Now thats a good husband!

As many of you know, yesterday was my birthday. In years past my birthday has become lumped in with the many holidays that surround it (namely Christmas and New Years). My day always seemed to be full of Birthday/Christmas presents, or Birthday/New Year parties. Alas, my sweet mother always made sure my birthday was special and that I felt like I was important. I was having an especially hard time this year without her and feeling a little down. Kira came up from Salt Lake to spend the day with us and that was nice, but it was still kind of a down day.
Then about noon Kira sent us out to lunch while she watched our kids (the day was looking up). How could I pass up a full 2 hours without my kids. So Cory took me to Burger King for a Whopper (I'd wanted one for 2 days) an then to several local shops. I thought at one point that we should head for home, but he was darn persistent about keeping me out.
Now here comes the part that I'm sure half of you reading this were in on. We got home at about 2 o'clock and what did I find but my house in full Hawaiian garb, and a room full of friends. Can you believe it! A surprise part for little ol' me. It was the first surprise party I've ever had and it was wonderful. There was good food and good company and I loved every minute of it. So I'd just like to profess from the top of my blog, MY HUSBAND IS THE BEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD! Thank you sweetie from the bottom of my heart.
As a side note I'm told that Kira did a fare share of the work for my sweet boy so here's a big ol' cyber hug for her as well. I love you friend!

Surprise!

Yesterday afternoon we were enjoying a quiet time here in our living room, when we heard the sounds of Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Strange since the radio wasn't on. Next thing we know there are 4 fire trucks and Santa in our neighborhood. the men at the fire station drove through town letting the kids get pictures with Santa (we couldn't get our camera to work so pictures will be coming at a later date) and passing out goodie bags! What fun.

Then for his anniversary present to me, Cory installed my new faucet; of course Trace was happy to help and was an excellent helper. He held the flashlight and tried his darndest to convince Cory that he need to look at the walls of the cabinets, not the sink.

Then last night we were able to get all the kiddos to sit still long enough for a picture. I've tosed in one of Trace and Jax just for kicks. Love you all and hope you have the most joyous of holidays! May we all remember the reason for the season. Love the Hadley Handful!

The joys of motherhood!

Trace: Mom why are there holes in my nose?

Me: So you can breathe.

(5 minutes elapse as I do dishes)

Trace: Mom where's my raisin?

Me: I don't know where is it?

T: (Pointing to his nose) In there!

And so began raisin gate 2007. I spent the next half hour trying to keep a manic little boy to lay still long enough that I could fish a raisin out of his nose, and boy did he get it up there. I got to one point where I thought we'd have to call Cory home from pack meeting and head into the emergency room to have it fished out professionally. What fun it is to be a mom! I guess we'll just add this to the list of things we've had to dig out of Trace which also includes cardboard from his ear, and peas from his nose. I guess I better go, I just looked over and my son has stuck another raisin up his nose!...
(another 30 minutes)
OK the raisin has been extracted and all remaining raisins have been hidden. Have a wonderful Christmas and may it be raisin nose free!

Fun in the Sun...I mean snow!

We went out this morning to get the driveway cleared and Trace and Kena had a blast. We got about 8 inches of snow and it was the first time Kena's been out in it to play. It was beautiful this morning. The snow was falling in perfect flakes and it looked like glitter falling from the sky. What a beautiful day!

The things that make me Thankful!

Having just wrapped up Thanksgiving, I've been thinking about what makes me thankful. There's the obvious big things like family and health, but I'm thankful for the little things as well. I'm thankful for my sweet nephews who kept my children occupied this last weekend so that I could visit with my Dad, brothers, and sisters. They took them outside and buried them in leaves and played with them for 5 days straight. What awesome kids!

Then there's my own sweet children and my nieces children who decorated a Christmas tree for my mom. They took turns putting ornaments on the tree and nobody fought or bickered over turns. It went a million times better then I thought it would. Again just a little thing that made things much easier on me.

I was grateful for the opportunity to visit my Mom. This was the first time that I've been able to go back and see her and I was really worried that it would be painful. But it was actually comforting. There was a spirit there that made it all better. I'm grateful for the gospel that helps me to know that she is still there.

All it all my Thanksgiving was incredible. It was so good to see everyone and visit with family and friends.

