Merry Christmas...from Portland!

Our Christmas present this year was an almost 2 week trip to Portland, Oregon. We have enjoyed every minute of our first week! Here are just a few pics...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

LDG in the Snow!

Remember this? Shawn and I couldn't resist. LOL! For those of you who appreciate our weirdness...

Giving Thanks

I'm so grateful for my in-laws. They truly are wonderful people! I am so grateful that they all traveled here to be with us this Thanksgiving. I wish I had pictures to show you of our fun, but you know what? I was doing good to get all the food to the church, who has time to grab the camera?! I'm still beating myself up for not bringing it with me. Yes, we reserved our church and had Thanksgiving there. It was so much fun!

The day started out at 5:00 a.m. It was so cold, I didn't want to get out of bed! Dan and I had signed up for a Thanksgiving 5k. We had enlisted a lot of family, my side and Dan's side, to run with us! I was so excited and have been training for a faster 5k for a couple of months. Let's just say that running in 7 degree weather isn't ideal for breaking any sound barriers, LOL! Dan got the turkey in the oven and I got the stuffing put together and we left the kiddo's with Hailey and met our family at the Utah Human Day Race 5k. I was so excited to see that my uncle and his family had signed up as well! I had two pairs of pants on, 3 shirts and a windbreaker, 2 pairs of socks, gloves, beanie and scarf. I was determined to NOT be cold, but I knew I would get hot, there was just no winning, excuse the pun. It was so fun to see all the crowds! There were a ton of people there! I was so proud of Dan! This was his first 5k and he did such an incredible job! I was so happy for him! It was fun to have Dan's brother Dave and his wife Lynette and 3 of their kids, Annie, Megan and Zach run the race as well! My brothers Shawn and Brent and Brent's wife Cortnie ran it as well. My parents did the 5k walk.

We then booked it home. It's always amazing to me how much it takes to get this one meal together. I don't know what it is but these last two years I have dreamed of having Thanksgiving at some buffet restaurant. Next year will be that year. It's just one dang meal!!! Once we got to the church and had dinner, it was fun to visit and have the kids perform their "un-talents". Dave and Lynette had the kids prepare something to share with all of us and it was fun to see what the kids could do. They did everything from throw the football back and forth to each other, play the piano, perform skits, perform gymnastic routines, show us pictures they drew, dance, sing, etc. They were all so cute!

The BEST part of the day, of course, was the dessert. I'M THANKFUL FOR DESSERT, lol.

We packed everyone up and then went over to Darren and Traci's for games. I love to play games with Dan's family. We played a game called "Would You Rather?" One word HILARIOUS.

It was an exhausting but wonderful day. I'm so happy we were able to spend it with my in-laws. I love them!

My Brothers

Look at my cute brothers...just look at them!!! I just LOVE them!!! I'm so very grateful for my brothers! Each one of them is different and I have a different relationship with each one. All growing up I WISHED for sisters. But as I look back, I had so much fun with my brothers! I'd dare say that a good majority of my spunk and sass came from having to deal with brothers. I like my spunk and sass :) I remember my brothers playing Barbies (they would not admit to that now) with me, teddy bears, building huts in the backyard for our guinea pigs, riding bikes, taking hikes...etc. We did all kinds of fun things together! Some of my favorite memories are during Christmas, Christmas Eve to be exact. They would all come into my room and we'd sleep (not sleep, actually) on my floor, listen to Christmas music all night and talk about what we'd all get for Christmas. I just cherish those memories!

As I grew older, I spent a lot of time with Matt. Matt is 13 months younger than me. I remember spending a lot of time hanging out with him as I changed high schools. That was a hard time for me. I just felt like I needed to get out of high school, so I went to a private school and graduated a year early with my GED. During that year, I spent a lot of time with Matt. I'm so grateful for him! He helped me through that year and in him I found a great friend. I didn't have many friends at that time. As I got married and the dynamic of our family changed, I missed hanging out with Matt, until he met Stephanie, his wife. I LOVE Steph! She is so fun and was so good for Matt. I love watching Matt in action with his family. I admire him so much because just these last couple of years, he's decided to go back to school to become a pharmacist. That isn't easy. He has 5 kids, like me, and Stephanie also works a couple of days a week. I admire his determination to change things for the better. He is such a hard worker. Matt just makes me laugh. He is sooooo stinkin funny. He is so good with his kiddo's and I love to watch him play with them. One thing about Matt is he will always help you anytime you need, even if it means giving you the shirt off his back. I appreciate him so much!

