Christmas Card!

Do you remember how I won those cards from freshly squeezed designs? Well I just got them yesterday so I frantically put them in the mail yesterday so hopefully everyone gets one before Christmas...

If not Here are the 2 cards I did this year...







Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! See you in the new year!

Christmas Pictures 2009

More pictures... I know can you believe it?





Justin was not happy about my props!

Santa

Someone saw Santa....

Look how cute the picture is... I made it look like a polaroid.



On his list...

a green Chick
Max and Ruby
Milk (yes the milk you drink)LOL I'm still laughing
Oranges
Dinosaurs


Pretty simple list wouldn't you say?

~Thankful~

I saw this doodle on the homegrown hosp. blog and thought that it was a nice quote.

I'm filled with a thankful heart. With the passing of thanksgiving, with family surrounding me, it's hard not to be thankful. My family means more to me than anything else in this world and I'd do anything for them. Even though life isn't perfect and we all have challenges and struggles, we are so blessed in so many ways. I am so thankful, for my life, my husband and children. I'm so thankful for Justin's job and how he can provide for our family. I'm so blessed to have everyone that I love healthy and happy, for our home, for the comforts we enjoy. I'm so thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and for His Atonement, and to a loving Heavenly Father who gives us all these blessings and more, and for the peace and direction it gives us. I love Thanksgiving. Not just because mashed potatoes are my favorite food, but because it gives you the chance to think about what you are thankful for.

I'm also thankful for the black Friday deals... without them, I wouldn't have been able to afford my Christmas present... my Kitchen aid stand mixer!

{Can you tell I'm excited?}

Nora Emeline

Do to the fact that my email box is full with questions I decided to do a post about our daughter. The reason that I haven't done a post is because even though this is sad, it's happy too and I want people to focus more on the happy things.

I've decided to just post the email(s) I sent to my family to make it a little easier on me.

Email (1)
We've realized many of you would like to know "the latest" but don't want to bug us, so I'm writing this letter to keep you updated. Please know you can ask us how we are doing without offending us and we'll share as much information as we are comfortable with.

Most of you know we are expecting a baby in March. A week ago we found out that our baby ended up with an extra chromosome (Trisomy or turner syndrome), which has wrecked havoc on His/Her tiny body. This extra chromosome means that every cell in His/Her body has extra information encoded into it. The extra information causes confusion in the way that the cells were formed and results in the potential malformation of all of the body systems. Just like with any Trisomy, there is a wide range of how this condition will play out. Unfortunately, because the heart rate is only at 50 beats per minute instead of the 140-160 range, the severity of this condition is greater. Less 5% of babies with both these conditions will survive past birth.

We have a less than 10% chance of carrying him/her to term and if born alive, we may have 5 minutes, 5 hours, or 5 days.

In The Church Handbook of Instructions it states that abortion may be performed in the following circumstances: pregnancy resulting from rape or incest; a competent physician says the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy; or a competent physician says that the "fetus" has severe defects that will not allow the "baby" to survive beyond birth. In any case, the persons responsible must first consult with their church leader and receive God’s approval in prayer. We have met with our Bishop and we will meet with him again in a few days. We were really struggling with what our answer was from the Lord. Some days we would feel one thing and the next day it was different. Justin and I feel that we know what our answer is, but will not make a decision until we have met with our Bishop and see what his council is. You will all find out our answer as soon as we confirm it with our Bishop. So please be patient with us on that subject.

We love you and are so grateful for your love, support, family fasts and prayers! We truly have felt them.


Email (2)
We wanted to thank you all so much for your words of support and prayers, we have truly felt them.
After our meeting with the Bishop I am glad to say he got the answer we did... not to terminate. Life is a gift, and if God doesn't see fit to grant this pregnancy long term, that's his prerogative. We can't interfere with a little helpless life. It is not our decision to make. We feel like we should do everything we can to get her here, and what ever happens after we try our best, happens. As the Mother and wife, I can't live with myself and wonder if our little baby would have made it to childbirth alive, had we not terminated the pregnancy. That's a sobering concept to live with for
the rest of your life. We've decided to give our little baby every chance to live.
We have learned a lot by reading other people's blogs. They are filled with excellent advice and it also has given us a preview of what we can expect. There is no way to prepare for what lies ahead, but we know we have to do our best. I love carrying this little baby and try to treasure all her movements. Each time she kicks I think, "Kick harder!" We have felt a deep sense of peace and at times are sad and cry, but we are okay. We believe the hardest time will come later. Right now we're preparing to say our hello’s and goodbyes.
I have been wondering about how to pray throughout this experience. Do I pray for her to be okay? Do I just pray to be able to accept God's will? Is praying for her to live and be okay selfish of me? After I thought about that my answer came when I realized that even the Savior asked for the cup to be removed before he accepted and carried out the final act of the atonement. I know that I can pray for my desire, and it IS okay to let Heavenly Father know what I want. I also have the faith to accept His will, and I pray for the courage to be able to endure whatever may come. I feel the peace that I know has only come through the Holy Ghost and I know I will feel the sustaining help of this peace throughout the remainder of this pregnancy. I know this is Heavenly Fathers will, and I have a firm testimony of the power of the Comforter. Because sometimes that's all we get is comfort. Sometimes the trials don't get better, sometimes the ending is horribly difficult, but with the Comforter, I know we CAN do it.


