Now that Christmas is over....

Late Christmas night, as we drove away from my mother-in-law's house, Parker says, "Mom, for Halloween I want to be a zombie mummy."


What?


Christmas isn't officially over and Parker's already talking about Halloween?


I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. Kids are always looking ahead to what's next. Afraid they are going to miss something.


My Undead Skate Boarder just might change his mind by the time Halloween rolls around.....



I know my Sassy Little Witch will definitely change her mind several times between now and October.

As for my little Master Yoda (he insists it's MASTER Yoda, not just Yoda) I don't know that he has made his request known yet.

Thankfully Mama Witch will still be able to decide what my little Pink Leopard will be.

And my handsome King, is always my handsome King....

Christmastime was filled with....

The Nutcracker

and afterwards, old fashioned ice cream treats at The Blue Bird with Grandma Donigan.

Enjoying locally created "The Light Before Christmas" imax movie at Clark Planetarium with Aunt Britt.

A yearly tradition of gingerbread houses made from scratch by G'ma Donigan.

The beautiful lights at Temple Square.

The Davis Nativity starring Aliyah as Baby Jesus.

Lots of crazy fun with cousins.

Including the tradition of wearing pretty dresses that G'ma Donigan made for her daughters years ago.

And of course, the girls have to have their Tea Party.

Kate is 11 days older than Aliyah. Aliyah is a little pipsqueak. LOVE Kate's rollie pollie thighs!

Letters to Santa.

And Santa himself.

It's always amazing to me how quickly Christmastime comes and goes. I love our traditions with family and spending time with family we don't get to see often. Taking down Christmas decor is never something I look forward to. I still have Christmas cards on my wall to remind me how blessed I am to have so many great friends and family. Hoping your Christmastime was filled with great memories and the true spirit of Christmas. May 2010 be a year filled with more blessings.....

Can't get enough....

of my lovely little Aliyah.

Merry Merry, Warm Fuzzies

Wishing lots of merries and warm fuzzies.....

From one crazy house to another...

The Call

Ring Ring

Me: "Hi!"

Rob:"Hey! I just wanted to tell you that in a couple of weeks on Dec. 4, I'm going to Colorado Springs for the day."

Me: "Just for the day? Phew! Say hello to the beautiful Springs for me." (We lived there for two years, before moving to Denver.)

Rob: "Okay, see ya later."

Me: "Bye."

A couple of hours later...

Ring Ring

Me: "Hi again."

Rob: "Hi."

"So I have a crazy idea."

Me: "Ok."

Rob: "I have enough miles for another ticket, why don't you come and we'll spend the weekend with friends in Denver."

Jamie: **Gasp!**

"What! Really!"

"Hmmm. What are we going to do with the kids?"

Rob: "I don't know, but you have to decide now because they are booking my ticket."


Christmas came early for me this year.

I spent an entire weekend reuniting with some dear Colorado friends. They're not just any friends. They are my Colorado family. I first met these ladies when Parker was 22 months old. We would meet at the park and talk for hours. We raised our children together. We swapped discipline strategies. We swapped recipes. We swapped kids.

Thanks Becca for the great pics.:)

They helped me after I had my babies. They loved my babies. Lexi is claimed as a future wife to several boys. Now Aliyah is sworn to several boys. We formed an amazing preschool for our oldest two children. We escaped on girl's nights and girl's over-nighters together. We laughed until we cried. Sometimes we just laughed. Sometimes we just cried.

After my washing machine malfunctioned pouring water onto the floor and down the stairs and then causing my ceiling below to completely cave in, my dear friends came and rescued my sweet children from a frantic mom. But not without leaving me with a carpet cleaner and dinner for the night. At 1 am the day we were moving from Colorado to Utah, my beloved friend was keeping me company and scrubbing my refrigerator.

Expressed well by my friend Becca with these words: "The planets align, there is an eclipse, and miraculously people land in your life whom you bond with on so many levels."

We, once again, were able to bond and talk for hours. We missed those who weren't with us. We swapped stories. They loved my baby.

My lovely Aliyah was well loved and cared for.


We giggled in Christmas aprons.

We were also amazing dorks in Christmas aprons.

Many thanks to Rob's kind mom and our great friends for helping us with our kids making our get-away possible. A big thank you to my dear Colorado family for stopping their lives for an enitre weekend for me and for rejuvenating my spirits and making me feel so loved.

Lucky

Lucky for me....



I have this good lookin' guy for my fantastic husband.

And amazing father to our lovely children.

Happy Birthday Rob! Here's to many more years of being lucky....

Bit of Heaven

A mother's love is limitless. Words cannot express the love a mother has for her family.

(Many thanks to my kind sis-in-law for the amazing pics.)

When I was pregnant with Lexi, like other mothers, I worried. I wondered how on earth my heart and soul was capable of loving another child like I loved my first.

With each birth, somehow, my capacity to love grew. Amazingly, I was able to love each new baby as much as the first. A new space developed in my soul to adore another child.

Aliyah has been no exception. I look at her daily and say out loud, "How did I get so lucky?"

She is an amazing little soul. The love that she has brought with her gives me a glimpse of what heaven is like.

We have a little bit of heaven in our own home. Love and feelings that I wish I could bottle up and set on my shelves next to my home bottled pears, grape juice, and applesauce.

The first time I gave Aliyah a sponge bath, I cried. I was overcome with feelings of gratitude. Gratitude towards my Father in heaven for allowing this perfect, healthy soul to come into my family. Gratitude for the love that she created in our home. Thankful that I get to be her mother.

Aliyah wore this precious dress on her blessing day. This dress was handmade by her great-grandma Alta. Her Grandma Marie wore it. Her Aunt CarrieLyn and cousin Sophie wore it. Lexi even wore it.

A precious dress for a very precious spirit.

Thank you my lovely little Aliyah for giving us a taste of heaven.