1st Birthday Party!!!

We celebrated DS's 1st birthday this past Saturday. DH has to work midnights this next week, so we decided to do it a few days early.
I was going to have a bear theme because we call him Brother Bear, but chose to go with a Mr. Potato Head Theme because we also call him "Nater Taters". It was perfect.
Well, we all know their was a huge chance of rain, so we called and reserved the church. We are grateful that we did because it was pouring rain. It worked out perfect for us.

My sister in law made the awesome Mr. Potato Head birthday cake. It was so great. She did a wonderful job!!

We decorated with red and browns. We used actual Mr. Potato heads as centerpieces and Sugar Babies as the candies to represent potatoes.

We set up a table for all the kids to color while we got everything going. It seemed to work out pretty well.

We served a potato bar for lunch. It was really yummy and fairly easy. This was the whole basis of changing the theme.

We showed our traditional first year slide show. It gets me everytime. It is amazing how fast these little ones grow up. I can't believe it. It just seems like yesterday that we were off to have him in the hospital and now he is crawling up on my leg saying, "mama".

DS was so cute when he was eating his smash cake (cupcake). He wouldn't pick it up with his hands, he would just lean over and take bites out of it. It took him about 5 bites before he would touch it. It was so cute. He then was given some ice cream and decided to eat it using Mr. Potato Head's hand to eat. He was so cute with it all.

He really enjoyed opening presents. There were lots of kids around to help. He enjoyed getting new fun toys to play with. He even reacted cute with giggles when seeing the new things.

It was a great day. We played basketball and had fun until it was time to go. I know it is a first birthday and he will not remember it, but I love to celebrate their first year with a bang.

We had a great time and we are so grateful that DS joined our family a year ago. We look forward to many more years and parties. We love you little Nater Taters.

Thanks everyone for making it a great party.

He is turning ONE!!

Can you believe it? I know, I know I have said many times before...but really? Where has the last year gone? We are getting ready for his first birthday party. It is going to be bear themed. His nickname is Brother Bear. We thought that it would be a great theme for our little "brother bear". I will talk [more about our little man when it comes closer to his actual birthday. Watch for birthday pictures. I am sure there will be tons.

Happy Easter!!

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We had our family Easter Egg hunt this afternoon. It was stormy, but the storm let up just enough to have a quick hunt and then back inside. The kids were so cute this year. We let DS#1 go out first and grab a few eggs and then DD#2 came out on her own. My kids were the youngest out of all the grandkids there. DD#1 came out with the other two five year olds. They were able to be out for about 15 seconds before the rest of the crew came out. It was a lot of fun for the kids and they came home with their buckets full. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Oliver for a great day.
We stuck with our tradition and got them matching outfits. DH picked out DS's and forgot to match it to yellow. Oh well...we were ready to get out of the store. We had 5 kids under the age of 4 and it was crazy. We got in and out quickly and forgot to match his outfit to his sisters. They are still cute, though. We went out tonight to try and find Sunday outfits for them and there was nothing. I guess we waited just a little too long to do that. There were plenty of sleeveless dresses, but we have the girls wear sleeves. All the cardigans were gone.
We are so grateful for the Savior who made it possible for us to return to our Heavenly Father. We are grateful for this special time to remember what he sacrificed for each of us. We hope that all of you have a very special Easter this year.

Healthy Habits Challenge.....who's in???

I found this challenge on another blog and wanted to start it up. This is a 12 week challenge. I have needed some motivation lately. With DS not nursing as much, and the eating of sugar again, I have needed some help to get back on track. This seems like it would really be great! Not only physically, but spiritually as well. If you would like to join, please leave a comment or you can email me at amiracleatlast @ yahoo . com.
I want to start on Monday, April 13th. This allows you to enjoy those Easter treats that the Easter bunny has left you! :) Email your email address so we can get a weekly email sent on points. We all have to have accountability you know.


Here are the rules:
You have been challenged live the following habits for the next 12 weeks! The idea of the Healthy Habits Challenge is to motivate each other to develop 10 healthy lifestyle habits.

To participate you score yourself "on your honor" every day and then each week send in the number of points you have earned to me. I'll send out a weekly email with point totals for all participants. You can earn up to 10 points per day. Sundays are days off- you get to take a break with no points earned/lost. The person with the most points in the end wins a small prize! (C'mon- do I look like I'm made of money?)

Daily Habits (1 point each)


1. 7 hours of sleep: naps count

2. 30 minutes of exercise: doesn't have to be all at once, taking a walk counts


3. No sweets/unhealthy snacks: you know what "sweets" are to you. This one gets most people nervous, but remember that you have Sundays to have dessert and this will only last for 12 weeks. If you stick with this one you will be surprised by how you lose the desire for sugar and junk when you've been off it a while.


