Rust Colored Skinnies

 I'll start off by saying I'm no fashionista, and I most definitely need to clean my hallway mirrors!! My awesome mom picked me up some rust colored skinny jeans the other day from Bella Me. The only skinny jeans I own are denim ones that I picked up years ago (from savers for $3), it was a super purchase because I still wear them today. I thought of googling what to wear with these rust colored beauties, but instead I picked out what colors I thought would work and it turned out pretty well. So if you, yourself own some of these skinny jeans maybe this will help you figure out what to pair with it.

 Chunky silver buckle belt, medium brown pumps, denim cardigan, with cream blouse and chunky cream necklace. The necklace is something I don't wear enough, my little brother brought it back from his mission in South Africa for me, I love it but I have a hard time pairing it with things.

So what do you think?

Christmas and a Six month old

We dont know how to use the panorama correctly :)

look how awesome we are at getting a picture of all three kids. lol.

They've been rowing laundry boats for at least a year now, I thought I should take a pic before they determine its no longer fun.

My baby is six months today! It has truly flown by, babies grow up too fast. He is a pretty good sleeper for me, he usually goes to bed around 8:30-9 and then wakes up at 6 or 7 to eat, and if I'm lucky I can get him back to sleep again. He is a little mover, he currently army crawls pulling with his left arm while he tries to reach or grab things with his right. He sometimes rocks on his hands and knees and it wont be long till he is also crawling that way. When he is awake he is almost always moving, and if I were to guess he will be busier than his older brother who is extremely busy (heaven help me!). He has a much happier disposition than he started out with, but he is also a completely different individual than my last two. For the most part he is content with exploring the floor and loves his and Konnor's room upstairs with all the toys. I'm still wondering what his haircolor will be, he seems to have all sorts of colors growing out of his noggin so it should be calico... like a cat! I love him and the added craziness he brings to our household!

Good Neighbors

We've had a sick week, low grade fevers, ear infections for everyone 5 and under, coughs and runny noses/ head aches for everyone.
 Two Fridays ago is when Makayla started with the croupy cough and later that night she had a nice fever, that day Konnor was seen playing with the thermometer and it has been MIA ever since. I went to the neighbors to borrow their thermometer at around 9 or 10 pm and they were so nice to let us borrow it. A couple days later Konnor was doing the same thing as Makayla as far as cough and runny noses goes and then Makayla was crying because her ear hurt. That day Makayla and Konnor went to see the doctor (I guess it was a mad house, I sent Jared while I stayed home with the baby) we learned that Makayla did have an ear infection and Konnor had a double ear infection. They both tested negative for the flu thank goodness.
I was hoping to keep Beckam well, but he was the last to pick up the cough and runny nose. Really early this morning he woke up and his sad cry was one that was more of pain than need of attention. I gave him some Motrin and really tossed around the idea of waiting it out or taking him in, but when even a burp made him bawl I decided that it was better that we get him started on an antibiotic soon and give him real relief. So at the lovely hour of 4 am and the temperature of 5 degrees we went to the Brigham City E.R. Lucky for me it was a quiet morning in the E.R. and we were attended to quickly. Beckam was cheerful, (thanks to the Motrin) with the nurse and Dr and sure enough he did have an ear infection. We took the day off from church today, I wasn't feeling too bad but baby needed me home and I was in no way able to get ready for 9:00 church. Shortly before 9 I read that my friend's husband passed away in his sleep yesterday, and I have been broken hearted and weepy ever since. My kind neighbors not knowing the night, week, or day I've been having just brought over some biscuits and a ravioli soup; but that is just how they are, they are just like extended family who are cute with my kids and out in acts of service constantly. We had good neighbors in our old neighborhood too, neighbors that always seem to be about our Father's work, answering silent prayers and giving of their time and self.

