Good Quote

I came across this quote today and it touched my heart.

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." -Philo of Alexandria

I'm so excited!

I'm super duper excited that my sister FINALLY started a blog. I've been urging her to do it since she was pregnant and she finally gave in - and I think she likes it! I don't get to see my sweet niece as often as I would like to so I'm glad that I can keep up with her virtually! Check out my sister's blog for some good sense of humor (including blasts from the past) and cute stories about Joely! I especially love "Eat your peas!"

http://pbandjrb.blogspot.com/

Gage and Joely's Photo Shoot

Gage and Joely had their 1st photo shoot together in December and I just got my CD with all of the pictures! My sister and I wanted to get some good pictures of the kiddo's together to give our parents a nice portrait for Christmas. The photo shoot was very humorous! It was almost impossible to get both Gage and Joely to smile and look at the camera at the same time! But, we were very pleased with the photos! Cynthia ( www.yourcandidmemories.blogspot.com ) came to our home and set up right in our living room. She brought some fun props for the kids to play with. She is absolutely amazing and so fun and patient with children. We are looking forward to another photography session in the Spring! Thank you Cynthia - we love our photos!

Here are some of my favorites! Enjoy!

5 Years

Today, Eric and I celebrated 5 years of marriage! Wow! It doesn't seem that long ago that we were standing on the altar sharing our vows in front of our family and friends. January 3, 2004 will always go down as the best (and most fun) day of my life. It was the start of a new beginning with my very best friend. We continue to be the best of friends and always remember to put each other first. The past 5 years have brought us so much joy and adventure. Thank you honey for being my "rock" and for your unconditional love!

December at a glance!

December came and went in the blink of an eye! I'm not sure if it was a blur for me because of my intense work load and long days in the office or if it was because we were booked with events every weekend. Probably both. I'm glad I survived it and I'm glad it's over!

I use to LOVE the holidays, but as I get older they seem to become more stressful and hectic. The only thing I look forward to is spending time with my family, time off from work, and great holiday food. If it were up to me, I'd do away with the gift giving and be just as happy celebrating with family and friends with good food and conversation. I'll never forget what the Season is all about - the birth of our Savior - and for that I am thankful for the Season - but I think our commercialized world has taken the meaning of the holidays to a whole new level and I just don't like it!

Each year we throw a "Tacky X-Mas Party" to celebrate the Season with our good friends and to raise money to help a family in need each Christmas. We held the 3rd Annual Tacky X-Mas Party and had a blast as usual. I was very proud of my tacky vest and skirt this year - compliments of the Goodwill. Thanks to all of our good friends for a fun time! I DO look forward to this party every year! This year, Clint and Trey won the "tackiest attire" contest with their matching Elf outfits. Absolutely hilarious!
Me, Julie, and Cassidy - my two closest friends. Nice sweaters ladies! Cassidy - I spotted somebody at work wearing your same sweater. Ha! Some of the "tacky" crew. Check out those Elves - did I mention they are ex-football players? What size tights are those anyway? Each year my Employer has a Christmas Luncheon. It's a nice time to hear about our company's success and to mingle with coworkers that you don't see very often. These are the fabulous and intelligent ladies that I work with. I couldn't ask for a better team! My cousins from Kansas came down to visit for a long weekend. We had a fun time with the kids. Colin is 2 months younger than Gage and they really enjoyed playing with each other. They also made a trip to the mall to see Santa. As you can see below - it didn't go so well for Gage. The "freak out" picture is priceless and I can't wait to show that one off when he is older! We had fun spiking up the boys' hair during tub time. Thanks for coming to visit Colin - come see us again soon! We had a few birthday parties to attend in December (Gage is so popular you know!) We planned the "look alike outfits" for Gage and his friend Myles, but it was impossible to get a picture of both of them looking at the camera. This is the best shot that I got. Thanks Cassidy for the cute outfit! Maybe Santa will be Gage's "Homeboy" next year! I think the pictures of Gage sums up our actual Christmas. He was so much fun and I just loved his reaction to his gifts. Go figure that the new ball from Auntie Jen was by far his favorite gift!

I hope that each and every one of you had a special holiday and best wishes to you for a Happy 2009!