Merry Christmas

We had a fabulous Christmas on Saturday!  But let me back up...on Thursday we had the Annual Clark Family Christmas party at my parents house (it was the second year of having this party...that makes is annual, right).  My whole family was there plus Robin and My grandpa and his wife Anna.  We were suppose to have a couple more cousins come, but they weren't able to make it last minute.  We ate yummy food and then played the white elephant game.  It was nice to hang out with family and have fun.

On Friday (Christmas Eve) we started our day off by dropping Josh at Grandma Margie's so that the rest of us could go to a movie with my family.  We met my family at the theater to see the next Narnia movie.  Tony got us some yummy popcorn and soda and we enjoyed watching the movie.  Tyler did really good during the movie and enjoyed watching the sword fighting and the dragon.  After the movie we went and picked up Josh to go and eat dinner at my mom's.  It took longer then expected to get everything done, but the food was good.  After eating we did a make-shift nativity scene.  My family was pretty silly during the whole thing, but it was nice to try and bring in the true meaning of Christmas.  Maybe next time they will be a little more reverent about it.  Then we packed up and headed back to Tony's parents house for the Annual Kresser Family Christmas party.  It was super fun.  There was food (we didn't eat much -- still way full) and then the kids did a gift exchange and got some fun toys and then the adults did a big white elephant gift exchange.  Tony's family always has the best white elephant gifts and it is something we look forward to each year.  A good time was had.  Then as tradition has it, Margie gathered around the grand kids and let them open one present -- new jammies.  It is perfect.  She always finds the cutest Disney pajamas and it is so fun to see all the kids in matching pj's.  Then it was off to our home to put the boys to bed.

Christmas morning -- SANTA CAME!!!  I woke up pretty early (6:30) and couldn't get back to sleep.  I just decided to get up and watch the news until the boys woke up.  Josh and Tony woke up about 7:30 and then Tony decided to wake up Tyler about 15 minutes later.  It was really fun to see Tyler come in to see if Santa had come.  He stood by the tree and put his hands high in the air and started jumping "HURRAY, HURRAY."  It was so fun to see.  Then they opened their stockings and then all of the gifts.  Josh really liked opening presents and though he did it slowly, he was pretty good about it.  Tyler opened fast.  When we were all done, Tyler wanted more presents to open.  I don't think he wanted more gifts, just more things to open.  He ended up opening a lot more presents from both sets of grandparents AND from his aunts and uncles.  We were all very spoiled this year -- and are very grateful for our neighbors and families for all they do for us.
After we were all dressed and packed, we headed to Grandma Kim and Papa G's house.  We got some more presents and ate some yummy breakfast.  We got to enjoy Christmas with all of my siblings there.  It makes for a crowded room, but totally worth it.  Then it was off to Grandma Margie and Papa Lloyd's house where we all got spoiled some more.  All of Tony's siblings were there too and it was nice just to hang out and let the kids play with toys.  The weather was warm so we even got to go outside for a little while.  It was nice to just relax and enjoy each others company.
Later that night Tony's brother Nate and his wife Amy came over and we watched a movie.  After the movie they stayed and we talked for a while.  I loved this.  We don't get to spend too much time together because they live in Logan and then they will move to another state in the summer, so we really enjoyed hanging out.  We stayed up until after 12:30 am talking.  We were wild.
On Sunday we were going to go up to the cabin, but then it started snowing pretty hard during church, so we decided not to go.  So we went to Tony's parents for dinner where all his siblings were still in town, so it was good to hang out some more with them.  Tony and I went shopping and got some good stuff on sale.  I love to go after Christmas and pick up stuff for the next year when it is discounted.  All in all it has been a great Christmas.  The spirit was strong...family support was amazing...we truly are blessed!

Christmas parties and treats galore

This weekend we got to go to Tony's Grandpa Steenblik's house and enjoy a Christmas party with that part of his family.  It was really nice seeing people that we sometimes only see once a year.  We had some yummy food and even had a little program.  Tony has some talented cousins and then Grandpa Steenblik and his new wife, Joyce, entertained us with a musical number.  She played the piano and Grandpa sang a song.  He is a pretty good singer.  It is so nice to be able to spend time with family this time of year.  I don't have many relatives that live close, so I have always been happy that I married into an extended family that lives near by.
Before the party we went to Tony's parents house and watched the BYU Bowl game.  It was a good game, BYU totally kicked butt.  We did find it a little boring, but I think that is because there was so much other stuff going on too.  Tony's brother, Derek, and his sister with her kids and dog were there and so it was fun to be a house full.
We have given out all our neighbor gifts and Tyler's friends gifts.  It is nice to have everything delivered.  Our sweet neighbors keep bringing over nice treats and gifts.  We are really lucky to have such great neighbors and friends around us.  I definitely think that the longer we stay in this house, the harder it will be to move.  I am reminded of how much we are loved by others...what a blessing that is.

