Christmas day!!

On Christmas day we started out at home and by the end of the day we were in Santiquin. It was a very busy and eventful day!! We visited all the parents, grandparents, and great grandparents, plus a few more!! It was really good seeing everyone.. We tried to get as many pictures as we could with all the families, but it doesn't help when I left my cameras at my dads house, and that was only the 2nd stop!! OOPS!! Oh well, we have the memories. Right?
Jayven absolutely loved all of his gifts. On Christmas morning he came out to see his jeep that Santa brought him and he loved it!! We could only get him out of it to open another present and once he had one opened he took the present and put it in the jeep and got in himself. It was pretty cute!!
Here are some pictures of the big day!!

Here is Jayven in his new Jeep!! :)

We put cookies and milk out for Santa, and some carrots out for the reindeer!!

Christmas eve Jammies!!

He loved opening them as you can tell!! :)

Santa came and visited Jayven at our house!! He thought that was pretty cool!!

Sorry they aren't in order!!

Ho Ho Ho

So this weekend we got to take Jayven to visit Santa!! I was very impressed that he sat on his lap and actually talked to him.. (couldn't understand a word he said, but he talked!) It was great!! I didn't want to buy the pictures that they took so I had this bright idea to do it myself, well when my flash went off so did theirs so all my pictures are WHITE or blurred. I am not very happy about it.. And the Santa kept yelling at me to turn our flash off cause their flash kept going off.. He was grumpy. I guess he's not getting enough sleep with all the kids he is seeing and all of the traveling.. Gosh... But, I got a picture of Jayven looking away and the Santa talking to me.. So we'll just have to live with that.. Here it is.. I also put the one that is white-out cause I like the fact that Santa and Jayven are looking at each other, this is when Jayven was talking to him.

On Saturday we took Allman family pictures. (my moms side) and it went great!! We had 25 people there and we all looked great! I am so glad we did it. Our last family picture was 13 years ago!! We have added a few since then and also lost some. We miss you Uncle Steve and Glenn.. My dad wasn't in this one either since my parents are divorced.. :( But, all in all it went great and had a great time doing them..
After that James, Jayven and I got to go and visit Heather, Allie, Scott and Terrie. I miss seeing them. They are great people and I have known them since I was 1 years old. Heather used to babysit me when I was just a lil-one. What great memories we have of each other. Allie is just a little older than Jayven but they played great. I wish they lived closer so that they could hang out more and so I could hang out with Heather. So thank you Morgans for letting us come and visit!! And Heather, come home more often!! :) Here is a few pictures of Allie and Jayven..
How cute is this one of them hugging!! :)
Terrie made them sit on the kitchen floor to
drinks.. It was cute of them sitting together.

Well, I guess thats all. I hope everyone has a great Christmas..

Christmas Season!!

I just love the Christmas season! I just wished it would snow.. What is Christmas in Utah with no snow?? This year has gone by so fast, it is almost done!! This Christmas season, I have really been trying to think more about what Christmas is all about rather than what presents I need to get who.. It has been a special one for us, being in our own house, and all. On Sunday James and I taught our sunday school class and it turned out so good. In the Ensign President Monson wrought a talk on the Greatest Christmas Ever. So I read the talk and then talked to the class about it, and to my belief their idea of Christmas was not all about the presents that they were going to get. It made me feel so good and get a better knowledge of the true meaning of Christmas!!

When I think of Chirstmas, I think of the house lit up with lights, a tree in the front window (a real one) full of lights and ornaments! I also love to see a Nativity scene which this year I can say I have not just one but two up, the family time is also great. I look forward to going to Grandma Sue's house every year for Christmas dinner, it is so much fun getting all of the family in one house and just enjoying eachothers company... One thing that my Dad's family always does is go to my uncle's house on Christmas Eve and wait for Rudolph to come. Sadly to say, I think we will miss that this year, It is just too hard to drive to Springville and home in one night, just to sleep and head back down there to do it all over again. So for the first time, we are going to spend Christmas Eve at home!!! I am so excited.. (oh yeah, and who could forget the GREAT Christmas music)??

