A Trip To Build A Bear Workshop

This year for Christmas Abbi got a Build A Bear gift card (she thinks it's a credit card) from her Uncle Cody and Aunt Kristen. She has been bugging Jeff and I to take her ever since. We decided to go today since we had some other errands to do in Orem. She choose a pink cheetach, which she calls a jaguar. She named her Sarah and choose the cutest little outfit for her. As soon as she saw the pink jaguar and pink clothes, she new they were the ones she wanted. You would think that Sarah is actually alive the way Abbi has been mothering her. She even dressed her in jammies so she was ready for bed. You can see in the pictures how excited she is.

Here is a full view of them both. Sarah really is a cute little jaguar. I really love her eyes. She even has a touch of makeup on her eyelids. Abbi loves anything pink, sparkley and with fur, so this little dress was perfect. The shoes she picked for her are sparkley silver. Hallie didn't get to choose a Build a Bear this time because she got something else from Uncle Cody and Aunt Kristen. But she does have one that she got from her birth mom, Jordann. She has named it Bear. Today we went to get Hallie's stitches out and Bear helped comfort her and make her not so scared. Hallie and Bear were watching Dora when this picture was taken, (hence the intense look.)

Sledding With Grandpa Great

I have always been a lucky girl in that ever since I can remember, my family and I have gone up to Covere Bridge to go sledding with my Grandpa Mark. He is so fun to sled with. He lets us slide clear down the road, and then the best part is that he comes and picks us up in his Bronco. But he doesn't just "pick us up." Oh no, he has fashioned a rope with hooks on it that he hooks us and the sleds up to and then pulls us back up the road. Then the fun starts all over again. I can't remember a time when he has said, "That's enough," or , "Only one more time." He keeps going until we are done. For my kids, however, Grandpa built a sled that he hooks up to his John Deer Gator. He pushes the snow to form a little path all around his house and pulls them in it for as long as they want to go. It truley is the most fun a kid could have. Everyone needs a Grandpa Mark!

Abbi, Hallie, Jared (my cousin), pulled by Grandpa Mark
All bundled up and having the time of their lives!

Oh, To Be A Kid Again

Hallie was most excited about her Dora dress ups and her play shoes.

I'm not sure what it was that Abbi was so excited about, but I had to post this picture.

This year Santa brought the girls a Barbi doll house to share. A very special elf made it for them. It was very cute and they LOVED it. They pretty much haven't stopped playing with it other than to sleep.

Hangin' With Uncle Cody

My girls are so lucky to have lots of aunts and uncles. Last week was Abbi's choir concert at the Provo Tabernacle with the Utah Valley Children's Choir. Uncle Cody came to see her sing her heart out. Here is a picture of both of them together. Hey ladies, he's single (and pretty darn cute, I must say!)

Not Our Week

So this week has not been very good at our home. Last
Wednesday I was finishing up cleaning my house, walking downstairs with my vacuum in one hand and my laundry in the other. I totally fell down my stairs and sprained my ankle really bad. Jeff took me to the doctor to make sure it wasn't broken. I was on crutches for 2 days and then a brace for 2 days. I'm feeling okay now, I just hurt. Then to top things off my poor little Hallie was upstairs at Jeff's mom's house and fell off of a bed and hit her head on a book shelf. We rushed her to the Emergency Room in Provo only to wait for an hour and a half before they got us into a room. My sweet girl had to get 2 stitches. It was probably one of the worst experiences of my entire life. I hated seeing her in so much pain. And not to mention, having to hold her down while they stitched her up. I almost couldn't handle it. Also, I found out that my Grandma Gwen in St. George got put in the hospital and then my Grandma DeLoris fell on Christmas and sprained her ankle. So I think we've had our fill of trauma for a while. Hopefully we're okay for a day or 2!

What The...

That title is the only thing I could think of to name this entry. I was eating lunch one afternoon and I noticed that my Christmas tree was growing new life. Is that not the craziest thing. I got looking and the new growth is all over the tree. It is almost ready to grow into my ceiling. This picture doesn't do it justice. The only thing I have fed it is water. Everyone told me to put 7-up in the water, but I never did. I guess I have a green thumb after all. Who knew?!

What A Cutie

I could not resist putting this picture of Halllie up. She was so cute while I was taking pictures of her. Sometimes she's so good for me and will just smile on demand. Other times she's a stinker and won't smile at all. Today was a smiley day! I LOVE her so much. She's my little buddy while Jeff is at work and Abbi is at school. I feel so lucky to be her mom. Thank goodness for kids, right.

Jordann and Hallie

Like I've said on my blog before, we have an open relationship with our daughter's birth mom's and families. Last Friday Jordann, Hallie's birth mom, came down to our house for a little visit. We went to lunch and did a little shopping.

Hallie loves to give smooches!

Fa la la la la... la la la la!