Mo Tab Christmas Program

Last night I got to go and hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing with the orchestra and the Bells at Temple Square.  David Archuleta was the headlining singer.  He did a really good job.  I am not really a huge David fan, but he sounded amazing.  The orchestra was superb and the choir sounded really good too.  The bells only came in on three songs, so I was kind of bummed that they didn't get more songs, but they did good too. 
Tony's brother, Derek, played with the bells so it was fun to see him perform.  We ended up getting really good seats.  Right on the bottom floor second section up right in the middle.  SWEET!  I went with Tony's parents and his niece.  We had a good time.  We went early and found a pretty good spot to park and then walked to the mall to eat.  The food court only had two places open and the lines were very long.  We decided to wait in the McDonald's line and it took like 45 minutes to get our order taken.  It was madness.  Courtnie and I left before we could get our food to make sure that we got our seats.  Tony's parents hid the food in their pockets to give it to us.  Then I would sneak bites from my purse.  It was pretty white trash of me, but what could i do.
Tony and Josh stayed home and Tyler had a sleep over at grandma's with the other grandkids.  He loves having sleepovers, so I am glad that he was able to do it.  Josh and I will go and get him sometime this morning.  It has been kind of weird just the two of us.  I think Josh misses Tyler.

Temple Square

Tyler by the reflection pond 

Last night we decided to go to Temple Square for Family Home Evening.  We first ate at the Olive Garden.  Tony wanted Italian and that was the closest to us.  It was okay.  I am not a huge Olive Garden fan.  I think that it is way too expensive and the food isn't that good.  It took a long time to get our food so the boys were ready to go before we were done eating.  But it was a nice change.

Josh in the stroller checking out the sites

Then we headed down town.  Tyler called the Salt Lake temple "his" temple.  He says that he is going to get married in that temple some day -- super cute.  So we went to see "his" temple and all the lights.  And so did everyone else it seemed.  It was a busy place.  We took the boys to see the statue of Christ but then we left the building pretty quick just because their were so many people.  We walked around and saw the different nativities and the lights.  Tyler wanted to spend all his time walking on the benches and walls.  Tyler and Josh both did really good and we all had a good time.  I am glad that we made it down there and that the weather was mild.  It was a good way to spend a Family Home Evening.

Mom and Josh trying to get a family picture (since I sat down Josh thought it was time for him to get out of the stroller) - it didn't work

Breakfast with Santa

Saturday morning my ward had a breakfast and then Santa came and visited the kids.  Tyler is at a really fun age where he loves to see Santa and tell him what he wants for Christmas.  He did tell him he wanted some binoculars and a telescope (neither of which I got him).  Josh is at the age where he really hates Santa and cries when placed on his lap.  It was a good breakfast and fun to see the kids with Santa.

Later that day we had our annual friend Christmas party.  This year Mindy hosted it at her house it she did a really good job.  Lots of people came and I think everyone had a good time.  Sometimes this is the one time a year that we get to see some of our friends from high school.  We eat yummy food and then do a white elephant gift exchange.  Tony and I got some pretty ghetto stuff that we plan on re-gifting at other parties that we have.  That's the fun part of white elephants.  The kids had tons of fun and Tyler was super sad to leave.  I say it was a very successful party.
On a totally unrelated note: Josh does not like it when you go into a room and shut the door.  He doesn't like to feel excluded.  When Tyler goes to the bathroom he shuts the door so that Josh won't get into the toilet while he is going potty.  So what almost always ends up happening is Josh is screaming at the door and Tyler screaming back "the toilets open."  It is extremely funny to listen too...and very loud.  Funny kids.

Visit to Daddy's work

Today the boys and I made the drive up to the Ogden Cannery to visit Tony and see his new work.  The drive wasn't too bad, but I can already tell that we won't be visiting Daddy at work as much as we used to.  It was nice to put faces with the people that Tony has been talking about.  It seemed pretty busy with volunteers and missionaries canning the meat, but a good busy.  Tyler and Josh seemed to like seeing the process and all the machines that were running.  It definitely seems like they don't get small children in there very often.  Tony is the only worker there with small kids, the next oldest has kids in Jr. High and High School.  Kind of a funny change from the younger guys at the Dairy.  We stayed about 40 minutes.  It was a fun change in our schedule.  I was invited to go up to join Tony for their Christmas lunch in a couple of weeks, so I will be there again soon.  The boys will play at Grandma Margie's while I make the trip up.  I am making it seem like it is hours away, really it was about 45 minutes.  Not too bad at all.

Family Pictures

We got family pictures taken yesterday.  The boys did pretty good.  Josh was the hard one this time and Tyler did really great.  It was fun and I am glad that they are over.  Here are some of the pictures:

Playing in the Snow

Tony and Josh driving Tyler around

Yesterday we went over to my parents house and played with their four-wheeler and sled.  The boys (all three of my boys) had such a great time and so did I.  Tyler just laughed with delight as he was pulled him on the sled from the four-wheeler.

Tyler in all his glory - happy as can be

Josh spent most of the time riding with Tony on the four-wheeler, but we did get him on a sled with Tony and I a couple of times.  He really liked riding on both the four-wheeler and the sled.  I was surprised how well he did.  My dad even got a couple new sleds and one is for older riders and I thought that one was super fun.  Tony drove me around for a while on it and I think that I fell off like 5 or 6 times, but it was totally fun.  I cant wait for it to snow some more so that we can go back.

Tony and Josh riding on the sled

My niece and her friend came over and Tony was so nice to pull them all around for about an hour.  Tyler ended up outside playing for about two hours.  I can't wait to see him up at the cabin with all that snow.  Tyler loves the snow so much, and so do I.  He tells me, "I am so happy it snowed," and I always say "Me too."

