Why Have I Not Been Blogging Lately?

I am sure you are all wondering where I have been, and well, this past week for 5 days straight I did NOTHING but SCRAPBOOK! I spent every spare minute (I don't have many, hence the 5 days) doing nothing but getting caught-up. I am PROUD TO ANNOUNCE...... drum roll please...... that all 5 scrapbooks (one for each kid and one for the family) are FINALLY all caught-up through Christmas 2009. YAY!! I thought about taking a picture of my accomplishment, but then realized that at one point I may have to scrapbook that picture and ummm.....NO THANK YOU!!

So, while scrapbooking I found just a few....well, really ALOT of pictures that I love that didn't ever make the blog cut. I decided to share just a few with you. They aren't anything special...I just love them.

What's in there?? This is my nephew Ethan. So cute!

This is Chris. My kids call him Uncle Chris....from the picture you can't tell that he really is a Mexican, so I am sure he isn't really their uncle, but he is their uncles best friend and so he is at alot of the family functions and we all love having his goofy-self around.

Oakley had a going away party for one of her friends that was moving and so we made sure and took alot of pictures that day. I love this one!

It's Happened...

Today is the first of many emotional days with my "baby."

Laiklie is now a SUNBEAM!

Last night as we drove to Artic Circle for ice cream (Rhett's reward for trying a green bean) I announced to Ryan that our baby was going to Sunbeams tomorrow and that I might cry about it. He asked Laiklie if her being a big Sunbeam was making her mommy cry? She answered, "because..........I will hold her hand" and then she reached her soft little hand toward the front of the car to hold mine. Talk about melt my heart!!

A few years ago when Ry and I were talking about whether or not we were going to have more babies we kept talking about moving on to the "fun stage of life." The "fun stage" does not involve packing a carseat around, strollers or diaperbags. I have realized that I truly am in that "fun stage."

So, do I miss having a baby at my house? I miss the tininess of babies, baby breath, baby soft hair and their little fingers and toes. I don't miss however, teething, diaper changes, waking-up 4 and 5 times IN THE SAME NIGHT. There are good and bad about both. It was so nice to be able to send my baby to nursery so that I actually got something out of going to church, but, then it was always nice to have a crying baby as an excuse as to why I had to leave somewhere I didn't want to be.:)

There are somethings that come with babies that I hold on to and can't seem to let go of. Yes,.....I do still put baby lotion on my 9, 7, 5 and 3 year old. I do still have a cupboard full of sippy cups. I have a crib, carseat, walker, bouncer, bassinet, playpen and 2 coffin size buckets of baby clothing still in my house. For some reason it is too hard to get rid of them yet.

It is hard to watch our children grow, but truthfully I wouldn't have it any other way. As I stood in the hall just outside of the primary room today with my head peaking around the door frame I saw my sweet little 3 year old carrying on a complete conversation with the only other 3 year old girl in our ward and I was blown away that she even knew how to do that. I LOVE watching them grow and learn and develop, and I guess if I have to hold onto a crib and baby lotion them all along the way that is okay too!!

I LOVE you my little Sunbeam!

What a Busy Christmas Break!!

We have had such a busy Christmas break and it is just FLYIN' BY! We started it this way:

Oakley sang in a 4-6 grade Christmas Choir this year at the elementary. She LOVED it. (She is the one in red in the middle row.) You can't tell by the excitement on her face :) but she really did love it and they sounded SO GOOD! At their first performance I cried! I was so glad it was an outside....in the dark performance so no one could see what a baby I was!
This is our annual Hawkins FHE! We played "reindeer" games! This one was hilarious!! We also ate yummy food and had the kids dress-up to be in the Nativity.
We had a WONDERFUL Christmas full of presents, food and family! We always read the story of baby Jesus out of the bible on Christmas Eve and this year we followed it up with the Joy to the World DVD. The next morning we flew through the presents. Dallin especially....he wouldn't even get the paper completely off one before he would start on the next one. This was also the first year that Ry and I got to sit back and just watch. We have always had a baby that needed coaching in opening presents and Laiklie did her part beautifully this year!
We got to spend time a few days after Christmas with our VERY BEST FRIENDS (no photos to prove this happened) that came to visit from West Virginia.
We decided on a spur-of-the-moment decision Monday night to take our kids to SLC to see the lights at temple square. We, of course, did some swimming and hottubbing at the hotel. We got to see our Utah cousins, and we got to be "a little part" of moving Senovio (one of our workers that is fighting cancer) from the hospital to an apartment. The kids thought it was great to see him.

