Chuck e Cheese

We went to the new Chuck E Cheese a couple of weeks ago. The kids loved it! January and February are long, boring, cold months, so we get itching to get out of the house.

Christmas 2009

Presley and Porter playing with their new kitchen
Kaden with some of his presents
Presley with her presents(some are from her birthday too)
Presley and Porter on my Grandma & Grandpa's traditional train...see me below on the same train, same age as Presley.
This is me when I was Presley's age. I'm riding with my cousin Zara, and my cousin Zane is watching.
My cousin's Katie and Stacey. (We have taken this same xmas photo on the same couch for several years in a row)
My Grandpa Jim

Presley's 5th Birthday

Pics of sweet Presley. She sure is a handful, very independent and strong willed which can sometimes be hard, especially at times when she seems like a teenager already, but I know someday her personality will work to her advantage since she also has a very caring and loving side to her. I'm actually very sad for her to start kindergarten next year. I love being home with her and Porter, they are really starting to be able to play together now that Porter is older.

(Even after having Kaden at a young age, I really wanted another baby, so when Dan and I got married, we didn't wait long to start trying, but it didn't happen right away like I thought it would [isn't it ironic]. It took me almost a year to get pregnant for some reason, so I was very excited for her).

I love this picture so much. I can't even describe it. It was taken just moments after she was born and I love that she is looking at me. Makes me cry to look at it.
1st Birthday
2nd Birthday
3rd Birthday
4th Birthday

(5th Birthday pics below)

I can't believe Presley is 5! Her birthday is sure at a rough time, but I still try to make it special for her, and I think she gets a good birthday even though its so close to Christmas...or actually say 3 birthdays. Her birthday was Sunday the 20th, and she got a party Friday the 18th (with Dan's family/Christmas party), Saturday the 19th (with my Mom's side), and Sunday the 20th(with my Dad's side). Busy weekend. She got lots of fun stuff that will keep her occupied the next couple of weeks.

Party at Grandma Margo's
Party at my house
I think this one is funny of Porter trying to blow out her candles
Birthday at Grandpa Mark's

Christmas Dinner with great friends!!

This is my Christmas dinner with all my best friends I grew up with. We do it every year. This year we went to Windy's Sukiyaki. I had never been there. We all sat in a little tea room. It was nice. Too expensive though. After we went and played games at Kristi's house. I love my friends! I'm so glad we have kept in touch!

Festival of the Trees

The last few years we have gone down to the South Towne Center for the Festival of the Trees with my sister in law and her family. It is super fun! I recommend anyone with kids to go to it. We go early in the day and let the kids do crafts (they really love it and they have tons of cool stuff for them to do), then we walk around to look at the trees and get lots of yummy, homemade snacks. It's a fun tradition!
Don't forget to get the caramel apples slices if you go next year!

Days are going by way too fast....

I haven't taken any pictures lately, but I guess I can blog without pics. Things have been really busy. School is super hard, no really, it's hard. 3 kids and studying don't mix well. I'm taking it one day at a time. I try to do all my homework/studying at night so that I don't miss out on things with my kids, although I do go up to the school once a week for tests. So far so good. I hope.

We have been doing a few things the last couple weeks. We went and saw "Where the Wild Things are". I loved it. Some people say they hated it, but I loved it. It's very weird, but touching. Presley cried at the end. During the credits we were all talking about the movie and she was laying on my shoulder. I didn't really think much, but then I looked down and noticed she was sobbing. I put her up on my shoulder and I asked her if the movie made her sad and she just sobbed and said, "YES". She said it was sad when the monsters cried at the end. I thought it was so cute that it touched her like that. Sometimes she can be very stubborn and hard headed, so I love when I get to see tender sides of her. She's a good girl, she's just 4 going on 14-already!
We went and saw a Nitro Circus show in Salt Lake. Dan and Kaden really like that show and they got to meet and get all the autographs from the guys. Kaden was super excited.
We also went with some of my fam to see "Christmas Carol". It was a cute movie.
Dan and I went with the whole Smith family to eat and to see New Moon last weekend. I love the whole Twilight series so of course I loved the movie. I don't listen to the Twilight haters.
If you can't tell, we like movies. I really like going to movie theaters. It's the one moment where I don't have to think about or be doing one other thing..no distractions, no cleaning, no getting sippy cups...etc... and I get to escape into the movie.
I am looking forward to this Thanksgiving weekend and luckily there is only 2 weeks of school left this semester. December will also be fun too. I love the holidays and all the fun Christmas things to do.
Oh and Porter is darling. I love him. He is at the cutest age right now. He says the most adorable things ever. I want to freeze him in time. I can't even stand it sometimes. Here are some cute things he does...
-reads books to me, but whispers while he does it
-knocks on the wall when he wakes up. Then Presley and I put something under his door, he pauses, then says--Thank you!---pauses again---"What it called?"
-loves dolls, kitchens, dinosaurs, garbage trucks, firetrucks and animals..perfect mix.
-he's smart...knows all his colors, animals, and can even count to 5 sometimes even higher.
-He told me the other day that he liked my jacket,then he stared at it for a minute,then asked, "is it your favorite?". So cute! I didn't even know he knew the word favorite. He'll just say a word out of no where.
-he still loves his "silky"..he searched for the corner of it and flicks it in his nose over and over and over. I'm not sure why, but I think it's so funny and cute!
There are probably hundred of other things he does. I need to write them more often so I don't forget. I think I'llremember, but I really don't. I have forgotten several cute things over the years. That's why I started this blog. I was never a good journal writer, no time. Typing is much quicker.

I love my family.. I love my life..I am blessed!

Halloween and such...

Here are some of the fun Halloween things we did this month...I will label the pics. October/Halloween is one of my favorite times of year. I love the weather, the warm soups and chili, the hoodies, the leaves, and of course Halloween.

Kaden at the Pumpkinaze
Porter looking for candy in the corn barrel
You can't tell, but we are on a really fun slide at the Pumpkinaze
My good friends from work-Cassie and Ashley
My work Halloween party
Kyle, me, and Kassey ~ work friends
Jake and Cassey (at Cassey's Halloween party) Jake took his costume off but he was Moses and Cassey is the red sea.
Vikings
Porter and Grandma Margo
Hanging out on the beanbag
Sarah and Brent (poor Sarah is due any day) She's a trooper!
Kaden on Halloween - he wanted to be a hippie
Presley wanted to be Dorothy again. I think she makes the perfect Dorothy
Porter as a chicken (Bob-ka). He loved Trick-or-treating. He would say thank you a few times at each door. So darling!
Our yearly porch Halloween shot

Kids sure make Halloween fun. I get excited because of them!!!