Traditions..... Traditions......

Every year December 23rd is the annual "Wood" family Christmas party. I've been going to them since Mitch and I got together. I asked Mitch and he remembers them as a child so it's been a tradition for over 30 years!! It started with Grandpa Bill and Grandma Wilma would plan the party every year at their home, they would asign a what to bring on your invitations! They would give a bag to each person with an ordament and Mcdonald $5 dollar coupon books... Santa would come and hand out each person this gift. The kids loved it!! Since they've sold that house and got a little older now each year each one of their kids plan it. It's nice because each year it's different, they get to use their own ideas and plan with their own styles! This year it was Dave's turn - which Jody did the planning and I helped as much as I could. It turned out nice....... We had a very delicious dinner with lots of yummy yummy desserts! We had a sugar cookie decorating activity for the kids (which they absolutely loved), you'll see those photo's below :) Dave handed out christmas cards to each person with an ordament inside! It was my idea to get everyone together and take a HUGE portrait of the Wood Family. It turned out great! It would be a wonderful gift to blow up and give it to Bill and Wilma! Family parties are always fun, joining of all the extended family and seeing all of them grow each year :) I look forward to these for each side of our families - Merry Christmas!

Dinner with Nanna Sue......

A week before Christmas we went to dinner at Applebee's with Sue, Mitch, I and the girls. It was so delicious :) I love their 2 for 20 deals, just enough food for everyone! We had a great time visiting and catching up on life with Sue.... The girls absolutely love her! She is so good to them, we just adore Sue! One thing she was excited about was she'll be able to see us more now that we've moved back to Salt Lake..... The girls are super excited and can't wait to have a sleep over with her in January! Thank you Sue for all you do and have done, we've created so many memories to cherish and look forward to many many more. You are very kind and warm hearted and we are so glad to have you in our lives. Much love!!!!

Sweet 16 P.J's

Shianne got these P.J's for her birthday present! So darn cute, I just had to take a photo :) We got to talking at her party and Shianne wanted to get me a pair. I told her I wanted to take her shopping for her birthday (that's our little thing we do) and of course I said we should totally go in these pj's (Shi was SO SO excited), she totally wants to do it....... I pinky swore, so she is getting me some of these and we are going to put our hair in pig tails and go shopping at the mall - oh boy this will be a riot! ya, we're silly - but I am with my niece having fun so who cares......

Those pic's will come soon, probably after the holiday's are over :)

Shianne "Sweet 16"

Happy sixteenth birthday TO MY "BEAUTIFUL NIECE" Shianne! Soon, now, you can drive and I hope everyday, from now on you feel oh- so alive....I hope this year is fun and I hope everything around the corner is looking out for you, Hun..... You mean so much too me and to see you grow into a young woman just brightens my day! You are a great niece, cousin, sister, daughter and friend, our love and kindness never ends...

On this day I wish you all the wonders in the world!

All the happiness in your eyes, all the stars in the sky....

On this day you turn sixteen, may each moment be a wonderful dream!

On this day believe in your wishes :) And may you have the perfect sixteen kisses

Shianne, I dedicate this post to you and wish you the BEST 16th birthday ever.. I had such a fun time with you at your "surprise" party that your mom planned, which she did such a fabulous job doing! Everything looked so perfect! The video was great of your face walking through that door! I know I wasn't there due to my work schedule, but watching that was priceless! You are do dang cute. I am super proud of you! Your an amazing person! Your dad would be SO SO proud of you and how well you are doing.... We all love you so much! As silly as a birthday poem in a card seems I want you to know what you mean to us, You are a true gift, so precious and rare, one of those true people that are so hard to find - Who is honest, caring and giving!!! You deserve the BEST! You are loved and admired by many!

Happy sweet 16

On this wonderful day I wanted to say

How much u mean to me

You’re the reason I smile

You’re the reason the sun rises

Today is your sixteenth birthday

And you couldn’t be more loved

Your kindness touches the hearts

of everyone you know

So to you my dearest friend Daughter, sister and niece

I wish you all the happiness

That comes with sweet sixteen

Fun with Grandpa......