This is Abbi's first year singing with the Utah Valley Children's Choir. She had her first of two concerts last week. She looked so cute (even though the dress isn't much to speak of, somehow she pulls it off.) The concert was VERY good and Jeff and I were very impressed. What I love most about this picture is Hallie looking at her big sister. I think it's cute!

Ho Ho... I don't think so!

This year at the Christensen Christmas party, we had a special visitor from the North Pole. As you can see, Hallie wanted nothing to do with him. The moment Santa walked in, Hallie stopped what she was doing and ran right over to me. She clung to me the entire time he was there. All we have to do is mention Santa and she shakes her head no and gets clingy. We're thinking we might invite Santa to come to Sacrament meeting with us on Sunday. All you moms with 2 year olds know what I'm talkin' about!

This was actually Hallie's first picture ever with Santa. She was terrified, so I didn't want to make her sit on his lap. We decided to sneak in the back of the picture. You can see the horror in her face.
On the other hand, Abbi had no problem at all hopping up on ole' St. Nick's lap. She was excited to let him know what she wanted this year for Christmas; which is about everything!

Games and Hot Chocolate

Sunday afternoon after we got home from church and put Hallie down for a nap, Abbi wanted to do something fun. So I suggested playing Monopoly Junior and hot chocolate.

Abbi's color was yellow and she dominated the board.
The winner by a long shot! Look at all that money.

We had so much fun playing. We can't wait for Hallie to get a little older so that she can play, too. We have so much fun with our little family!

As Cute As They Come

Abbi and Hallie looked so cute Sunday when we got them ready for church I couldn't resisit taking pictures of them.

The First Official Snowfall

This morning we woke up to a wonderful surprise...

SNOW!!!

Abbi and Hallie couldn't wait to get all bundled up and play. What a great way to start out the month of December. It didn't feel like Christmas before.

Oh Christmas Tree

Here is our tree all lit up. Last night after we got home, we decorated it. There are 700 lights in total on this little thing. My mom has made a tradition of giving us an ornament (or 2 or 3) every year to put on our tree. In the 11 years we have been married, we have quite the collection. I love Christmas!

Cutting Down Our Christmas Tree

Christmastime is all about traditions. So this year, Jeff and I wanted to start the tradition of going out and cutting down our own Christmas tree. We had to go all the way to Price because Utah County was all sold out of permits. We told the girls what fun we had planned and Abbi said, "That doesn't sound like very much fun!" It was pretty funny.

This was the best picture we could take of us in front of the tree we found. When we saw it, it was like one of those ahhhhhhhhhh moments. We knew it was the one! Hallie is crying because she really just wanted to get down and play.
Jeff told me to remind him to remember the saw so we wouldn't have to pull it out of the ground like they did in Christmas Vacation. As you can see, I did my part.

Even our dog, Sadie, took the trip with us.

Now Christmas can begin!

Christmas Fun is Already Starting

Most of you who visit my blog already know this, but for those who don't, my girls are adopted. Abbi's birth-mom and dad were in town for Thanksgiving, so her Grandma Jenny (her birth-mom's mom) who lives here in Utah, had us over for a pizza party. It was sooooo much fun! Abbi had fun visiting with them and we all had fun just hanging out.

This picture is of Teressa (Abbi's birth-mom), Jenny and of course, cute little Abbi.

Here is Abbi with Teressa and Asthon, her birth-dad.

We are so lucky that both of our girls birth-mom's/dad's/families have wanted to keep in touch with us and are okay to see them. It has been so great for Abbi and Hallie. Teressa is actually expecting a baby in a few months. Abbi thinks it's a boy! We'll find out on December 4th!

Blog Worthy

The other night at stamp club, we made the cutest ornaments. They took FOREVER, so that's why I'm calling this entry "Blog Worthy." My friend, Chelsey, and I arrived at a little after 7:00 and we didn't get home until after 11:00. That's right I said 11, and we were the first ones to leave! But they were totally worth it. My other friend, Tiffany, who is Chelsey's sister, is the Stampin' Up Demo "Diva" that came up with all the examples. She is so creative! We made 17 ornaments each. This one is my favorite out of all of them!

Here is all of them piled up together!

It's Nummy Mommy!!!

Our poor little Hallie bug was so sick today. She was throwing up and running a fever. So when she finally asked for food I was willing to give her just about anything she asked for. First she wanted soup with some crackers. Then she asked for a "Nanna". I was fixing dinner for the rest of us and looked over and she had created her own recipe.

We're calling it Chicken soup ala Nanna.
I know you'll all be asking, so here is the recipe

Chicken Soup Ala Nanna

1 Can Cambell's Chicken Noodle Soup (prepared)
5 Saltine Crackers
1/2 Nanna

Put chicken noodle soup in a bowl (princess bowls make things taste better aparently, so it helps if you have one.) Mush 3 crackers in your hands leaving some whole for texture. Let sit for about 5 minutes while you dip the other 2 crackers in your drink (any drink will do, tonight it was Fresca!) Add 1/2 Nanna, whole. Dig in!!!

