Merry Christmastime!

Ok, so it's not Christmas yet, but I'm so excited about the whole season this year. We are carrying on some fun family traditions that I would like to write down for posterities sake. We start off the season with the 12 days of Christmas. We have done it the last few years and the kids LOVE it more and more every year. They are prime for Christmas this year. Old enough to be really excited, and also old enough to understand that Christmas is a time of giving and thinking of Christ. Well they are starting to understand that part anyway..... Then Christmas Eve we will be off to my parents house for our Mexican fiesta!!! Hooray! I think my mom pulled this one out of the air but I think it is more fun than Christmas for me! We also decorate our mason jar instead of stockings. My dad is one of 10 kids, and I think his mom just got tired of trying to figure out stockings every year so she used mason jars instead. I loved that we were different from every other family, so we usually have jars at grandma's house, and stockings at ours, but this year, I'm going to embrace the jar idea. I hope Gabe will let me. Then Christmas morning growing up, we ALWAYS had mom's homemade cinnamon rolls, and I loved that!!! But.... Gabe has meshed his ginormous breakfast tradition into ours, and now Christmas breakfast is a feast to behold!!! Then the normal open presents, play with presents, eat a lot, and then after Christmas dinner an angel food cake as a birthday cake for baby Jesus. I love this time of year. It makes me so cheerful. I hope to be able to carry the joy throughout the coming year.

It's great to BEE 8!

So Kolby turned 8 last month. And of course it's great to BEE eight!!! I'm so proud that Kolby made the decision to be baptized. He is such a great little boy. I guess I shouldn't keep calling him little. He's getting so big. He is such a great example to his little brothers. He is a hard worker like his daddy, and one of my favorite things about him is how thoughtful he is. I couldn't be prouder of how smart he is, and that he enjoys learning to play the piano. He also loves gymnastics, and his teacher is always saying how strong he is, and how well he does. He is in a class where he is the newest student, but is trying hard to be just as good as the other boys in his class. I love him so much!!! I feel so grateful to have his little spirit in our home!

yes man

So Troy is going through the funniest stage. Lets say you ask him a question, like... Hey Troy, Did you get enough candy for Halloween? He will say to you... Yes, yes I did! Hey Troy, Do you like your dinner? Yes, yes I do! Hey Troy, do you like it when your brothers tackle you? NO, no I do not! I love it! It is so funny to me! And Zack.... Well let me just tell hyou a little about Zack. He is in a vocabulary building stage. For example, the other day I asked him about some scratches that he had on his foot and he said, "What you mean my injury's?" Or Hey Zack did you get the dishes put away? He said, "Well, I didn't literally want to do that right now." He's still working on context a little bit. And last but not least... Zacker, did you get your room clean? "Well technically.... I still have a little more to go." I know everyone thinks their kids are the cutest, but man, I love these little boys!

Beautiful day!

Mom asked me to go take some pictures of the rainy day, I happened to catch this! I love rainbows! I guess everyone loves rainbows right? well, thanks mom, I would have been hauled up in a blanket on my couch without your promptings! Then I thought that since I was being a grump today, that the boys better play in some puddles to get cheered up! Look at those faces... I love those boys!

I love my man!

The best part of Hawaii was getting to be there with Gabe! I think in the hustle and bustle of life, even a great relationship gets worn down. I'm the mom, he's the dad and on and on life goes. But this was one of those great times when we reminded ourselves that we are also friends. We snorkled hand in hand, tried new foods, some great, rice for breakfast, not so great at all.... I knew that a week away from kids would be easy, but I didn't know how much perspective it would provide me. It was long enough that we missed them, and appreciate them so much more now. And it helped me to remember that I need to be a better friend. It's easy on vacation, away from the broken arms, and homework, and late night tow or fire calls, but I want to be a fun person to live with, love with, be with, the other 99.99% of the time! And I'm looking forward to planning some friend time with the love of my life!

