The dirty thirty!

Pretty weird.  Today is my 30th birthday.  It is kind of a big year.  Rory turned 8 and was baptized, I'm turning 30, AND we'll have our 10th anniversary in September.  It's weird because when you are growing up you can't ever imagine yourself very well at this point in your life.  When I was 18 I would have never imagined that all of these things could possibly happen in the same year.  Add 4 kids into that whole mix and I probably would have laughed.
My life may not have taken me in the exact direction I would have thought it would go, but I'd have to say that it's better than I would have imagined.  I can't believe that I'm so blessed to have a husband who truly loves me and works so hard for our family.  I have four of the most amazing people I know that call me mom.  Life is often difficult and there are struggles that we deal with like anyone else, but I'm blessed beyond measure!  I'm so thankful to my Heavenly Father that He knows me well enough to place all of these wonderful things in my life.  I'm constantly busy and running around doing a multitude of things, but they help shape who I am.  I'm a giver.  I'm a wife.  I'm a mother.  I'm a sister and I'm a friend.  I am so glad that I know who I am.  I know the people who are most important in my life and I have faith that my life will continue to be blessed.

Rory's 8th b-day/Baptism

I'm a little slow in getting this posted, but better late than never right?!  First off, I can NOT believe that my little baby girl is EIGHT!  I'm not sure where all of this time has gone.  She is a very smart, creative, sassy and artistic girl.  She has some mad skills in the drawing/art department.  She reads like a maniac.  We have bought several box sets of books like Judy Bloom and Raold Dahl and she just devours them.
For her birthday this year she wanted a "dance party".  She wanted to play Twister and Just Dance on the Wii with her friends.  She even designed her own cake and specifically requested that it be covered in fondant.  (She also loves watching Cake Boss and Food Networks Cake Challenge.)  It was a great little party with some friends from school and church, and she loved every minute of it.

Modeling the scarf I made her

Some of the girls dancing on the Wii

Silly girls posing for a picture

The side of her cake.  It said "Let's Rock!" on the border.

The top of the cake.

The b-day girl posing with her cake

Twister!

Next up was her baptism.  She was able to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on Feb 4th with her cousin Kennedy.  It was pretty crazy getting everything done for her big day.  Being the crazy person I am, I decided to MAKE her dress instead of trying to buy one.  It was insane, but it turned out beautiful.  My mom made the girls adorable scripture totes that she LOVES.  We made a cake for the day as well.

The inside of the cake.  An attempt at a Zebra cake.  Homemade chocolate and fun-fetti. 

Rory and her Daddy

Rory and Kennedy showing off their dresses and totes

My little family + my mom

The girls.

Everything went SO beautifully.  I couldn't have imagined it to be any better.  We had lots of friends and family come out to see them that day and enjoyed a little "reception" for them at the ramada at the back of our buildings parking lot.
I am so grateful for The Gospel and feel so blessed to have her strong, sweet spirit in our home.  She made the decision to be baptized and was able to share her testimony about it this last week in Primary.

Holy crap, am I really this lame?!/Christmas-sort of

For too long I have allowed Facebook to take the place of an official blog.  There is so much I end up not posting because it's seems to arduous.  But, I'm going to get going again, again.
I will not try to do too much in catch up because anyone who reads this probably knows what's been going on the last year, for the most part at least.
Here's a few pics from our adventures.

My gingerbread house

The gingerbread train the kids did

Kids stuffing bears for the preschool service project

Colton's bear

Brigham's bear

Rory's bear

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The boy's preschool did a service project this year for Christmas.  They stuffed bears to take to a local fire station for them to keep on the truck for the little kids they help.

Matt & Jenn opening our gifts

The kids during their Nativity

Nana & Boopah and all the grandkids

Kids decorating cookies

We had a great Christmas at our house and celebrating Christmas Eve with the Earl clan.  We caroled, decorated cookies, had some hot cocoa and enjoyed the kids putting on the Nativity for us.  We kept things pretty low-key at our house and just enjoyed the day at church and with Barry's parents stopping over for a little while.

Us being exhausted nerds

Colton playing with his Flarp

Barry enjoying his new computer!

Christmas morning