One stylin' chicka!

We got Kenadee dressed today and just couldn't resist. She looks so cute and all grown up! What a stylin' chicka!

What a crazy week!

Wow things have been crazy here at the Hadley Household. We are currently in the process of refinancing our home and between appraisals and paperwork I feel like all I do these days is sign things. But hopefully all will be done in a week or so.


Then there's the dentist. Cory and I finally have dental insurance and I was the first to go in for some work. What fun it has been. Four cavities, all in the front, and one that may end up being a root canal (BLAH). But I only have one more appointment to go and then my mouth will once again be whole.


Cory is still working hard on school and (after much prayer) we've decided that I'll be going back to school next month as well. I'm really excited about it. It will be nice to know that if something should happen to Cory, I'd be able to support our family. Wish me luck, I'm sure it will be a challenge,but one I'm really looking forward to.


This week we also put up the Christmas tree since we'll be out of town all next week. It was wonderful and Jaxson loved it. He played under the tree for a half an hour just cooing and laughing at the lights. It was so stinkin' cute.


I'll close by saying Happy Turkey Day to all. We love you and look forward to seeing you all.

Animal Season has begun!

About an hour after I wrote that last blog Cory and I were watching TV and started to hear a strange noise on the front porch. It sounded like someone raking leaves on cement. So I decided to see what it was. I pulled back our blinds only to find myself nose to nose with a deer, literally. He was looking right in our window along with 4 of his closest friends. I almost had a heart attack and Cory thought I'd wake the kids with my scream. I think I scared them worse though, he looked like a deer in the headlights, hehe!

Furry Friends

This evening I noticed that a LOT of cars were driving by our house and taking pictures of it. Odd I thought, considering that our home is just your run of the mill house, blue and white with some trees and grass. Nothing to spectacular. Maybe they were admiring my beautiful fall door wreath, or taking in the splendor of our half naked apple trees. Interesting I was thinking to myself as I opened my front door and came face to face with...

Mike and Mary (As Trace has named them) our dear friends that we met last year when Mike was just a wee thing (probably the size of a small horse) and Mary almost charged Cory for taking a picture. We learned fast that here in our cul de sac we'd be sharing space with our furry friends (deer, moose, the occasional skunk or squirrel, and a touch of porcupine). Little did we know we'd get to know them up close and personal. Maybe next time we'll invite them in for hot cocoa and a nice chat with friends!

Brotherly Love

I am such a lucky mommy. My kids all love each other so much and they are great kids! We were making dinner last night when we heard trace from the other room. He has memorized some of his story books, not word for word, but he gets the idea. So I peeked around the corner and this is what I saw...Cute Trace was reading to Jaxson out of his dinosaur book. I was really worried that there would be jealousy issues when Jax came along, but we've been so blessed. Everyone here loves everyone else and its wonderful. To quote the primary song, "we are a happy family!"

Trick or Treat!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! We had a great day here at the Hadley household. It was Kena's first trick or treat and she loved it. We got the kids all dressed and walked around the cul de sac before it got dark. It was beautiful weather and we didnt even had to wear jackets. We got to the first house and Kenadee was completely amazed and people would give her candy just for being there. It was so much fun to watch her figure it out. Trace really enjoyed himself too, but his favorite part was the passing out of candy. In fact, between trick or treaters he pretended to pass out candy. It was so much fun. I think we had more trick or treaters then we have had in our entire married life combined. Cory had to go buy candy in the middle of the night and we still almost ran out. We have a handful of tootsie rolls left. It was a crazy night but lots of fun. Here's hoping you all had an equally haunting good time!

Its been a while!

