A Bear Lake Thanksgiving

We headed up to Bear Lake this Thanksgiving, and it was so fun. Nathan's aunt Melanie just finished remodeling her cabin on the lake, and it was so beautiful! They put windows everywhere - any direction you looked was gorgeous lake views. It was so fun to literally hang out in Pajamas with family for about 3 days straight (ok I got ready on one day:). Nathan's aunt Jan and her boys came up, along with his uncle Brad and his kids, and Keith, Leslie & Grammy. Becca followed Mckenna (Melanie & Mike's daughter) around all day. If Mckenna wasn't to be found, Becca would call up and down the halls with her hands on her hip "Kenna where are you?" Rachel trailed shortly behind them, wanting to be a part of the big girl activities ;). Thanksgiving was incredible! We had about 3 chefs in the kitchen cooking up a storm. I made the turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and corn pudding, I LOVE making Thanksgiving dinner. Brad also brought a turkey and deep fried it! Yummy! I had to watch how it was done, so I followed him down to the beach and took mental notes :) We had a couple of movie nights and had a double feature of Christmas movies one night...."Christmas Vacation" and "Elf". We played games, and watched the BYU vs Utah game. We also celebrated Nathan's 28th Birthday!! Thanks again Mike and Melanie for a great weekend!

(some of these pics where taken with a phone so forgive the blurry ones:)

The thankful list:)

I love my family! I love them so much it hurts most of the time. I am probably in tears at least once a day thanks to KSL. Yes I read KSL everyday, and there is always a tragic story, that makes me bawl like a baby for about 10 minutes, and then I have to go and squeeze my girls and kiss them like crazy! Seriously though, I just can't stand my kids cuteness (is that a word??)! Thats not to say they can't be total and complete stinkers, and tantrum throwers (everyday:). Rachel is especially going through the wine about everything faze. She gets away with it still because she doesn't talk much, even though she understands plenty. And did I mention that those adorable cheeks of hers get her a free pass out of trouble ?? Becca can be so incredibly sweet at times.... It absolutely makes Nathan and I feel lower than the dust of the earth. I hate it when we lose our patience with her, she is too sweet for words, and so loving. These two girls follow each other around all day, and I just love it! Becca dresses up, Rachel dresses up. Becca wants food, Rachel wants food. Becca laughs, Rachel laughs....you get it I know:). It just makes my heart melt though, when they do get along and play nice. I love my family! They are the best, I'm positive that no words in this world of ours could describe the overwhelming feelings of love I have towards them. Here is a small list in honor of Thanksgiving, of things I am thankful for. I am sure everyone is doing a post like this this week, and I don't care frankly because I am writing it anyway:).

-Becca= Sweetest girl in the whole wide world, who loves snow just as much as I do:)

-Rachel= Cutie buns of the entire earth! I just want to take a bite out of her, and I know she would taste delicious:)

-Nathan=Sexiest man alive in my opinion (People magazine has it all wrong). I just love him! I love him, I love him, I love him!!! Even if People magazine has at times been flung at him, on accident of course:)....

-My mom and dad= Wonderful memories, and a fabulous childhood, and upbringing. I can't thank them enough for all they have done. I love them much more than my arms will stretch.

-My other mom and dad (Keith & Leslie)=Wonderful, hardworking, selfless people. They are always out serving someone. They have done so much for us. I am crazy about them!

-Nathans job= A home for us, food, clothing, car. His job means I get to keep my full time job of being a mother....I cry every time I stop and think about how wonderful that blessing is.

I really could keep going, but I am keeping it short and simple this go round.

Happy Thanksgiving this week!!!!! Did I mention I am thankful for Thanksgiving?? I Love THANKSGIVING!

p.s. A little quote from Garfield "Thanksgiving is a day when people celebrate having food by trying to eat as much of it as possible".


p.p.s. The girls at Target (I am also Thankful for Target)! They were trying on the santa hats at the dollar spot, so we had to take a few pictures of course:).

