It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Merry Christmas one and All!

Christmas has come and gone and it seems like, once again, it was too fast. We had such a wonderful day, I always feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to see everyone and spend the time that I want to with each of them. Time flies when you're having fun, and it flies with extra speed on Christmas day.

We were so blessed this season, Cody and I got everything we could have wanted and much more. Mya was so much fun, and was even more spoiled than we were. We are so very lucky to have such wonderful family and friends. We love you all so dearly and hope that your day was as filled with magic and the spirit of Christmas as our was.

Mya was a little more interested in presents this year, it took some coaxing to get her to rip all the paper off and not stop after one piece.
She loved all her new clothes and let us know that each one was 'cute' as she pulled them out of the box.

Books, princess toys and a baby doll with all the accessories were left under the tree by the man in red. Mya's not sure about the baby doll yet, but she did push her around in the stroller for a bit prior to abandoning her on the floor.

Our first stop of the morning was Cody's parent's house for sourdough pancakes, egg bake and orange Julius. Delish! We exchanged gifts and waited for his sister Mallory to call from her mission in Italy.

Cody's brother Adam bestowed these fabulous little undergarments upon all the men in the family. They say 'Fake it 'till you Make it', and look like they are from some Conan the barbarian action figure.

Cody says he's not sure if DD pecks were on his Christmas list... hmmm?

Mya and Aunt ZZ

Mya has an obsession with glasses, and if she can get her hands on them she will not give them up.

Trying out the Rock band drums with Camarie.

Next, we went to my parent's house to talk to my brother who was calling from his mission in Brazil. Really, what awesome Christmas gifts, from both sides of the world, I got to talk to and remember more clearly, two of my favorite people. It was great! Mya even gave them a shout out, literally, as she kept yelling their names over and over into the phone.

Mya and Uncle 'K'

I'll be honest, I had second breakfast at my mom's house and it was divine! My favorite breakfast casserole, juice and a sugar cookie! That's my idea of breakfast!

More presents for Miss Mya! The most adorable outfit and boots! Grams, we love them!

PS~ and if you've notices my child's lack of cute Jammies and are wondering why she's naked... well we tried to lay her down for a nap at my mom's and she screamed so loud and so long that she vomited all over herself in protest. So, we decided to skip the nap and have a bath instead.

Mya was also thrilled with her new 'Pincess shone'

Score Grams!!

Mya and Grandpa

My parents got her the most adorable kitchen! It is so great because it is just her size right now and you can pop it up when she grows and it has another whole level that makes it taller. She absolutely loves it and makes us lots of soup.

Oh, Christmas! I love this day and I still look forward to it with this much excitement!

Again, Merry Christmas everyone, know that we love you and hope you are enjoying the season.

Early Christmas Present

We just got back from the Dr.'s office and are very excited to share with everyone that Mya is going to have a SiSteR!! That's right, it looks like another little girl is on it's way to join our family. Everything looks great on the ultrasound, everything is growing at the right pace, everything is where it is supposed to be and shaped the way it's supposed to be. Thank heaven, that's always good to hear. We are so excited, now we just have the task of naming the little cutie.

Christmas Cookies

Yesterday afternoon Mya got to have a very special date with her Nanna. They went to one of Nanna's friends house and they had a Grandma and Cookies afternoon with lots of young little ones. I was really hoping that Mya would behave herself, because lets face it her attention span is what you would expect from a toddler. Turns out that frosting cookies is right up her alley. She had a great time un-frosting her Christmas tree cookie multiple times with her little finger and to our suprise, she loves red hots. What a fun afternoon, Thanks Nanna!

A Whole New World...

Look who finally weighs enough to ride in a front facing car seat!

And she insists on having her glasses, my little diva.

We decided it was time to spring for a new seat when we couldn't buckle the old one around her winter coat. I was suprised how grown up she looked sitting in her chair, it sort of made me a little sad.

Fishy!

Earlier this week, Mya and I found ourselves at Cabelas. We may or may not have been Christmas shopping for a certain man in our lives, think what you will.

While on this trip, we discovered the joy that can be had from the tunnel O' fish.

Mya went absolutely berserk, it was hilarious. She just stood next to the glass, wiggling her little fingers, almost like she was trying to tickle the fish, and saying 'fish, fish, fishy'!