My goodness things around here have been crazy! Or at least I think they have. I can't put my finger on what it has been but my life has felt very hairy! Maybe its being a mommy of 3, or perhaps its the wife and housekeeping side. Whatever it is, I'm back now.
Cory is pluggin along with his MBA and we're hoping that he'll have all his papers done by Thanksgiving. we'll have to see how it goes. He just finished up a huge audit at work and we're grateful to have him at home at more regular hours.
Trace is going on his 3rd week with not to many accidents. I just need to help him understand that he can be potty trained outside the walls of our home. He seems to struggle when we leave home. But other then that he's doing well. He's very excited to be a T-rex tonight and I must admit that trick or treating will be fun this year cause he'll actually understand it.
Kenadee keeps me on my toes. My goodness I don't think that little girl will ever slow down. she's constantly running around the house and getting into mischief. But she's a sweet heart too. I love that little girl. When she decides to cuddle it warms my heart!
Jaxson is doing well too. he's sleeping through most of the nights now and he's smiling and laughing. It's so cute to seem him learning new things. He is adored (sometimes a little to much) but his big brother and sister, and he endures it well. HAHA
I too am doing just fine. I've recently started reading the Kingdom and the Crown series by Gerald Lund again and I love it. It makes me feel so much closer to my Savior and those who lived at the time he did. What awesome books.
Well it is time for naps so I will close. I'll post more pictures later of Halloween. Love you all!

It's play-doh time!

We busted out the playdoh today and man did we have fun. I love that we get to have fun play time together. We made cakes, and cookies, and even a fruit basket. It was a ton of fun. I'm posting pictures of our "playdoh" noses. Thats right ladies and gentlemen, we all had inexpesive and colorful nose jobs today. Looks like that Degree is paying off afterall! *wink*

Walkin in a winter wonderland!

To say that this time of year is my favorite is the understatment of the century. I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!!! We get to spend time with family talking about what we're grateful for, not to mention great food and friends. Some would say that you have to wait until after Thanksgiving to start celebrating Christmas but I'm a firm believer that they go hand in hand. I mean what is there to be more grateful for then Christ and His birth, life, and sacrafice for you and I. Without those 3 things, I'm not sure just where my life would be these days. So as we approach this wonderful time of year I am most excited. We woke up this morning to a gentle snow fall which lasted through most of the day. I was so warm and cozy that we put on Christmas music and danced and sang. It was wonderful. I took some pictures of our wonderland to share. Enjoy!

Happy Healthty Little Ones!

We had a doctors appointment yesterday for Jaxson and Kenadee and I'm glad to report that we are all happy and healthy. We've recently switched pediatricians and this was our first visit with Doctor Ching. We love her! She was sweet and attentive and really seems to care about the kids (unlike our first pediatrician here in WY).
Jaxson now weighs 12 lbs 1 oz and is a happy little boy. He handled immunizations well and she says he looks wonderful. He's in the 50th percentile for length and weight, but his head is off the charts at 120%!! Funny huh.
Kena is 21 lbs and again very happy and healthy. Shes at the 10th percentile for height and weight and again is in the 97% for head size! The doctor said she was glad their heads didn't look as big as they actually are because they'd be crazy disproportionate. It was funny.

Sweet baby smiles

Cute Jaxson has started smiling and I just love it. This is my favorite part of being a mommy, when my babies start learning new things, from smiling, to rolling and everything in between. So I'm sharing with all the new development in our family. Enjoy!

Stampin saves my sanity

Yesterday had been some sort of day. After having sick kids, a semi sick me, and accomplishing nothing around my house I felt like I was slowly losing my mind. What a relief it is to have a sweet husband who will take our children for a few hours a month so that I can stamp. It's a great place to go and unwind, and Susan (my stampin up demonstrator) is awesome. I take Jaxson with me and the grandma in her kicks in and I just get to sit back and enjoy my craft time. Needless to say stampin up saves my sanity.

Fun for the Fall!

The colors are changing on the trees, the smell in the air is crisp, and it's a beautiful fall here in Mountain View. I just love this time of year. It's so beautiful and best of all it puts us one step closer to Christmas! This is a picture I took out our dining room window that I thought I'd share.

And here of course are the kidlets. Only the second time I've actually gotten them to sit still long enough to give me a picture. They've been angels the last couple of days and it's wonderful. Oh and PS Trace has gone 3 days without an accident! Woo Hoo. Looks like backing off has paid off dividends! Thank you all for the advice!

Baby Vogue!

I got this picture from Kira while she was here and I just had to put it out there. Do we have a beautiful baby girl or what! Its a little old, but I garuntee that she is just as cute today as she was last year when this one was taken!

YAY AUNT KIRA!

