If I was a Facebook(er)...

I would say "It's snowing like crazy today"!!..and loving it!

Catch up...

I wanted to post some pics I have been needing to post about but just didn't get around to it..and with Christmas around the corner I thought I needed to just hurry and get them on!
We have all been a bit stressed these days. Noah is up to his eye balls in finals. He takes his 4th within 5 days tomorrow morning. So pretty much his schedule is, get up eat breakfast, head to the library, come home for 20 min. to eat lunch, back to the library, come home for 45 min. for dinner, then back to the library till 11 or 12. Or sometimes we change it up and take him dinner! I don't know how he does it. In his 5 seconds of spare time he is busy doing church calling, scout rechartering or trying to get in some play time with the kids.
Since we are traveling this year for Christmas (first time ever!) I have been busy trying to get all the new year primary stuff in order, Christmas gifts ready, and everyone's hair done before we leave. If I cross my fingers I will get our Christmas cards done!! We are beyond excited to get to go to AZ for Christmas this year!!

 

Brody turned 7 on November 12th. He is so old and I am dying that he will be baptized next year! How did 7 years go by that fast. I love him so much and could not ask for a better first child. He sets a pretty high standard for the younger two. 

 We took Brody out for his birthday to Fuddruckers. He invited his two best friends Kellen and Christian. Then had a fun sleepover.

 Last month we went on a fun date night with the Law Wives. Pizza and ice skating. I had not ice skated in forever and it was so much fun! Noah kept telling me the key to ice skates is to cinch them up as tight as can be...I had bruises the next day.

 Noah got a new Iphone so now his old one pretty much belongs to Ronan. He loves it so much and knows where everything is better than me!

 We decorated for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. This year was my first year not going Black friday shopping in 7 years...so I had lots of energy to decorate!! I made this cute little nativity at our Super Saturday. I think it's so cute and don't have to fill bad if the kids mess with them. (We also finally added Ronan to our wall after 2 years!)

 Our Elf (Felty) came to visit again this year. For some reason Sadie was so afraid of him this year. Every night she goes to bed and says, "please don't let Felty come in my room"...in tears. Hopefully he will visit us in AZ!

 I went on a field trip with Brody's class. A bus full of 40 first graders makes for an interesting 30 min. We went to the Lynnhaven historical house. It is the oldest standing house in Virginia. It was super interesting. They didn't let us take any pictures and I was so bugged because it really was the cutest house! We had a lot of fun.

 One night Brody had a few friends over for dinner and they found a big box in Noah's truck. They brought it in and asked if they could play with it...I said "sure"! Five min. later I walk in to thousands of peanuts all over Brody's room! The damage had already been done so I let them dump the rest out and go crazy. Since then we have been finding peanuts for days!!! It made it worth it when I was taking one of the friends home and he said, "this was the best play date ever"!!

 I hosted a goodbye lunch for two dear friends who are moving this month. I am really really sad about it and I'm going to miss them too much. But, they are both going on to great things.

Phew! That feels better to get those posted!

Freezing our Fanny's off!

 Last year when we had a crazy snowy winter, everyone assured us that this is NOT normal and it very rarely snows here in Virginia Beach. Well, guess what happened last Saturday? We got snow. It wasn't a ton and it melted by noon the next day, but we had a blast playing in it while it lasted.

 I love this picture. They did this forever and thought it was the funniest thing in the world every time.

Since last week, our highs have been low 3o's! It actually isn't too bad, just when it's windy...then you want to die!

Thanksgiving weekend..

 We had a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner at our friend's the Burton's...who is our family away from family.  They are one of those families who is amazing at everything and inspire you to do better.  We have been blessed to know them.  I don't know how we would survive here without them.  

Anyway....it was a great day of eating and being with family.  I even managed to get up early and run 4 miles!  After dinner, we all did our talents.  Sadie and I sang a little pumpkin song (on the fly...we forgot to bring a skit).  Ally Burton sang and played her guitar.  She is amazing.  She just returned home from her mission in August and is now at BYU so it was fun to have her home for Thanksgiving. 

 Then we worked off some calories with "Just Dance" Wii.  We love it!  Brody gets really into it...it's hilarious.  And if you know Noah...you know he loves things like that.

We finished off the night with the Saunders for dessert.  Amber made about 5 pies and I ate a slice of everyone of them...plus my pumpkin bars that I brought.  It was overkill.  

I have so much to be thankful for.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Here in Virginia the weather has been heavenly.  Sometimes I can't believe I actually get to live here!  We have had mid 60-70 degrees, low humidity and no rain for the past couple weeks!!  It does not get any better than this.  For sure my favorite thing about VA is Fall.  Everywhere you go there are mounds and mounds of leaves.  When it's windy, it is like it is snowing leaves.  When you drive, the leaves scatter in every direction behind you.  When you go for a run, you crunch leaves along the way.  And the trees, oh my!  Just look at them!  I have the crappiest camera known to man, but it does the job.  They look like they are on fire!  It's really breathtaking and so refreshing to see all the changing going on around us. 