Email(3)
Even though this is hard, Heavenly Father is with us and we feel his comfort. (Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9)

Justin has been the most amazing husband throughout this entire process. Even when I am uncontrollably sad, he continues to get up each day to love me and Beckham. Without this brave man at my side I would not be able to walk this journey. He loves me so well and I can only hope I am loving him well too. We are so thankful for the gift of time we had with our precious baby and look back on this with no regrets. Hopefully someday we will be able to help someone else as they walk the painful journey of saying goodbye to their child….much too soon. In the past year our lives have been filled with such a wide range of emotions. Grief is a process that never really comes to a close….but with the power of the Comforter I know we can do it. I need to just be patient and one day we won’t have this pain. (Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days. D&C 24:8)
We have given our daughter the name Nora Emeline after her great grandmothers Elnora Jean Johnsen and Margie Emeline Pierce. We know that they together, along with Heavenly Father, will watch after our baby until we are with her again. The funny thing is that both grandmothers hated their names Elnora and Emeline. Maybe they’ll like them now. Nora’s name means a lot to us, our families mean a lot to us. Ever since I was little I’ve carried around a blanket that Elnora made. I like to think that she made it for me, but I was still in Heaven when she made it. All my life when I’ve needed comfort, I’d turn to my blanket. I always think that it’s her comforting me. She has been there for me always and I know that she’ll be there for me now when I need her the most, to look out after Nora while we’re apart. I had the privilege to know Margie “Emeline” while she was on this earth. She was someone who could brighten your day just by being in the same room as her. She always put her family first and always had a hug to give you. I’ll never forget the last time we saw her during this life. She was so weak and frail; and I remember thinking that if I hugged her she’d collapse. But when I hugged her for the last time she whispered... “I love you, see you soon” When I had to say goodbye to Nora, I whispered.. “I love you, see you soon” God has a plan for all of us, and even though I don’t fully understand this now, some day I will.

Nora, like a shooting star, you’ve passed through our lives pausing briefly to illuminate our lives. Although you were here but a moment, you have placed a mark upon our hearts that will last forever. Thank you for your courage Nora, the example your short life gave. For the Savior called and you were found ready. Let your example be a reminder to us all.


I know what you are doing... stop crying! Okay, you can do what I do and allow yourself to cry for a few minutes but then you have to stop! You see, we've prayed and prayed over the last 2 years for another baby. With all of our losses I knew that there was another spirit waiting. Nora is an answer to our prayers. Even though we don't get to raise her in this life... we will someday. Even though sometimes I think why me? I'm not strong enough, I will know someday.

We have been blessed with (2) children and I know that we will have more... just need to have faith and patience. Remember that Heavenly Father knows and wants what's best for us. He won't put us through something we can't handle. Even though this is really hard some days.

So on that note... here is the announcement we sent to a few people.

Freshly squeezed Designs

So I entered in a contest not thinking that I'd win and guess what I did! I won 50 free holiday cards! From a company called Freshly Squeezed Designs

Their pricing is pretty good and the cards are adorable so you must check 'em out!

Deals of the Day...

So I've been trying to catch up on some work, but instead, I was blog surfing all this morning and found 2 great deals~

I'll start with UP! So we've never seen the movie until last night and Beckham LOVED this movie... the first 5 minutes were kinda sad but after that it was laughs and giggles.



So today I went to good old Target and they have the UP Blu-ray & DVD combo pack on sale for $19.99 (My store wasn't marked at this price, it was marked at $34.99, so definitely have it price checked... the worker there said that they hadn't gotten around to posting up the sales yet). Plus, some of the combo packs actually have a FREE UP Adventure Journal attached to them!