Today we had a great visit from Aunt Kira. The kids loved having her here and I must admit it was a life saver for me as well. Cory has been out of town for a couple of days and it was nice to have another adult around. Here's a pic of her with the kids, and one of Kena on the steps that was to cute to pass up! Oh and just as a side note. bout 10 minutes after this picture was taken, Trace got stung by a bee on his ear! OUCH! Needless to say I panicked. The last time I was stung by a bee I was 4 so I had no idea what to do. So I'd like to publicly thank Aunt Gena and Grandma for helping me out with the details, and to Jalyn, who called to make sure all was ok when she saw that I'd call. I love you all!

Our little T-Rex

Ahhh so the t-rex thing continues. We went to the store this morning and Trace saw the costume that he had to have for Halloween, so I thought I'd share. Plus I'm including a picture of Jaxson and Kena, lest people think that I favor my oldest. Plus, I haven't sent a picture of Jax for quite a while. But enough talking, here's the pics!

HELP!

This is my little cry for help. I'm at the end of my rope and I just don't know what to do. We had Trace completely potty trained before Jaxson was born. By this I mean he was accident free for almost 2 months before. Well then Jaxson was born and it's like haveing 3 kids in diapers again. I've tried everything that I can think of. We've bribed him, we've praised, we've even let him sit in it (Horrible I know) and none of it works for more then a day. I know he can do it because he did before and I'm feeling horribly frustrated. Please if anyone has any suggestions at all it would be greatly appreciated!

Tagging

Ok I'll I've been tagged by my sweet roomie from college, Miss Laurie. So here I go.

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
Well lets see, I would have been just starting my Sophomore year of high school, which means that I would have been at the peak of my pudge. That's right I was a pretty chunky kid in high school for any of you who didn't know me, but the following summer I would get a job and lose a good 60 lbs. Woo hoo for carrying around 50 lb boxes for Alco.
That was also the year that I met my dear friend Jami. She was one of the few people who got me through the troubles and drama of high school. In fact, she is the one friend from high school that I still speak to on a regular basis.
That was also the year that I started to butt heads with my mommy, probably one of my biggest regrets. She and I had similar personalities and we clashed on a lot of things. I think that was the year I decided to go to school out of state (Not because of Mom), which is where I met my hubby so I guess it was a good year for me.

2. What were you doing 5 years ago?
Ahh 5 years ago I was 1 year and 2 months into Cory's mission and probably and more then a little excited about being that close to it all being over. I was starting what would be my last year of school and trying to decide what I wanted to do with my life. I was living in a basement apartment on Richards St in Sugarhouse with sweet Piper (Whom I haven't heard from in forever, totally not her fault cause I lost touch) We were having a ball! I believe we had defied our landlord and gotten a kitten (she would turn out to be the fatest cat I'd ever seen) and I lived in mortal fear of being caught with her. Let that be a lesson to all of you, breaking the rules doesn't pay. I think at the time I was working in the Westminster College bakery, or I may have started working for Deseret Book by then. Either way I didn't really enjoy work, but it got me through the days.

3. One year ago...
We had just moved to Wyoming and were settling into our new home and ward. It was a blessing to be working for such a good company and still is. Our ward was incredible too. I'd just been called to be the ward Music Director, and was just getting to know my neighbor Jamie! She and I have since become very close friends and I treasure the fact that Heavenly Father placed her in my life as "not only your neighbor, but my Visiting Teacher and Friend"(as she would say).
I had just found out that we were expecting Jaxson and I was scared out of my wits! Let's just say we didn't expect him and I was nervous about having 3 under 3. I was speaking to my mom everyday and soaking up all the advice she could offer. It would be about 4 months later that we would find out her cancer was back, and only 4 short months after that (can it really have only been 4 months) that we would lose her. If I'd known then what I know now, I would have spent way more time with her. I would have talked about more important things with her, as opposed to diaper rash and how my pants were fitting that day. I think I would have asked her to teach me some of the incredible things that she could do (like knitting and cooking) and I would have been making videos of her. That's one of the things that gets me the most. My kids won't remember her and I worry sometimes that my memories just aren't going to be enough for them. And now that I've brought the mood down, next question please!

