(CHRISTMAS} two thousand eleven

christmas eve. jammies. anticipation. wonder. christmas day. hot cocoa.

{CHRISTMAS} two thousand eleven!

This year was magical!  Ethan and Nyah were so giddy about everthing surrounding the holidays!  We spent quality time with our families, ate way too much yummy food and goodies, stayed up late, slept in, went to see the lights over and over and over, and rocked out to some way fun christmas music.  (Ethan and Nyah still love to sing Baby, It's Cold Outside, which they learned last year!)  Marty bought us the Michael Buble' christmas album and it is awesome!  We have it on continuous play in the car and Ethan and Nyah love jingle bells especially!  Nyah does a little shoulder shimmy while Ethan pretends to play the big band instruments.  Music is so amazing.  so contagious!

We spent time pondering our Savior, Jesus Christ, and Ethan and Nyah love telling the story of his birth.  This year, Christmas fell on Sunday so we actually "asked Santa" to come a day early so we could really focus on the Savior and family on Sunday. It worked perfect!  It made for a pretty JOYFUL weekend.  I wish I could bottle the feelings and spirt of Christmas and open it up during the year when we need some added joy and love. 

{SISTER} time...

{GIRLS} park city. fall. yearly tradition. fun. laughter. oreos. chick flicks. games. remembering mom. missing paige. shopping. hair. late night chat. a treasure....

We went to Park City for our annual SISTER getaway!  Years ago, mom started a tradition that all of us girls would head up to park city and spend a night there and shop and spend quality time together!  We would rent a hotel room or condo, and spend about two days just us girls building memories and just being goofs!  Paige usually comes out from New York, but this year she couldn't.  Miss you Paige!  We love to go to the outlet stores and get a lot of our Christmas shopping done,..but we love just hanging out the most.  Dad comes up and takes his girls to dinner and then we retreat back to our lodging and play games, watch movies, laugh, cry, and have OREOS.  Always oreos!  I love my sisters and I consider them my very best friends!

{WINTER} wonderland....

We've had our first snowfall of the year and the kids couldn't have been more {EXCITED!}  snow angels. catching snowflakes. building a snowman.  winter wonderland.  magical.

{PUMPKIN} Patch

We had a blast this year going to pick pumpkins!  My sister's birthday is in October, so we invited her to come  along which made it extra special.  I had broken my foot a couple of weeks before we went and I had to go in on crutches but it was actually really fun.  Brigette brought a camping chair with us just in case I needed to lay off my foot for a bit.  We took a hayride into the patch and that was a highlight for sure. The patch was FILLED with so many great pumpkins!  Ethan and Nyah picked out some pumpkins right away but they were still attached to their vines.  Two little boys were near by and helped them cut their pumpkins free with their little army knives.  It was really cute.  One of the family owners was the tractor driver and he told us to pick an extra pumpkin because our kids were so cute (and had picked the smallest little pumpkins).  We came home with some dang good looking pumpkins which we later carved for Halloween.  This year, we put different colored glowsticks inside our pumpkins which made them look extra SPOOKY!  Ethan and Nyah like the word spooky......

We also took Debi out to dinner for her birthday afterwards!  I think it was really special to spend one-on-time with her.  Ethan and Nyah really love her...

I love the FALL!

--Marty

Our sometimes {REALITY}...

Okay,...so we have our super sweet, amazingly intelligent, very imaginative little girl!  Nyah.
Then,..we have our tender-hearted, rough and tumbly, very laidback little man!  Ethan.

Most of the time our days are filled with fun, laughter, silly moments, hugs, kisses, and memorable times.  And then there are days when other, reality happens----------

Did you know that Nail Polish Remover can remover PERMANENT MARKER off your windows.  Well luckily it is true.  Our sweet Nyah decided to make our sliding glass door her art canvas and took permament marker to it!  When I saw it,...I painfully paused and stood there........(not sure if the fury would be unleashed or not) and I eventually said to her, "Nyah,...I don't even know what to say or do at this moment!"  She promptly replied, "Mom,...no big deal.  We can call the window doctor!"  Oh,..how I think those cute little words saved my child in that moment.  I just laughed, shut the curtain, and walked away knowing I would have to eventually fix it but not knowing if that was possible. Nyah did lose marker priveleges for a week and still remembers  Luckily, my sister in law said that nail polish remover would take it off.  Unfortunately, it does not take permanent marker off of curtains, which I realized a few days later were covered as well (on the backside).  Oh my......



