Annual Gingerbread Houses

Be careful....

The kids had a blast!

Making Gingerbread houses has kind of become a tradition in our family and adds so much to the Christmas spririt for my kids.  We decided to have a contest: boys against girls this year.  Unfortuately, neither of the houses won because they both collapsed.  It was fun  anyway.

Boston and his house

Adelyn is so careful.....

So happy, right!

This is where Adelyn gets it.

Boyz house

Girls House

Update on Kids

Adelyn turned 5 in November and Boston is 21 months.  I cannot believe how fast time goes by.  Because life has been pretty hectic, I haven't updated their progress. So here is combined Nov. and Dec. update.

Adelyn and Boston are each other's best friend.  She is so dang fun to hang out with, and Boston does whatever Adelyn tells him do, so the two of them laugh and play all day.  Here are some cute pics I took of the two of them together recently.

Addys 5th Birthday Party @ Pizza Factory

Air show also

At Air Show LV, NV Nov. 2011

Backyard in California Dec. 2011

Backyard in California Dec. 2011

So Sweet.  Love these moments caught in pics

S. D. Temple Dec. 2011

Adelyn is 5......

This is her classroom at Litte Rising Stars in Florida

I cannot believe she is 5. Crazy to imagine life without our little miss sunshine.  She is always smiling and finds fun in everything no matter where she is.  She has already made a lot of friends here in S.D. b/c how can you resist her optimism and smile?   She has become best friends with a particular Brooklynne who is in her PEPP class and her Primary class.  Brooklynnes mom is Addy's primary teacher and parent volunteer in the classroom which brings with it an added relief for me when I sent her to school.  She is rockin in PEPP.  The secretaries at the school told me Mrs. Reid (Addy's teacher) said to them "she can spell her own name already.  Yes!".  She is a smart girl and really prob. should be in regular Kindergarten.  We just dont know what the future holds for us.  She absolutely loves school and really excells in it.  She loves to play Barbies now and is kinda out of the baby doll phase.  She LOVES to draw so I have pictures of her's that she has drawn all over my house.... which Im not complaining I just have no where to keep ALL of them.  She adores Boston and is his biggest protector still.  She loves to read books.  She is so fun for Christmas.  Santa is real and alive at our house and so is the Christmas spirit.  She keeps asking for a dance or gymnastics class so I am working on that.  She really loves living in California.  The other day at school she had her first Earthquake drill.  Her teacher told me and the staff at the school it was so cute b/c she kept saying Tornado, tornado, tornado.  Her teacher was laughing and kept telling Addy not in Calif. maybe in Florida though. She did have tornado drills in Florida.  She should be pretty good to have around in an emergency at this point.  She is still my style diva.  I just love her so much.  She is so sweet and fun to be around.

Boston @ 22 months:

He has learned to say "Yep".  For the longest time all he would say in no. I dont know if he was waiting for a cool way to say yes or what but now everything is Yep.  He tells me when he has pooped and peed so we are starting potty training this week to see how it goes. If it is too much, then we will stop.  He is talking a lot now and his favorite thing to do is buckle. He buckles his own car seat and booster seat and if you buckle it, there is going to be a big temper tantrum.  He is such a boy.   He destroys anything in his path, and if he cant destroy it, it will be seriously damaged.  He LOVES balls.  Basketballs, footballs, baseballs, golf balls, soccor balls,  butt-balls as he call thems all.  He can spot a hoop better than anyone I know. I think he might be my sports star.  He also loves TRUCKS and TOOLS! He loves to try to fix things (just like his Daddy) and is so helpful while fixing anything.  He is a tank.  Im not sure how much he weighs now, but Im sure he is pushing 30 pds.  Addy is just over 30 pounds to put it in perspective.  He is thinning out quite a bit now though and is going through that I dont want to eat anything stage.  His favorite thing to do is play with Adelyn. It doesnt matter what they are doing.  She can make him laugh like no one else can. He likes to vaccuum also.  He is such a tender hearted little guy also.  One strong word and the tears come down immensely.  Addy just glares at you and then moves on.

Travis:
Travis is working and working and working.  He likes his job, but we both agree that we dont want to contract all our lives.  He is staying really busy, but cant complain b/c at least he is not work and schooling it right now.  It has been great to see him at nights and spend time with him. He has developed a love and skill for golf.

Chelsey:
I am loving here. I am getting friends already which makes the world of difference to me.  I have developed a love for scrapbooking and am curretly doing that.  I feel like this year has been a year of growth and opportunity for me.  I have learned how to be a stay at home mom and now I love it.  It did take a bit of adjustment for me.  But I am loving the time I get with my kiddos.

Happy Thanksgiving

We were able to spend Thanksgiving with our families in Utah this year which was unexpected.  We shared Thanksgiving dinner with Travis' parents, grandparents (Sam and Mirian) and his two siblings.  We ate at the Garden House, and it was so great to visit with them all.  I have so much to be grateful this season. Here are a list of the some of the things that I am grateful for:

1. Travis.  He is the best husband and father.  I feel most of the time I am not worthy of him, but am so grateful everyday he chose me.  We have grown a lot this past year with having new, fun and trying times which were new to us.  He is so steady and consistant and me and his children are always his top priorities.  It sounds so cliche' but truly I am the luckiest girl in the world.

2.  Adelyn and Boston.  I never thought I would like being a stay at home mom, but this past year it has worked best for me to be at home, and I am so grateful.  I love playing with them daily, and I find so much joy in them.  They both are so fun loving and strong personalities, our days are rarely dull.