Over the last 5 years or so, I've really enjoyed spending time with Brent (3 years younger than me). He and I share a love for good nutrition and exercise. Every time summer rolls around, I have a hiking buddy. I have loved getting to know Brent again. I love what kind of a Father he is. He has two cute boys and I just love to watch him with his kids. He is such a good Dad. Brent is so patient! He is quiet and kind. His wife, Cortnie, is full of sass, like me, hahaha! He is good to her and takes amazing care of his little family. He is positive and happy and even when he isn't, he's smiling.

And then 8 years later, there was Shawn. There are 11 years between he and I. That's a big gap! He was 8 when I got married. I still remember the day he was born. We didn't know what my Mom was having and I was sure I was going to get my sister that day...just SURE! But as my weepy Dad came around the corner at the hospital and declared I had another brother and then I saw him, I was so happy! I'm so glad I have Shawn as my brother! He is such an amazing kid! He has a sensitivity and strength about him. I have loved having Shawn living with my parents just downstairs this last year. We have spent a lot of time together, riding long boards, going running, playing video games, watching Scrubs, and eating amazing food.

What would I do without my brothers?! Die probly (lol, yes I meant to spell it that way, it's an old Farley Family Reunion Joke). They are the Best! I'm so thankful for them!

My Savior

I am grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. All I have would not be mine if not for Him. He made it all possible. I am grateful for his Father, my Heavenly Father. I'm grateful He sent His Son. I love this time of year, not only to think about all I've been given but also to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. More than any other time of year, which is sad, I think of how I can be more like Him. I think of how I can help others. I'm so very grateful that when I fail..which is often, I can turn to my Father and seek forgiveness. My Savior, Jesus Christ made this possible. I MUST try to be better and do more, for Him.

Joe

I just can't imagine life without Joe! I am so o o o o o GRATEFUL for my little (getting bigger by the second) guy. I remember how excited I was to find out I was having a little boy after three little girls! I was so ecstatic! I have brothers and no sisters, so I know what to do with boys! I know how to play cars and wrestle and all sorts of boy stuff...so I was very prepared for Joe! He is ALL boy!

Right now, he LOVES to play the Wii. Super Smash Bro and Zelda are his loves. It's a big incentive for him to get his chores done, so he can play. He loves to skateboard, and has learned some really cool tricks from the neighbor boys. He loves to play with our next door neighbors Aiden and Gavin. He loves to jump on the tramp and play catch with his Dad. He loves his little sister Ruthie and loves to wrestle with her (most of the time, she likes it). Joe is in Kindergarten this year. He loves to read and write. He is always drawing cool pictures for my fridge. Joe loves to go to the library. Joe's favorite color is green (he just informed me yesterday in a very matter of fact way). He LOVES macaroni and cheese, he would eat that for every meal, if I let him. I love my Joe!

Abby & Rachel

I've not been keeping up with my "thankfuls"! I am so grateful for Rachel! What a sweet girl! She is so feminine and sweet! She loves everything "girly". I remember when she was old enough to care about her clothes, maybe 2, she wanted to wear a dress every day, and she still would if she could. Rachel loves to color and draw. I love her pictures! Ray loves veggies. She prefers them. One day she came home and just got out the lettuce and made herself a salad, hahaha! Don't get me wrong, she loves everything sweet, like her Mother, too! Ray, for as sweet as she is, also has some serious spunk! I love her spunky personality. I LOVE her laugh. It is infectious. She loves to hold Ruth and sing her songs. She has the most amazing green eyes! She's so snuggly. She is very excited about being baptized in just a couple of months. She loves second grade and her teacher. She loves playing with friends and her friends love her! I'm just so grateful for my sweet Ray!






