Becoming Road

Becoming Road

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

A YEAR in REVIEW...

Here are some memorable moments from this past year! Some we are more grateful for than others....that is for sure!

**Our adoption was finalized and our family was made ETERNAL when we were sealed in the SLC TEMPLE!
**We spent half of our vacation in West Yellowstone puking! (all of us!)
**We celebrated Ethan and Nyah's FIRST birthday!
**Both twins contracted bronchilitis at the same time. Can you say nebulizer?
**We bought a new HOME and VAN in the same week! So fun...
**Brigette set FIRE to the babies' tubby when she accidentally put it on the stove in the kitchen!
**Ethan and Nyah experienced choColate for the first time (Halloween) and seem to have mommy's love for it!
**Brigette and the babies missed Daddy terribly when he went to Oregon for 10 days to work for TNT.
**Our little family took our first ROAD TRIP to Wyoming and celebrated the 4th of July (the real way.....boom!)
**Marty and Brigette lost a lot of weight,...but didn't reach our 100 lb goal YET!
**Nyah has built her vocabulary to over 80 words! No joke,...she is quite the talker!
**Ethan is our musical genius! He has so much rhythm! He will actually sit and play the piano!
**We've gotten rid of the naptime bottles,...BUT we still LOVE our binkis!
**Marty has LOVED his 2nd year teaching SEMINARY at Viewmont High.
**Both babies had a rare viral strain and had to get their blood drawn for tests! Mommy cried worse than they did!
**Marty ran THREE 5k's this year!
**Brigette survived a really fun and rewarding year with TWINS! We are so BLESSED!

We wish you all the very best in this new year! We LOVE you all!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

A Walk Down Memory Lane...

Here are some highlights from this Holiday Season! We have had a lot of fun celebrating Christmas with our loved ones!
This year, we took Ethan and Nyah to the Festival of Trees. We each picked out our favorite tree! Ethan and Nyah loved this glass blown tree that lit up in time to music. It was amazing!
Marty was quite impressed with this little playhouse. Too bad it was already sold,...or he may have purchased it. (for the twins ofcourse)
My favorite was this beautiful tree trimmed with deep reds, oranges, and browns. Yes,...I am a sucker for anything with Fall colors!

My side of the family decided to put together a gingerbread village. Some of it is actual gingerbread and other parts are made with graham crackers! The theme was "Story Time Christmas" It included: the Train that Could, the Who-ville christmas tree (from the Grinch), Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Hansel and Gretel. The Empire State Building,....was an added bonus!

Each year, Nana  hosts the "Cousin Christmas Party!" This year was so much fun. The kids ate a yummy dinner and waited anxiously for the gifts and games. The cousins exchange little gifts and it is quite the exciting frenzy! One of the most memorable traditions is the advent calendar. Each child gets the oportunity to pick an ornament off the advent tree and locate their treat after they solve the riddle. (you can see them lined up in the picture above as they anxiously await their turn) Also, every year a family member reads stories to the kids teaching the significance of Christmas. The stories include: The Christmas Spider, The Christmas Orange, and the Candy Cane Story. Then,...Santa delivered gifts from the North Pole (left on the front door step) to all the Children. It was a lot of fun and we really love being with the Cousins!

Aunt Debi (Marty's sister) made these adorable cupcakes for the Cousin Christmas Party! She is so talented! Each cupcake was a unique ornament!

Ethan loving the Christmas festivities!

After trying to play some Christmas music on the piano, I was quickly bombarded by my cute babies who insisted on playing their own musical masterpieces. Here is Nyah playing something beautiful!

Ethan and Nyah in their winter hats! So cute!

Our family on Christmas Eve at Marty's parents' home. We showed up in our new PJ's! It is tradition that we open a new pair of jammies on Christmas Eve!

Daddy helping Ethan open some presents!
Uncle Darren flew in from LA to spend time with the family! He is so funny and just adores the kids!

Aunt Debi spending time with Nyah on Christmas Eve. She sat on her lap all night....So cute!

Mark, Marty's brother, opening one of his gifts!

Mitch, Angie, Cayden, and Sydney on Christmas Eve!

Nana opening part of her gift from our family!
This is one of my favorite decorations my mom would put out at Christmas time. She handpainted each figurine and always displayed them with twinkling white lights.
This is my mom's beautiful pink tree! Since my mom passed away, we have made it a tradition to decorate her pink tree in her formal living room! I missed my mom terribly this year and it felt really good to spend time remembering her as we decorated her beautiful tree.

With the exception of Paige (my sister) and her families' stockings, we placed each of our stockings on my Dad's stone fireplace wall. Mom hand-made each stocking with every new addition to the family. Kristy has since taken over. Last year, we made new ones for Ethan, Nyah, and Leah. This year.,....Baby Taylor was represented. You'll have to ask me the story behind each stocking! Each has a special meaning to our family!

Lots of stockings in our family!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Pay it forward!

I'm participating in a Pay It Forward Exchange. Who wants to play? I will send a handmade gift to the first three people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this Pay It Forward Exchange. You will receive your gift within a month from leaving your comment. The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. I can't guarantee it will be anything amazing, but who cares if it is FREE! Remember, you have to have a blog to participate and must Pay it Forward on your site as well. Who's ready to play? Please leave your e-mail in a comment if I don't already have it.

Friday, December 5, 2008

BLESSED!

Marty and I have been thinking about purchasing a van for awhile and we just recently found one that was an AMAZING DEAL! We feel extremely blessed to have found such a nice van, in excellent condition, and with very low miles! Marty surprised me yesterday and brought it home after work. (I thought we still had to go pick it up, work out the registration, and set up insurance still) It was such an awesome surprise!

Marty was so excited that he wanted to load up the van (with as many people as it could hold) and go to the Festival of Trees. Unfortunately, we were unable to make that happen so instead we took a drive as a family to see the lights at our local Park and around different neighborhoods! Nyah and Ethan were able to sit in their forwad facing seats for the first time and look out the big van windows. They kept saying,.."WoW! and "Lights!" It was definately a fun time with my little family!

Thanks honey for working so hard so that we could have this blessing!
Here is a picture of our NEW (new to us) Toyota Sienna!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Our Sweet Babies...

My sister Jodie and I went to get some pictures taken of our kids! It went really well and I am so grateful to have these darling pictures! Taylor was so darn cute too! Enjoy!

So cute!


Nyah Lois


Ethan Joseph



Taylor Lotus