Sometimes a homemade cookie makes the world right again.

First let me explain.....

I am a nursery leader for our ward...We have a sign on our door that explains to parents when NOT to bring their child into nursery such as...

- Runny nose
- Cough
- fever....to name a few

I think we need to make it a little bigger...extra LARGE print if you know what I am saying:) Because time and again parents tend to ignore this sign, even with this bad flu going around. Of course I do nothing, but what I feel like doing is handing the child right back over to them, and saying "please take your child home". It is just a common courtesy in my opinion. Plus if you are sick that is where you should be so you can get better. NO one else wants to share your sickness with you. Anyway, this last Sunday low and behold....it happened again! This time I caught what this kid and his brother had GRRRR! Now this was a different situation though because these 2 boys mother has been non existent since I have been in this ward. She came for the first time that day. Usually their grandma takes care of them (it's a sad long story). Other wise I am to the point where I will just hand your child back if they are sick. I couldn't in this case because I was glad the mother was here at church with her 2 boys (one boy was not even 11 months old that she left in nursery). SO both of them had this horrible cough, and boogers everywhere :(. Luckily Rachel who is also in nursery with me has not caught it, nor has Becca and Nathan. I have not been sleeping well, and that really takes a toll on your immune I have come to find. SO I came down with the flu, and cough, and cold. I am on the mend though thanks to my Immuplex I have been downing the last few days:).

So today due to not feeling well, the girls and I made cookies (which is totally not what I should eat being sick). I did though, and it felt so comforting and wonderful....that I think I just might go have another:)! Here is a pic of the girls playing with their Light Bright. And the cookies we made! Yum! Please ignore the dirty dishes piled in my sink, because I sure did.

This guy.....

I wanted to say a few things about Nathan.....

-He is incredibly smart! His mind is going like a million miles an hour constantly going from idea to idea. His brain never shuts off...accept for bed time. His head hits the pillow and he is out! While I lay awake still trying to shut my brain off..... Such a gift!

-He is the most genuine person you will ever meet! Honestly, there is not a false bone is his body. He wont pretend to be nice to your face, and then turn and say something bad behind your back. If he likes you he likes you, if he doesn't he won't pretend he does....I can't think of anyone on the bad list besides Obama?

-He hates chit chat. Like I said he likes to be real with people. When he meets someone for the first time, he will ask a million personal questions to try to get to know who you are, and what you are about. He likes to cut to the chase and avoid small talk. And he is truly fascinated by everything that person will have to say. And will remember almost everything said.

-He will never give me a BS answer. If I ask him something, he will give me his honest most sincere answer. I love it! If he gives me, or anyone else a compliment he truly means it.

-He is such a hard worker. He is currently going to work full time, and school full time, to get his masters of accountancy. Whenever he is working in the office he will try to come home before taking off to school to read scriptures with the girls and I, and then dash like a mad man out the door to catch his night class! He loves us so much, and tells me all the time how hard it is for him to be away from the girls and I all day and night. He will say almost daily that he could never have a job that meant being away from us all the time. Luckily this current busy schedule has a graduation date!

-He loves to learn! He loves to read "how to" books. He likes to learn it, remember it, then move on to the next thing... and that is how his mind works.

-He loves the holiday seasons like I do and I love it!! He gets excited to be able to watch our Halloween, and Christmas movies. And loves the music that comes with this time of year! I love to watch his eyes light up with true excitement when he talks about our plans for Christmas time, and fun things we should go do, or see:).

-He wants to have a mini farm someday. He would love to have a cow, and some chickens. Make his own cheese, and yogurt. He is totally into that kinda thing, and loves to learn about it.

I am sure I could keep going, however I will stop. It is late and so my bed time:) I am grateful most everyday Nathan came into my life. I couldn't ask for someone better honestly. Thank you for all you DO!!! Love you!

Trick Or Treat!