old year, new year

The 2012 year is drawing to a close and lucky for me I have many wonderful things that both me and my little family have been blessed with during this year. We were able to sell our home in Ogden and move to Brigham City; to a home that offers us a little more space and a safer feel for a neighborhood. We got to welcome a new addition to our family, our sweet son Beckam. Jared amazingly enough finished his drafting classes at the OWATC, he still needs to test to get his certificate but I guess its just baby steps (ugh). We got to ride yet another roller coaster ride called "employment" this past year with Jared being hired at a great job, laid off, hired at another job, and then being "re-hired" at the old great job with a completely new position. I know that the Lord has had his hand in the whole processes and we've ended up where I feel like He wanted us to be (and were so blessed for it). I am impressed with my daughters Kindergarten teacher and her school, she is doing fantastic with her reading, I know I couldn't read as much as she does at her age, and I completely cannot take any credit for it. So over all its been a really great year for us.
I have some big and small goals for our family in the new year and years to come hopefully. I'd like to begin getting us out of debt (again) and if I follow my plan we could be "debt-free" in 3 years (other than our home). Unfortunately we have two car payments, our dear truck bit the dust and we decided that we couldn't live with one car and bought another. I've built a budget that allows Jared to get gas to go to work, and us to have some money for groceries, diapers and then what we put on debt. The rest of our money goes toward all our bills and tithes. I'd like to pay off our smallest debt first and then snowball that money onto our next debt and so forth. Its very simple and I'm hoping that it will at least give me piece of mind.
I understand that there are a great many people who get depressed after the holidays, I honestly feel relieved after the holidays. It is incredibly stressful to make sure every one's gifts are accounted for, and the cost of it all even when your trying to be as conservative as possible still seems to bite. I see pins on pinterest that challenge people to do a no spend month, I feel like I live a "no spend month" so when Christmas passes I truly have a mess on my hands. So what would be a better way to start out the year than an enormous challenge of getting out of debt.
I'd also like to make over the way me and my family eat, so I am trying to incorporate more greens into our diet via smoothies in the morning. I'm trying to give up on juice itself and replace it with milk, water or a blended smoothie with fruits and the like. My daughter hates milk and I'm not entirely sure how that came about because she used to drink it just fine, so part of me thinks that I've allowed her to have so much juice and its obviously more tasty than milk so that's why she chooses not to drink it. She does drink water, and probably drinks the most water out of all of us. Over all I would like us to have more of a whole foods diet, and ultimately get rid of most of our processed foods and replace them with a healthy, safer alternative. Whats your goals?

Holiday Rut

Only 14 more days till Christmas and I am already tuckered out. I have 3 more people on my list to shop for and they're all the hardest ones to do so. I still need to get Jared something, my in laws something and my parents something, Ugh. I swear it would be easier if I was loaded but that is never the case so I'm trying to find a crafty gift for both my parents and in laws. I just picture my MIL turning up her nose to everything I think of and that doesn't help me all that much.. November I was doing good hammering out my projects but December has been a drag, my prime time for getting things done (at night) finds me wanting to sit on the couch and do NOTHING. I get so much done in the morning I just need to figure out a way to do stuff then. I'm thinking about making the rachel ray style oven mitts for my family, (they have one oven mitt to their name, and I made them purchase it because they had none), I broke their hand mixer a couple years back and my mom has yet to replace it so I may add that to my list with a treat they can just pop in the oven. But his family is sooo hard, I'm thinking about making a thing of frozen cookie dough balls that they can just pop in the oven and perhaps a wreath I'll probably print our newest family picture for them to update the one that they have also. I plan on making Jared a sports blanket, its gonna cost a fortune for just a blanket but he's been wanting one for a long time now other than that I'm really not sure what to get him. I wish I could give him (and me) a night out at a nice hotel, but that's not in the cards for this year. Now to find the motivation to get it all done before I really don't have time...

Family Picture Time

 Today we braved the bitter cold (34 degrees) to get some family pictures taken for both our home and Christmas card. My sister was our photographer and did a great job, after we were all done she let us all know that she was never going to have 3 kids :). The kids really did great for how freezing it was. We all left our coats on, so my fussing over what everyone was going to wear really didn't matter. We took the pictures at Union Station, which is also the place were Jared and I originally met, so I guess it has some significance. Out of about 200-300 pictures these were what I chose to be the winning shots, although the others certainly were amusing. I edited these in ipiccy if you are curious but I am not an expert at these things so if I've done it all wrong I wouldn't be suprised.

I have a happy baby

This is such a funny video, I love it when babies laugh and Beckam is finding his voice and its too cute.