Grandpa "Dave" came and got the girls with their cousin Sebastian. Dave had a fun filled day with all his grandkids... They told me they went to Golden Corral to eat and boy did they eat... the girls told me they had 2 or 3 plates - - - - - there belly's were super full :) They went to the mall and did some window shopping! The line for Santa was a mile long Kassidee said (LOL) she said probably not that long but it looked forever, so they decided to go play on the escalators! Dave said they probably went up and down over 20 times (ALLOT) they said, but had too much fun doing it. The lady that worked there was giggling, and told Dave they probably shouldn't do that but they are so dang cute to watch... Then they went to the play ground area they had and played and played and played! Grandpa Dave said he had a wonderful time with all 3 of them, got a chance to talk to each one individually. It was snowing outside so they decided to play outside for a bit, I think they got some dessert and came back. Thanks Dave for taking them - they had a blast :)

Snoopy House's.............

Kassidee and Maddison made some darn cute "Snoopy" Gingerbread houses..... Thanks to Magun and Emerson they had a ball hanging out! I had to work this day, Mitch was helping out Magun and Brandon frame their basement so the girls were over there while dad was working! Magun was awesome to the girls - they did alot of fun activities! They still talk about what they did and want to go back and play some more :) Thank you Magun and Emerson for everything you did for the girls, I really do appreciate you going out of your way...

2009 Pie Night @ Aunt Jo Jo's.....

It's been an awesome "Wood" tradition each year to have Pie night the day before Thanksgiving. Family and friends come each bringing a pie to share, from pumpkin, banana creme', cheesecake, pecan, cherry to chocolate moose.... While we catch up on life and talk about what we are thankful for we eat some delicious pies.... With it being a big family and everyone has kids, grandkids, great grandkids, aunts, uncles, cousins, inlaws. Some live out of town, and are traveling this day etc, not everyone can make the Thanksgiving dinner, but can make pie night so this gives us the opportunity to see some this night. Great laughs and moments are created and lots of memories to cherish!
Of course, after taking one picture my camera died because I apparently didn't realize it needed to be charged.... Oopsie! I hate when that happens :( Hopefully I can get copies of Aunt Jo Jo's.... So from left to right is Jody (my sister-in-law), me, Shannon and Nikki. Good times!!!!!!!

We stayed the night at Aunt Jo Jo's, easier to do that so we could get up and help start cooking the gobble gobble feast. So I have no photo's of Thanksgiving because I of course didn't have my camera charger. so I'll have to get any from Jody : ) Jody and Scott did an amazing job on Thanksgiving dinner, it was so delicious! I loved her apple stuffing.... (YUMMY) I'll for sure get that receipe. Scott and Mitch roasted walnuts over the fire, so good.... I am truly thankful to have such amazing family and friends in my life!

T for time to be together, turkey, talk, and tangy weather.

H for harvest stored away, home, and hearth, and holiday.

A for autumn's frosty art, and abundance in the heart.

N for neighbors, and November, nice things, new things to remember.

K for kitchen, kettles' croon, kith and kin expected soon.

S for sizzles, sights, and sounds, and something special that abounds.

That spells ~~~THANKS---for joy in living and a jolly good Thanksgiving.

Friends are like............

Friends are like flowers each unique in their own way,

put them all together what a wonderful bouquet.

Some are really brilliant full of light sharp and clear,

while other are more subdued to both you can adhere.

You are a flower in my garden that makes up my bouquet,

my friends you all make a very impressive display.

Friends are like balloons. Once you let them go, you can't get them back. Life is too short to wake up with regrets. Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy. They just promised it would be worth it.

Pink & Love......

Life can get kind of busy and we tend to fall behind, one being my postings but better late then never right... (LOL) The girls and I had a fun and enjoyable day with Janet and Jadyn the second weekend of November 2009.... Jaydn is so stinkin cute! I absolutley love her personality :) She is growing so fast and getting so big! The girls just ate her up, they played and played until she was pooped out. Jaydn is so lovable, gave so many hugs, love it!! I had a very nice time chatting with Janet and catching up on life! Absolutely adore Janet.... She is such an amazing friend to have. Does such a wonderful job being Jaydn's Grandmother! She's always been so good to my kids too! Holds a special part in my heart.... Look forward to seeing and hanging out again, and next time can't wait to see Jason and Jackie ( Jaydn's parents) also my dear and close friends who happened to be in Jamaica at the time on vacation -- good for you guys....

