Merry Christmas!

Ho ho ho! After all the Christmas snacking and food, I'm probably as fat as Santa, but it was worth it! We had a ton of good food and a lot of fun with our families.
First we spent Christmas Eve with my family. I had to work that day until 3, and then we came home and got ready to go to Gradma Lyndies. We made it there about 4 and the fun began! We played games, ate food (obviously), opened a few presents, and talked a lot. Everyone (that lives in Utah) was able to make it there that night, so it was definately a full house. The last game we played before leaving at 11 was Aquire. Now I only mention this because, I WON! Sweet! We got the kids home and in bed so that we could finish up with everything else we needed to do.
Then it was Christmas! Since the kids were up so late, they stayed asleep until 8:30 (bonus!) And then the crazy unwrapping insued! It was fun, because Shay understood Santa, and was really excited to unwrap her gifts from him. The kids got real "kid-tough" cameras, stuffed dogs, sweaters, a baby and a doodle pro. Shay wears her camera around her neck all the time and has a blast taking pictures.

Jeff got a work out video, pull up bar, and shoes!


And me??? I got the bestest, most awesomest present of all! A brand new Digital SLR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't even tell you how awesome it is to have a good quality SLR in my hands again! I can't put my camera down either. It can't take a bad picture. So, if anyone wants some pictures taken, let me know! I just want to take tons of pictures and see all the things it can do. Ahh.

Then we went to Jeff's parents for the rest of the day. Mat cooked us an awesome meal! Better than Thanksgiving, even. We opened some more presents and mostly hung around the house, played some games, and watched movies and TV. All in all, we had a fantastic Christmas!

Halloweeen! (as said by Owen)

Wasn't Halloween awesome! We had a great time! First off, the weather was a-maz-ing. Perfect weather to be out and about in. I got off work a little early and we got the kids dressed up (Shay was a fairy and Owen was a Pirate.) Then we went to our wards Trunk-or-Treat / party. It was a lot of fun, and an awesome way to get lots of candy! It took us like 10 minutes to go to all the trunks and fill up the kids bags. Then we went to my mom's house (like we do every year) and went around her neighborhood. I like trick-or-treating there, because there are a lot of houses in a small area, and if the kids start going crazy, we can cut it short and be back in minutes. Anyway, they both got a ton of candy, so we're set for the next year, I'm pretty sure. So, Happy Halloween to all...can't wait for next year!

Owen's almost 2!

When did my baby decide to get older? His birthday is right around the corner! I think back when Shay was almost 2, and I was barely pregnant and just announcing it to the world. But, I can't picture Owen being a big brother, because he's still just a baby! Anyway, before your imaginations run away with you, I'll go ahead and say it...NO! I'm NOT pregnant. I was just reminiscing. Anyway some of my favorite things Owen does are:

1) Sings Happy Birthday to You!
2) How he says Cereal (See-yo-l)
3) When he's really excited he plants his feet, bounces, and shakes his arms while saying "Yeah Yeah!"
4) He LOVES his Shay-shay! He doesn't seem to feel right when he's not with his sister.
5) He now wants to sleep in a real bed. He'll try to get us to put him down for bed in Shay's bed, and then he pats the pillow next to his head to signal for us to lay down by him! (So cute! Sometimes I just have to do it, even if I'm going to put him in his crib in a minute.)
So, anyway, here's a post to my little buddy, bubba, and bo-bo-la. Love ya!

Penny-pinchers unite!

Okay, so I'll admit it. I PAY ATTENTION TO HOW MUCH THINGS COST!!... and I don't like to pay more for something that I KNOW is cheaper somewhere else. So, the other day Jeff had the day off of school and I come home from work. We had zero food. (at least zero that was worth eating...) So Jeff asks me what we're going to do, and I decided that we could all go grocery shopping. While we're at the store (and not the store I usually go to, because Jeff hates that store.) I happen to mention a couple of times that some of the food is more expensive then I usually pay. And Jeff says... "Shut up. Stop whining." !!!! EXCUSE ME??? Shut up!!! What is that all about??? Stop WHINING!!!! I'll show you whining!!!!!!! Anyway, apparently he says I've been whining the whole time we're there about how much food is at this store! And I can't believe it! All I did was mention that I could get a couple of things cheaper some where else!!! So, for the rest of the day I was bugged. Super bugged. And I felt that he should apologize to me. And the next day I was bugged. (But getting better.) Of course, there was still no apology. So the day after that, after the kids where in bed I told him that I would appreciate an apology. And he goes, "You're still mad about that?" Ummm...HELLO! I just want you to acknowledge that you were rude! Urgh... Anyway, he finally apologized. But, now, in an effort to preserve some happiness, I've banned him from grocery shopping with me. MEN

I'm here! I'm here!

