Cole Family

12 Favorite Things of Christmas

2012-01-02T15:23:00.000-08:00

My 12 Favorite Things That I love About Christmas

12. My Mother in-laws Advent Calendar she made for us many years ago.

11. The Elf - each night through the month of December, Jake and Court put a shoe under the Christmas tree and if they are good each day the elf will put a small treat in their shoe during the night.

10. Neighbor Gifts. This year I was kind of a scrooge and didn't want to do neighbor gifts. I thought it would be time consuming and kind of a pain as I had over 40 to give out but once I started putting them together I had a change of heart and realized how special it is to have one day a year to tell the people whom I live around that we care about them. (Don't laugh at my gift - I know it's corny)

9. Ogden Lights

8. Making Cookies for Santa

7. My Mom and Dad's Annual Caroling Party

6. Christmas Concert - each year my Mom and Dad take us to a Christmas Concert. This year we saw Savior of the World. We saw it eight years ago but no one could remember it. Jake learned so much, it truly was an amazing night.

5. Santa Clause

4. Decorating my House

3. Spending time with family. I love the month of December as it gives us lots of reasons to spend extra time with both sides of our family.

2. Teaching my kids the true meaning of Christmas.

1. The Magic - everything about Christmas is magic to me. Looking back as a little girl I can't remember what presents I received or what activities we did but what I can remember is the feeling of Christmas which the only word I feel describes it best is - magic. This year again, I felt the magic.

Merry Christmas!

Jake's Baptism

2011-12-13T08:53:00.000-08:00

Other than having a hard time accepting that I have a child old enough to be baptised everything about Jake's Baptism was perfect.

(Sorry, my camera is slowly dying and my pictures are awful)

Jake's Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, cousins and his friends from church all came to support him on his special day.

We let Jake plan his baptism. It was fun to see who he wanted to speak, sing etc... For journal purposes this was the program-

This is Skylee, one of Jake's good friends who happened to be wearing the same dress as Court. Too cute.

After the baptism we had our family over to our house for sandwiches and salad. Thank you to everyone for helping with all the yummy food. And a big thank you to everyone who participated in Jake's baptism. We're so lucky to be apart of two amazing families.

Grandma Margaret and Grandpa Cole

Nana & Granddad

Dear Jacob,

Dad and I are so proud of you. Words can not express how much we love you, since the minute you were born we knew you were special and that you were sent to us for a reason. Your strength and willingness to do what is right, learn the gospel and follow our Savior is truly an example to us and especially your sister. We hope you will always remember how you felt on this special day and we hope you will always know how many people love you. We love you Jake.

Love,
Mom & Dad

Missing Bike

2011-12-08T00:29:00.000-08:00

This was officially the saddest day so far of Jacob's life. A few weeks ago Jake came home from school and went off to play with friends. He came rushing back into the house and said in a panicked voice "Mom, where's my bike"? I replied that it was in the garage and he said it wasn't. I went to see and he was right - it was gone. We quickly drove around the neighborhood hoping maybe he'd left it at a friends house??? No luck. I sent out a huge text to all my neighbors asking them to keep an eye out for it but by night fall we all pretty much knew -

Jake's bike had been stolen.

Jake was too angry to cry. He kept kicking the wall or punching his bed. He kept asking why someone would steal his bike? You see, Jake's bike was his most favorite thing he owned in the entire world. He rode his bike every day, he rode it to the bus stop, to his friends houses, practiced jumps etc.. He really loved his bike and now to have it gone was almost incomprehensible for him. It was heart breaking to see him so sad. I'll admit that Scott and I were pretty angry ourselves. I mean seriously, who steals an 8 year olds bike?

Jake insisted on putting up flyers in our neihborhood so we did. Scott also called the police, we knew there was nothing they could do but we thought they should at least be aware of what had happened. It's now been several weeks since the bike was stolen, Jake still really misses it but he's doing a lot better. Now we just have to hope that Santa or Santa's helpers will help Jake get a new bike soon.

Flag Football Star

2011-12-05T10:45:00.000-08:00

This past Fall we signed Jake up to play Flag Football and he absolutely loved every second of it. Instead of growing up and wanting to be a Soccer Star he's now changed it to wanting to be a Football Star. lol!!! I'll admit I'm not a huge football fan but I really enjoyed watching his games. Jake caught on really fast and was one of the more aggresive players on his team. Jake especially loved learning all the different plays and putting them into action. We were sad when the season ended but at least we always have next year.

Jake's first football injury. He was so proud of it. lol!!!

November Randomness

2011-12-03T19:44:00.000-08:00

Here are a few fun things we did this past November. Enjoy the randomness.

Jake and Court with the neighbors enjoying the first snow fall of the season.

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Veteran's day is a special day for me as it always reminds me of my Hero- My Grandpa Selman. Not only was my Grandpa one of my most favorite people in the world and the best Grandpa in the world but he was also a World War II Hero. He loved Remembrance Day (what Canadians call Veterans Day). I remember as a little girl going with him to special events on this day, meeting his friends who also fought in the War and listening to his extrodinary and amazing experience of surviving being a Prisoner of War for close to 4 years. One of my favorite memories as a little girl (I think I was around 10 years old) was meeting one of my Grandpa's friends who was in the same POW camp as him. He shook my hand and looked me in my eyes and said "Your Grandpa saved my life". (My Grandpa worked in the kitchen and would smuggle out Potato Peelings to his friends and these potato peelings kept this man alive). To this day, I'll never forget this mans eyes which were filled with so much love for my Grandpa. A day doens't go by that I don't think of my Grandpa as I miss him so much but Veteran's Day is an extra special day for me to honor my Hero.

My Parents invited us to the Ogden Veterans Parade, I'll admit my eyes became a little misty watching the soldiers and veterans march by. How blessed we are to have so many people who have sacrificed, fought and who are still fighting for our freedom. Saying thank you will never come close to what they sacrifice for us.

Having fun at Fat Cat's after the parade
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One random Sunday afternoon Jake decided to dress up as a football player (he found his football Halloween costume he wore when he was 4 years old). Surprisingly it kind of fit him, it was extra snug but he thought he looked really cool. Court then decided to dress up as a cheerleader. These two silly kids definitely crack us up.

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Every morning Courtney wakes up, climbs in my bed and we talk about what our plans are for the day. She loves scheduling out her day (or trying to schedule out what she would WANT to do that day).

Here's an example of a day that Courtney plans for herself; eat breakfast, watch a cartoon, get dressed, play with a friend, have a bath, watch a cartoon, read a book, play with a friend, eat lunch, play with a friend, color, eat a treat, play with a friend, eat dinner and go to bed. Lol!!!

Other than going to preshool and dance her all time favorite thing to do is- play with friends. Every second of the day she's asking if she can play with a friend. When she does get the chance to play with a friend and after playing with that friend for several hours and her friend has to go home, not even a second goes by until she's asking if she can play with another friend. She's definitely my little social bug but such a cute little social bug.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-29T15:16:00.000-08:00

I've come to conclusion that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Now don't get me wrong, I love Christmas but there is something that is so simple about Thanksgiving. Maybe that's the reason I love it - because it's simple. Being thankful for your blessings, delicious food and family, it honestly doesn't get better than that. (My mom will cringe when she reads 'simple', she'll be thinking what's simple about cooking a meal for over 30 people? - I get that but you have to agree that it's a hundred times more simple than Christmas).

This year as a family we made a list of everything we're grateful for, I wanted to see how long we could make it - I think we got to 156 things we're thankful for. Next year will start sooner and try to get to 500. After you get passed the normal (but most important ones) such as family, Jesus, Temples, scriptures etc... the rest become very random. I found out my kids are thankful for pillows, leaves, carpet, pilgrims, teeth, x-box, bunny rabbits etc... The funniest is when Court started saying she was thankful for tables, chairs, bowls, plates. Jake stopped her and said "Court, are you just looking at things and saying you're thankful for them?" This cracked Scott and I up as it's one of our favorite movie quotes from Anchor Man "I love lamp".

Sorry, that was kind of random. Back to Thanksgiving. What I'm most thankful for in my life right now is- my life. I know this sounds really general but it's true. I love everything about my life including the sometimes bad stuff but thankfully it's mostly good stuff. I'm thankful for my amazing husband, my beautiful and healthy children, both our families, the gospel, our Saviour, my health, my home, being able to stay at home, Scott's job, my friends, my Aunts and Uncles etc... My list is truly endles and I'm thankful for this as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Oops! Forgot to Post Courtney's Dance Recital

2011-11-20T13:18:00.000-08:00

I realized that I never made a post about Courtney's Dance Recital. Oops! Oh well, better late than never I guess?? Lol!!

Last year we started Courtney in Dance and she loved it. She absolutely loved it. In her dance class was her Cousin Aiva and her friend Raini which made it even more fun. At the end of the year they had a Dance Recital and performed two Dances. A Bumble Bee Dance and a Flower Dance. Both were adorable but definitely the Bumble Bee Dance was the cutest.

These are the special curlers we used to make her hair super cute!

Courtney's friend Raini and cousin Aiva

Courtney had so much fun that we are now into our second year of Dance and like last year she is still loving it!!!

Jake is 8!

2011-11-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

It's crazy to believe that our little Jake is now 8 years old. It's even crazier to think that he's going to be baptised in a few weeks. Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!

When Jake came to us with the idea of taking his friends to Chuck A Rama for his Birthday Party (an all you can eat Buffet) Scott and I started laughing but when we realized he was serious, we thought - why not?

Saturday morning four of Jake's friends and his cousin Logan arrived at our house and we were off to Chuck A Rama's. We let the boys sit at their own table and then let them go to down. I think the record was ten plates and I think nine out of the ten plates was dessert. The boys had a ton of fun. After stuffing themselves we took them back to our house to open presents and let them hang for a couple of hours. I have to say it was the easiest and cheapest Birthday Party I've ever done (a big thanks to my Mom and Dad who joined us at the restaurant and gave us some Kid's eat FREE coupons).