I love where I live.

I nearly ran off the rode while driving and taking these pics.  I won't do that again.

I so wish I lived in a house so my kids could enjoy the fun of raking leaves.  I've never had to do it, but it just sounds really fun.

(I hear it's supposed to drop down to low 50's tomorrow...boohoo)

 I had a bad day yesterday with Ronan.  He decided 
to pee and poop in every single clothing he owns....after potty training was going to well!
I guess I show my frustrations to much...

I don't know what I did to deserve Brody...but I am sure thankful!

How in the world did this happen?

 I've been a bad blogger lately.  I set a secret goal to post twice a week...but that went out the window the first week!  Things have been crazy and non stop the past couple months.  It's funny, when Brody and Sadie were little, like Brody 2 Sadie 1 little, I thought my life couldn't get any busier and things would be so much easier when my kids were a few years older.  I laugh right now as I type that.  As your kids get older your life just gets more busier and more hectic.

Reasons why I'm not a good blogger:

getting kids off to school, bus stop 3 times a day, potty training, baseball practice/games 3 times a week, dance class, primary president, room mom for Brody's class, help in Sadie's class every other week, doing hair, boot camp, book of mormon challenge, cleaning/laundry, homework.

BUT, I have an awesome husband who helps me out so much, and who is way more busy than I am.

I love this time of my life right now and I wouldn't change it for anything.  I know 5 years from now I am going to be wishing I could go back to now because life will just get that much more crazy. 

Pics from the past few weeks...

Brody has made leaps and bounds in baseball this year.  He hadn't played in 3 years (which was t-ball) and got put on a team that really knew what they were doing.  He had to catch up a ton and learn so many things but he has done so well and is really loving it now.  Last night, he hit a sweet line drive to the out field!  Nothing like a little boost of confidence, he was all grins the rest of the night.

This is how we spend our conference Sundays.  Huddled around the laptop.  We don't get BYU channel so it makes for an eventful several hours.  I promise I was not sleeping...just blinking.  

I hosted a fun Bunco night a couple weeks ago at a friends house.  We had so much fun but missed our long lost Katrina...Boo hoo!

Last week was spirit week.  One day was twin day so Sadie and her best friend dressed up alike.  Luckily Brielle's little sister who was 3 at the time is the same size as Sadie...who is 5!

This month is the worst month for asthma!!  Poor Brody has really been suffering here in VA.  A few weeks ago we had to take  him the the E.R. because it got so bad and was the middle of the night.  They had to give him a steroid shot to help open his lungs up.  When he gets that bad, that is the only thing that helps him.  He had to have another one the next week because it got bad again!!  He is such a trooper though.  When we would ask him how he feels, he would just say "medium"...when you could tell he was in so much pain from not being able to breath.  He has been on a lot of meds lately!

Last month the kids and I took a little trip to South Carolina to visit my Grandma (she was visiting from AZ) and her family.  It was so fun to see some of my Great aunts and Uncles.  The kids loved fishing and each caught several fish...even Ronan!

I think this is my new fav picture.

9 years...

(D.C. Temple trip September 18th 2010)

Happy Anniversary Noah, I don't know where I would be without you.

Love you,

Jill

Shout out to my Friend...

Last night I made dinner for two friends and their families...because everyone around here is having babies!! Not It!!  I made this pizza from "For the love of Food" who happens to be one of my best friends.  It is now one of my favorite pizzas.  I love pizza...especially "fancy" pizza like this.  I could eat here everyday.  

Head  on over to Crystal's food blog and get you some great recipes!!

The big day

A couple years ago I realized that Brody and Sadie would be 1 grade apart. I love that they are so close in age and get to do so many things together....but it's just all happening way too fast!
Today Brody started all day 1st grade. He was a champ. What's new? Noah got up this morning just after 6 and Brody was dressed, shoes on, watching cartoons waiting for school! Gosh, he is so great. He loved getting to eat lunch at school. I wrote him a little note and put it in his lunch box and he gave it back to me after school and it said, "I love you to".
Sadie started afternoon kindergarten today. She has Brody's teacher from last year..Mrs. Dykes (per my request). She is an amazing teacher and we feel so blessed to get her for both kids. Sadie was also super excited for school to start. She asked me about 15 times if it was time to go to the bus stop! She did so great and loved everything. I asked her what her favorite part was and she said, "seeing Brody at school...when I saw him I ran up to him and gave him a big hug"! I'm so grateful my kids love school so much.

It was fun to spend time with just Ronan. He is about 75% potty trained so this new time will give us a chance to work on that last little bit.  What did we do with our time?...lunch with friends at Nordy's cafe to celebrate back to school!!

Here's to a great year of school!!