Well Halloween has come and gone, I am a little sad...I love this holiday. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas A LOT, don't get me wrong....There is something about Halloween that reminds me even more so of being a little kid again. The feeling of the crisp air outside, and the beautiful fall leaves scattered everywhere as you would walk home from school. This year did not disappoint in bringing back those same wonderful feelings! It was just as wonderful and fun as it has always been, it was even better having my two little munchkins who were just as excited as I was. Love it! On Thursday night I dressed up as a witch, and went to a very fun, all girls party at my friend Rachelle's house (I did not get pictures, Rachelle I need to steal some from you). We did our ward trunk or treat this year on friday, then that night our friends Taryn and Travis came over with their kids for a festive dinner. On Saturday we did more trick or treating that night in our neighborhood. I loved having two days to go trick or treat! I am pretty sure the girls loved getting twice the candy :). My parents came over on Halloween night to see the girls all dressed up. Becca was just so excited, and could not wait to put on her costume! She must have asked about every 10 minutes that day if it was time to go trick or treat! Rachel loved going door to door to get candy, and would try to take handfuls of candy at a time, and then check her bucket after every door to make sure it was all still there :). We love you Halloween! Come back again soon! :)All tuckered out after a big fun night out on the neighborhood:)

The Girls

I am sad sad I don't write down every day the funny things they do or say, because I forget. Anyway here are a few things they are doing lately...Becca

- Likes to Boss Rachel around A lot! So I will tell her "Becca don't worry about what Rachel is doing, you let me worry about her". She will then reply with "Ok mom you worry about her then please"!

- Nathan and I keep finding Becca on her floor anytime we go check on her after she is asleep. She likes to sleep there. Even if we move her she just goes right back. So now when I lay her down I just put her to bed on the floor. I feel like a mean mom doing this, but hey that's what she wants.

- Loves to be dramatic just like the princess movies she watches (I am contemplating burning them all:). So when she is upset she goes running off to the stairs and will fake cry.

- Also just like in her movies (they occasionally burst out into song:) Becca loves to mimic the singing. She will go outside onto our back Patio, and sing at the tops of her lungs whatever happens to pop into her heard at the moment. Usually it's about rainbows, and wondering when her prince will come to find her. Being her mother I can honestly say it is pretty off key 99% of the time but still pretty adorable! :)

- She is becoming pretty defiant lately, and really likes to say NO to us. I think she has picked this up from Rachel, seeing as how she is the queen of NO:).

- Nathan leads the music in sacrament meeting. A lot of the time Becca likes to go sit up there with him. This usually means she is right beside him leading the music to the congregation, and it is pretty dang cute!

- Says the longest, cutest prayers. She will usually just start talking about whatever she is seeing around her, and start blessing it. The best one yet was the other day. We had company over for dinner, Becca wanted to bless the food, instead she said this.... "Please bless me that I wont pee in my pants". I was laughing so hard!

Rachel

- Loves to sit on people. If you are trying to lay down on the ground she will come running! The best is that she most always picks Becca as her target. This is the dialog that usually takes place...

Becca: "Mom Rachel is sitting on me..can you get her off please!"

Me: "Becca you are bigger than Rachel, you really need my help?"

Becca: (a few minutes later) "Mom...I still can't get her off HELP!"

- Like I mentioned above, Rachel's favorite word is definitely NO! And she can't just say it once it usually goes something like this "No no no no no no".

- Doesn't say much, so when she is upset and trying to communicate what she wants she comes right up to your face and Yells! Pretty loud I might add. Sacrament meeting has proven to be difficult in light of her tantrums she can throw. Especially when your husband leads the music, and both children want to be up there with him.

