Christmas in the "South"

And of course, by South I mean 4 hours down I-15 to the city of St. George! We had a great time spending Christmas with Jed's family this year. We missed having Nathan & Mariann there too. (They stayed in Price with his family.) We left Thursday afternoon after Jed got off work. We went out to dinner at Applebee's for Jed & Talease's birthday. They had DVRed the BYU game so they could watch that after dinner. Thanks to the TV's at Applebee's, I was able to see who was going to win! :)

We went to Tuacahn to see the Nativity Play. Lucas also got to visit Santa. The picture makes him look unhappy, but he was actually extremely excited! He chased Santa down, just so he could say "Hi"! The Nativity was really nice. They even had a real Camel! Talease had the right idea for staying warm!

We also went and saw the lights at the St. George Temple. Lucas tried to sneak into the Nativity set so that he could pet the animals.

The Beatty family had their Christmas party at Grandpa & Grandma's. We had a fun time visiting with family. Some of the grandkids performed the Nativity. Lucas was a little lamb. He looked so cute. He wasn't to sure about it though! We played some fun games and laughed a lot.

In between all of the fun activities, we found time play "Settlers of Catan". I had bought it for Jed for his birthday, but we didn't know how to play it. I had just heard lots of people say that they liked it. Once we figured out how to play, we were all addicted. (Even as I'm writing this blog, Jed, Landon, Tawn & Nappy are in playing it!)

More Christmas Pictures

Christmas morning was a lot of fun. We took turns opening our gifts. Lucas was interested at first, but then he just wanted to watch the "hippo" (Madagascar). Eventually he would open another one. Some of the things he opened were a tool bench and tools, a potty chair, and a bed rail.

The girls and Lucas went to "Charlotte's Web" and the boys went to "Eragon". Charlotte's Web was so cute. Lucas almost made it through the entire movie. He feel asleep right at the end. That night we played lots of games and enjoyed being together as a family.

We left Tuesday evening to head back to Spanish Fork. Jed had to be back to work on Wednesday.

It's amazing how much preparation and time is spent for Christmas, and then all of a sudden it's over. It comes and goes so fast. Christmas is one of those times I look forward to ever year, and it's no exception that I'm looking forward to the next holiday season. I hope each of you had a wonderful holiday was well!

let's back up...

My previous post I wrote about the tree that fell. This post is to let you know about the entire weekend. Not that many of you care, but I want to write about it anyways! :)



On Friday Steve & Paulette came up from St. George. They had a wedding to go to on Saturday so they stayed the night with us. It worked out nicely because they were able to watch Lucas while we went to Jed's work party in Lehi. The work party was really nice. The food was yummy & Jed learned that he DOES like Wassil! Mariann & Nathan also came and stayed the night on Friday. It was fun to have them all here.



Saturday we woke up to lots and lots of snow. We were leaving to go up to Honeyville so I could help my mom with some pretzel dipping! Jed got up and shoveled the driveway and walks. After he finished, he got a call from his boss saying he could borrow his snow blower!! Once we started driving, we realized that the snow cloud must have been directly over Springville & Spanish Fork. The farther north we got, the less and less snow. Once we got to Honeyville, the sun was shining with absolutely NO snow! Lucas enjoyed spending time outside with Grandpa. He rode the tractor, fed the animals, and rolled in the dirt. I brought all of his snow stuff so he's staying really warm! That evening Jed and I went in to his cousin Tanae's wedding reception in Brigham.



Now for Sunday... read the previous post for the exciting event during the day! As Jed and I were packing up that evening to leave, he asked if I wanted to stay up here for a few more days. My mom is going to Salt Lake airport on Wednesday to pick up her sister Jeanie and brother Kent. (They are coming from Arizona for a funeral.) I wasn't sure if I should stay, but I did. So that means I'm still here in Honeyville. I know that Jed was prompted to have Lucas and I stay here. On his way home he called me and was in an accident in Salt Lake. The freeway was horrible and he hit black ice and started to spin across the freeway. He hit another car, but luckily everyone was okay. Our car only has a cracked bumber and the other car has a dent where our bumber hit it. Even though it ended up with everyone being okay, you just never know. I am grateful for a husband who listens to the spirit.



