Little walker

Jack is finally walking and walking and walking!

Every morning, we get to read e-v-e-r-y single book known to man. The cute part...he brings each and e-v-e-r-y book to me, one at a time to read. One of the highlights of my daily routine! Watch the video here!

Have a great day!!

Jack

This little guy is seriously getting to be sooooo much fun! We have had quite the rocky road, he and me but as he gets more mobile, I can tell his mood is changing. He makes me laugh all of the time. He is one crazy and intense little boy.

The funniest things/quirks I absolutely adore:

The way he wrestles the giant stuffed Pooh Bear

-How much he just ADORES his DADDA!

-How he will not say MAMMA...just DADDA!
-He loves anything that has wheels! You should see him in the toy aisle at Wal-Mart!

-The way he flips the top of his sippy and laughs and laughs
-When he wants to know what something is, he'll point to it and whisper "wassis" (what's this).
-His HUGE smile when he wakes up in the morning...at 5AM.
-When he crawls and kicks into a turbo-crawl, he tucks his head down and goes for it...missing every wall and counter in his way. FuNnY!
-When he walks with his walker, he walks with his legs very stiff...never bends his knees!


-He pushes his favorite red and yellow dump truck all throughout the house...walking behind it with his hands on the dump truck part
-He gets absolutely GiDdy when he gets to play on a bed! He laughs and goes absolutely crazy!
-How he is so in love with his monkey blanket. We have to wash it regularly as he loves to suck and chew ONLY the corners...nasty.
-He loves to have books read to him. He will sit on my lap for long periods of time listening to a pile of books, one book at a time.

Holiday Cards

Yup! It's that time of year again! Time to get working on your holiday cards so we can see your cute families!

When I start thinking of holiday cards, I automatically go to SHUTTERFLY and browse their cuter than CUTE card collection. I have always been impressed with their designs...and I must add that they have about a BAZILLION designs to choose from! I love that you can narrow down your choices of cards with the # of photos you want displayed on your card, the color and even the designer!

Shutterfly's CHRISTMAS CARDS this year are definitely my FAVE FAVE FAVE FAVORITE out of all of previous years' designs. They are so bright and cheery as well as some very classy classical ones too. Here are a some of my most faves.


Cute, eh? It's going to be so hard to choose and I just can't wait to use them. I think I may do a black and white photo this year with one of the above designs. I think black and white will make the bright colors POP! Don't you?

If you want to see more photo cards for Christmas or for any ocassion, go HERE.

My experience with Shutterfly has been nothing but awesome. I have made several PHOTO BOOKS and am always impressed. Their website is so easy to use and their book formats are classy. I have also made a WALL CALENDAR and am asking for one for Christmas!

And, what do you think about these cute GIFT TAGS? Cute idea!

And, check this out! If you want to get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly, Bloggers can get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly! Go HERE!! It's so easy...just sign up and follow the directions

Have fun!

Miss Maddy Paddy

Miss Maddy was baptized last Saturday the 6th of November. It was such a wonderful day. We couldn't have asked for a better day from the gorgeous weather to hanging out with family!

Maddy looked BEAUTIFUL that day. She was truly glowing and I could tell she felt like a princess in her new dress.

Jack wasn't all too happy that day. He was cooped up in a church for FAR TOO LONG. We couldn't get him to smile in any pics. Oh well! He's still cute.

Richard's parents, Tom and Ann (Grandma and Grandpa Stephenson)

My parents (Grammee and Papa)

Great Grandpa Tomkinson. He took the Salt Lake City Express to attend Maddy's baptism! He is such a wonderful and supportive Grandpa. He wouldn't miss any of his grandkids or great grandkids special days.

Janet (Maddy's Mother)

Janet and Mark

Super Nachos at the church afterwards! They were YUM YUM!!

My beautiful sister and her DARLING gift bag she decorated. She just couldn't stand that it was just a plain ol' brown sack. She's so crafty and cute!

Thank you to everyone for helping make Maddy's day special. I know she will never forget that day.

Love you!

Getting big

FINALLY had Jack's one year pics taken last weekend. He's getting to gosh darn big, dang it.

Mister Jack did AWESOME during his photo shoot! He has been quite clingy and whiny lately so it was nice to see our happy boy back for a change.

Our photographer isn't quite done with all of the photos but she sent us this teaser...she sure can work some magic! Love you, Lynne!

Enjoy your Conference Weekend! I know I'm planning on it!

Birthday Boy!!

Here is our lil' birthday boy! *sniff sniff* I know i've said it a million times but I cannot believe one year has passed already! I don't like that he's already one...pretty soon he'll be 19 and leaving me...*sniff sniff*

His birthday party was so much fun! It was just our little family and Aunt Janet too! Jack was such a cutie! He was quite grumpy during the day but sure turned on the charm during his party.

We took over FIVE HUNDRED PICTURES (can you say OVERBOARD?) and I haven't had time to get through all of them to edit...but here are a few of our faves.

We had homemade Mac n' Cheeze and a fruit salad for dinner. Perfect for a little dude, eh? Jack LOVED the mac n' cheeze sooooooo much! And, the balloon string too.

His new dump truck!

Of course, a Mickey cake!! Did you really think I would make anything else??

The cake event started with just a little lick here and there....

Then, once he figured out that it's really yummy, he dug in! Yes, that is BLACK frosting! What was I thinking??

Yes, that is a handprint on the side of his face.

Priceless!

Then, we threw him in the pool (not literally) to wash off the black mess. What a great way to end the day!

Love you, lil' man! Happy Birthday!