A few tips for a healthy immune system ;)

I came across this article on a doctors blog that I thought was interesting, only because I love the Immuplex supplement he talks about, and we all have a daily does of Cod Liver Oil for breakfast (we take the brand pictured to your left here). Even our kids, and they actually like it. I started taking this Immuplex when I was pregnant with Rachel because I had a really bad sinus infection. It was seriously gone after taking that stuff for 1 DAY! Nipped that infection right in the Behind!:) And I love it because it is completely natural, full of whole foods, and is not overdosing you in vitamins. A lot of the vitamin supplements out there do nothing for you, and do more harm then good sometimes. This stuff rocks honestly! For my kids I give them 1 capsule of the Immuplex a day. I take the capsule apart and dissolve the powder into water and then give it to them on a spoon. I am going to order the Catalyn chewable tablets for them to start taking. I would wish I could send a bottle to everyone of my friends and family out there! I am not one of their salesman promise:). I know this sounds like a bad testimonial, I am just passing along some helpful information for something that I know to be good:). Don't forget GOOD sleep!! You and your kiddos both need it! Sleep is one of the best things you can do for your immune health. I think that is one of the reasons our kids have stayed as healthy as they do.. Honestly our kids hardly ever get sick (knock on wood). I am not saying this to brag or anything like that. I just believe in good sleep. Ok I am done now :).

Strengthen Your Immune System

"In the end it is only your immune system that can protect you from viruses when they attack. The best preventive thing you can do during cold and flu season is to use phytonutrient nutrition to bolster and maintain an immune system at top strength.

To keep vitamin D levels up (critical for fighting viruses) I recommend a daily teaspoon of Cod Liver Oil (CLO), or capsules. It is critical to get the highest quality of CLO. (Not rancid or processed in a way where the phytonutrients are not available anymore). There is no substitute product for this oil.

In addition I recommend the following products from Standard Process to keep your immune system strong: Immuplex (3-6 daily) and Congaplex (3-4 daily). Kids can take the same dose of CLO and Immuplex and Congaplex. Toddlers should take Catalyn (4 chewable daily)."

Also here is a short list of foods that have very strong immune boosters in them.

- Turmeric (a spice found in most curries) I made a yummy curried rice the other day with this spice that my kids loved.

- Garlic

- Oregano

- Yams (sweet potatoes)

- Yogurt

- Oats and Barley

- Cinnamon

Annual pumpkin carve!

Can I just tell you how beautiful our canyons are!? Especially in the fall? We went up to Mill Creek Canyon over the weekend, with my cousin Cheslie and her husband Eric, and it was just an absolute blast! We had a fire, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, and of course carved our pumpkins:). Nathan and I already want to go back up! Any takers?? The girls loved it. Becca was so excited to light the pumpkin she worked so hard on:). Rachel thoroughly enjoyed the marshmallows, and chips! She I am sure wonders why we don't go up the canyon more often if that's the only way to get such yummy food;). Now for a few pictures....This was at the pumpkin patchNathan getting our fire going, boy scout style:)The beautiful scenery by our campground.The materials needed.

We think she is enjoying her hot dog? :)

Some updates...

We had a birthday celebration the other week at my moms house for Becca. One of the gifts she received was a trunk full of Disney princess dress up clothes, and a box full of the shoes to go with each outfit! Let me tell you..these have been put to good use. Like I said Rachel has become a lot more girly, and loves to dress up! So here are a few random pictures from the last few weeks.
I know the resemblance is shocking! But no this is in fact Rachel, and not Snow White (also not to be confused with Pinocchio:)The girls love Pumpkin (our pet bunny). Poor Pumpkin probably gets more attention then he would like, but the girls don't seem to mind :)Sorry for the blurry picture. This is Rachel on Becca's birthday shoving the entire sugar cookie in her mouth! Non of these picture turned out well on the B-day. We are decorating sugar cookies here in the picture, but Rachel thought...why would I do that when I can just eat it??Yes Rachel is wearing safety goggles in this picture, I am not sure why, but hey if she likes them, then that is fine by me! Becca has the sweetest smile! Don't you think?I think I know what she is wishing for..."please let me turn into Princess Aurora" A girl can dream right?This is from the princess party my mom threw for Becca, lucky girl if you ask me.The girls with their great grandma Allen. I love the party hats!It looks like she got her wish after all! It's the one and only Princess Aurora:).