Tony and Josh pulling me on the new super fun sled

Later that night we had our ward Adult Christmas Dinner.  It was nice to chat with ward friends and enjoy a meal without noisy children.  Teagan came over and watched the boys and they had a good time.  I really should ask her to babysit more often.  She'll be a senior next year and then off to college.  Wow, that is crazy to think.  Her birthday is on Tuesday and she'll be 17.  My baby sister...time goes by too fast.

Store bought milk

Tonight we had to buy store bought milk.  Since Tony worked at the Dairy we rarely had to buy milk from the store because he always brought it home from work.  Today we ran out of the last of Deseret Dairy milk and had to buy some milk from Costco.  It was a little sad.  We will miss that yummy milk and chocolate milk...and butter...and cheese...but hey now Tony can bring home canned meat...I am a lucky lady.  Okay, they do more then just can meat.  They also do frozen fruit, and beef stew, and canned green beans...so really not too bad at all.
We have had a pretty good week.  Monday was super hard because Tyler, Tony, and I ended up getting the stomach flu that day and it wasn't pretty.  Lucky for us Tyler didn't get it too bad and Tony and I had most of our issues later in the day.  The next day we all felt better.
Tony is still really enjoying his job.  I am really happy about that move for him.  The drive is still long, but he is doing okay with it.  We are thinking about taking the boys to visit his new work next week, so I will have to see what I think about the drive.  We are excited to meet his new work family and see the machines at the Cannery.
The Christmas season is in full swing and it is exciting and fun.  We have our first Christmas party tomorrow at our ward.  They have an annual Adult Christmas dinner.  I am excited to get out without the boys for a couple hours.  Teagan is going to come and babysit.  I hope that Josh is good for her.  He can be kind of a pill these days...okay he can be a big pill these days.  But I still love him...cute as can be!

BYU of U...and the stomach flu

Yesterday was the big game, BYU vs U of U.  We went to Tony's parents to watch the game.  On the way there, Josh threw up all over him self.  We had to pull over and clean him up and then we went over to Tony's parents.  His coat, car seat, and cloths needed washing so we threw them in the washing machine right away.  I cleaned out the car seat and then the car too.  I really hate the smell of curdled milk throw up...it is the worst.  Of course that is mainly what Josh throws up these days, yuck.
We changed him and let him play.  We tried to give him a little protein water, but he threw that up as soon as he drank it.  So it just had to run its course.  He was pretty sad during the whole game and just snuggled right up to Tony and then he would throw up what little he had in his system every hour or so.  Then he had kind of a rough night, but he seems to be doing better today.  Luckily this stomach flu thing is short lived.  I just hope that the rest of us don't get it...only time will tell.
The game was a fun one to watch.  BYU played pretty good and should have won the game.  They ended up loosing by one point.  I think that they definitely played better then the Utes and deserved to win, but thing went the Utes way this time.  I like when they play each other because it seems like no matter how good or bad each team plays that season, they are pretty well matched during that game.  BYU is totally a young team, so we should only see them get better and better.  I look forward to next season.  Even though I graduated from the U, I have always had strong feelings towards BYU (especially football).  It is nice that my in-laws are big BYU fans too, we get to enjoy these types of events together.  Tyler now thinks that we can only watch football at grandma's house.  He's a pretty funny kid!

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a lovely Thanksgiving as usual.  We spent the morning at home and then headed to Tony's parents for dinner.  His mom's oven caught on fire, so they had to take it to her sisters house to finish cooking.  It was so weird for that to happen.  The boys played with all the kids and then we ate some yummy food.  Mostly it was Tony's family and his Aunt's family.  It was nice to spend time with extended family that we don't see very often.
After we had some dessert we headed to my parents to visit with them and that side of the family.  It was fun to visit with them as well.  Josh was super tired, so we had to cut that visit short and headed home.  It was a good day and we all had good times.
On Friday Tony and I decided to head to a few stores while they were all having good sales.  We didn't wake up super early or anything, we just got up and ate and then took the boys to Tony's mom's to play.  Turned out about perfect at the stores.  We first went to Target and it wasn't busy at all.  9:00 am seems to be a good time to go.  We got what we wanted and then headed to Sears.  It wasn't too bad there either.  We also got what we wanted and then headed to Ikea.  We were looking for a new TV stand, but decided that the one from Ikea wouldn't work for us.  So then we stopped at Sam's Club and the Walmart.  Walmart was probably the busiest, but really not too bad either.  They had police officers standing around the electronics section of the store.  I though that was interesting.  So it turned out to be a really fun, good day of shopping.  We later found a TV stand on Costco.com that we liked and ordered.  Christmas shopping is pretty much done!

I love the Snow

The view from our back door

It started snowing last night and ended up snowing about 8-9 inches by the time we woke up.  It was so beautiful.  Tyler was so excited when he saw it, he wanted to get changed and go play in it right away.  I made him wait until after breakfast and then Tony and Tyler went and shoveled the sidewalks and driveway.  We don't have a snow blower, so it is kind of a lot of work.  Tyler loved every minute of it.  Yesterday we found a fun kids shovel for $5 at WinCo, so we got it for Tyler and he put it to good use last night and this morning.  Josh and I watched from inside the house.  I am sure Josh would have rather been out in the snow, but it was way too cold.  Like 30 degrees.  Tyler
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 said today, "I'm really happy that it snowed."  It was just so cute.