Did you know that it is NOT a good idea to get your laptop wet?  EVER!  Okay,..so I came downstairs to find my cutie pies,..Ethan and Nyah, cleaning mommy's laptop,...with a SPRAY BOTTLE full of WATER!  I ran to them, grabbed the water bottle,..looked at the blank screen and realized very quickly that mommy wasn't going to have working computer for awhile.  It was fried.  It was toast.  It was not a good moment.  I wish I could say that I was brilliant and totally kept my calm and showed patience and used this as a glorious teaching moment.  Oh I wish I had!  Instead,...I stared down my children and kept asking them...."WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"  They eventually had an answer.  "We were just cleaning it mommy! It was dirty!"    It took me two days to even tell Marty so I could be calm in the moment and not escalate him too.  He handled it well actually.  We sent it to get fixed and 12 days later had it returned to us with all files and pictures in tact THANKFULLY!  We had to buy a new motherboard and it was sooooo expensive.  How do you explain that amount of money to children???   All they knew was that the computer was at the computer doctors and that we wouldn't be able to play on PBS kids anytime soon!

 Did you know that FLOUR is not really super easy to clean up when it is thrown up in the air and all over the place?  I had to go to the bathroom, was gone 2 MINUTES, and found this when I returned.  We were making bread and the kids were told to sit tight for a second and I'd be back to finish making the bread with them.  My flour container was FULL and when I came back, it was nearly empty!  Where did all that flour go?  EVERYWHERE!  Okay,..this time I took a deep breath, grabbed the camera and snapped a photo of these two mischeif makers!  Marty thought it was super cool of me actually to not have a melt down right then and there.  (He was in the family room,..totally OBLIVIOUS to what was taking place which is beyond me!)  Needless to say,..we had a long conversation about how we treat food and making messes.  Oh my word,...does this happen to anyone else?

{SUMMER} lovin'.....

 

Snowbird. FUN. cousins. sisters. brothers-in-law.  pool time. hiking. chillin'. Grandpa. memories.

Summer lovin' had us a blast!  We had a great time this summer at my parent's timeshare up at Snowbird!  We lived in the pool and hot tubs!  We also enjoyed hiking and just chilling in the rooms!  We have had this tradition every other year since my parents bought the time share over 10 years ago!  It is a blessing to have the time share,..but more importantly it is a treasure to have this dedicated time together as a family!  We celebrated moms birthday and wrote her loves notes on helium balloons which we sent up to the clouds!  It was tender....

My {DAD}...

My {DAD}~ Thanksgiving 2010

This month my DAD celebrated his 73rd birthday!  I know,...he doesn't even look like he could be in his 70's!  He is a remarkable person and I wanted to dedicate some time in writing my thoughts and feelings about him......

My {DAD}....

I love my Dad because he

~Is my children's grandfather who they lovinly call "Ponka!"  And they A.D.O.R.E. him!

~LOVES his family and has always placed them as the highest priority! 

~took me on Daddy/Daughter dates (and my 5 other sisters) which I still remember.  One time he took me to the YMCA swimming pool and I totally remember beating him at handstand contests under water!  (or did I?---he probably let me win!)

~was my protector.  I remember traveling from New York to Utah in our camper and he would drive into the wee hours of the morning so we could get there faster!  I felt so safe and happy sleeping in our camper as he drove through the night! 

~is an example in so many ways!  service. love. family loyalty. humor. hard work. education. frugality. devotion to spouse. fun. adventurous. a true family man!

~writes birthday letters to all of us each year!  (his children and grandchildren) Each letter he shares his memories of us, his gratefulness, his joy in being a dad and grandpa, and other uplifting things.  I treasure this and have kept them ALL in our memory boxes.

~can slolom ski at the age of 73!  He still has it folks!  My dad is a fit and healthy man because he works hard at making it a priority!  I remember when I was little he would take runs outside and I would be waiting at the end of our driveway with a drink of water in my hand which he would grab, drink, and throw on the grass.  And then we'd do it all over again.  I lived for that!

~is frugal and never spent the money he could but instead taught us how important it is to get an education, work hard, and be smart with money. 

~loves sports, hunting, and is a man's man  and yet he found a way to connect with all of his girls, never having a son, and made our lives interests important to him

~worked hard everyday of his life so he could support our family until he retired and now he has served in the temple and now is on a guest service mission at temple square. 