Jake's actual Birthday fell on Sunday. Jake had to wait until after church to open his presents because his Dad was at early morning church meetings. Jake said it was the longest church 'ever'!!! After presents we ate a big BIRTHDAY brunch which consisted of all of Jake's favorite breakfast foods; pancakes, eggs, ham and scones. Later that evening we headed to Grandma's house for dinner and Birthday Cake!!!

Happy Birthday Jake!! We love you!!!!

Pumpkin Patch Bust

2011-11-08T10:18:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is about my kids but they either have the worst timing for getting sick or they can't handle anything fun. Here are just a few of many examples - tell me if you can't see some kind of pattern.

1. Jake's 1st grade field trip to Dinosaur Park - the night before he throws up and misses it.

2. Halloween Night - Jake's trick or treating but gets a stomach ache and I have to take him home and he misses out on the rest of the night.

3. Lagoon day with Scott's family - The night before Jake throws up and gets a fever and we can't go.

4. Courtney's first day of pre school - The night before she throws up and has to miss her first day.

5. The latest one - Courtney has her first pre-school field trip to a Pumpkin Patch. When we arrive she starts acting grumpy and won't smile. The whole time she complains of a tummy ache, we end up having a miserable time and leaving early.

So, the question is - is this all just a crazy coincidence and my kids have the worst luck ever??? Or, can they honestly not have fun or can't handle the idea of fun and some how they make themselves sick??? All I know is I'm getting sick of my kids getting sick on the 'fun days'. Grrrrr!!!

Here are some pictures of Courtney's field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. You can tell by her eyes that she's not feeling well.

Courtney's friend Emma

Poor thing.

Halloween

2011-11-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

Returning home with only a week left before Halloween Scott and I tried to do as many Halloween activities with our kids as we possibly could. We went to the pumpkin Patch and saw 'Scary Pumpkin Man', put together costumes, went to my parents ward's Halloween Party, went to a Corn Maze, carved pumpkins etc... (Sadly all of these pictures were erased from my camera).

I still can't get over how warm Halloween was this year. It was definitely a picture perfect Halloween. This year Jake dressed up as a Boxer. He came up with the idea and put his costume together (thanks to all of his Dad's fighting gear in the basement). Courtney was a Bumble Bee. She really, really wanted to be Rapunzel (she was Rapunzel last year) but I really, really wanted her to be a Bumble Bee. In the end we compromised, she was Rapunzel for her Birthday Party and a 'Princess' Bumble Bee for Halloween. It was a win win!!!!!

Jake at his school's Halloween Parade.

Halloween afternoon we carverd our pumpkins!

Trunk or' treating at Dad's work

Pizza and salad at my Mom's house before Trick or Treating

The ice cream house! Who doesn't like to trick or treat for ice cream???

We ran into our cute Dunyon cousin's. Darling!

Half the night we trick or' treated with my family and the second half we trick or' treated with Scott's family. Best of both worlds.

It's always fun to end the night at Grandma's house with yummy hot Chilli and fresh rolls

Courtney's 4!!!

2011-11-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

Our little Courtney is 4 year's old!!

Saturday morning we had 6 of Courtney's little girl friends over for a princess party. They all came dressed up as princesses. We painted nails, made princess magic wands and of course had cupcakes. All of the girls were so well behaved and all so darling.

The only down side of the entire party is that I lost every picture I took except for one. I took a ton of pictures but sadly my camera somehow deleted them? Along with half the pictures on my camera including the recent Halloween parties we'd been to. I was extremely upset but I'm slowly getting over it. I'm just thankful for the one picture I have especially because it's a super cute one!

Courtney with her little girl friends. Are they not the cutest little girls ever!!!

Logan and Jake were my big helpers at the party.

Sunday we had Scott's and my family over for a family birthday party. My Mom brought over this cute princess cut out. I had also taken a picture with all of Courtney's friends but like I told you - it's gone :(

Halloween morning and Courtney's real Birthday!

Cruisin!

2011-10-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

We're back from the best vacation EVER! My hubby surprised me with a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise for my b-day/10 year anniversary. We went with two of Scott's brother's and their wives; Matt and Gidget, Tommy and Amber. The six of us had a blast starting with a road trip to LA, then 7 days on an amazing cruise ship and then the ride home. In total we were gone 10 days and I honestly can't express in enough words how much fun we had.

Before boarding the cruise we spent a night in LA at a gorgeous hotel. That evening Amber had gotten us a good deal on a new show called Battle of the Dance. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, all we knew were that the tickets were regularly $50-$80 and there were dancers. To make a long story short all I have to say is, it was the worst food and the worst show we have eaten or experienced. We ended up leaving early because we couldn't stop laughing. It was definitely a funny way to start our weeklong adventure.

I like the top left picture of Tommy shooting himself. Lol!!

After the show we took a walk in Down Town Disney

Sunday morning we enjoyed Church with the local LA people then around noon we boarded our ship. We looked a little fancy boarding the ship wearing our Sunday clothes but it was all good.

Here's our awesome ship, it slept 3,500 people and at least 1,500 workers. It was huge, gorgeous, clean and best of all I only got lost once.

So not to bore you to death with small details of every thing we did the whole week. I'll just list my top 5 favorite things. Then you can enjoy the rest of the billion pictures below.

5. Matt's Super Man shirt. Everytime I think of this I bust up laughing. Matt happened to be wearing a Superman shirt on the day we were walking the streets in Cabo. The Mexicans kept making comments when they saw him like; "Superman where's your cape" or "Superman why you walking you should fly" the best was "Superman where's Robin" ???? After about an hour of hearing these comments Matt stopped and looked at us and said "I think they're making fun of me" and the funniest part of the story is they really were - this continued all day long. By the end of the day Matt couldn't wait to get on the boat and take his shirt off and watching his frustration made it even funnier. You're a good sport Matt!!!

4. The Zip Line. In Puerta Villarta we found a driver who drove us to the jungle where we were given helmets and harnesses and we went on 12 zip lines over the top of the jungle. Some of the zip lines were as long as 100 yards. It was awesome!

3. Having absolutely no schedule and doing anything I wanted. I loved waking up when ever I wanted, eating when ever I wanted and what ever I wanted. If I wanted to take a nap I took a nap. If I wanted to read a book I would. If I wanted to dance, I danced. I played miniature golf, kareoke, visited with my sister in-laws, played games, sun tanned etc.. You get the picture. Freedom, no stress and complete relaxation was everything I needed. It was perfect!

2. Snorkeling in Cabo. We took a boat ride out to the most beautiful beach and spent 3 hours swimming and snorkeling in the Ocean. It was Heaven.

1. My all time favorite - Dining in the evening. It was fun getting all dressed up, it was exciting finding out what was going to be on the menu, it was hilarious watching the waiters dance and sing for us but most of all it was fun sitting around a couple of hours each night eating delicious food, talking and laughing about the adventures we had that day. I don't think there was a night when we weren't doubled over laughing our guts out or leaving the table with our guts hanging out. (okay, that last part was bad but I couldn't resist - lol).

Our adventures in Cabo St. Lucas!!!

Tommy and Amber were so hilarious together. Look closely at all of Tommy's pictures and all the funny faces he makes in each one. He cracked us up the whole trip!

Our 2nd day in Cabo

I had to take this picture to prove to my kids that I really did swim in the ocean.

More fun on the Boat

3rd stop Puerta Vallarta

Getting ready to zip line through the jungle

They wouldn't let us take pictures while we were in the jungle. Here we are after with our two guides! Sweaty but smilin!

We found a river where we were able to cool off. The humidity in the jungle was extreme.

Our driver took us to a local beach, it wasn't as gorgeous as Cabo's beaches but it was fun to hang with the locals.

No, we didn't catch these fish. We were watching a fisherman clean the fish and he allowed the boys to take pictures with them. Too funny!

Matt and Gidget were a blast to hang with. This was our first vacation we've been on together and I have to say I can't wait for the next one. I knew Matt was funny and I knew he was a good story teller but man 24/7 of his humor and stories about did me in. My stomach hurt so much from laughing. Thanks Matt for entertaining us all week.

I lied. My favorite thing of the entire week was spending 10 days with Scott without our kids. AMAZING!!! He promised me a cruise every two years - I'm totally holding him to it.

Our delicious food. I tried to work out everyday on the boat so I could have the freedom of eating anything I wanted and I can definitely say I did eat - EVERYTHING! The breakfast buffet was my favorite (I love breakfast); bacon, omelets, french toast, ham, croissants, pastries and I ate it ALL!! And the best news is when I got home I only gained 4 lbs. Not too shabby eh! Lol!

The ship had a huge movie screen outside where they showed movies each night. They supplied blankets and popcorn. I loved it!

The last day on the ship was the only day it was a little grey and windy but nothing to complain about.

My hot husband!! If you're wondering about his thumbs up in all his pictures, I have no idea?? For some reason he thinks it's funny???

Each night they turned down our beds and made us towel animals. The monkey was my favorite!

Our small but comfortable and cozy bedroom.

Best Vacation Ever!!!

(I know my Aunts will probably wonder where my kids were. Courtney stayed with my Mom and Sister in-law Elise. And we dropped Jake off in St. George where he stayed with Scott's Mom and Dad. They both had a ton of fun and had lot's of fun stories to share with us. Thanks again Mom, Elise and Margaret.)

Labor Day Weekend

2011-10-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some of our camping pictures from our Labor Day camping weekend. Justin and Heather invited us up the canyon where their friends own a beautiful piece of land. My Mom and Dad also came so it was a fun family get together. Thanks again Heather and Justin!