Then when you use the $10/1 off coupon from here you score the UP Blu-ray combo pack and journal for just $9.99!

If you're not a Blu-ray family like us, the regular DVD price was $15.00 (I think) so you get the DVD and Journal for $5.00! How can you pass that UP?



Next is BATH & BODY WORKS



Thru November 15th, Bath & Body Works has all their Anti-Bacterial Moisturizing Hand Soap (8 oz) on sale 4 for $10. They've got some great new holiday scents available too. Plus, you can combine this great sale with the $10 off $30 coupon available to really come out ahead!

So I got all my soaps for next year and this is what it cost me
12 Anti-Bacterial Soaps for $30
Use the $10 off $30 coupon
Final cost 12 soaps for $20--just $1.67 each!


But that's not all, when I went to the store today they had another sale going on...




So I bought 2 body lotions and 1 shower gel and got 2 other items of my choice free. Plus, you can again combine this great sale with the $10 off $30 coupon available to really come out ahead!

Then on top of that, if you buy anything in their new scent Twilight Woods (which I did, I bought 3) they have a Buy one get one free attached to each bottle. So I got another 3 free items.

As I'm thinkin about it now, I should have bought 3 Twilight Woods and got 2 more free (with their sale going on)... then I could have gotten 5 free items using the coupons attached to the bottles.

So I got some great lotions and body wash and this is what it cost me
1 Body wash for $10.50
2 Body Lotions $21.00
Use the $10 off $30 coupon
Final cost for total of 8 signature collection items (regularly $10.50 ea.) just $22 That's $2.75 each! rather than $10.50! Can I getta Whoot Whoot?



Just be sure and do 2 seperate transactions if you're wanting both deals. ;)

Home Tips

I saw these on a website and I've been searching for hours to find the site and I can't, so yeah I'm sorry. But here are some great tips that I thought would be helpful to some of my gals out there.


A sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed.(hmmmmmm...)============================================

Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.

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For icy door steps in freezing temperatures:get warm water and put Dawn dish washing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze. (wish I had known this for the last 40 years!)============================================

To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for a few hours. Then take the candle holder out and turn it upside down The wax will fall out.=========================================

Crayon marks on walls?This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped in baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is!).

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Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receiptBLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.========================================

Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. Now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the s cissors get 'sharpened'' this way!=========================================

Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works every time! (Now, where to put the body?) LOL==================================

Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks. Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash windows on a sunny day. They will dry t oo quickly an d will probably streak.============================================

Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on.============================================

Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels and linen.=============================================

Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the free zerfor at least 3hours prior to burning.=============================================

To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!=============================================

To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove top.==============================================

Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spraybefore pouring in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.=============================================

Wrap celery in aluminum foilwhen putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.=============================================

When boiling corn on the cob,add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.=============================================

Cure for headaches:Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on yourforehead. The throbbing will go away.=============================================

To get rid of itch from mosquito bites,try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.=============================================

Ants, ants, ants everywhere ...Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So, get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.============================================

Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.============================================

When you get a splinter,reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, and then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.=====================================

Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer.......Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China ..============================================

Clean a vase.To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.==================

Polish jewelry.Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse thejewelry for two minutes.=============================================

Clean a thermos bottle.Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak or an hour (or longer, if necessary). ================================== ===========

Unclog a drain.Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down thedrain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, and then run the hot water.=============================================

Yep, Pictures again!

So people ask me how I get Beckham to smile, it's simple... Practice, Practice, Practice! Whenever we go and take pictures we usually are backwards from everyone else and let the kids play around for a few minutes to get them loose! As you can see with this picture Beck was just being him and having fun! A lot of my favorite pictures are candid ones!



After a few minutes of playing we start asking him to look at us! Then when that dies down we start telling him to smile. This is what has worked for us so hopefully you can find something that works for you. Just remember to try and always make taking pictures fun! Because if it's not fun, you're in for a long frustrating experience.



What a cute shot huh? Just my boys being how they always are... cute!



This spot we went to is a gem! I seriously loved it!



Special thanks to Aunt Jenny, our photographer when we want pictures of us, she's amazing. Justin and I might have to hire her!

Jennifer...

I've been thinking about my little sister a lot and how she has been there for me lately so I did a page about the first time I got to see her. Something that I will always remember and cherish.