Okay, so it's been very very long since I posted. I think it's mostly because I don't have anything to write about. Right now our lives are just day to day. Jeff has school now MWF 5-10 and Sat 8-5. So, we don't go around doing lots of crazy fun things. Shay has now started a dance class thanks to Grandma, and so far she loves it. owen is still cutest baby ever. Love him to death. He loves to sing Happy Birthday and Hello!



The other day we went to a printer's and Shay and her cousins got to jump around in a ton of shredded paper! It was really cool. Owen wouldn't go in though, so maybe next time.


Let's see...Oh! Jeff has to learn a whole bunch of knots for his class. So, he likes to practice on the kids...

A little fun

I'm taking my vacation this week! Woo-hoo! And since Jeff is in school still we are just sticking around here. But, that's not to say that we aren't having fun...!Here's some pictures of what we've been up to for a couple days

Breaking Dawn! (nothing is revealed in this post for those that haven't read it yet.)

I love love love this book! It's got something for everyone! And it doesn't make us all wait to the very end of the book for important things to start happening! Of course, that doesn't mean that nothing happens at the end of the book,either. This is my favorite series of all time! Stephenie is amazing! Ahhh...

One week to go!

Okay, Twlight fans! The moment (well, one of the moments) we've all been waiting for is just around the corner! Breaking Dawn! Hooray! (I'll be using a lot of !'s in this post.) I can't wait!! Any crazy off the wall theories? I will be buying the book the moment it's available. Actually anyone that wants to join in some fun next Friday should totally join! We're going to go to dinner, go to the party at the bookstore (like Barnes and Noble. If you didn't do this last year, you should come. It was fun!) And then wait in a crazy long line for the book! It'll be awesome!

Happy 4th!

We had a great 4th this year! In the morning the kids and I had breakfast out in the common area with our neighborhood. It was really good, and a great start to the holiday! Then we headed to the Freedom Festival parade in Provo with the Sillitos.
Shay and Bela really loved it, while Owen was more interested in placing his cup in random peoples cup holders. (It's a good thing he's adorable.) After that we went to the festival where Jeff was giving free blood pressure tests for a class. Shay got her face painted with fireworks! It was great.

Later that day we had a BBQ at the Sillitos and played volleyball. Finally, we headed to our favorite spot in Provo to watch the Stadium of Fire fireworks. They were great! Shay fell asleep, but Owen managed to stay awake for all of it. If you haven't seen fireworks from the Stadium of Fire, you really need to! well, that's all for now!

Lions and Tigers and Bears...oh My!

Hooray! We FINALLY made it to the zoo! I was begging all week long and Saturday I got my way! It was gorgeous outside...and so, it was also busy. But, I didn't care. We didn't actually get to see any Lions or Tigers...but we did see a bear! And lots of other cool animals. They even had a baby giraffe. So...here are some pictures to feast on.

Stephenie Meyer

So, on Friday Stephenie Meyer came to town on her book tour for The Host...so of course I had to go! Janan and Julie had the same sentiment, so we all went together. It was a lot of fun...and a lot of sitting! We got there 2 1/2 hours early, just to get a decent seat. Then Stephenie came out to answer some questions. Stephenie is really sweet and genuine. It was really cool to her what her thoughts were about the Host. Then she sat down to sign books. It was another 2 1/2 hours to get up to the table and get the books signed! And we weren't even in the back. Anyway, she said she liked my name (anyone who's read the Host, should be able to figure out why...Yes, a character is named after me.) and that was it. And now I have 3 books signed by Stephenie Meyer. It was totally worth it!

Playing at the Park

Just a little fun outside...

Guitar Hero Rules!

I love Guitar Hero! We just got it and it's a blast! If you haven't tried playing before, you must come over. We've been playing all weekend. I'm even humming the songs from the game at work. One word to best describe the game: Addicting
And it is hilarious to watch Shay pretend she's playing. She'll say things like "Rock on, baby!"

My little beauty queen

Still alive...if only barely

Okay, so my sister pointed out to me the last time I posted on my blog. And yes, that is really sad. But, I have good excuses (plural). So, about a month ago Jeff and I moved out of our townhome and into his parents house for a week. So, I was without my computer all that week, and really the week before I was soo busy packing that I had no time to play on the computer. Anyway, after that week of living at my in-laws we moved into our new condo. And we did set up the computer BUT I was so busy trying to unpack that whole week, that I again, had no time to play on the computer. (So, that's what 3 weeks accounted for, right?) Okay. Week 4 we did have the computer up, we were mostly unpacked, and our internet was working. I have no excuse, other than I was out of the habit by that time. But NOW...man oh man. Our computer will not read our internet modem and we can't figure out why! I never realized how completely dependent I had become, but I feel crippled now without the internet available to me at any time. Right now I am blogging from my bro-in-laws laptop. Anyway, I'm sorry for the dry spell, and I don't know when that will change, but don't give up on me completely. At least check back once a week to see if I'm up and running again. Don't abandon me completely!!! Okay??? Okay, thanks. I feel better. Anyway, wish me luck with my internet woes...

