2010 Goals

As I'm waiting for 2010 to ring in, I decided to use the rest of my time in 2009 to make a list of goals I/we (as a family) would like to achieve for 2010. In Church this past Sunday, our teacher made a good point to write down a list of goals/resolutions, so we can rememder them and be accountable to them.

My Goals:

1. Be a nicer/happier Mommy.

2. Be better about living in the moment.

3. Try to not sweat the small stuff.

4. Have more time with my hubby.

5. Read more and continue my education.

6. Eat healthier and drink a lot more water. (No stipulation on pounds to lose, just be all around healthier)

7. Exercise 4-5 days a week. No more excuses!

8. Continue using coupons and bargain shopping. See what deals I can snag in 2010.

9. Ask my self before I buy something if I really "need" it.

10. Help out those in need more.

Our Families Goals:

1. Laugh more.

2. Play more.

3. Get a Wii.

4. Save a certain amount of money.

5. Start our backyard landscaping.

6. Go to Disneyland.

7. Go on walks as a family.

8. Show each other more respect and love in our words and actions.

9. Visit family and friends more.

10. Read scriptures and pray together more often and have FHE regularly.

So there is the lists. Now I'm/we are accountable for them and I hope I can look back to this post and have checked of all or most of them! Wish us luck :)

Happy 2010 to you all!!

Kaedance and Natalie

Kaedance loves her and she looks almost "Just Like" her!! Hopefully they will both bring eachother joy over the years and we are glad to have her be part of the family.

Kaedance picked the name out of one of the American Girl Books. It said the meaning of the name means "Born on Christmas", which fits well since that's when she arrived.

Our Christmas was Merry and Bright

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and that Santa was good to you. As for us, he did not disappoint. We had a great weekend full of family fun, presents abundance, and yummy food.

We spent Christmas Eve with our "adopted" family and enjoyed pizza, treats, and our annual kiddie gift exchange. I know I've stated this fact in previous posts, but I will say it again, we are so blessed to have this family in our life. They have taken us in and I truely think of them as family. They are awesome and we love them! Here are pics from the celebration there.



We then went home to prepare for Santa's arrival. I decided this year to join the bandwagon of many, to do "Christmas Pjs" for our kids. Kaedance had asked for Tinkerbell winter jammies around Thanksgiving, but seemed disappointed that the present was not a toy. Oh well... next year hopefully, she'll catch on to this new tradition and be alittle more excited. Landon, loved his Pjs and every present he opened all weekend. He would gasp before the wrapping was even off. So cute and he was so fun to watch this year! We read "The Nighr Before Christmas", reinacted the birth of our Savior with our new Nativity set, waited for our Aunt Val to come (loved having her with us), put out a plate of cookies and a note for Santa, and off to bed we went.





Christmas morning began around 7am. Kaedance was so excited and came in my room to inform me that Santa had indeed stoped at our house. We found presents under our tree and stockings stuffed full. Troy, Aunt Val, and I, loved watching each present torn open and the faces of Kaedie and Landon. Santa was good to them! On top of their lists, Buzz Lightyear, electric guitar, and Tag Jr. for the boy. American Girl Doll, Tag books, and makeup for the girl. Mommy was excited to get an iPhone and Daddy got a few goodies too.






After we finished, we traveled down to our cousins house in Az. How blessed we are for them! More presents were exchanged, cousins playing Wii, one of the all time best Christmas feasts filled our bellies(wish I had a pic, yummy!), and time spent as a family to always remember. Thanks again Az. Carmans! It was a great day!





We look forward to 2010 and will remember our blessings and our trials from 2009. So many changes (good and bad) happend for us this past year. I feel like 2010 will bring more of both, but I'm excited for the new year, changes it may bring, and the memories that we will make. May you all have a Happy New Year and many blessings for 2010!

Merry Christmas

From our home to yours...we hope you have a warm and bright Christmas!

The "True" Meaning of Christmas

I'm trying hard this year to teach my kids the "real" reason why we celebrate Christmas. Kaedance understands that we are celebrating the birth of Jesus, but still looks forward to the presents.

Landon is still to young to grasp Christmas, let alone Christs' birth, but I want them both to know the true meaning behind this special day. To help with this,I bought a "Little People" nativity set to teach them along with some Christmas books about his birth and I'm hoping it's sinking in with them. Here is a pic of the set. So cute! Landon carries around baby Jesus. He says, "baby...baby."