I'm so grateful for my Abby! What a joy! She makes me laugh all the time. This girl has lungs on her, wow! She has such a fun personality! She doesn't care about what other people think, she is who she is and she likes herself. I hope that doesn't ever change. Abby has her own style...and although she likes to dress up and cares about fashion, there are times when she just doesn't fuss over it. I like that about her! Abby sings everywhere, all the time! Once after sacrament meeting, before classes, I went into the girls restroom to hear Abby singing the hymn as loud as she could. It was sooooo funny! I always have to tell her to hurry in the bathroom and not to sing, haha! She drives Hailey crazy! She makes me laugh because for a girl who is so outgoing and fun, she gets scared easy....I mean VERY easy! She likes all thing happy, light and easy going, not drab, depressing or scary. She hardly ever throws tantrums (for lack of a better word). Even as a little girl, she was pretty even tempered. She just go from being happy to super happy. She loves to make up songs and has them all written down. Of course, she wants to be a pop star when she grows up, lol. As a baby, she was the most snuggly of all my kids. She had to sleep with me no matter what or where and when she did, I hardly knew she was there. She has the softest skin and the most beautiful complexion. I just LOVE my girl! I'm so grateful for her!!!

Veterans Day

I'm grateful for all those who have served my country.

Parrish Place

This last weekend, I whisked Dan away to a beautiful Bed & Breakfast here in Salt Lake City, called The Parrish Place. We haven't spent time together like this in over 2 years...and I really wanted us to be able to play, kid free! It was so much fun!!!!!! We left Thursday evening, checked in to our room, then we went out to eat at The Olive Garden. They have an amazing seafood pasta and we love their salad. On Friday we woke to a "cold breakfast", which is what they serve every morning in a basket outside your door. Everything in that breakfast was healthy and fresh and good quality, so we had breakfast in bed (so romantic, eh?!), granola with fresh fruit and cold milk, yogurt, muffin, slice of Tillamook cheese, and fresh Orange Juice. NUM! We then headed to the gym. Yes, the gym. We are trying to be healthy these days...besides later this day, we knew we had to head over the Banbury Cross for Donuts, so we had to burn it off before we sinned :)

We came home, got ready at a leisurely pace (so nice not to be rushed) and took off for the Gateway. We had lunch at Jason's Deli. This place is so yummy! They have all sorts of healthy choices, loved it! We then went to see Megamind....Funny how we see kids movies when our kids aren't even with us. I wasn't impressed with this movie, dang it. But, it was fun to be with Dan. We then dropped by Banbury Cross Donuts. This place is off of 700 East and 700 South. If you have never tried it, YOU MUST! My favorite? The apple fritter!

That evening I took Dan to Desert Star, to see Welcome Back Potter. So funny!

Saturday morning we had breakfast in bed again and then checked out and did some Christmas shopping for the kids. I love Christmas shopping! We have so much fun doing this together every year. We missed our babies while we were away!

This B & B is going to be a yearly tradition for us. The couple that runs this place are so friendly and hospitable. We absolutely loved our room (Reverie Room)!!! The house is a historic site. It was swimming in all kinds of all leaves and just looked like a picture out of a magazine, just beautiful! BEST WEEKEND EVER!

Desert Star

Remember the Laying Down Game?

The Painted Murals in our Bathroom

Our own entrance to our room and patio.

The sign out front
(I wish I had taken more pics!!! I was more worried about having a good time :)

Personal Progress

Today, Hailey and I had the opportunity to do some Personal Progress together. For those of you who don't know what that is...it is a program in our Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
Day Saints, just for our Young Women. In this program we are given Values:

• Faith
• Divine Nature
• Individual Worth
• Knowledge
• Choice & Accountability
• Good Works
• Integrity
• Virtue

For each of these values there are goals the girls can achieve and projects that they can do to help them understand these values and live them. It is a program that helps shape them into good women, Wives and Mothers.

I am so grateful for this program! I remember working on these goals as a young woman myself, but now as a mother, I have the opportunity to work on them with my daughters as they turn 12.

