Happy Christmas!

My friend Kenon was here from Virginia a couple weeks ago so we got together and made gingerbread houses with the kids. What exactly do you do with them once your done? We ended up giving ours to our cute little elderly neighbor...we left it on the door step and ran so there was no possibility of her giving it back :)
So much fun to have them here...we miss them TERRIBLY!!!
I know, I know! Why you ask am I getting my picture taken with Cosmo? Look, it was a family Christmas party so I had to cooperate...you can see the discomfort on my face though, there is no smiling for me when standing next to a COUGAR! At least we're all wearing the right color :)
Max and Drew had their pre-school Christmas program and it was so great! They sang their little hearts out...hats off to Learning Dynamics for a job well done.
Happy Christmas!

P.S. We've been Elfed...check it out at http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/jtIZ9BxvKzBN0s3xsfUT

Finals? DONE!

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AAAAHHHH! I am relieved that this week is over. It started with me getting a chest cold and I wanted to stay in bed for a week. However, I had to move into UVU for the week to study. My math final was on Tuesday and after about 8 hours of studying, I took it and it went well. I then had two days to study for my Geography final as well as my Geology final...plenty of time. Oh, don't be fooled, I actually missed my Geography final! It's true, I thought it was on Thursday but it was on Tuesday...nightmare. I was able to take it today anyway so it all worked out in the end; pretty sure my professor has compassion on me because I was in over my head this semester. Now I am going to go eat PIZZA with my family and NOT do homework! So excited for the down-time!

Getting Ready for Christmas

The kids unpacking all the decorations.
Cambrie experiencing a Christmas buzz.
Drew wanted to know what Max wanted for Christmas.

Happy 30th Birthday George!

George turned the big 30 on Friday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!
The kids wanted to take him bowling so we invited the rest of the family too as a little surprise. I joke about not wanting to be seen in a bowling alley but the truth is...we love it and always say we should do it more whenever we go.
The kids wrote the top 30 things they love about George on a poster for him...here are a few of the highlights:

1. We love his bones
2. We love his HUGE muscles
3. We love his fancy pants
4. He has nice shirts
5. He wrestles with us
6. He loves us
7. Pajama elevator
8. Spider man flights
9. He reads to us
10. He always puts us first

We love you daddy!

Go Utes!

George and I have tickets to the game tomorrow thanks to my dad but we are sitting right in the middle of all the BYU Boosters! I almost turned down the tickets because I am having a hard time imagining myself sitting in a sea of blue. However, logic set in and I realized it would be even harder for me to turn down tickets to this game! Who does that? George will be dressed in blue, cheering with all the die-hard cougar fans and I will be...well, singled out and LOVING IT!!!

GO UTES!!!

Family Pictures

I have to give a shout out to my sister for her AMAZING talent as a photographer. I am always such a wreck on picture day but somehow she manages to make us look very calm, happy, and the kids look so very obedient :)









Thank you Cortney for the fabulous pictures! I highly recommend her to anyone who still needs holiday photos taken. Check out her website at www.cortneynicole.com.

Go Tigers!

We got to spend some time with the Sorensons last night because Zach played in a High School playoff game at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Tyran and Paul brought the kids some "Hurricane Tigers" gear...they were set for the game. (Drew and Max's sweatshirts say "I'm A Little Tiger" on the back. Super cute!)
Drew, Tyran, Max, Paul, Lindy, and Brie...all bundled up trying to stay warm. Drew didn't move the whole game, he couldn't have been happier. Brie got cold and wanted to leave, Max did great but kept asking where the drill team girls were. :)
Lindy and Max. You may be wondering what Max is looking at...Yep, the drill team! They were on the field dancing and I COULD NOT get him to look at the camera.
Zach's team won the game 26-9. It was a great game and was fun to be back at Rice-Eccles Stadium...it's been a long time. When we got there George asked me if I ever thought I would be back there with a different husband and three kids. The answer is "No," but does life really turn out the way we think it will? I have a lot of good memories but it's great to be making new memories now too...I'm so lucky to have George! The Tigers will play at Rice-Eccles again next Friday for the championship. GOOD LUCK ZACH!
Too much football for one night...good night little tigers.

Our Human Suitcase

It's always a chore getting Drew to go to bed without throwing a fit. George is really good about making it a game for him so he doesn't have time to focus on having a total meltdown. The other night George turned him into a suitcase.
He took him upstairs and packed him full of socks. He had socks all the way down the legs of his pajamas too...we were laughing so hard...it was hilarious.
I don't remember if we actually got him to bed without a fight...probably not. However, we all had a good laugh before the meltdown!

America Chooses Change

Go Obama!

Trick-or-Treat

Today was our first Halloween together as a family, and we had a blast. We started with an amazing dinner. Charakie even made edible spiders (two legs were lost in the process). We also had bug juice and lots of candy for dessert. Our kids were in heaven. Thanks for making this Halloween so wonderful babe!