Great Friends........

Patricia and Greg are two amazing people..... I've always loved talking with them, especially Patricia! Her accent is adorable :) She is from New Zeland and so full of energy! They would come into Olive Garden to eat and became regulars! Kiely and I would take turns serving them depending on our schedules. We became so close with them that we'd do outside of work lunch dates, etc.. The girls absolutely loved them!! They treated my girls as if they were their own grand daughters :) They traveled allot, they came back from Paris and brought back some suvenyers! Her Daughter Haylee lives in Austraila and came to St George to visit, I absolutley LOVED her and she also gave us more suvenyers -

I love them so much and feel very honored to have them in our lives..... They were really sad the day I told them we were moving to Salt Lake, we all were in tears! They went out of their way and bought Kassidee and Maddison the cutest dang winter jackets because I hadn't bought them any yet, so she wanted to do that! It just brought tears to my eyes that she went out of her way, She has so much love and such a giving heart.... This was the last photo taken of all of us before we left. I told them we would keep in close contact through email and my blog....

Happy Halloween - Oct 09

Kassidee was gothic, her costume was pretty cool looking - Maddison was a green butterfly also very cute! The girls always love when they get to go pick out what they want to dress up as. Also the excitement of trick o treatin to get candy~ I was trying to talk them into taking the candy to the dentist - this year they were giving $2 a lb for candy, but they didn't want to! But what kid would (LOL).. The photo below with the cookies the girls made and wanted to take them to the employee's at my work "Olive Garden" for those who had work halloween night. So thoughtful, and they all loved every minute of it. They were very appreciative of the girls doing that, plus it made their night :)

Maddison at her halloween parade at school. They do it on the track which is pretty nice really! They play music and they walk around for everyone to see, it's not crowed but it can be cold. We had her halloween party as well, that was allot of fun! They had to take their costumes off after the morning parade so I was bummed that I wasn't able to take the class photo with all the kids in their costumes! The party was allot of fun, I am glad I got to help out. They did 4 centers and broke up the kids. One center was a spooky halloween story. The second center was halloween bingo, the third center was decorating sugar cookies, and the 4th center was making spider bracelets. Then they got to eat a halloween treat with punch after.

Kassidee also at her parade. They walk so fast around the track that you get a quick snapshot. It's so awesome to see all the fun costumes and the kids showing them off :) Kassidee's party was fun and entertaining. They had a contest on who could get all the gummy worms out of the whipped cream the fastest.They also had the donut eating contest using only your mouth to eat it off the string! They did a scary halloween story and played a few other games! It was a good time, I am glad I got to spend that time with them.

That Halloween night we went to my parents truck o treat activity and then trick o treating with some friends! My sister's family came too, and her girls were super cute! I loved seeing their costumes as well. I told the girls the louder you hell the more you'll get :) So guess what it happened and they did get allot more candy :) Even when we went through the neighborhood a few homeowners complimented and said "NOW THAT'S HOW YOUR SUPPOSED TO SAY IT" lol - It was allot of fun, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Every chance I get to spend and create memories I do it.

Carving Pumpkins 2009

October is always a fun month for us! The girls LOVE to carve pumpkins and bake the seeds to eat.... They love putting their pumpkins outside with candles in them for all the trick-o-treaters to see. They drew their faces and carved out part of them, Mitch and I helped with the rest. The cleaning out of the slim'ee and goo'ee insides they aren't too sure about, they always make Mitch do that part :) But this year they wanted to do it but only with gloves on (LOL) too cute right... It is always a nice treat for us to do these fun activities with our girls! Great bonding time and we love to watch their creativity and listen to all the fun stories! I love every moment of family time - I don't take one day for granted, and times like this create amazing memories to cherish....

School Carnival.....

The girls school had a carnival to earn money. It was allot of fun! They had bounce houses, rock climbing, games, activities, foods etc... We got the unlimited passes so the girls could ride and do all the games as much as they wanted. As you can see in one of the pictures below Maddison "LOVED" the bounce house slides.. She was jumping and rolling backwards doing flips. Ya she's not scared... Kassidee loved the rock wall. She wanted to do it over and over. The first time as you can see she did an amazing job, she even choose the hardest side. The girl said are you ready for a challenge and Kassidee said I can do it :) It was allot of fun, they saw allot of their friends so we let them go play with them. It's nice to go to these events because you meet new parents, talk with the teachers, neighbors and it's for a good cause!