Tyler "helping" Tony with his very own shovel

Last Tuesday I took the boys to the doctors because Tyler complained that his ear hurt.  The doctor checked and said that he did have an ear infection.  Tyler did a great job at letting her see in his ears and check everything.  I was very glad since it was just me there with the two boys.  Then after she was done with Tyler, I asked if she would check on Josh's ears, just to be safe.  Josh did pretty good too with her looking in his ears, but she said that they looked pretty red.  So both boys are on a antibiotic and taking their medicine really well.  Tyler used to HATE taking meds, but has done so well this go around.  It is nice to see him growing up a little bit.  They both seem to be doing tons better now.  Their runny noses are gone and they are happy campers.  Lets just hope and pray that it can stay that way for a while!

Tony's first week on the job

It has been a little different week for us at the Steenblik household.  Normally Tony would work Monday through Thursday, leaving us Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to enjoy being together as a family.  But this week and for now on Tony will have Mondays off and work Tuesday through Saturday.  Also Tony now doesn't get home until about 5:00 pm.  This will take some getting used to for me as I have been so lucky to have him home generally around 2:30 everyday.  Now I feel like a "real" house wife who has to have dinner cooking when her husband gets home.  I am sure that sounds silly, but it's true.
Tony says that he has really liked it so far.  It is really different from what he was doing at the Dairy and he really likes that.  He gets to work with volunteers and missionaries all day.  The machines at the Cannery aren't hard to learn and Tony is feeling confident that he will master them quickly.  Tony is very mechanically minded, so he is really good at learning machines quickly.  He is definitely the young kid there.  The other guys are all a good 15 years plus older then Tony.  But he doesn't mind.  He likes who he works with and really likes his boss.  Since he drives there so early it only takes him about 45 minutes to get there in the morning and about 55 in the evening.  We still aren't sure if we will stay or move.  We will see how Tony is feeling about the drive in a couple months.  Me and the boys plan to visit him on Wednesday.  That should be fun to check out his new digs.  So for the first week, not too shabby.  This seems to have been a really good move for him and I am excited about the possibilities it will bring.

Happy Anniversary...and a new job!

Today is Tony and my 7 year wedding anniversary.  To celebrate we dropped the kids off at Tony's parents house on Friday afternoon and then started our weekend adventures - without children.  First I must say...THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Tony's parents for taking the boys this weekend.  We knew that they were in good hands and having a wonderful time, so that made it tons easier to leave them for a couple days.
We first went to Shopko and did a little shopping before heading down town to our hotel.
While we were driving, Tony got a call from the manager of the Ogden Cannery where he had interviewed a couple of weeks ago.  We were told that he should find out about the job by the end of last week and we were really hoping that he would get the job in Ogden (otherwise we could have been moving to Mesa, AZ).  While talking to the manager, Tony was offered the job in Ogden and he wants him to start on Tuesday.  They work four ten hour shifts, Tuesday through Friday.  Tony got some more details before he hung up and told me the good news.  WHAT A BLESSING!!!  This is a very exciting opportunity for Tony, and I am so proud of him and how hard he has worked to get where he is.  We have had to be very patient, and it seems like that patience is paying off.  He moved up to level 14 and is now a "Master Production Technician."  It came with a little raise, so that is great for us so we don't feel like things are quite so tight.
So with our good news Tony decided to run by the Dairy and talk to his (old) boss to talk to him about the move.  We went and talked to a couple of his bosses there and they were all very excited for him.  They knew about the move before Tony did.  He told them that he would come in on Monday to get his things and say his good byes.
Then it was off to The Embassy Suites.  We checked in and decided to go straight to the hot tub.  Then we went and got ready to go to dinner.  We ended up at Wingers, where the service sucked, so they gave us our meal free.  Then we went back to the hotel to hang out...and stuff.
We tried to sleep in as much as we could, but by eight we were both wide awake.  So we went down and ate some yummy made to order breakfast that the hotel offered as part of our room.  It was pretty good.  After getting ready we went and did a little shopping.  We went places like the Distribution Center, Costco, RC Willey, and then went to The Red Iguana for lunch.  It was super yummy.  After we went and saw "The Switch" and the dollar theater.  It was an okay movie.  Worth the $1.50 each we spent.  Then we went back to the hotel to hang out and swim until it was dinner time.  We weren't too hungry around dinner time, so we decided to go to Chili's and share a dish.  After a nice dinner we headed to Smith's Marketplace for some ice cream.  We of course found other things there that we liked so that was fun.  Then back to the hotel to swim, eat the ice cream...and stuff.
Then this morning we woke up, ate breakfast, hung out and then got ready to check out and go to church.  We went to Tony's parents and helped get the boys ready and then we all went to Tony's parents ward for sacrament.  We went home after sacrament and Josh took a really good nap and I unpacked.
It was a really nice weekend and I am glad that we were able to do it.  I am glad that we got such good news to start off our nice weekend.  I am so lucky to have married Tony seven years ago.  He is an amazing husband and father.  We have a great marriage and I love him so much.  Here's to an eternity of more anniversaries.