I hope everyone has a great Christmas and remembers what Christmas is all about!!

Thanksgiving!!

I have decided to do a post about things I am grateful for..
First I just have to say how thankful I am for Jayven.. He is the BEST thing that has ever happened to me. I thought I knew what love was but, that was before I had him, Now I KNOW what love is. It is so weird how much you can care for such a little thing. He has started calling me mom instead of mama and it is so weird, cause it is like he really knows who I am to him.. It is such a great thing.
Second, I am grateful for James and how much he has helped me through things. He is a great daddy and I love him for that. James and Jayven have such a good time together. I cant express how glad I am to have had a boy first, I am sure James would have loved a girl, but He has been so good to/with Jayven. I couldn't ask for a better daddy for my son.
I am also grateful for my family that includes James' family also. They always seem to be there when we need something or even when I just need someone to talk to.. Growing up I was not much of a family person, I would have rather been with my friends and doing stuff with their family. Now, I would much rather be with our families.. They just mean so much to us and they do so much for us..
I am grateful for the gospel in my life and where it has gotten me. Again, growing up I didn't have the church in my life like I do now, and I think I did fine as a teen or even before a teen, but there was nothing I could have done about that, but I look back now and wish I would have had more of the church with me. I think I would know more than I do now and have a better knowledge of the gospel. So for that, I am trying so hard to better my testimony and gospel in our family. The calling that James has is truly a blessing I think, because it has brought him closer to not only the lord but to Jayven and I. James teaches the lesson pretty much every week in my class, and he does the ward letters, and teaches once a month in Elders Quorum. Something I NEVER thought he would be doing.. So I am so thankful for the calling he has..

I hope everyone has a great thanksgiving...

My Husband!!!

#1 Where did you meet your husband?
James and I met country dancing with a mutual friend at the time! It was when I was in 7th grade and then we kinda lost contact. But we met up again when I was hanging out with his older brother! =)
#2 How long did you date before you got married?
We dated for 2 1/2 years. And were engaged for about 2 years..
#3 How long have you been married?
3 Years, 6 Months, 2 Weeks, and 6 days! To be exact!! =)
#4 What does he do that surprises you?
He comes home early and that surprises me. But he used to get me flowers and leave me messages that were so sweet! Hasn't done that in a while though.. :(
#5 What is your favorite feature of his?
I love his eyes! They are so blue... I also like the fact that he has brown hair and blue eyes I have always loved that...

#6 What is your favorite quality?
My favorite quality about James is that he is so outgoing.. Sometimes too outgoing, I can only handle so much after going, going, going with a two year old... Also that he loves to help others..
#7 Does he have any nicknames for you?
Lynds, sometimes babe, and sweetie.. Just depends on what he wants! ;)
#8 What is his favorite food?
I would have to say he loves sloppy joes and I am not a huge fan so I am sorry but I don't make them very often..
#9 What is his favorite sport?
Ummm... He doesn't really like sports.. I would have to say that he enjoys to go bowling, and he does like to throw a football sometimes, and I have seen him kick a soccer ball just to try and show that he might be better than me.. I could take him though!! :)

#10 When and where did you first kiss?
Our first kiss was on the 4th of July at Grandma Dowdings house, which is no longer there. It was up on a hill in south orem and it looked over the valley of BYU so we were watching the fire works.. It was actually our first date!!
#11 What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?
We love to go camping be outdoors and be with Jayven..
#12 Do you have any kids?
Yes, Jayven Troy. He is almost 2 years old...
#13 Does he have any hidden talents?
I don't think they are hidden, but he sure does know how to fix something.. If you ask him how to do something on a car he can do it, fix something in your house, he will find a way to fix it.. I call him the handy man!!
#14 How old is he?
24 years young!! :)
#15 Who said "I love you" first?
James said it first but I said it right back!
#16 What's his favorite kind of music?
He likes all kinds.. Oldies and rock are probably his favorite!
#17 What do you admire most about him?
Well, lets just say that we have gone through some rough times, like I think everyone does to some extent and I would have to say that I admire him for stepping forward and working on things with me. It has been great being able to say what we need to say and not getting mad! I love James, even threw the rough times!! I also admire that he has taken responsibility in the Elders Quorum at church. I never thought that would happen!!
#18 What is his favorite past time?
I would definitely have to say us being in Virginia is a great memory, and even living in California.