That brings us to this week. I received a call from my boss, Danielle, yesterday. My job won't be ending at the end of December. She's not sure how long it will last, it could be February, or it could be June. Whatever it is, I'll take it. I love working for her.

Today Lucas and I are going to go visit Grandma at work (she feeds the kids at elementary) and than hang out in Brigham until she gets off work.

Once I get back to Spanish, I will be packing again. We are leaving on Thursday for our St. George Christmas. I can hardly believe that Christmas is less than a week away. I'm looking forward to watching Lucas enjoy it this year. He's already tried opening presents that DON'T belong to him!

What a Predicatment!

We went up to Honeyville on Saturday morning for a quick visit. During the night the wind started blowing extremely hard. If you've ever slept in the upstairs at my parents, you'll know that the windows are old. It felt like we were having a mini hurricane inside our bedroom!! (Okay...maybe not quite that bad!) When we got up Sunday morning, I looked out the window and noticed that the shop door was hanging funny. My mom came and looked and noticed that the old dead tree was on top of the shop and shed. (Not sure why I saw the door, but not the HUMONGOUS tree.) She called my dad, who was already at the church for bishopric meetings, and he came home to survey the damage. With the help of many strong, able, and freezing men, (and about 8 hours) they were able to finally get the tree off of the buildings with only some minor roof damage and a slightly leaning shop. It was pretty funny to see all the people who stopped by and the phone calls that came in seeing if everything was okay. Needless to say, my parents have lots of firewood for the winter months now! The pictures sort of show the progress the tree made as they tried to slide it, pull it, tip it, & chop it!

Happy Birthday My Love!

26 years old!! You finally caught up to me! :) It's amazing to think that we've been in each other's lives for 26 years. I can't wait to spend the next 26 years (and more) with you. So in honor of your birthday, I've come up with a The Top 26 Reasons I Love You So Much!

26. It's your birthday...we get to eat at PF Changs!!
25. Dr. Pepper (it's who you are!---notice where this falls on the list!)
24. Smallville!
23. My life would never be the same without you!
22. Your excitement over presents! (giving or receiving)
21. Your always willing to help out a friend.
20. You go places with me, even if you don't want to! (Ward Party)
19. Your passion for your hobbies.
18. Your patience with me.
17. When you want something, you go for it.
16. You took the time to get a college degree.
15. You love to play with Lucas and he loves it when you come home.
14. Your love for sports (most of the time:))
13. You always support what I want or need.
12. Your honest.
11. Your willingness to help when I need it.
10. Your love for all our family.
9. You kiss me every morning before leaving.
8. Our trials only makes us better people.
7. You always make me laugh.
6. Your mine for eternity!
5. The priesthood you hold that blesses me and Lucas.
4. You work so hard to support our family.
3. Your testimony.
2. Your a wonderful father to Lucas.
1. You treat me like a queen!





I included a couple pictures of my birthday boy! The first is when he won "King" at the Honeyville 4th of July. (The same year I won fattest baby!). The second picture, even though it was my birthday...look who's standing next to me!

I love you Jed. I hope you have a wonderful day. Lucas can't wait to help you open your presents!

P.S. Jed shares his birthday with his sister Mariann. We want to wish her a happy birthday. We love you and can't wait to see you this weekend!

Birthday Boy!

I love you, I love you, I Looooooooove Youuuuuuu! (sung to the tune of Elf when he see's his father for the first time!) Today is Lucas' 2nd birthday. Time has flown right by. Two years ago, I was sitting in a hospital bed at UVRMC wondering when they would bring my baby to me. (He was born at 3:23 am). I didn't realize I had to request him! It wasn't until about 10:00 that I finally asked a nurse when I would get to see him. It was such a surreal moment to see him and know that he belonged to us. He was and still is perfect! He's so big now that you wouldn't even know that he was born 5 1/2 weeks early and weighed 5 lbs 11 ozs and 17 1/2 inches.

