Day 3- A Picnic

We soaked up as much sun as possible at Wasatch State Park with Grandma and Grandpa Kaiserman, Jenn, James, Alli, Miles and baby John.  Chili picnics in November are a special treat.

Day 2- Work

I may complain about my job sometimes, but working as a server at the Claim Jumper has allowed me to make the maximum amount of money with the minimum amount of time spent away from my family- and that is very important to me.

Plus, it's good for a laugh on occasion- like when you get an IOU for a tip.

If anyone knows Pete, will you tell him that he owes me money?  Thanks.

The Gratitude Project- Day 1

The older I get, the more I love the Thanksgiving holiday.  I used to think of it as the kick off to Christmas, but it's totally different now.  I love this month for what it is- a month of gratitude.  A month to praise God and thank Him for the countless things He's given me.

Last year I tried to take a picture of what I was most thankful for that day, and I'm going to do my best to keep this a tradition.  This year I may not post a picture every day, but there will always be something named specifically.

Today I began preparations for my lesson I will be giving at the end of the month.  As I was reading the talk I'm to present, I was overwhelmed with how blessed I am to have a testimony.  So many people struggle and doubt, but I have been blessed with this knowledge from a very early age.  My testimony has grown so much over the years, but the basics have remained the same:  I know we have a loving Father in Heaven who sent us here with a plan for our own salvation and happiness, I know we have a Savior, Jesus Christ, who saved our souls and will comfort us at any time if we ask Him to, and I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the fulness of His gospel on the earth today.

This testimony is one of my greatest treasures, and one of my greatest blessings.

Halloween 2012

Wilson Spooks

I looooooove Halloween.  It coincides with how I only like the Shakespeare tragedies where everybody dies, and the fact that I could watch horror movies or Dateline Mystery for days on end.  It's my dark side.

One day of dressing up isn't enough, so the past couple of years I've planned a Halloween party with my family.  Besides the costumes on the kids AND adults, the highlight of the night was the scary story I told the kids where they got to feel the eyeballs, hair, veins, heart and warts of my dead witchy sister "Morticia" that was ripped apart by a werewolf.  It was such a fun way to kick off the holiday season!

Snow is Magic

Baby Sister

Going to the ultrasound with the family at Fetal Fotos was so much fun.  Before we went I showed them pictures and a short video of an ultrasound online so that the kids knew what we were going to be looking at.  I think it helped them understand a lot, and at the appointment even Annie was able to pick out her little feet.

These first shots of our baby are so precious.  I look at them all the time and it makes me even more excited to meet her in a few months.

A girl!  We're really having a girl.  We're so lucky.

Happy

Over the last couple of days I have realized how happy I am.  We found out two days ago that we will be having our second little girl join our family.  The news was a little bit shocking at first- I was certain it was a boy- but the news has brought us so much joy already.  Knowing the gender of the baby always makes it more real for us; calling her a "she" and talking about all of the things we can't wait to teach baby sister about makes her a real part of our family.

When I was in junior high I remember frequently being asked the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  The answer came out "teacher", but I always knew that more than anything I just wanted to be a mom.

Here I am.  28 years old, 2 beautiful children and one on the way, and I am living my dream.  I realized that Dallas could go to school for the rest of our lives, I may never have an iPhone, I may only visit the Alps and Hawaii through a friend's blog, we could always drive old cars with creaky struts and squeaky brakes, and live in this apartment with a 10x10 back yard, and you know what?  I would be happy forever.  Heavenly Father has blessed me with those things that are most important:  Family, friends, and a testimony of my Savior, Jesus Christ, and his true and everlasting Gospel.

I am happy because I know there is nothing else that I need.  And I am so, so thankful.

I'm a tooting dragon princess!

Family Photos

Dallas couldn't understand why I wanted to get family pictures this fall when in only a few months from now they would be outdated.  I just wanted so badly to capture our family how it is NOW.  Everything will be changing, but I love our little family of four, and I wanted to remember what it was like- just four of us.

So, we compromised.  This time I took our pictures with the help of a self timer, and next year I'll be able to hire a real photographer.  They turned out pretty well considering.  I love these guys.