♫I'm Dreaming of a Free Christmas♫

Well, free Christmas cards, anyway! :) Shutterfly is having this GREAT deal on Christmas cards and I had to take advantage of it. I've never used Shutterfly before, but I plan to a lot in the future... especially because I have a credit for a Photo Book that I purchased from Groupon a few months ago. Since checking out their website, I've been SO impressed with the simplicity of uploading pictures, designing pages/backgrounds, and they always have such a wide variety of cute ideas for any occasion. I usually went to Wal-Greens, Wal-Mart, or Costco for all of my picture needs, but as long as I can find a great deal on Shutterfly, I'm a hooked customer.

This is the card and layout I plan on ordering-- don't you just love it? I love classy looking cards and I fell in love with this one as soon as I saw it. Plus, I like the idea of incorporating more pictures, especially since we just had family pictures taken. This one is absolutely perfect for us!

You can check out their Christmas photo cards, holiday cards, and calendars here:


Christmas Cards: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards
Holiday Cards: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards
Calendars: http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars  

I also plan to purchase a few calendars for the grandparents... It's a fun {and inexpensive} gift and you can never go wrong with giving grandparents pictures of their grandkids! I've already downloaded all of the pictures I'll be using for each of my orders, so hopefully I can use them soon so I can check off yet another Christmas to-do on my long list. 

If anyone wants more info on how to get on board with this deal, check it out here: http://bit.ly/sfly2010! It's 50 free Christmas cards and all you have to do is write a blog post, which most of us can do in about 5 minutes. Simple and awesome and if you're like me, free things are too good to pass up!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Family Photos

My friend, Melanie, was so nice to take our first family shoot this fall. I'm in love with all of them and I'm so glad we were able to take them when we did... a few weeks later Rusty's top tooth broke through and he was a snaggle tooth baby until just recently. ha ha! Cute, but not for family pictures. :)

Here are a few of my favorites:

When I said a few I meant a lot. :)

♪Oh Come With Me To Primary♪

What a day! I was just called to serve in the Primary Presidency as the 1st Counselor in our ward and I'm SUPER excited! I was also released as the 2nd Counselor in the Relief Society Presidency today, which was a little hard. Last Sunday was our year mark, so it was interesting that I got called a week after that, but that's okay. I've never served outside of RS before, so I'm excited, and little nervous, to start serving there. I'll be serving with GREAT sisters that I know I'll love instantly, so I'm especially excited to start that. :)

I'm just glad that the Primary Program was  2 weeks ago... Dodged that bullet!

I'll definitely do my best and above to serve the kids in our ward. We have A LOT, but I know this is where I'm supposed to be and I'm grateful for this opportunity. This is going to be so fun!  

Happy Thanksgiving!

I couldn't end this day without writing a short message about what I'm thankful for.

I'm SO thankful for my sweet, loving husband that I love more and more each day. He really is my soul mate, my best friend, and someone I enjoy spending my life with. He makes life so fun and so EASY! I can't imagine a life without him and I'm glad I don't have to because I get eternity with him. He's also such a great dad and I'm so thankful for how hands-on he is with our son. Seeing them together and seeing how much Russ loves Rusty makes me fall in love with him all over again. I can honestly say that he's the best man I've ever known and I am the luckiest girl in the world to be his wife. He's taught me how to truly love and how to be a better person. I love him with all of my heart.

I'm eternally grateful for my son, Rusty. We had to wait a little while for him to get here, but he is well worth every second! I love, love, LOVE being a mother, especially to this little boy, and he really does make my life so fun and full of happiness. I can't look at him without being amazed and awed at how perfect he is and so thankful that Heavenly Father trusted me to be his mother here on earth. He makes me laugh often, smile constantly, and my heart grows every time I kiss that sweet face of his or I see how happy and excited he gets when he sees me. It never ceases to amaze me how much he loves me unconditionally. He makes being a mom WONDERFUL and every day is an adventure that I can't wait to start.

I'm thankful for my parents. Even though they're divorced and we have such different relationships with each other, I'm grateful that I still HAVE a relationship with each of them. My dad always gives such great advice and I still, to this day, think he knows EVERYTHING!! (Because he does!) He's such a good listener, which I appreciate, and if I ever need help with something he jumps at the opportunity to help me. He's a quiet man, but when he does talk, it's all I need to hear. I'm also grateful for my mom- I'm so glad she lives only 12 minutes away (yes, I've timed it) and that she's able to be here to see her grandson grow up. I'm thankful for her wisdom and guidance and for always making me feel special. As the oldest in my family (7 kids), she's always put a lot of responsibility on me, but in return she's given me confidence, strength, and an appreciation for life that I wouldn't have without it.