4. Yesterday...
Yesterday I did not much of anything. Jaxson was pretty fussy and had an upset tummy, so I did lots of walking around and shushing. I did find time for a rousing game of Candy Land and Hi Ho Cherry-o though. I also cleaned my house (not that you can tell today) and helped Cory write a paper. Not a terribly exciting day I guess. I did test out our new paint color in the bathroom and am sooo excited to have it all done.

5. 5 snacks I enjoy
1. Fruit, any kind
2. Rice Cakes, especially the unflavored ones (weird huh, I must have a thing for Styrofoam)
3. Chocolate, again any kind
4. pretzels
5. Peanut butter power balls (my mom use to make them when I was little. Peanut butter, honey, raisins, oatmeal, very tasty)

6. 5 things I would do with a million dollars...
That's a hard one, I'd probably buy a new house, pay off the one we're in, get us out of debt, and then go on a real family vacation (not to someone elses' house). If there were left overs I'd buy Trace a horse. Living in WY has made him quite he cowboy and he would really like to ride one, and I wouldn't mind myself.

7. 5 places I'd run away to
1. Heaven (is that possible)
2. Europe (any country)
3. NM to see my Dad
4. ummmm we really have to come up with 5?
5. I don't know, I guess I'd like to go to NY sometime, yeah lets go with NY

8. 5 TV shows I like
1. Americas Next Top Model (it's my guilty pleasure)
2. Lost
3. Heroes
4. Avatar: The Last Airbender (Cartoon on Nickolodeon that I'm so addicted to)
5. Anything on Food Network

9. 5 things I hate doing
1. Washing the cheese grater (did that this morning so it's on my mind)
2. Washing Children (ever tried to bathe 3 kids in time to leave the house by noon, its nearly impossible)
3. Cleaning that bathroom!
4. paying over $2.59 for gas, this time last year it was $1.89 here. BLAH!
5. Laundry

10. 5 people I tag
1. Mandy
2. Jami
3. Kira
4. Diane
5. hmmm any takers!

I'm an indexer!

Today in church our bishopric chose to focus on family history and personal histories. The talks in Sacrament were about journaling (which I like to think I'm doing right here) and keeping a family history. Then in Relief Society we got a basic training into Indexing. For any of you who don't know what that is, I believe it is what the use to call extraction. Its a very easy process to get started in and you don't have to be called, or even a member of the church to do it. You just log onto www.familysearchindexing.com and click on Volunteer. Basically what I do is pull out names and information from old census reports. Its pretty easy, and it can help so many people find out who their families are. It makes me feel like I"m contributing to genealogy (something I didn't think I could do with 3 small children). I'd encourage any and all of you who felt like you could contribute even 30 minutes a day to do it (They give you 8 days to do 50 names, it's sooooo doable). It is so rewarding.

ITS GONE!!!!!!

For those of you who have not seen the bathroom in our home, it was covered in a hideous, faux tile wallpaper. And not only was it hideous, but it was nearly impossible to remove. But I am pleased to announce that as of 5 this evening, our bathroom is wallpaper free! I can finally sleep without visions of spackle, and scrappers dancing in my head.

Sunset?

This was the view out our backyard tonight. I was working on the blog when Trace came in and told me to "Come see the hug!"
Of course I was intrigued. I thought perhaps Kena was hugging her bear or something, but he showed the sunset. I told him it was a sunset and he said "No Mommy, its a Jesus hug!"
Talk about melting a mommies heart! It's times like this that make me remember why we are told to be "as little children!" What a simple faith.

A good weekend!

Well Friday was Traces Birthday and we made the trek to Salt Lake to spend it with family. That night we did cake and presents (PS thank you for all your kind comments on the cake. I'm really not that amazing. I just found an idea online and ran with it!) Trace enjoyed all of the attention, and especially all his dinosaurs. It was a good night and a very happy birthday.

Then we got up on Saturday and went to buy a laptop for Cory to use for his school work. We had done lots of research and found the model that he wanted. Well it turns out that no one has that model anymore because its not being made. So we found a comparable model, bought it (for anyone who's not bought a laptop, with all the accessories its quite the chunk of change), took it home, and turned it on. Imagine Cory's surprise when there is not picture. That's right, we got a broken laptop. And it seems the the store we got it from, and all the other stores in the valley are completely out of this particular laptop. So it looks like it will be about a month while we wait for it to be repaired by HP. What a frustration.

