Its the most wonderful time of the year!

Our little family on Christmas Day!

Our family's contribution to the party! Owen was tropical santa and I made both mine and Jeremys.

My parents! Isnt my moms hair so Hairspray?!? Love it!
My sister went all out and and my mom did her hair! It was awesome!
The picture is blury but you get the gist!

This year has gone by so fast! It has been so fun this year with Owen! We had a FHE to learn the true meaning of Christmas and I think it sunk in but you never know with a 4 year old.

We put up our Decorations pretty early in the month so we have been pretty festive this year. I wrapped all got all the presents wrapped and under the tree in the first week too. I had to get them out of my closet so Owen wouldn't see! He can spell his name now and kept telling me this one is for me because it had his name on it even though it would say to Dad from Owen.

We went to see Santa and he was really good about it! There was no hesitation this year he just went up talked to him and I got a picture. No fuss. It was awesome!

The only problem was it was early in the month when we went to see him and then about a week before Christmas he decided he wanted something different and wondered how to relay that to Santa. Lucky for him my cousin Charlie pretended to call him on the phone and give him an updated list from Owen. It was so nice of him and it sure put Owens mind at ease I just didn't know how I was going to find it now!

Jeremy's uncle Bruce and his family had us over for dinner about a week ago. It was such a nice sit down dinner! Afterward they said, " should we open some presents?" I had no idea but i guess they had our whole family for Christmas this year. They gave Jeremy's parents and all five kids gifts! They gave Owen some sweet dragons which he LOVED, and for us a very cute wall sign with 4 posts that had the saying " THE STOCKINGS WERE HUNG". It was so so so nice!

Jeremy's sister Jennilee and her husband Shane came in from Washington for the holiday. They are staying with us at our house! They flew in on Christmas Eve and will be here until the Sunday after.

My family decided to get on board with the ugly sweater party train. For Christmas Eve dinner we all had the most awesome sweaters on! My mom, sister, grandma, and I spent 2 hours at DI getting all the stuff to put them together. Some were definitely more ugly than others and my sister even gave out prizes to the winners of most ugly. There was a baby Jesus on the front of my sweater and my sister went kinda crazy with her outfit. We did have a delish lasagna dinner that night and ate way too much!

Christmas morning was a little interesting this year. Since Jenn and Shane were in Owen's bed that made it a challenge to get out of bed and get downstairs to turn on the Christmas lights and get the camera ready. Plus he has been sick and had a horrible cough. So he coughed pretty much all night and none of us got much sleep at all. He woke up fine though and we made it downstairs before him to get a good video. Owen loved all his toys and was so excited about all the great toys! I was most excited about my KINDLE and Jeremy about the BORNE trilogy i bought him.We didn't get up until 7 which I guess is not so bad considering.

Then we headed to my Granny's for breakfast with all my side of the family. It was great except when I tried to help with the egg station and got a little too crazy and had to throw 2 away because of the egg shells. Everyone ate till they were stuffed. We had a round of BATTLE OF THE SEX'S and then it was time to go to the Hamilton's for lunch. I was in charge of the green bean casserole. I made it the usual way in the crock pot and then added some velveta with salsa and it turned out soooooo yummy i totally recommend it!

We had a wonderful lunch with the, although I don't know how we ate again after such a big breakfast. We played lots of games and laughed together. Jaymee and Owen enjoyed their toys and the adults talked.

Today my sister and mom cut and colored all the girls hair on my side this morning. I needed it! I am sorry to say I got A LOT of gray in my hair these days and my hair needed to be done bad!

We just got home from a wonderful family dinner with the Hamilton's at Los Hermanos. We waited forever to get in but it was worth it!

Tomorrow I have one of my best friends baby blessing in the morning and then my Granny's birthday party in the afternoon. Its been a crazy month and I look forward to getting back on schedule. Getting my house clean again and relaxing for the last little bit of time before I kick in my new years resolutions. More on those later.....

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and look forward to a wonderful New Year!