~loves people and makes them feel special.  (I married a man just like that!!!) He is the most non-judgemental man.  He assumes the best and believes in people.  He is a positive person and never dwells on the negative.  He will be the first to say,.....things happen, learn, fix it,...and move on.

~watched chick flicks with his girls and loves country music becuase as he puts it "each song tells a story and it means somthing."  He is a big sap!

~is brilliant and can make anything out of nothing!  He recently helped my nephew build a replica of the Sanfrancisco bridge and and an egyptian pyramid. (the size of a bathtub, no doubt.)  His civil engineer background and assortment of tools and gadgets sure came in handy and they were amazing!

~lovingly and self-lessly took care of MOM when she was so sick with Cancer and courageously let her go when Heavenly Father let him know it was time.  He adores my mother still and was an amazing example to me in his marriage and love for her!

Seriously,...this list could go on....and on....and on.  I feel so much gratitude for my dad and feel so grateful for his love for me!

An Anniversary to {REMEMBER)....

Brigette planned our 11th Anniversary this year and IT....WAS......AMAZING!  When she picked me up from work,. She gave me this box of envelopes and a litte note that read....

Happy 11^th Anniversary Honey! 

There is so much fun in store and I can’t wait to spend this time with you. 

Here’s to 11 years of memories, and making 11 NEW MEMORIES in the next two days!

 I love you!  Open envelope #1!

Smooch on the fly…

Honey,…..Set the timer on your phone for any time between 3-5 minutes.  When the alarm goes off, we’ll stop wherever we are and will share a  Kiss in a never before place!

Dollar Memory….

Go to the nearest gas station and buy something for less than a $1 and we’ll share it on the car ride to our next destination!

A new destination for the night…..Let’s head to a romantic place  we’ve never been,….The Inn on the Hill.

A new photo opp…..

Starting at the front door of the Inn,…  pick a number between 1-100.  Now,..Count that many paces and we’ll take a photograph with one another wherever we stand!

Surprise eats…..

Okay,..now for some yummy fun!  This time…you get to pick!  Choose one of the following dining experiences where we’ve never been!  What are you in the mood for????

Mexican: Red Iguana, Chinese: Thaifoon OR...Italian:  Tucci’s

Concert in the park…..

Now let’s have some entertainment fun!  Head over to the Brigham Young Historic Park for a comedic, musical concert!

A walk to remember…..

Let’s walk hand in hand and take a  stroll under the stars.

New treats….

Now we’re off to have some GELATO,…together!  Let’s take a leisurely

drive to Dolcetti Geleto and experience the real thing!

Unmentionable fun……

Now it’s time to head back to the Inn to make more memories. (need I say more!?)

New day,…new tradition….

Couples Journal…..Start a new tradition of keeping a couples journal.  We are both authors in this journal.  Our goal is easy…write one entry per week.  One of us simply writes a memory, something that made us smile or something we never ever want to forget.  I then pass it off to you!  You then add to my writing and start a new memory.  Then,…I get the journal back, add to your writing and start a new memory.  And it goes on…

Forever memory,…

Now that the celebration of our 11^th anniversary is coming to a close I thought it would be most fitting to create this next memory with our forever family.  Let’s go pick up the kids and have a picnic LUNCH!  (the catch is,….we have to find a place we’ve never gone to create this final NEW MEMORY…

This anniversary was a blast!  Isn't my wife the bomb!!!?  I'm in charge next year,..and I'll have to start planning now to even come close to this amazing time we've had!  One thing I know for sure,...

These are memories that we will never forget...

--Marty

50th Wedding Anniversary

50 YEARS AGO, this cute couple got married! Even though Marty's dad passed away shortly after we were married, we wanted to celebrate his parents' love and throw Marty's mom a surprise anniversary dinner! Here they are with their wedding line! Don't you love how classic everyone looks!

 Marty's parents...(on our wedding day!)

Marty's sister Deb and I decorated a nearby church cultural hall! We used RED and WHITE because those were their colors and we splashed the decor with some gold signifying the 50 Year milestone.

Marty and I told Mom that we were inviting her to a special "musical fireside with dinner" at our church and asked her to dress up. Marty told her to try on this corsage (sp?) to see if she thought it would fit ME. He told her he wanted to surprise me with it as I had been "at the church all day setting up this fireside" and deserved something special. Little did she know what we were really doing all that time.

