ChRisTmaS ReVieW

Well it is sad to say, but another Christmas has came and gone. This time more than ever it passed by without warning. Mckay had to work most of Christmas Eve as well as the day after Christmas...so part of it flying by was the fact that Mckay had such a short break! We enjoyed ourselves anyway and had our first Christmas at home! We woke up when the kids did at 8:30, I guess we will let them sleep in on Christmas, before they know any better! Then we let the kids dig in their stockings as well as opened gifts. Payton is a pro at opening gifts in no time. McKenzie is more of a leisurely opener, and takes her time getting small pieces at a time. It is cute to see the difference a couple of years can make. After enjoying our presents we then got ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa's (my parents) house to exchange gifts with them and hang out for a while and eat a nice HAM dinner. The roads were icy and drifts were everywhere so we decided to go home in the daylight (and Mckay had to work the next morning). So for the rest of the evening we came home to set up some of the kids presents. McKenzie got a kitchen set that we wanted to put together. Payton likes it too and enjoys making food for us to eat. Mckay and I thought that this would only take a few minutes, but to our surprise and nearly 2 hours later it was completed. For coming in such a large box it sure did have a million little pieces. It was an all GIRLS Christmas for McKenzie. She got her kitchen set, dolls, bottles, cell phone, and a stroller. Payton got some games to learn with, a remote control Mater and McQueen set (grandparents), Madagascar the movie, McQueen PJ's and slippers, a snow shovel to help Daddy clear off the sidewalks (It has been really snowy here lately), etc. Mckay got a new router table and some bits. I got a new digital camera with a case and some SD cards. We also got an area rug for our dining table and 72 hour kits, etc. It was a great Christmas and now we are all having withdrawals from the Christmas spirit and the constant songs we play in the backgound putting us all in the Christmas mood.







Now we await the beginning of another year and have lots to look forward to in the upcoming months. Baby #3 will make it's appearance in no time. I just have to get through the horrible heartburn and growing stomach! I am a little nervous because the baby is due right when Mckay starts to get really busy with tax season...great timing, I know.

Payton is getting so big and is officially a Sunbeam! I can't believe that we have a child old enough to be in primary. He is such a sweet little boy and loves to wrestle with anyone who will give it a try, especially his Dad, if he is in a sad mood, nothing will cheer him up faster then a wrestling match!!


McKenzie has sure grown up lately. She is almost in nursery, YEAH!! I have never seen a child her age love books so much. The first thing that she wants in the morning is a good ol' book. The routine consists of me getting her out of bed, her pointing to the bookshelf, me picking out a book, her shaking her head "no" until I finally pick just the right book for her particular mood, and then looking through it time and time again. This happens several times a day, this is also how we have made it through the last few weeks of church. McKenzie is saying more and more lately. She says: sshh (fish), more, da da, mommy, Payton (not quite that well though) various animal sounds, baby (she is really good at that one and says it so clearly), ball, hi, bye bye, yes and no, poo poo (although not ahead of time unfortunately), na na (banana), shoes, jabbering, various body parts, etc. She is a happy little girl and loves her big brother, and dancing to fun music!

SANTA CLAUS is Coming to Town!

On Monday we drove back from a quick trip to Montana. Mckay had earned a few days off from work and we decided to use them up before they expired. The weather was freezing and we spent a lot of time indoors and hanging out with family. We did get to see one of Levi’s basketball games though. It was short and sweet as usual. We had to hurry back home because there was a family work party starting at 6:00 PM, and the roads were bad. We made it just in time to rush home for a quick change and head to the PARTY! The kids were both so happy to get out of the car (and so were we)! At the CHRISTMAS party there was pizza, drinks, and treats. Then every family was in charge of a fun carnival like game as the kids would make their way around. We made a FroSTy the SnOWmaN bean bag toss. Then the highlight of the night arrived as we all heard bells JinGLinG in the distance and an all familiar…HO HO HO. It was Santa himself!! Payton was in shock and so excited, while McKenzie was still busy exploring. Then Santa sat down to read “It was the Night Before Christmas”, while the children all listened so quietly. After the story, one by one the children were called by name to come and sit on Old ST Nick’s lap for the “CHAT”, and to receive a present. Payton told Santa, “My name is Payton”, then the rest was too quiet to hear so hopefully Mckay and I get the right thing!! When it was McKenzie’s turn we were unsure what she would do, but sure enough she too sat on his lap and received her present. When all the children were done we all counted down and they were able to open their special gifts. It was such a fun little PARTY and the kids were spoiled. Payton got a castle with a lot of different action figures, he loves it so much. McKenzie got an interactive Teddy Bear, and was so pleased and began cuddling it and dancing with it immediately. I feel so blessed that Mckay works with such a family oriented company, his boss, and bosses wife love children and you can just feel it.

Now we only have about one week left to finish preparing for Christmas. I feel like it really has snuck up on us this year!

A FreSH GReeN TREE & A LaTe NiGHt PHoNe CaLL!

Last night for Family Home Evening we went to Walmart with some of the people that Mckay works with, to buy some Christmas presents for families in need. Then we went out for pizza as a group. When we returned home we finished decorating our TREE. This is the first year that we have purchased a real Fresh Christmas TREE. It was fun going to the TREE lot and picking the "Perfect" TREE for our family and home. While Mckay was at work I put all of the lights on (this is my least favorite part of decorating for Christmas) and got it all ready to be finished later that evening. Payton is really good at putting the decorations on the TREE, but on the other hand McKenzie thinks that they are all pretty and will occasionally take them off or knock them off the decorated TREE. Payton does a good job of cleaning up after her though. I have some presents wrapped for the kids, and placed them under the TREE. There are times that the kids both get a little interested in them and other times when they just leave them alone. This is such a fun time of year and it is fun to watch the kids enjoy these moments as well, I guess all of these little curious acts come with the territory!


