Putting up the Decorations

There aren't too many pictures of us putting up the Christmas decorations. The batteries died and I didn't have any to replace them so....here are the very few we have. While Kaijsa was home this week for her Thanksgiving break we decided to put up the Christmas decorations. We put up the tree as you can see but didn't decorate the tree for a couple of days. We let it sit to get fluffy, so we tell our lazy selves. We also put the train up under the tree and all the other fun decorations that we have. We are trying to start a village so each year we add a piece to it. I'll have to take a picture of it sometime. I need to start getting people for it as right now it's just buildings. But I love putting them out and trying to figure out what kind of village I'm going to have. We also set out our nativity scenes. I don't have too many but do love to get them. Some people have hundreds and that's awesome but I like having one for each room. That way no matter what room you're in you can see the Nativity and remember the true meaning of Christmas. I think right now they are all in one room but we'll figure it out as we go. Kaijsa did a great job decorating and Kamden and Kinsee "helped" too. I have another new schedule at work so I worked over Thanksgiving but was able to help her some. It was nice to have her home for a while to spend time with and relax. We finished our Christmas shopping and had fun together as a family. We talked to Kaitlyn and Kira a little bit and can't wait to see them in a few weeks for Christmas! I love this time of year. I love this holiday and hope we can each remember what the Holiday is really for. To celebrate the birth of our Savior and older brother. I love the Savior and am so thankful for Him and all He's done for me. This time of year can get so busy with the material and commercial of Christmas that we forget what we're really celebrating. Please take time to truly remember and keep that in our hearts at this time. Merry Christmas to All!

Friend's Birthday

This weekend my friend and co-worker Shannon's little boy Dallin had his 2nd birthday! Happy Birthday Dallin! He had his party at an airplane museum and it was fantastic! They had a plane you could play in, there was a bouncy house and so much more. Plus you could walk around the museum and see all these old planes and rockets. They even had Apollo 7 there. Kamden and Kinsee loved it. We the grown-ups loved it. We had the best time and the kids were so cute. Thanks for letting us celebrate with you Shannon.

Thanksgiving

I thought I would take a moment to just give thanks. I want to say Thank You to all our friends and family. We have had a crazy year this year and it's amazing that it is almost over. Earlier this year we discovered some things about our 2 oldest daughters and their mother and step-father. We needed to step in and help them out and it's been a blessing to have them in our home but I know it's been hard for them to have to deal with all that is happening. My mom passed away in January and it's been tough learning to live without her. It's funny, you have your parents or siblings around and sometimes you think "man could they just go away" but once they are gone you think "why did I ever think that way". I miss her every day and wish she was here to see all of us grow and change. Larry's health has been up and down but is finally up. He has struggled but is doing well now and we're grateful for his strength and endurance through these trials. I'm so thankful for my kids. They are growing up beautifully and are becoming the strong children of God I know them to be. Each spirit is unique but our family wouldn't be complete without any of them. Thank you Kaijsa and Kaitlyn for being strong and helpful. You have a difficult road ahead but you are strong and faithful. You will be srengthened and blessed for your righteousness. It will all turn out as it should. You have your dad and I behind you as well as his and my families. Thank you to Larry's family for taking care of him and letting him have such a wonderful time in UT. He misses y'all and loved it out there. Ya'll are more than welcome at our home. We'd love to see y'all anytime. Thank you to our Ward for being there to help us out. You've been a great support and a wonderful family. I'm also so grateful for Priesthood blessings and the gospel. What a comfort it is to know that we are loved by our Heavenly Father. That He is there to support us and guide us. We know that we are doing what is right and that blessings are coming because of that. As we continue to trust in Him we will continue to be blessed. My heart is full this season as we've known the sorrows and the joys this year. I hope all of you also take the time to truly realize how blessed you are. Please continue to Pray for and support us and our children as the difficult road is still ahead for us. We love you all and are truly grateful to have you in our lives.