Anyone who got within her line of sight was quickly informed that they were looking at fish.
After tearing her away from the fish tank, I thought she would be just as intrigued with the taxidermy, but no good, she just wanted to go back and see the fish! I guess I know a good place to entertain her for a little while this winter.

Month of Thanksgiving

Mya was very anti-paparazzi on thanksgiving day. These were the only pictures she would stand still for and be happy. We even tried to have a family picture but she would go into angry toddler mode and try to fling herself out of our arms. What can you do.

Seriously?!? All I can do is laugh and shake my head as my little lady shows off her hippo teeth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know I have been a slacker the last few weeks keeping up with my thankful days but I want you all to know that although I didn't write them down everyday they were in my mind. It is amazing how aware I have become of the endless blessings that are a part of my everyday life. I am truly blessed beyond my own comprehension. I am so thankful for the opportunity that I have had this past month to focus on the things that I am thankful for daily and I hope that I can continue to have things pop into my head and recognize my blessings. Here are a few thankfuls that have been on my mind over the holiday weekend.

~ Family! What a wonderful blessing this is. That each of us has the chance to come to this earth and be raised in a loving family and now our Father in Heaven is trusting me to continue this sacred institution with my sweetheart. I am thankful for the strength that comes from our extended family, the laughter, our traditions, our friendships and the memories.

~ Cody, I love you more than I can say and I am so thankful that you were persistent and patient when we first met. I can't imagine my life without you.

~ Miss Mya, I am thankful for her spunk. That she is patient with her parents as we figure this whole thing out. I am thankful for her curly hair, her hippo teeth and every little part of her. You are my sweet little girl and I love you so much.

~ My parents and my In-laws. WoW!! I really have been blessed with goodly parents. There often are not words to describe these wonderful men and women. Their love and dedication to the gospel, and their families. They truly are the ultimate examples of love and righteous parents. I am so thankful for them and I hope that I can follow their lead and become the type of parents that they are to me. Thank you all so very much for all you do for me and my little family. I honestly couldn't make it without you.

~ I am so thankful for my brother Tyson and Sister-in-law Mallory. That they have chosen to leave the 'world' and dedicate themselves to missionary service. I can't imagine the sacrifices they have made, the sorrow or the joys that they are experiencing. I am so thankful for their examples of true and complete dedication to the gospel.

~I am thankful for my other siblings and my siblings-in-law. I truly got the cream of the crop! I enjoy every minute that I have with each of you. I enjoy the closeness that we have with each other, I love the inside jokes and I hope you each know that I learn from you and you have made me a better person by your influence.

~ Amberly, I am thankful for you my sweet cousin. I know that we have only met in person once but I am so thankful for you. I am thankful that you challenge me to be better. I am thankful that I can feel like I know you and your sweet family better because of the blogging world. Thank you for your friendship.

~ I am thankful for my Savior; his atonement for me and the fact that I am never alone. He knows my name, what I look like and He loves me for who I am. I am thankful for the gospel, our living Prophet and the guide that it is in my life. I know that without these shining lights in my life I would be very lost.

Thankful 11/23

I wonder what Mya would be thankful for... If I had to guess I think some would be;

1~ Of course her 'mama' and 'daddy'! I just love hearing her say those words, oohh!

2~ Grams, Grandpa, Nanna, Pappa and her Aunties and uncles would also be at the top of her list. Can you say spoiled rotten and loved, loved, loved! She is a lucky little lady.

3~ Her 'me', for all of you not versed in Mya-nese, that is her binki. She only gets it when she sleeps but she is oh so glad to see it.

4~ 'Moke and dar-dars' = Milk and Crackers. The day is so much better when you have a sippy cup full of ice cold milk and and endless supply of crackers.

5~ Kitties! She gets beyond excited when she sees a kitty! She lets out this high pitched squeal and wrings her little hands together in front of her. It is hilarious! I let her watch Aristocats the other day and that was a hit.

Thankful

What am I thankful for....

1~ I'm thankful that our awesome neighbor, that takes care of the grounds, replaced the lights outside my house so that when I come home from work in the morning it's nice and bright.

2~ That I work at a place where I can sneak in and use the ultrasound or Doppler to make sure my little bean is still alive and kicking. And who can resist watching those little miracles move around the ultrasound screen.