Happy Veterans Day

This morning I called my brother to wish him a Happy Veteran's Day.  I told him that he was my favorite veteran.  He served in the Army reserves for many years and served a year fighting for our freedoms and the freedoms of other nations.  We talked about how both of our grandpa's were veterans and what they did for us in their day.  It was nice to think back on all my family members and Tony's family who have served or currently serving our country.  What amazing people we have in our lives to show us their amazing love for this country.  I too love this country and thank the Lord for the opportunity to live here.

Last night we had our ward "Tasters Table."  I think that it turned out really nice.  My committee members did a great job decorating and their was plenty of food.  We didn't get as many people as I thought that we would, but everyone who came said that they had a good time.  That is one of my favorite activities of the year, but I am glad that it is over.  Now I can start planning for next years activities...well, lets say start thinking about next years activities.

Yesterday morning I went into the doctors to have them check out a sore under my chin.  She said that she thought it was a type of Herpes that I had.  So, like a cold sore under my chin...way crazy place for that.  She gave my a prescription to help it and said that it could worsen into a boil.  So far it hasn't started looking like a boil (thank goodness) but it has really been itching today.  I still can't believe it.  Maybe I got it from the stress of the activity and waiting to hear about Tony's job.  I did get a cold sore at least once a transfer on my mission for stress, but always on the lips.  At least I have some medicine to help with any future cold sore break out.  Life is just full of funny stuff that happens to you...it's all about taking it in.

Interesting how life works

We still haven't heard about the job in Ogden.  Tony heard that they will have a decision made by the end of the week, so that is good that we have a more definite time line.  Tony had a phone interview with the manager of the cannery in Mesa.  If Tony doesn't get the Ogden job then he will want to get the Mesa job.  We don't really want to move out of Utah, but that might be what we have to do to get Tony into the position that he needs to be in.  I guess we will find out later this week.  I am having a hard time thinking about selling our house and moving to Mesa, but when you tell the Lord that you are willing to do whatever is necessary, that means that you are willing to move.  That is what we said, so we need to have the faith that whatever job Tony gets offered is where our family is suppose to be.

My ward is having our "Tasters Table" on Wednesday.  I am the Chair of the Activities committee for Relief Society, so I have been busy for the last little while.  I have all the recipes typed, copied, separated, and paper clipped.  On Wednesday morning my committee is coming over to get little gift bags ready to give out to the sister that night.  We are making caramel corn to put in bags with candy corn then a cute tie.  I hope that it all comes together.  This is my favorite activity of the year generally, so I hope I still feel this way now that I am in charge.  It has been a lot of work so far.

Tyler and Josh have been playing really cute together.  The other day (when the weather was wonderful for like a week) Tony found Josh and Tyler playing in the window well.  So cute.  Then last night Josh snuggled up to Tony while he was laying on the couch.  It was really cute too.  I thought that he would have moved when I went to get the camera, but he stayed and gave me a big smile.  I sure do love that kid, even though he screams a loud, high pitched scream ALL DAY LONG...it's loud!

Halloween - better late then never

Tyler as a cow boy with his horse, Pal.

My little Tigger and Cow Boy

We celebrated Halloween on Saturday this year, even though the actual Halloween day was on Sunday.  In the morning we got the boys dressed up and then we went to Macy's where they had some trick-or-treating through out the store with some other fun things.  So we did a little grocery shopping while the boys got some treats.
After we went to my sisters house and parents house to show them the boy's costumes and to trick-or-treat at their house.  My mom gave out little play dough this year and Tyler has already played with his.  It is a good idea if you don't have many trick-or-treaters that come to your house.

"Trick-Or-Treat"

Yummy neighbor candy

After that we went to Tony's parents house to do a little trick-or-treating.  It was fun to show off the boys in their cute costumes.  After we took the boys home and Josh took a little nap.  Then around 5:00 pm we ate some dinner and then started going to a couple of the neighbors houses before the ward Trunk-or-Treat.
We did about 4 houses when it started to rain.  So we ran and got our car to drive over to the church.  We all got out and did a little truck-or-treating, but then it was just too rainy so Tony and Josh waited in the car while I took Tyler around to the rest of the trunks.  I took him around pretty fast and skipped cars that had a line.  I am not about waiting in the rain for a little piece of candy.  After we got most the cars, we ran back to our car.  I tell you what, it was a good year to be a cow boy.  Tyler's hat kept him pretty dry, which is good because I pretty much stole his umbrella.

Waiting at the door - before the rain came

We then drove home.  I found our other umbrella and Tony took the boys to more houses while I stayed to pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters.  Tony just held Josh, but looking back he really should have taken him in the stroller.  It would have been tons easier.  With all the rain we just weren't thinking logically.  After they went up and down the street Tony brought Josh back and then Tyler and Tony went back out.  My sister Sherri came to visit and see the boys.  It was fun to chat with her while the boys were away.  Tony and Tyler weren't gone too much longer when they came back pretty wet and tired.  Well, Tyler was tired.  Tony wanted to keep going.  He probably should have taken Tyler in a stroller too.  They all had a good time and Tyler liked passing out the candy once he got home.  It was a really fun Halloween, even though it rained so much.