Christmas Events Part 2

Saturday morning we spent attending Kaedance's annual ballet Christmas Program. She loves ballet and did a great job on this program. They did 3 holiday numbers and showed us parents some of the new techniques they are learning this year. Troy and I are so proud of her and we love watching her dance! Landon was good and enjoyed watching the program. We then spent the afternoon eating lunch and doing some Christmas shopping. It was a great day spent together.

That night, we went to our ward Christmas party. The food and program were both great. We still feel like "newbies" so it was great to go and meet people in our ward. The kids were excited to have a surprise visit from Santa. He was not able to stay long, no time for sitting on his lap, but it was fun to see their faces and I think they are even more excited for the big day! Landon kept saying "HO HO HO" the whole ride home!

For the most part, we are all set for Christmas and looking forward to spending time with family and friends. We will miss those we won't be with, but we wish you all a safe and Merry Christmas!! Only 4 days left!

Christmas Events Part 1

We had a busy and fun weekend full of Christmas Events. I will split this post into 2 parts so bare with me.

First, Thursday night, Kaedance and I, along with some of our BFF's, went to see the new Disney film, "Princess and the Frog". It was a great movie and it was fun to spend a night out with the girls. Here is a pic of them outside the theater with the "Chipmunks". They did not have a display of the Princess movie out, that would have been cuter! :)


Friday morning, I was able to attend Kaedie's School Christmas Program. Her class performed "Rudolph". It was so cute! I was not able to get many pictures or much video because I was wrangling Landon the whole time, but she was fabulous! She even had a "starring" role as one of the "monopoly kids". It was so fun to see her on stage singing and having fun with her classmates. I was a proud Mom! Great job, Bug!

I'm addicted!

I have a new addiction. I'm addicted to blogs devoted to home decor and crafty blogs. I stated in my previous post, I love to decorate and love when I can do it for cheap. I also love home decor stores and when I was up home for Thanksgiving, my Mom and I went to Tai Pan (awesome home decor store) and one thing I got was this gorgeous metal scroll thing to go above my back doors. I had a smaller one there that just did not have the right scale. I was so happy when I found this one and even more that I paid $30 for it. It's big! You can also see in this picture my new curtain rods and curtains I got for my Bday! Love them! These have made my back door much more pretty. :)

Anyways, moral to this post is that you may see future posts on new things I've made, re-purposed, thrift store finds, and bargain buys. Just a fair warning!

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Here are a few pictures of our Christmas decor in our new home. I love to decorate and even more for Holidays. I wish I could change my Christmas Decor every year, but that's not in our budget. :) I do try to buy or make a few new items to decorate so some of those are pictured here too.( Shout out to Tai Pan, got some new things there when I was up home...heart that place. We need one in LV!)
Landon will not leave our tree alone, either will our dog, good thing I replaced all my ornaments to plastic ones this year. I love how my tree turned out.

The other night, we had a friends over to decorate homemade sugar cookies ( First time I've ever made them from scratch). They had fun cutting out the shapes, frosting them, and putting on massive amounts of sprinkles. Of course, the best part came when they ate them. Delicious! We then watched a few Christmas movies. Hope to make this a tradition. So fun!

This weekend will be full of more Christmas events, including Kaedie's Christmas Ballet Performance, Ward Dinner Party, and maybe a visit to the Jolly Old Man. So stay tuned!

28...Really?

Monday I turned 28. I guess I'm officially in my "late" twenties. Crazy! Anyways, I had a great day minus, our "garage" fridge dying and having to throw out meat and veggies. Guess, that's life. :) I was able to do some shopping the Saturday before and went on a Date Night with my Hubby that night. The day of my birthday, Landon took me to lunch :), went shopping some more (by myself!), had an awesome dinner prepared by my "adopted" Dad, and celebrated with my awesome "adopted" family. I enjoyed getting all the phone calls, texts, and Facebook messages from my family and friends. Thank you! To end the night, my girlfriends/"adopted" sisters took me to New Moon (Yum...Edward!) Great way to end my birthday!

All in all, it was a great day! Not sure if I look forward to 29, might stay 28 from here on out. :)

One reason I love where I live...