#19 Will he read this?
He will eventually read it, I don't think he checks the blog regularly but, since he knows that I am writing about him he might check it soon! =) I love you James!!
#20 Who do you tag?
I tag Becky, Kayci, and Cece.. Also anyone else who wants to do it!! It was actually a fun tag!!

ABC tag!!

A is for age: 21
B is for burger of choice: I like a good home made Hamburger!!
C is for the car I drive: I drive the Malibu the most but sometimes I drive the Geo..
D is for your dog's name: Snuggles
E is for essential item you use every day: My phone! Which I need to cut back on!
F is for favorite TV show at the moment: I would have to say Army wives, but the season finale was last sunday so now it is probably the biggest loser!
G is for favorite game: umm... I would have to say Yahtzee. (we don't play games much anymore since Neil and Mandy moved) :(
H is for home state: Utah
I is for instruments you play: I used to play the clarinet!
J is for favorite juice: I am not a big juice fan but I love the Berry Lime Sublime and Jamba Juice!
K is for whose bum you'd like to kick: My own.. For finding the owner of the diamond ring James found in the dishwasher trap.. Me being the honest person I am couldn't live with myself knowing I had a 3/4 ct. diamond that was worth $900!!
L is for last restaurant at which you ate: James took me out on a date and we went to Olive Garden!!
M is for your favorite Muppet: I would probably have to say Kurmet.. I think he was a muppet! LOL
N is for number of piercings: I have 2 in my left ear. (I only wear one) and 1 in my right ear.
O is for overnight hospital stays: 1, when I had Jayven
P is for people you were with today: Jayven, James, and Heidi.
Q is for what you do with your quiet time: Blogging! :) (I should be folding laundry. oops)
R is for biggest regret: I don't know if I really regret anything.. I have made mistakes but no regrets.. You have to learn somehow!
S is for status (relationship): Married
T is for time you woke up today: 8:15 Thanks Jayven and James!!
U is for what you consider unique about yourself: I am not really sure!
V is for vegetable you love: I would probably have to say broccoli and cauliflower.. I also love corn, and asparagus!!
W is for worst habit: Procrastinating!!
X is for x-rays you've had: I have had lots of x-rays.. Just to name a few... Chest ones for pneumonia, leg ones, shoulder ones, head ones.... LOTS
Y is for yummy food you ate today: lets start with breakfast. Tuesday is the day James has school so no work so I make food! Potatoes with biscuits and gravy... Lunch leftover sweet and sour chicken from last nights dinner!
Z is for zodiac sign: Gemini

I tag: Mandy, Heather S., Heather B, Dani, Cheri, Becky.. Whoever wants to...

Today....

So for the last 3 weeks James has been getting calls from the stake presidency asking him to come in and meet with the stake president.. Well little did I know.. James failed to tell me that this has been happening til monday night at 11:00 p.m. when they called again to see if he could meet with us on Tuesday night, well James has school Tuesday nights so once again they got told no. Well, another call Thursday which James didn't answer.. Friday they called again and he finally answered and they lured us in and.......
James got a calling to be the 2nd counselor in the Elders Quorum. He is really excited about it, the President is James' age so he has someone to do it with that is in the same position as he is.. School full time, a new family, and a full time job! I was suprised to see James as happy as he was about the calling I honestly didn't see him taking it. But, I am very happy for him and I can't wait for the blessings that will come with it.
I am sure the Lord will bless James and lead him the ways that he needs to be lead so he can better us as a family and do his calling to the fullest!
He wasn't too happy that he had to wear white shirts every week to church! :( he has some pretty nice colored shirts! ( I think he looks much better in colors) So we will see where this too shall take us!!
James I love you!!

