tEmPlE sQuArE

I am so happy that my parents were able to come with us and the kids were so excited!
Sorry, there will be NO pictures of me until I lose the baby weight, but know I was there! :)

Ellie had fun watching out the window for the other train to pass by. I think she had just as much fun watching everyone.

We all had so much fun!

He was so excited that he got a TICKET! He probably thought we were on the polar express! :)

I wanted to take the kids to see Temple Square, we haven't been for so long and I knew the kids would love it. We decided to make and evening out of it so we went and ate at the Mayan. The kids loved that, they were so mesmerized with the divers, we were right down in front, close enough to get wet! We rode the tracks to Temple Square, Carson and Ellie were so excited! They had never been on a "train" before.

The light were really pretty and I think the kids thought it was really neat. I thought for sure that they used to go above and beyond with the lights, there were only a few of the really big tree's done, I guess they were trying to be a bit Conservative this year, it was still really pretty and the place was packed because it was the first night they were turned on. I was so happy to be there with my family and to have my parents there with us too. What a great way to start off the Christmas Season!

Houghton Thanksgiving

Bridger wasn't quite sure if he wanted to go in the sled but he sure had a lot of fun driving with Grandpa!

They had so much fun on the sled

Stan was trying to get Ellie to hold a chicken and that is as far as she got, she was TERRIFIED!

Bridger was not afraid of the chickens, he picked one up and it started freaking out and he held on pretty good.

Carson was so excited to find an egg.

So happy

I thought for sure that someone was going to lose teethm they had so much fun running and sliding on the ice.

Avery, Berkley, Carson, Ellie

This year was the Houghton Thanksgiving. It was a great day and the food was YUMMY. It was nice to be all together.


Ellie and Carson had the time of their life! They LOVED the snow. That was the first thing they wanted to do when we got to Houghton's. They fed the chickens, slid on the ice and Grandpa and Todd pulled them around in a sled behind the 4-wheeler! I was surprised Ellie loved it as much as she did, last year she was terrified, it just shows how fast they grow up. Of course Ellie and Carson were so excited to see Maggie...(the family black lab) they were even more excited to see Ruger (todd's brother's tan lab) and good ol Musky came too. They had so much fun. I do have to say that I don't miss the snow one bit, well only a little because it was so fun to see Carson and Ellie have so much fun playing in it!

SocCer

Carson and Corbin.

These two are such good friends but when it came to playing soccer they would always try and steal the ball from each other! They were fun to watch!

Nana, Papa and Noelle came to watch Carson's game. He was so excited that they came to see him play. My parents have always made an effort to go to things that are important, it is a lot harder now living far away but thye still make the effort! Thanks Mom and Dad! :)

I am such a slacker! I have not been posting important things. My friend Liz called me at the beginning of Soccer and said that they had a spot open on there soccer team and asked if Carson would like to play. Carson and her son Corbin are really good buds, so I said sure since I know Carson loves to play any sport. We told Carson that he would be playing on a team with his buddy Corbin, he was not excited about the idea at all. I think he was just nervous because he had never even watched soccer let alone play it. We had the hardest time getting him to go, he finally said that he would watch but not play. We got there and he started practicing with his Corbin and then the game started. You would not have guessed it was the same little boy who we had to pry and beg to go and play. He was all over the field. He is really a good player especially for not ever playing. Wherever the ball was, Carson was. We had to keep reminding him that he can only try and steal the ball from the other team, not his own. He loved it and it was so much fun to see him do something new and I was so happy he wasn't crying on the field not wanting to play! He sure is getting big. Love you Cars!

One Year!!

I can't believe is has really been a year since Todd had his bad 4 wheeler accident. It is still amazing how everything turned out, he is so lucky. It took a long time for him to recover, he could hardly move for months. It was a long haul but he made it through! We were so lucky that it wasn't so much worse. He is still dealing with really bad back pain, the doctors say if he swims every day for the rest of his life he should get by without surgery! (but he will still have pain for life)

I am so thankful that Todd is still her with us. I don't know what I would do without him. He is my best friend and I love him so much. He does so much for us and we are so lucky to have such a wonderful dad and husband. He is always making sure we are taken care of.

We don't realize how fragile life is until it is almost taken away from us. I am so thankful he had people watching over him that day! Thanks again to all of you that have helped us through this!

Congrats on one year Toddy! We love you!