Zoo

On my Wednesday-day-out-with-the-kids, we chose to go to the zoo! This was Jack's first experience and he LOVED it! It ws so fun to watch him get excited over the animals. Rich got to come with us over his lunch break and help Jack feed the goats. Ahhhhhh....so cute!


What in the HECK is that? I really have no idea. It looked like something carved from wood...but it did move a couple of times. Scary eh?

Just LOVE the flamingos!! I know, this pic stinks and you can't see them well. I soooo need photography lessons!!

This was so cute to watch Jack feed the goats! He giggled and giggled and giggled. I have a cute video but can't figure out how to get it on here. Maybe my videos are too big?

Grandpa T

This is our beloved Grandpa Tomkinson. We got to stay with him over the weekend while we attended a Stephenson funeral in Tooele. Grandpa Tomkinson is one of the most Christlike people I know. He is very close to Heavenly Father and loves him dearly. He devotes all of his time to serving Him and is always looking for ways to teach the gospel not only to members but especially non-members. He even found a moment to teach Ike, Julia and Maddy about the gospel too. He is such a sweet man and I always feel so good in his presence.

Thanks for your loving hospitality, Grandpa!! We sure love you!

Mister Jack at 11 months old! Can't belive we're going to be celebrating his ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY next week! AAAHHH

Isn't he such a muffin?

Can't get enough

We got Jack a little pool that he can splash around in for the summer. He absolutely LOVES it and just can't get enough! When it's time to get out...he cries and cries. I think we've created a monster...
Dryin off on the tramp.

Our little guy is almost 1 year old! I cannot believe how fast time as flown. He has been one of my greatest blessings and such a joy.

Camping

First Camping Trip of 2010!


Finally the weather cooperated just enough for us to get away to our favorite camp spot! It was still slightly chilly and of course it rained off and on but it was still lovely.

Ike built his first fire!

The kids playing "Life" in the trailer while it rained.

Rich and Jack enjoying a quiet morning.

Fam pic by the river.

Fishing the snake right at our camp spot! What could be better?

Our family truly loves to camp. I am so grateful each of the kids enjoy it as much as Rich and me!!! WOO-HOO!

Bathtime Bubba

Jack LOVES to take a bath. Actually, he just LOVES the water. Because of the major puddles of water he creates while bathing, we usually don't give him baths in the tub. He just showers with Daddy...but when he's not available, it's off to the tub for him!

Check out those splashes!

My darling sister

That beautiful girl holding her two adorable children is my sister. Technically, she is my lil' sis...but I like to call her my big sis because she truly is wise beyond her years. She is currently going through chemotherapy AGAIN and I must say, is doing it with so much grace, optimism, and a wonderful attitude. With her permission, I would like to tell her story.

My sister has had cancer twice. The first time was when she was just NEWLY married! Ugh! The second time when she was pregnant with her first child. The very day she found out she was having a boy, she found out she had a mass on her right ovary. Can you imagine feeling excited to be having a baby boy, and scared about the possible cancerous mass on your ovary all at the same time?! Geesh! She had that mass removed AND part of her ovary...WHILE SHE WAS PREGNANT! To make things worse, the cancer had spread so she had to have chemo WHILE SHE WAS PREGNANT!! Through it all, she remained positive and happy.

So, here we are again...another mass on her ovary. With lots of prayer and discussions with her hubby and various doctors, they decided to get her remaining female stuff removed. If not, she may need to live with the threat of cancer with her female stuff for the rest of her life. Obviously, what this now means is no more kids. This saddened Courtney much but of course, she found the positive side to it. She said that it was quite a miracle to get the two children she has now here and so she is at peace with this decision.

One of my most favorite things about Courtney, (there are millions) is that she finds the good in everything. She takes crappy situations and turns them into something good, a character trait that was definitely inherited from our Mother. Courtney could get angry at the Lord for handing her this trial, but she does quite the opposite. She stated that, "Cancer is my trial in life, but I know I have this trial to refine me to be the person Heavenly Father wants me to be." She is truly an angel.

She had the surgery and healed very well. Now she is undergoing chemotherapy. The last time she had chemo, she didn't receive the full treatments because she was pregnant and didn't want to harm the baby. Now, she is receiving full treatments and it is kicking her butt. Yes, she will lose her hair...but of course, she is positive. She said, "I needed a change anyway." And, "I hope it comes back blonde!" She is such a crack-up!

Courtney has now completed her first week of chemo and, despite what she thinks, endured it VERY well. Courtney and her family have received so many blessings from friends and family and I am grateful for that. I have struggled with living several hours away from her and not being able to be with her as much as I would like. I am so grateful to her loving friends and family who have taken care of her and her sweet family. I see Heavenly Father's hand and ministering angels working to help her and her family. He is watching over her and answering prayers.

You may be wondering why I am posting this on my blog? To be honest, I felt inspired to do so. I truly believe in the Plan of Salvation and am so grateful for it. I firmly believe there is a plan for all of us...the good stuff and the bad stuff is all part of it! Heavenly Father is refining us every moment of everyday! When the bad stuff comes, sure, we can point fingers and blame God...but that just makes us more miserable, right? Isn't it easier to just chalk it all up to "this is my trial in life" and make the very best out of it? I think so and my dear sister is teaching me and so many other people that very thing. I know people are going through hardships and are dealing with some pretty difficult things. I pray that each one of us will not be mad at the Lord and look at it as a positive. There is always something positive about any situation...always. Life is so fragile. This has become more real to me as of late. We cannot take ANYTHING for granted. Everything we receive in life is for our good. They refine us and make us more humble, teachable, charitable and loving.

I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father. I am grateful he is mindful of us...our desires, our worries, our happiness. I have Faith that everything will work out...

I sure love you, Courtney! Thank you for who you are. You are truly an inspiration!