Sunset Cruisin'

Sunset Cruisin' baby!!! One of the highlights of our trip was the sail boat cruise that we took. It has always been a dream of my mom's to sail on a real sailboat, and it must have gotten into my blood too, because it was a geat time! It was really windy on the night that we picked, so we spent the whole time actually sailing and it was amazing. We also spent some time exploring whatever, and where ever we felt. And found this jungle road, and thought hmmmm....... Maybe we'll do a little monkey business!!!!

The beauty was EVERYWHERE!

Our condo was just a block from Waikiki Beach. And it was so beautiful everywhere we looked. From the iconic palm trees to the crashing waves, the amazing sunrises to the animals in the ocean. There was a pier (maybe a levy?) thing from which we saw these cool manta rays. Just playing in the waves. It was so cool! No wonder they call this paradise!

I love sunday's

I love Sundays! And I love that even when you are thousands of miles away from home, you can find a ward where you can feel the spirit. On Sunday after Pearl Harbor, we drove up to the North Shore near the temple to go to church. We found this FABULOUS beach, where we had a picnic lunch. It was so beautiful! And could not have been more serene. When we went to church we were welcomed with open arms. Literally! Amy and I were presented with shell necklaces and hugged and kissed by the relief society sisters. And we found some relatives of Aarons. (Not hard when you are a Heaton/Young. Ha!)

hawaii

So we flew in Saturday morning and were in awe of the heat and humidity as soon as the airport doors opened. None of us slept really well, but Gabe didn't even try. He was excited to see a pre-viewing of the pilot of Hawaii Five O, (Yes he saw it before the premier) I caught a few parts, but was just to tired to stay focused. When we got there we were suprised that mom and dads GPS didn't have Hawaii maps, and struggled to use Google maps on Aarons laptop to find our way around. (and it was tough!!!) But we made it to the Swapp meet, and it was fun to wander around and taste my first hawaiin shaved ice. It was soooo good (but probably just because it was so hot.) We wasted some time before we checked in to our condo where we all crashed for the afternoon. Then Sunday morning we decided that it would be nice to visit Pearl Harbor. I am fascinated by the history of our country. It was a humbling experience to stand in the places that so many of our bravest patriots lost their lives protecting our freedoms.

pa-pa---pa-pa-razzi

Scott Caan- You might know him from, Into the Blue, Ocean's 11 (One of the mormon brothers Ha!) or Gone in 60 seconds. I LOVE him!

Alex O'laughlin- Gabe and I loved him in Moonlight. It was a vampire tv show before vampires before vampires were hot. He was also in 3 Rivers, a medical show that we watched because it took place in Pittsburg. Grace Park- Known best from, The Cleaner

Daniel Kim- Most famous from Lost, but has done a lot of other things too.

We had such an amazing time! One of my favorite things that we did the whole trip was getting to go to the premier of the new tv series, "Hawaii Five-O" Gabe & I had been excited to see the show even before we knew about the premier. So the fact that we got to go see the actors, and I got to take pictures of them, was so exciting! There were some great local guys waving over the actors to us for autographs, so I was literally backing away from some of them to get these shots. What a thrill!

The lone ranger

My last year with the little man all to myself. I just couldn't send him off to preschool this year. I have such a great time with my little helper. Troy is such a joy to be around. He is always singing. If fact right now I can hear a little rendition of "There's a hole in the bottom of the Sea." He is bugging me to get out the door for our walk. I just love chatting with this kid. He is almost 4 years old and he just talks and talks. He loves having some alone time with me, and I am super excited to start our own little preschool together. I never knew how hard it would be to be a mother. Nor could I have comprehended the joy that comes from every giggle, touch, or laugh of these sweet boys. I'm so grateful for my husband who works so hard, so I can have the opportunity to be with our boys in our home.