A few weeks ago, we spent the afternoon at one of the 4 parks we have in our community. It's so nice to have them so close and the kids have a blast and our dog, too! We also love the community pool, clubhouse, gym, and that it's all gated. Just one reason why we choose to move here. Just thought I'd share...sometimes I need a reminder. :)

Turkey Day 2009

First off, I need to say how thankful I am for so many blessings in my life. This was a hard year full of disappointments, hard changes, lots of tears, and stress. Through it all, we always felt loved and supported by family and friends. Thank you all!

Before the holiday, I was able to spend sometime with Kaedance at school, for her Thanksgiving feast. It was great to see her there with her classmates and to see how much she is learning. We are so thankful for her teacher and her school. We really feel blessed that she is where she is. Here are some pictures of her there with her cute Turkey hat.

For the holiday, we decided to spend with my family in Utah. It's always nice to be "home". The weather was crisp, the shops were full, and my Mom's dinner was awesome. We had a great time with our family. My Dad has been having some health problems, so I was glad to be with him and see that he's doing better. I love my Daddy and he is one person in my life that I'm so thankful for. We saw my Grandparents, some of our dear friends, and enjoyed being with family. We also did some Black Friday shopping (Troy even went with me), ate at some great "Utah only" restaurants,celebrated my Birthday and Christmas early (once again, my kids were spoiled) and relaxed. I think I also came home with a few extra pounds.

I didn't take many pictures (stupid me :)) but a got a few of the kids at "Papa's Park", my nephew, and my Mom with Landon. It was a great weekend and we are so blessed to have such a great family on both sides, our "adopted" family in Vegas, healthy/happy kids, a warm home, working cars, Troy's job, awesome friends, our Dog, Flash, and the gospel of Christ in our lives just to name a few.

The house is now decorated for Christmas, most of my shopping is done, playing some holiday music and look forward to watching holiday movies, lights, reading Christmas books, a visit from Santa, our kids faces on Christmas morning, more friends get to gathers, more time spent with family, and celebrating the birth of our Savior! Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving and enjoy the season!!

Trick or Treat Events 2009

Happy "late" Halloween to you all! We had a full week of holiday fun. Previous post of Kaedance's School Fall Festival got us in the holiday mood. The following night was our ward trunk-or-treat and it was fun. We still feel like "newbies" in this ward, but are slowly getting to know people. Kaedance decided to forgo Snow White and went as Belle. Good thing these are all costumes in her dress up collection. :) Landon was a cute "mini" fireman (sorry not the best pics of his costume) I stayed at our decorated car,(look close to my posed Michael Jackson skeleton...he went along to me playing "thriller" through my speakers) while Daddy took them around. They had fun and enjoyed the candy.

This weekend, we enjoyed a visit with my parents (never seem to get pics of them when they are here) but we had a great time with them. We went shopping, eating at the new In-n-Out close to my house, and spending Halloween together. They loved seeing the kids dressed up. Friday afternoon, one of my good friends (aka adopted sister), threw an awesome kiddie Halloween party full of food, fun, games, costume parade to the neighborhood park, and seeing all the cute cousins in their costumes. The kids enjoyed it and I always enjoy spending time with my Garber Family. Kaedance went as a mermaid (so far that makes 3 costumes if you're counting). Finally, Halloween night came and we went to another friends wards trunk-or-treat and went around there for a bit and then came home, had like 5 trick- or- treaters to our house, and enjoyed some candy! That night, Kaedance was a Queen (4th costume) and Landon was a cute turtle but my camera died before I got his picture, he was so cute in it! Hate when that happens! :)

We had a very Happy Halloween and enjoyed the time with my parents and great friends/family. Now, bring on Thanksgiving...my favorite!!

Landon the Yogurt Monster Attacks!!

This is what I get for letting Landon attempt yogurt on his own. Why did I not think to take off his PJ top? Thank goodness for stain pre-treatment, no stain on it! How cute is he? I love him!

School Fall Festival 2009

Kaedance's school put on an awesome, fun-filled, fall festival. I remember having a PTA sponsored event growing up and it was always so much fun. Tonight, it was packed, but all the booths/games moved quick and the kids loved winning and playing the games. Kaedance wore her costume along with at least 5 other Snow Whites, but she looked cute and loved it. Landon missed out on the costume (he wears his tomorrow for our ward trunk or treat, so stay tuned) but he loved seeing all the kids dressed up and walking around.