3~ That I was able to attend the temple with my cousin for her wedding.

4~ That I had so many family members that were able to be in the temple with us. That is really such a wonderful blessing.

5~ I'm thankful that her siblings traveled from Washington for the wedding. There were so many of them that I haven't seen for years. I didn't even know or recognize some of their kids.

6~ I'm thankful that I can see the actual surface of my scrapbook/craft table. That is so much more conducive to creativity than the explosion that was there before.

7~ Photos! I am in love with taking pictures, looking at pictures and enjoying all the memories.

8~ I'm thankful that Cody and I have very open communication in our relationship. We can talk about random things, or very important things and we both listen to each other. It is such a blessing in a relationship to know that you can talk to your spouse about anything.

9~ Pay-days, yes I realize that this is very worldly and superficial but I really am thankful that these days come around.

10~ Nap time, these are just what mommy and the little miss need to recharge. And it's when mommy can work on some of her projects.

Thankful 11/17

Today I am thankful for:

1- The scriptures; it is so amazing how I always read exactly what I need. I am so thankful for the love of our Father in Heaven.

2- Rit Color Remover; I had my first run in with pink laundry and I'll tell you what this stuff is amazing.

3- Soup; There is just something wonderful about a great bowl of soup when it's chilly outside.

4- My husband, I know I have listed him before but I just love the man! He is so hard working and always working to make our little family more comfortable.

5- When my little girl wants to sit on my 'yap' and when I walk downstairs and she yells 'Mya! Mya!' after me.

Thanful 11/15

Yesterday I was Thankful for:

1~ This adorable outfit that Mya wore to church! The little skirt was made by her amazing Auntie Kim, and we got oodles of compliments.

2~ I'm thankful that we had a fun evening visiting with both our families. We are so very lucky to live so close to them.

3~ Home movies. Despite the the awkward feeling I get watching myself at 13, it is really fun to have them.

4~ The renewing spirit that I get from church, sometimes when I've wrangled Mya for all the meetings I'm not sure that I have got much out of the whole ordeal but when I look back there are definitely moments when the spirit touched my heart.

5~ That my little girl loves books.

Thankful 11/14

Today I am thankful for:

1- Supportive neighbors.

2- Things to look forward to.

3- Snow, when I am snuggly inside.

4- That my little girl misses me when I'm gone.

5- Fun night with my hubby.

Thankful 11/13

Yesterday I was thankful for...

1- The smell of my little girl after her bath when she was slathered with baby lotion. I just love that smell.

2- My wonderful Hubby. I was feeling a little out of sorts yesterday, I blame the hormones, and he was the best! He made dinner, went to the grocery store with me and was just and all around amazing hubby! Thanks sweetie, I love you!

3- Getting chores done... I am always thankful when just a few chores get done but they make me feel like I've accomplished something great.

4- That I could unbutton my pants button and not feel guilty. I'll be honest I felt a little guilty since no one else can tell I'm preggo. But, hey it was much more comfortable.

5- For recorded episodes of The Office and Glee. I needed a good laugh yesterday and these were just what the doctor ordered.

Just A Few More...

I just got the rest of my proofs and well,

I Couldn't help it, I just had to share a few more.

Missing Thankful Days

I went to work Monday and Tuesday night with every intention of using the 3-4 am quiet time to do my 'thankfuls'. But, alas these past two shifts brought no quiet time. They were probably the busiest we have been for quite some time. So here I am, after a day of sleepiness, catching up on all my thankfuls for the past few days.

-That I have a job. I am very thankful for the blessing it is that I have a job that I love and that allows me to work a couple nights a week and spend my days at home with my little one.

- I'm thankful that even though it was crazy busy the past couple shifts, everything went relatively smoothly. Besides the lady that came in by ambulance with the baby's arm coming out first. That was interesting, but mom and baby are fine.

- That I have broken out of my IV slump! I'm sure my patients appreciate this too. Every IV in and going with no trouble at all. This truly made my nights.

- Thankful patients. It's amazing what a thank you from them will do for my night.

- The tender mercies from the Lord. There was a re-certification issue that was getting down to the wire and causing me stress. And what do you know, it worked itself out in such a smooth and wonderful way that it could only have been with His help.

- That my mom watched Mya during the days so that I could sleep. So very appreciated.

- The adorable pictures Tiffany took of Mya.