Miniature Golf

2011-10-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some cute pictures I took one day when we were miniature golfing.

Freemont Silverline Junior Dancers

2011-10-07T07:47:00.000-07:00

We signed Courtney up to dance on the Freemont Highschool Junior Silverline dance team. She practiced Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and performed Friday night during half time at the Football game. She loved all of the practices becauce lots of her friends were also dancing. There were a ton of girls, it was hectic and crazy but a ton of fun. Definitely an adventure!

Courtney with her medal after the show. She was so proud. Don't tell Courtney but because there were so many little girls dancing and the dance was so short, Scott couldn't see her on the field. Kind of sad eh. Lol!! But he told her she did fabulous so I guess that's all that matters.

Courtney with her good friends Raini and Sydney

Here are some of the girls from our neighborhood and ward who also danced. Too cute eh!

This gives you an idea of how many little girls danced.

My camera wasn't working so I didn't get any good pictures of Court actually dancing. Here she is walking onto the field.

Looking at this picture I can't believe this blond hair, blue eyed little girl is my daughter. We don't look anything alike.

Courtney didn't want her picture taken with her Dad, the distressed face she's making makes me laugh.

First Day of School & First Day of Preschool

2011-10-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

Our new 2nd grader. Isn't he sooo handsome. I know I'm totally bias but dang I think my little boy is cute.

I met Jake at the bus stop waiting anxioulsy to hear how his first day of school went. When he saw me he ran to me with a huge grin on his face and said "It was awesome"! Best words a Mom could hear. Jake's new teacher is Mrs. Wayment and he absolutely adores her. Most of his friends are in his class and he even liked what they served at lunch.

I think we're on our way towards another great school year!!!

Jake waiting at his bus stop.

Courtney ready for her first day of preschool. Sadly, this is really the 2nd day of pre-school, on the real first day of school Court threw up the night before and had to miss it. She was too sick to really care but thought it was pretty neat when her teacher showed up at our house with a balloon and to see how she was feeling.

Courtney is taking preschool at a neighbors house down the street (very convenient). Her teacher's name is Ms. Krisilyn who Courtney already loves to death. Most of her classmates are girls which Court has informed me are all her friends. She goes twice a week and loves, loves, loves every second of it.

Courtney showing off her new back pack.

Bear Lake in August

2011-09-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

(I'm almost caught up on our Summer, a few more posts and I'll be done - Yay!)

The Beach is BACK!!!

Can you believe how high the water is now. It was awesome only having to walk a few minutes to and from the Condo to the beach.

We spent a week in Bear Lake in August and this time my sister Laura, Tyson and Lydia (from OK) came for the trip. I can't even tell you how much fun we had!!!

I love that Bear Lake is a home away from home. Isn't this moon gorgeous!

Courtney of course loved every second playing with Lydia. They are the best of friends.

Ahhhh! Jake's head fell off!

Sunday evening we always play on the beach. Laura of course had her camera and we ended up taking a lot of silly pictures. Enjoy the crazy pictures!!!

Jet skiing is of course one of our favorite things to do in Bear Lake. Thanks again Mom & Dad!

As a joke, Laura posted these pictures of Scott on her blog. I liked them so had to put them on my blog too. Sorry Scott LOL!!

My beautiful niece Lydia. Love the pose!

We celebrated my Mom and Laura's birthday at our favorite restaurant in town.

Scott was only able to stay for the weekend but thankfully Jake had Tyson to pal around with. Jake absolutely adores his uncle Tyson.

Tyson took Jake on a really, really long hike. It wasn't planned on being a long hike but thankfully he had water (which he let Jake have all of it)

Jake was trying to make a tough man face, instead I think he looks like a grumpy little man. Lol!

Boating

2011-09-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

My brother in-law Tommy keeps bugging me about posting pictures of our recent boating trip.If he knew how far behind I am on all my summer adventures he'd leave me alone. But because he's family and I actually really do like him - here are the pictures.

p.s. Tommy, next time bring your own camera.

Courtney enjoying her Uncle Dave's awesome boat. Thanks again Dave and Jen for the fun evening, we had a blast!

My nine year old niece Jacque swinging like Tarzan

Go Jake!

Four year old Tyler forgot to let go the first time and ended up landing in the shallow end, thankfully he wasn't hurt. The second time he did it perfect. Go Ty!

Jake knee boarding!

No hands!!

My sister in-law Jen and her baby Sophia

Go Tommy!!

Jude and Jaycee

Best Birthday Ever - Part 2

2011-09-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

To begin to explain Part 2 of my Best Birthday Ever, I have to start with describing my friends. First off, I have to say that throughout my life I've been blessed with amazing friends, as I look back through my life I find it extrodinary to see that my friends came into my life at certain moments and time. Each time was when I needed that certain friend at that certain moment. Throughout my life my friends were able to give me something and fill something that was needed in my life and for this I will forever be grateful for everyone of them who have left an imprint in my life and who are continuing to leave an imprint in life.

The group of friends I want to talk about right now are no exception. These friends were brought into my life through the Young Women's program and for this I know we were brought together for a reason. What I think makes us such a special group is we were put together to serve together but we chose to be friends. It's been over a year since we've been released and we are all still very close, we see each other each month for our girls night out, when ever it's someones birthday, play groups, parties, BBQ's and any other reason we can find time to get together. In total there are 7 of us and you honestly couldn't find more different personalities than what we have - but we figure that's why it works. We have the shy and quiet ones, we have the loud and obnoxious ones. Lol!! We have funny, sarcastic, speak your mind types. We have the flirtatious, crazy, spiritual and fun personalities. You name it we have it and seriously, when you put all those types of personalities together you get Crazy Fun!!! There are some nights when my stomach hurts so much because we've been laughing so hard. Besides all the fun we have - we also know everything about each other. My friends are always there to listen to me, support me, give me advice and help me know that I'm not alone. We've also been through a lot together - we went through some tough times together, thankfully that crazy time is over but one thing I know is that I'll forever be grateful for the trials we endured together as they bonded us in a special way and helped us become deeper and truer friends. Love you girls XOXOX !!!

Ok, so enough sappy stuff - onto my Birthday Part 2!!! Julie and my birthday are 2 days apart so instead of going out to dinner as we usual do, we decided to go to Park City for the night to celebrate!!

I copied this picture off of Julie's blog, sorry it's kind of blurry. (left to right) Brandi, Julie, Tonya and me! Linds and Lace joined us the next day.

We had a blast going out for dinner, walking main street and eating ice cream. This is the real Birthday Girl - Julie! She's still a baby - only turned 29!

Brandi and Tonya

So, check out this note. Is it the funniest thing you've ever seen? This is the story - Brandi was parking the car in the car lot next to Main St. and this boy on a skate board (probably around 19, 20?) stopped and helped her back into a parking spot. We didn't think anything of it we just thanked him and went on our way. A few hours later we got back to the car and found this note. Can you say best birthday present ever!!! Lol!! In our late 20's and 30's and we still got it. Lol!!!

Tonya's my hero, we only planned on spending one night so when she started unpacking her suitcase we couldn't stop laughing. She packed everything - an iron, a huge box of women stuff, an entire first aid kit. I mean you name it she had it. Love you Tonya!!!

The rest of the night we spent in our hotel talking until 3 or 4 in the morning. Scott totally doesn't get girls. He was so confused - he said "so you just sat in a hotel room and talked?" Um yeah!!! That's what girls do.

Lace and Lynds joined us in the morning for breakfast and shopping!!

Sadly, Sara W couldn't come :( but here's the rest of the gang.

We honestly shopped till we dropped, not sure if it was the hot weather or the lack of sleep but by lunch time we were all exhausted and ready to eat and go home.

Thanks girls for such a fun memory. Can't wait until next time!

Random thought: I had a blast writing about this group of friends and (if they read my blog) they'll see how much they mean to me. How fun would that be to start highlighting special people in my life and letting them know what they mean to me or helped me with in my life. It's funny how you think nice thoughts about people but do you ever really take the time to tell them? Or think of those people who aren't your friends but who you look up to and they have no idea that you look up to them. I'm thinking my blog could be away to tell everyone in my life how much they mean to me. Hmmm??? I'm going to ponder this thought ...

Best Birthday Ever - Part 1

2011-08-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd say this but so far I have really enjoyed being thirty. As you probably remember, last year I was completely terrified to hit this mile stone but a year has gone by and I don' t know how to explain it but I've really, really liked being thirty. My friends and I have had many long talks about how we feel that something really does change in you when you turn thirty. For me the biggest change has been accepting myself. I feel like I'm more me, I'm more comfortable in my skin, I'm more confident in who I am, I feel like I'm really getting to know me - all the stuff I use to worry about just doesn't matter to me as much. So, now that I'm officially thirty one, my new attitude is to own it and love it!!

And, in all honesty I have nothing to complain about. I'm sincerely grateful for all that I'm blessed with, I'm grateful for my beautiful children, for my husband whom I adore, for my family, my friends, I'm grateful for me (even with all my imperfections) and I'm grateful for my amazing life - all 31 years of it!

My birthday was about a month ago and I have to say that I had the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER! I'm not usually a birthday person - I don't mind them as long as I don't get a lot of attention. I'm completely happy with Scott taking me out to dinner and a movie and of course presents. Who doesn't like presents??

This year Jake planned my entire birthday day!!! He and Court took me out to breakfast at Jeremiah's for scones. We then played miniature golf (he wanted to take me to a movie but we couldn't find one that Court would like) and went to a park. Jake offered to take care of Court so I could have a birthday nap and later that night we went swimming with the Cole family and had birthday cake. Perfect plan and a perfect birthday! Thanks Jake!!

These are some picture's of us swimming.

My niece Sophia Dunyon. Such a cutie :)

Here we are miniature golfing.

