Friend Christmas Part 2009!!!

For the first time in years all six of us best friends were together for our annual Christmas party! Julie was nice enough to host it at her house and she even made us dinner! It was so much fun moving around the Caribbean, it was lucky that we found a day everyone could make it! We exchanged presents, talked, semi-watched Clueless, and ate lots of good food! I wish that nights like these could happen more often! We started doing this party 13 years ago, when we were sophomores! I am so glad that all these years later I am blessed to still have these amazing women in my life! I have the best friends ever!


Me and Breck with our babies!


Bonnie and Tif


Bonnie and Jack in matching outfits!


Julie and Link!


All the girls who have babies too new to be left at home!


Niki, Tif, and Bonnie!

THE GIFT EXCHANGE!!!

Tif had Julie!


Julie had Niki!


Niki had me!


I had Tif!


Breck and Bonnie had each other!

Merry Christmas girls, I hope we have many more years like this one!

Jack's 1st Christmas, and Ethan's 1st one in which he realizes what's going on!

Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa's house! Santa stopped by to visit and give us our Christmas pjs!


Aiden and Santa!


Collin was pretty excited to see Santa!


Ethan was a little shyer this time and wouldn't sit on Santa's lap.


Grandma Anderson and Santa!


Jack on his first Christmas eve!


Ethan playing with toys at Grandmas. He was so excited for Christmas this year!


Raddy in his reindeer antlers and his new Christmas Snuggie (that's right, they make them for dogs)!


Christmas morning; Ethan on his new big boy bike!


Looking at all of his new toys! He and Jack must have been really good this year because Santa sure did spoil them!


Jack in his new entertainment center/bouncer! He loved it and probably would have stayed in it all day if he could have!


At Grandma and Grandpa Anderson's. I had the flu yesterday and so my family was nice enough to let us hang out there all day. They helped the boys have a fun Christmas, which I am so grateful for! Thanks to PJ and my family for taking over while I was sick in bed. I spent most of the day lying on the floor, watching my boys play and have fun, so at least I got to witness them having a good Christmas!


Jack sitting up like a big boy! He was so cute and happy all day!

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! As you can see, we sure did! We are so blessed to have our boys and each other, and wonderful families and friends! We are grateful for this time of year, when we can remember our Savior! Yesterday I asked Ethan who's birthday is was and he replied, "Jesus." Then I asked him where Jesus was, and he said, "he's at the Temple." I thought this was pretty amazing because we've never told him that (actually we told Ethan Jesus was in Heaven in the sky, so he thought he was on the moon). I am so happy that he is beginning to understand the true meaning of Christmas underneath all the excitement and toys!

Christmas time is Here!

It's our favorite time of year! We have a goal to go and do at least one Christmas themed thing every weekend! We went to the Festival of Trees on the 5th, the lights at Temple Square last Saturday, and Oakridge's Christmas Party yesterday! We have also been trying to make sure we do festive things throughout the week, just at home! Here is Ethan proudly standing in front of our Christmas tree!


Jack being so cute and happy at Oakridge's Christmas party!


Aiden and Ethan in their matching sweaters!


Our family with Santa! Ethan told him he want Hungry Hungry Hippos and Cars for Christmas!


At Temple Square! Ethan loved all the lights, especially the red ones! Whenever we saw them he would say, "Look, red lights for me!"


The boys looked so cute all cuddled up!


Ethan and his daddy decorating a ginger bread house!


Ethan was so proud of his house!


Yesterday, Ethan just couldn't resist it any longer and had to start eating his house, though I think he was a little bit disappointed with how it tasted!

Aloha!!!

For Thanksgiving this year we went Kauai, Hawaii for a week with my family! It was such a fun, relaxing week hanging out on the beach, going on a helicopter ride, and going to a luau! Kauai is a beautiful, remote island and we had so much fun! It was hard coming home this morning and I think after you see the pictures you'll know why!


My dad arranged a helicopter tour of the island on our first day there! It was amazing, and Ethan especially thought it was so cool!



My family at dinner at a local restaurant!


My mom and dad!

PJ and Jack!


Jack wearing his lei!


In his Thanksgiving pajamas!


Our family at the luau!


My boys with their uncle Jacabo!




Ethan swimming in the pool!


Feeding bread to the chickens at our hotel. Everyday we would walk out onto our deck and see chickens, roosters, cats and a swan wandering around our hotel!


Ethan loved the beach! We spent a lot of time out playing in the waves and building sand castles!


Taking pictures of our family together around the hotel!




We found this amazing lighthouse on the north part of the island!





This was looking over a beautiful valley containing poi fields that we drove through! This island was incredibly beautiful. We spent a few hours on Friday just driving around and stopping and all of these amazing places! I'm so grateful to my parents for taking us here! We loved spending time with family in such an amazing place! It was a huge reminder of all that we have to be thankful for!

Jack's Blessing!!!

Jack in his Blessing outfit!




With me. I promise he was happy the rest of the time. He was only upset in this pictures because he was hungry, but as soon as he was fed he was back to being my happy little guy!


Just a cute picture of Jack! He looked so handsome in his blessing outfit!

Well, it took us a few months but we finally got around to blessing Jack! He was blessed on Nov. 1 at our church house in Fruit Heights. The blessing was very nice, PJ did an amazing job! He is such a great daddy to these boys and I am truly grateful to have a husband worthy to hold the Priesthood! We had a lot of family come to it, which was so appreciated. PJ's grandparents traveled up from St. George to make it, which was so awesome of them to do! Unfortunately, due to a bout of swine flu, some of my family couldn't make it, but we appreciate the thoughts and well wishes they sent us! It was nice to have the blessing at the church, Ethan's was done at my parents house because of extenuating circumstances (it was also very nice, don't get me wrong), but it was nice to do something different! Jack was so good during the blessing! He didn't cry at all, even though he was awake and I'm sure he was wondering what was going on!
After the meeting we had a small luncheon at my parents house. It was nice to just have family and friends around celebrating our little Jack! Thanks to my parents for allowing us to invade their house. Also Sarah and my mom helped with the food, which was greatly appreciated! It was such a nice day, and we loved hanging out with family and friends! Jack is a very special boy! He is so happy and has been such a blessing to our family. I truly feel so fortunate that I get to be his mommy and watch him grow! Thanks to everyone who came and/or gave their support!

More Halloween Fun!!!

At the pumpkin patch! Ethan picked out a huge pumpkin for us!



With my boys!



At the Ward Halloween party! We were the Incredibles and PJ was a great sport for agreeing to wear this outfit!



A man in our ward has a kangaroo! He brought it to the party and Ethan and Aiden got to pet it. This picture isn't great, but at least we have it to show Ethan when he is older. It was pretty cool!



Our family as the Incredibles! PJ was in charge of this party and I think it was a success! We had fun decorating cookies, playing with bean bags, hanging out with our neighbors and watching an awesome magic show (the same guy who owns the kangaroo is a professional magician and does some pretty amazing tricks)!




On Halloween night! I wanted to get a picture of my boys together!



Jack wearing his Halloween pj's! He looks so happy here, which is pretty indicative of his personality in general!

Halloween 2009!

Ethan carving pumpkins at Sarah and Gary's house! He did so good and was not shy about getting pumpkin goop on his hands!


Our pumpkin, it looked better in the dark!

Ethan as Dash Incredible and Aiden as Optimus Prime. Sarah and I took them trick-or-treating around the neighborhood and to the grandparents and great-grandmas! They got a ton of candy!

Jack as a tootsie roll, he looked so handsome for his first Halloween! He didn't love the costume, but as always he was good natured about it!