A Very Merry Christmas

Christmas has come and gone. It was a very good Christmas. Not because we got a lot of things, though we did gets some nice things, but because we got to spend time with friends and family and watch Tyler enjoy the season. With every door bell ring from a neighbor bringing a gift, Tyler would get so excited to run to the door. It didn't matter who it was or if they were bringing something, but just a visitor was so much fun to him. I should be more like that.


The week started nice and quiet, but then on Christmas Eve the merriment started. My family has a tradition of going to a movie on Christmas Eve every year and it has always been one that I have enjoyed. This year, however I knew that Tyler wasn't ready to sit through a whole movie and since Tony had to work I said that I wasn't going to go. My sister, Julie, has a 4 year old and a 18 month old, so I told her that I would watch the little one so that she could go to the movie. Tyler and Hayden had a fine time playing together. Neither of them like to take naps when the other is there, so when Tony got back from work he tried to rock them both to sleep. Not too surprising that Tony is the one who feel asleep and the two boys are both awake watching Sesame Street. What a good babysitter he is.

Later that afternoon we then went to my parents house for a yummy Christmas dinner. My Grandpa Willis was there with Anna, and it was nice to see them. We ate and then we had to head over to the Steenblik's for the Kresser family party. Their was some food (which we were too full to enjoy) and lots of family. The kids exchanged gifts and then the adults had a white elephant game. They are always the best at this party because their are so many of us and they always bring funny things. Then Tony's mom gave Tyler some P.J.'s and we headed home.

The next morning Tyler was very excited to see all the gifts under the tree. It didn't take him very long to know what to do and to start opening the gifts. He did a pretty good job of unwrapping and being excited about the actual present. Normally in my family we do stockings first and then the presents, but Tyler wanted to open the big stuff first. I guess we will have to work on that tradition next year. After we were all done with gifts, we got ready and headed over to my parents house for breakfast. Once we got there we handed out our presents to them and they opened them and we opened what we received. Then we helped make breakfast and ate. After the Clarks house, we moved on to the Steenbliks. We hung out for a while and then once Tony's sister and her family came we did the presents. It was fun and we all got some nice things. We were all pooped after that so we decided to go home and put Tyler to bed. Then we just hung out at our house the rest of the day. It was very nice. We all had a great holiday and we are very grateful for the generosity of our family, friends, and neighbors.

Fun Holiday Weekend

This past weekend was tons of fun. On Friday we went to a friends party with our friends from high school. There happened to be a huge snow storm that day and it was quite slow going to get to Sara's house in Herriman. But luckily we made it just fine. We enjoyed good food, good company and an awesome White Elephant game. We did miss a bunch of our friends, so hopefully we can see them next year.

On Saturday I went to sister-in-laws (Amy's) baby shower at Margie's house. It was lots of fun to see those that came. Not too many of the family came, maybe because of the weather or because it was the Saturday before Christmas -- they missed out. We had some yummy lunch and then we got to see Amy open the gifts with all the cute baby stuff. She is due in January and we will have yet another boy in the family. Later that night we went to the Steenblik family dinner. It was really fun too. We got to see a lot of the Steenblik clan and eat some more food - tis the season. We had to leave early to get Tyler to bed, but Tony's late grandma had bought Christmas gifts for everyone, so we were given ours. Their gifts are always....how you say...interesting. But it is the thought that counts.

We don't have much more planned until Christmas Eve. Which is really good. We need a break and Tyler needs life to be normal for a while before all the craziness of Christmas. We are excited to enjoy Christmas with our families and can't wait to see Tyler open his gifts. What a wonderful time of the year to give to others and to remember the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Tony's Graduation

Tony graduated from Utah State University this past Saturday morning. I am so very proud of him, he looked so very hansom in his cap and gown. We drove up to Logan on Friday after Tony got back from work. We took Tony's brother and his wife (Nate and Amy) our glider chair, so we stopped by their house first. After we dropped it off, we all went to returns some books. Tony had about 12 books and they only took half of them back for a whopping $93. Yeah, we're rich. After that we went to check into the hotel, but I wanted to visit the people at the DFCU branch in Logan. So we stopped there first, deposited our riches and then visited with the employee's that I know there. It was good to see them, it has been a long time. Then we left to go to the hotel. It was just across the street from the credit union and Tony just went in to check us in.

Then we went to dinner with Nate and Amy. We had some coupons for IHOP, so we went there. It was pretty good. Then we went back to our hotel and went swimming. The pool was nice, a little chilly, but fun. We pretty much had the place to our selves. After about a half an hour Tyler was done. So we went to our room and hung out there for the rest of the night.