Since his birthday falls on a Wednesday, and we don't really have any family around right now. We won't be doing much. He has a few presents to open, so we'll do that tonight when Jed gets home. I'm hoping to make some cupcakes so that he can blow out his candles (which I forgot to buy, might have to use matches!) We'll make sure to take some pictures and post a little later of his birthday day!

Lucas, we love you so much and are very blessed to have you in our family. You have the cutest personality. Even at 2, you know how to make your mom & dad laugh! We are so lucky to be a part of every milestone that you cross. luuv you!

Cookin' with Lucas!

I took these pictures awhile ago, but just got the film developed. We had a great time making cookies together. Of course, the beater is the best part. I had to TRY and teach him that we don't lick the beater while it's turning. I'm happy to report that no tongues or fingers were lost!

Senior Hoppin'

This is my gorgeous little sister. Senior Hop was last Saturday and she went with Jeff Merrell. They are really good friends and she had a blast. I love the dress! You look beautiful Nappy...love ya!

Christmas Survey 2006

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? I really like both so it depends. I love to make hot chocolate in the morning because our house is freezing down stairs. I like egg nog too, but it has to have 7-up and vanilla ice cream in it...yummy!!!!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Depends what they are...lots of times he would use really big santa bags!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I'm a fan of white lights.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope...didn't even think about it.

5. When do you put your decorations up? This year I put the tree up on Thanksgiving day evening with the help of my mom. (I figured it was pay back for all the holidays I've helped with their tree -- 25 to be exact!!) The rest of the decor went up on Friday.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Hmmm....not sure. Didn't know there was such thing as a holiday dish that didn't include dessert.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child. Trying to go to bed so early so that Santa would come. Of course, I couldn't go to sleep at 7:00 so I would just lay there. We would be up before the rooster to open our gifts. We would have to wait for my dad to feed the animals and my mom to turn on all the Christmas lights. My dad was always so excited for Christmas morning. One time I remember that we slept in a little (I'm sure it was 5:00) and he asked my mom if he should wake us up!!

8. How and When did you learn the truth about Santa? In our old house in Tremonton, my mom used to hide our gifts downstairs, in this backroom, under a blanket. Well...I just happened to be playing in that room and saw a few board games including the "Sweet Valley High" game. Well...that Christmas, guess what I got from SANTA! That pretty much did it for me. Of course, I didn't tell my mom and dad. I think I faked it pretty darn good!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Always pajamas! We would instantly put them on and not take them off the next day (unless we were trying on our new duds!).

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? I love my tree this year. I decided to go with the Polar Express theme.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Refer to my previous post about El Nino, etc.!! I dread driving in it.

12. Can you ice skate? Are you kidding! I don't think I've been able to ever stand up on ice skates. My ankles aren't strong enough to hold me up! I usually end up bruised and battered! I remember going with the YW one year (I was a beehive). My hands were on the ice so much, that someone actually ran over them and I ended up with a cut up finger!!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? How do I choose...I think I'd have to say, Lucas! Although he came a couple weeks before Christmas (and wasn't due until a couple weeks after), it was nice to have him here!

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Our Savior...and remembering why we even celebrate Christmas. I also love the time we get to spend with family.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Frosted sugar cookies shaped like Christmas ornaments, toffee, and Bubble Bread and Russian Tea.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? We would always Read Luke 2 before opening our pajamas. Then we just spend the rest of the night being together as a family and remember Christmas's past!

17. What tops your tree? A star.

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? I like the giving part. I'm especially excited for this year to see Lucas open all of his gifts! I think he's going to have so much fun. Receiving is fun too! :)

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? That's a hard one. I must admit that I'm a George Strait fan all the way so his CD's are always on the top of my list. I have music for every mood! Love it! I must admit that I'm more of an upbeat music person rather than slow slow! Martina McBride's CD...not one of my favorites!

20. What is your favorite Christmas story? "A Creature was Stirring", "The Polar Express", and any of Anita Standsfield's Christmas books. Just finished reading her pamphlet book called "The Gift". Very good!