Happy Halloween!!

This halloween was great!! Jayven was old enough to go trick-or-treating this year so it was really fun! :) He loved wearing his costume! We started the day out trick-or-treating at my work (kents) they had like 15 different stops throughout the store and they gave out good stuff like, chocolate milk, caffeine free pepsi (this made me laugh), doughnuts, vitamin water, toothbrushes, just to name a few, so it wasn't all candy, in fact I think he only got one peice of candy! He loved it he would walk up to the crates and just take what he wanted and at some as many as he wanted!
When we got home Jayven took a nap and woke up to just get into his costume again to go trunk-or-treating at the church. I thought it was going to be stupid cause it was at 4:30 first of all but by the time we were done there Jayven was ready to be done. He wouldn't hold his bucket anymore and it got to the point that after every candy he would stop by the curb and sit down and try to get the candy out and eat it! So we didn't get that much candy that night but it is ok! (mom and dad can do without!)
Here are some pictures

For Jayven

This past week James and I took a little break and went hunting with my dad. Jayven started down with a little cold and we didn't want to risk him getting worse up in the cold mountains so we opted to leave him home with grandma Tammy and aunt Tessie. The trip was great but I missed Jayven like crazy.. I couldn't believe I made it through the whole week without seeing him. I sure did realize what a great part of my life Jayven is.
Every morning he wakes me up about 8 and I bring him into my room and we watch t.v. I usually fall back asleep and I wake up again to him leaning over to kiss me on the nose or cheek! I really cherish those times... I don't know what I would do without that little boy! I love him so much.. He is getting to be so big and doing so much on his own. The other night he climbed out of his play pen and up onto Tess' bed where we were sleeping that night and James and I both turned around and looked at him and he had his little teddy bears and he was already under the blankets ready to go to sleep! I didn't realize how much he can really do. I just really wished he would talk!!!! I can't get him to say the essential words like please, thank you or anything like that! It drives me nuts. How do I do it??
Here are some pictures of Jayven over the past little while!

Great Grandparents

So over conference weekend we went to grandma's house for dinner. It was really nice to be able to see everyone. Grandpa has been put into a nursing home and he got to come and join us for dinner, it was really great to see him and see him happy.. Jayven loves his grandma's for their crushed ice! Actually I should say he likes anyone for their ice but his grandma's have the crushed ice that he loves! :) It is so cute.. I have to say that my favorite part about going was seeing the aunts clean out the closet in the bedroom that was once theirs! It was pretty funny seeing them fight over things! Amy usually won, just because she had her name on things! :) All in all it was a great time at grandma's house! I can't wait for Thanksgiving there, even though we won't have all the family over! It will still be good! Here are a few pictures that we took that day!
Great grandpa Don Great grandma Sue and Jayven
Great grandpa and Jayven (grandpa was so happy to hold Jayven, but Jayven was really mad that we were taking pictures and not letting him play with the kids)

Fall? Winter?

ISN'T IT SUCH A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT??

The weather today is awesome! It is so great to see the snow! It snowed here yesterday pretty much all day, but it never stuck to the ground! Well today it sure is and it is so great! I am not sure if I am quite ready for the snow to be here, but since there is nothing I can do about it I am going to enjoy it! I love the fact that I can turn on the heater, put on sweats and lay in bed! :) I know I am lazy but ya know what it is great!!!
Here are a few more pictures!!! And in the time that I wrote this post we can barely see the grass tops and the roads and sidewalks are covered!!

Tag!