Stehlie Farm - Harvest 2009

Our friends Chad and April invited us to go with them to Stehlie Farm. They had a corn maze, pumpkin patch, haunted house and kid playground filled with lots of activities. We went kind of late so we werent' able to see the pumpkin patch because it was already dark, the girls didn't want to go to the haunted house or corn maze - they didn't want to be scared, which was fine! So we decided to check out all the animals, swing on the BIG swings, and of course the playground that you can slide down into corn. It was the coolest slide until you lost something in it.(lol) It was super deep and Kera had flip flops on and we had to dig for them :) We finally found them and it was allot of fun playing in the corn... They had these other swings which we saddles and went in a circle and very fast - the girls loved them. They had a few play grounds they got to switch back and forth so they definitely wore themselves out. The girls were kind of sad because the face painting had just ended when we arrived. We should've done that first. I told them maybe we can go back before Halloween, but we've been super busy with making cookies and carving pumpkins that we've not been able to make it - with it being Halloween in 2 days the girls said they were ok if we could n't make it back just because we get to paint their faces for their costumes! I love doing things like this with the girls, we had a great time!

Froggy Friends -

Trying to get all caught up on my posts, this one is a fun story!! A couple weeks ago, we were sitting in the kitchen and Mitch was walking back to sit at the table and I saw a cute little frog jumping in between his legs - almost scared Mitch cause I was like watch out :) So we caught it and put it in a Tupperware container to show the girls the next morning, it was already late and they were in bed... Not even 30 minutes later I found another one sitting on the side of my couch! I am assuming from earlier when we had all the doors open from airing out the house and cleaning that they got inside because we are still wondering how they did get in. The girls woke up and the looks and actions were so dang cute! They were asking us how and where we found them, they wanted to know all the details. They said can we keep them, can we name them, oh how cute they are (hee hee). We looked up on line how to take care of them, and you needed an aquarium, certain lighting, food etc, and Maddison said she learned in school that frogs live better in their natural habitat (outside) ponds, it was cute. So we let the girls take them outside to let them free.

We miss you Ryan......

Last week I drove up with my mom over night to Salt Lake to take Kodi and Kellsie (Ryan's girls) home. My schedule worked out that I was able to go with her so she didn't have to drive by her self since my dad and sister had to work. It was very nice to spend that little quality time with her. Since I've been working alot of hours I don't get to talk as much, so it was nice to catch up! We got into town very late and got up early to pick up a few things, and we stopped at my brother's grave! It was a beautiful day! Put a few flowers and fall like decor on his stone. I know my brother know's we are there, you just get a strong feeling when you are sitting there. I miss Ryan allot and I know his kids and rest of the family do as well. I know he is watching over all of us..... There is not a day that goes by that we don't think about him~ he is very close to our hearts!

October 2009 Home Depot Workshop...

Nikki and Mytchell came down the first part of October for the weekend and it happened to be the first Saturday of the month which means "Home Depot Workshop"....
It became a tradition 13 months ago and they've loved it ever since! It's fun too when our family or friends come up and they get to go build stuff with Mitch, Kassidee and Maddison! This workshop was a bean bag toss, which is allot of fun to play. The girls still play the game, and I also asked Nikki if Mytchell does and she said yes too! They all did such a wonderful job painting. So creative! I love Home Depot for having these workshops, it's fun, it teaches kids how to build on their own, technique's, teaches creativity, independence, helping each other, bonding time and the BEST part it's all "FREE"... Can't get any better than that :) They look forward to the next time and get so excited.

Happy Birthday Sis..... Better late then never

We didn't delay the party, but I have for sure delayed the postings, (lol) My sister April's birthday was September 5th and as you can see I'm running a little behind with adding these colleges to my blog a month and a half later! :) We had a great time, it was actually a surprise to my sister! She thought we were all just getting together for a BBQ! Sneaky us got her a cake and some balloons, with Family, friends, cards and food :) She was really surprised and very happy that we celebrated her birthday this way! HAPPY 29th Sister........ The girls got a kick out of her blowing out the candles, she actually did an awesome job! ALL out in one try :) Yahoo -

My sister is an amazing person! Has allot of wonderful qualities, has a kind and loving heart, and is such a wonderful mommy! She is like having a best friend you can't get rid of, You know whatever you do, they'll still be there. Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship. True that :)

I hope you always know how much you mean to me, and what a wonderful sister you are.

