Merry Christmas!!!!!

All of our family lives outside the state of Utah. So we pack our bags and visit our family each year. We are celbrating Christmas early and decided to this weekend was the magic time. We hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas!

Christmas in Missouri at Papa Mike and Nana T's houses.

Christmas in Iowa at Papa Alex and Nana Sonia's House

(I was really bad at taking pictures in Iowa. The kids and I were really sick.)

Temple Square

Our family braved the cold snowy weather for a trip to Temple Square.  We enjoyed the lights and listening to the story of Savior's birth. Peyton and Annisten loved listening to the story of the Savior's birth and the Nativity by the tabernacle. They intently listen to the entire story.

Corey and I love going to Temple Sqaure because of the spirit we feel at Temple Sqauare and the reaffirming confirmation of the gosipel of Jesus Chirst. The love of Christ warmed our hearts and brought tears to our eyes.

Here comes Santa Claus...

The kids were so excited about Santa coming. We made special cookies for Santa. Peyton said Santa likes the cookies with Christmas candies on them. So I bought the Nestle Toll House Holiday ones. They have striped red or green chips on the chocolate cookies. The kids helped bake and eat the cookies. Peyton also fussed about finding just the right spot for Santa's cookies and milk. We had to try several places. Annisten just followed Peyton around and repeated everything he said about Santa. We read the night before Christmas and off the kids went to bed.

The next morning about 8:00 (which is really late for our house) we heard little footsteps running down the hall. Annisten came and hoped in bed with us; She must have forgotten about Santa. About 15 minutes later, we heard the footsteps again. Then we heard Peyton excitedly yelling "Santa was here, wake up!" Annisten sat up all in a panic and wiggled all around until she made it off the bed. Peyton was jumping up and down in our room waiting for everyone to follow.

I love the fun and excitement Santa brings for the kids. It is so much fun for Corey and I to see their eyes light up.

While putting together things for Christmas (until 1:30 in the morning!), Corey and I were talking. We really liked celbrating the Savior's birth on a different night than Santa coming to our house. I think that it helps set apart the commercial side to Christmas. That way on Christmas Eve we can celbrate the true meaning of Christmas and focus on the Savior.  we think we are going to make that into another family tradion at our house.

Fun with Elf on a Shelf

This year we added a new family tradion, The Elf on the Shelf. If you don't know, I will explain. This is an activity from the 1970's but it is still a lot of fun. It is a story about an elf Santa sends out each day to see if kids are being naughty or nice. The elf watches the chidlren by day and at night reports to Santa. (I was not to impressed with the story book. So I just simplified the story for the kids.)

The fun part... Each night when the kids go to bed you move the elf somewhere else. Corey and I had a lot of fun moving the elf around the house. In the morning the kids were so excited to see where the elf would be hiding. Peyton named the elf Tricky. Anytime a holday cookie would disappear or something out of the ordinary would happen, it was always Tricky behind the maddness (according to Peyton and Annisten).

This is one holiday activity we intend to keep!

Winter Wonderland!

The kids and I have been waiting for the snow to fall. We finaly got our wish. There has been snow storm after snow storm. I shoveled the snow twice yesterday trying to keep up with the piling snow. The picture above happened about an hour after I finished shoveling. I love looking out the window and seeing all the beautiful snow drifts. The snow falling makes the cold weather bearable and the holidays seem more festive.

Fall Leaves!

This room needs help.....

Two toddlers...

Too many toys...

No organization...

Somebody Help!!!!!

Ok I am embarrassed about this mess. I don't know if I should even say this but, the room looks even worse in person. Corey and I have work to do. It is time to put away the baby toys, get rid of kids' meal toys, and what ever else that might be lurking. Do I have any takers  for the job? :)  

New Moon

Corey and I finally went to see New Moon. Of coarse we liked it because we are such big Twilight fans. We could not help from laughing at all the cheesy acting and the women squealing at Jacob.  I am still a Jacob fan. How could any one not be, especially after seeing New Moon. Corey is an Edward fan. Corey and I are battling over who is better, Jacob or Edward. I'm not sure that this will ever be resolved. I have to admit that we are waiting for June to come around for the next movie to come to the theaters.

Vampire Craze

If you have not notice, there is a larege stirring of vampire intrests everywhere. I blame Twilight for all craze. I have to admit I find myself getting a little carried away in all the madness. Do you know that Twilight is everywhere from Bath and Body works lotions, barbie dolls, to entire shows and maginzines on Twlight! I cannot wait for New Moon to come out. Before the movie comes out, Corey and I are going to read New Moon.