The kit I used to create this page is from gg digital designs. http://ggdigitaldesigns.com/cart/

Hope

SO so so SO Mad!

So we all know that I like The twilight series... well I'm a big movie junkie too. So I always sign up for the email they send out the day before they put tickets on sale. But this time I didn't get it! Yeah, so today I was just thinking that Justin and I haven't been to a movie so I thought we could go. Then BAM... guess what I saw...

"Breaking news: New Moon Tickets on sale now"

So I'm freaking out going through all of the movie times and EVERYTHING is SOLD OUT. The only thing they had open was the Junction at 3:00 am. Lame! or I can spend 2 days at the Layton theater waiting in line and hope I get a good seat. So instead... for the first time ever... I'm going the next day at 7:00pm!

But there is good news... Justin said, "Babe I'll go with you and be your date" So that made me feel better. Love you sweetie...


I'm still way mad about my email though! GGGGggggrrrrr!!!


Also if you haven't seen the new trailer, check it out!

Back to school!

My son isn't old enough for school yet, but I still love the season!

Is it just me or does anyone else have a fetish with the smell of new crayons and freshly sharpened pencils? I get giddy when I see the big box of crayons on sale and all the new stylish folders. I think I am this way because of my mom. She would always get us a new outfit for everyday of the first week of school. She always made sure we had new shoes, socks, underwear, etc. It was my little "pre-Christmas" I always said. Don't even get me started on lunch boxes either... when I was in school this is what they had and now look at these cool ones with all of the different sides that are separated.
So any who, thanks mom for getting me to love school so much when I was younger. It has seriously made an important impact on my life. I miss it and can't wait to do the same thing for Beckham.

For all of the women in my life!

Lately a few of the women in my life have been down and depressed. This will make you feel better! I love you and appreciate all that you do for me! And I'm not just talking about my mothers or grandmothers, I'm also talking about my dear friends!

Harry Potter!

Yes... it was last night, I mean early this morning! lol. You can tell how excited Justin is in these pictures to be wearing glasses which I made him wear. So I read to see how much money it made just for the midnight show and it made an astounding $20 million again just for the midnight show last night/I mean this morning! Can you believe it? WOW





To be honest though, being a real HP fan I was so disappointed in this movie. It was nothing like the book and it definitely missed a lot of information that is almost vital in understanding the 7th book. There were so many things left out: the huge fight at Hogwarts at the end of the book, it wasn't even shown or let alone mentioned: the loved and hated characters getting killed: Fawks singing at the funeral: the movie also left out the life of Voldemort and how he became dark: the scene with Harry and Ginny was not correct and I liked the books version better: Also the death of Dumbledore was poorly betrayed because he didn't act like he was dying from the poison he drank from the cave, and also Harry wasn't forzen under the invisibility cloak. Instead he hid under the stair well. Which in my opinion he'd never just stand there and watch him die like that. This was definitely the only HP movie that was not as good or better than the book. The loss of so many loved characters that was not even put in this movie was a huge mistake. Hopefully the movies stick more to the books and are as dark and creepy as the books are.

Yellowstone!

Here is the forever long post about Yellowstone...
(the pictures are backwards in order but I didn't want to change them all so sorry)

Whenever we go to Yellowstone we always do old time pictures and thie is Beck's mean face lol.



And the one of us..



We saw a grizzly bear! So cool!



We went to the Bar-J Wranglers, if you haven't been you MUST go.. this is one of the favorite things I love about going to Yellowstone!



I also enjoy Jackson Hole and the boardwalk shops.



Antler Arch is always cool



I enjoy the Grand Tetons more than Yellowstone... just look at this view...



IF the other view didn't get ya look at this!



SO cute~



Our little ranger



This picture is so funny cause we look 17!



It took us an hour to pass this Bison



This shot was so cool, it was dark coulds in the sky but everything else looked like it was a sunny day!



This is also one of my favortie things to see in yellowstone cause you can drive right up next to it... no walking or hiking! lol



See the little black dot left of my ear... that's a baby black bear!



I think this one is the mom



and the other baby bear



Yellowstone waterfall



This tree was so cool it's hard to tell but it fell over and ws still alive and growing... you could see and touch all of the roots!



Yellowstone water fall again! look at my hair... ha ha ha ha



What a cool pic huh?



we also saw elk close up that was cool.. We also saw an elk give birth but I didn't take any pictures cause it was really National Geographic. and I wouldn't want people to take pictures of me down there if I was delivering a baby.