A storm was suppose to come in that night, and boy did it come. When we woke up their was about 3-4 inches on the ground and still coming down strong. The hotel had breakfast for us (always a treat) so after that we got ready and checked out. I drove so that I could drop Tony off and at a building different from where the ceremony was going to be because they had to walk there (in a snow storm....lucky them). It was SO scary driving around town, but we made it there safely.
Tyler and I found a good place to park and went and got seats. Nate came a little later and then Tony's mom, dad, and sister (with baby Gabe) came after that. They drove up from Murray in the snow storm. I know that meant a lot to Tony to have them there, so it was awesome that they made it.
The ceremony didn't take too long, only about an hour. Since it was the winter graduation their were a lot less people. After it was over we went and had a really nice lunch, thanks to Tony's parents. Then we stopped at Nate's place again for a break and then headed home. The weather was much better by that time, thank goodness.
Later that night we went to The Golden Corral with the Elders Quorum and that was lot of fun too. All in all it was a great weekend and I am very proud of Tony for sticking it out and getting his degree. I love him very much and I know that he will continue to do great things!

Some people are so nice...

Yesterday while at work I had a fellow employee come up to me and he said that he heard that I was leaving the credit union. I told him no, but then he told me that he wanted to make sure that I knew how much my friendliness has meant to him. How my Hello's had made his day and made him feel better. He works in the maintenance department and he is an older gentleman, and is a little different. He has had many trials and hard times so I have always tried to be nice and say "Hi". It was really nice of him to go out of his way to let me know how much that meant to him. You do things and try to make people feel special, and it was really nice to know that it does make a difference. So thank you Fritz for being so nice to me.

On a different note, on Saturday Tony, Tyler, and I went to the BYU vs. USU basketball game at the ESA. It was way fun. I wasn't sure how well Tyler would do, but he had a great time. He got restless with about 3 minutes left to go -- not bad at all. He would clap and cheer and say "Go, go, go", it was so cute. He really loves sports so he loved watching the game.

The USU fans came out to represent. Their were tons of them. They must have had buses that came down from Logan. They cheered and were SO loud, it sounded more like a USU home game then an away game for both teams. One thing that I didn't like is that they would chant that certain people sucked, or would boo people. I just don't think that is necessary. Cheer for your own team and be a good sport to the other team. Maybe I am just getting old, but that is just not right.

Fun at the park

The other day we went and took Tyler to a really fun park by our house. It has a really good play ground that is good for younger kids and big kids. We should really take him there more often because it is just so much fun. Tyler is so daring. He is getting a little better about not just flying off of things, but he is not scared of many things. Tony will go to the top of the slide and help Tyler to go down (if he needs it - he's getting so big, he doesn't need it every time) and then I go to the bottom and catch him. It is just so much fun. He is one fun kiddo.

We put up our Christmas stuff and it was so much fun. Tony had last Thursday and Friday off, so it was nice to have him home for four days. I love the holidays and all the fun parties and fun things to do. I can't wait to see Tyler on Christmas morning and see his reaction for when Santa comes. Tis the season to be jolly, and I love to be jolly!

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was yesterday. We went to Tony's parents house and ate dinner there with a lot of Tony's extended family. It was a lot of fun. The food was really good. It is always fun to see his family and spend some time with them since we really don't see them that often. His grandparents came from St. George. They are always so nice and make us feel so special. They have been so good to me and have made me feel like a part of their family from the first time that I met them. They are also very generous. We are truly blessed to have them, and all of our family in our lives.

Then this morning we got out all of the Christmas stuff. I love getting the tree out and all the snow men and the other stuff, it is just such a great way to start the Christmas season. I just hope that Tyler doesn't destroy it all. So far he is doing really well with all of it. Now it just needs to start snowing and not stop until January. I sure do love the snow!

Big Boy Bed

We decided to get Tyler a bigger bed. He ends up in our bed every night, so we were hoping that if he had a bed that was more like our bed that he would sleep in it better. So far it has been better. Now he ends up coming in with us at like 3:00 am instead of 11:00 pm. So hopefully this will continue and only get better.

We did try a toddler bed a couple of months ago - more just for fun. It didn't really work. It wasn't time. Tony's mom had a toddler bed frame, so we decided to try it out. Tyler liked playing on it, but he wasn't ready for it.

My sister got a twin bed for her daughter and it worked really well, so that is what we decided to do. It is a twin mattress on a frame with no box spring. This makes it really low to the ground so that Tyler can get on and off by him self (and in case he falls off, it isn't that far too the ground).

