It's been a while

I haven't posted for a while so I figured I would make an update. Ok. That was it. Nothing much going on in my life. Seriously now, there have been some fun things. First CHRISTOPHER IS GETTING MARRIED!! I am SO EXCITED. The girl is Brittney and she is SOOO BEAUTIFUL. She has a son named Logan that I can't get enough of. He makes me laugh so much and everyone can use more laughter in their lives. Chris and Brittney are so sweet together. The date they picked is March 21st and they asked me to be a bridesmaid, Billy to be a groomsman, and Amber to be the flower girl. I really feel so honored, Amber will make the cutest flower girl ever. Brittney picked out the most beautiful wedding gown. I really LOVE it, she will look stunning. If you can't tell... I am really excited for them!! Not only do I get another sister, which is BIG for me because I don't have any blood sisters, but I get a new nefew. It can't get much better than that.
Second, one of my best friends had the baby yesterday. Mindy had baby Brody on 12-4-08, he was 8p3oz, and has a FULL HEAD of black hair. He was so little and it was crazy to think he is a pound bigger than mine when they were born. YOU GO GIRL!!
And thirdly, It is the Christmas season. I love this time of year. There is really a differsnt feeling than the rest of the year. I have really enjoyed teaching Amber what CHRISTmas is really about. I am so greatful for Christ's birth and his life. I am thankful for my knowledge of his Church. I love the peace I feel when I know I'm doing what he wants me to be doing. What a blessing the Gosple is, The Church is TRUE. I KNOW it, I FEEL it, and I do my best to LIVE it. The greatest gift ever given was the gift of Jesus Christ. He gave his life so that we can live again.

Halloween 2008

Halloween was a busy, fun day. We got up early and went down to vote early. It was the last day for early voting. I was so GLAD we did it because the line was only about 20 mins. It felt good knowing I did my part for my Country and State both of which I love.
Then we went down to the United Food Bank and got a lot of food for only $16. When we were there we saw another early voting line that looked like the wait was well over an hour. People were sitting in lawn chairs, I'm so glad we didn't have to wait like that.
When we got home that afternoon we let Amber paint two little pumpkins we got at the food bank. She had a lot of fun.


Then we got the kids dressed for Trick or Treating at Talan's house. Amber was a little Devil and she looked so adorable in all red. Brigham was our bumble bee.

Painting Pumpkins

We had Nani, Uncle Ernest, Aunt Alysha, Talan, and Kamden over last night to paint pumpkins. It was seriously SOOO MUCH FUN. I enjoyed it so much more than carving pumpkins. Amber and Talan were able to paint their own pumpkins and spend as much time on them as they wanted. They seriously painted them for like an hour. Verses if we carved pumpkins the kids couldn't have really done anything but watch... Thank you Mom for bringing all the art supplies and pizza. I can't believe it's already Halloween. I am so excited for the holiday's this year. I think Amber is going to understand more what it's all about. This year has gone by so fast. Were going to blink and it's going to be 2009 YIKES!!!

What did we see at the Zoo?

Our trip to the Zoo was wonderful. Amber loved every minute of it. We got some AWESOME pictures and laughed a lot.

Our Life

A lot of FUN things

Well, first I would just like to ask... wasn't conference WONDERFUL?? Billy and I totally enjoyed the spirit. We are so blessed to have such spiritual giants lead our Church. The talk that had the biggest impact on me was David Bednar's about prayer and being thankful. I am so thankful for all God has given me. I know I don't show that gratitude enough. So the challenge to say prayers every so often and only thank Heavenly Father is one I am taking on. And lets not forget to give credit where credit is due. Thank you Debbie for giving that exact challenge at Sunday dinner the week before Conference. You are so inspired by the Lord of what our family should be doing. If anyone missed the talk please listen to it at lds.org.
Next and just as wonderful is that Amber is potty trained!! Yes, it is true. After a lot of hard work and cleaning up after messes.... HAHA, not even close. She took to it so naturally I hardly had to do anything at all. I started with her on Monday and by today she is doing it all without even being asked or reminded. I shouldn't be surprised, every thing that I hear other parents say is a hard adjustment for children, Amber has taken to like it's nothing. I had no problems taking away the bottle or pacifier. I had no issues transferring her from her crib to a bed. She is making my life so easy as a mom.
Brigham is 4 months and an absolute joy. He got rice cereal two days ago. He actually liked it, didn't make any weird faces or anything. He also stayed relatively clean compared to how Amber was the first time she got rice cereal. Even though he did well, I'm not going to give it to him again for about another month. I want him to sit up better before I start giving him it all the time.
The last thing I wanted to talk about was our family garden. We started our garden in September and just finished planting last Saturday. This season we have broccoli, sugar snap peas, carrots, lettuce, and spinach. The best part of the garden is seeing Amber 'working' with daddy in the garden. I will keep everyone posted on how our crops turn out. And those of you who live here in Arizona, we will share ;)

Praise to the Man

I just watched a very inspiring movie last night called Praise to the Man. It was about Joseph Smith, his life, teachings, visions, blessings, trials, and death. What a wonderful man and Prophet Joseph was. The devotion he had to Heavenly Father is humbling. It made me feel the will to do more to build up the Kingdom of God on earth. Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God. He truly saw God our Father and Jesus in person. They chose him to be the instrument in restoring the true Gospel to the earth. This movie taught me things I didn't know and reminded me of things I already knew. The sacrifices of the early saints were incredible. I kept asking myself, could I have stayed true in the midst of such adversity? I like to think I could. What a man and what joy I feel to be a benefactor of his sacrifices and devotion to God. I love this Gospel. I love Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. I am grateful for the Atonement and it's role in my life. I know I can be forgiven if I truly repent of my sins and short comings. I believe in Eternal Families. I have hope in a brighter tomorrow and a happy today. We live in a world that is getting increasingly evil. But, I can't help but be thankful to live at this time. Because while things are getting worse in some cases, things are also getting much better in others. Just look at our children. Their spirits are strong and unwavering. We are raising a righteous generation who will be able to stand up to the storms of Satan. Look at the Church and it's growth. Look at the Temples and how they dot the world, which is a fulfillment of a prophecy. I am grateful. I am happy. There is much to be thankful for. And there is still much to be done to build the Kingdom. I hope I do my part and make my Father in Heaven proud.