Before and After...

K, so I know you have all seen these pictures of Ellie in the orange shirt, but they are the only ones I could find that showed just how long her hair really was. So we will call this her BEFORE.

And now here is my sweet little Ellie's AFTER, with the story behind the hair cut. We had to make a quick trip to Southern Utah due to my mom getting very sick and having to under go emergency surgery. Well, on Sunday I went to visit mom in the Hospital with Stephanie, and I left the kids with Ray at dad's house. Well, when I got home I found that Brandi, who has been begging us to let her cut Ellie's hair. Well when I got home, Brandi was there, and she had cut it. But, a bit much shorter than I had hoped. I said it could be cut but not above the shoulders, and not in an A-Line cut. (I am just not real fond of the A-Line, and am not quite sure how to style this type of hair). Anyway, the hair style is growing on me, and I figure since there is not much I can do about it, I will just be happy with it until it grows out agiain. :)

Anyway here are the cute after pictures I took tonight.

Happy Birthday Alex...

I have been thinking a lot about a very special little boy today, and although I am posting this late, it doesn't mean that he hasn't been on my mind all day. I love, and miss you Alex. You will always be my first great nephew, and the memories I have of time spent with you will always hold a very special place in my heart. I LOVE AND MISS YOU...

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY ALEX!!!!

All I want for Christmas is....

We went to see Santa at Rays work, and the kids were really excited.
They hired him to come in and visit with just the employees families,

and my kids got to spend lots of one on one time with him.

Jake couldn't get enough of Santa, he talked, and talked, and talked his ear off. And he had to ask Santa what each item of clothing was, and where his deer were. :) Jake wanted to show everyone how pity our tree is, and let you know he did it himself. (not really, but he thinks so). This picture I added cause I thought it was so cute. Jake kept kissing Ray, and then saying thanks dad for take me to see Santa. (Over and over again) Now how precious is that??? :)
And this picture was just funny. Notice how many fingers Santa has up. He was asking Ellie if she was 3 years old. We quickly said nope she is 6, and both Santa and the old lady who was taking pictures said at the same time- Are you sure? Ray and I both said YUP... Ellie was not to impressed with him for a bit. He quickly apologized. ha ha

This is it...

I was telling Melanie that I had seen her baby online, and that he was such a cutie, and she was wondering what I was talking about. So, I told her that Rachel had a picture of Tra online. So I decided to put the picture on my blog so Mel could see it, since she couldn't get on Rachels.

So, this is the one I was telling you about. Aint it sweet? Ellie loves that smile :)

Candy Recipe Search...

Hello Family & Friends,
Ellie asked me this evening if we could make Christmas candies because her friends are making them with their moms. Well, this puts me on the spot because I don't bake goodies, EVER. So, this is where you all come in. If you visit my blog, and you have some extra time, would you be willing to give me your favorite Christmas candy recipe? I thank you in advance, and so does Ellie. And, I promise that if you leave the recipe we will give it a try, and Ellie will take some to school for her class to try... :) Thanks much.

Getting excited for Christmas

This morning Ellie woke up asking how many more days there was until Christmas. I quickly responded 18. She then gasped, and said holy cow that doesn't give me much time to finish my shopping does it (like she is this adult with a list full of gifts to buy on Christmas Eve). Anyway, when I asked her who she needed to buy gifts for she looked at me with this look like I was maybe a bit of an idiot, and then took a big breath and said--- Shaneal, Makenzie, Lizzy, Julia, Danielle, Hope, Taylee, Breely, Jade, Halena, Alexia, Naomi, Issa, Kyla, Weston, Sam, Leuban, Teagan, Nathan, Jared, and the list went on and on. I then preceded to explain to her that she could choose 6 friends to buy gifts for, and that she needed to be willing to earn money for the gifts she wants to buy. She wasn't to thrilled with the need to earn the money, but said she will do it cause she wants to buy the gifts, so wish her luck in earning the hundreds and hundreds of dollars as she put it, to buy these friends' gifts. Good Luck Ellie....

Ice Skating Fun...

Kortney, Ellie, Tyler, Ryan and Jake (the boy in front just got in the way of the picture) :)
Kelci posing big for a quick picture.
Aunt Terra and Tymber doing tricks on the ice.
There goes the James Family. LtoR
Naomi, John, Kenny, Tracey, and then Gloria in the light blue beeny cap.
Harlee all bundled up enjoying the day.

Ellie, happy she is standing on her own.






















Jake having fun with Whitney on the ice.
Jake posing for a picture with aunt Jackie
Uncle Pat, Ellie and Kortney, having fun out on the ice.
Ellie finally got the hang of it a little bit, and was able to get out there and skate on her own.


We went Ice Skating on Saturday with family from Southern Utah, then from there we went to dinner and then to Temple Square to see the Christmas Lights. Ellie and Jake absolutely loved every moment of the day, ( I take that back,) they enjoyed almost every moment of the day, they both cried when it was time to leave cousins behind, and head for home. Anyway, here are some pictures of my kids ice skating, and some pictures of them with their cousins. All in all it was a pretty fun day, spent with family. A day my kids will remember for a very long time. :)