We ate, socialized, and had a great night supporting Kaedance's awesome school. They had a pumpkin patch and we took home 4 pumpkins. It was a lots of fun and perfect, no jacket, in the 70's, weather. Although she may be rezoned to a new elementary school next year, I've been so happy with her school and teacher and hope that continues. Stay tuned for more Fall/Halloween posts. :)

Long Time...New Posts

Picture of our house from the front. We replaced a dead tree and some bushes. Love having a yard!

I heart this girl! She is so pretty.

Catching Landon Lounging with Daddy and Sister

He is saying "teeseee" aka "cheese"

Our 18 month old boy!

Hair Bow Holder for Kaedie

Googlie Eye Halloween Wreath

Grocery Deals @ Albertson's. Spent $56 for all that!

Sorry it's been awhile since I've updated our blog. I will be updating the last month or two with pics too! Hopefully this will make up for the lack in my blog to any of you it tthat still reads it :)

First, Landon turned 18 months Sept. 20 and is getting so big! He is growing out of the baby stage and right into a typical toddler boy. He makes us laugh and keeps us on our toes. He is not fond of Nursery at Church(we hope that changes soon.) He is my sweet boy who still likes to cuddle. I soak up every bit of that. Lately, Kaedance and him have there moments of playing nice and then, not so nice. I think they love each other.

Kaedance is still loving school and never fights to go. She is making a lot of new friends there and in our ward. She is excited to be back at ballet and is really progressing. For the most part, she is a big help with Landon and me. She is a blessing and we love her.

I've been busy trying to finish painting our Master Bedroom and Landon's room. I will post pictures soon on that. I've also been trying to be more crafty(not the best at it) with a couple projects (see pics). I'm still trying to do my Grocery Smarts and score bargains where ever I shop (also, see pic). I love to save money and love a great deal. I enjoyed a weekend with two of my BFF's and adopted Mom in St. George in September. We shopped, ate, laughed, and ate some more. It was a blast and much need escape from kids, hubbies, and life. I hope to do it again!

Troy is busy with work and doing a great job supporting us. He is a great daddy and we love him our here!

We look forward to the rest of Fall and spending time with family and friends. The Holidays are right a round the corner and we look forward to those too! We have much to be thankful for!

Autumn

Although it's still 100+ degrees in Vegas, I'm excited for Autumn. I love this time of year when the weather is crisp, just enough for a light jacket, when leaves change to vibrant colors (unfortunately not seen much in the desert) and when the Holidays are just around the corner.
This might be my favorite season. I love it and hope it's a great one for you all!

Kindergarten!

Kaedance had her 1st day of Kindergarten today! She loved it and had a blast. Here is a little bit about her first day of school along with some pictures from today and a few from last weeks meet-n-greet.

I woke her up and she was excited that the day had come to start school. She enjoyed her breakfast, played with Landon (she was great with him all day) and helped to get herself ready without much complaints :) and off we went. At school she was still excited and ready to go in. She saw some friends from church and some are in her class. I was able to snap a few pictures in the morning glaring sun and a cute one with her teacher. The class lined up and in they went. She never cried and was ready for me to leave. "See you later, Mom". When I drove away, I got a little teary eyed thinking of my baby being in "Big Kid School" all by herself.

During the day, I kept my phone close just in case. The end of class seemed to come quick. When I picked her up, she was so jazzed to tell me about her day, her class, teacher, and new friends. She made an adorable hand print with a sweet poem for Daddy and me to remember her first day. She received a 'green' behavior card (if she earns 10 she gets a prize) and that made her excited. She was asked what was her favorite part and she responded recess and story time. We went to lunch with her BFF, Rylee, and later to dinner and frozen yogurt to celebrate her big day. She asked if she gets to go again tomorrow. I told her yes...and that made her day!

What a great day and I was so proud of her and how well she did. She seemed to grow leaps and bounds just over night. Hopefully, her excitement for school lasts the entire year. When she goes all day next year, that's when I'm sure I'll cry. Great Job, Kaedance!! Dad and Mom are so proud of you!