Picture Tag

This is the 6th picture in my 6th folder. It is from last Christmas with my babies, Kamden more specifically, trying to climb under the Christmas Tree. They are so cute when they are little. Everything is so exciting. I love seeing the Holidays and life through their eyes. It makes me remember the joy of the season and moment. Plus it helps me see why Christ wants us to be like little children. May we all remember to be like the little children especially this holiday season.

Happy Birthday Drew!

My brother Drew is celebrating his 36th birthday today! Happy birthday big brother! We love you and wish you lived closer to us. Your favorite neice especially. We hope you had a great day. Here is a tribute to Drew...he's a great big brother but didn't become that until his senior year of high school and for sure while on his mission. He's a great Dad and Husband, but maybe could help out a tad bit more. He is super smart and lots of fun to play games with, as long as he gets to win or change the rules as the games goes on. He has become a wonderful man and I'm so glad to say he's my brother. He was a pain when he was little and we fought tons but we love eachother now. Keep smiling and laughing Drew. We can't wait to see you and your family at Christmas!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW JOSEPH EOFF!

Bitten...

The addict has had her fill! YEAH! I got to see the movie today and it was good. They kept it fast paced and had all the important parts in it. There were funny moments with Jasper and Edward but they kept it together. I thought they picked the characters well. I liked them all. There were of course some changes but not any that I minded horribly. Drew you would of course hate this movie. You should watch it just to mock as you did when you were younger. Jen and I liked it. I would see it again and yes I will most likely buy it at first opportunity. I'm glad I saw it and I had fun seeing it with my sister. Larry and Kaijsa were unfortunately unable to go see the midnight showing but they had a great time seeing the 5 Browns. Kaijsa says they were AMAZING! I'm sad I missed them but I was home sick. I've been pretty sick with this pregnancy and the little ones are sick too so we made a short night of it. It has turned colder here which is why we're all fighting colds at the moment. Back to the movie...after watching it I'm more in love with the names Kullen and Karlisle. I'm trying to decide which, the middle name is of course Dean. Hmmm we'll see what we pick. Enjoy the movie everyone!

Movie Time! Finally!

I'm so excited for the Twilight Movie to come out. Larry and Kaijsa will be going at 12:01 while Jennie and I go Friday afternoon at 1:20. I love these books and truly hope the movie is close. I know they can't put everything in the movie but I hope they stay fairly close to the storyline. I guess we'll find out in just another couple of days! YEAH! The youth and ladies of the ward are going at midnight but I'll be working so I'm sacrificing and going later. Bummer but I at least will get to go with my sister. Larry can have a daddy-daughter night out and go late. :) They will be getting back just in time for it to start because they will be going to a concert earlier that night for the 5 Browns. A very talented family coming to perform. All the kids went to Juliard. That should be a good show too. Tomorrow is a very busy day for us. I'll let you know my movie review later on Friday! Hope y'all get to see the movie soon too! Wish you were here with us Kaitlyn! Miss you and Kira.

Larry's Home!

The slide show is with some of the pictures that Larry took while he was in UT. Some are of the wedding of his baby brother while others are from just hanging out and still others from the receptions. He got home today and was ready to be home but had a fantastic time in UT too. It was hard for him to leave his family and friends but he missed us too. Sometimes living so far away is such a bummer. The pictures were fun to go through. Kim is a great girl and we're excited to have her as part of the family now. We love the Saling Family and miss them tons. Everyone looked great. Larry's dad has been having some health problems so it was good to see him participate in all the festivities. Larry we love you and are so glad to have you home! The babies haven't stopped jumping on him. The time went by faster than I thought it would but I'm glad to have his help around the house and with the kids now. He's such a wonderful man. I married the best man in the world with the best family too! Hope y'all save up to come out next summer for our little bundle of joy's blessing. Everyone's invited! Welcome Home Larry Dean!

