk or Treat we headed over to Drew and Kirstin's apartment to "trick or treat". Kirstin and I chatted for awhile while the kids and the husbands played Toy Story 3 on the Wii :)

On Halloween day we went over to our friends house for a dinner party. The kids all played well together, and the adults were able to laugh, and catch up on life! It ended up being a great weekend!!