Happy Fall!

Making Caramel Apples

Jeff had this brilliant idea that he thought it would be fun to make caramel apples for our friends and family. So Abbi and I made a list of all the stuff we thought would be yummy on them and we headed to the store. About $40 later we were on our way! So I got home and started peeling and peeling and peeling caramels. 2 hours later, I wasn't even half way through the never ending mound. So Jeff took over the next day peeling and peeling and peeling. About 3 hours later, he was done. Then came the task of pounding the skewers into the apples. Then chopping the candy and nuts to decorate the apples with. Then finally the melting of the caramel and the dipping of the apples. It was a very long task, but so much fun (okay, Jeff and I really could have done without the peeling caramels part!) And look how yummy they turned out! We have had lots of people tell us how much they enjoyed them. We made 70 apples in all!!!

Ghosts and Goblins...

And Jaguars and Bumblebees!

This year Abbi was a Jaguar and Hallie was a Bumblebee. They were both so cute wearing costumes that I made for them. It was a big (long) day for everyone. But we all had lots of fun.

Birthday's are Fun When Your 4...

And almost as fun as when you are 30. Yes it's true, I turned the dreaded 30 this year. It was actually a great birthday. I have lots of friends and family that made it a great day for me. I started off the day with lots of phone calls wishing me a happy birthday, and then my mom and my little sister, Kristen, took me to lunch. And then we had a party that night. But that's not all, the next day my friends had lunch for me and my friend Kellye who also celebrated her 30th birthday a few days earlier. And then my husband took me out to lunch the following day. It was more like a birth week!

Playing Dress - Ups

One of Abbi and Hallie's favorite things to do is play dressups. They love to try on outfits and dance around the room. Abbi puts make - up on her little sister and then they come down and show me and Jeff. It's so fun. They are so lucky to have each other.

My Favorite Things About...

Jeff

I am so lucky to be married to my best friend. Jeff and I have so much fun together as a couple as well as with our girls. Jeff is such a great husband and father. Guys honestly don't come any better than him.

Hallie

Hallie has such a fun personality. She is constantly making me laugh. I love her kisses and hugs that she gives so willingly. We have so much fun together. She's become my little buddy while her big sister is at school. I don't know how she can be such a spitfire and a sweetheart all at the same time. Hallie is such a joy in my life.

Abbi

Abbi is SUCH a sweetheart. She is so caring and concerned about other people's feelings. She is such a great big sister and a help to me. Abbi is such a creative girl and is always coloring and making craft projects. I am so lucky to have such a sweet girl as my daughter.

Check out my Slide Show!

Our Carribean Cruise

This year when Jeff graduated with his master's degree, we took a trip to the Caribbean. It was the funnest trip I have ever been on. We went to Cozumel, Mexico, Grand Camen Islands, and Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Here is a picture of our boat when we docked in Cozumel.

We took so many great pictures that I would have to have 100 blog pages to show them all, so here are some highlights. Hands down, the funnest thing we did was go snorkeling with the stingrays in the Cayman Islands. The water was so warm and clear. You can see that it looks like we are in a pool, but there is a giant sandbar right out in the middle of the ocean that these stingrays live on. Our guide gave us food and they would come suck it right out of your hand. It was such a cool feeling.
Our guide, the guy to the left, caught a stingray and let him slither on our backs. Stingrays are very smooth. It was a cool feeling.
The whole time we were on the ship, we had the same waiters who would cater to us and basically bring us anything we wanted. Never in our lives had we ever had such excellent service.

We sat next to the people on the right every night at dinner. It was fun to get to know them. Their names are Eric and Wendy and they were a lot of fun.

At dinner, the same bartender would come and bring you drinks. Our bartender was a girl and she couldn't have been any cuter. I wish I would have gotten her picture, but she was always on the go. By the 2nd night, she had our drinks down... a Coke and a Diet Coke with a lime. I had to have Jeff take this picture of the straws in a heart shape because, as you can see, I was pretty excited about it. When she brought them she said in her cute little accent, "It is for lovers!"

In addition to having the same waiter and bartender, you also have the same room steward who makes up your room not just once a day, but twice. Each morning he would come in and make up your room, and then while we were at dinner, he would come in and turn our bed down. He would even leave a mint. My favorite part though, was the towel animals that he would make. This one of the dog was by far my favorite one. He even put my sunglasses on him. So cute!

He's going to kill me, but I had to throw this picture in of Jeff wearing his moped helmet. We rented a moped in Cozumel and toured the entire island. It was very fun, but definitely the scariest thing I have done in a while. Driving in Mexico is a little frightening. Hence, the reason we wore helmets!

Here's me soaking up some sun on one of our days at sea.

I didn't want to come home, other than to see my kids because we missed them like crazy. But I have heard before that you have never vacationed until you've cruised. It's true. It was so relaxing and fun. We want to go back in 5 years and take the kids. They would love it!