Turkey Day 2009

This year Thanksgiving was WONDERFUL! We went down to my grandma's house and ate dinner. There was 21 of us there. This is the first family picture we have done for about 4 years. There are only 2 people missing. My uncle Paul (who had to work :( ), and my cousin Will that is on a mission. Having that many people in my grandma's house was a challenge but we did it! Owen even said the prayer with the help of Jeremy of course. It was so great to be with my whole family like that. There was way too much food, a lot of teasing and joking and lots of pictures.

My brother Morgan and my cousin Charlie made a trebuchet in metals. This year was the grand debut and they were so proud of themselves. If you don't know what a trebuchet is think MONTE PYTHON. It was pretty cool and we definitely got some great family jokes out of it!
This is the crew waiting in granny's backyard waiting for the flinging to start. It was such a nice day.
Owen took this picture of us trying to fit everyone in my granny's basement. We were squished but happy. He loves to take pictures and is getting pretty good at it!
He also took this picture. He loves to take pictures of himself!
This year we also had our first ever Turkey 2K. My granny lives on a giant block and ten of us decided to run around the block before our turkey dinner. It was only about an hour but man did it kick our butts. My cousin Charlie won! My mom made a t-shirt for the winner. It was fun to do some physical activity with my family and hopefully we will have many more years of the turkey 2K !

After we had stuffed our faces and taken family pictures we went over to the Hamilton's for pie and FHE. It was great to spend time with them. We played a bingo game Danielle got at the dollar store. It was so fun! She even got prizes for the winners. Then after pie we watched THE FORGOTTEN CAROLS. I had never seen it before and it was the perfect end to the perfect day. Thank you to both our families for making this year special.

Friday all the girls went shopping in SLC. Not the crazy wake up at 3am shopping but just as serious. We went to Gateway, 2 targets, Trolley Square and Old Navy. Today we will hit more stores and 2 more malls. I love shopping with the girls. There is just something about shopping with the girls from morning till night. Having lunch and laughing till it hurts.

You will all be happy to know that Gobble the family turkey lived to see another day. Granny decided she loved him too much for him to die and we feasted on another bird. Its probably a good thing cause Owen would have been traumatized for life. He is a pretty sweet turkey, I'm glad he will still be a part of our family.

I am so thankful for my health and my family and all my blessings I am granted with everyday.

A health update

So I realize I have been too busy to blog about my latest appointment with the specialist's in SLC.I went up there with my sister this time since Jeremy had to work. My mom very graciously watched Owen for me while we were gone.

The ultrasound went well that is until the tech went out of the room to check with his supervisor before letting me go. She came back with him and continued on with the scan except she was NOT as gentle as the tech! My poor abdomen was red afterwards from all the pushing and probing. No fun.

In between the ultrasound and appointment time we had about 3 hours to kill so we headed over to Gateway for some lunch and a little retail therapy. We ate lunch at Mcgraths it was NOT good. The last time we ate there was so long ago I had forgot if I liked it or not. It was exceptionally sad considering I had to fast all morning for the test and that was the first thing I ate that day. Lesson learned.

We headed back for the appointment and I was pretty excited to see Dr. Hutson since he wasnt able to see me for our last appointment. (he was in a transplant) So it had been a full year and I had some questions for him about the H1N1 shot thing.

We waited forever in the small room and then this other dude comes in named Dr. Summsion.

I was less than thrilled, but you take what you get and he was another specialist none the less.

He said my ultrasound looked good. My spleen had shrunk 2 cm and there was again no fluid in my abdomen. All good news! He suggested very strongly that I do the SOUTHBEACH DIET. He said in his patients that had done that lifestyle change with it has amazing results. I told him I would give it a go! Why not right! I got 7 tubes of blood drawn for the usual levels and a few extra to make sure my Hep vaccines were still in my system.

All my blood work came back great! Better than 6 months ago actually and that is wonderful news!

