Making Christmas cookies

Last night we made cookies together. It was fun. Jameson had a blast as you will see in the pictures. :) Even though he was making a HUGE mess, I couldn't bring myself to stop him cuz he was having so much fun! It was so cute to watch him try to roll with the pin. Then he'd poke the cutters down on the dough. Then he would get the spatula and smack everything a little. His favorite was the flour shaker though---I refilled it twice just so he could shake it all over! He just loved that part and it was too cute to make him stop.

My sugar cookie recipe is the BEST. It is my Mom's, and it is different than most sugar cookie recipes because it has brown sugar in the dough. It gives the cookies the BEST flavor. I have so many memories of me and my siblings making these holiday cookies with my Mom. She was always so patient and let us do what we wanted too. Even when we made huge messes. So Jameson has Grandma Margo to thank that he got to do this! It's neat to see the things you get from your mom that you do with your kids, cuz mom would do the same thing; just let us be KIDS. Huge mess and all. She praised us for our greasy, flat, ugly cookies and didn't worry about the mess. :) That little rolling pin Jameson has was mine when I was little.

Baby #8!!

So by now, most family members know. The only people who dont know are my ward. I wanted to hold off as long as I could with them, because the less time you have to listen to all the dozens of comments and inquiries of "how are you feeling" every week at church, the better.

I know that sounds mean, but anyone who has had a few children should know where I am coming from. :)

But, when you are expecting your EIGHTH, your uterus is pretty much shot. :) Those ligaments say, "Oh we are doing THIS again?" and just pop out sooner. So I already have the round pooch and I am sure many have already suspected it. I will be 15 weeks this Sunday and the baby is due June 21. We are so excited!

I have had a couple people ask me if its as special and neat expecting your eighth: YES it is. I LOVE being pregnant. It is extremely special to me every single time. The moment I know, I am filled with love for this tiny being that is "us". If anything, it gets MORE special, because the older you get, the more you "get" life. How precious it is; how quickly time flies. As a 38 year old mother, I feel much more in awe of the privelege it is to carry a child of God and give it life, than I did as a 19 year old pregnant with my first. So, yes. It is no less special to give birth to my eighth. :) This ultrasound picture is when baby was 12 weeks.

Christmas Decorations

My cousin Rachelle posted her favorite Christmas decorations and I liked it so here is mine. I love my Nativity Scene. I wanted a white one and looked for years. I found one at Penneys, and haven't seen one before or since. So I love my set.
I also LOVE my village. It is the cutest one I have ever seen. I had wanted one for so long and got it probably 5 years ago.The kids love it and Jared used to say he wanted to get in it and be a part of it--one of the little people.
I love my mantle full of stockings. No more will fit. :) Can you see the little tiny one at the end?:)
I love my tree each year--decorated with all the things my kids have made me thru the years. And ornaments from their first Christmases with their baby pictures on them. Every Christmas I cry a little when I see those little ornaments with their pictures on them from elementary school. This year you will notice the bottom of the tree has no decorations--baby Jameson won't leave them alone, so everything got put up higher. :)
If you click on the pictures they will show full size so you can see better.
These are my favorite things, the things we get out each year that mean its Christmas.The things my children will remember from their childhood.

Brighams Christmas Program

Brigham had a little program the Third grade put on called "Santa got abducted by some pirates" It was cute. I LOVE watching my kids programs. It always makes me cry.Because I just love how innocent and sweet little kids are, up there singing away. I was so thankful today that I still have more little children in my future. I am not ready to be done with little kids! They are AWESOME.

He was so funny...it embarrasses him to do actions so he would just stand there when the others were doing actions, with a funny look on his face.

Christmas time

One of our favorite things to do at this time of year is to go to Festival of Trees. We have been going ever since I was a kid. And now my kids love it too. The trees are fun to look at, they have really fun crafts for the kids, entertainment, and the best homemade goodies. And the really good thing is that every cent they make goes to help children at Primary Childrens Hospital.
This year my Mom and Dan and Jamie went also, and we had so much fun!

Jameson??????

Well its bound to happen to any baby boy with big sisters: Jameson was dressed up as a girl.Bailey did it.I think he looks pretty dang cute. lol He probably won't be too happy about this when he's 16!! lol

Our 20th Anniversary

I can't believe we have been married for 20 years! November 11 was our twentieth anniversary. We went and stayed in a hotel in Salt Lake for a few days and just relaxed. We ate out a lot and watched "24" which we LOVE!!! On the 11th, we went to the Salt Lake Temple and that was very neat to be in the temple on our anniversary.
We were able to take naps and just RELAX....something we don't get to do much of at home with seven children. :) My Mom came and watched the kids, with Jess helping. It was so much fun. I was sad when it was over.