But our day got better when we took Trace to the aquarium for his birthday. It was so much fun. He loved the Jellyfish and the sharks, but the best part for me was when he got kissed by a sting ray. They have a touch pool and Trace was leaning over to pet a sting ray, when it came out of the water and touched his nose. It scared him to death, but it was really sweet. I had no idea sting rays did that. If only I'd had a camera with me. But it was still really neat. All in all a very good weekend.

My Dilemma

Today Trace is 3 years old and we had a bit of a dilemma. It went something like this:

Me: Hey buddy what kind of cake do you want?

Trace: A T-rex Cake!

Me: Ok (all the while thinking to myself, "How the heck do you make a T-rex cake?)

So I did some research and found a cute t-rex cake pan from Wilton. But ask me if I found that pan anywhere but on Ebay for $30! You guessed right, I sure didn't. So I did a little research and this is what I came up with.

It looks a little like a dragon and has no legs but he loves it and it sure tastes yummy. I think I'll name him Puff!

My how time flies

Today I was thinking about how quickly life seems to be going for us. Trace will be 3 on Friday and that's mostly whats got me thinking. It seems like just yesterday that he was our little baby boy, and now he's our big boy. It's amazing. And that means that Kena will be 2 in April, again pretty crazy. And then threes sweet little Jaxson, holding up his own head and smiling. I can hardly believe he's almost 2 months old. Then I think about being 26 myself and I start to feel old. You all may be laughing right now but I'll be 30 in 4 years. And to think that I use to think that 30 was old. My goodness how time flies!

Looks like we'll be staying put!

Cory and I have recently been trying to move forward with the purchase of a new home. We decided to stay put this weekend though and just make do with what we have. That means I get to move forward with wall paper removal (for anyone out there considering wall paper, make sure you want it forever, because its a bugger to take down). But I am excited to paint our bathroom with the new color we've chosen. Oh and here is a pic of all the kids together. I was finally able to get them all to sit down and still and face forward.

Sometimes I feel blue...

And yesterday was one of those days. I think it was a combination of things for me. We spent the weekend in Salt Lake and watching sweet Mandy and her mommy made me sad. For those who don't know Mandy is expecting in January and they talked about baby things and Mom is making her a baby blanket and it just got me to thinking. I guess it was a bit of a selfish thought, but I want my Mommy back. I hate knowing that my children won't get to know her or be spoiled by her, and that if I have questions I can't just pick up the phone and talk to her. And I know she was in a broken body and that she is so much better off were she is, but I sure do miss her sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I'm unbelievably grateful for what I do have. I have a wonderful family and beautiful children, but a girl needs her Mom sometimes and I don't like not having that.
But as the day wore on I thought more about it and it makes me truly grateful for the Atonement. How could anyone every doubt that Heavenly Father loves us and wants whats best for us. He's made it possible for me to be with my Mom again, and not only that, but she will be my Mom. Not just my sister in the Gospel. It's so good to know that when we are together again she'll still have that relationship with me. What an awesome blessing! Without that knowledge I'm sure my blue days would come much more often. And another sign of his love, look at all he's given me to get through my blue days. I have my wonderful family here, but I also have a Dad who has been incredible and always makes me feel better. In fact, when I'm sad he's the first one I'm prone to call. Thank you Dad. You've been a great support to be and I really appreciate your faith and love. And then there's the temple. We went this weekend and somehow it makes me feel that much closer to her. And then there my sweet children who always give me hugs when I'm down. Sweet Trace will say "it's okay Mommy, I still love you!" What a kid.
So I guess in short what I want to say is that even though we are all prone to sad days, NEVER forget how much Father really does love us. He's given us all this and more, and all we have to do is ask and he'll take that pain away. I love you all and can't wait until we can be together again! Until then, cherish the little things and be grateful for all you have.

Warm summer rain makes me smile!