8 T.V. shows I love to watch:
*Army wives
*Biggest Loser
*Good Things Utah
*Days of our Lives
*The word world with Jayven!
*CSI
*The office
*Extreme Home Makeover

8 favorite Restaurants:
*La Casita
*Outback
*Cracker Barrell
*Cafe Rio
*Wingers
*Subway
*Maddox
*Olive Garden

8 things that happened yesterday:
*Went to grandma's house for a dinner! :)
*Watched some conference
*Watched Iron Man
*Went for a midnight run with friends to Krispy Kreme! MMM...
*Visited James' grandparents.
*Played with Jayven on the swingset
*Visited more family!!
*Made an appointment to get my horrible hair cut gone wrong fixed! :)

8 things I look forward to:
*Having all our bills paid for the month!
*Thanksgiving
*Halloween
*The deer hunt!
*Finding a truck
*Going on our cruise to the Bahamas in December!
*Watching Jayven grow
*Going to sleep in my own bed..

8 things I love about Fall:
*the leaves changing colors
*the perfect weather
*the holidays
*The days at home in sweats!
*All the fall smells from scentsy
*the rain
*Halloween!
*thinking about Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the Deer Hunt!

8 things on my wish list:
*To get a truck.
*To get a four wheeler for the hunt!
*to have another baby
*to have a happy husband who wasn't so stressed!
*That Jayven wasn't a "terrible two"
*To get my car paid off
*James getting a new job that doesn't have so much drama!
*For Jayven to have a healthy winter! (We don't seem to have those) :(

8 people I am tagging:
Mandy, Becky, Kayci, Heather and whoever else wants to do it! :)

Second Blanket

Some of you asked to see more pictures of any other blankets I've made. I finished this one just a little while ago! :)

My first blanket!

I started thinking of things that I could do for Jayven for Christmas and one thing that came to my mind was a rag quilt. So my friends and her sisters do a craft day on Wednesdays so I started going down and they taught me how to do it! I was really excited, in the first day I got most of it done, I just needed to sew the rows together, but I ran out of time and no sewing machine. :( I was kinda scared cause I didn't know if I would be able to do it by myself and without a sewing machine, So my sweet mother in law let me use hers. She told me I could actually have it but when she wanted to use it I had to let her. But, good for me she has sewn one thing with this machine and it was when her hubby ripped his pants and she didn't know how to even do it! So I don't think i'll have to share too much... Well, I got it up and running and I got it finished last night! I am so excited.. I need to snip the edges to make them fray but other than that I am DONE!! I am actually already started on another one.. I really like this... My poor son though.. No time with mommy.. So here are a few pics..

Utah State Fair!!

Here is my cute little cowboy! He loved to see the cows, he is actually "moooing" at him.. The cow sneezed and scared him away so he isn't right next to him anymore. But we did get to pet him. It was so cute to see Jayven actually go up to him. :)
Lets move away from the cow!!! He started going to the bathroom!! Jayven pointed at him and said "cuck" and then started walking away! He is getting so big!

Socks Didn't Last Long!!

So today, I finally got rid of that dang cat! And ya wanna know why? James told me to!! I was so excited to hear those words from him. I was going to take her to the Humane Society today but James put her out side and she ran away. I was actually upset cause I didn't want a stray someplace without a home. So I watched for her and the neighbor kids across the street had her so I went over there and they wanted her so we no longer have the kitten! I will NEVER get a cat again and I think the cat changed James' mind about "cute cats". So we are all good! I hope no one has this problem, but if you do, let it live with you for a week and you'll understand... Now I just need to work on getting rid of Snuggles! :)

The unexpected New member of our family!!!

Ok so I never thought this would happen and for some of you will think the same way (Becky). We were at the Peach Days parade on friday night when this wagon went by with a sign that says "free kittens" I said NO before James could say anything!! He wined to me for like an hour, SERIOUSLY well, they were long gone down the road and so I said fine, but Im not going to get it you'll have to. So, He did!! He got to them and they had 3 left. I have to admit they were cute but not cute enough to bring home to my house. I am not a fan of the cat hair, the litter box smell, or the cat for that matter. So, we have a new kitten she is 7 1/2 weeks old and her name is Socks. We will see how long she lasts here. She has already gotten lost in the heater vent, she has snuck outside when Jayven left the door open! I am just not ready for her... James and Jayven on the other hand LOVE her. Even snuggles likes her. We'll see... But here's a picture..