Other great news is that Jeremy's company is changing their health care coverage with the new year. We will be on IHC and that means a whole new specialist and a second opinion. We have wanted one of those for a while now. Not that we dont believe the doctors just that it would be interesting to see what a new specialist would say.

The thing I am NOT excited for: another liver biopsy. The new specialist just might want one. We will see. I have a while before any of that happens. It would be nice to see if there was any improvement. That is really the only definitive test for cirrhosis.

On a side note Owen and I both got the swine flu shots. I did fine with mine but Owen has a fever now. It's been 2 days since his shot and the Dr said if his fever continues I have to bring him in tomorrow. Poor kid. Lets hope he gets better overnight and his body will fight hard to make antibodies fast!

Halloween & more!

So after I posted those other pictures of Owen and Jaymee together I realized I better take some of just him! He is getting so tall everyday it seems he grows too much! Every time I buy him new pants they are too short within about 2-3 weeks!
He was so over pictures at this point but he was still a good sport and this one is my favorite !
You can sorta see the little tiny lady bug on his fingers, he was pretty proud of himself for catching it and keeping her for a minute.

This year Owen said he wanted to be a Dracula and so soon it became that every boy was going to be one and I had to be a zombie. This picture is great because they both have the RED EYE thing going for them and it looks pretty real!
Owen kept saying he wanted to suck my blood before Halloween but then when the time came and I had my zombie make-up on he wasn't so sure!

My hair was supposed to be a lot scarier but it just looked like i had my head out the car window or something dumb.

Earlier in the month Owen, my sister and I went to a place in PG for a pumpkin drop. There was a gigantic pumpkin they hoisted in the air and dropped with a crane it was pretty cool but dark by the time they got it done so Owen was kinda over it. This super cool carving he was not so thrilled about. It took him a while to realize it was fake and wouldn't eat him up.
Our boy had a pretty good Halloween this year! Next year will be fun too he is growing up too fast though. I cannot believe next year he will be 5! We sure do love our Owenator!

New fall pictures!

There was a safety fair at the mall a few weeks ago and we heard there would be lots of firetrucks there!Our Owen is getting too big! What a good boy he is! Owen thought squirting with the giant hose was awesome!

We couldnt pass up a picture with Mcgruff the crime dog!

I got to watch Jaymee again recently and took an opportunity to snap some pictures. I dont think she was too happy about the ginormous flower on her head but man its cute!
Owen is so sweet to her and always makes her smile! They are going to be the best of friends!
I could just eat these too with a spoon!

Today.....

Today was a big day.

There was a lot to do and not a lot of time.

After all is said and done I am left with a heavy heart and swollen eyes.

My first Super Saturday as Enrichment Leader was today. I only made it to the first part. It went pretty well considering the turnout. I was so impressed with my committee they really stepped up to their parts. Thanks girls. You are wonderful.

The reason I only made it to the first part is we had a funeral today at noon. Jeremy has a cousin on his moms side named Jeff. He and his wife Kelli have been married just over a year now and have a beautiful son named Riley. Sweet Riley passed away from SIDS this past Tuesday. We were all so sad to hear the news. He was only 4 months old and the sweetest thing. I held him just a few weeks ago at a family dinner. Riley smiled so sweet and looked right into your eyes like he could see into your soul. Now perhaps I think he could. I know that families can be together forever and there is a purpose for everything on the earth. However being there today at the viewing and seeing his little body in that impossibly small casket was so wrong. Jeff and Kelli cried with every person that came through the line. Just one look at little Riley and I knew his little spirit was gone up to heaven for sure. I don't know how they did it but they managed to make it through the viewing and family prayer. The both even had parts in the funeral service. Both were very touching and the spirit was so strong. The sounds of sniffles and crying was overwhelming. I havent cried that hard for a very long time. All I could think was what if that were me? Would I be that strong? Could I stand there for everyone to see and sing a song to my son that passed away? I honestly dont think I could. They were truly a example of how Heavenly Father brings strength to those who need it most in the hardest times.

I know I will never forget today and seeing all the things I saw and felt.