This morning, Hailey and I studied the A Proclamation On The Family. We studied about Faith, the role of Mothers and Divine Attributes of our Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for all of these things. I am so grateful for these values listed above and the opportunity to study them, live them and teach them to my children.

Holiday's and Traditions

I'm going to include two Thankfuls in this post, because I was lucky enough to get away with Dan for a couple of days and missed posting.

I'm so thankful for Holidays...what a great way to celebrate important things (not sure if Halloween is important, but I think I celebrate more for the sugar), important people and spend time with those you love.

Any guesses what my favorite holiday is?! Well...you can wonder for a minute and I'll tell you in the end :)

I'm only thinking of the huge holiday's, the ones that you bank on each year, the ones that define a season, maybe. We just celebrated Halloween. I love this holiday for two reasons...candy and Fall. It means that the weather is turning cold, the leaves changing color and that I am one day closer to listening to Christmas music without everyone thinking I'm crazy, lol! Other than that, I'm not thankful for having to come up with costumes for 5 kids and the whole scary part of it. I'm not a fan of the scary.

Then there is Thanksgiving...again...yummy food and a chance to see family. I also am grateful for the tradition of counting my blessings and the fact that my Mom would have us all share something we were grateful for.

Christmas!!! I love Christmas!!!! I love the weather...I love the color red, my favorite color, in combination with the green and all the silver and gold (I feel a Christmas song coming on), Christmas music, Christmas Tree's and staying up all night with my brothers (as kids, and a few times in years past), mimicking funny actors and telling funny stories and just anticipating the next day. Most important, the celebration of my one true friend, Jesus.

Valentines Day!!! Hearts, and yes, more red and it's sister color pink...oh man, how I love this holiday, I think probably because it is MY FAVORITE!!! I love telling the people I care about how much I love them and the anticipation of those who will tell me the same. Oh yes, and the....candy :)

St Patricks Day...gotta love green...the almost end of winter. PSYCHE!!!

Easter...We never really celebrated the Easter Bunny at our house growing up, so for me this holiday remains a sacred one, and the reason for the celebration is purely about my Savior and his sacrifice for me. Oh and Spring is almost here!!! :)

Memorial Day - Always around my brothers birthday and as kids, we would almost always go camping. Now, it's just another reason to get together and welcome the warmer weather and pull out the grill. I'm sure as time goes by it will be more meaningful me as I remember those I love who pass, not that I'm not grateful for all those who have already passed, those who fought in wars to protect my freedom and what not, I am grateful for that :)

My birthday - yes that's in my list of holidays....I love June. The perfect month for a birthday, don't you think?!

4th of July - I'm so blessed to live in this country! I'm also a HUGE fan of the summer time!!!

My anniversary - yes, another holiday for me!!! Best day of my life! August is such a good month for a wedding, yes?!

Labor Day - also, Dan's birthday, Hailey's birthday and Joe's birthday. This is a good month. School is in full swing in September, the leaves might be starting to change color. I really start getting the Christmas bug in September...I'm sorry but I do!

Aren't Holiday's wonderful?! I think so. I'm grateful for them and for the TRADITIONS they bring. I'm grateful for traditions. Here is a list of my favorite family traditions...

• date night with the kids
• breakfast pizza Christmas morning (Dan's side of the fam)
• Christmas PJ's
• Christmas Date with Dan
• Prayers before bed (yes, this is a tradition)
• Christmas stories
• Fireworks
• Summer Camping Trips
• Summer hikes with my brothers
• Easter Dinner
• Easter Egg hunt
• Wearing Green and making green cookies and green eggs and ham :)
• Driving Alpine Loop
• Conference Weekend traditions...Roast, and priesthood session, snuggling together as a fam and watching our prophet speak
• Father's blessings before school starts for the year

I'm grateful for Holiday's and the traditions they bring and mostly because they are centered around my family!

