My Kater Baby is ONE!!

I can't believe it.....Kate turned one! I vividly remember the day our Christmas baby was born. It was a snowy night and the hospital was packed with laboring women. Everyone had the same idea....if we have this baby tonight, we can be home for Christmas. I was one of them patiently waiting for a room as the contractions got stronger and stronger. I finally got a room at around 7:00 pm and delivered Kate within 2 hours. She was small...weighing in at 6 lbs. 1 0z. but she was strong and healthy. The hospital was chaotic and I couldn't wait to get home! I felt good, Kate was doing well....so we were home before 24 hours even passed.

Now we are here again, one year later, and our newborn is now almost walking and talking. She is so fun to watch as she explores new things everyday. We love having our little Kate Noelle in our home. She brings much joy and laughter to each and every one of us.

Happy Birthday Kate (and her Aunt Noelle)!

Love.....Mom

It feels nice to accomplish a goal....

Ok, so this year I was bound and determined to get a family picture and send out a Christmas card. I had big plans to do something really creative and fun......Well atleast I did it, right? So here's the Christmas 2008 family photo taken by my little sister Marissa with my other little sisters Noelle & Mikah working hard behind the scenes to get the smiles from the youngins. Enjoy!!

Holiday traditions.....

The Christmas season has finally arrived....I love this time of year and the holiday cheer that seems to fill the air. The twinkling of the lights on the tree somehow bring a calm, warm feeling into the home. I love plugging in the lights outside each night as the sun goes down.....it brings memories of Clark Grizwald to mind each time I turn them on. I LOVE it!!

Last Sunday the monthly FHE was held at my Grandma & Grandpa Meyer's home. This was the start of our Christmas gatherings. My Grandparents never cease to amaze me! They are in their 80's and still host gatherings for their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It's a large crowd, but you wouldn't know it with the way they make you feel. Each person that walks through the door is greeted with a hug and is made to feel like they are the only one in the room. There is always good food, good conversation and a good laugh.

Grandma wanted to have the younger grandkids and great grandkids put on the Christmas story production. She called ahead of time to make sure her cast would be there and had the bathrobes, towels, scraps of fabric and rope ready and waiting. She made sure that every one had a part and they were posted on the front door as you walked in.

Jaysie got to play the part of Mary and Teegan was a shepherd or a "leopard" as he called it. His robe was made out of animal print fabric...therefore he was a leopard. They all did a wonderful job and seemed to enjoy every minute of it. I can only hope that my children will be able to remember the good times they've had with their great grandparents.

Halloween Fun

We had a fantastic Halloween this year. The weather was perfect, the trick-or-treaters were happy and the candy was mm-mm good! Jaysie and Kate were cute witches and Teegan decided to be a football player at the last minute. We planned on him being Spiderman (hence the blue and red hair coloring). The football jersey and pads were a birthday present from Grandma M and he just couldn't resist wearing them.

Jaysie and I made the cute little tutus and then made sure to top it off with the fake glow in the dark eyelashes. The eyelashes have seemed to become a yearly Halloween tradition with her....in fact she told me that she could wear them everyday and they wouldn't even bug her. I can only picture some 70 year old lady with leathery skin, gobs of makeup and uneven fake eyelashes when she says things like that. Let's hope not....

I wish you could've seen Kate crawling around in that tutu. It was the cutest thing ever to see that little bum up in the air with all the foo foo swaying back and forth with each movement. It wasn't a real crawling friendly costume, but that's the sacrifice you make for cuteness! (If that's even a word)

Whenever I see a little girl in a witch costume it reminds me of a funny story. My friend's little girl was a witch one year. She was about 2-3 years old at the time and had a little trouble pronouncing her "W's". So whenever there was a word with a "w" in it, she would replace it with a "b" sound. When she'd get asked what she was going to be for Halloween she'd say, "I'm gonna be a Hallobeen @#$itch." Sorry for the crudeness, but that's funny!! I always have to give a little chuckle under my breath each time a "Halloween Witch" goes by.

Every year I thinkg

God Be With You Til We Meet Again....