Ahhh Kindergarten

Oh, my sweet Zacky went off to kindergarten today. He rode the big boy bus with Kolby. And was so excited to go. Zack has such a sweet heart. I just love that kid. I think I had a hard time figuring him out for the first part of his life. Because I'm just not sensitive the way he is. But now that I have figured it out, he is just the best! He will do anything to please me. If I ask him with love. And he is HILARIOUS! He doesn't mean to be. He is completely serious about every word that comes out of his mouth, and maybe that makes it all the more funny. Last night I (lovingly) asked him to go help his big brother clean his room and he said, "sure mom, but could you spare a minute to get this sawdust out of my eye first?" And sure enough, he did have sawdust in his eye from a ward party that his fabulous grandparents had taken him to. Cute kid. I hope that going to school doesn't toughen him up to much. I love my Zacky cuddles! (Kolby is waaaay to big for anything but a very quick cuddle)

Just sent my 1st, 2nd grader off to school

I can't believe how big Kolby is getting. Right before my eyes, he is turning into a little man. He was so excited to get off to school today. He's going to be in Mr. Jensons class. I'm excited for him to have a guy teacher. I really think he will respond well to him. He didn't want my help, he didn't even hug me goodbye. I'm not really one of those sad to see your kids go off to school, kind of moms, but I am sad to see him get so big that he doesn't need me anymore. He's such a great kid! I love who he is turning out to be! (most of the time, ha) He won't hardly sit still to let me take his picture anymore, but I told him that the first day of school pictures were not an option! He's kind of in a goofy shy stage, but I still think that he is so handsome! A mothers love I suppose!

My long boring porch....Voila!

So I have been wanting to spruce up my porch for a long time now. I spend probably too much time in "Blogland" but I have been inspired! I will have to do it a little at a time, but I started today, and I'm excited! It started with this boring old stool. I bought it a few weeks ago for a dollar. Ugly I know! But....

A little sanding, a little black spray paint, and a little more sanding, and you have something that is not to shabby to start off a cute little porch project. (Well maybe just the right amount of shabby!)

Then I added a dresser drawer that my mom was getting rid of. I will figure out something cute to fill it with, and added a bunch of photo props that were hanging out in the corner of my garage. This is a much better use of their cuteness! Don't you think???

The crate was missing some pizzaz, so I made this little federkeil sign and threw it in an old frame I had in the shed. And how about that tin can? Got it FREE at a yard sale yesterday. I was sooooo excited! (Can't you just see a kid sitting on that in a field somewhere? I digress...)

Well anyway, for now this is my new front porch! Any guesses how long it will take my boys to have it all scattered from here to kingdom come??? Well they've been threatened, so hopefully it will still look like this the next time you come visit me!

before and after (kind of...)

So today was the 2nd week of bountiful baskets, and if it is possible I love this weeks produce even more than last week! It's like Christmas, to see what the truck will bring us... I took this picture of last weeks presents!

summer goodness

I LOVE summertime! I love gardening! Even though my weak garden consists of 3 items this year. (but that is for another blogging moment) anyway.... I get inspired to eat healthy, and enjoy a variety of fruits and veggies. This is what I got at the store for this week. top: Kiwii, Cantalope, pears, and a lemon. (I'm cooking salmon for dinner tonight, wish me luck!) Middle: apples, cilantro, and green onions. Bottom, red pepper, yellow onions, tomatoes, and oranges. Grand total including tax: $19.13. Which is why I'm SOOOOOO excited to start Bountiful Baskets next week! It is an organization that helps make it more affordable to have a variety of fruits and veggies. I have some great friends who are making it possible for Kanab to be a part of it! Big thanks to Kristy, and Staci for getting trained and volunteering! The baskets are $15 and have whatever fruits, and veggies are in season and available, so if you want to sign up to recieve these baskets, go to www.bountifulbaskets.org I'm so excited to compare and recieve produce that maybe I wouldn't normally try! Hooray!

cupcakes for dinner!!!

APRIL FOOLS!!! Well they were cupcakes, just meatloaf and pink mashed potato cupcakes.

Zack was less than impressed!

But decided that as long as we had an actual dessert after our cupcakes, that it was an ok dinner afterall!