This picture was taken a few days before at my Mom's house where we celebrated my Birthday with my family. This is my favorite cake- Pineapple Cake!!! Yummy!

A few days later I continued my Birthday celebation with my girl friends in Park City.

To be continued ...

Hogwarts Castle

2011-08-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post these pictures with my recent Harry Potter post. About a month ago Jake and Courtney built Hogwarts Castle in our family room.

Love their imagination!!!

Ha! Ha! Love the spelling!!!

Introducing Harry Potter to Jake

2011-08-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

Like most of you, I too am a huge Harry Potter fan. Last year I started reading the first book to Jake but it ended up taking us about a year to get through (I realise now that age six was a litle too young for him). Half way through the book I took a six month break as my patients wore thin as I had to explain what was going on every few sentences, I had to explain all the new magical words, help him figure out all the characters etc... Right before first grade ended I decided to give Harry Potter another try and this time Jake was completely ready. Instantly he was hooked to the story, characters and could follow the plot. We finished the second half of the book in about a month and we loved every page.

I promised Jake that after we read each book we would watch the movie. We made a big night of it and I have to admit that I really enjoyed the movie as I haven't seen it since it first came out in theaters. Jake on the other hand was a little upset as it skipped a lot of the book - at the end of the movie he stated very sternly and kind of grumpy "the book is way better than the movie".

Soon after, we started reading Chamber of Secrets and we finished it in about six weeks. Jake again loved it. It's been fun watching him live in Harry Potter world. I can tell that it's always on his mind as he's always talking about it and asking questions and trying to solve the mysteries. (This time he enjoyed the movie a lot more than the first time as he was more prepared of what to expect - but he still loves the books more).

We're now half way through the 3rd book and we're still loving every second of it. I remember my first time reading Harry Potter and falling in love with it as I was transported into the Harry Potter word, I also remember thinking to myself that one day I'll get to read these amazing and extrodinary books to my children. And, here I am living this dream and loving it more than I thought I would.

I'm so thankful that Harry Potter has introduced Jake to a magical, imaginative and incredible world but what I'm most thankful for is that Harry Potter has given Jake and I something in common and have bonded us in such a special way. I know I'll never forget these special evenings reading to my son and I hope he will always remember sharing Harry Potter with his Mom.

Swim, swim, swim!

2011-08-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the summer is nearing to an end. I knew it was going to go by fast but not this fast. Crazy! My goal this summer was to try to make every day fun and exciting. Or, at least do one fun activity each day. The first week of summer I was really creative finding fun activities to do but by the second week of summer the only idea I could think of was swimming. And the 3rd week and the 4th week and the 5th week etc.. You get the picture; we swam and swam and swam. We went to Willard Bay, Ogden Athletic Club, Lindsey's Pool, Roy Aquatic Center,Bear Lake, Wolf Creek, North Ogden pool, Pine View etc.. You name it we swam it.Thankfully my kids love to swim and I love to swim (as long as the water isn't too cold). Here's some random pictures of some of our many swimming adventures.

Below are pictures of my new favorite place, my friend Lindsey's parents pool. It's in Huntsville and as you can see from the pictures it has the most beautiful view. We've been going at least once a week - I always get excited when I get the call that we're going swimming. I can't even explain the peace I feel when I'm sitting by this beautiful pool with the most amazing view, with some of my dearest best friends and watching my kids swim and play. It really doesn't get much better. Thank you Lindsey for making this summer extra fun!!

I had to throw this picture in - Courtney with her friend Sydney. They usually choose Barbies over swimming. Sooo cute!!

I'll post pictures later of my kids tan lines - they are hilarious.

Fireworks!

2011-08-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

I've been going to the Weber State Fire works for over 15 years, Scott's been going his whole life, so of course we went again this year and of course we had a blast. This year my Mom joined us with the Cole Family (I'm hoping this will become a new tradition). We arrived early to do all the usual; eat treats, visit, play games, dance and my all time favorite - people watching. I always like to see what people are wearing, what the new styles are and then I get depressed that I'm so outdated. A mall? What's that? Lol! The fire works were absolutely amazing this year. I'm sad they're over but at least we have next year.

My sister in-laws.

Scott being a cheese head with his brothers.

Can't remember why Jake was upset when I took this picture? Such a grumpy guss!!!

Dancing in the street!!

O' Canada

2011-08-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Around the end of June we headed to Canada for a Selman Family reunion. We had a blast seeing the extended family we only see every 5 years and hanging out at a beautiful cabin for a couple of nights with all my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. We were also able to spend time with our Cardston family so to sum it all up, it was a great trip!!

Jake & Court were angels in the car there and back. Here they are having fun at Mcdonalds.

Jake and Courtney ready for the Raymond Parade. We were there over July 1st which is Canada day. Scott wasn't too excited having the kids look like this - too bad Scott! Lol!

This is Scott's favorite picture, I'm sure you can guess why!!

This is the beautiful Cabin we stayed at.

Unbelievable views of the mountains

Check out how many beds are in the basement of the cabin. It was definitely a big sleepover!

The rest of the pictures are of all the Woolf family. In Cardston we stayed with Aaron and Jen and had a blast. Thanks again for being such great hosts.

This is a statue of George Woolf , he's my Grandpa's cousins who was a famous Jockey who rode Sea Biscuit. pretty cool eh!

I've always wanted my kids to see and play on a teeter totter and the town of Cardston actually still has one. How fun is that - definitely brings back a lot of childhood memories.

A big thank you to all of my family for all the hard work it took in putting the reunion together. Thank you for all the food, sleeping arrangements and for all of the fun visits. I try not to take for granted how special our family is, I know our family is unique in how close we all are and I'm blessed to be apart of it. Love you all and thanks again for everything!!

Bear Lake In June

2011-07-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

Where's the beach???

We had another fun week in Bear Lake even without a beach. Scott stayed for the weekend but sadly had to leave Monday evening - BUT, my Aunt Peggy and Uncle Ross (from Canada) came up Monday and spent the entire week with us. It was another fabulous Bear Lake Vacation.

We found the only beach by our Condo and staked it out for the whole week. The funny thing is everyday the already little beach kept getting smaller and smaller.

Who would of thought - a snuggy on the beach in June!!!

Aunt Peggy and Dad worked out every morning in the pool.

We decided to go on the tour of the Minnetonka caves. Kids loved them and of course my Science teach Uncle loved them as well.

My Aunt Peggy and Uncle Ross Ash

Not the best picture of Jake but this was his favorite rock formation, it reminded him of Indiana Jones.

I carried Courtney up and down most of the 800 stairs, it was definitey a good work out.

Courtney fell in love with Uncle Ross and Aunt Peggy. They were so good to her, so patient and always willing to play with her. Thanks Uncle Ross and Aunt Peggy for making Bear Lake extra fun!!

Fun with Lydia

2011-07-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Jake, Court and Logan absolutely adore Lydia so when Lydia and Laura came for the wedding we made the best of their week long visit. We did something fun every day they were here - we swam, went out to eat, hiked, went to the splash pad, batting cages, base ball games, had a lemonade stand, had a sleep over, danced, sang, did hair, played at the park and of course played and played and played. Enjoy the fun pictures!!

We miss you Lydia!! Come back soon!!!

My Sister's Wedding

2011-07-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

My sister Heather and (now husband) Justin were recently married in the Salt Lake Temple. Here are some pictures of her fabulous wedding day.

... and they lived happily ever after.

Our Month of May

2011-06-28T21:38:00.001-07:00

Here's a quick update on our fun and busy month of May.

Jake's 1st Grade School Program

Jake loved 1st Grade. His teacher was Mrs. Hart and she was absolutely wonderful. This is Jake performing at his 1st grade program. He said "In cross country chester the cheetah spead past his opponents to win first prize, he is unbeatable".

The whole theme for the year was 'In the Jungle'.

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Zoo Field Trip

Here are some pictures of our fun day that we spent with the first graders at the Zoo!

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Last Day Of School

It's crazy to think that my little Jacob has graduated first grade - where the heck is the time going? Jake loved first grade, he loved his teacher, had a ton of friends and he even loved homework. We're so proud of you Jake!!! XOXOXOXO

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Ogden Marathon - Relay

I ran the Relay with my family at the Ogden Marathon. Don't laugh at me but my leg of the race was only 3.1 miles. I really didn't want to do it but my Mom was able to talk me into it when she told me I could run the smallest distance. Go Sarah!!! Lol!!! My Dad, sister Heather, Mom and a friend were on my team. The best part of it was being at the finish line cheering on my amazing friends who ran the half marathon and marathon. Now those girls are runners!!!

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Memorial Day

We had another beautiful Memorial Day. I'll admit, it was a little chilly (maybe a lot chilly) but we still did our Sunday drive to Idaho to visit Larry's parent's graves. It didn't rain until we started packing up our cars and heading home. Our small Sunday miracle.

Aiva, Tyler and Courtney climbing a dirt mountain. Court's face cracks me up.

While at the zoo courtney was walking with her hands in her pocket and tripped. Because her hands were in her pocket she was unable to catch herself and ended up falling flat on her little nose. I think she looks adorable.

Visiting the zoo at the Logan Park

Courtney and Aiva

This Peacock followed us around the entire time.

The Cole Family

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Yes, you are seeing this correctly - SNOW! On Memorial day we headed into South Ogden to visit Margarets parents graves and we found snow. Totally crazy eh! The kids actually ended up building a snowman next to the grave (didn't take a picture). A Memorial Day we will never forget.

My Mother in-law and Cole sister in-laws. Love them to death!

Baby Room to Little Girl Room

2011-06-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

I changed Courtney's room from a baby room to a little girl room many many months ago but I'm now just getting around to posting the pictures.

Here is what her room looked like when she was a baby.