Later on tonight we had a wedding reception. I know, a wedding and a funeral in the same day. They say time doesnt stop for death but being there at that reception just felt sad to me. I hated going from one emotion to the next in such a short period of time. Jeff and Kelli dont have Riley anymore and as the day got longer I realized just how much it effected me. I will forever be grateful for my time with my family.

The one thing today that did lift my spirits was going out to dinner with my girlfriends. I waited all day for that happy time with them. They always know how to listen and understand. I am so grateful for them, my family and the knowledge that Jeff and Kelli will be with Riley again.

If any of you want to see a picture of sweet Riley and his wonderful loving parents follow the link below.

http://jeffandkelli.blogspot.com/

New adventures of the OWENATOR!

Jaymee girl got to come hang out at our house again yesterday. Both of our families have been sick with runny noses for the past few days and this was the first time I had watched her for a while. Look how serious she is about those fruit snacks and Owen is ready to defend them. Soon enough she will be grabbing stuff away from him.
At Owen's preschool they gave out some homework so the kids would get a small feel for what was ahead next year at kindergarten. They had a full week to do it not just a night but that didnt matter to Owen. I showed him how to trace the first big A and watched him to the lower case A. I turned around to get his bagel ready and by the time I turned back around he was already on C. I hope he continues to love to learn. I know its a bit sappy to take a picture of homework but I really think he did a great job for his first time printing! He was the only kid in the class that did his homework too!
My sister Tiffany got Owen this sweet sweatshirt to wear for Octorber and beyond. This is most serious face.
This is the back and it glows in the dark! He wanted to sleep in it that first night!

This year our boy decided he wants to be Dracula for halloween. I got him this cape and my mom supplied the teeth. Every morning this is how we eat breakfast and the other day this is how he looked when we got home from a long day. The teeth are my favorite part.
If only the drool were fake blood we would be really scared! Still gotta love his enthusiasm!
My brother won his homecoming game this year! It was a great game and Owen loved coloring his hair bulldog green! I still cant believe how much he looks like my brother.
This is the real bulldog. Owen just loved her and wanted to pet her all night long!
Such school spirit. He would make a great bulldog!
Owen started a Karate class last month. He has been loving it and I'm really glad we put him in it. The class is not so much on karate as it is on listening, following directions and respect. Its been great for him and he thinks he's pretty awesome when we leave the class.
This is Owen and Great grandma Isom ( GG) at her house with her dog maggie. My mom bought her sweet saddle/rider. Owen thought is was awesome......maggie not so much.
My Uncle Dave brought down one of his turkeys to live at GG's. I was a little nervous at first to have Owen in the pen with him but he was super tame and talks back when you talk to him. His name is Gobble. I asked Owen if we should have him for Thanksgiving and he said,"No, we should have chicken nuggets."
His head is pretty gross looking though. Ive never seen a turkey that up close before......... not a pretty animal. Owen loves him though so I guess I better play along.
Funny quote of the post from the boy; it snowed a little in the mountains this week and when I asked Owen what he thought about that white stuff up there he said" we gotta go up there and shovel mom!"

Friday Night Lights & a Saturday Night Rodeo

The first song on my playlist below is ironically played at both football games and rodeo's hope it brings you back!!

My Brother is on the Varsity Team for Provo this year! Man do I love a Friday night game! I love hearing the crowd go crazy when one of our players makes a touchdown. I love the music. The cheerleaders. I love the way Owen looks at the players like he is one of them too! I so loved being in high school and these moments. I can tell you when my parents told my sister and I we were getting another member of the family we were excited but to have a brother finally and be back at Provo High again cheering for him this time is a wonderful thing. I am sad for those of you out there who were not able to enjoy these parts of high school. They bring me back to a great time in my life! GO BULLDOGS!!

