Happy Birthday Stephen!!

I love my husband so much!! He seriously is fantastic. On Sunday, he celebrated his 29th birthday and we all had a great time. Saturday night just he and I went out (thank you for babysitting mom and dad) to dinner , thanks to our buy one get one free coupon:) And later that night I surprised him with an ice cream cake just for two. It was nice to have some couple time. Sunday, we went to church as usual, and then headed to my parents house where the whole family met up to party with dinner and dessert. It really was a lot of fun. I just have to say that I am so lucky to have a terrific husband. He is an amazing father and the kids love him, and he is an even more amazing husband. He is so selfless and willing to help me out whenever I need it and he is the best at playing with kids. I am so crazy about this guy!! The slide show is pictures of his birthday on Sunday and some other fun ones. Plus, listen to the song, I thought is was perfect and always makes me smile when I hear it. I LOVE YOU STEPHEN!!!

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We had a Merry Little Christmas!

So, I am finally getting around to posting about Christmas! It was fantastic. Santa brought the kids exactly what they wanted:) Hailey really wants a puppy, but neither Stephen and I are big fans of getting a pet. Santa brought her a FurReal puppy and she loves it, she takes it everywhere. Kaleb loves everything Batman, and Santa brought him a Bat Tumbler that also comes with a Bat motorcycle. Of course, he loves it and plays with all the time. Karly loves baby dolls and so Santa brought her a new doll and stroller. The girl takes it everywhere, she even tries to sleep with it, but we told her she could not sleep with the stroller, just the doll. Also, each of them got a new outdoor skating toy. Hailey got roller blades, Karly got roller skates and Kaleb got a skateboard. I was impressed by how well each one did using them. I have posted those videos below. Santa was also very generous to Stephen and I, and we are grateful for our family who loves us and helps with things we need:) We hung out at my parents house all day on Christmas and enjoyed watching the kids play with all their stuff. We also got to talk to my wonderful brother Kyle, who is serving his mission in Colorado. I loved talking with him and hearing his neat stories. He really has grown up. Can't wait till Mothers Day to hear him again. All and all it was a great day! New Years was fun as well. We really didn't do much, which was nice. Stephen and I stayed at home and rang in the New Years together. We actually fell asleep and woke up just in time:) We (actually me) woke up Hailey, b/c I was talking very loud and she came down and had some cider with us. The next day, Stephen played football and we went to my parents house for the traditional, ham, black eyed peas, and collards. It was delicious! We also cleaned the house and took down the Christmas stuff. I love the Holidays and even in hard times, we still had a blast!! Hope you enjoy the videos and sideshow.

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Merry Christmas!

It is Christmas Eve, and I love it! I hope everyone will have an amazing Christmas.

Here are pictures of the kids in their Sunday Christmas outfits and our Christmas card.

My beautiful Hailey

My handsome Kaleb

My adorable Karly

My amazing kids

My wonderful family!!

Busy Busy Busy

This past week has been busy, but also a lot of fun! I was going to just post the pictures with each event, but then just decided to do a slide show. Ok, on Sunday we had a little get together with some friends of ours and their families. First, the kids dressed up and acted out the nativity story. Hailey was Mary, Kaleb was Joesph and Karly was a little lamb:) Stephen was an angel, but I didn't get any pictures of that. The other kids there were Shepard's and wise men. All the kids did great and had a lot of fun. I was really proud of Hailey, Kaleb and Karly, b/c the listened to the story and did what they were supposed to. I loved watching them. After that we went and decorated gingerbread houses, which was awesome. The kids really did a good job, but also ate a lot of candy. I thought we took more pictures of the houses, but I only got Kalebs. It really was a fun night. Monday, for family home evening we read from the scriptures and then made some yummy pretzel candy. I have to say that a borrowed the pretzel candy idea from a friends blog(thank you Jessica). The kids did a good job and really had a blast making them. It was super easy and we loved eating them the next day. On Tuesday, Kaleb had a "Carol Sing" at his preschool, so Stephen, my dad, Karly and I went. Kaleb did sing, but only parts of the songs. He still looked very cute up there. I did get video and that is below.