I'm thankful for my siblings-- all 6 of them! Derek, Jeremy, Caitlin, Mitchell, Zachary, and Colten. As the oldest I have a special love for each of them. I get emotional just thinking about how much I love them! We've been through a lot, as a family, but we've come out stronger and closer and I'm so very thankful for that. I look at other families that don't have relationships with their siblings and it just makes me so sad to think what they're missing out on! I can't even imagine not having a relationship with ANY of my siblings! What an awful life! Sometimes I feel like the mother hen to them-- so protective, and a lot of times a little bossy, but it's just because I want what's best for them and because I love them so much. They're the greatest siblings in the world.

I'm thankful for my family-in-law. I don't say this to be cliche AT ALL, but I really couldn't ask for a better family-in-law! They're absolutely wonderful and I love each of them so much. Russ' parents are two of the best people you'll ever know... if you meet them you're instantly one of their best friends and they make you feel like you are! His mom makes friends EVERYWHERE she goes! She's always happy and friendly and completely genuine. One of a kind. If only I could be like her... :) His dad has always made me feel so loved and welcomed into their family. Russ is the only boy, so he and his dad have a very special relationship and I think it was imperative that Russ chose someone his family could love... even though I'm not perfect by ANY means, he's always made me feel like I am and that Russ and I are awesome together (I agree on that last part!). His mom always makes me feel that way, too, which I really do appreciate. And his 4 sisters!! I love them all to death!! I only have one sister, so I was thrilled to marry into this family and gain 4 more! And I couldn't ask for better ones! Honestly, this family is the nicest, most genuine family you will ever meet and I thank Heavenly Father for blessing me with a family-in-law like this.

I'm most thankful for the gospel. I can't even imagine a life without it! I'm thankful for the peace it brings, for the knowledge and promise of eternal families, for the guidance it gives me in my life, and for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The gospel is everything to me and I hope as I grow and mature that I'll be able to more fully share it with others... I want everyone to be as happy as me! I'm also grateful for the opportunity that I have to serve in the Relief Society. I have such a strong testimony of Relief Society and the power and strength that lies in the service and sisterhood of it. I love getting to know the sweet sisters in my ward and appreciate their example and testimonies.

I'm thankful for so many other things-- our home, Russ's job that enables me to be a stay-at-home mom, our friends and extended families, our country, and all of our worldly possessions. I have such a great life and just hope that I show my gratitude often, for I MUCH to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

9 Months Old!

My baby turned 9 months old yesterday and I can't believe it! It doesn't seem like it's been a whole 9 months since he was born, but at the same time it feels like he's always been here. :)

This kid is getting SO BIG! Everyone who sees him tells me that he's HUGE and a CHUNK, but I hate to break it to everyone... he's tall, very tall, but not a CHUNK. Here's the latest stats:

Height- 29.75 inches (91st percentile)
Weight- 19.71 pounds (only 37th percentile!!)
Head Circumference (this one makes me laugh!)- 18.5 inches (91st percentile!)

I've still got a tall, skinny kid with a toddler-sized head! :) I really do think that because of his (cute) chubby cheeks and his height, it makes him seem chunky and big, but he's not. So there! ha ha!

I don't know why, but it kind of offends me when people say he's a chunk... maybe I'm just an over-protective mama, but I've always known he's not, so this just makes me feel more justified, I guess. :)


Anyway, despite the fact that he wasn't supposed to get any shots yesterday, they still had to poke his big toe to draw blood to test his iron and then I opted to have him get his first round of the flu shot, as well. Put on top of that all of the poking and prodding by the nurses and doctors, and I had one unhappy baby yesterday afternoon... sigh. Poor kid.

Recently he's started saying "Mama" and meaning it, which is awesome! He still says "Dada" all the time, but I don't think he quite understands that one yet. He's been saying "hi" and "hey" for a while now, which is hilarious! Especially when we walk by complete strangers and he says "hi", they have to do a double-take and ask if my baby just said hi, to which I reply, "Yes. Yes, he did." It's SO funny! This kid really is a crack up!!