4. 64 oz. of water

5. 3 servings of veggies, 2 servings of fruit: or whatever combination of 5-a-day you get! If you are concerned about knowing what constitutes a serving- click on the "view food gallery" here for vegetables and here for fruit.

6. No soda: the aim is to avoid sugar, artificial sweeteners and caffeine


7. No eating after 8:00 PM: unless you are pregnant or nursing, in which case you can eat healthy food after 8:00 if you have or have had and extra serving of veg/fruit.


8. 15 minutes of scripture reading


9. One journal entry in the journal type of your choice: you can make this as short or long as you want! Blogging, letters to missionaries, gratitude journal, whatever else you do to keep a record of your life counts.


10. Choose your own habit: this is something that you will work to do daily. Another 30 min of exercise? Service? Eat breakfast? Flossing? Whatever you want to work on personally!

Earrings

I asked the girls what they wanted for Easter a few weeks ago and was shocked to hear the answer. Both of them excitedly wanted earrings. So, after much talk about it, we decided to take the girls to the mall and get their ears pierced, so that the Easter Bunny can bring them earrings.
DD#1 had here ears pierced before. When she had her tonsils out, we had to take her studs out and DH lost them. We put other earrings in after the surgery, but her ears got really infected. We let them grow back in and had to get them done again. They both did good. DD#2 went first and had a great time holding onto the bear and having the girls draw dots on her ears. You should have seen the look on her face after it was all over and she realized that it really did hurt. She cried for about 5 minutes (she holds onto things longer than DD#1). DD#1 went next and jumped right up into the seat and was extremely excited. We had warned her, but it happened and she was in tears. She only cried for about 2 minutes. They are in love with them today and are doing really well not bothering them. We think they look great.




A BIG shout out to my mom. It is her birthday today. I love her so much and I am so grateful that I can call her MOM. Happy Birthday MOM!!

And the Winners are....

I put all the comments into a random number generator and the winners are...... I bet the suspense is killing you.....

#2 Kristen W.
#1 Annie of Bluegables

Congratulations to the two of you. Please email me your pictures and I will get your two page layout done.

Pay it Forward!!

Here's how it works! I'm having a GIVEAWAY! You have a chance to receive a two page layout digital scrapbook page (you just send me your pictures)from me at some point in time during the next year. How fun is that??! If you'd like to be a part of this awesome idea, you need to leave a comment ON THIS POST no later than Friday, February 27, 2009. If you've never commented on my blog before, don't feel sheepish--this is a fabulous time to comment! I will draw three names randomly from the comments left to see who will receive the gifts. My "Pay It Forward" winners will be posted on my blog as well as notified via e-mail, word-of-mouth, blog comment, --whatever works best for me at the time! Here's the catch: if you choose to participate, you need to post some sort of "Pay It Forward" idea on your blog as well. If you don't have a blog, this can easily be done on Facebook, MySpace, etc. It doesn't have to be anything extravagant; just a simple gift from the heart (it can be purchased, homemade, a simple act of kind service...ANYTHING!).

A Giveaway!!

My cousin's BFF is having a great giveaway. Hurry, Hurry over to here and make a comment. I am excited to see what she has. I know it must be great if my cousin says it is. Hurray, Hurry, I am #2. There still is hope.


Here are the rules:
The first 5 people to respond to this post will get something homemade by me! I know what you are thinking....."do I really want something made by Amanda???" But you might just be surprised what I can do!Like any good giveaway, there are restrictions and limitations, as follows:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. I get to choose, you just get to receive!

2. What I create will be made just for you......one of a kind!

3. It will be done this year.....hopefully sooner, rather than later.

4. The gift may or may not be edible, wearable or recyclable!

5. In order to be a winner, you must repost this on your blog.

The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me you did will receive one FABULOUS homemade gift by me! After I choose the winners, you can send me your mailing address! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you receive it!


****In other news, my 2 1/2 yr old and 9 month old are on the floor having their first fight. I am watching and as DS is crying and looking at me so sad, all I can say is, "Ohh, you're first fight. How sweet!" You gotta love firsts!! It definitely won't be the last and I am sure this will be the last time I use sweet and fight when referring to it again. :)

9 Months Old

I love 9 and 10 months and DS is proving why. He is so sweet and loving. He has such a cute personality and we are loving everyday with him. He loves to play and watch his sisters. He loves to say "da, da da" and "hi dad". He loves to whine "ma, ma, ma". We love him to bits.

Picture Princess Contest

Oh my!! I found this contest going on and had to investigate it for myself. What a contest!! I visited their site and loved what I saw. The winner will receive a new spring wardrobe and a photo shoot. They will be featured on their website. Isn't that great??

Princess #1







This princess came with a princess personality. Her favorite past time is to either be dressed up or painting her nails. She has always loved being a "girlie girl". She has one disadvantage. Her mother grew up a tomboy and thinks that dresses should only be worn on Sundays. This princess thinks otherwise and would be in a dress everyday if her mother would allow. She is in need of some cute, fabulous clothes to show how truly lovely she is.