This last week we've had a ton of warm afternoon rain and it has been wonderful. It's one of those small pleasures in life, playing in puddles in a warm rain. I took some darling pictures of the kids and I thought I'd share.
Everything on our end has been going well. Cory and I have been looking at a new home (I know we've only lived here for a year but our current home is squeezing us out). We've found a wonderful home that had 2 bathrooms (HALLELUJAH). We started the process this last week and have already received our
pre-approval. Here's hoping that if all goes well, we'll be moving before Christmas. It will put our family it a great new house with some wiggle room.

Jaxsons Blessing Day

What a beautiful day for a blessing. It was slightly overcast, and the perfect temperature for a home full of guests. And when I say full I mean it. I was amazed at the number of people who would come so far to spend this day with us.
Jaxson was the perfect baby. He was crying just before sacrament started and I thought to myself, "Well, I guess we finally got our crier." But after a quick meal and a few loves from his Dad, he settled right in and was awake for his entire blessing, with no tears. Of course, his blessing was wonderful and great and everything it was suppose to be.
Then we partied here at home. Good food and good friends. It was truly a wonderful day.P.S. For all who asked, here is the recipe for the Broccoli Salad and the Cake.

1 head of Broccoli
1 head of Cauliflower
1/2 Pkg of Bacon (crispy)
1 small red Onion, chopped
Cheddar Cheese

Dressing:
1 c. Miracle Whip
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. Vinegar

Cut up all ingredients to desired size and mix together in bowl. Then mix dressing and pour over the top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Melted Ice Cream Cake

1 white cake mix
2 c. melted ice cream (your choice of flavor)
3 eggs

Mix together and bake at 350 for 38-40 minutes

Frosting

2 c. confectioners sugar
1/2 c. bakers cocoa
1/2 stick of butter
6 large marshmellows
1/3 c. + 1 T. milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar and cocoa together and set aside. Heat butter, marshmellows, milk, and vanilla in a sauce pan until marchmellows are melted. Immediatley mix with dry ingredients and pour over cake to frost.

Cutie little curly Sue!

Sweet Kena let her mommy play today. We curled her hair this morning and it was so much fun and turned out so cute that I thought I'd share the results with all!

A Milestone

Last night we hit a beautiful milestone. Jaxson slept for a 5 hours stretch and only woke up once. It was a great night for his Mommy and I think deserves a huge celebration. It's a shame that the rest of the house slept through it! *wink*

Trace and Kena continue to do well with the baby. Kenadee has started sleeping through him getting up which is a huge help to me. Only having to get up with one baby is a big blessing.

Mischievous Monkeys!

So I guess it's just that I'm around my children enough now that these things are daily occurrences for me. But last night I was looking at some pictures and decided that I've got two pretty mischievous monkeys on my hands and I didn't even realize it. So I've decided to put up some pictures and stories that I think all will enjoy.

So this is one of my favorites. Trace decided that he was tired of waiting for Mom to feed brother and that he was going to take matters into his own hands. When I found him, he'd gotten himself into the sink, had his toothbrush and paste, and was trying to figure out how to get the water on without getting himself wet. What a kid!

This is a shot that Trace took of himself. He's figured out how to turn on our camera and it quite the little photographer these days. He prefers the self portrait, but is also mastering the "Unflattering shots of Mom" genre.

This shot is Kena enjoying a delicious dinner of Ketchup with a side of chicken nuggets and pudding. Not very mischievous I guess but still stinkin' cute.

Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, my son is up on the latest fashion trends. Modeling this falls newest sensation, here he is. He put that "hat" on all by himself. It's a Luv's size 5 for anyone out there who is dying to have one themselves. I personally think I'll skip this one (Shower caps never did look good on me)

And that wraps it up for today. I hope you all enjoy these shots as much as I did! Love you all!

My Mom

This weekend we were able to go to St George to witness my sister and brother-in-law be sealed to their new little boy. It was a wonderful and spiritual experience. It was the first time I've been able to attend the temple for any reason since my Mom passed. I've missed her so much and it was wonderful to be in a space that she could occupy too. I definitely felt her presence there and it made me realize just how thankful I am for this gospel. What an awesome blessing to know that she IS still there. Just because I can't call her up doesn't mean that she does not exist. I will see her again and that is a day that I look forward too.

