Busy Birthdays

There are at least 5 birthdays in December in our family(4 of which are on Pat's side). Needless to say, it's been a busy month celebrating Pat's 30th, his Dad's bday and his Mom's bday. As if December isn't busy enough!! But, we love getting together with family and it was nice to be able to host the parties.

Wonderful Christmas!

We had such a wonderful Christmas! This time of year is always so busy, and with both our families so close, we try to divide our time between them. We had Christmas Eve day with my family and Christmas Eve night with Pat's. Then Christmas Day was all ours!! Here are some highlights:

• We got to fill stockings with food and essentials for orphans in Mexico (thanks Mom, what a great way to feel the spirit of Christmas).
• We did the traditional $1 store gift exchange! Always a hit.
• The cousins put on a little Christmas program about all the things we are grateful for (that spells out Christmas, too cute!)
• There was a Nerf War in Eagle Mountain and it helped pass the time until midnight when we opened gifts.
• Wolfie enjoyed all the festivities! (We still can't leave him for too long.)
• We told the kids not to wake up before 9 a.m. and at exactly 9:01, Lukas came bursting in our room to see if Santa came!
• Even though the kids were good this year, they got a "bunk" of coal in their stockings (it was really just chocolate covered in black foil).
• We got a Wii for Christmas and spent most of the day trying it out. Wii love it!
• We went to the dollar movies Christmas day to see "Astro Boy".

The Ya Ya Sisterhood

There is something about women and how we relate to each other. It's therapeutic and necessary for us to congregate and talk about life, eat yummy food and just be together to share funny stories and support one another. We understand each other, we relate, we care, we share. This particular bunch also have the same watches, have an affinity for pickles, Cafe Rio and sweet treats, like the same TV shows and live in the same neighborhood. Some (husbands) say we're the Ya Ya Sisterhood. Fine by me. We have been getting together every Monday night since The Bachelor started and when it ended, we continued the tradition b/c we needed each other. {This is an open club for anyone else needing a sisterhood! Join us!!} We had a gift and ugly ornament exchange last night which will soon become tradition, as we had so much fun!! I think I scored the best b/c I got a Team Jacob thermos! Sah-weeet!! Thanks girls!!

Mustache Men

Every time we go to Wal-Mart (ugh) I bribe my kids with a quarter telling them if they are good they can go to the arcade and get a gumball. Lukas got these out of one of the machines and shared with Max. My men of mystery. Aren't they going to be cute with facial hair? haha One is a happy picture, the other is a serious pose. Quite sophisticated if I do say so myself! I love that they love to dress up and play pretend.

Exhausted

This has been such a busy month for us: Pat taking the NCLEX, birthdays, birthdays and more birthdays, Holiday activities, get togethers, shopping and my open house. Well, Max has had just about enough...and the month isn't even over!

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday Patricio! It was Pat's 30th birthday on Wednesday. I can't believe my young buck is 30 now! (Sha, I'm ahead of him by 2 years, it's really not that shocking to be in your 30's. Welcome to the cool club!) We had a fun celebration with both our families. Talk about a full house--there were 22 people that came to dinner! We are so glad that Pat is in our lives. Here are 30 reasons why we love Pat: Ok, I'm kidding. I'm not going to bore you with 30 reasons, but I will give you 3...

1. He is the funniest, most entertaining guy around!
2. He has a good heart and would give you the shirt off his back if you asked.
3. He wants to make the world a happier place and he does, just by being in it!!!

Merry Christmas 2009!

Christmas is only a week away and I have slacked again on the Christmas cards this year. It has been fun receiving them from all of you and I apologize for not returning the favor. I figure the people that are really truly my friends keep up with my life in other ways (blog, email, faceboook, phone calls, visits) besides relying solely on my once-a-year Christmas card. Here is our 2009 Christmas photo. It's hard to get us all because I'm always the one taking the pictures. So, Merry Christmas to all my lovely friends and family!!!

Pat RN- It's Official!!!

Pat took his state boards on Wednesday and found out tonight that he is a Registered Nurse! He did it after much studying and strife. Not only is he an RN, but he did it while working full-time as a Realtor, providing for his family, holding a calling and balancing family life. We are very proud! He now is the nurse that makes "house" calls. Watch out U of U Hospital!!!

Candy Houses

What's better than a house made of sugar and candy? Not much, that's for sure!! We had fun making our candy houses together. I think I made Max's and he ate the frosting. Lukas did most of his all by himself. It's so fun to see their creativity at work. Now they have a fun treat to look at and eat.

Christmas Time

Christmas is just around the corner! It comes so fast when you're grown up. I remember as a kid it seemed to take forever. As I finish up the shopping and decorating, I feel almost as excited as my kids about it. What a fun time of year!! I need to take more pictures, but I get so caught up in the moment that it is hard to stop and capture it. Here is a picture of us at our ward Christmas party. And now that there is snow on the ground I'll be getting more outside pictures! Happy Winter!