Cancun Mexico 2009

Celebrating our 12 year anniversary in Cancun was very memorable! I don't think there are enough words to define the beauty and relaxation you feel once you arrive there. It was just beautiful... other than missing and being away from our girls, we didn't want to come home, but you know reality was waiting at home (ha ha). We definitely took FULL advantage of our all inclusive resort. We got spoiled, it was such a fabulous and just gorgeous trip..... the water was SO BLUE!! Still today I can't get over how blue and beautiful it is...... When we first arrived I went outside and it was like a perfect picture. It didn't look real, oh but it was very real!! The sand was so white and soft! We played in the ocean, the waves, which the water was very very salty!

We got our 4 tours for $75, which we went to a 90 min presentation (well worth it).. There were a total of 7 but we didn't have time for all of them. if we had 2 more days we could've done them all. We also got a day pass at Moon Palace and 2 spa treatments, that's where the presentation was!! Gorgeous Resort! First tour was ChiChen Itza, 7 wonders of the world in the Mayan Ruins. It was an all day event, 2 hours away. But we got food and drinks and tour bus with fabulous guides! It was an amazing experience! Just the history alone was well worth the tour, Mitch and I learned so much and couldn't believe the hand craft in these temples! Fasinating!!!! Then we came back and went to a show then drank some delicous MiaTia's... AGAIN :) I totally felt I consumed an ocean of alcohol - hee hee

Part of our all inclusive was 6 resturants, this one was called Marco Polo. It was a New York Steakhouse, which was very tasty... The desserts were a perfect size, bite size really but just enough to put that sweet sensation in your mouth. It was a great experience!!

The second tour was zip line "CAN YOU SAY FUN FUN FUN"........ yahoo, I wont' lie, I was a little scared at first. I've never done this before so I had butterflies in my tummy! The Tour guide was talking to me saying you'll have fun, don't worry be happy (then gives me a friendly push), after that I was like a kid, hanging upside down, letting go with my hands! Mitch was all for it right from the start.. That night we went to a Broadway show and again more drinking! (All inclusive resort, had to live it up) Everyday we played in the ocean and hung out by the pool. It was cool because they had a bar pool side,,,, we ate yummy foods!

Market 28 was a really fun experience, flea market and bargaining your price. We got a ton of souvenirs for cheap cheap! You basically played the game and won your price every time... Love it

"PARADISE" "BREATHTAKING"

I love you! Mitch wrote me this in the sand while we were down enjoying the beach/ocean together! Mitch is the "BEST" husband ever, I can't express enough how much I love and appreciate this man, Its endless! He does so much for me and his family! I had a phenominal and memorable time with him in Cancun... I am honored to be his wife and to be by his side. We bond each and every day with our marriage, our life, our kids etc.. Cancun put a special bond in Mitch' and I that only him and I will know and can keep sacred! Thank you honey.....

The sunrise was fabulous! We didn't get to see a sunset really because the clouds would cover it everytime...

These pictures were part of our resort.. One night after our show we went for a walk on the beach and then checked out our resort. Very big! Lots of lights.... I loved all the courtyards!

The 3rd tour was a jungle tour which we got to drive our own boats into the ocean to a coral reef and snorkel... AWESOME! Loved that one because we felt like we were at home, on the lake just a bigger version.. The fish weren't too big though or bright, so you really had to look for them. it was a fun experience, because I've never snorkeled.. Then we went to another comedy show then drank some more......"Imagine that", You'll hear that allot :)

We filled little bottles that we got in our room fridge with sand and seashells for the girls. (THEY LOVED IT)... We couldn't take them so we brought it home to them.

The 4th tour was wet n wild. Kind of like raging waters, but with a dolphin perk! I just took pictures, because when we went I couldn't swim with them, next time though! ALL around it was a great time, very relaxing, very accommodating, got waiting on hand and foot. All the staff spoke bilingual so it was nice for everyone! Loved it and there is SO much to do there that we look forward to going back!