Well, another death in the family. My 12 year old dog, Oakley, passed away last weekend. What a sad day....I know there are a few people that will read this and think, "What's the big deal? It's just a dog for crying out loud." If your one of those, then read no further because I might get a little sentimental for a moment. But if you are an animal lover then you'll understand.

Oakley was a birthday gift from Trent while we were still dating. We got her from the pet store in the old Ogden City Mall downtown which no longer exists. She was supposed to be a German Shepherd/Alaskan Malamute mix but as she grew it was determined that she was a German Shepherd/Bassett Hound mix. How that happened, we'll never know. She had a howl for a bark and front legs that were short and crooked, but we loved her despite her flaws. She had a nose that could guide her from one town to the other....she literally walked from Pleasant View to my parent's home in North Ogden one day all by herself. She spent many hours locked up in the pound waiting for us to come bail her out and happily greeted us each time. She loved to explore and the neighborhood knew her well.

She went pheasant hunting with Trent one time and decided to jump out of the back of the truck at 55 mph and was hit by a car going 40 mph while crossing the street in front of our house and lived through it all with no broken bones. She was quite the dog!

Sadly she started getting old and the arthritis got to her. I noticed that she was really struggling to get up and walk last week and by Friday night she could hardly stand up. She was an outdoor dog but I decided to let her sleep inside Friday night to keep an eye on her. We took pictured that day and I kind of knew what was ahead of me. Trent had to work Saturday and I dreaded having to be the one to take her to the vet. Saturday morning she couldn't get up. I had to carry my 50 lb. dog out to do her business and knew that it was time to let her go. The kids and I took her to the vet and said our goodbyes through many tears. It was quite an emotional event and one that I really didn't want to have to do...especially by myself. We miss her and loved having 12 years with her.

It is really weird to not have a dog in the home. I can say that it is kind of nice in some ways, but not nice enough to keep me from getting another dog. I'm sure there is another dog in our future but not in the near future. You just gotta love em!!

The Fabulous Fours....

Happy Birthday to my fabulous four year old!! I've been told that the fourth year is called the "Fabulous Fours" because that terrible two to three stage finally subsides and they just become fabulous little people. We'll have to wait and see......

Teegan (aka McSweegan) had quite an exciting birthday last Tuesday. It started out with a quick trip to the grocery store to buy a dozen donuts to make up for my failed attempt at making carmel corn. The trip was worth it though because the store manager ended up singing Happy Birthday over the intercom so everyone in the store got to hear that it was Teegan's birthday. He thought he was pretty special from then on. Off he went to preschool to share his treats and get the coveted birthday crown. I picked him and his buddies up to go have some lunch at McDonalds and then back to the house for presents, dessert and silly string fights. This was Teegan's first official "friend" party and he was soaking up all the attention. It was so funny to watch him open his presents and interact with his friends. He has quite the personality and makes me laugh constantly! Once the friends left it was time to get ready for the family to come over for more celebrating. He actually quit taking phone calls from family because "he had heard people tell him Happy Birthday too much," he said. Atleast he can't say that he's not loved by anyone, right?

I love my little Teegan and enjoy the excitement he brings into our home each day. He is always the first one to tell me thank you for making a yummy dinner or thanks for washing his favorite shirt. Every night he asks me what we are doing tomorrow and then quickly replies , "Oh, I know...cleaning the house!" He actually seems excited about it at the time...that quickly changes by morning. Underneath it all, he is quite a loving child and melts my heart each time I look into his big brown eyes. I love you, Teegan! Love, MOM

10 years sincy saying "I Do"

Wow...where have the last 10 years gone? I can't believe it has been 10 years since Trent and I got married. Time flies when you're having fun or too busy to even stop and think about it. I'll tell you one reason why I know Trent and I are truly meant for each other......we bought each other the exact same anniversary card! We got a good chuckle out of that one...
I just have to say that I am very proud to have Trent as my husband. He is a caring, loving husband and father to our three children. He works extremely hard, but always makes time for his family. I'm proud of him and proud of our marriage.....10 years is quite an accomplishment. Here's to forever, babe!!