Kaijsa Moment

Kaijsa, our lovely daughter, had a friend over tonight. They were watching the T.V. Show Supernatural. For those of you who may not watch much T.V. this is a great show about 2 brothers fighting evil, urban legends and deamons. Kaijsa is trying to explain the show to her friend Rachel. She asked me for my help so I'm going into detail about the show. I mention how this season Lucifer is trying to be released with the help of his deamon friends while the brothers are trying to keep seals from being broken and Lucifer in Hell. This is where Kaijsa pipes up "Isn't Lucifer a girl?" Rachel being classy just makes a face and I of course laugh out loud. It was too funny. So we will have some Bible classes here at home for Kaijsa to realize who people are. Actually Kaijsa, to help her out some, was thinking of the other bad character named Lilith who is Lucifer's right hand deamon. It was too funny. Bless you Kaijsa for making us laugh. Just remember that Lucifer is a male, a brother to us all, albeit a bad brother.

Ready for #6?!

I guess we'll make this official since many of you know anyways. Larry and I are expecting child #6 next summer. We seriously just found out not too long ago and it was a little bit of a surprise. Some of you may know that having the other 2 wasn't the most easiest so this baby must really want to be here because he came all on his own! Yes it's a him. I was sick with Kamden and I was not sick with Kinsee. I am totally sick with this one Plus before my mom passed away I asked her to send me a boy for Kamden (and Larry). So I'm pretty sure it's a boy and we are thinking of boy names that start with K. You can leave comments on names if you like. It has to be 2 syllables since all the others are and it has to flow with Kaijsa, Kaitlyn, Kira, Kamden, and Kinsee. We are leading toward Kullen Dean (Larry and his Dad both have Dean as their middle name so we're going to carry that on, another reason to have a boy). The due date is July 4th but since I have big babies and usually early we figure sometime towards the end of June. We are excited and he will complete the family. I think 6 is a good round number, don't y'all? Plus it will give Kamden a roommate while Kailtyn and Kinsee will share, unless Kira comes to live with us too. Kaitlyn will be moving back at Christmas time and we are all very excited for this. It will be nice for her and Kaijsa to have some more time together before she goes to college. Anyways....we'll keep you posted on the baby's growth and the actual sex (if I'm right or not) as we go along. For right now I'm sick and tired but doing great.

Tagged for my Sister-in-Law: Heather about Drew

My sister-in-law doesn't have a blog so I'm going to post this for her! She's married to my one and only brother Drew, Andy, Andrew whatever depending on if or when you knew him. :)This is the only picture I have of the 2 of them till this Christmas when they come out again.

As I don't have a blog I guess I have to leave my answers here. ^_^
-Heather
1. At BYU, we were in the same FHE group.
2. We met at the beginning of the semester in Sept. and were married in June. Long engagements suck!
3. 13 years
4. His smile and his laugh
5. He has a great sense of humor and he seems to know how to do everything.
6. He calls me lady, that is the only one I can think of.
7. Lately, anything off the BBQ grill.
8. Wow, he really hates to watch sports, but he will watch the SuperBowl.
9. On my birthday about a month and a half after we met.
10. Wow with 3 kids, when do we have time to do anything together? No, we like to read, watch movies, play board games.
11. Yes, 3.
12. Does mocking count as a talent? Also, I don't think it is very hidden.
13. 36
14. I did
15. How family centered he is, they are all important to him.
16. He has eclectic tastes, as long as it is on his iPod, no more radio for him.
17. Yes, he follows your blog.
18. Can I tag people without a blog?

Tagged By Several Friends

How I Love That Man of Mine! Isn't He Cute?

1) Where did you meet? Larry and I met on LDS Singles. I was living in TX while he was living in southern UT.