GOING PRIVATE!

I am going to make my blog private on November 22, 2009. If you would like to continue to view our family blog, please leave a comment with your email or email me at nicole@foreverbynicole.com and I will send you an invitation. Thanks!

~FaLl PiCtUrEs~

This round of pictures went so much smoother and we were done pretty fast, it was still hard and stressful but they did really well. It was just hard to get them both smiling and looking at me at the same time! I am just glad we got them done and over with! :

Potty Training Update

Ellie is doing really well. I tried the whole sticker chart thing, It kind of worked, she like putting them on but I think she liked taking them off just as much. One day she just said I need to go poop mom and we ran in and she did her business and that was it! She has been doing great ever since, well she got a cold and she had a few accidents but other than that she has been great, she has even woken up in the morning dry a few times. I guess I just needed to be patient and she would do it on her own time! I have to say that potty training is the worst :) but when it is all done it feels like such a great accomplishment! Thanks for all the advice!

HELP!!!!! POTTY TRAINING!!!!

I am going CRAZY!!!! I have been trying to potty train Ellie for a little while now! We haven't been able to think of anything that we could bribe her with, she doesn't watch T.V. or movies so she isn't in love with any characters, (what kid won't watch T.V.?) she is only attached to her blanket so I can't take that away but my mom had a great idea to get her a little purse and put stuff in it like lip gloss and lotion stuff. It actually worked, well for the first time only! She #2'd and she got her purse and 1 lip gloss, well she got that and now we are back to square one. I am taking her to the bathroom every 45 min, she does OK with the #1 but even lately she is still going in her pants before the 45 min. I can't get her to go #2. She doesn't care if she gets to pick out more lip gloss or lotion. She doesn't' even care if she is a baby in diapers! HELP!! I don't know what to do. I am so ready to give up. I thought she got it but maybe not. Heck is she almost 2 1/2! I can't have two kids in diapers! I have kept her in diapers or pull ups.. Should I do the naked thing or underwear? She just goes in them and I have a mess! ANY advice please?????

I lOvE NeWbOrN's

Roxie Mae Raimee Brooke
Ty Danford

This sweet little thing does not have her name yet, they are still thinking about
Liberty, Birkeley and Sloane.




I had so much fun taking these sweet little tikes pictures, it's a lot of work but so rewarding in the end! Thanks Mom's for letting me do them! I hope you all enjoy!!

Happy Birthday!!

These guys all shared a birthday on July 22nd!

Happy birthday Laicy! I hope you had a great day! I sure miss seeing you!

I can't believe Riley is already 11! He has gotten big so fast! Riley is full of energy and loves to be with his family. He is a lot of fun! I hope you had a wonderful birthday! We are excited we get to see you next week at Lake Powell!! Have fun up with Nana and Papa this week! We love you!
Happy Birthday Stacey! We sure hope you had a wonderful day! We want you to know we love you and know that our prayers are with you! We wish the best for you! Happy birthday! We love you!

I am late on birthdays!

This is sweet Noelle! It was her birthday on July 11th. We went to Dixie bowl for her birthday party. The kids had a lot of fun, Carson really loves to bowl, I think that is what we will do for his next year! Smart idea Delena! Happy birthday Noelle! We love you!

It was my brother Jon's birthday on June 23rd! I am sorry I am so late on wishing you a happy birthday! Jon has such a great talent in making bikes. They always look so amazing! Jon is always fun to be around and always makes me laugh! We love you Jon! Happy "late" birthday! This is my brother in-law Brandon, his birthday was on June 26th. He is a very kind and a loving person. He is always willing to help out wherever he can. He is a great dentist in Vegas so if your kids need help, send them to him! Happy "late"birthday Brandon! We love you!

Two more little hands, Two more little feet....

We are so excited to be having a new little one. I have to admit I am terrified of having 3 little ones but everyone does it right! We are going to wait for the big surprise in the end, we are not finding out what we are having! :) I am due on Feb 11th, Todd's birthday! I hope I follow the same path and go a little early with this one, I don't want to share birthdays!!!

A few new PhOtO ShOoTs!

I love this old house! I can't wait to go back! These guys were so great! Thank you so much Kristen!

This sweet little girl was so much fun! She was the best baby I have ever had, she let me put her in any position and didn't make a peep and she only pooped once!!! Thanks Kathryn!!