T'was the Night Before Kindergarten

School starts tomorrow. Where did this summer go, let alone, the past 5 years of Kaedie's life. When did my newborn little girl grow so fast to start Kindergarten? I have no idea how it snuck up on me. She is ready, I don't know if I am. We went last week to meet her teacher, see her classroom, and walk through her new school. She seems to be excited and we have been telling her how exciting it is to go to school. She had an awesome Preschool teacher that helped prepare her for this too! She is so smart and I know she'll have so much fun learning and interacting with her classmates.

I've heard nothing but positive things about this school and her teacher. I feel blessed to have her in a 9 month school and close to our home. I hope she adjusts easily and has a great time. I'm sure I will cry once she's inside. Such a bitter sweet moment for me. We are so proud of her and so excited for her. I hope to take alot of pics to document her big day. Good luck, Kaedance! Daddy and Mommy are so proud of you!!

Utah Summer Trip 2009

It seems like every year that I've been away from home, I've been blessed to go back a few times during the year. This past week we went up and the kids and I stayed the week. We drove up for one of our BFF's daughter Bday Party (Kaedie's BFF, Rylee) for an awesome Firefighter Party. Her Uncle is a Firemen and it was such blast to visit the Fire House, see the truck up close, play in the hoses, and enjoy friends! It was awesome!

Troy returned back to Vegas and the lovely heat to work (Thanks, Daddy!) but we stayed to enjoy the cooler weather, our family and friends. We spent one day with some of our good friends at Thanksgiving Point Animal Farm. The kids loved it, especially Landon. I think his favorite animal was the little billy goats. They were able to ride real horses (so cute!) and just before their turn, my camera died. I hate that! My friend got some that I hope to get from her. It was so nice to hang out with them and enjoy the day.

The kids spent a lot of time outside on the lush green grass, running in the sprinklers, playing in their cousins kiddie pool, and visiting Grandma and Papa's neighborhood parks. We ate yummy foods, home made meals from my Mom, fresh veggies and fruits, and Kaedance enjoyed drinking water from the tap. One day, my Dad took the kids and I up Provo Canyon (I did that alot growing up there) Kaedance loved to see all the green trees, tall Mountains, and Waterfalls. It's such a pretty place that I miss. We stopped in a cute small town, Heber, for Ice Cream at the famous Dairy Keen home of the train that runs through the building. Landon and Kaedie loved that. It was a nice drive. Thanks Dad for taking us!

I was able to enjoy some much needed time with one of my BFF's shopping and chatting. We had a great time being together and going to yoga. Thanks again, Maeg! I had a blast and needed to have that time with you. I also spent time with another BFF and her daughter. I love them and wish we had more time to spend with them! One day, I saw a friend from School and her handsome son. It was so nice to see her and catch up over the past years that we've not seen eachother.

Thanks to my amazing parents that watched my kids so I could have some "me" time! The rest of our week was spent relaxing, laughing, shopping, watching movies with my little brother & Sis in Law, and loving on my nephew. It was so great to spend time with my family and friends even though, I would have liked more time to see more people and go more places. I'm so blessed to be able to travel home to visit and I truly miss Utah. I look forward to the next time we go home (not sure when...around the holidays) Thanks again Grandma and Papa for letting us crash your house for a week. :) It was a blast and I'm so glad to have gone. It's also nice to be back home.

Next adventure for us, Kindergarten! Stay Tuned for that!!

New Family Pics

While in Utah, my awesome and talented Sis-In-Law took some family pics. There are some good ones...hard to get a ton of great shots with a 17 month old who hates to sit still. These also reminds me to get back on the weight loss band wagon real soon! Boooo! :)

More on our Utah trip to come...Stay Tuned!

Kaedance's 5th B-Day Party

Little late, but, this past Saturday, was Kaedie's Birthday Party. She celebrated it along with her "cousin" Cora who is a year and one week older than Kaedance. She turned 6 and Kaedance turned 5. We thought it would be fun to have a Beach Themed Party.