I am so thankful to be married to Brian. He is such a wonderful person. He is so kind, patient, sweet, soft-spoken and gentle.He has a strong testimony and is committed to the gospel and his sacred covenants. He is such a loving husband and father. I could not ask for anything more.I remember when I was a teenager,I didn't believe people when they said they loved their spouse MORE the longer they were together. I COULD NOT fathom. that. I thought for sure you would love each other more in the beginning--when the love is "new and exciting". I thought those people were just lying so teenagers would want to get married someday. :) But now I know what they meant: Our love is so much deeper, and we are so close and so in love and such best friends. It really does get better! All of life's experiences just bind you together in such a deep way.He is my life. I love him so much.

Halloween!!!!!

Halloween was fun this year. We had cheesy ham and veggie soup, garlic bread, donuts and cider for dinner.Then we got all ready to go trick-or-treating.It was WARM weather for October, even though it sprinkled a little bit most of the night.We all went together for a while because everyone wanted to be with Jameson, then the older ones went longer on their own. I LOVE Halloween!

Carving pumpkins

We carved our pumpkins a couple days before Halloween. We grow all our pumpkins in our garden, so Jameson has liked seeing them outside all summer, and he would touch them and climb on the big ones. So today, before we carved them when they were all sitting on the kitchen floor, he would come in and point at them and laugh! It was so cute! It was like he was thinking, "Uh, WHY are all those big orange things in our HOUSE now??" Then when we were carving them, he walked around the kids and kept slipping in all the goo. He would look down inside the big pumpkins and it was so funny and cute.
We had fun carving and everyone always does something different. Brigham made one that was "throwing up" Typical boy, huh? lol
Jess made on that says "I LOVE CHRIS". It is fun to see the different ones they do. And everyone looks forward to having the roasted seasoned pumpkin seeds I make every year.They are REALLY good!:)
I love autumn. It is ABSOLUTELY my FAVORITE time of year. From September 1, I just feel happier and enjoy life more immensely. I love the state fair, the cooler weather, the whole Halloween/autumn feeling and fun things to do in October.Then our anniversary in November. Its just the best time of year!!!

JERICHO!!!!

We went on our Octber Jericho trip last week and had fun as usual. Jericho is one of our favorite things. The kids LOVE it. Even Jameson loved it this time. He liked to just wander around on the little hills, exploring and picking up a rock or stick.He LOVES to be outside so this was great for him.He liked riding the 3 wheelers and even fell asleep on a ride with Aunt Sarah.It's just so fun to be with family and friends and do all the "Jericho" things.We also got some cute pictures of the 3 baby boys on a 3 wheeler--my brother Dan's baby who is 3 months older than Jameson, and my cousin Chris' baby who is only 6 weeks older than Jameson.They are all going to best buds when they get a little older.

Granite Flats

We LOVE to go camping at Granite Flats. This year we waited a little too long, and it was a little cold. But we still loved it and had a good time. Jameson threw rocks in a pond for probably half an hour! He thought it was so fun!
Brian and I showed the kids the tree that Brian carved B+J in many years ago.:)We went for walks and played games and made tinfoil dinners and smores. There is a big rock we always climb that the kids call "picking rock" cuz little pieces will pick off.Everyone else climbed it, and Jameson could see them all up there from his stroller;he started saying, "UH UH!!!" and holding his arms up to them. He wanted to be up there with them too. It was cute.
The picture of all seven of them walking hand in hand is my favorite. I love moments like that.
Saturday morning we woke up to snow! Not a lot, but still snow! Jameson touched his first snow and didn't like it too much.

Jameson's 1 year old portraits

He was SOOOOOOOOO cute and happy and the pictures turned out so well!! I went in with a $7.99 coupon and spent $100!!!!!!!!! I had to have them!!! lol He's only 1 once. My VERY favorite is where he is holding the letter "N". When the girl was showing them to me on the computer afterwards--- when you choose the ones you want---I started crying...just because he is so cute and sweet and I love him SO MUCH.

John Denver

Ten years ago today on October 12, 1998, John Denver was killed in a plane crash. I remember how my Aunt Marie called to tell me, because she knew how much I loved him.I had loved him since I was 10 years old. I cried for three days. Brooke was about 2 and 1/2 and she would say, "Mommy sad? Denver die?"

I still feel sad when I listen to his music. I truly feel like the world lost something exquisite and beautiful when he died. There isn't another songwriter that was quite like him. His love of nature is something I feel too. The one thing that makes me feel better though, is that I know he is at peace from his sadness. I am excited to get to meet him someday! And I know he accepted the gospel, because it would have made sense to him; and given him the peace he was always searching for.

Brigham turns 9

Brigham's Birthday was on Oct 4. He is 9 now! He chose not to have a friend party this year and instead get the cash it would have cost. I give them that option.So we celebrated as a family---the day started out with a nice breakfast just for him. Then he opened his presents. Later in the day we went bowling, out to eat, and to a movie. It was a very fun day!! I love you Buddy!!!

Bethany- Homecoming Dance

Bethany was asked to the Homecoming Dance by Jordan. They looked very cute tonight together in their matching clothes. They ate at GoodWood, and after the dance went to a haunted house.Cute couple, eh?