2) How long till you got married? We were married on our 3rd Date basically. We met for the first time at the Dallas Airport about a month after chatting (Hugged). 3 weeks later we each drove to Roswell NM and had a day or so together there. We kissed as soon as we met and got engaged in the Carlsbad Caverns. 3 weeks later I met his family and daughters and got officially engaged again in front of hundreds of people. 3 weeks after that I picked him up from work for lunch, took him to the court house and we eloped. I then took him for a slurpie and then back to work. Romantic huh?

3) How long have you been married? We are married May 8th, 2003.....so 5 1/2 years.

4) Your favorite feature of his? His smile and eyes. I also love his gray hairs but he hates them. :)

5) Your favorite quality of his? He's super nice and so funny!

6) Does he have a nickname for you? Elizabeth, he calls me by my middle. He also calls me honey. Nothing embarrassing thank goodness. :)

7) His favorite food? Crab Legs from Joe's Crab Shack. He got me addicted to them too. The BBQ flavored ones. MMMMMM

8) What is his favorite sport to watch? Football, mostly College. Actually any college sports.

9) When was your first kiss? On our first real date.

10) Whats your favorite thing to do as a couple? Talk, laugh, be together. We like to play with the kids and just have fun.

11) Do you have kids? 5 with 1 on the way. So far 3 girls, a boy, another girl, and I'm pretty sure the one on the way is a boy. :) I asked my mom to send me a boy before she passed away.

12) Does he have a hidden talent? Singing. He's a great singer and was a fantastic voice.

13) How old is he? 34.

14) Who said I love you first? I'm pretty sure I did since I asked him to marry me first too. hehe

15) What do you admire most about him? How great he is with kids.

16) What is his favorite type of music? Anything really. Just depends on his mood.

17) Do you think he will read this? Hmmm good question. Maybe. If I ask him too he will.

18) I tag: Mandy...Heather/Drew...Jen...Dawn...Lisa

What have YOU done?

Thanks Mardi for helping me realize all the things I've done or haven't done.

Bold the things you've done:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland "Disney World"
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis "Tarrantula"
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris "China"
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch class in college?
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort not a good one
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (does character sketches count?)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie; my daughter Kaijsa has does that count?
56. Visited the Great Wall of China; lived in China and didn't see the Great Wall, I'm lame
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching (not on a boat but have stopped in FL to watch whales and dolphins go by)
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt (just one? haha)
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit (Does child custody count?)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Very eye opening! I loved this!

Meeting Chris and Kim!

We weren't all able to attend Chris' wedding which completely bummed us out. But...Chris and Kim had a layover in the Dallas Airport on their way to their Honeymoon Destination so...we got to meet Kim anyways. We were so excited to get a call from Chris the day after they got married to ask us to meet them at the airport because they had a long layover. We said YES and off we went! We were able to spend around an hour with them and they are adorable. We loved seeing Chris again and it was a joy to meet Kim. She is so cute and they are cute together. Welcome to the family Kim! The babies loved them and Kaijsa had a lot in common with Kim which was fun. Hopefully they will be able to come back down and visit sometime so we can get to know her even better. Here are just a few pics we took on the phone since Larry had the camera with him for the wedding. Once he gets home we can post more more of the wedding photos. I can't wait to see them! Congrats again Chris and Kim Saling!

Kinsee

Here are just a couple of funny pictures of Kinsee Belle. Lately she has started running around with Q-Tips in her ears. I'm not sure where she finds them but she does and she likes to think she's cleaning out her ears. Problem lies in that she keeps them in there and just wonders around the house. It is so funny. We love our Kinsee Belle!

Carrie Underwood Concert

Here are a few pics of Kaijsa, her friend Rachel, and Jen the favorite Aunt at the Carrie Underwood Concert. They had a great time! I wasn't able to go with them but heard all about how much fun it was. I'm glad they could have that time together to hang out and have fun. The concert had a super opening act, Little Big Town I believe, and then Carrie sang for around 2 hours. They got home late but had a fantastic time. Thanks Jen for taking them! Love you!