Jill & Poe!

This week I am greatful for my two best friends - April and Jill --- I am so glad to have the sweet girls in my life! 8 years ago they scooped me up and from day one we were best buddies - took care of each other - and had such a blast together --- I am so glad that we are still friends and are able to chat on a weekly basis! I am so greatful for the influences of these girls and all the other people that have been brought into my life for my good because of them - I am so greatful for their friendship and Love! Love You guys! - Chris

iheart Kylie... E-I-E-I-O!

Kylie! She is such a sweet little girl! Kylie is always doing something that just makes me smile - She has been enjoying having Mommy time with me for the couple of hours that Brayden is at school - it is not often that she gets one or the other of us all to herself - ANyway so yesterday on our way to the store after dropping Brayden off - She is just sitting in the back seat off the car in her own little world - Making up songs as she often does - Her song of the day was "I love to go to town I love town E-I-E-I-O" - She is just a
happy kid and I am greatful for her cheerful little personality!

Kylie is 3 & 1/2 right now - She loves to draw and color and make things - a girl after my own heart! She loves to play dress up - even when the boys are over to play she will still wear her princess dress - making sure she didn't forget her cape too - so that she could play super heroes with the Boys . Silly Girl! She loves to be my helper - anything I am doing she wants to do too - This week she wanted to Vacuum - so I let her help - she isn't even as tall as the vacuum is yet so it was funny to watch her try to make the thing go - she practically had to run to get it to work -- She loves her Brother Brayden and follows him around like a puppy dog - when she was a baby she was so happy when she learned to crawl because then she could follow Brayden... Brayden thought this was hilarious at the time (if any of you have heard Brayden's Laugh - you can imagine how funny that probably was to watch) He would weave in and out of the furniture and under the tables & both just giggling the whole time - And she just happily followed along just like she does today - Sadly sometimes this can get her into to trouble if Brayden is doing something he isn't supposed to - Kylie is often guilty by association. Well this is our Kylie - Our Happy go lucky Little Girl - & we just love her so much and are so glad to have her in our lives!
Love you Ky!

"Mom your my Favorite and my Best!" - Brayden

Brayden - What a blessing this Little Boy is in my life - 

Even though is always pushing my buttons - which he is pretty much professional at that by now - he can be quite the Rascal -But He is also the sweetest little guy at the Same time --- 

He is very sensitive and very good at reading people - He always know when I need a hug or a little help - Lately - this is my favorite - He will come up to me and wrap his arms around my leg and look up at me and say - "You're my "best" Mom - I love you so much!" 

or he'll just randomly  yell it across the room if he doesn't feel 

like leaving his project of the moment - How sweet is that... 

The Kids both say that is my favorite and best thing about a lot of things - 

and I feel privileged to be among those things that are their "Favorite and their Best!" 

Who couldn't love this dirty faced, messy haired, little Blonde haired, blue eyed boy!

Brayden is four and a half years old right now - He loves anything having to do with 

"cars" (the movie - you know "lightning McQueen" ) typical boy right - 

He is very smart - He is learning to read and write right now - he loves to go to preschool 

-and is thrilled with the idea of going to kindergarten this fall - He loves going to Gymnastics or "GYM" as he calls it - i guess gymanastics was to girly for him or something...

- He loves to play outside and at friends houses - he loves his red bike - 

he loves books and music - His favorite colors are Blue and Brown and black - 

He is a really good helper - He loves his sister Kylie and tries involve her in 

everything he does and is very protective of her. He is a very clever little guy - 

and can figure everything out - which kinda makes me crazy sometimes - 

Well i guess that's Brayden in a nutshell - 

And we just love our little Boy so much 

He is my favorite and my Best Boy! 

Love you Brayden! 

Thank You - Neighbors & AAA

Ok - this week I am grateful for Good Neighbors - who have come to help us plow out our drive way many times this winter - We have gotten so much snow - And we were sick one week and didn't shovel out our drive way and it has been awful and then it actually got warm enough to rain one day that same week - turning the snow we had not shoveled into ice  - If you miss shoveling one time it makes it impossible to try to catch up and see your actual driveway again - I think we have a blanket of ice on our driveway about 3 - 4 inches thick - So any way I am grateful for neighbors that have quads and tractors &  snow-blowers that have come over and helped us to maintain our driveway... on that note I am also grateful for our AAA roadside assistance Membership -  Regardless of how hard we have worked to keep our driveway clear - We still have gotten stuck in out own driveway about 4 times in the past couple months - due the fact that our cars a very  appropriate in the Sunny world of California  - But not at all Idaho Snow Appropriate... this morning Jeb was late for school because he got stuck in our driveway again... So this week I am grateful for great neighbors and AAA. Thank you very much to both of you!

Catching Up...