We didn't put Courtney into a big girls bed till she was over 3 years old and I have to say I'm so glad we didn't. For one thing, as soon as we did she stopped napping :( and the other reason, to this day (no lie) she still will not get out of bed without our permission. I think because she was kept in a crib for so long she has no concept (yet) that she has freedom and choice to get in and out of bed- and we're not telling her. Lol! Even when she drops her purple water cup she'll call for us to get it. We love it!!

AND - here is what her room looks now

I want to do something above her head board just haven't figured out what yet???

As soon as I convince Scott, I want to paint this wall pink.

My sister Laura gave me the idea to make my own bed skirt. Pottery Barn has this same bedskirt and Laura showed me how I could make it myself and save myself a lot of money. Thanks Laura!!

It was really easy and as you can see it turned out darling. I bought an elastic, measured it to fit around the bed and sewed it together and then placed it around the bed. I then tied the material around the elastic and there you have it - a cute bed skirt.

What I love most about Courtney's room is how much she loves her room. Every few days Courtney will come up to me and tell me "Mom, my room is beautiful right?". Anyone who comes to our house she insists on showing them her room and get this, she always wants her room clean and her bed made. Love it!!!

It's official ... I'm a soccer Mom!

2011-05-31T21:32:00.000-07:00

It's kind of sad that I haven't posted about soccer considering it's been such a big part of our lives this year. This past fall we put Jake in the AYSO soccer league (the West Haven league) but when the season ended Jake was recruited to play on an indoor league. Jake played a game every Saturday from November to April and he loved every minute of it. In March he started the spring season of the AYSO league but being crazy parents we also put him in the RAMPAGE league so he could continue to play with his indoor soccer team. So, from April to now he's been playing two games every Saturday and practice every Wednesday. Yes, it's been very busy but again Jake loves every second of it so it's definitely worth it!!!

Jake's indoor team mates

This is Jake on his AYSO team. Scott was his coach which of course made things even more busy but still fun.

I'm sad that I didn't take any picture of Jake with his Rampage team. At least we have next Fall.

I have to say that being a Soccer Mom is busy but it's also quite fun. I really enjoy watching and cheering for Jake but I have to admit at times I get really nervous as he has good games and not so good games and I just want to him to do his best every time. I've also enjoyed hanging out with the other soccer parents and of course I'm grateful for all the support from the grand parents especially my Mom and Dad who tried to be at every game and considering how many games Jakes played this year makes that really awesome.

St. George

2011-05-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

St. George is still one of my most favorite places ever!!!

This is our niece Jaqueline Dunyon. She's in training to be a super star tennis player.

Go Jaque!!

Mother's Day

2011-05-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

For the past two months (maybe more) I've been obsessed with cheese cake. It's all I crave, all I want to eat and all I talk about. For Mother's day all I wanted was my Mom's home made cheese cake. My Mom makes the best cheese cake and because I'm in this crazy cheese cake obsession stage it's all I could think about. Scott, who's also a cheese cake lover helps me with this quest and together we made these two beautiful cheese cakes. The crazy thing is they taste even better than they look.

It was a very Happy Mother's Day for me!!!

We drizzled white and dark chocolate on the top and cream cheese icing around the edge of the cake.

Cream cheese icing, strawberries and white chocolate shavings.

Jake and Court made me a yummy Mother's day breakfast; egg omelet and strawberries. Jake made this adorable frame that I'm holding. Again, my two beautiful kids and cheese cake - can't get much better than that!!!

(Scott says this picture looks like it's taken in the 50's. Rude! The reason it's in black and white is I don't know how to change it back to color. I was playing with it in photo shop and some how saved it looking like this and I gave up trying to get it back to normal.)

Garage Sale Season and other things...

2011-05-24T20:20:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to report that Garage Sale Season has officially started!!! Heather, Logan and I headed out for our first time and boy did we kill it. As you can see from the picture below, Logan barely had room to sit in the van. My biggest find was a head board for Courtney's room, Pottery Barn $10!!! I also found an adorable mirror and closet doors (I'm going to paint them and put them in my family room) etc... Logan bought the most adorable lemonade stand and an awesome book shelf for his new room. So fun!!!

Courtney hanging out with her little buddy Braven. Do you not just love his little cowboy boots?!!!!

The other day Courtney decided to make a little house on our front door stairs. She played like this for hours. Love her little imagination.

Scott's oldest brother, Matt, turned 40 and had a huge family bash. Here is Scott with his four brothers and nephew Nick.

Courtney enjoying the party!

My Grandma Woolf's Funeral

2011-05-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

Ethel Ruth Schow Woolf

Born: June 21st, 1919

Passed Away: April 21st, 2011

My Grandma passed away last month at the age of 91. She lived an amazing life and although we were sad to say good bye most of the family couldn't help smiling as we imagined her reunion with her sweet heart, my Grandpa, her Mom and Dad, all of her sibblings and most of all, her Savior.

My Grandma lived a good life, she raised 3 daughters and 1 son (my Dad). She served loyally in the church and temple, she loved to cook, garden, she loved her grandchildren and she was always making us laugh. I'm thankful that Scott was able to experience sitting around my Aunt Peggy's kitchen table and all of us laughing with tears in our eyes as Grandma entertain all of us.

Because my Grandma lived such a good life her funeral was more of a celebration of her life. There were tears but also many smiles and laughter because that's how she would of liked it. I'm so thankful that I was able to be at my Grandma's funeral. Courtney and I drove up with my parents and we spent a few days in Canada. Not only was the funeral one of the most special funerals I've ever been to but being with all of my extended family was also special and I have to say I had a wonderful trip.

One of my favorite moments was the family viewing we had the night before the funeral. All of my Aunts & Uncles and cousins met at the funeral home and we all took turns sharing our favorite memories of Grandma.

One of the favorite memories I heard was from my cousin Emily who told the story of how she remembered seeing Gradma kneeling by her bed saying her prayers and how she was so touched by this. You see, my Grandma had arthritis for over 0ver 40 years of her life and if her faith was strong enough to endure the pain of kneeling each night then I honestly don't have an excuse at all. I will remember her example forever. Thank you Grandma.

My other favorite story was how another cousin Natalie was sitting by my Grandma's bed on one of the last few days of her life and how she asked Grandma if she could hear Grandpa whistling for her. My Grandpa always had this special whistle that he used to get my Grandma's attention or to summon her because she would always be talking to people. In response to Natalie's question she said "He's never stopped whistling for me". My Grandma and Grandpa had the most amazing love for each other, they both adored each other and took care of each other. It's a love that I strive to have with Scott when were 90 years old.

While sitting at my Grandma's funeral and listening to my Aunt Peggy tell the story of her life, it hit me so strongly of how truly special my Grandma really was and what a legacy she left behind. My Grandma was never rich, she didn't live in a big house, she didn't win awards, she wasn't famous but what she left behind was better then all of that combined. She left this earth with three faithful generations; her children, her childrens' children and their children. Sitting next to me was my Cousin Becky's youngest boy who was singing a hymn without a hymn book. I looked at him then looked at all my cousins kids and i couldn't help smiling. We are continuing my Grandma's legacy right now, we're all tring to teach our children about Christ and we're helping them gain their own testimony. None of us are perfect but like my Grandma's example we are all trying to do our very best to live the way she lived her life and the way we know our Savior wants us to live. We all have the same goal.

I'm so thankful for my Grandma's funeral as it helped me put in perspective of why we're truly here on earth. I'm thankful for my Grandma who will forever be an example of who I want to be and her memory will always help me remember the real reason of why I'm here - family and the gospel. Thank you Grandma for everything. I love you and I miss you but I know some day we will be together forever.

Courtney had the time of her life with all of her "new cousins" (that's what she called them). The last time we were in Canada she was only 7 months old so of course she didn't remember it and it was fun for me to have everyone meet her.

Courtney was an angel on the 12 hour car ride up and down. She watched a lot of movies, colored, sang, talked and played with toys. I was a little worried as we had only been driving for 5 minutes and she asked when we were going to be in Canada but thankfully that was the only time she asked and the rest of the ride she didn't complain, whine or cry. Truly an angel.

This is the last time I was with my Grandma, October 2008.

Noel Conrad (my cousin Natalie's daughter). She is also 3 years old. She and Courtney became instant kindred spirits.

More Conrad cousins.

My Mom and cousin Debra at the family viewing.

More Conrad and Ash cousins

Madison Ash and my sister Heather

Debora, Heather, Justin and Uncle Terry Holt

My cousin Jen Ash and I

Aaron Ash,Scott Walker, Aunt Sharan Walker, Angela Walker, Jen Ash, Madison Ash

Adam Ash & Mackenzie Ash

My sweet Aunt Peggy and cousin Spencer Ash. Thank you Aunt Peggy for all of the yummy food and comfy beds. You know that your house is my 2nd home. Thank you thank you!!

Heather and I were in charge of putting together this memory table for the funeral

My cousin Barb and her little niece Katie at the funeral

My Dad with my cousin Aaron. My Dad was the main speaker at the funeral and he did an amazing job.

Crystal Cahoon

They had a nursery during the funeral for all of the young kids. Courtney had a blast.

My Aunt Beverly and Uncle Richard Smith (from my Mom's side) came from the farm. I was so, so, so excited to see them. Thank you for supporting us.

My Mom & Dad

Conrad family

Holt family

Because the funeral was on Easter weekend and it was Courtney's first funeral ever. She was convinced that Grandma was going to wake up in three days. I tried to explain that that was just Jesus but she didn't get it so I just started agreeing with her "yes Courtney, Grandma will wake up in 3 days". It's now been over a month and she hasn't asked me anything more about it so I think we're good. I do have to say she is such a ham, Courtney only met my Grandma when she was 7 months old but the entire trip she would look at me with sad eyes and say "I miss Grandma Woolf so much". Too cute.

This is Courtney on Easter morning with her Easter basket and looking for eggs.