First big snow

Tyler making his snow angle

I woke up this morning to four gloriously beautiful inches of snow on the ground.  It was so beautiful.  It helped to know that I didn't have to go anywhere so I could just stay inside and look out my window.  Tyler was so excited to see all the snow and he wanted to play in it first thing.  I told him he had to wait until it got warmer.

Tyler making his first snow ball

Once I got Josh down for his nap, Tyler and I went outside to play in the snow.  Of course it took five minutes to get all his snow clothes on...then he said he had to go pee.  Luckily we bought him the snow pants and not the snow suit, so it wasn't too bad to take him to the bathroom.  The first thing Tyler did when we went outside was make a snow angle.  It was pretty cute to see him so happy in the snow.  He loved picking it up and throwing it at me - no real surprise there.  He really does love the snow and it was so much fun to play outside with him in it for a while.

Tyler happy as can be playing in the snow

Tyler and his HUGE snow ball, which he threw all over me

Tonight I got to go to dinner with a friend of mine from my ward.  Tony was so nice to not only stay home and watch our boys, but he watched my friends little girl too.  It was nice to get out of the house.  I have needed a break for a while.  I realized that I hadn't left the house without the children except to do my visit teaching since I lost my job.  Pretty lame.

We need to be better about having date nights and getting out.  Tony's mom is going to watch the boys for us Friday morning so that we can go to the temple.  It has been a long time since we have gone...shame on us for sure.  Any who...fun snow...fun dinner...generally a fun day.

Trip to St. George

I only got one picture from the whole trip and it is one Tyler took of Nana Great on my phone

Tony, the boys, and I went to St. George this past weekend with Tony's parents to help Tony's Grandparents with some stuff in the their new place.  We left Thursday after Tony's work and drove down.  Josh has decided that he isn't a huge fan of the car, so it was kind of a rough ride there.
That night we stayed at Tony's grandparents place on air mattresses in their front room.  It wasn't too bad, but Josh and Tyler were getting into everything.  They had lots of small breakable things around and that is exactly what the boys wanted to play with.  So I felt like I spent a lot of the weekend chasing after them and making sure that they didn't break anything.
After the first hectic night and the next day Tony and I decided to get a hotel room where they boys could play and we didn't have to worry so much.  Also Josh was such a loud screamer this weekend.  Well, he always is, but he scram a lot and loudly while we were in St. George.  Because he screams when he wants something or doesn't get his way, or he's really happy...so I think it was driving everyone crazy, especially Tony's grandparents.  They are way too nice to say anything, but I am sure that they were happy that we got a hotel room for the next couple of nights.
Tony's mom had a soft ball tournament Friday night and Saturday during the day, so we got to watch her play a little ball.  On Saturday we also went and visited my Aunt Connie and Uncle Jeff and my Grandpa Willis.  It was really nice to see them and chat with them for a while.  On Sunday we went to sacrament meeting and then headed home.  Josh did much better on the car ride home, so that was very good.  It was a fun trip, but honestly a very frustrating one.  Tyler for the most part did very good and I was very proud of him.  Josh is just at a very busy stage.  Tony's mom has talked a little about maybe taking us to California in March or May, so I think by then he will be tons better...at least I sure hope so!

Tony's Job Interview

Tony had a job interview for a lead position at the cannery in Ogden.  He said that he thought it went pretty good, so I guess we will see if he gets it.  He is one of the top three choices, so those are good odds.  There is another lead position that opened up in Mesa Arizona, so that is a possibility if he doesn't get the Ogden job.  We would really rather stay in Utah, but have both decided that if we need to move for Tony's work then we would be willing to relocate.
Ogden its self is pretty far away.  Tony said it took him an hour to get home from the interview.  So if he does get this job we would have to think about maybe moving closer to his work.  Defiantly not in Ogden, but somewhere near there.  I don't know.  Ideally I wouldn't want to move until Tony got a manager position so that we knew that he would be there for a while, but my ideal doesn't always happen.  I just know that we need to be willing to move and we will be blessed.  Isn't that a weird thing to think...but that is how we feel.  Maybe we will be blessed will our willingness to do what is necessary to serve the Lords church???
Maybe he won't get either of these jobs and we are back to waiting.  The guy over all the canneries in the church is Tony's old boss and really likes him, so we are hoping that he will do whatever is necessary to get Tony a lead position so that he can get trained for management.  Only time will tell.  We will try to remain humble and patient for when our time comes.