The Host

I was just on Stephenie Meyers website and she has an excerpt from her new book "The Host" that is coming out May 6th. I loved it. I can't wait until it's released! She is quickly becoming my favorite author. Which has been a tie between two fantasy authors for years!


And new in Twilight news, they have chosen the rest of the Cullens. Check out her site www.stepheniemeyer.com ! You won't regret it. I can get lost in there with everything she has going on. And finally...
The fourth book has a release date of August 2nd. Last year I went to the release party with Janan, Julie, and Pam, and we had a lot of fun! We definately need to do it again! Please!

The Police are coming!

Yes! That's right, the Police are coming in July! I am so excited! They've been a favorite band for as long as I can remember (I'm sure it's all thanks to Joylynn's influence.) I can't wait to see them in concert. I've been to Sting concerts, but never the Police, so this is a once in a life time opportunity! So, Police fans, unite! And come to the concert with me! It'll be awesome!

Hooray!

I am very excited right now. Jeff and I just accepted an offer on our home! What a relief. After 4 looooooooooooooong long months of being on the market and trying to live like we were in a museum, it is finally over. Well, I guess not completely over. We still have sign the final papers, and THEN it will be over. Anyway, I am so happy that we've managed to sell. Now we just have to find the perfect place to move to and make and offer and have it accepted. But, that's the fun part.

Mysterious me.

Alright, thanks to Christy I am doing a tag. And I'm sorry that I'm so lazy about blogging right now. You know it's one of those things that you do religiously for awhile and then don't touch for awhile.

A. The rules are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people, posts their names, and goes to their blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago

1. Spending as much time as I possibly could with my high school boyfriend (Jacob Hickman)
2. Trying to make all my friends not be mad at me for spending all my time with Jake.
3. Working at Fan-A-Mania (and hating it, but sticking with it for some reason that I don't know to this day. Me and sales just aren't a good fit.)
4. Listening to music all the time. I had almost every song you'd hear on the radio memorized. I loved to sing in the car!
5. Driving my adorable little light blue Nissian truck anywhere I possibly could. (It wasn't really MY car, it was my parents. But I thought of it as mine.)

5 Things on My To-Do List Today

1. Clean the house
2. Buy Groceries
3. Catch up on shows I recorded on the DVR. (It's the only way to watch TV now-a-days.)
4. Find some cool 80's songs on iTunes to buy (I still have like $5 on my gift card from my birthday)
5. Pay the mortgage...(eeks! I forgot about that one until just now.)

5 Snacks I Enjoy

1. Baked! Lays Cheddar and Sour Cream chips (and it must be the Cheddar and Sour Cream if you buy the Lays. The original flavor is NOT good. Take my word for it.)
2. Dreyers Slow Churned Take the Cake ice cream (but this is not a regular flavor, so now I have to wait for it to come out again. Dang.)
3. Fruit Snacks!
4. Peanut Butter M&M's
5. Orange flavored Tic Tacs

5 Things I'd Do If I Were a Billionaire

1. Quit my job
2. Pay for Jeff's schooling. (Seriously, the interest rate on the student loan is going to be murder!)
3. Have absolutely ZERO debt so that I'd never have to pay a bill again.
4. Give my most favorite people 1 million dollars. (Would you be one? Maybe if you called me every now and then, you'd know the answer to that question...)
5. Travel to all the places I've always wanted to go, but never could...because of money.

3 Bad Habits

1. Picking at my arms(I've discovered that I've past this onto Shay...oops.)
2. Being late to work everyday because I just HAVE to push the snooze button one more time.
3. Yelling

5 Jobs I've Had

1. Fan A Mania
2. Macey's Bakery!
3. Wal Mart - Cashier (I'm sooo glad that part of my life is over! Man, the stories I have from that job!)
4. Security Home Mortgage - Loan Processor
5. Bank of American Fork (current) - Mortgage Loan Processor

5 Things People Probably Don't Know About Me

1. I find myself crying over TV shows and commericals more than anything in real life.
2. I always wished I had an Austrailian accent
3. I don't like to be buried under things...but not because I'm claustrophobic (sp?) but because the air gets too warm and yucky. I need the freshest air I can get.
4. I do get mad
5. I hate to breathe out of my mouth. Don't ask why, just accept it.

I'm tagging - Anyone reading my blog. I'm pretty sure that's only about 5 people, so it works out.