We spent time at the "I AM A CHILD OF GOD" exhibit in the Museum and got to see the giant Moroni that our kids love to see when we go to SLC. We also got to see the lights that we went to see. We had so much fun spending time as a family - even on such a quick trip.

We have had a great Christmas break so far and we are not looking forward to returning to school! It is always so fun to have the kids home and to spend time together reflecting of the reason we celebrate Christmas!!

My Christmas Craftiness

When I was little the thing that I HATED the very most was when my mom would give away HOMEMADE gifts, whether it be for birthdays or Christmas, I HATED it. After I got married I heard Ryan's mom make the comment once that she loved when her sisters family had their name for Christmas because she knew whatever she gave them would be homemade. Hmmmm!! It made me think about what exactly "homemade" was. Maybe my mom knew something I didn't know. I realized (as an adult) that homemade means so much more than just the "gift." When you receive something that has been homemade, alot of time, thought and love has gone into whatever it is you have been given. So, each year I like to do atleast a few homemade gifts. I really think about the person I am making for and try hard to decided what they need most, or what fits them best. Sometimes it is something simple - like a hooded towel, and sometimes it is more elaborate like a homemade boardgame (which by the way.....it SO FUN!). This year I have made just a few things - nothing hard, but as simple as it is it was made with LOVE!!

This magnet board is one I made for my sisters new house. We have her families name for Christmas - I figured Christmas/House warming gift.

These are the magnet boards I made for my nieces and nephew on Ryan's side. I thought they turned out SO CUTE! (It is hard to see in the pic how cute the colors and big foam letters really are!)

I have also sewn pillowcases and hooded towels. I have made a few vinyl signs and dehydrated a bunch of fruit to fill jars with. I have made some magnet nativities for some close friends and my VT ladies. Sometimes homemade takes a little extra time when Christmas is already so CRAZY, but I have never regretted making something with my own hands for someone I love.

And......Here is just a little something my kids made - thanks to grandma for the kit!!

Go Ahead and Share

So, alot of you have commented on my Dear Santa letter and want to copy it. You have also commented on my writing skills and abilities. Just so everyone knows I DID NOT WRITE THE SANTA LETTER!!! I am not talented at writing at all. I got it as an email last year and loved it so I kept it to post here. I didn't think anyone would assume I wrote it. I don't know who wrote it, but nobody has to give credit to me when you post it on your blogs!

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the pediatrician's office more than my doctor, sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with a red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years. Here are my Christmas wishes: I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store. I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy. If you're hauling big ticket items this year, I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone. On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools. I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your sister," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog. If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a styrofoam container through a window in a bag with a clown on it. If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be to much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family. Well Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my daughter saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think she wants her crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table, but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.
Yours Always,
Mom
P.S. One more thing....you can cancel all of my requests if you can keep my children young enough to always believe in Santa!

What have I been up to?

So, I feel like I am behind in blogging.....so.....here is a little update. A few months ago I started babysitting my niece one day a week. It works out great that I pick her up from Kindergarten and then Rhett and Laiklie have a friend for the afternoon. A lady in my ward heard that I babysat and asked me to watch her baby 3 days a week also. Since she was willing to let me tote the baby along with me everywhere I go I decided it would be fun to have a baby in my house again.Introducing Jade! Jade is such a sweet little girl. She was born premature weighing a whoopin' 1 1/2 lbs. She will be one this month, but is still in 3/6 month clothes. She is so tiny and so much fun! You might notice the bump on her nose in the picture. It is a birthmark that the doc says will go away as she grows. They may have it removed with plastic surgery when she is older if it doesn't go away like they would like. She has the most beautiful black eyes and hair!
We have also had our family pictures taken recently. This one and the one on my sidebar are my favorites....well, atleast all 4 kids were looking in the right direction anyways.:) You mom's know how family pics go.
When we did our pictures I also had her take some of our hands so I could make this. I am going to have it printed really big to hang in my home. I LOVE IT!
We have been busy with getting ready for Christmas. We do have the tree up, but no pictures of it yet. I will post when I take some. We have 2 Christmas Choir recitals and a Christmas dance recital in the next few weeks. We have been busy, busy - like usual, and truthfully, I wouldn't have it any other way!