- Dinner at Tempanyaki with Becky and Clint. I have the best friends.

- Seeing Mya's face as the chef at Tempanyaki lit the grill on fire. Priceless!

- That Cody lets me cry when I need to, and just holds me and comforts me.

- That my headache I had for 2 days straight finally went away.

- I am thankful for this challenge. I really love that every day in the back of my mind I am thinking about the events, things, or people that I am thankful for that day. It has really changed my days.

Mya's Picture Day

I finally got around to getting Mya's one year pictures taken, so I was a few months late...

We had them taken at my Grandparent's house in Lindon, they have a really neat old barn and the leaves were so much fun. Also a fun fact, the adorable red chair in the second picture belonged to my Great-Grandma. I love these pictures, in some of them Mya is looking a little solemn but considering it was cold and she was crying unless I was singing 'Wheels on the bus' at the top of my lungs I think we got some pretty adorable shots. Thanks so very much to Tiffany Ericksen Photography!

Thankful 11/8

Today I am thankful:

1- That my Relief Society Lesson went well. I always have such anxiety when I have to teach. But, the sisters openly participated, and the spirit was there. What more can I ask for.

2- For ward friends that took care of Mya in the nursery while I taught my lesson since Cody is still away on a hunting extravaganza.

3- That I got a 10 minute quiet time snuggle from my little girl. This is rare and I think it only lasted so long because she was on the verge of nap time and Mickey Mouse clubhouse was on TV.

4- Sunday afternoon naps- I needed one since I didn't sleep so very well last night.

5- Family that loves me and is always genuinely concerned about us and how we are doing. I am so very lucky.

Thankful 11/7

Today I am thankful for:

1- The Internet: I needed a little extra help pulling together my relief society lesson for tomorrow and I am grateful for this resource.
2- Cleanliness - The entryway is swept, mopped, window washed, and baseboards clean. This is a much needed task that I finally completed and it feels so nice to check it off my list.
3- Mr. Clean Magic Eraser- Microwave splatter is no match for this man.
4- Nickelcade- Yep, you read that right. Today I am thankful for this junky little arcade that I went to with my in-laws. Mya and I observed mostly, because she was freaked out by all the noise, but I did attempt a game that was a dance, dance revolution type game where you waved your hands over sensors to hit the 'notes'. It was quite entertaining, especially because we were 'performing' the song "I will follow Him' from Sister Act.
5- Good Days- I love the days when everything runs smoothly and when I sit down at the end of the day I think to my self, 'What a good day'. I'm don't always appreciate how many good days I have, so today I am thankful for them.

Thankful 11/6

1- Who wouldn't be thankful for this face? Really!

2- Courage - I'll admit that I am a slightly controlling mother, especially when it comes to letting Mya feed herself with utensils. Honestly, I fear the mess that may follow. But, today I'm thankful that I mustered up the courage to let her do it all by herself, she did great and loved every minute of it.

3- Kneaders- Turkey, Bacon and Avocado on Focacia Bread. Heaven!

4- A dependable Car - I'm so glad that we have cars that I don't ever have to worry about.

5- Bleach and Oxyclean Spray and Wash- This dynamic duo saved 2 of Mya's sweaters from those mystery blue spots that appear in your laundry.

Thankful

1 - My Family: I am so very lucky to be completely surrounded by family. I think that I often take for granted the fact that I live so close to my parents as well as Cody's. We can spend the evening letting Mya soak up the love that is poured out for her, I can have adult conversations, ask new mommy questions and enjoy wonderful company.

2- Kim, Glenn and little Tate - It has been such a joy to have this wonderful family back in Utah for the summer. I have loved having a girlfriend that is conveniently my sister-in-law who I can talk to, vent to, and bounce ideas off of.

3- A growing vocabulary - I love hearing Mya's vocabulary grow, I love the funny way she says words and how sometimes I'm the only one who has any idea what she is talking about. I love that when you leave someone she tells them 'bye', 'see you' and blows kisses.

4- Mischievous smiles - I can't help but smile when my little girl looks at me out of the corner of her eye and there is a twinkle there that you know there is so much more going on in her little head than I give her credit for.

5- My bed - I am so ready to crawl between my flannel sheets, which I am also thankful for, and have a good night sleep.