We looked around for where to buy the mattress and decided to get a nicer one from Sam's Club. I am glad that we did. It wasn't that much more then the cheap ones from other places, but it is a lot better. We got the bedding from Sears and we really like it. I didn't want bedding with a theme, so luckily we found one that matches his bedroom how it is.

Tyler loves to get into the covers and read his books. It is so cute. He gets in the bed and then signs and says "book" and then he will go through and look at all of his books there in his bed. It is really fun to see how much he likes his bed and his books. He is getting so big.

Anniversary Weekend

Tony and I had such a fun anniversary weekend. Friday we checked in to the hotel, the downtown Hampton Inn. Because we are Hilton Honor members, they upgraded our room to a spa room and it had a really big bath tub in the room. It was nice. We brought Tyler with us to take him swimming. It was kind of cold, but a good time was had. Then we got ready and let Tyler play in the hotel room and in the halls (he loves that). Then we dropped Tyler off at Margie's and then went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. It is our most favorite restaurant. It was so yummy. After dinner we went and saw "Into the Woods" at Hale Center Theater. It was really good. I was in that musical in high school, so it was fun to see professionals do it.

Then on Saturday morning we ate at the hotel (free breakfast) and then hung out in the hotel for a while. Then we went and did a little shopping. After that we went back to the hotel and I took a nap (it was nice). Then we got ready and went to dinner at "The Garden" at the JSM Building. It was...okay. It was high priced for not that good of food and the service wasn't very good. I don't think that we will go back there again. After we decided to walk around temple square. It is always nice to feel the spirit of the temple and see all the church stuff. Then we got some ice scream (bad idea). We were so full after that we just went to the hotel and went to bed.

Sunday we ate breakfast and then got ready to check out and pick up Tyler. We picked him up at Margie's church after their sacrament. They said that he did great and it sounded like they all had a fun time too. It was a great weekend and I am so glad that Tony and I got to spend so much quality time together.

Happy Anniversary

Today is our 5 year anniversary and I just wanted to say how much I love Tony. He is such a great husband and father, it amazes me how lucky I am. He is always so willing to help me out and do anything that I ask him to do. He is such a great dad to Tyler. He always comes home from a long day at work and plays with Tyler, takes him outside, or does whatever Tyler wants. It's nice to be able to leave Tyler with Tony and not worry at all. He is a pro when it comes to babies and kids (probably why he wants so many).

He is also SO VERY handy. He has done so much to fix up our house and it has saved us tons of money and he has done a really good job. It is nice to know that we don't have to pay someone lots of money just to come and fix the drain, or the light, or the car, or any of the other many things that Tony knows how to do. I am excited for him to teach our children these skills (like Tony's dad taught him). He does great work and is always looking to learn more. I am so proud of him that he has finished his schooling and got his Business Degree. Even with all his school and work, he always puts his family first.

Tony's is also a genius when it comes to the scriptures. Bible, Book of Mormon, it doesn't matter, he knows his stuff. I know that if I have a question that he will know the answer. He has such a strong testimony of the church and is a great priesthood holder. I am so grateful that he can give our family blessings when we need them and that he ALWAYS makes sure that things feel right before he does anything big (i.e. buy a car). He is always willing to give service when needed and he does it for all the right reasons. He is a great patriarch and truly loves God and Jesus Christ.

Overall Tony is just amazing. I am so lucky to have such a good looking, great husband that loves me so much. He always makes me feel special and beautiful. These past 5 years have been the best and I look forward to many many more years to come. I love you Tony!

Bring on the cold weather

So this week has been pretty chilly. If it isn't rainy, then it is cloudy and cold. We have been able to go outside a play at least for a little bit everyday, so that has made Tyler happy. I don't mind the cold. I like the snow and cooler weather. I like all the seasons. I just try to enjoy the season that we are in.

It is Tony and my 5 year anniversary tomorrow. I can't believe how fast time goes. The older I get the faster time flies. We are going to spend a couple nights at the Hilton Downtown and go to a play and dinner. It should be pretty fun. Tony's mom is going to watch Tyler for us so that we can really have a mini vacation. THANK YOU SO MUCH to Margie for always being such a great grandma and mom. I am really looking forward to spending some time just Tony and me.

I got to go to a baby shower last night at my work for two ladies who are...pregnant. It was tons of fun. I got to be silly and see all of the cute baby stuff. People are so crafty and creative with their gifts. I need to learn how to do that kind of stuff too. I love going to baby showers, they are always so much fun. My sister-in-law is pregnant, so I think that we are having a shower for her next month. That should be way fun too. You gotta' love babies!