"You so lucky"

This morning Trace came in and said "Mommy, you so lucky!"
"Why is that?", I asked
"You so lucky for me!"
What a cute kid, and smart too! We are so lucky though. We have happy, healthy kids and a great job. Cory came home yesterday and informed me that we are getting a signifigant raise because his manager is proud of him and the work he's been able to do. That means in the time that we've been here our pay has been increased 3 times, and always it seems when we need it most. And so I say again, "We so lucky!"

Welcome home visit

We had our welcome home visit for Jaxson yesterday. It's a service provided to all new moms in Wyoming where a nurse comes into your home and makes sure all it well. So my dear friend Dallas came and checked us both out. Sounds like we're both mostly good. She seems to think that Jaxson may have a hernia. She tells me its common and that it's a simple surgery to correct. To which my first reaction is, "SURGERY! AHHHH!" We still don't now for sure (we'll be asking the doctor about it on Friday) but it sure scares me to death. Here we have this perfect little baby who may need some help and I'm a bit worried. So here's hoping and praying that he doesn't need the surgery but we'll keep you posted.
Other then that all is well. Trace has finally, it seems, decided to get back on the perverbial potty wagon. Which, might I add, is a huge blessing. And Kena is Kena, ever active and as cute as a button. What a lucky lady I am!

Our first post! YAY!

So this is it, we've officially caught up to the rest of the world. After receiving TWO notices in the last month that dear friends are blogging, I've decided that it sounds rather therapeutic, so here we go.

Our family is growing by leaps and bounds. Our sweet little boy Jaxson Dean joined our family on August 3rd and he is blending with our family very well. His personality is very laid back and he is the most easy going baby I've ever encoutered. Trace just loves him. He follows me around asking to hold him, and would sit and hold him all day if I would let him. Kena seems still a little wary of him, but she loves him all the same. She loves to sit next to me on the couch while I feed Jaxson and feed her baby as well. She is also very ingtrigued by his feet, much to Jax's dismay. He seems to be opposed to people touching his feet and Kena can't get enough of them!

Cory and I have been busy ourselves. Cory started working on him Masters Degree on the 1st of August and it is coming along very well. He's already finished his first set of work and is anxious to get started on his work. All he needs is books and he's ready to go. We found an online university that will let him work at his own pace to finish school. There will be no set semesters, just a few deadlines, and if all goes as planned, he'll be finished in about 18 months. That means good things for our family. Cory's already been offered a position with Moss Adams as soon as his degree is done. That means our choice of office and our probably another move but we're ready for it. We've loved Wyoming, but after losing Mom this last year, I have a real desire to be closer to Dad. Even if its just for a few years. Moss Adams has an office in Albuquerque so we think that may be where we end up. It won't be for long I'm sure. Only a few years until Cory can get some experience under his belt. After that we're not sure where we'll end up. Could be SLC or even somewhere else. We trust that Heavenly Father knows whats best for our family and we'll definatley keep him in on the decision. But I shouldn't worry to much about it considering its still at least 2 years off.

I have started rubber stamping and I love it. I get together once a month with a great group of gals and we just stamp cards and scrapbook. Its great fun and gives me a chance to have some grown up time. Then I get to come home and stamp with Trace. He's a huge help *wink* and we have lots of fun together.

Speaking of Trace, he is potty trained now, although we have had a minor set back with Jaxson's arrival. He had a few days of accidents, but we expected it and it is correcting itself. He's is your typical toddler and has more energy then his mommy can keep up with most days, but he loves his brother and sister and slows down to play with them most of the time. Oh and he's decided that yucky is his new favorite word, especially at dinner. I guess we're entering into the picky phase. Thankfully, most nights he can be persuaded to eat it anyway.

Kena is a little spit fire and she is FINALLY walking. It was 2 days before Jax joined us that she finally decided to go for it. It's made life much easier for her mommy. She adores her big brother and wants to do everything he does. Most of the time its cute, some days not so much. Like the other day when brother taught her how crayons taste, or when he decided that she needed some lotion and got her from head to toe, literally. They keep me busy but I'm so glad they get along. They've both got great little personalities and fit so well into our family.

Jax, like I said before, is a great baby. He only cries for food, and he's only getting up once a night. It's a beautiful thing for his mommy and daddy. He's very easy going, and loves his brother to hold him.

And thats our fam in a nut shell. We love you all and you'll be hearing from us soon!