Believe

It has been such a fun Christmas season for us thus far! Whitney is getting older, understanding more and it is fun to see her get excited about little things. We got her the Little People Nativity scene that she loves. She likes to put the baby Jesus in her stroller and drag him around. The other day Danny had to take it away, I asked why and he said that Whitney was drowning baby Jesus in the dog water. :(

This season I started out with a big long Christmas wish list I had created for Danny of "things" that I wanted for myself.. I got the "me, me, me" syndrome and forgot why we really celebrate Christmas.. It's not about all of the gifts that we get or even the gifts that we give but about spending time with the ones you love the most, celebrating the birth of Christ, and cherishing every moment we have with each other. A couple of weeks ago, Danny's mom, Vicki, had a heart attack.. She is ok, they successfully put in a stent and she is back to her "selfless" giving self. But she was rushed in an ambulance to the hospital and for awhile the hospital staff wouldn't give us any information on if she was ok or not. Luckily she was, but throughout the whole experience I really got a reality check and realized how delicate life is and how extremely important it is to not let even 1 day go by without expressing your love to others.

I love the Christmas season.. I love making sugar cookies and wrapping presents with my family.. I love the Christmas eve talent show we have every year.. I love the smells of goodies and eating in extreme amounts.. it gives me the warm fuzzes just thinking about it! :) But what I love the most about Christmas (and sometimes I forget) is the birth of our Savior. What an amazing gift He is. This Christmas season I have dedicated myself to reading the New Testament and I feel like I can't get enough of it. The stories of Christ have come alive for me- more than any other year. Reflecting on 2009, I have seen and am a witness of the many miracles Christ has given me and my family. I am amazed while reading the NT-- that Jesus would perform miracle after miracle in front of the Pharisees and the Pharisees where so hard hearted that they didn't believe. How can that be? How can you physically see Christ heal the lepers, the blind, and dumb and NOT believe?? As I pondered that, I thought, we may not have Christ with us physically but He is with us spiritually and does perform just as many miraculous miracles in all of our lives. I need to remember to BELIEVE in Christ, BELIEVE in His birth, BELIEVE in His miracles. Sometimes I forget or don't appreciate everything I have.. This year I hope to be better, I hope to not be like the Pharisees who only cared about worldly possessions and who didn't believe (and sadly that is exactly how I am most of the time).. but I am going to BELIEVE this year.. all year long!! :)

I hope that everyone has a great Christmas!!

St George Getaway-

Last weekend we surprised my grandma Lindsey by meeting her in St. George for her birthday. It was a blast spending time with our family. We had SUCH a great time, I was very sad to go, and kept wondering why it has taken us so long to get away together! Love love love my family!!

My aunt Sherri, grandma and aunt Sandy.

The girl cousins with grandma.

{Not pictured but who was VERY present was Rosie and my mom- I didn't take very many pictures} My mom was an amazing help with Whitney! She totally sat in the car with Whitney while she napped so that I could selfishly shop! Thanks mom, LOVE U!

humm..

Today Whitney spent a couple of hours sporting this look..

We ditched the binky long ago but somehow she found this Bronco binky and the glasses.. don't know.. She normally won't wear them for longer than a couple of minutes.. She is silly!

Belated Birthday Wishes

It has been kinda busy these last couple of weeks and I didn't have time to wish a happy birthday to 2 of the people I love the most:

Happy Birthday to my handsome husband. Thanks for being so positive, supportive of everything I do and making me laugh...everyday! I love you!

Happy 21st Jessie! You are a great sister and aunt to Whit. Thanks for ALWAYS babysitting on the drop of a whim... and taking us on many adventures. Also, thanks for capturing all of Whitneys moments.. I wouldn't have 1/2 the pictures I have if it weren't for you!

Just a thought for today

I was reading this morning and came upon a talk in the April 2008 General Conference by Sister Tanner who had just been released as General Young Women President. She had some very good and applicable things to say so I thought I'd share:

"Each time I walk with Abraham and Isaac on the road to Mount Moriah, I weep, knowing that Abraham does not know that there will be an angel and a ram in the thicket at the end of the journey. We are each in the middle of our earthly path, and we don't know the rest of our own stories. But we, as Abraham, are blessed with miracles.

I delight in the Lord's mercies and miracles. I know that His tender mercies and His miracles, large and small, are real. They come in His way and on His timetable. Sometimes it is not until we have reached our extremity. Jesus's disciples on the Sea of Galilee had to toil in rowing against a contrary wind all through the night before Jesus finally came to their aid. He did not come until the "fourth watch," meaning near dawn. Yet He did come. My testimony is that miracles do come, though sometimes not until the fourth watch."

Snow Day-

We are taking it easy today with all the snow we are getting! No work, no cleaning, no leaving the house... just playing and making messes. Here is a cute picture of the babies from this morning and what we will be doing today: snuggling with eachother, our blankies, sippies, and watching some the 55 episodes of Little Einsteins recorded on our DVR. (We are a little obsessive with this show.) Also, taking peeks outside at all the fun snow that is falling. (Can't wait to introduce playing in the snow to Whitney. I think she is going to LOVE it!)

Our summer days have come and gone.

Zumba!!

For those who have never heard of this, it is the newest workout craze. You combine weight strength, cardio, and sculpting while dancing to Latin songs. I DON'T dance and am reminded often by Danny and other loved ones of my lack of dance skills, so this gym class would be an obvious no for me. When my mom approached me about doing this Zumba class at the gym, I politely declined. She kept on being persistent and after many no's she finally, gently and motherly- like, FORCED me to do this class with her and my sisters.

As the day came closer a couple of concerns came up:
1. The location. Golds Gym on 13th.--Every time I go I see random people I haven't seen since high school, don't care about, and don't remember their names.. I pride myself in being pretty anti social and avoiding public places where their might be potentially awkward situations. This particular gym is a hot spot for awkward situations.
2. The classroom isn't "classroom friendly". There is a weight area right outside of the room with LARGE windows for "peeping Tom's". I don't want random people to see my awesome Latin dance moves. ;)

Night of the class, I decided to try and hide my identity by wearing an over sized sweatshirt and hat so nobody would recognize me and my sorry attempt at Latin dancing. When we got there it was super packed, I couldn't believe how many people would come to a Zumba class.. AANNDD I wasn't the only one who couldn't dance and nobody cared! Half way through the class, I completely forgot about how stupid I looked and started having fun! I LOVED it and might just become a regular attendee. Thanks mom for making me go!

The first song we danced to was Micheal Jackson's, Thriller, which was so fun. I came home totally high on endorphins-thinking I was pretty sweet-- and tried showing my dance moves to Danny. He thought it was hilarious.. so I still can't dance but I guess that is ok.. dancing is just not in the cards for me. Hopefully Whitney will get her daddy's dance skills!!