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Hailey has done these programs, but it was a lot fun to watch Kaleb do them this year. Also, on Tuesday, Hailey had a basketball game. Stephen is her coach and they have a great time. Hailey has some good skills, but she is also a little spacey:) I do love to watch her play though, here is a little video of her playing.

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On Wednesday we had the most exciting news!! We went the doctor for an ultrasound and found out we are having a.......BOY!!! We are all so happy, especially Kaleb. He kept saying that is MY baby brother, he is going to be my best friend. It was so sweet. Hailey and Karly are just as excited. So, now we are even 2 girls and 2 boys:) It was so cool to see the baby and listen to the heartbeat. He kept putting his fingers in his mouth, I loved it!!

Thursday the kids had dentist appointments and neither had cavities! The dentist said that the kids have great teeth. Sorry, I don't have pictures of that:) We really have had a great week and look forward to Christmas!!!! Whoo hoo, Christmas is in 6 days!! I love this time of year!

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Tent time!

Today Kaleb asked me if I would make a tent for him and Karly. I made the tent and they just sat in there reading for about 30 min. , it was great!

I did take a picture of the whole tent, but it got deleted. Karly is actually reading a cookbook, and Kaleb is reading Batman.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Before I begin, I just have to say that I am big fan of the REAL Christmas trees. I love walking in my house and smelling that wonderful pine smell. I love going to the tree lot with kids and finding that perfect tree each year. It is wonderful! Ok, so we finally got our Christmas tree last Monday, and then decorated it Saturday. It was a lot of fun and the kids loved it. Hailey and Kaleb did a good job hanging the ornaments and Karly really helped by just handing them to us. She didn't even really bother to put them on. I did decorate the house with the little decorations we have as well. I love Christmas time!!

Here is a picture of Stephen and Kaleb putting the star on the tree. (Hailey put the angel on my parents tree).

Random Things and Thanksgiving

Well, things around here are going alright. I guess you can say we are hanging in there. I would ask that you all would say some prayers for our family, as Stephen is out of a job. The company he was doing contract work for cancelled his contract suddenly, after telling him they wanted to extend the contract through January. We are doing ok, but would love the prayers. So, now on to some happier things...

About a week ago, I was getting the kids ready for bed and Kaleb looks at me and says, "Mommy, you're prettier than sparkles." It just made me feel so good. My little boy is such a sweetie!

On Monday Hailey lost her first tooth, finally. I say finally b/c this tooth has been loose since September! The girl was so excited. It was like, this was the most exciting thing that ever happened. She put the tooth under her pillow and the tooth fairy gave her 4 quarters. No other teeth are loose, but she does check everyday.

I love Thanksgiving, it really is one of my favorite holidays. I think it is b/c my mom cooks the best dinner ever, and we all hang out as a family. This Thanksgiving was wonderful! We stared off the day watching Stephen play in the turkey bowl with men from our ward. Stephen did great, and had a lot of fun. The kids had fun riding their bikes and scooters around the track at the field. After that we showered, packed our bags and headed to my parents. My mom was already under way with the food and so we ate a light lunch and watched some football. I made the chocolate pie and my mom finished up the cooking. I do have to add that my dad makes the best sweet potato casserole and that is something I also look forward to:) Dinner was fantastic and I ate so much! After dinner had settled we had some pie and watched "Get Smart". Then off to bed early, b/c my mom and I get up to go shopping on Friday!

Black Friday is so much fun to me. My mom and I get up around 4:30am and head to Wal-mart. We do not wait in line and usually get toys and maybe a few other things. It was crowded, but nobody was pushy or rude, and we really didn't have to wait to check out. Next, we head to Target, which is always so nice! They have a ton of people working, who are ready to help when you need it. I easily got what I needed and was done by 7:30am. We also go the mall, but wait till later and take the kids and husbands with us. It was great and I got all my Santa gifts and all of Stephens gifts. The weekend was fun and now I am looking forward to Christmas!