We began the party at our neighborhood splash park (awesome for parties and it's FREE... kinda, but we pay HOA fees). The kids love it there and they can run out some energy. We had pizza there and traveled back to our house for an Ice Cream Sundae Bar and some Cupcakes that I was so proud of. I found cute paper umbrellas that I stuck in the cupcake which had blue frosting (water) and sand (cookie crumbs) to look like the beach. My Sis-In-Law gave me the idea for the sand and my awesome Mom helped me bake them. I found cute flip flop plates and napkins in the $1 section at Target along with the umbrellas and beach balls. The other decorations (Palm trees, Beach Pales, and Balloons) came from the Wonderful Dollar Tree. The kids that came took home a beach pale full of goodies. I really wanted the house,decorations, and party favors to resemble the beach (hopefully it did). I love hosting parties and coming up with themes. It's Fun! I also love doing it to a budget. I Would love to have an Event Planning Business if I had all the money in the world. (side note, sorry :) )

Kaedance and Cora were spoiled with gifts (Thanks to everyone for them!) It looked like Christmas. We are so blessed to have amazing families and friends! Thanks to my Parents and Brother, Sis-In-Law, and Nephew for making a trip down to celebrate with her. We love you all and appreciate you thinking of Kaedance on her birthday! We can't believe our little bug is now 5, but we look forward to many more celebrations and enjoying watching her grow!

Kaedance's 5th Birthday!

Our gorgeous little girl turns 5 tomorrow! It feels like just yesterday that we found out that we were pregnant and expecting her. Now, she starts Kindergarten in a month. So Crazy! She had her party this past Saturday (next post on that soon) and it was a lot of fun. Of course, she was spoiled by gifts and enjoyed being with her family. In celebration of her 5th Birthday, here are 5 things about her that we love:

1. She has a sensitive spirit
2. She loves her family
3. She is a big help to Mommy
4. She loves to learn
5. She loves to dress up and to dance

She has grown in so many ways this last year and we are so proud of her. She lights up my life and makes me smile everyday. She makes me so proud to be her Mommy and I look forward to the many more years I have to share with her. We Love You, Kaedie Bug! Happy Birthday!

Kaedance's 3rd Ballet Recital 2009

Thursday Rehearsal and Friday Show

Saturday Performance

Kaedance performed in her 3rd recital this weekend! The theme for this recital was Nursery Rhymes for the Ballet portion and America for the Tap/Modern. It was an awesome show!

She was amazing and performed so good. We are so proud of her. She loves ballet/tap and has no fear when she performs. She looks forward to this annual recital every year and we are so blessed that she loves it. We also feel blessed that we can afford to do this for her. She has been told by her teacher that she really has great talent and could go far if she chooses to. What a compliment! It was so fun to watch and support her cousin Cora and her Aunt Erin, that also, did an amazing job! They have worked so hard and it was so amazing to watch 3 of my favorite girls dance! Great job, Cora and Erin! We love you!

My parents made the trip down along with my Grandmother, Kaedie's Great-Grandma, to enjoy the show with us. She was also supported my her Grandma and Papa Garber, Aunt Seana and Aunt Shannon and her cousin Savvy. Thanks to you all for your support! Big thanks to Shannon for her gorgeous roses (she loves them)! She was spoiled with flowers from her Daddy, Papa, and Aunt.

We look forward to another year of watching her dance and perform! Great job Kaedie Bug! We are so proud of you!

Landon is in Love!

That's right...he's in love with his bottles of milk! He is 16 months and shows no signs of giving his bottle up. He loves his milk and sometimes I feel that's his best source of nutrition since he's not the best table food eater. My goal is to ween him off starting at 18 months. Kaedance was not hard to break for her bottle or binky. Luckily, Landon never took to a binky...he's just obsessed with his bottle.

Part of me does not want him to give it up because that to me, officially makes him a "big boy" and not my baby. I know, I'm a sucker for that boy :)

P.S. That's his "milk drunk" face. He has a problem :)

My Crazy Kids

The last few days, my kids have been playing so good together and it's been so great for me to watch them interact and enjoy one another! Here is a couple pics of them being silly goobers!

House Pics Part II

Kaedie's Bathroom

Kaedie's Room

Kaedie's Room (it's huge; could have been two bedrooms)

Kitchen Nook (Not the best lighting; sorry)


Playroom Loft ( Chalkboard wall; FUN!)

Playroom Loft (I wanted a fun, cheerful color)

More of our home tour to come...Stay tuned! :)