Hailey

My first born...What a blessing she is to me!!! I will never forget when this blond haired, blue eyed baby was put in my arms. First of all, I was so happy to have a baby girl and secondly...I was shocked she was blond!!! She is beautiful! She has grown up so fast. I find this sweet girl becoming a better friend and relating to me so much more and I'm so excited for her "teenage" years. She is so smart!! From a young age, she loved to learn. She is a avid reader! She has an amazing ability to express herself. It's like having another adult in the house. She is responsible and mature beyond her years. Ever since Ruth was born in January it has been amazing to watch her grow and change. She is so good with Ruthie and my BEST babysitter! I rely on her, probably more than I should, and I just don't think I would be sane without her help around the house and with the kids. She is a very sensitive girl and doesn't like there to be conflict. She will do anything to make peace. She has a sweet testimony of the Lord, that is growing. She loves Young Womens and has always loved church. She has an AMAZING voice! I love to hear her sing, because her pitch is perfect. She loves to play the piano. She is active! When we first got our trampoline, she would jump on it for hours! She still does and can do some pretty awesome tricks on it. She LOVES to talk! She fills me in on everything, all the time! I love this about her! She has a funny sense of humor, I think she gets this from her Grandpa Johnson. She loves to laugh!

I'm so grateful for my sweet girl!

My Mom

This month, I'm going to try to post each day some of the things/people I'm grateful for...I will also try to post them on FB as well.

Yesterday...I posted I was grateful for my Mom. I am so truly blessed to have such an amazing Mother! When you think of a Mother, you think of someone who sets an example for you. My Mom is such an amazing example to me! I am so grateful to have her living just downstairs, that I can visit with her any time I want! She is someone that I can trust to share anything with, and when I do, she NEVER judges or speaks ill of anyone. She has the amazing ability to help me see what it is I need to change. One of her famous phrases is "you can't change anyone else, but your self". The older I get, the more I see this and understand it. It's hard...sometimes I want to just blame everything on others, but I see that I can have great influence by just how I respond or react to others. My mom is such a spiritual GIANT! She is constantly learning and loves to learn. She is so close to the Lord and you can just see Him in her countenance. She is so funny! She makes me laugh. She is ALWAYS smiling! She is BEAUTIFUL! She is sensitive and understanding, empathetic and genuine. She is loyal and kind. She is full of service. I can't even begin to list all the things she does for others. She is ALWAYS brainstorming of things she can do to help those in need. She is a private person, and doesn't wear her good works on her sleeve for all to see. She is an amazing cook! I love that she teaches about good health, lives it and shares that hobby with me. She is my BEST FRIEND. She is so very forgiving. She loves my kids and they ADORE her! She loves her family and will do anything, even sacrifice time for herself or anything for herself for her family, no matter what! I pray that I never take advantage of that. She is no hypocrite. She lives what she believes. I'm so grateful for my Mom!

First Steps!

Look at my hot man! I am so proud of him! He just recently ran 3 miles! We've all been trying to get healthy around our house and I've lost 40 lbs, and he has lost over 40 lbs! He began walking/jogging a few months ago and can now run our 3 mile loop. He is so excited about his accomplishment, as he should be. I'm so proud of him! Look at how good he is lookin!!! Go Dan!

Look at how big my babies are getting! It's just wonderful! We had so much fun going to our local pumpkin patch for pumpkins. I love seeing what kind of pumpkins the kids will choose, big or small, long or round, green or orange. I will post pics on Halloween of their pumpkins :)

These next pics are of Ruthie! I can't believe how big she is getting! She is so funny! She is mimicking us a lot now. She loves to say "Ta-Da"! She says "mama" and "dada". It also sounds like she says "What" (without the T, of course), and "na, na", while shaking her head (no, no). Haha! The kids love getting her to talk. She also loves to sing. We tell her to "SING' and she does! It's loud and she grins the whole time. It's so cute!

Another huge milestone...Ruthie has taken her first steps!!!! She loves to stand up and take one step. She then just doesn't quite know how to move that other foot, so she just shakes her hands and screams. She is so cute! We took her to the doctor the other day. She is super tall, has a big head, and is skinny, lol! She only weights 17 lbs (target is 20). He isn't worried, and chalks it up to all her crawling and standing and the fact that she is burning more calories than she is taking in. I love these last two pics...she loves to lean against her Daddy. I love her blue eyes!