A weeks worth of thoughts

This has been kind of an exciting week.  Tony learned about a couple different job opportunities within the church that are coming available.  These positions would be a step up for Tony and the step that he needs before he could become a manager.  He has sent in his resume and even had a phone interview on Friday, so now we just have to wait and see how he did on the phone interview.  We also would like to hear about a regular interview too.  All things that make us excited about the future and maybe like we are finally getting blessed for our patience. 
We got out and did some yard work yesterday.  Trying to get it ready for the winter.  I never really know what to do with certain types of plants and flowers, so I just wing it.  Sometimes they come back, other times not.  Okay, most the time not.  I am not exactly the green thumb that I wish that I was.   Maybe some day I will learn how to have better looking flower beds, until then I will just settle with what I have.
Josh is doing really good.  Tony took him in on Friday and got the stitches out.  He didn't care for that part, but he actually did really good with them in and never played with them.  He is such a tough guy.  He really just loves playing outside.  I am so glad that we have a nice fenced in area for the boys to play.  Well worth the time and money to put that in.  I hope Josh doesn't have too hard of time with the winter.  Tyler, on the other hand, can't wait until it snows.  I got out his old coat and snow boots to see if by some miracle they still fit him so that I wouldn't have to buy new ones and they do - YEAH!  So now he likes to play in his hat, gloves, and snow boots around the house.  I love that kids can find enjoyment in the smallest things.
Josh has the loudest scream ever!  He doesn't just scream when he is mad or sad, but ALL THE TIME!!!  When he is happy, excited, wants attention, wants "something," anytime.  That is the way that he has chosen to communicate.  It is driving me nuts.  I just can't handle it sometimes.  I try to stay calm and say with a stern voice, "Joshua no" but it does nothing.  I find that I am loosing my temper a lot more lately because of the screaming.  I try so hard not to yell and to be patient, but it has been super duper hard these past couple of weeks.  I find that I have to remind my self that he is only 13 months and that I can't reason with him like I can Tyler.  I have gotten so used to being able to talk things out, that I forget that I can't do that with Josh.  That has been a hard adjustment from having a preschooler AND a toddler.  I need to work harder and being more patient...deal with the screaming...and just be better...

Trip to the fair...and the doctor

Tyler waiting in line for the bouncy house

Last night we went to Tony's parents Stake Fair.  It was lots of fun.  They had a bouncy house and a couple different blow up slides that Tyler really loved.  They also had soups and chili's for people to eat with plenty of yummy desserts to enjoy.  They also had cotton candy and pop corn machines.  Tyler got to go fishing for a prize and even won some pumpkin chocolate chip bread doing the cake walk.  Tyler could have played for hours, but Josh was getting fussy so we only stayed a couple of hours.  We went with Tony's dad and we all had a really good time.

Tyler at the top of the big slide getting ready to come down

Tyler coming down the slide while Tony and Josh behind

Tony and Josh waiting for Tyler to go in the bouncy house

After we came home I changed the boys into their new pajamas and while Josh was toddling around he got hurt.  He fell onto the hinge of the front door and got a pretty good sized cut on his eyebrow.  It looked pretty deep so Tony took him to the InstaCare that is close to our house.  While they were waiting a nurse came and put some numbing cream on his cut - he didn't like that at all but I am sure that was better then a numbing shot.  Then they took him back and the doctor ended up giving him three stitches.  So sad.  Tony said that he cried and cried the whole time.  I was so glad that it wasn't me there because I would have just sat and cried with him - since that is what I did when Tyler got his stitches.  At least this time it wasn't my fault, but it still isn't a very fun story to tell.  Hopefully his eyebrow will cover it and so it won't be very noticeable.  The hardest part about kids learning to walk is definitely all the bumps and bruises and cuts they get.  But I guess that is part of the job.

Last soccer game of the season

Tyler had his last soccer game today.  He did really good.  He didn't score a goal today, like he has done the last two games, but he didn't whine or complain at all about playing.  He got a metal when the game was all over and he really liked that.  It was really cute to see all the kids line up to get their pictures taken/  I am not sure if they play in the spring, but if they do I am sure that Tyler will want to play again.

It has been a really cold and raining week this past week.  It was hard on all of us (Josh especially).  I don't think that it is suppose to rain for a while, so that is very good news for playing outside.  It is definitely fall and I just hope that it stays for a couple weeks before winter decides to come.

A couple different employment opportunities may be coming up at Tony's work.  Tony may be looking into them and seeing if they might work for him and our family.  It is exciting to think that he might start progressing more within his work.  He has worked hard and totally deserves it.  But who knows, they might not even work for him, but it would be nice if it would.

Weekend Family Fun

On Thursday after Tony got off of work we headed up to the cabin.  We haven't been in a while and really wanted to get up there before it got too cold.  It was beautiful there.  The leaves were all changing and they were really bright yellow, orange, green, and red.  We went on a couple four-wheeler rides and the boys loved it.  It was fun to take them around and talk to Tyler about the changing colors.  We also saw some of the fishes in the pond jump up out of the water and eat the bugs flying by.  That was very neat to see.

On our first ride we saw a mom deer with her baby.  She just stood on the road and watched us for the longest time, so Tyler and Josh got a really good look at her.  We spent the night up there and it was a rough night for Josh.  Something about babies and the cabin, they just never sleep well there?  Then we had some breakfast before heading out for another ride.  After our ride my parents came up to deliver a new table.  We were able to help them bring in the new and take out the old.  It was a nice time up there and we hope to be able to go up again soon.
Tyler had his second to last soccer game on Saturday.  He did pretty good and scored a goal again.  It was still a battle at times to get him to go out and play, but he did have a good time.  Sunday we spent the day at Tony's parents with his whole family.  It was really nice having everyone (minus Tim who is in Iraq) there watching conference.  I had been thinking about Tony's brother and sister-in-law who live in Logan and are moving in the fall to go to Optometry school a lot this past week, so I was really glad that they were able to come down.  It is sad to think that we won't be seeing them for a long time when they move.  I don't see us being able to afford to go and visit them or them being able to afford to come home much, so that kind of sucks.  Maybe they will go somewhere close, I guess we will see.
Tony is working the later shift again this week.  I am already extremely lonely and bored.  It is a cooler, raining day, so we haven't been able to go outside and play.  I am really going to miss the warm weather this winter.  Josh and Tyler LOVE to play outside.  I hate to wish time away, but I really can't wait until this work shift week is over, I miss having my husband home in the evenings...I am too spoiled with my awesome husband.

