Merry Christmas!

Here's our photos from Christmas. The pictures with the kids in their Christmas outfits are from Sunday. Lexi was so excited to wear her Christmas dress, which came with a matching dress for her doll. On Christmas eve we started the tradition of letting the kids open one gift, which is pajamas. They were both very excited about them. On Christmas we had such a fun time. We did our own thing at our house in the morning. We then went to Clint's parents in the late morning to early afternoon, and spent the rest of the day at my parents house. It was such a fun day for all of us. Thanks to everyone for making our Christmas so special this year! I loved seeing Lexi and Caden get so excited about their gifts. Caden was really into opening everything he got this year too. We had a very Merry Christmas and hope you did too!

Oh could it be...

Snow! Yes, in our own backyard in Chandler. Thanks to Clint's parents the kids had a blast throwing snow balls at eachother the other night. Clint's dad had a job he had to go to Flagstaff for and brought back some coolers full of snow for the grandkids. Lexi and Caden had a lot of fun. Caden kept holding his hands up because they were so cold. It was his first time experiencing snow. Grandma Albright even tried to build a miniture snowman with Lexi. So fun!

Standage Christmas Party!

Last night we went to our annual Standage Christmas Party (Clint's mom's family). It was at the Sirrine's house and the kids had a lot of fun. Clint's uncle is a collector of trains and has built a huge track outside for his trains. Both Caden and Lexi loved watching and chasing the trains around. There was also a special "surprise", Santa showed up. Lexi was so excited and the first one to jump on his knee and have a chat with him. Caden also sat on Santa's lap and actually was very intrigued by him. He wanted to touch his beard and soft fluffy clothes. It was fun to see him happy instead of screaming at the top of his lungs like last time. It's always fun to see all the family whom we usually only see once a year at this party.

Food or Sleep???

So the other day I gave Caden his lunch and was fixing my own in the kitchen. When I walked back in the dining room Caden was fast asleep. I thought it was too cute! He was right in the middle of eating and conked out. However it happens, you gotta love a sleeping Baby!

...so be good for goodness sake!

Lexi has been begging me for the past week to take her to see Santa. We went yesterday and she was so excited. Caden, as you can see, wasn't too thrilled. He was fine sitting by the snowman, but sitting on Santa's lap was too much for him. Lexi told Santa that she wants a jump rope. As soon as she was done sitting on his lap, she told me every present that she forgot to tell Santa she wanted. She now wants to go back and tell Santa all that she forgot to say. I'm sure that we'll be back to see him again soon. Aren't the holidays fun?

Temple Lights

On Friday night we went to see the temple lights. The kids had a lot of fun. Lexi was really interested in the nativity story and kept asking questions the whole time. It is fun to see her start to understand the story and understand why we celebrate Christmas. Caden had fun running around and having mommy or daddy try and keep up with him.

With the holidays getting nearer, that means christmas cards will be sent out soon! If you have moved or for some reason I may not have you on my list, leave me a comment with your address if you want our family to send you a card!

Bachelor Blowout!

Okay, so I'll admit I'm a Bachelor fan. I thought Brad was the best bachelor yet. He seems to have it all right? Wrong! If anyone saw the finale last night they know what I'm talking about. So he had two beautiful women to choose from, which he said he had strong feelings for both, and yet it comes down to the "final" rose ceremony and he disses both Dianna & Jenny. I am so mad! He could have at least chosen one for the fans sake, even if he didn't propose and just chose one to date! I mean come on. I'm so disappointed. I liked him so much until last night. Well, I guess I'll have to watch the after the final rose tonight to see what he has to say for himself. I feel so bad for the sweet girls. Well I guess we know now why Brad is still a bachelor and probably always will be.

So Much Fun!!!