Well that complete's this survey. 25 days till Christmas...it's coming so fast. This year we will be in St. George with Jed's family. I'm really looking forward to relaxing and enjoying the Christmas festivities. Despite the cold weather...Christmas is still a wonderful time of year!! Love you all!

"Snow" Cold!!

Okay...so I thought that was a clever title!! It has been so blasted cold here the last few days. I thought El Nino was suppose to have been really mild this year which would make our winter very mild...at least that's what the news people said. For me, mild would have meant no snow except in the mountains!
Today Lucas and I decided to brave the high of 26 degrees and go for a little walk around the neighborhood. Since he's getting new snow stuff for his birthday (and it's already wrapped) I had to bundle him the best I could. I wasn't sure if he was going to like all the cold wet snow, but he did and I had a blast watching him. Despite a few falls due to a couple of icy spots...he was in heaven! Hopefully all of our neighbors won't mind the mini footprints in their yards. He thought it was so much fun to walk in the deepest snow he could find and that usually meant yards with grass. I was pleasantly suprised with myself at how warm I even stayed.

This last picture is of me about the same age as Lucas. Who would have thought I actually liked snow at one point!

Happy (post) Thanksgiving/(pre) Birthday

I wanna mo'...I wanna mo'


















Concentrating on his new puzzle





















Trying to stick his gun back in the holster!






























Trying to break the code....:)












This year we had Thanksgiving at our new home here in Spanish Fork. My mom, dad, Jess, Tawn & Landon all came for it. We had a lot of fun spending time with family. Everything turned out so yummy!! My mom helped me set up my Christmas tree, which I absolutely love! I decided to do a Polar Express theme.
On Friday morning, me, mom, Jess & Tawn all got up to do a little Christmas shopping. One of the major things was finding a Senior Hop dress for Jessica. It's this coming weekend. Grandpa & Grandma Valentine stopped by on their way back to St. George on Friday. We had Lucas open his presents from the grandparents since his birthday falls on a Wednesday and no one will be here for it. As always...he was spoiled rotten! We did save the rest of them for his real birthday...not that he cares either way!!
My mom & dad had to leave Friday afternoon so they could get back for my uncle Grant's 60th birthday party in Honeyville. Lucas had a slumber party with Tawnya that night so Jed and I decided to go to a movie and dinner. We went and watched "Happy Feet". It was so cute! I really think Lucas would love it. All the kids in the theater was dancing and laughing. They loved it. We went to dinner at PF Changs...one of my favorite places. Since we didn't go until after the movie, we had no wait at all!
Saturday we found a Lucas's last present (we didn't have anything from Santa)! I'm so excited for Christmas this year. I think he's going to have so much fun opening all his gifts. We had to go in the morning so that Jed could get home to watch the BYU game. It's a good thing we did. What a finish!!
Yesterday we substituted Sunday School for the 12-13 year olds. This is the second time we've done it. Lucas wore his new church clothes and looked so handsome. After church we had a TV marathon watching "Band of Brothers".
I think that about raps up our weekend. I'm so THANKFUL for family, friends and my Savior. I am extremely blessed!

Happy Anniversary!

I just have to give a shout out to my dad and mom who have now been married for 27 years! I was born just 5 days before their first anniversary (yes...that is me in the photo). I love you guys so much and am so blessed to have you as my parents. I'm so grateful to have parents who have taught me the gospel and the principle of hard work. I look forward to the next 27 years with you!! You are the BEST! I Love You!

*ALLSTAR* Weekend...

On Saturday we drove up to Hunter High School in West Valley for the Nappy's ALLSTAR volleyball game. Her and Erica Park were selected from Bear River to play. Suzanne Merrell was their team's coach and was also given the Lifetime Achievement Award. It was a pretty stress free game to watch! Their team won in 3 straight. The match was so short that they had them play a fourth game just for fun.

There were six teams of allstar players. After the match we went to Cafe Rio to eat. I love that place!

I also have to mention that I finished the book Jed gave me for my birthday. "Finding Noel". I really enjoyed reading it. If you are looking for a good Christmas book that you can read in just a couple of days...this is it! Highly Recommended :)