5 Years!!

Today marks the day of exactly five years of being married! I am more in love today than I ever have been before. Though our love is slightly different than it was five years ago, it is stronger and deeper. Though the weather on January 22, 2004 wasn't pleasant or beautiful (similar to the weather today, only more blustery. brrrr.) the day is one of the greatest and most memorable days in our history together. There was true beauty kneeling across the alter and holding hands with my best friend, as we were made each other's for eternity. Some day soon I will go back and write about our journey together, since I have never kept a steady journal, but not today. (We have a sitter lined up to watch our kids over night, but no plans yet! Lots to do today!)


While we were in the temple Jess gave me the most amazing gift. When his grandma passed away she left him two diamond rings. I chose the marquie diamond for my engagement ring, and the smaller diamonds went into the wedding band. That left another round diamond that I completely forgot about. Jess secretely had it put into a simple white gold neclace setting and presented it to me in the temple after the ceremony as my wedding gift. He hit it right on the nail! It's breathtaking, yet simple and timeless. I've always had a hard time wearing any big or fancy jewelry, so this was absolutely perfect! I still love wearing it!

Jess, I love you. You are my best friend, and I love that our kids will be able to say that about you as they grow up. We all love and adore you! I'm excited to see what the future brings. Come what may..... and love it!!!

Favorite Things-2008

My cousin did this on her blog and I thought it was fun to read, so I'm copying her and Oprah's idea. Obviously my favorite things in life aren't things. However, this list is strictly THINGS that I have discovered this past year that have made my life easier in some way or that I have just simply enjoyed! So, in no particular order.....

Chili's Molten Lava White Chocolate Cake
Jess and I were at Chili's several months ago and saw the picture of this dessert. We almost never order dessert when we go out to eat, but for some reason we felt like we couldn't pass this up so we ordered one to share. It all went down hill from there. It is something I frequently crave now and I'm sure it takes the rest of the week to work it off. But OHHH it's worth it!

The original Chocolate one is delicious too, but the white one is still my favorite.

Clorox Anywhere Sanitizing Spray
When it says anywhere, it means anywhere, and that's why I love it so much. I frequently use this to sanitize my fridge, counter-tops, stove-top, high chair, etc. It doesn't leave any harsh fumes like other sanitizers out there, but still gives me the peace of mind that my hard surfaces are sanitized. I also love how mildly fresh it's scented. It smells more like extremely fresh sea water than a cleaner.




BOB Revolution Duallie Jogging Stroller
Hands down, my favorite new product of the year! (Actually, my kids pics come just before this. See below.) This stroller is AMAZING! Ever since I had Jack I've always wanted a jogging stroller. That want turned into a need after I had Jayci and had a much harder time dropping the baby weight, so I started looking and researching. I had been eyeing this stroller for several months, never thinking I could actually buy it. When I started selling Usborne I decided that I would save some of that money and buy the one that I really wanted! It was worth every penny! I have several strollers and none of them even come close to this one. My kids love going for rides in it because the great shocks and large rubber tires provide a smooth ride. It turns on a dime, and virtually glides on it's own so I can effortlessly push it one-handed. I love that the front wheel is a swivel wheel but also has a locking option. We've taken it camping and it does amazing on mountain trails too! It was the best looking one that I looked at too, which was another plus. I know I sound like a sales rep now, but seriously, I LOVE IT!


Vanity Jeans
A girl I worked with at Costco last year is almost as tall as I am, and one day she came in wearing a way cute pair of brand new jeans. Of course I asked her where she got them. (I ask just about everyone who's in the 6ft. tall club where they find pants. Trust me, it's hard!) Anyways, she asked if I ever shopped at Vanity. I don't think I had ever even stopped there because it always seemed sort of teeny-bopper-ish, so I told her no. She then let me in on the best kept secret. They sell 37" inseam jeans, most of which are under $30! For me, this find has been a life saver because money has been so tight this year. And before this I basically thought that only expensive name brands sold jeans that long. I'm sure ya'll know that I'm strictly a jeans and t-shirt gal, and pretty much only dress up for 3 hours a week, so this has been so great to have some every-day, around-the-house, cheap, (last time I went there I bought 2 pair for $30) cute jeans to wear.


1978 Motor-home
This has been a fun purchase for our family; the kids love it! Jack asks me almost everyday when we can go camping in the motor-home even though he already knows the answer is always the same. (It's too cold!) I love that we don't care if it gets dirty. It's old and was cheap, so we can come and go care-free. Who wants to stress about cleanliness while camping? We've already made a bunch of great family memories in it, and have a bunch more to come!


Bare Minerals
The same cousin who's idea I'm copying also put this as one of her favorite things, but I'm really not just copying her list. It really is the best foundation, in my opinion. I don't like a lot of 'stuff' on my face and skin, and this feels so light and natural. It's worth the money too. I bought a starter kit at the first of July and I still have almost half left!





Katie Wells Photography
If you're ever in Rigby Idaho, Katie Wells is worth visiting if you have kids. I've been to a handful of different children photographers, and for what you get from Katie, her price is unbeatable. I love EVERY picture I got back. The editing and quality is beautiful, and I got a perfectly organized copyright CD. (I've received cd's that are so unorganized it takes hours just to find the picture I want to print.) Even Jess thinks another trip in the future will be worth it.


Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa Foot and Heel Treatment/B&BW Aloe Socks
I have what I like to call 'Velcro Feet'. My feet and heels are so dry that they snag on everything, from sheets to nylons to carpet. My heels have cracks equal to that of the Grand Canyon. Not only are they hideously unsightly, but they can be extremely painful. These treatments, when I actually use them, are awesome! My feet don't accidentally pull up my carpet anymore!


Usborne Books
At the end of 2006 I hosted an Usborne Books party and loved the books so much that I signed up to be a consultant. My favorite thing about this is that in March of 07 I was making enough money to give me the assurance I needed to quite my job at Costco! That was definitely one of the biggest highlights of my year. It's been a major blessing for my family to have me be a stay-at-home mom. I know from personal experience why it's divine counsel for women to do all they can to stay home and be a homemaker.


VillaWare Crepe Maker
Crepe nights are fun and easy now! Who doesn't love crepes? Jess gave it too me as a gift, but I think the gift was really for him! :)




Airborne-Lemon Lime
I rarely got sick this past year and I owe most of the credit to this stuff. I swear by it; it really works! I used it all the time and still do. When my kids got sick I'd down some so that I would stay healthy. Sick kids AND sick moms aren't a fun combo. I think the lemon lime is the best tasting too.




Dr. Phelan's 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12
Seriously, this book is like Magic. It changed my whole attitude towards parenting. It's simple, direct, and effective, and I highly recommend it to anyone out there seeking a loving discipline method!

Christmas Day

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! The kids were so fun to watch. This year they both were old enough to actually enjoy what's on the inside of the present more than the wrapping paper! Although, we could have given them just one present each because after they opened the first one they just wanted to get it out and play. I didn't take very many pictures of them opening presents because I was getting it on video, but here's a few taken throughout the day.

We gave them a new kitchen to have in their play room, so Grandma Kristy got them a matching table. They loved eating on it so much, I finally had to take it downstairs before it became a permanent fixture in my kitchen.

Why is it that the parents get SO EXHAUSTED but the kids have a bucketful of energy?
Jayci loves anyone she can mooch pie and ice cream off of! Here she is with Uncle Alex at Grandma and Grandpa Elies's house.

I told myself that this year I would do better and not buy them too much, and I really thought I did pretty good until everything was out and unwrapped. At the end of the day we did our traditional present picture (I always did this growing up because my Grandma insisted!) and I really felt overwhelmed with the amount of toys that were threatening to take over our house! I ended up putting several of them away, unopened. My kids are too young to remember everything they got, so now we have their next birthdays and Christmas covered! (No, I didn't buy all these. This was their entire loot, from both sets of Grandparents, and from aunts, uncles, and cousins! Thanks everyone! Maybe next year I won't buy anything. They'll still get spoiled!)

Santa got Jayci a new baby that has a binky! She loves it! Out of all the really cute babies to choose from he knew that that would be the one she'd play with and love the most, because of the one little accessory she came with. Click on the picture to enlarge it and look at what Jayci's holding. That's how she HAS to go to bed, or she'll just cry and cry. She has to have one binky in her mouth, and one in each hand. She preferes to have even a few more sprinkled in her bed. We had a fabulous, exhausting, Christmas. We were able to go to my parents for lunch and Jesse's for dinner, and that's what Christmas is all about. I love my family. My healthy kids and loving husband are the greatest gifts I could hope for, let alone have! Jess and I had the opportunity of participating in a small sub-for-santa on Christmas Eve. That was one of the hightlights of the season because the feelings of being able to give back come from the true source of happiness, our Savior Jesus Christ.

Christmas Festivities-2008

Christmas Eve
We didn't have any dinner plans this year and I really didn't want to cook and have the mess so we hopped in the van and just drove around without a plan. We were headed towards University pkwy where there are lots of restaurants when we passed Wingers and decided that's what we wanted. It's great for kids! So we flipped around and had a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner. Coming home to a clean house made it completely worth it! Apparently we weren't the only ones with the idea because we saw our neighbors there too.

After dinner we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Elies's house for some present opening for the kids.

Jayci got a cute little plastic doll set. It came with three small dolls that have snap-on plastic clothes. They also have a crib, bathtub, stroller, hats, and little accesories, but out of all that fun stuff the first thing Jayci noticed were the little cardboard binkies that were hooked to the box for decoration. Of course she had to try them out!

Jack got a tool set with a race car to build. After Dad and Grandpa helped him put it together once, they took it apart and he put the whole thing back together by himself, with just a few verbal instructions. There's the third generation of very mechanically-minded boys!
Grandma included a tote to put Jayci's dollies in. Jayci thought otherwise.

All in all we had a nice relaxing evening. The kids were in bed fairly early so Jess and I could enjoy our part in Christmas Eve. It was so fitting that it started to snow. We opened our front blinds and enjoyed the peaceful night. My parents even stopped by while out for their traditional Christmas eve walk to see what Santa left.

We made some midnight hot chocolate and fell asleep watching a Christmas movie.