Our kids giddy with the prospect of consuming copious amounts of high fructose corn syrup and saturated fat without their parents saying "NO!"
Cambrie was Bat Girl. She really got into the role.
Max was Buzz Lightyear and Drew was a quarterback. Charakie even ironed on a number 8 to Drew's costume.
Charakie and the kids at the farm before we went trick-or-treating. I like the poses boys.

Happy 4th Birthday Max!

Today was Max's 4th birthday. He's been asking almost daily when his birthday is going to get here for the past 7 months now. He REALLY, REALLY wanted to be four!
I took him on a date so he could help me pick out the ingredients for his cake. He chose an orange juice cake in the shape of a race track. Orange juice? Yes, Max LOVES orange juice and also loves race cars so it was the perfect cake for him.
Here Max is placing the race cars ever so carefully on his orange juice -race car track cake.
The finished product. I love making my kid's cakes. It's become a tradition for me to make the cakes myself and this was one of my favorites...good idea Max!
We had Max's family birthday party at Backyard Adventures in Draper. Julianne (my sister-in-law) works there so we get to have parties there often. Thanks Julianne for the hook-up... we always have a lot of fun. We won't mention the fact that I almost got eaten by the huge deflating dinosaur for the second time which is nearly impossible to do...so random!

All the party-goers. Thanks everyone for being there for Max!

Birthday party with Max's friends in the neighborhood...
Another one of Max's loves...GREEN! Everything has to be green.
A few of our favorite things about Max:
1. His ability to make everyone laugh
2. His passion for orange juice, the color green, cars, and all things "awesome."
3. The fact that we often find him practicing writing his letters at the kitchen table with a beanie on and an occasional glove (but only on one hand).
4. That sometimes he just needs to be held and cuddled.
5. The fact that you can explain something to him and immediately afterward he'll say "what did you say?"
6. If he asks us a question we'll give him an answer and his reaction is ALWAYS a very satisfied, sweet, "Oh"
7. He'll sit on the toilet for HOURS if you let him...he just needs time!
8. He is so much like his mom yet has so much of his dad in him too...such a treasure!

Happy Birthday Max! We love you :)

Happy Halloween!

We wanted to take the kids to my dad's pumpkin patch and let them choose their own pumpkins but we were too late...they had already picked them all. My dad offered to go place some pumpkins back in the field so they could "pick" their own but we knew they would have just as much fun picking them from a bin. Thanks dad...you get an "A" for effort!
Notice how happy everyone looks in the above photo. We carved three very spooky pumpkins consisting of Max's spider, Brie's cat, and Drew's pirate (which I carved by the way and it took a very long time because of all the detail...very delicate pumpkin). Right after we took this photo, Drew stood up and knocked his pumpkin off the porch...the pirates face was...well...
Yep, completely destroyed! I wanted to cry and Drew couldn't decide whether to laugh, cry, or scream. It's very clear that George didn't feel much compassion for the fact that I had just spent 30 minutes carving a pirate that quickly turned into a T.V. screen...
At least we avoided a meltdown from Drew by telling him he had a pumpkin T.V. and promising him another pirate as soon as grandpa could deliver another pumpkin. George took the T.V. pumpkin and turned it in to pumpkin soup which didn't taste ANYTHING like pumpkin but very much like onions. Yum!
AAAAAHHHHH!!!! Cambrie, Drew, Max, Tanz, and Ty. Happy Haunting!

I Love My Husband!

Hopefully for those of you who are married, you will argue with me when I say I have the BEST husband in the world! George continues to amaze me every day with his selfless attitude and his unconditional love. There is never any question where his priorities are and he isn't willing to sacrifice what he believes is right and true regardless of the outcome. This semester has been hard for us as we knew it would be. George is teaching at BYU, studying for the GRE, applying for PhD programs, and writing for conferences etc. He stays home from work two days a week with the kids so I can continue my studies...a huge sacrifice of time when he has so many pressing things going on. Yesterday I got done with classes at 4:00 and told George I wouldn't be home until late because I needed to study for a mid-term. He wished me luck, fed the kids, did some laundry, made cookies for my Young Women's activity and took them to the church, got the kids in bed, and had the house cleaned when I got home. I'm sure we are more aware of the little things because we have both been without, but it's those little things I love the most.

George, thank you for being so wonderful!

I love you so very much.

Our search for signs of fall...

Spring or fall? It's a toss-up with me. Each time I see the tulips coming up in the spring and feel the warmth of the sun I always say there isn't anything better than spring. However, I say the same thing when fall comes. I love the leaves, the cool crisp air, the smells, pulling out the sweaters, soup, hot cocoa, and the anticipation of the holidays.
George and I took the kids to A.F canyon on Sunday in hopes of finding some colorful leaves we could gather for a project...it was a success.

Cambrie keeps waiting for the weather to change. She's usually too cold or too hot so we look forward to the 3 months out of the year she feels just right :)
Don't ask.
I'm not sure.
Boys?