Okay, so I've been given some grief because I like changing my blog template pretty frequently. Well, I figured out how to create my own template and it is actually a lot of fun. It took me a few tries, but I figured it out and it's not to difficult. If anyone wants to create their own template go to http://sjhblogdesign.blogspot.com/ She gives fairly easy step-by-step directions. Thanks to shabbyprincess.com for my papers. So if I continue to change up my blog every so often, don't be surprised. What fun would life be if we didn't change things once in a while anyways?

So Long...

Yesterday it was a bitter sweet day. Clint sold one of the loves of his life...his jeep. For months he's been talking about how excited he was to get rid of it and we've been waiting for the weather to cool down to sell it. It wasn't until it was actually gone last night that it hit him. He wouldn't have anymore late night rides with the top down and no more "dirt road" rides with Lexi. (She would always ask daddy to take her in the jeep with the windows down. She loved it almost as much as he did.) I keep telling him that maybe some day he can buy himself another Jeep!

Trick or Treat!

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! Our kids had a fantastic time. Lexi was a witch. If you asked her what she was going to be she was always sure to tell you a GOOD witch. Caden was a pirate. The cutest pirate I've ever seen (even cuter than Jack Sparrow, and that's saying something!)

Lexi had to have the princess bucket and Caden had a skull that went right along with his costume. Aren't they cute?

Caden caught on to the hang of Trick or Treating really fast. As soon as he realized that people were giving him candy, he'd walk right up to anyone with a large bowl and try to grab a handful right from them. Most of them thought he was too cute and they let him have whatever he wanted. Which meant we ended up with a LOT of candy at our house!

This picture was taken on Saturday at our ward Trunk or Treat. The kids had a lot of fun.

Pumpkin Carving!

Last night for family night we carved pumpkins. This was the first time we've done this as a family and it was so much fun. Of course no one wanted to clean out the inside, so I took on the "dirty" job. Both Lexi and Caden had smaller pumpkins we let them color on with markers, while Clint and I carved the large ones.

Here we are just starting....Clint said he's the pro at carving the top (I guess you have to carve at a slant, which I wasn't aware of).

Caden had his own little pumpkin he just loved. He actually thought it was a ball.

Here's the finished product! I carved the one with the ghost that says "Boo!" and Clint carved the face.

Lexi really had the most fun. Right when we were done she wanted to take them outside and light them up. She also drew a face on a small pumpkin, which I didn't get a picture of yet.

The Big 25!

Yesterday was my 25th birthday. Yikes! I have to say it was one of the greatest birthdays yet and that is thanks to my wonderful husband! I went to the spa and had a massage and a pedicure. He bought me new jeans and the cutest purse, which I just love! Then we went to the cheesecake factory with my best friend, Jessica and her husband Nick. I also have great friends in my ward that took me out to dinner on Thursday night. The party seems to be never-ending, which I don't mind. We celebrated at my in-laws last Sunday and am celebrating with my family today. It's been a great weekend and if getting older means you have more fun each year, then bring it on!

Here's our half eaten cheesecake. I forgot to take a picture until I had already eaten several bites!

Me and my wonderful husband! Thanks babe!

Fall is here!

So I absolutely love this time of year! It is my favorite time. The weather is now bearable and we can go on family walks at night, which my kids love. I also love Halloween and thinks it's such a fun holiday especially when you have kids. Also the leaves begin to change color and it's just beautiful outside. The holidays are just around the corner and I love the food, scents, and family fun that comes with them. It's the greatest!

Which Twilight Novel Character are You?

You're Esme Cullen - Your maternal instinct to take care of people and be kind draw people towards you. You're compassionate and loving, yet firm when you need to be. You appreciate hard work and value the beautiful results of your dedication to any project.
Take this quiz!

Okay, so I love these books. Well actually I've read twilight and am in the middle of New Moon and can't wait to read Eclipse. I hear they get better with each book. If you haven't read this series, I would strongly suggest it. I'm not that big of a reader and I love them!