There is a new series out on the CW called Vampire Dairies. Corey and I are hooked on the show. Every week we DVR the show and can hardly wait for the next episode. If you like Twilight, give this show a try. (warning: it is a bit more graphic than the Twilight series.)

Up to date finally

Our family had a great summer. We enjoyed exploring Tennessee and meeting new friends. In August we extended and lived in Mason, OH, which is another great place to live. Since I am so far in blogging, I will share on moment from each place.

My mom came to visit us in Ohio. Everyone had a great time. One of things we did was go to Bloom and Berries pumpkin patch, hayride, and harvest games. The kids loved it. Of coarse you would never tell by the looks on their faces! Peyton and Annisten were mad that we had to stop for a picture.

After the extension we went on a cruise to the Southern Caribbean with Corey's parents. The stops in the southern Caribbean have been my favorite stops of all cruises that we have been on.

A memorable moment....

In St. Lucas, we took an Island tour. We had not planned on going to the beach and dressed in everyday clothes. The tour started out with a boat ride around the island. About 5 min out a huge storm hit us in a matter of minutes! At first there was only a light mist. Then the rain came so hard it felt like little rocks hitting you. It was crazy! The water became choppy and the boat bounced on each wave crest. We tried to hide the kids under a towel given to us by some nice people on the boat. The kids had the best spot on the boat under the towel.

The smokey mountains...

Next we met my family in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee to see all of the beautiful fall leaves. When we got there... only one or two trees that had changed. By the end of the week the trees began to change colors.

Memorable moment...

We were staying in a cabin in the mountains. One evening Corey saw two black bear cubs wondering around the yard by our back porch. He quickly called us over to watch them from the back porch.

My parents and brother did not get to see the bears yet. So we did something, we probably shouldn't have. We tried to get them back by putting out honey for the bears to eat. Corey took a peak out the front door late at night to see if the honey was still there. Instead of bears, he saw a raccoon. It ran around the porch to the back of the cabin. The back of the cabin had large class windows and door. So we all ran to the back porch door. Then there was three raccoons. We threw a couple of powered donuts out for the raccoons (they are sugar junkies). The three raccoons sat on the back porch for a while. Each raccoon guarded a door, in hopes of getting more food. One raccoon put his little paws on the glass door and his face to the back door. The raccoon stood there on his hind legs looking in at us for several minutes. He was so cute. I need to get the pic from my parents of the raccoon.

Our next adventure was Halloween in Florida. We went on the Swanee River for a day. Then went to trunk or treat with Susan's family. There was plenty of food, candy, and fun.

Then a cruise to the Western Caribbean with Corey's work.

One of our favorite things from this cruise was the Turtle farm in Grand Cayman. Mike, Susan, and Hampton joined us on this excursion (It was their idea, actually). Everyone loved it!

OK so I am not the best at filming. I cut off all the adults heads, but you get the picture.

After a busy summer and fun filled trips with family and friends, our family is glad to be home.

Happy Halloween!

We have been crazy busy lately. Nevertheless everyone at our house is ready for Halloween. Peyton and Annisten can hardly wait to wear there costumes and get lots of candy. Happy Haunting! (to be continued....)

Walmart and coupons!

Shame on Walmart

Walmart and coupons do not go together in Ohio!!!!!! I went there to get Snow White on DVD. They rejected any coupons with the Snow White DVD collection. I asked to speak to a store manager and still the same answer. The store manager stated that the $10 coupon was a fake. OK there could be a chance of it, but I highly doubt it. It is from the Disney site and I printed it off myself. If they did not uphold Disney coupons- say it. But the manager still did not even price match Toys R US add! Are you kidding me! A store who advertises price matching should not say it if they do not keep their own policy. I did not see the fine print notice anywhere. Hope you have better luck with coupons than I did.

Two Thumbs Down for Walmart!

Happy Anniversary

October 10 is our 6th anniversary. We were married in the Nauvoo Temple in 2003. Sometimes it seems like yesterday that we were dating. Then other times it seems like I cannot remember life before we were together. Our marriage has been a fairy tale come true. I am so blessed to have Corey as my husband for all eternity. I am thankful for all he does for our family. I love you Corey!

Happy Halloween!

Every year I get the kids' pictures taken at Target in their costumes(I'm all about the coupons). Annisten loves over "Rella" (aka Cinderella) and has this Princess obsession going on right now; hence she is Cinderella. Peyton is crazy over Ninja Turtles and wanted to be Raphael. He was disappointed that he could not wear the mask for pictures. I promised that he could wear his costume all day if he was good about it. So that is what he did.