Random Thoughts

Here are my random thoughts for tonight:

* I am more then ready for Tony to get a different job.  He works hard and deserves it.  He could use the change and we could use the money.  I truly can't wait for it to happen for him. 

* I am tired.  Josh hasn't been the best sleeper lately and it is having its toll on me.

* I have been going walking with Josh and my mom while Tyler is at preschool and I have really enjoyed it.  It will be a sad day when it is too cold to go on walks.

* I really do love my family and Tony's family.  I love spending time with them and knowing that they are there for me and that I am here for them too.  It is a nice feeling.  I wish all my family lived close so that I could see them more often.

* BYU isn't playing very good this season.  Not such a good thing to do right before you become independent, but every team has re-building seasons every now and then.  Win or loose I will always be a BYU fan and be cheering loud and proud for them!

* Loosing my job has made me a more humble person - so that is good.  I have learned to do will less and still be just fine.  I am still me without my job title, my friends and family still love me, and most of all...I still love me.  Having my "career" didn't define who I am...how I live my life will do that.

* I am not perfect.  My kids are not perfect.  My house is not perfect...and that is okay!

* Sometimes stuff happens and you don't know why, you may never know why, but it is all for a purpose...I need to trust that!

* FAITH...beyond patience I need to have faith...Heavenly Father doth provide...but it is on His time...not mine!

* I really like being the funny one.  I like when people laugh at my comments and jokes.  I think that I am freaking hilarious....is that such a bad thing?  I think that a lot of that has to do with my weight (I may not be skinny but I am funny).  Maybe I need to see a shrink?

* You really are the best parent before you have children.  I remember thinking that I would or wouldn't do so many different things before I had kids and totally judged moms for doing or not doing those things...oh how dumb I was.  It is totally different when you have your own kids!  I have repented of my evil ways.

* I guess that is enough of my thoughts for one night.  Last thought.  I know that my Heavenly Father lives and that his son Jesus Christ died on the cross and was resurrected for you and me.  I know that through our Heavenly Father and Christ all things are possible.  Having children has helped me understand just a tiny bit the relationship between Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  How hard it had to have been for Heavenly Father to see his son on that cross...how blessed I am to know these things!!!

Life with a one and three year old

It is so fun having two children.  I have loved being the mom of two.  Josh just loves Tyler and Tyler really loves Josh.  They are even starting to sort of play with each other.  I took Josh in for his one year well child check-up on Wednesday and the doctor says that he looks really good.  Here are his stats:

Weight: 56%

Height: 42%

Head: 20%

When you look at him I don't think that his head looks small compared to his body, but those stats would suggest otherwise.  He really is doing great.  He is such a happy kid and is becoming a walking champ.  He will just walk in circles in the family room as if practicing his walking.  He can totally climb onto the fire place bench and onto Tyler's bed.  He is going to catch up with Tyler before I know it.  My boys (all three) sure do keep me busy, but I wouldn't want it any other way!

Scout camp, soccer, and a PARTY!

Friday Tony took Tyler to scout camp with him and he had a wonderful time.  He got to go with all the big scout boys and sleep in a tent with Tony.  While Tony and Tyler were away Josh and I went over to my parents for a while and then went to dinner with the girls.  After Julie and I went over to Sam's Club for a little shopping.  It was fun just hanging out with happy kids.

Josh and his huge cake

Then I took a very tired Josh home and got him to bed, when I started getting stomach cramps.

Then it happened, sure agony!  I was sick...and sick bad.  I must have eaten something bad and I wanted it out of my body any way possible.  I just prayed and prayed that I could get it out and that I would start feeling better (and that Josh wouldn't wake up since it was just me).  Josh actually slept all night without me having to get up with him, so that was a huge blessing in it's self.  It was a very long night!

Opening fun presents

Josh slept until about 8:00 and then had some breakfast, but then ended up throwing that up, so then I was worried that he had a touch of what I did.  He didn't have a fever and was still happy as can be, so I wasn't too worried.  Tony and Tyler got back around 10 and then had to get ready for Tyler's soccer game at 11:00.  We got ready and headed out (even though I still felt like crap, I still wanted to see the game).  Tyler played pretty good the first part of the game, but then when his grandparents and cousins came he didn't want to play so much.  But he did wear his jersey!

After eating yummy cake

Yummy cake!

Then Tony's parents took us to lunch (didn't eat much) and then we headed home to get ready for Josh's birthday party.  I was going to make a cake and cupcakes, but with me getting sick it just didn't happen.  So Tony went and picked up a cake at Costco and we were ready to go.  The party was very low key and we mainly just hung out chatting, but I think that people had a good time.  Tony still gave Josh some cake and he was really cute with it.  Thanks to everyone who came and supported our family.  We love you all very much.

Spreading the yummy cake all over the Mommy

Cleaning up the yummy cake in the bath tube (Josh's favorite)