Wednesday, December 26, 2012

'Tis the season to be jolly!!

We decided to go up to Show Low the weekend before Christmas, that way we could see Anthon's family. Since Christmas was on a Tuesday this year I gave them their matching while we were in Show Low... & might I just say how handsome they all looked?!

Our family in our Christmas Sunday best
 We stayed up until Monday (Christmas Eve) afternoon & played in the snow
 Roman loved having a snowball fight with his daddy!!

 Sterling didn't love the snow as much :)
 On our way back home, we stopped at Cenica lake to look at the waterfall... It was frozen solid, but the boys still thought it was pretty cool & enjoyed watching their daddy chuck boulders down onto the ice.
We went to my mom's for Christmas eve. We had dinner, sang Christmas songs, read the story of Jesus's birth from the bible, popped popcorn, & watched elf. It was a really nice evening! 
 



 After we left my mom's we came home, put the boys to bed, & got all ready for the morning festivities. Our boys got a new bike this year from us.
 Is there anything cuter than the excitement of a child on Christmas morning?? I don't think there is!
 They gave each other dump trucks & this is their thank you hugs :) They melt my heart!
 The most memorable thing from this year's Christmas was the gift Anthon put in each of our stockings- a love note. He took the time to read each of the boys theirs, and they were the sweetest!! What a tender moment to experience  to watch- seriously, it was better than any gift you could buy!
 I'm so thankful for Anthon! He's such a darling daddy & an amazing husband! I love how he expresses his love to our children- makes me fall more & more in love with him!
 Here the boys are playing with their new toys
 Roman got the green, remote control four wheeler he asked Santa for, & has been completely inseparable from it ever since!
All in all, it has been a wonderful Christmas! Nothing better than enjoying the time off of school with family & celebrating the birth of our Savior!

Monday, December 17, 2012

FHE at the temple lights

One of our favorite singers, Jordan Bluth, was performing outside the temple last night, so we decided to make a family home evening out of it, listen to him & go see the lights! We've heard him sing live in Rob Gardner's performances & he's just amazing- last night was no exception!
Roman wasn't thrilled about having to sit & listen, but Anthon & I enjoyed it!
He was happier once he was able to get down & run around!
Both my boys look so big to me in these pictures! 
 
 These pictures show how quickly Sterling can turn from sweet & tender to rough & feisty!

 My goodness, I LOVE these boys of mine!
 
I know-  Roman's eating his beanie, I have super creepy eyes, & Sterling's wishing he was dead but Anthon & the temple look nice... & it was the only shot we got in front of it, so it will have to do!
After we left the temple grounds we went out to dinner. Our waitress was a girl we went to high school with that we hadn't seen in years, so it was a lot of fun visiting with her. While we were chatting I realized what the date was & that 11 years ago today Anthon & I started dating! I'm so thankful for him & the life we're building together!! It was such a great night!

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Celebrating the Season

It's been a busy weekend! We had 3 Christmas parties yesterday- My family, Anthon's work, & Anthon's cousin's party. It was a FUN day to say the least! The only party I took pictures at was my family party, but I'll still tell you about the others. This picture has nothing to do with the parties- well, we were on our way to one when I took it! Here are some pictures from my party:
 Roman & his cousins, Lily & Ruston. They were the only other kids besides mine so they did a little gift exchange together. Roman LOVES his super hero mask & cape he got!!
 Only 5 of us siblings were able to attend the party, but it was still a lot of fun! I love visiting with them!
We had a nice dinner and did a fun little gift exchange then it was time to be off to the next party!
Seems like Anthon's work party & my family party overlap every year, so we always have to leave mine early & get to his late, but I'm glad we went! We got there just in time for the awards/ prizes! Anthon got a nice Christmas bonus and then was recognized for being the #4 salesman out of the entire company (not just AZ, but the whole country)! The top 2 are guys only do sales- they're trained as salesmen. Anthon & the #3 guy (who, by the way, is only ahead of Anthon by 1 sale!) are technicians that get sales while they work. So, I'm SUPER proud of him, especially for accomplishing this while he's excelling in school! They gave him a bonus for his sales too at the party, but if he gets into the top 3 by the end of the year he'll get another $500 bonus- Soooo, if you need a good bug guy let me know! They did a raffle where Anthon won a $50 Visa gift card & another game where we won another $100 gift card! Yeah, we made out like bandits & had a lot of fun!!
The last party of the evening was at Anthon's cousin, Chris's house. We got there as a lot of people were leaving, but we still hung out for a little while & had fun just talking, snacking, & laughing! We don't get to see them very much, so it was really nice! Plus, they have 3 little boys so our boys had fun playing while we visited!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Preschool Program

I LOVE this time of year! I love the time I get to spend with my family and the spirit of Christ felt so frequently! I love the colors, the smells, the treats- I love Christmas time! We had the sweet experience of watching Roman perform in his very first Christmas concert with his preschool class... Melted my heart!! His teacher had them all dressed as angels, and they sang "Angels we Have Heard on High", "Christmas Bells are Ringing", "If the Savior Stood Beside Me", & played Away in a Manger with bells. SOO adorable! Here's some pictures from the magical morning:
Here's his whole class. The little boy in front of him in named Roman, too & on the 2nd day of school they were wearing the exact same outfit. His mom & I need to be friends because apparently we have the same taste!
The poor little girl next to him had some serious stage fright. This picture cracks me up!
 
 All the kids had a line to say that told the story of Jesus's birth. Roman's line was "The newborn king, who would bring peace to earth." & he did a great job memorizing & reciting it when it was his turn!
Me & my little angel- SO proud of him!!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Finals are over!!

I am more than thrilled to announce that mine & Anthon's finals are over... and we both rocked them!! I was a little anxious going into mine because the week preceding it had been kind of hectic & I didn't have as much time to study as I would have liked to . For example, Sterling had a nasty little virus that landed him with a constant 103.5ยบ temp for 3 days, My mother in law came down to help with the boys but then my sister-in-law had her baby 4 weeks early & he was in the NICU for a week, and a million other little things that took priority over studying. Oh, & I bombed my test that week too. (the HESI- it's like a mini version of the state board that just covers what we learned this semester) I guess, I shouldn't say bombed- I got a 75%, which is average normally, but is considered a D in nursing school. However, Heavenly Father was once again infinitely merciful and helped me out! I got a 92%!! Which is only a B per nursing school standards, but I'll take it! I ended up with a 88% for my overall grade and couldn't be more thankful! I just wanted to pass- which requires a 76% or higher.
I celebrated my victory by going out to lunch to Cheesecake Factory with some of my classmates and then snuggling my boys the rest of the day!!
Onto Anthon's victories!! He took a weight training class, Microbiology, & Nutrition this semester and did amazing! Sorry, I don't have nitty-gritty details for his finals like I did for mine but overall he scored an A in weights, an A in nutrition, & a B in Micro. I am SO proud of him!! He works really hard to be a great employee and excel at work, and works even harder academically! Many people may not know this, but he has always struggled with reading/ comprehension, so he has to study double the amount of time I do to understand the material- I consider his accomplishments this semester way bigger than mine & as a HUGE victory!! I am SO proud of you Anthon!
We celebrated by going out to Bahama Bucks.
I'm SO happy this semester is over & that we get to spend some time together & with our boys! School is definitely taxing on all of us, so this month long break is going to be awesome!!
This was taken this morning- I LOVE being here when my boys wake up! I see a difference in them when I'm home with them... not that they are miserable & grumpy when I'm gone at school most of the day, but there's just a lot more joy in our home (Probably has a lot to do with my attitude)! Whatever the reason, I'm SO looking forward to this winter break!!