Puerto Penasco

This past weekend we had a fun time down in Rocky Point with our friends the Banda's. It was a needed weekend "away" (from the kids and our hectic life). We had a very relaxing time on the beach. Clint and Seth did some boogie boarding & played some football, while Becca and I lounged in the sun. It was great to chat and catch up on each others lives. We also went on the banana boat which totally made my eyes burn when the salt water hit them. Other than that it was fun. We also rented some ATV's and rode those around.

We went to the "Friendly Dolphin" for dinner. The food was good, I'm partial to Americanized Mexican food (Is that a word?), but it was good for Rocky Point and our server was very friendly. I think he thought Clint and Seth were "together" since they were drinking their lemonade with their arms twisted around each other and who knows what they were talking to the waiter about in Spanish. I don't know if I should be grateful I couldn't understand or not.

The beach was beautiful and we had a great view from the condo. It was tons of fun!

Camping @ Woods Canyon Lake

This past weekend we went camping with my family. We had a great time being in the beautiful mountains. It was fun to take our kids and let them see what it's like "roughing it". We just spent one night, which was just long enough (especially since Caden would only sleep when laying in my arms!) We had fun sitting around the fire and roasting marshmallows to make smores. Lexi wanted to roast a marshmallow, even though all she wanted to eat was the chocolate! That's my girl.

We also went down to the lake and spent some time fishing. Clint isn't a big fisherman (because of an experience when he was younger, where he felt really bad for the fish he'd caught), so my Dad and I took some time to fish with Lexi. We didn't catch anything, but still had fun!

Big Helper!

Okay, so Caden comes running the second he hears the dishwasher open. He actually helps me unload the dishes, though. It's great! I'll stand by the drawer and he'll hand me the silverware. He doesn't quite understand why, when I'm trying to load the dishes, that he can't take them out at that time too. I took the picture to show him when he's 16 and wants nothing to do with chores, that he actually used to like to help around the house!

ABC & 123

Lexi began preschool last week. She loves it and is doing well. It's hard to believe I have a daughter whom I can drop off and leave her by herself. I have to admit that it's been nice to have a couple of hours where I am lugging around only 1 kid. She is learning all of the sounds each letter makes and how to write the alphabet and her numbers. She is so smart!

Labor Day 2007

This weekend we went to Pinedale where our friends the Pearce's have a cabin. It was great to be able to let the kids run around outside and enjoy the 70 degree weather. Lexi had fun playing with Rylan on the tire swing, the playground and the playhouse inside. Clint and I rode quads and Caden had fun doing what boys love must, playing in the dirt! We had a fabulous time and definitely didn't care to get back to the phoenix heat.

Caden Walking

Here he is showing off!

Finally Walking!

Okay, so I've been waiting patiently for Caden to start walking. He is 13 1/2 months and is officially there! It's funny how something in their little heads just "click" and they realize that they can move on two feet. He is so cute. He starts walking so fast that his body can't keep up and he falls to his knees. This is really a bitter sweet moment for me as a Mom. I'm excited for him to be growing and learning new things, but sad to see my sweet baby growing out of the "baby" stage.

He loves his picture taken. This is why he has such a big grin on his face!

My Getaway!

This weekend was absolutely wonderful. Well, at least for me, I'm not quite sure what Clint would say. I went with four of my closest friends to the Marriott Desert Ridge. We've all been great friends since junior high. It was such a blast. We did lots of shopping, lounging in the lazy river and eating. I haven't had a weekend without the kids tagging on my jeans in the longest time. It was so much fun!

Soul to Soul!

Clint and I went to the Tim and Faith concert last night. It was such a blast! We both agree it was definately the best concert we've ever been to. They were awesome in concert. Faith is gorgeous and Tim, well let's face it....he's sexy! Clint agrees with me on that one too! The opener was halfway to hazard, who had Tim Magraw produce their upcoming record. They were really good. The concert lasted 4 hours. Tim and Faith were on for over 3 hours! That just tells you how many hits they have and didn't even get through them all. Clint and I kept saying we could have listened to them for another 3 hours. It was that good. It also helped that we had great seats!