Playing with her 'new Conrad cousins'

I had never met Joseph Conrad, he's one years old and such a cutie. Fell in love with him instantly.

I have to tell you really fast that Jake and Scott had the best boy weekend ever. They had so much fun that Jake was actually sad to have us come home. My feelings weren't hurt, well maybe a little. Lol!! I'm just glad they had a fun weekend and fun Easter without us.

Random Catching Up

2011-05-02T19:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm posting my Valentine pictures in May - it's kind of funny in a sort of pathetic way. Lol!! Anyway, forgive me for the randomness of this post but I have a lot of catching up to do and I've got to start somewhere...

Cute Valentine Pictures!!!!!

A few months' ago my sister Heather, who's a hair dresser, put pink hair extensions in Court's hair. You would of thought Court had died and gone to Heaven. Courtney loved, loved, loved them. Although, I'm not sure what she loved more, the pink hair or all of the attention she received for having pink hair!!!

Funny story: The other day Courtney walked in on Scott while he was going to the bathroom. She stopped, looked at him with wide eyes and said "Wow, how do you do that??"

Another funny story: Courtney, Scott & Jake were in the foyer of our church. Courtney walked up to a lady who was sitting on the couch and said to her "I love your crazy hair". Scott about died because this lady really did have crazy hair, he was sooo embarrased. Thankfully she had two teenage daughters sitting next to her who instantly busted up laughing, which made the situation a little bit more bareable. We can't figure out what was going on in Courtney's little brain to make her do and say this, other than she truly did like this ladies 'crazy hair'.

Holy Crap I'm Back!!

2011-04-12T20:35:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to the kind people of this web site!! I haven't been able to post for awhile because for some weird reason my new posts were not saving and everything would get deleted??? Anyway, to make a long story short the web site people fixed the problem and now I'm ready to start the challenge of catching up.

Before I start posting about our St. George trip, sports, funny stories etc... I have to first show you these beautiful pictures that my sis in-law Elise took of our girls. They're wearing our new Spring order and I have to say these new skirts are so far my favorite. Just a quick recap - our skirts are $20.00. We've added flowers this time which you can see look darling. You can do this yourself (really easy) or for those of you who don't want to or don't have the time, for an extra $5.00 we will do it for you.

Ivory

Available in size: Medium & Large

Hot Pink

Available in size: Medium

This skirt does not come with a ribbon, like our other skirts do. It comes with it's own flower (NOT THE ONE SHOWN HERE) which is cute on its own or can easily be replaced.

Dusty Rose

Available in size: Small

Turquoise

Available in size: Medium

Raspberry

Available in size: Medium

Light Pink

Available in size: Infant

(Infant to 18 months)

This skirt does not come with a flower or ribbon but you can easily attach one.

My favorite pictures

A reminder on sizing:

Infant = babies up through about 18 months

Small = ages 1-4

Medium = ages 3-5

Large = ages 4-7

Check out our blog colecouture.blogspot.com . If you want to order a skirt contact me via e-mail colecotureboutique@yahoo.com or call or text me.

Thanks !!!!

If you choose to have us put a flower on for you, it can be custom-tailored to the color combination you choose. For example, I attached a fushia flower to the turquoise. But how cute would it be with a white daisy? Or the ivory skirt with a purple ribbon and flower?

My sister in-law makes the cute hats that the girls are wearing. If you're interested in her making one for you let me know. I've already put in my order :)

We finally did it.. she's potty trained!!!

2011-02-23T20:51:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that I'm a little embarrassed to be writing this post - but I'm going to put my pride aside and just come out and say it. We finally potty trained Courtney!!! You're wondering why this is embarrassing, it's because Court is almost three and a half years old. I could lie and say the delay was because Courtney wasn't ready but in all honesty it was me, I wasn't ready.

I could go on and on with all my excuses but I'll tell you my biggest one; Fear. I know- kind of pathetic especially because she's my 2nd child, well get this, I didn't potty train Jake. When Jake was two and a half, Scott and I went to Vegas and left Jake with my sister Laura. During the 4 days we were gone Laura thought it would be fun to potty train Jake. She's crazy! We returned home to a son who was completely potty trained, day and night. Sadly, my sister now lives in Oklahoma so we were on our own this time.

3 weeks ago I finally said to Scott that we've just got to buck up and get our 3 year old potty trained. It was getting kind of embarrassing especially when I was at Walmart and the check out lady scanned the diapers, she looked at me and at Court and then had the nerve to tell Court to her face that she was too big for diapers. Totally rude eh!

To help me over come my fear, I did a lot of research and in the process I found Dr. Phil's book- Potty Training In One Day. After reading this book it made me determined to not only potty train Court but to do it in one day!! (my friends thought I was crazy for even thinking I could do this - I thought I was crazy for thinking this, the only thing I knew I had going for me was Courtney's age - I was hoping this would help us succeed with my crazy goal). I chose the date (a Saturday so Scott could help). I bought a doll that goes pee and we tried to prepare and excite Courtney that on Saturday she was going to be a big girl.

We started the day with a prayer, (we needed all the help possible) we had Court throw out all of her diapers into the garbage, we made a potty chart and had lots of stickers. We had Court teach her new baby doll to pee on the potty (we made a potty chart for her doll as well). We ate salty snacks, drank a ton and we cheered- a lot. My nephew Logan was at our house the whole day playing with Jake so the two of them combined with Scott and I made up a great cheering section. We also called Grandmas and Grandpas to share the exciting progress. It was a huge family affair and I'll admit it was kind of fun.

So, to make a long story short and to not bore you to death (if I haven't already) all I will say is- we did it. By Saturday evening Courtney was using the potty regularly. We had one accident on Saturday and one on Sunday but after that we haven't had any. Courtney has also woken up dry every morning (I'm too cheap to buy pull ups so this was not an option). Courtney finally went poop on Tuesday and since then we haven't had any problems in that area (except at my friend Steph's house - again, so so so sorry). Over all I have to say we've been very successful.

It's now been three weeks and Courtney is still doing great. We're so proud of her and as pathetic as it may sound I'm also proud of Scott and I.

Next step... getting rid of the binky (don't judge me). Lol!!!

Green Smoothies

2011-01-31T17:25:00.000-08:00

I'm really excited to blog about a new passion in my life - Green Smoothies! I've been drinking them since Christmas and I absolutely love them. For the past year or so I've been feeling extra tired, draggy, stressed etc.. I just wasn't feeling the way I knew I should feel and the way I wanted to feel. I considered myself in farely good shape - I exercised regularly, I don'g binge on junk food and I'm at my correct weight. I couldn't figure out I why I always felt yucky??? So when I asked my friend Stephnie to teach me about Green Smoothies (for the past 6 months I have been in awe of the transformation that occured in Steph with her drinking Green Smoothies). I instantly knew this was what my body was needing. Lots and lots of vegetables and fruits And Green Smoothies were the way I could accomplish this!

This is the book that Steph told me to get - it explains in detail all about Green Smoothies, how to make them, what's the best ingredients etc.. To sum it up quickly, I have a blender that makes two quarts. Scott and I each drink a quart a day and I usually can get Jake and Court to drink about a cup a day. I put 2 1/2 cups of water in my blender, then I fill the entire blender with spinach and kale or collards etc.. Then I add about 4 fruits, my favorites are oranges, mixed berries and bananas. I also like pineapple, apples, mangos - you get the picture. Usually what ever I have in the house goes in my blender. And get this, it actually tastes pretty good. (I also add chia seeds, alo vera, lemon peels, flax oil, etc.. but you don't have to, it's just an extra step if you want to).

When Steph made me my very first green smoothie, I loved it instantly but I got a little depressed when I found out that the blender that I needed was a Vitamix and they are $400.00. (The Vitamix Blender can blend it down so much that you can drink your smoothie with a straw - amazing!!) Scott thought I was crazy when I approached him about getting this blender (The Blendtec blender is also really good). But after testing a neighbors out and watching demonstrations on You Tube I had him sold - but still, $400.oo is a lot of money especially for a blender. Thankfully Christmas was right around the corner and with my family and Scott's family giving me money I was able to buy one. (Not only does this blender make the best green smoothies but it can make soup, awesome shakes, I even have the recipe for Orange Julius, it's honestly the coolest blender ever.)

I can't express enough about how much I love my blender. I honestly use it at least once a day but usually two or three times a day. (The Vitamix Blender comes with a 7 year warranty).

After the shock of the price of the blender I also was worried that it would be expensive to buy all the fruits and vegetables but in all honesty it hasn't been. Every 2 weeks I buy a Bountiful Basket for $15.00 and it gives me enough fruit and vegetables to get me through 2 weeks. The only extra purchase I buy is Spinach from Cosco - a bag of spinach is $4.oo and it lasts me for one week. So I've only had to pay an extra $16.oo a month for spinach and then I also buy a large bag of mixed berries that lasts me a whole month. I've noticed that because Green Smoothies are so filling, Scott and I are actually eating less food so it seems to balance its self out. I'm also wasting less, as soon as my bananas start turning brown I peel them and put them in the freezer. Or a few weeks ago Winco had a huge box of oranges for sale- as soon as they started getting a little old I peeled them and stuck them in the freezer. In the summer it will get even more cheaper as I'll be able to grow almost all of the vegetables and then I'll freeze them to use throughout the year. So if any of you want to start drinking Green Smoothies please don't worry about the extra cost because there really isn't one.

So now it's been a month since I've started drinking my quart a day of Green Smoothies and I feel awesome. So far these are my results...

-I have more energy

-I hardly crave sugar, fats or carbs (this is crazy because I love carbs)

-My skin has become less oily

-My hair has grown a lot

-My stomach is sastisfied throughout the day - I'm no longer thinking of food all the time or feel hungry all the time

- I've lost 1 pounds (I'm not doing this diet to loose weight but they say that most people who drink Green Smoothies will lose weight) but mostly I feel like I've shrunk. My arms are smaller, my stomach is smaller -in all honesty I just feel better in my skin.