3.  Our Families.  Being thousands of miles away really makes you appreciate the time you get to spend with family.  We are so grateful for the family support we have received this last year while moving TO Florida and being in Florida.

4.  The Gospel.  I learned more about the organization and formalities of the church this last year than any other year in my life.  I have definately gained a greater appreciation for active members in the church, for the knowledge I have been so greatly blessed with all my life, and the simple formalities that make a ward run the way it should.  I learned so much more this last year about things I never thought about.  It is hard to put into words.

5.  Friends.  People really make or break a place I have found.  I found some amazing friends in Vero Beach, some of which I would have never thought to be my friends are some of my lifelong besties.  I am grateful for the friends I have made in college, high school, and already in California.  I hope I can be a better friend to everyone. Truly... people make the difference.  And even one person can make a huge difference.  I hope I can be that person.

6.  Dreams and Hopes.   It is so great for me to be able to see Travis reaching his dream in his career.  In my journal in college I wrote that I wanted to be a stay at home mom while my kids were little.  I am living my dream right now.  Travis is such a dreamer and such a positive person which is one of the things I love about him.  We are constantly dreaming of the day we will be able to this and that.  And we are realizing we are fulfilling some of those dreams now.  What a cool thing.

7.  Sunshine.  We have had the privilage of living on both coasts this year where the sun is always shining.  I love the beach and realized I truly love the mountains I took for granted all my life.

8. Perspective.  This last year I realized its the simplier things of a lifestyle that I truly find joy in. I am so grateful I can leave my door open and have no lizards or frogs or huge bugs come in. I am grateful I can go to the park and have my kids play without being bitten by bugs, or dying from the humidity.

9.  Health.  This is really higher on my list.  I am grateful for Travis', Adelyn, Boston and my good health.  One of my besties is blessed with an angel who has spina bifida and a daughter who also has serious health issues.  She is amazing and I think the best parents are given the most special children to care for.  She is one of those.  It really has made thankful for good health.

10.  Love.  I have felt more this year than almost any year the love my savior has for me and my family.  We have been taken care of in our travels thoughout the country.  My love for Travis and our children has grown immensely this year also.  My love and appreciation for my parents and siblings has grown also.  I have been blessed this year with love, and for that I am grateful.

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!

PEPP KINDERGARTEN

First day of PEPP Kindergarten

She was a little nervous this time

With her Satchel (aka backpack they make you buy)

Lining up with her class

I went to go sign Addy up for preschool the first couple of days we lived here, and come to find out, she is Kindergarten age in California.  I cried for abouty 2 hours when I found out. I was not ready for Addy to go to Kindergarten already.  I thought I still had a year to prepare for this day.  When I went to sign her up at school, they told me about PEPP. It is in between kindergarten and preschool.  I know that Addy could handle Kindergarten, but if we move back to Utah like we plan on, she would be doing Kindergarten twice.  I put her in PEPP.  We accidently went on Monday when they told me her first day was going to be Tuesday, so the pictures below are the ones we took on Monday. On Tuesday, I was nervous to drop her off at this school in California where there were tonz of kids and people.  But my prayers were answered.  As I walked into the classroom this woman came up to me. She had a nametag that said Nichole Parent Volunteer.  She said to me, "I recognize you from church. I am Nikki and this is my daughter Brooklynne. She is in this class and I am the parent volunteer today.  I teach Addy in Sunday School.  She will be ok."  Immediately I felt immense peace.  I could let Addy go.  She had a instant friend, and I had someone to watch her for the day and protect her.  Tears fill my eyes even as I write this.  Nikki and I have become good friends already.  Adelyn and Brooklynne play everyday with each other.  I am so grateful Heavenly Father puts people in our path to remind us he loves us, is mindful of us, and he knows what we need.  I am feel so blessed by this little family.  What a gift they are to us.  Kindergarten PEPP.  She loves it!!!

What we thought was her first day of school 

She was so excited

Moving to California

Adelyn helping set up her bed

Kitchen/living room

The kids play room

Our new kitchen table

So happy

She's happy too!

We moved to Utah on Nov 2nd. Travis traveled up to S.L. to work on a job for a company in Springville and came back with our new 2011 Chevorlet Traverse, and then flew to California. By the end of the week, we were all in California moving into our Deerwood apartment.   It was a whirlwind.  But we are loving living here.  We have already made some great friends and we love our ward.  They have been so warm and welcoming.  It is great to have a mountain literally out our back door, a park and pool in the apartment complex, no bugs, no lizards, no frogs, trees changing colors, warm weather, and great friends for Adelyn and me already.  We feel so blessed.  I feel like Travis was truly guided to find this area in which we live.  Now all we need is furniture (we have bought a table, but still no couches).

Las Vegas Air Show

The kids, my parents, and I traveled down to the Las Vegas Airshow.  It was really fun and the kids liked it.  They are so loud and such a long day for the kids though.  Luckily they had a bunch of bounce houses and rides to break up the time for the kids.  I am glad we went and the kids liked it.  Just wished Travis would have been there with us because he is the one who knows about airplanes.

Traverse

We bought a Chevrolet Traverse!! We have been looking at these cars for months now, but there was no such thing as an all wheel drive in Florida so we decided to wait.  We are glad we did. We found one in Utah that was the colors (dark interior and dark exterior) that we wanted and one that is AWD.  We are so excited!!!