Made With Love....

I came across these cute labels on one of my favorite blogs Eighteen 25 and had to share. I already have cute heart shaped paper doilies... Now I just need some bakers twine. I printed off a stash because you can use them on just about anything! 

Worth The Wait

Carter is our money man. He loves money! But, he does not like to spend it! He is a saver.  So,  when he told me that he wanted to spend some of his money on some Nike high tops I was a little surprised. But, he thought and thought about it and decided that's what he wanted to do. So, we spent a day at the mall... looking at every pair of Nike's we could find. Nothing was perfect. And it started to be a little bit emotional for him. I told him that we could look on line.... But, the thought of having to wait a week for them was almost more than he could handle! It was a good thing Grandma Wall was with us and with her help I convinced him they would be worth the wait. So, we scoured the Internet and the moment he saw them he literally gave out a little shriek! The perfect shoes! He printed a picture of them off and showed everyone he saw the new shoes he had ordered! Even the office ladies at McKay's school! We tracked them on UPS all week and knew when they were going to deliver. This morning as he and McKay were lying in my bed I heard McKay remind Carter that his shoes were delivering today! He truly was so excited for him! I think that from the smile he has had on his face since the moment they delivered that they were worth the wait! 

Christmas

On Christmas Eve we always open the pajamas that Grandma Wall makes the boys and each boy gets a new game for the family to play. This year they got a couple of their favorites that they had lost in the fire. And by the way... Carter is the Jenga KING! 

Christmas was on a Sunday this year. So, we had been preparing the boys all week that we would get up and open our presents from Santa and cousins before church and open the rest after church. 

This year McKay thought he would be funny... and every time he saw Santa he asked for a Barbie!

He had been very good to not let James and I hear! But, others had! What he REALLY wanted and literally dreamed about were the new Air Jordan's! But, when he woke up Christmas morning all Santa had left him was a Barbie!

What made things even worse was that as he was opening his Barbie Carter was opening his new Itouch that Santa had brought him. He had saved his own money to get one... But, Santa was good enough to bring it to him so he could save his money. 

McKay didn't know quite what to think! He looked around to see if he had missed something and then quickly told us that he had just been kidding! Right when he was on the verge of tears Mom noticed another package that Santa had left tucked behind the couch!  

Santa was good enough to leave another gift for a good little boy who likes to play jokes! It looked as if he got his Air Jordan's after all! But, i don't think he will ask for something funny again next year! 

I was a little worried this Christmas... I had lost all of our decorations, stockings, ornaments , etc. in the fire. I had put a big push on in November to try and get everything purchased to have the house all decorated. But, I was finding very little that I liked & it was stressing me out. It was taking away from the enjoyment of the season. So, I decided that I would get everything to decorate the tree and find stockings! If I found other things they were just an added bonus. What I did find was that by having less "Christmas" decorations our Nativity really became the focus & I really liked that. The Nativity was the only thing salvaged from the garage that was in perfect condition. The totes had melted all around it. But, the styrofoam that the nativity was packaged in had protected it. It's a true treasure to have!  

We were blessed this year to be able to have a "Secret Sister" to take little things to throughout the month. She is a widow who lives just a couple houses down and the boys absolutely adore her! It made our Christmas. The boys really got into it! They would sneak down together and ring her doorbell to leave a package and run like crazy to get home before she opened the door! If James would help them they would hide in the bushes and she would always yell out her thanks to them. I liked that there was less talk about Santa and more talk about the things we were going to do  for Sister Davies that day! That will for sure become a tradition that we do each year. It made it a very merry Christmas!

The Boys

The boys continue to grow like weeds... and I continue to wonder how the time passes so quickly. I will be honest and admit that being the mother to three little boys is a lot of work! But, these three little boys bring me endless joy and happiness. 

I sat down several times to write a Christmas card to send out with pictures... and every time I did I was just over come with emotions and couldn't pull it together as I tried to do a re-cap of 2011! It was a crazy year. We suffered the loss of a miscarriage, had our house catch on fire & lost almost everything, moved 2 times & dealt with some pretty severe family health issues... I am grateful that I can look through all of this and see that the blessings the Lord blessed us with were so much stronger than the hardships. The miscarriage was heart breaking... But, I have three beautiful boys that many doctors told me I would never have. There were many tears to get them here and I have never once taken them for granted. I am grateful that my hardships in getting pregnant has taught me to love and appreciate them so much more! Our house did catch on fire. We did loose just about everything. But, James was in the house when the fire started and he is safe. Things are things. It has allowed us to be the recipient of so many peoples love and support. I have always loved to serve others. But, it is so humbling when so many people are serving you. We moved two times because of the fire... I really don't like to move. But, the moves allowed us to stay in the same neighborhood and ward. It kept McKay in his same class at school. The moves were worth the blessing of being able to stay in the area that we have grown to love so much. As I look back over the last year I am humbled. I am brought to tears at the blessings the Lord has blessed my little family with. I have said before that our trials are a part of our story. What we choose to do with them is what determines how we choose to live. We can't control what happens, but we can control how we handle it. I pray every day that I can handle my trials with grace.

 So, with that we are excited for the new year! Life is feeling back to normal. The boys are skiing & McKay is on a little ski team this year at Brighton. This is Carter's first year of skiing and he is already attempting every jump that McKay does! He just assumes that if McKay can do it he should be able to! He comes home each time and tells me all about his back scratcher's and 360's! I enjoy that McKay can read... I often come across him cuddled up in someones bed reading to his little brothers. It brings a lot of joy in our home! I received a new calling in our ward... Primary President! That's what happens when they ask you to teach primary and you tell them that you will teach any class but your children's! So, life goes on... and we look forward to it! 

Buzz

We have a little Buzz Lightyear at our house. He tends to go everywhere with us... To the grocery store, to the school, to the doctor... He also tends to make little old ladies and men smile! They love him! And I have to admit that I love watching McKay give him countless rides on his back so that he can feel like he is flying! 

I have to say that one of the best things I ever made my children was this chalk board table. A neighbor gave me the little table last fall & I really wasn't quite sure what to do with it. One day I got a wild hair & painted it with chalk board paint! It entertains kids of all ages for hours!