When she walked into the cultural hall we shouted "SURPRISE!" and she was in shock. She kept saying,..."You guys!" She teared up and was grinning ear to ear. We invited her to sit at that table and be served along with her children and grandchildren whom could attend. We had ceasar salad, steak, shrimp, twice baked potatoes, and baked Alaska for dessert. YUMMO! She loved every morsel! Side note,....Marty's mom is quite the cook and she always blesses our family with wonderful meals and desserts! I think she was overjoyed because she was the recipient of such love this time.....

Deb scanned in pictures from their wedding album and I made a slideshow to music. We had so much fun watching it! So tender....

Happy Anniversay Mom & Dad!

Once upon a time...

Ethan and Nyah just turned 4 years old last month and we held a grand celebration! We decided that since Ethan loves toy story and superheroes and Nyah loves anything princess or fairytale that we would make this year's birthday theme,....."Once upon a time!"

Ethan & Nyah opened their 1st gift before the guests arrived. We gave Ethan superhero outfits and Nyah a princess dress. It was perfect for their big party!

All of the cousins came dressed up for the grand celebration. The girls wore their finest gowns and the boys wore superhero gear. My nephew even made a cape out of ducktape which was awesome. (I am bummed that I didn't get a picture of it....)

Our beautiful princess!

Our brave superhero! (he changed his outfit like 4 different times throughout the day,..so cute!)

My sister, Machelle helped me make the cake again this year and it turned out so fabulous! Since we did a "Once upon a time...." theme we decided to make a story book with Ethan & Nyah's favorite stories. It was a lot of fun making it and Ethan was so excited to see Andy's bed on his cake! Nyah loved her little princesses and wanted me to read her story over and over again.

Here is Nyah's side of the cake! We already had the little princess dolls and made their dresses out of cupcakes! So fun!!

Ethan's side was super fun to do! We used more cake to shape the bed and used pretzel type snacks for the posts. He loved it.... Having fun on our their big day! We played "courtyard" games and had a blast. We held horse races, played duck-duck-goose, and had a magic show starring buzz lightyear!

And here are the guests!!! Ethan and Nyah ADORE their family! Having grandparents, aunts & uncles, and their cousins at their party was a big highlight for them. They felt so loved and it was such a special day!

Our special day...

On May 14, we celebrated our 3rd Annivesary of being sealed to the twins in the temple! We went down to the SLC temple and spent some time there as a family! What a blessing it is to be a forever family! The twins were sealed to us when they were 11 months old. We had to wait awhile longer because they are Cherokee decent and we had to get tribal approval. Read more about this remarkable story here! (go to April 30, 2008 entry)
Beautiful Nyah on our sealing day. When Nyah was brought into the sealing room, I couldn't help wondering how it was that I was chosen to be the precious baby girl's mother. I had this overwhelming feeling that we were both Daughters of God and that he loved us so much. She was so attentive during the ceremony. Almost as if she was fully aware of what was going on and wanted to remember it! Here is Ethan on our special Day! When Ethan was brought to us in the sealing room I immediately got emotional because I felt so blessed to have this sweet boy! I treasure this little man and can't imagine my world without him. He stole the heart of everyone in the temple that day with his bright blue eyes and big smile!

While on the temple grounds, Ethan and Nyah found these huge lights that illuminate the temple. They thought they looked like church podiums and decided to give little "talks" and prayers at the pulpit! Nyah is helping Ethan bear his testimony! It was darling!

Ethan & Nyah running through temple grounds hand in hand. People ask us all the time if they get along. Not only do they get along (aside from those rare moments of sibling frustration) they adore eachother.

Hugs outside the temple!

A BIG day for my man...

Happy Graduation to Marty!

Marty getting his MASTERS DEGREE from the University of Phoenix! He was awarded a Masters in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum Technology and Instruction.

After the ceremony, Marty came out to greet the family! He immediately took off his purple sash and wrapped it around our little family. Tradition says that upon graduation the graduate gives his sash to a person who has significantly impacted their efforts in education. He wanted to let us know that he did this for us and he said we were his constant support and inspiration. Awwww!

Nyah had to try on his cap!

Ethan did his famous "snap dance" in celebration of his Daddy!

Some of Marty's siblings came to cheer him on.

Left to Right: Mitch, Mark, Marty & Debi

Marty was the FIRST to obtain a Masters Degree in both of our families. Here he is with his Mom and my Dad.

The twins played hide n' seek with Daddy after the ceremony.

We made a little gift for Marty to celebrate this awesome day! Some of his favorites!