-I feel happier and I feel like I have more patients.

And, this is all in just one month, so I'm excited to see what the future holds for me. I do have to confess that the entire month I've been drinking Green Smoothies I've only exercised maybe 2 or 3 times. But starting this week I'm going to get back to exercising 4 times a week so I'm excited to see the results of exercise combined with Green Smoothies.

The lady on the left is the author of the Green Smoothie Diet. Her name is Robyn Openshaw but she goes by Green Smoothie Girl. She was recently in Ogden for a small seminar so my friends and I of course had to go and meet her. (She posted this picture on her blog).

As you can tell I'm super excited about Green Smoothies, I could go on and on and tell you so much more about them but don't worry, I won't. Lol!!! I just have to say that what I love most about Green Smoothies is that it's common sense - our bodies need vegatables and fruits. I think the Green Smoothie girls says it best - "It's a natural program for Extraordinary Health"!!!

*Thank you Steph - for everything.

New Years - 2011!

2011-01-16T13:26:00.000-08:00

About five years ago I was a New Years Humbug. I didn't like New Years at all, I always felt like there was too much pressure to have fun and you could never live up to it. But everything changed when we started our annual New Years Party with the Cole's. It probably sounds boring to others- but it works for us and we have a blast. We put the kids to sleep upstairs and the rest of the night we eat food, play games and we laugh - a lot. This year Laura and Tyson joined us and this added to the fun!!

Can you say 'Yum'!!

Along with our huge pizza we had chicken wings, chips and dip, cookies, apple dip, etc.. you get the picture. A party isn't a party unless you have a ton of food!!! And we did!

The majority of the night we played the Kinect - it's a blast using your body as the controler and it's a great work out!

As you can tell we laughed - a lot!!

Our favorite was the Dance off - who would of thought we were all such awesome dancers!

After midnight Elise passed out on the floor - like literaly fell asleep like this. We couldn't stop laughing.

Happy New Years!!!

Christmas Eve Eve

2011-01-11T15:30:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's almost the middle of January and I'm now posting about our Christmas. Sadly I don't have an excuse other then I haven't felt like posting. I don't know if you call it the Christmas blues, my sister Laura going home blues or just the blues in general??? What ever I've been feeling lately hasn't been much fun but thankfully I've started to feel better. Yesterday I finally took down Christmas (I've never, ever left it up this late)!!! Today my goal is to catch up on my Christmas Posts. So here we go...

The morning before Christmas Eve we went to the Crest Wood Care Center where all of the kids in Scott's family put on the Nativity for the elderly. This is our 2nd year doing this and it's become one of my favorite Christmas traditions. I'm hoping that even when Scott's Mom is released from her calling we will still be able to find away to continue this tradition. I can't think of a better way to begin Christmas then to serve and bring joy to these amazing elderly people.

Courtney was given the part of the Star and she took it very seriously. Even when all of the Angels had wandered off or had sat down she continued to stand holding her Gold Star high in the air. She was darling.

Jake and Tyty were the Shephards and they too did a fantastic job.

Here's our little Star.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-11T15:25:00.000-08:00

We started off Christmas Eve with our family tradition of breakfast at Jeremiahs. Yum!! We then went and saw the movie 'Tangled' with all of my family, arriving home from the movie we got the best Christmas Eve present ever - My sister Laura, Tyson & Lydia - all the way from Oklahoma!!!

This year we celebrated Christmas Eve at my parents house - Along with my Mom & Dad and my two sisters and their families we also had my Aunt Gayla & Uncle Terry who are from Canada but serving an LDS mission on Temple Square. We had my Aunt Sharon and Uncle Jim and the Osenbach family. My sister Heather invited one of her friends to join us and Justin invited one of his friends - so we definitely had a full house but it was a blast!

Scott relieved to have his favorite Brother in-law back (if only for a few days)!!!

Family Fun!!!

Playing Christmas Eve Games!!!

Hyper Jake & Logan

Our annual Christmas Eve concert. Courtney singing 'You Better Watch Out'.

Heather and Justin singing a medley of Christmas carols.

I can't remember what Lydia sang but I do remember it was darling.

The kids putting on the Nativity for the adults.

New Pajama Picture

Jake and Coco with Santa's cookies.

Christmas Day

2011-01-11T15:20:00.000-08:00

Jake woke up at 7am Christmas morning and Scott made the not so great decission to wake up Courtney (thankfully she took a nap later in the day).

Our kids are at such a fun stage. Jake believes 100% and Courtney's learning and figuring out the whole Christmas thing. It was magical watching them come down the stairs and seeing their presents.

Jake with his presents.

For the entire month of December when anyone asked Courtney what she wanted for Christmas she would rattle off a list of about 15 or more things she wanted. Each time it was always the same so I have to admit I was a little worried what she would do when she realized that she didn't get everything on her list. As usual my worrying was for nothing because she did nothing and said nothing. She was just so excited over what she did get. Silly me.

Jake asked Santa for Indiana Jones II X-box game. Jake also received a motorized scooter, Uno Atack, cars, a sports water bottle, clothes, How To Train A Dragon DVD, etc...

Courtney asked Santa for Crowns, necklaces and bracelets. She also received a doll, stroller, barbie priness, barbie princess movie, new clothes, make up, a doll bath, doll bed. (I love garage sales!!! lol!)

Scott loves to buy one big surprise gift all by himself, this year he bought us the Kinect. For my Aunts who probably have never heard of it, it's like the Wii but without the controls. The computer scans your body and what ever you do the person in the game will do. It's really quite fascinating to see how far technology has come. Jake was so surprised and so excited. The best part is when your kid is playing video games he's not sitting on the couch he's running, jumping and always moving. Some of the games are seriously a work out. My favorite game is the Dance Revolution. So much fun!!! (but that's a whole other post).

After opening presents at our house we headed to my parents house to open more presents.

I love this cute picture of my Mom & Dad.

Christmas Fun! On the top right hand side is a picture of my Christmas present. A Vitamix Blender!! (see future post)

Logan also received a scooter. I can't believe how beautiful and warm Christmas Day was!

My Aunt Beverly sent us these Canadian Mittens. They are the exact mittens that were used at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver Canada. Thank you Aunt Bev, they are so awesome!!!

I'm sad to say that I didn't take a single picture of Christmas at the Coles. After a yummy lunch at my Mom's house we went to Scott's parents house where we spent the rest of the day and evening with Scott's family. I guess I had gotten so use to Laura taking all of the pictures that honestly it didn't even cross my mind to get my camera out. How pathetic eh!!

Anyway, we had a fabulous Christmas with the Coles. Like always it was noisy, crowded and hectic but the food was delicious and it too was a blast!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Fun Christmas Pictures

2011-01-11T15:15:00.000-08:00

These are some fun pictures that Laura took while she was visiting. The kids had so much fun with Laura and of course with their cute and aroable little Lydia. She is defintely a doll. We miss them so much but we're very grateful for the week and a half we were able to spend with them.

Christmas Calendar

2010-12-21T20:59:00.000-08:00

Last year we started the tradition of the "Christmas Calendar". What this means is, each morning Jake and Coco get to look at our "Christmas Calendar" to see what we have planned fun for the day.

So far this is what we've done...

-Christmas Family Home Evening

-McDonalds

-Ice Cream

-Walk to Bethlahem

Here we are waiting in line for the Walk to Bethlahem.

Jake and Coco excited to begin the walk.

As we were visiting Joseph, the Shephards, the Wiseman and the scary Roman Soldiers, Court kept asking when she was going to see Baby Jesus. Of course Baby Jesus was at the very end but it was definitely worth the wait. When Courtney saw Mary holding Baby Jesus she walked right up to her with her arms held straight out and asked Mary if she could hold Baby Jesus. I can't even describe in words how special it was to see my little girls' faith and love that she has for baby Jesus, in her eyes she didn't see a plastic doll she saw Baby Jesus and her little eyes were filled with so much excitement and happiness, it was truly a moment I hope I'll never forget.

-Made Oreo Cookies & went to Sophi's Blessing (quick fun story; Scott's older Brother Dave recently had a new baby girl whom they named Devery. About 6 weeks later we found out that they changed her name to Sophia. Long story short.. they ended up feeling like their little girl wasn't a Devery so with lots of talking and prayer they came to the decission to change her name. So they went through the whole process of changing her name and now we have a beautiful niece named Sophia).

-Ogden Lights

(This is Jake crying when Grand dad accidentaly broke his Candy Cane- poor guy)

-Willard Bay Lights

-Bought new Ornaments for Jake and Court's Christmas Trees

-Ward Party

-Grandma's Birthday Party

-Went shopping for Jake and Court to get each other gifts

-Watched the movie Elf

-State Farm Party - saw the play "Scrooge"

-Made Christmas Cookies

-Delivered Neighbor Gifts

-Made Ginger Bread Houses at Jake's school

Here are my two cute kids with their yummy master pieces.

-Saw the movie 'Mega Mind'

-Jake & Courtney had a sleepover at Nana's house where they slept under the Christmas Tree

-Played at the Park

Crazy to think that this picture was taken in the middle of December.

-Caroling Party

Here we are at my parent's annual Caroling Party. One of my favorite Christmas traditions!!

-And today we delivered Secret Santa

As you can see we don't do anything too crazy or too expensive it just helps us appreciate every day in December especially as it goes by so fast. I'm sure a lot of you are like me and love the month of December almost more than Christmas Day. So, although at times it was a little stressful trying to figure out what to do or we felt too tired to want to do something, in the end it's been a fabulous month and so far a fabulous Christmas Season.

