fa la la la la & change for the new year

fa la la la la .....

i hope everyone had a wonderful christmas. this was one of my favorite & most memorable christmas's yet. here is some of the things we have been up to this last month.

nutcracker 2009

i had a girls night out with my marlee. it is so fun to do girl things

with her. this was a fun tradition that my mom did for me growing up. i hope marlee had as much fun as i did. what a tradition indeed to keep. how i love all my friends & there girls as well.

getting ready to go in...

girl fun

marlee had a late night with her bff's. they played mom & daughter. painted nails, watched enchanted, had popcorn, drinks & candy & had NO boys buggin them. fun times.

christmas in utah 2009

marlee & cayden gave christmas a thumbs up too.
best buds. grandma's little helpers
garrett is such a love. he loves his mommy
& i get a kiss too..

doing one of our favorite traditions. reading the birth of jesus out of the bible. the kids love dressing up like joseph & mary. garrett wouldn't be baby jesus this year though. ;)

this is one of my favs. i love how nate sticks out his tongue while he is concentrating. he loves helping the kids every year with our gingerbread house. this year we did a new trick.. it is called the {glue gun} why did we not ever think of this before?? it worked so well!! :)
the finished product

thanks {all} parents for everything you do for us. this christmas was special in so many ways. i think our family felt what the true meaning of christmas was all about. i loved the heart felt gifts that we recieved as well. thanks so much . we feel so blessed. xo.

{new year}

• as i think of this new year 2010, {change} comes to mind.

• as i think of this change... this comes to my mind as well...

Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family.

I begin by mentioning one of the most inevitable aspects of our lives here upon the earth, and that is change. At one time or another we’ve all heard some form of the familiar adage: “Nothing is as constant as change.”
Throughout our lives, we must deal with change. Some changes are welcome; some are not. There are changes in our lives which are sudden, such as the unexpected passing of a loved one, an unforeseen illness, the loss of a possession we treasure. But most of the changes take place subtly and slowly.
Time never stands still; it must steadily march on, and with the marching come the changes.
This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.
You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you’ve collected a lot of empty yesterdays.”
My brothers and sisters, there is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today.
Press on, set goals, write history, take pictures twice a year.....
Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows.
Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days—as much as we can—with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed.
Brothers and sisters, my sincere prayer is that we may adapt to the changes in our lives, that we may realize what is most important, that we may express our gratitude always and thus find joy in the journey. {president monson}

• change is good. i'm not good with change but, this year my goal is to be more patient & think of the positive. sometimes i get caught up in the moment & get negative so maybe writing this down my loved ones & friends can remind me of the positive when i'm acting negative! :)

here is some of the fun changes that our family will be going through in 2010

• getting a dog?!??!
• cayden will be turning 8 April 23, 2010
• a baptism
• nate graduates from RESIDENCY June 4, 2010
• nate starts his fellowship July 1, 2010 in MFM {maternal fetal medicine}
• a sealing of parents in August 2010

much love & a happy new year. find jOy in the journey.

xoxo,

heather