It has been a busy couple of weeks - Sorry about the lack of posts... I guess blogging got put on the back burner --- I have a million projects that for some reason I felt the need to tackle all at once --- Do you guys remember that book - "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie" --- You Know - if you give a Mouse a cookie then he'll need a glass  of milk... and so on and so on... Thats how I'm feeling right now - If I start this project then I'll have to do this project also - and then this problem comes up and it keeps going... Ever since the fires in CA happened last Fall - I have been really wanting to get things in order --- So I tackled the project of organizing our photos - Which is turning out to be bigger project than I thought it would be --- I knew I took to many pictures - But geeze I take a lot of pictures! anyway - I'm just trying to consolidate --- Put A whole years worth of photos on ONE DVD - rather than the million CD's I have them on now - That way all of our pictures are on only 7 discs! Which is great because I plan on making 2 copies of each so I can put 1 set in our fire/water proof safe... Any way I am almost done with that project which I will be glad to finish because having about 10 million photos on my computer is making it so slow... 

So more of catching up on things - I think I have missed the past few weeks of blessings - Definately not because I haven't been thinking about the many blessings in my life - but because I haven't had a chance to sit down and put them in writing - So here it goes ---

I am greatful for Sundays - Because my sweet husband is home the whole day! I love days like that! Between School and work right now good quality time together is rare - I am so looking forward to the summer because He will be done with all of his coarse work - And I will get my husband back for a little while... But for now Sundays it is and I am greatful for that ---

I love you Jebby!

I am greatful for the Relief Society Program in our church. I am Greatful to be able to attend church each sunday and partake of the spirit that is there - I am so glad to be able to meet with all of the Women at the end of our church day and discuss life and the many ways that we can have joy in our lives - I have often had a calling that took me away from Relief Society on Sundays so I am just soaking it up while I can right now - I so enjoy having adult conversation and the sweet spirit that is always present in Relief Society... I always come home from church feeling like I am a little better equipped to handle the coming week and all that goes along with that - What a blessing it is to go and refresh and start new each week - Because heaven know I need that! 

I almost forgot...

                         { BRAYDEN & KYLIE'S PLAY ROOM }

                             

Ok so Even though the MESS you see here is what it usually looks like - which drives me absolutely crazy!  This week I am so greatful to have a { Play Room } for my silly kids to play in --- Because it is freezing cold outside!!! And although Playing out in the snow is quite fun it only lasts about 20 minutes before my kids are shaking uncontrolably from the COLD!              

( not including the 20 minutes before and after playing that involve putting on and taking off snow gear... so I guess it really is an hour once it's all said & done...) 

                               

I am so glad they have a place for all there toys and things - so it doesn't "technically" have to be strewn about the rest of my house - they have a place to get the energy they would normally spend outdoors...

                          

                                           

I just love that they have a place where they can play dress up - and use there amazing imaginations - While we are all cooped up for the winter --- 

Our Sweet Prophet

I am greatful for Gordon B Hinckley
The prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints


I was so sad to hear about the passing of our prophet Gordon B. Hinckley.But I cannot help but rejoice as I visualize the great reunion with Our Heavenly Father and his sweet, sweet wife, Marjorie Hinckley. He is the only prophet I have ever known - He was already the prophet when I joined the Church. I am so gratetful that Heavenly Father sent such a great man to earth to help teach and inspire me.I am sad but I know he has been called home, and is needed to carry on the work with our Heavenly Father.
He has touched my life, made me laugh, and inspired me to be better. Much Love to our beloved Prophet.

Chris

{ I know this is silly... }

I know this is silly but this week i was greatful for running water ---

So - Any way - I am greatful for running water this week because two weeks ago my silly Husband broke our faucet. Who knows what he was trying to do but he broke the head right off the faucet - It was kind of funny though because the water would still come out but with the head not being there to filter the water Down - If we forgot that it was broken and just turned the water on full blast it would shoot all the way across the house --- Jeb and I both got shot with water a few times - I would just soak us too - to the point that we had to go and completey change our clothes - Ugg - We finally replaced the faucet with a new one - So this week I am greatful for running water!

This is Brayden trying out the new faucet
I am also glad for Helpful Toddlers --- Brayden is learning to earn the fun things he gets to do by helping around the house --- Today he did the dishes for the first time and he atually is really good at doing that --- He scrubs every bit of dirt off of every dish - I hope his excitement to be helpful will last - but I probably shouldn't hold my breath.

{ Friends }

 I wanted to get a picture of all your beautiful christmas cards before I took them down--- I'm a little behind on that as well - All my christmas Decorations are still in the house- I'm getting closer though - most of them are in their boxes but never the less still in the house---
So here we go... I am so greatful to be blessed with such wonderful friends -- I wish there were more holidays where people sent out Photos of their families and updates on their lives- Thank you so much for keeping in touch- I loved all of your holiday cards! - I am so glad to have each of you in my life and so grateful for the impact whether small or large that each of you has had in my life - I would not be the person I am today if not for the love and support of my friends.

The Blessing of Family...

I am so blessed to live the life I do and to have the Family i have--- I have an amazing husband who would do anything for me, who works so hard to make our lives what they are. I don't know what we would do with out him --- I have 2 Beautiful children who fill my days with happiness along with some headaches - but even those are well worth it - because my kids are amazing! I love my little Family and I am so greatful for them!