And thankfully we still have a few more days to enjoy! YAY!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Scary Santa

2010-12-14T20:00:00.000-08:00

Last week we went and saw the lights at Willard Bay. Santa Clause was there and of course the kids were really excited to see him. We took lots of pictures but it wasn't until I got home and looked at the pictures that I realized this was the creepiest Santa I've ever seen. Check it out for yourself and make sure

to look at his eyes... creepy!!!

I call this picture;

'Does not like kids Santa'

This is 'Crazy Eyes Santa' or as Scott put it

'Stay Away From My Kid Santa'

'Holding my kid too tight Santa'

'Don't want to know what you're thinking Santa'

And the final one is;

'I like Justin Head Santa'

Do you not agree with me? Serioulsy creepy, eh. Instead of looking like a happy, jolly Santa, he looks like a serial killer!

Ok, with all kidding aside, Jake and Court were so cute with Santa. Court was too scared to sit on his lap but not too scared to tell him all 15 toys she wants for Christmas, she went on and on, it was hilarious. Jake also chose not to sit on Santas lap and now after seeing the pictures, I'm very glad he didn't.

After Santa we went on the sleigh ride and enjoyed seeing the lights up close. The lights were of course amazing. Courtney's favorite was Tinker Bell and Jake's favorite was the Reindeer jumping and falling.

Waiting for the Sleigh Ride

On the Sleigh Ride

Merry Christmas!!!

My new adventure

2010-12-12T20:54:00.000-08:00

My new adventure... A few months ago, my sister in-law started selling really cute Pettiskirts and gorgeous hand made hats. She asked me to help her with the finances (I love working with money). I helped her set up pay pal, helped record the money etc.. I've also lent her Courtney a few times to model the pettiskirts. Because I've had so much fun helping my sister in-law, she's asked me to join her - be her business partner. I no longer have my Young Women calling (see later post) which has freed up a lot of my time so I feel like it's a good time right now to try something new in my life. Plus, I'm an easy partner to bring in because the name of her company is Cole Couture. How perfect is that, eh!

Just a small side note: This little adventure is only a hobby for us. My sister in-law's ultimate goal when she started, was to find away for herself and other Moms to be able to afford these skirts. As long as we make enough money to put in a new order, we're good. It's really just for fun and if by chance we make a little money than that would be a fun bonus (but highly unlikely. lol) !!!

Right now we're having a Christmas Sale on the Pettiskirts. The Pettiskirts are regularly $20.00 but right now they are $15.00. Below is what we have in stock right now, if anyone's interetested in a skirt please go ahead and e-mail me at colecoutureboutique@yahoo.com or if you have my phone number feel free to call or text me.

This gorgeous Black and White Pettiskirt is available in size Small & Medium

Size Small fits: infant to 3 year olds

Size Large fits: age 5 to 8

The Cream is my favorite. We have it available in Medium & Large

Size Medium fits: ages 3-5
Size Large fits: ages 5-8

The Red and Black is available in Small & Medium

Small fits: infant to age 3
Medium fits: age 3 to age 5

*Courtney is 3 years old and she can wear every size, it just depends if you want the skirt to be high and fluffly (like a tutu) or to hang low at the knees or below the knees.

Wish me luck on my new adventure!!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-06T22:41:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's the middle of December and I'm posting Thanksgiving. Crazy how fast the time goes!!!

Anyway, here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving. I've come to conclusion that Thanksgiving is my favorite Holiday. I love spending the entire day with family; playing games, visiting, and of course eating delicious food. And who doesn't love the four day weekend!!!!!!!!

This year we were at the Cole's. It was crowded and noisy but we ate delicious food and had a ton of fun!! In the evening we went to my Mom's house for Turkey Buns. We're quite spoiled that our parents live two minutes apart from each other.

Courtney with her cousin Jane. I love this picture!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Disneyland Vacation

2010-11-25T20:00:00.000-08:00

We had the best Disneyland Vacation ever!!!!!! And I mean the BEST!!! We went with Scott's brother Tommy & wife Amber, their son's Tyler (4) and Jude (8 months). We dropped Courtney off in St. George to stay with her Grandma & Grandpa (people gave us a hard time about not taking our 3 year old to Disneyland but I've always said that I wouldn't take my kids to Disneyland until they could remember it).

Here we are saying good bye to Courtney. She spent 4 nights with her Grandparents and had a blast. She went walking with them each day, ate at restaurants, played at the park and went swimming. Thanks Margaret & Larry!!

Amber (my sister in-law) works at Get Away Today and as one of her perks she gets Free Vacation Stuff which she graciously shared with us. She's such a sweet heart. Thanks again Amber!!

This is what she hooked us up with...

- Free 4 night Hotel stay at Homewood Suites

- Free Universal tickets

- Free Medieval Times tickets

(we almost got the Disneyland tickets for Free but right at the last minute it fell through.. but no worries... wait until you hear the rest of the story...)

The Drive

I had to take a picture of this, we stopped at a gas station at an Indian Reservation. When the boys walked into the bathroom they started laughing. No joke, this beautiful waterfall is the Mens Urinal. Have you ever seen anything like it??? Seriously hilarious!!!

Arriving in Anaheim

The first thing Jake wanted to do when we arrived in Anaheim was swim. The entire time we were there the weather was in the low 70's, warm in the day but we definitely needed a coat in the early mornings and evenings. It was a little chilly swimming but thankfully the hotel had a hot tub.

Down Town Disney

The first night we were there we went to Down Town Disney. Jake had brought his own money and had a blast buying himself toys.

Hotel Room

When Jake entered our Hotel Room he saw the big closet and asked if he could sleep in it. We started laughing but when we realized he wasn't joking we thought "why not"? So here is Jake sleeping in the closet.

And here is Tyler sleeping in the other closet (he also loved the idea). Too funny!

Our Crazy Story

Okay, so this is where our vacation started getting really exciting. The next morning we were eating breakfast at our hotel and happened to run into our next door neighbors. We were shocked, not only being in Disneyland at the same time but staying at the same hotel. Crazy! Our neighbors happened to be there on a work retreat, they told us about how their company gives them a coupon book full of Disney dollar vouchers to spend on food at the park. They were leaving that day and gave us what they hadn't used, which happened to be around $300.00. We were shocked BUT even more shocked when they came back with all of their co-workers left over money. We ended up with $940.00 to spend on food at Disneyland.

$940.00!!!!

The money vouchers were good for food only, you couldn't use them at the gift shops but we weren't complaining. The question now was, how do you spend $940.00 in two days? Easy, you go to Goofy's Breakfast at the Disneyland Hotel ($162). You get a churro every hour on the hour, you buy cookies, cupcakes, muffins, cotton candy, chinese food, clam chowder etc... You eat at the Blue Bayou Restaurant (located in the Pirates of the Caribean Ride) and order Lobster and Filet Mignon, making your total bill come to $240 and you leave a $60 tip. When you notice a couple sitting near by that seems a little annoyed with our kids, you give them $30 on the way out. I can't tell you how much fun we had with this money and how much stress this relieved from our vacation. Not having to worry about where to eat, what to eat and money was a dream vacation. Thank you so much Travis, Makel & Sarah!!

Sadly their is a limit to how much a person can eat and we were unable to spend all of our Free money. But, I have to tell you we gave it a worthy try as we ended up with around $200.00 left over. Not too shabby eh! We decided to pass on the fun and gave the left over money to two families we found at the park and our hotel.

Disneyland

Tommy, Amber, Tyler & Jude

Here are the two boys waiting in line. We were in Disneyland at the most perfect time. Most of our lines we only had to wait 5 to 10 minutes. The longest line was around 20 or 25 min.

Jake on the left is standing in front of Santa's Reindeer. Disneyland was completely decorated for Christmas. It definitely put us in the Christmas spirit.

Goofy's Breakfast

Goofy's character breakfast is at the Disneyland Hotel. It's where you get to eat breakfast with Goofy and his friends. Jakes wasn't too excited about seeing all the Disney Character's, he was more excited when he saw the breakfast buffet and then got more excited when we told him he could eat what ever he wanted. Not only was there Mickey Mouse waffles, pancakes and all the regular breakfast food but it also had pizza, chicken nuggets, ice cream, macaroni & cheese etc.. Basically all the food that kids love. So fun!!

Univeral Studios

Jake was more excited to see Shrek and Sponge Bob than any other character in Disneyland.

Medieval Times

Jake & Tyler loved Medieval Times. I have to say it was one of my favorite things we did. The boys were so enthralled with the fighting as it looked so real. Sadly our Knight was the first to die, you can see on the left that Tyler took it really hard. Lots of tears. Poor little guy. We were served Chicken & Ribs, Jake was excited when he found out we had to eat everything with our fingers. Such a blast!!

Riding The Shuttle Bus To Disneyland

2nd Day in Disneyland

Jake's favorite rides were Thunder Mountain, Matterhorn, Space Mountain and Indiana Jones. His least favorite was It's A Small World.

It's a Small World was all decked out in Christmas.

Eating one of our many yummy meals.

I loved the Castle with all of it's Christmas lights!!! Gorgeous!!

Check out the huge Christmas Tree.

They made it snow after the Christmas Parade and Fire works. It was awesome!!

Jake loved everything about Disneyland and the entire trip. He had a blast!! But I have to tell you that it made me tear up when I asked him what his favorite thing about our trip was and he said "the rides and Mom and Dad". I have to agree with him, Scott & I had so much fun spending time with Jake without Courtney around (she tends to demand a lot of our attention) and we loved spoiling him, if any kid deserves to be spoiled it's our little Jake. Jake is the kind of kid that when you get him McDonalds and rent a movie he will tell us that he's having the greatest day of his life. So to take him to the "Happiest Place On Earth" was truly magical.

Jake packed up and ready to go home!

Here we are reunited with our little princess!!!