No matter what anyone tried Annisten would not smile for the picture. Surprise... surprise... Peyton on the other hand was all smiles. Maybe next year there will be two smiles.

Snow White Release

Usually I am up to date on all the Disney Releases, but this one I missed. My friend Amber let me know about it and the great coupon. Toys R Us has it all sale 19.99 through 10/10. Then on the Disney site (www.snowwhiteoffer.com) there is a coupon for $10. What a deal! I'm on my way to Wal-Mart (after the kids wake up from their naps). Thanks Amber!

Ready for the Holidays

The Holidays are right around the corner and I have been planning out the activities for the kids. Usually I try and do two activities a week (anything from coloring a picture to baking treats). I found some cute things on the Family Fun website and other fun kid sites.

We spent two days on this one and there was no cost. First we went for a walk and collected all the cool leaves. The next day we made the pictures. The kids really worked at getting the leaves just right. (I'm suppose to put the kids picture on there, but I have yet to do that part of craft.)

I also hit a big sale at Michael's last week. I went there for some new scrapbook supplies and came home with a lot more. That place is dangerous! The parking lot was full and it was a mad house inside, but I managed some good deals. I ended up finding a bunch of $1 crafts for the kids. I splurged on the one below for a total of $3.99. :) Peyton and Annisten are admiring their work. We had some close calls with the glue gun, but the kids really enjoyed making their "Boo Tree."

Fall is Here!

Fall weather is wonderful! The kids and I have been trying to spend a lot of time out doors.

We have really enjoyed the of weather in Ohio. Mississippi is so hot and humid that being

outside just isn't fun. Today the kids had a great time exploring a new park.

Susan and Hampton came with us to Deerfield Park. Susan and I

even had fun trying out some of the play equipment. Who says parks

are for kids only. :) Out to all of the fun stuff to play on at the park,

the swings are still number one.

Pumpkin meets cheesecake....

After Corey got off work, we made one of our really late night dinners to the Olive Garden. Mike, Susan, and Hampton joined us for the event. The kids and I had already ate dinner. So we ordered dessert. 

We had the most amazing cheesecake. Olive Garden's Pumpkin Cheesecake is heavenly. Corey does not like pumpkin anything and he even liked it. I recommend everyone should try it. 

Somerset at Deerfield Park

Our New Home Away from Home...

I have not ventured to far from our new apartments. I have been cleaning, unpacking, and doing all things people do in a new place. For some reason, we have had a difficult time in getting everything together. Its no body's fault, but just a run of Reed Luck. The dishwasher, washer and dryer, Internet, cable, and even our phones have been down at one point in time this week. I have tried to be optimistic about it and not grumble but.... there is a reason I am not a pioneer women! :)

So far we like the area. The a little park is just outside our apartment. The kids and I enjoy the nice fall weather almost every evening. Everything is so close. Ohio is a pretty state, at least the area we are in. We have been hanging out with some of our good friends and enjoying their company. I am excited to start seeing the sights and spend more time with friends.

Saying Goodbye to Memphis.

On the movie again...

We packed everything up and headed out. Out next stop... Cincinnati, OH. Before we made the move, out family traveled back home for a very short visit. There is no place like home. I thought that we would relax and enjoy ourselves before moving to OH. That was not the case. Corey and I cleaned, ran errands and worked in the yard. Some of my flower beds of weeds actually have flowers in them now.

  

Before we moved from Mississippi we tried to revisit all of our of our favorite spots. 

The Children's Museum

 The Memphis Zoo

  

Throwing rocks in the pond.

 

Mini golf

 the amazing parks

 Sprinkler Park in Collierville, TN

Before we left the South. Corey and I wanted to see New Orleans.  The highlight of the trip was the swamp tour and feeding the gators marshmallows. The tour guide told us about the after math of Katrina. Since the hurricane, the waterfront property has quadrupled in asking prince while land property has sunk to a low. We learned about changes to the river and the surroundings. We saw shopping centers, stores, car lots, and neighbors vacant and destroyed.  

French Quarters is beautiful in the day time. I would not suggest staying out after 6:00. We even tried some of the famous Cajun food from New Orleans. The shrimp was amazing. Even my green beans were spicy. The blackened alligator I could do without. I felt like I was chewing for days and the taste got worst with every bite. :(  It was an interest trip and a one time thing.

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