It was getting late so we put the kids and ourselves to bed. It was a little after 1:00 AM that we quickly jumped out of bed due to an urgent phone call. It is amazing the fear that runs through your mind when you think something could be wrong. I noticed that it was my MOM, and she doesn't make it a habit to call us that late, so it was panic at first and then I realized that my sister is just about to have her little one so that began to cross my mind as my MOM began speaking. Sure enough...it was "That Time". They have about an hour drive to get to the hospital and were on their way (the downside of living in the country), so they were going to bring the two little girls over to stay with us while they took care of buisness. As time progressed my mom called back and asked if I could meet them at the hospital instead because they just might not make it in time. When they arrived I took the girls and headed back home to let them sleep. As I arrived in our driveway I got the official call that she had delivered her little (or shall I say...VERY healthy baby BOY). He was a whopping 9 lbs 3 ounces (I think that is correct), I just heard 9 something and thought ouch!! She delivered within minutes after arriving at the hospital and ran several red lights while speeding to make it there. What a rush! Congratulations Michelle and Mark he is a cutie...I am such a bad aunt and didn't take pictures, sorry! Enjoy your special little present during these holidays! Just glad that everything turned out okay and that the phone call was a good one.

HoME SweeT HoME!

Well, it is official...we are now homeowners. On November 18th we signed all the important papers, then the 19th it was all official when we were handed the keys, but we waited until the weekend (November 22nd), when Mckay was out of school to make the BIG move and spend our first night in our brand new first home. We have been living in our house for a little over a week now. So you can imagine what we have been up to lately, (packing, cleaning, moving, unpacking, setting up house) you get the picture! One of the first nights that we spent together here as a family, we made a nice dinner when Mckay got home from work and topped it off with SPaRkLinG CiDeR (one of our favorites to celebrate something special with). Payton even got his own fancy glass and enjoyed doing the "CHEERS" with us over and over again. He could not wait until Daddy got home and we could "CHEER" , even now he wants to do it with forks or whatever when he remembers, and requests a fancy cup! He is such a fun little boy, I sure do love my kids and hubby and feel so grateful to have each of them in my life! It still seems a little like a dream to be living here but we LoVE it!! It was so fun to watch the kids wake up the first morning after sleeping here. They were both scanning the house and I think they were unsure if we lived here or just happened to spend the night. They love to play and run around in all of the space. Several days ago I returned the keys to our apartment and checked out with the manager. While we were driving there, as we got closer, Payton said, "OH...I don't want to go back to that house", in such a heartbroken little voice. While traveling in the car, Payton usually knows where we are and can tell us when we are getting close to where it is that we are going, as well as the correct turns we should take, (such as: Walmart, Aige's house, our "TWO houses", grandparents, movie rentals, etc.) so I was not surprised that he knew we were going back to the apartment, but I was surprised that he was so disapointed. He has told us several times that "I love our new house"and makes it clear that he wants to live here instead of the apartment. I would have to say he speaks for us all! I thought I would post a few pictures of the finished product, but as far as the rest goes...you will just have to come and see for yourself!

The kitchen...I am so excited to finally have a dishwasher again!!

This is one of our favorite rooms in the house...Our SWEET Master Bedroom/Bathroom!

Payton taking a break from all the hard work (aka PLAY).

Amongst all of the other things we have been unpacking, we also brought out some of our Christmas decorations. It was fun to see the kids enjoy the lights on the tree...they were both so excited and fascinated by it. We sure do love this time of year!

And the stockings were hung!

This is our new fireplace/entertainment center. We actually upgraded from that small nightstand that I made in high school shop (the TV was bigger then the stand).

Don't mind the small TREE, we are planning on getting our first real one, but until then the kids have enjoyed this little one!

I am so excited for Christmas this year. We are having our first Christmas at home, and while we will miss family during the holidays, we look forward to starting new traditions here and open presents under our tree. We spent Thanksgiving with my family and relatives. It was fun to have Mckay home from work for a few days! I did some shopping on BLACK Friday- bright and early, and then Mckay went to a BSU Football game that evening. To add to all of the things going on around here we all got SICK...yuck. Just glad this time we have a nearby washer and dryer! I started to feel bad Friday evening, and then McKenzie later that night, followed by Payton at 2:00 in the morning. Just when we were beginning to think that Mckay had missed out, he broke out with it last night. Rough way to get out of a day of work, but I'll take him anyday! :)

This last part is a little late but I wanted to put up actual Halloween pictures of the kids!! They were so cute while Trick-or-Treating. Payton would knock and say the magical words, but don't get me wrong McKenzie sure mastered the part of snatching candy and putting it in her bag! It was like we had trained her, she was a natural!

Who could resist that face!

All dressed up!

Daddy taking the kids Trick-or-Treating!

Both kids with their loot and looking so cute!

Payton had a hard time deciding if he was going to be a Dragon or Batman so we let him be Batman underneath the Dragon costume...It was warmer!

We are grateful for our home and glad that maybe things will start slowing down here so we can enjoy the Christmas Season, (and so I don't have an early baby)!