Daddy's helper!!

So the other day we took down a wall in our family room downstairs and James had to sand down one of the corners cause of the drywall putty and Jayven saw him do it so when James turns around Jayven heads right for the sand paper! It was so cute! We had the radio on also and jayven has got the singing thing down!! :) here are some pictures!

Box Elder County Fair!!

Last weekend Jayven and I went to the fair. We went with our friends Heidi and Steve and their kids. It was really fun, I took Jayven to the carnival part of the fair to ride some rides. He absolutely loves them and is so amazed at all the things he can do! Here is a picture of Jayven and Revin on the car ride.
When we were there we saw some animals and Jayven loved the cows and the sheep. When we went to see the sheep he was just sitting in his stroller and I put him right up next to them and they actually stuck their heads out and we nibbling on his leg! It was pretty cute, he didn't know what to think of that! Jayven didn't have his sock or shoe on one foot and one of the sheep actually got one of his toes and I think it tickled him cause he laughed so hard! It was pretty cute! I wish I had a picture but my camera died! :( I wasn't too happy about it! But, we had a great time! Can't wait for the state fair!!

Summer time

I had just mowed the lawn and turned the water on and Jayven absolutely loves playing with the hose! But, He won't let go of that dang sippy cup!!

This Jayven's new bike! He can't quite reach the pedals but, he still loves it!

Daddy just got home from work and goes right for the hose to get Jayven wet!

HELP!!

Ok so as you can tell, I am having a lot of trouble finding out how to change things on my blog! I need some help! :) I would really like to change the header on the blog but I can't figure it out! I saw Kayci's blog and I went to that website and found a new layout thing but now I can't make it match or anything with a Header! So anyone who might know how to do this please let me know! Thanks!

Jayven

So this is my son Picasso (Jayven)! I walked out side for a few minutes to put some things in the car and I came back into Jayven playing with a pink sharpie marker! He had it all over his body! I couldn't help but to take some pictures I know I shouldn't have cause I was smiling the whole time and it probably wasn't good to do that but it was so cute!! :) He is getting so big!
The other picture is Jayven and Revin when we went camping! They are such good buds. Revin is just 16 months but he is at Jayven's level for everything so they play great together! It is so nice for him to already have a friend! They just live 3 doors down so they are together everyday pretty much.

FINALLY HAVE INTERNET!!

Well, I will finally be able to update everyone on how the family is doing, James is registered for 2 internet classes so he had to have the internet at home! I am not too happy about it but it has to be done! :)
So Jayven is getting so big and starting to do things that I am not very happy about! He has showed me he isn't a "baby" anymore he still isn't talking as much as I would like him to but i'm sure he will find his time to talk.
Well, I tried to get some pictures to put up but my computer won't let me! :( So I'll try and get some on later...

Easter

Here is the bunny Jayven won at the Easter egg hunt!!
He had to eat everything that was in his basket including the money that his grandpa gave him!!
Eating the bread that was for the ducks!! I couldn't tell who was hungrier! :)
He sure does love his daddy!!
Well, we had a great easter! Jayven had a fun time at the Easter egg hunt on saturday morning, we took him to springville and he won a bunny that is bigger than him... :) Pretty cute! Then on Sunday we had Easter morning at my dads and then we went and visited everyone else! It was a great day! We didn't get home til 9 p.m. but it was worth the day! I have a few pictures.. Oh yeah, we went to the park and fed the ducks! Jayven chased them all over, but i think the best part was he would get a piece of bread to throw to the ducks and he would just eat it instead!!! It was great!