However, one thing he's started saying within the last week is "Stop". Yes, you heard me right... "STOP!" If you're a mom, then you know how many times your kid(s) hear this word every day, so it's really only a matter of time before they start mimicking your words, right? Well, my son now says "stop", and while it's cute and funny NOW, how on earth am I supposed to get him to stop saying stop without saying STOP?? See my dilemma here? I know there are other ways, and I plan to use them (ex. "We don't say that to mommy" or "Please don't use that word", etc), but the first initial response is, of course, "stop". ha ha! This kid really keeps me on my toes.

He LOVES peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, waffles, pizza... pretty much anything that he can suck on and swallow. I've been making him be in his high chair when he eats (I just used to hold him before, but now that we're into solids FINALLY, he needs to be in a chair with a tray) and his high chair time is HILARIOUS.

This kid is obsessed with clapping and pointing and has been fascinated with his hands for some time now, so often we'll catch him with his hand in the air (always his right hand) talking to it and growling at it. It's so bizarre, but SO FUNNY!

I've said it once and I'll say it a million more times, I'm sure, but we sure love this kid and are so thankful that he's in our family! He makes our lives so fun and we're so lucky to have a son like him.

Happy Halloween!

Russ and I aren't into Halloween AT ALL, but when you have a kid, it pretty much changes how you view everything. Needless to say, we got Rusty a costume and had some fun this Halloween. :)

He's in LOVE with Dora the Explorer. Absolutely in love. Whenever that show comes on he starts laughing and clapping and get SUPER excited! I just HAD to get him a costume from that show, so I decided to go with Boots, her little monkey friend. I know I'm totally biased when I say this, but he was the most adorable Boots that you'll ever see!

Our little guy had a lot of fun at our ward party with all of the other little kids dressed up in their cute costumes. He was sure one tired baby afterward, though! My mom also took him trick-or-treating on Saturday at the Provo Mall, which meant that Russ and I got an afternoon to ourselves... I forget how fun it is to be with your spouse WITHOUT a kid! I love taking Rusty everywhere with us, but it was SO NICE to just be by ourselves for once. We'll have to leave him with grandma more often. :)

Now it's time to focus on Thanksgiving and.... CHRISTMAS!!! I can't believe it's less than two months away. Where has time gone? I mean, seriously?! I'm totally one of those moms, though, that's going to go all out for my kids. I have a serious buying problem when it comes to Rusty... heaven help me. And Russ. Eh, you only live once, right? (Well, you know what I mean. LOL)

Home Is Where the Heart Is

How true this statement is: "Home is where the heart is"! Since becoming a mom, I can honestly say that it is a JOY to stay home with Rusty, to be his mom, to raise and love him, but to also make my house a HOME-- to keep it clean and organized, to make it somewhere where the Spirit can dwell, and somewhere that my family and I, as well as visitors, feel safe and welcome. Lately I've become so inspired by this knowledge and so grateful that I'm able to stay home. We hear all the time how the world is becoming more and more corrupt and evil everyday and we need to safeguard our homes to make it a sanctuary away from it. Well, I am very grateful that I'm able to stay home to do such.

I worked outside of the home for 8 years before I had Rusty. I was nervous when the time was steadily approaching for me to stay home. Not because I didn't want to raise my son, but because I was afraid of being "trapped" and feeling like I wouldn't be contributing to the family... monetarily, especially. I felt that way until Rusty was put in my arms and then I realized how important this motherhood calling is, and what a blessing it is to be given such a sacred opportunity! Raising a child, I believe, is one of the most important callings anyone on this earth can have, and I'm honored and humbled that Heavenly Father has chosen me to be a mother here on this earth.

Last weekend we were able to hear from our General Relief Society Presidency and President Monson at the General Relief Society Meeting. Sister Silvia H. Allred gave this comment and how I appreciate it!

"I know that each of us has a vital and essential role as a daughter of God. He has bestowed upon His daughters divine attributes for the purpose of forwarding His work. God has entrusted women with the sacred work of bearing and rearing children. No other work is more important. It is a holy calling. The noblest office for a woman is the sacred work of building eternal families, ideally in partnership with her husband."

My heart is here, at home, with my son and husband, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else!

"Our home is a place...

Where God's Spirit can dwell...

Where the storm stops at the door...

Where love reigns and peace dwells."

-President Thomas S. Monson