Early Christmas

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Spendlove for such a fun Christmas!!  We love you and love our swing set!!

Happy Birthday Nik!

We celebrated Nik's birthday this week!!  As school has been extremely busy we didn't do much!  But what we did do was fun!! =)

We played a "balloon game" as Ian called it... we made little notes and put them inside the balloons then blew them up.  When dad got home he got to pop them!  So notes were tickets good for something and others were just the kids coloring or birthday wishes! 

 Nik wanted Banana creme pie for his "cake"!  It was really yummy!  Ian beat him to blowing out his candles!!  It was so funny!

He really enjoyed his pie!! ;)  Happy Birthday babe we love you!  Thanks for all your hard work at school and at home!

Ready for Christmas!

Well we are READY!!!  Our Christmas tree is up (has been for a couple weeks now!) and the kids are so excited!  We went and saw Santa at the mall and Ian wasn't so sure at first, but then he warmed up!!  Miranda did great and sat on his lap and cuddled with him!  Ian told Santa he wants a "grey bug" and I'm sure Santa will deliver because Santa is AMAZING!! =)

The kids loved helping put up our tree!!  We have always lived in smaller spaces so our little tree looks a little silly in this big empty room, but we don't care!!!  Miranda hasn't quite got the concept of not touching the decorations on the tree, but we have only had one broken one!!  In Nik's family they have always done this tradition where the "Elves" bring little presents and leave them in your shoes at night the 12 days leading up to Christmas!  He wanted to do that with our kids so that starts soon!  We just love Christmas and decided to go back to Utah this year!!  We can't wait for Nik to take his last test so we can leave!!! =)

SHUTTERFLY!!

So many of you have probably been seeing this, but I saw this deal on one of my really good friend's blogs and had to do it! Who can pass up a great deal?! When people ask me a good place to order pictures, I always refer them to Shutterfly. I have had family members use other places and the pictures or projects just don't turn out as well.  At lots of other places pictures have turned out grainy or not as colorful.  My favorite thing about Shutterfly is that the quality of their prints is amazing! They have such awesome holiday cards!  I order my Christmas cards from Shutterfly every year!  To check out their selection click here.  I know a lot of you are having or just had a baby and they have the cutest birth announcements.. click here to see them.  They also have a great assortment of BIRTHDAY CARDS!!! (click here)  And don't worry, Shutterfly will not disappoint! They will even address and send them out for you! And guess what else...bloggers....yes that means you! Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards courtesy of Shutterfly! This is a deal you cannot pass up! I've already got mine picked out! Just go to this link! http://bit.ly/sfly2010




Happy Holidays!
 
Shauna

Family Pictures

My friend Kaylee took our pictures for us!!  Thanks girl!! =)

Holiday Joy

I now have enough Christmas stockings for my growing family! (I even made one extra just in case!)  It was a lot more work than I thought it would be and was definately more expensive than just buying some, BUT the are homemade and I LOVE them!!  I have really been loving filling my home with things I have made!! 

Fun surprises and Utah!

Well we had a really good time in Utah!  It was so nice to see family and friends!  Thanks to everyone who made time for us!  Love you guys!  I hardly took any pictures because we all got sick, but we did love being there!!

BEFORE 

AFTER 

I chopped my hair off and donated it!!  It is such a nice change (although it doesn't save me much time getting ready!) and I have loved it!  Thanks Susan!!

FINALLY ANNOUNCING

I'm 25 weeks pregnant!!  IT'S A GIRL!!  Having her March 1st!  Can't wait to have another little girl!  I will admit I'm terrified for 3, but there is no going back now! 

Love my family!  The girl in the middle wearing the white shirt is Johanna.  She is from Norway.  She is living with my family for the school year!  We loved getting to know her and the kids loved playing with her!  We can't wait for her and her family to come visit us in June!!

Ha ha.. finally hanging up our first pictures in our house!!  We have lived here since June, but with being very sick all summer I just didn't feel like it!!  I'm glad to finally have them hung up!  Thanks hunny!

The other night I went to Relief Society and came home to find both kids asleep in the family room.  This is a FIRST for Miranda.  She never falls asleep anywhere but her bed!!  Love it!  So cute!

Ian fixing his bike because it squeaks.  He was a little dissapointed that no matter what he did with that screwdriver it was still squeaky!!

HOME DEPOT 

Went to the free kids workshop they have the first Saturday of every month.  So fun!  Miranda built a spice rack.  She loved hammering the nails in (after I had done most of it of course) and she loves her apron!  I built hers wrong twice and they had to take it apart for me.  Guess I'm not that great at following instructions?  A lady next to me did the same thing so I didn't feel as uncapable!! =)

All smiles the whole time!

Ian built a fire boat.  He did a really good job hammering the nails in.  I would just get it started and he would finish it!

Both kids with their projects... they LOVED it!  We also got coupons for free doughnuts from Dunkin Doughnuts so after we were done building we headed over there and had a treat!!  What a fun, FREE, morning!

Where's Miranda? 

There she is! 

Her favorite new hiding spot!!

And this is the face of someone who just got home from taking his LAST FINAL!!!!!!

HORRAY!!  Good job hun!

And Ian and Nik are currently having a "daddy day".  Ian has been looking forward to this day for a long time!!  They went to Chick-fil-A and then to the park.  Nik also has a surprise waiting at home for Ian when they get home (thanks to me!).  It is a couple of little squishy frogs!  Ian loves little squishy animals!!

We are heading up to Utah for Thanksgiving and I can't wait to see everybody!!

Halloween Happenings

Ian decided at first that Miranda was the tooth fairy, but then changed his mind because she didn't have wings!  I don't know what she was, but she was darn cute!!!!

Ian was a Dinosaur!!!   

We went to the Midwestern University Halloween Party and had a blast!!  Trick-or-treating in all of the buildings, then fun games and activities in the gym and cafeteria!! 

Miranda loved the concept of getting candy!!!!  At first she wanted to eat every piece of candy she got, but we convinced her to keep coming and she could get more!!  =)  We had a happy little candy monster on our hands!!

Ian fishing for a prize!!

The kids loved the guy making balloon things!!!  Miranda got a flower!

Decorating sugar cookies!!  The best part was I got to eat both of them!! =)

Waiting for their balloons!  Ian got a weeny dog!

Love those eyes!!

Making paper bag haunted houses!!  Ian loved this!

Going down the big slide!!  Miranda wanted to really bad, but Nik and I didn't want to go with her!!  Poor thing!  I guess next year she will be big enough to do it on her own!! =)

Happy Kids!!  They had a lot of fun!!

We also went to our ward's trunk-or-treat and the kids had a blast!!  They played games at first, but Miranda was just ready to get more candy in her pumpkin!!  (Like I said... she really liked that concept!!)  They had fun trunk-or-treating and we had fun watching them!!!!!!

Happy Halloween!!

Carving Pumpkins

This year we had fun carving pumpkins!!  It happened in two different waves.  I bought the pumpkins a week or so before Halloween and Ian just couldn't wait so Nik helped him carve one that day!  We put it outside and it got moldy really fast because it is warm here!!  Then we carved the other three on Friday!!

Miranda really liked the pumpkins!!  I think she is trying to imitate the face! =)  Doing a pretty good job too!

Ian liked using the tools to carve the pumpkin!  Nik got to do all the yucky stuff!!

I grew up painting pumpkins, but this year I decided to get into the carving spirit!!  I carved the one shown with Miranda!!  Nik did the yucky part on my pumpkin too!!  Thanks babe!

The finished products!!  Turned out pretty fun!  We will light candles in them tonight!!

Happy Halloween!