Handing out Dicipline

Last week, when I was having a preggo moment with the toilet, Mya came hustling in to find out what all the fuss was about. When she discovered I was 'playing' in the toilet she looked at me sternly, said 'no' and quickly slapped the lid closed on my head. Do you think the may have had this experience herself? It's possible.

Grattitude

I have been given the challenge, by an amazing cousin of mine, to write down 5 things every day that I am thankful for. Big, little, whatever, just to remind myself to be grateful for the amazing things in my life. So, I'm going to do my very best to rise to the challenge, and any of you that feel compelled to take the challenge as well, do it! And why not, it gives you something to blog about.

1- My dear work friend Heidi, who saved me by emptying the puke filled trash can in a patients room so that I could resume patient care without dry heaving.
2- Sugar Cookies - Mouth-watering, soft, melt in your mouth sugar cookies. Smothered in cream cheese frosting that has just a hint of almond.
3- I am thankful that I have been free from nausea long enough to eat the above mentioned sugar cookies.
4- Anti - Nausea Medications - I am so very thankful for these amazing little pills that can make my days so much more tolerable and allow me to be a mama that does more than just lay on the couch.
5- Fall Colors - I love this time of year when the mountains are covered with bright yellow, red and orange. It is such an amazing sight and I'm always so sad to see them fade to brown much too quickly.

Halloween Surprise

It's true... there was a big surprise this Halloween.

Mamma dressed up as a baker to see if everyone could guess her secret...
that she has a bun in the oven.
Everyone acted so silly when they figured it out, laughing and hugging my mamma. I was a little upset by all the noise, but then everyone hugged me too so it was all better.

I'm not quite sure what to think about this Halloween business. I had fun going to see my Nanna and Pappa and Grams and Grandpa. They all told me how very pretty I looked and took lots of pictures of me. I was a little grumpy because I had to sit still but dad gave me a bite of his treats and that made sitting there for all those pictures a lot better.

This is me and my cousin Tate. He is getting bigger, he likes to crawl around after me but he isn't as fast as me so sometimes he gets mad.

I also got to see my cousins Hadlee and Bo. Hadlee was a fairy like me and I really liked her pretty wings.

Day at the Zoo

Saturday I was a 'deer hunt widow' so I convinced my family that we needed to take Mya to the Zoo. It was a gorgeous day, I haven't been to the zoo since I was right out of high school so it had changed a lot. I was really impressed with all the improvements that they have made, but was kind of sad that there weren't lions, jaguars, or hippos anymore.

Mya was absolutely in awe at all the wild animals. It was so fun to watch her stare at each animal so intently. It was pretty serious business, you know. We wandered through the monkey habitats and she would stare at them and point and 'meow' at them. But, she pretty much 'meowed' at everything that was small, fuzzy and resembled a kitty in any way.
Aren't we lovin' McKay and My Happy Faces! So pretty.

Checkin' out the Elephants with Grams and Gramps.

She was so cute watching these two. It took quite a bit of convincing to get her to turn around long enough for us to snap a picture, she just wanted to keep watching them. When we finally walked away we asked her to say 'bye' to the elephants and she kept saying it over and over and waved as we were walking away.

It was really nice that it wasn't too crowded, there was always a spot we could take her so she could get right up next to the glass or cage to see the animals really well.
McKay and I couldn't help but think of King Julius off of Madagascar when we saw these little lemurs.

Seein' the bears with uncle 'K'

'Raffs' are the one animal that she does recognize and call by name. It was so fun to see her point and say 'raff' when we walked up to them.

There were so many baby animals at the zoo this year it was so fun. The baby Elephant, Giraffe, and the baby Tigers were all out in their enclosures but there were some other brand new babies that were still too little to come out.

Ah, who can resist putting funny hats on their toddler's head, not me!

Apparently, neither can McKay.

Yelling at the poor 'meow', which really is a fox but how does one explain that to a 16 month old.

By far Mya got the biggest kick out the the Meerkats. There was a whole troop of them that were running and wrestling and just going at it right by the glass and that to Miss Mya was the funniest thing she had seen all day long. She laughed and laughed at them.

That giant heap in there is an orangutan, the big male, complete with moon face. He was just happy to be there and Mya was content to stare at him.
Such a fun Saturday activity, thanks fam for coming with us it was so much fun! I can't wait to take her back next year!