She would be a doll in this dress.

Picture Princess Contest

I read about this contest and knew that I wanted to enter my two princesses into it.

Princess #2







This princess would also be a great picture princess. She loves all princesses with a special liking of the Disney Princesses. Today she is Giselle, yesterday she was Mulan. More times than none, she is "Cinderelly". This princess is always asking what "princess hairdo" she is going to have for the day. She is in need of a new spring outfit to go with her princess hair. She is full of love and personality.

This princess would be a cutie in this dress.

Are you ready for some PHOTOS??

Hooray, Hooray, Hooray!!! I have finally got my pictures off of my camera. When we wiped out the computer, we had to reinstall things. One of the things was our printer. Well, it now will get my photos off of my cards. I am so excited. So, here we go. Sit back and relax, because this will be long.

Here is DD#1 all ready for her first day of preschool. She was so excited. I wish we still had that same excitement today. Mornings can be quite painful with the fits she throws when she is tired and doesn't want to go to school.

Here are the monthly pictures of DS#1. He is 4 months old in these pictures. I will keep them in chronological order.

5 months old

Boo at the Zoo. We took the kids to Hogle Zoo for the annual Boo and the Zoo. It was CHAOS!!! We thought it would be really cute to have the kids dress up as zoo animals and have my nephew be the zoo keeper. We ordered Renew the Zoo signs from the zoo and thought it would be so cute for them to walk around with them. It didn't last long and they were handing out the yard signs at the zoo, so it was nothing special that the kids were carrying them. It was a great idea though!

Halloween...The past two years, my sister and I have tried to keep a theme going with our kids. This year we chose Knights and Ladies/Princesses. It was hard to convince a 4 and 2 year old to want to be ladies, but they were all over the idea of being princesses.

6 Months Old

7 Months Old

We went to Temple Square for the lights. It was fun. They have really cut back this year.(like everyone else). DH went up to one of the volunteers and asked if they were going to have some ceremony where they turn on all the lights. He said that was it. It was still beautiful though.

Making cookies for Santa....We had a lot of fun making cookies for Santa Clause. There was a lot of sugar and candies involved. Santa loved his cookies, but left a few bites of one. There was just too many.
DD#2 had an accident a few days before. She came running in DS's room and trip on a bag of diapers and fell into our wooden bus. We put some neosporin on it and a bandaid and had her go to bed. An hour later, DD1 knocked on the door and said that there was blood running down her head.
We took her to the Instacare because we didn't want to pay the ER copay. Luckily we made it with 10 minutes to spare. They decided to glue it shut with dermabond. I was so glad to not have to hold her down for stitches. She was so brave and didn't cry at all. It did really well and there is only a tiny scar left on her forehead. We got to the instacare at 9:45 and walked out at 10:15. They got us in and out in a flash. I think we will go 15 minutes before closing everytime.

Christmas Eve Presents....Pajamas!! We opened our Christmas Eve presents and were very shocked to find that we got PJ's. The girls loved their princess ones. DS was happy to have his footsies. Nice and warm.

Christmas...Christmas was so much fun this year. The excitement and magic of the day was so fun. The girls are finally to an age where they understand the story of Jesus and also get excited for Santa Clause. They were very cute with all of their presents. From Santa they got DD1 a baby, DD2 a puppy that swims in the water and DS1 a jumperoo. It was a lot of fun. We felt so blessed to have a nice Christmas.

8 months old... Here is our handsome boy's recent montly photos. He is getting so big. He is now 20 lbs. He is rolling all around, but not crawling yet. All my kids moved slow. I think it is coming though. He has his two bottom teeth and acts like more are coming. We still love him to bits and pieces.

Well...there you have it. Our last 5 months of life. Hopefully I will stay up to date and not have to spend an hour on catching up. Hope life is good for all those reading.

We are still alive!!

Okay, so I could post all the same excuses that I have in the past. But the truth, well.... it's still the same. We are busy and our crummy computer is still acting up. My awesome brother in law wiped it out and reloaded it. We are slowly adding back all the programs. I, sadly, forgot to copy our movies over to our external hard drive and lost a lot of my kids over the last 2 years. I haven't asked if they are lost because I don't want to know the truth.

We had a crazy, wonderful, quick, exciting holiday season. When I find my cord, I will post a ton of pictures. Until then, here is one of our family. I am in the process of getting family photos done, but want to take a break for a bit to breathe. Maybe we will send out Easter cards instead of Christmas card.

By the way, if you don't know about Google Reader, write a comment and I will give you the directions. That way you don't have to be dissapointed when I haven't updated in 2+ months. You will all be surprised when it pops up on Google Reader and be happy for the update. Until the next time (hopefully not another 2 months) have a great time!!