Saturday night we were on our way to the Bulls, broncs and barrel racing Rodeo in Santaquin. The rodeos there are the best. They don't have hard bleachers to sit on just a hill so everyone brings their blankets and its awesome!! Owen had a great time running around and there was not a lot of people there so he could run till he was sick. There was a candy race during the change ups and Owen got a hat full of candy. Jeremy said he could have gotten more but was being too careful picking it out of the arena dirt.
Our little cowboy isnt scared at all of this giants as long as there is a fence between them! This smile always warms my heart!

We watched both my cousins Wayne and Charlie ride. They both did aweome and Owen loves to watch an pretend its him up there!

A whole lotta 1st's

This is the best picture I could get out of him this morning for our first day back to pre-school! He does look handsome on the lower half too, you just cant tell from this shot! Owen started back to school again today. He was lucky enough to have the same wonderful teacher as last year and there were quite a few return kids from last year so he had lots of friends! I was a little worried he wouldnt do so great on the first day. Lately he has been a little clingy and not wanting me to leave him anywhere...even grandma's house. Strange I know. I thought I would have to stay for a while this morning until he got used to it again. OH NO! All it took was one big bear hug from his old flame Shelby and I was forgotten. As I walked away feeling rather sad to know I was not needed as planed I realized how much harder it would be for me as the years go on and he needs me less and less. :(
This weekend there was no regular church meetings. We took advantage and made plans with Jeremy's dad to go hiking. Stuart Falls was the plan and we woke up early to get up there before all the rest of the city thought of it as well. I was a little nervous about it. I hadnt been since I was a mia maid. I know long time. I could remember bits and pieces but it wasnt like I remembered at all. Plus I was nervous that Owen would get too tired half way through and just start to fall apart. We went and he did really well until we were almost to the falls. Owen stopped and said his legs were tired. I was so worried poor Jeremy would have to pack him down the mountain and kill himself in the process. We had a small snack and lumbered on. He made it to the falls and loved it. Right as we got there it started to mist on us. Not just from the falls but from a serious looking cloud overhead. There was never thunder or lighting just mist. It felt pretty good actually being so hot from the hike.

There was a few spots I had apparently blocked out too that were extremely high and very close to the edge. I wanted to be Dorothy in those moments and just transport myself home!

At the falls we re-fueled and decided after a short rest to start the trip back.

About 10 minutes into that trip it started to mist harder, then rain sporadically, then big fat drops. Then we might as well have been under the shower head because it down pour'd so long and so steady the water was just cascading off us! I thought how did I get here? With only about 5 minutes left of hiking the rain stoped and the sun kinda peeked out. Well i looked like a drowned rat! All these family's were starting the hike and kept passing by looking at us like we were really out of shape(which i am!) and sweating mad crazy people!

It was awesome!

I thought for sure Owen would crash hard in the car but he got a second wind and starting playing a gameboy game we had in the car. What a kid! 4 miles is a long way for a 4 year old! Man were we proud!

After all that we were crazy enough to brave a walk around payson lake. It was much hotter up there and no rain, but man were we tuckered!(That is where the above pic was taken)
Just as we got to the bottom we saw these clouds roll in on the mountain. We were so glad to be down off of there and very sad for the families that had just started with little kids in tow. Guess you live and learn with mother nature!
Jeremy set up the camera on a rock and took this picture on the way up to Stuart Falls before all the rain and mud began. It was a nice before picture and I was pretty impressed with his set up skills even though he couldnt see where the lens was pointing!

Jackson, Owen and Jonas.

One week before school started we had a play date with Owen's friends. They always have fun together! Jonas went to kindergarten this year but Owen and Jackson will in the same class again! Owen is obsessed with the hulk right now!

Our little man finally learned to ride his bike! We have been working on him for months to pedal and he just couldnt get the concept. Then just the other day he just pulled out the bike and did it on his own. Kids!!! He was so proud of himself ! It was a great day!

We also took him recently to see G-Force. The guinea pig movie. He really liked it but it wasnt really my cup of tea. On the way home he told me we need to get one of those animals. I said what a gerbal? he said no mom a hampster pig! Funny boy!