Better Late Then Never

I'm slow to post, but I wanted to let everyone know that we had a really great Christmas. My kids were so much fun this year. We had a lot of great parties, we got to see the lights at temple square, we got to do the twelve days of Christmas, and the list goes on and on. Abby's favorite gift this year was her make-up. She put it on all by herself. Can you tell?
Brody's favorite gift was his leapster. We got it from my sister-in-law (which is why it's pink). Brody loves it. He'd play it all day long if the batteries would stay charged.

Bree's favorite gift was a mini trampoline. She loves to jump on it. She also likes to lay on it when she watches cartoons.

Andrew's favorite gift was his guitar. He figured out how to play "Old Mcdonald Had A Farm" all by himself (Sort of).

On Christmas Eve, we made a gingerbread house. Andrew is a little OCD when it comes to this stuff. He thought every piece of candy had a certain spot, (Just like it does on the box). Abby and Bree, on the other hand, had a different idea. They thought it was much more fun to eat the candy. This didn't go very well, but we were able to get through it.

Here's a picture of Abby at the Argyle Christmas Party. Abby is so scared of Santa Claus. Grandpa Nelson had to go up with her so she could have her present.

Bree was affraid of Santa too. I went up with her, but there was no way she'd sit on Santa's lap.

What a happy kid.

Yes ...It's official!

For all of you that have seen me and have wondered, "Is she pregnant or just fat?" I am pregnant. This baby will be number five! We are so excited and can't wait to welcome this new little one into our home. I am about 12 weeks along. My official due date is July 10th. I don't know what the sex is yet, but I'll be able to find out after my amnio, which is in about 4 weeks!

Yay For Brody!

Last Thursday when I was at work, I got a call on my cell phone from a number I didn't recognize. I don't usually answer calls when I don't recognize the number or when I'm at work, but for some reason I did. The caller was an employee from Giant Steps. For those of you who don't know, Giant Steps is a treatment program for children ages three years through five years who have been diagnosed with an Autism spectrum disorder. Giant Steps has a maximum enrollment of thirty-six children. When Brody was first diagnosed (About 2 1/2 years ago) we enrolled Brody for school there. I was really disappointed because I was told that Brody would probably never be accepted. At the time, there were over 100 kids on the waiting list. -Any how, to get to my point, a child moved out of Utah County, and so a spot has opened up for Brody. Brody will be able to get help for the rest of the school year (through April). Tomorrow morning they're going to do an assessment on Brody. I'm so happy! Aaron and I have been praying for help. As is parents, we feel like we haven't done enough for him. We didn't know what to do or where to turn. I really feel like this is an answer to our prayers.

Frosting Fight!

I want to start off by saying how much I love my husband. Most of the time when I come home from work I'm tired and onery. Aaron's so good to me. He always tell me to relax or go take a nap and assures me that he'll watch the kids. Anyhow, yesterday when I came home from work, Aaron had made a big dinner and some sugar cookies, (What a sweetie). Aaron thought it would be fun to decorate cookies as a family. We had tons of different shaped cookies, two different colors of frosting, and lots of sprinkles, so we went to work. Now, just so you know, any time you do something messy like this, you can almost guarrantee that Aaron will start a fight. Aaron first smeared frosting on Andrew, then he got me. I got him back, and then my girls got involved. Our whole house was covered with frosting! It was so much fun, but wow ...what a mess. Here are some pics from our crazy evening. Our table doesn't look that bad in this picture, but trust me ...it was everywhere!

Ha Ha, funny joke!

I still had blue boogies this morning

Andrew was in tears shortly after this picture

Brody was upset after we'd frosted the cookies. -He likes them plain.

My kiddos at work

Our Thanksgiving/Christmas Party

This year we had Thanksgiving with Aaron's side of the family. For those of you who don't know, Aaron is the youngest of 9 kids. He has siblings in Idaho, Arizona, California, and here in Utah. This year all of Aaron's siblings were able to attend the party. Because everyone was planning on coming for Thanksgiving we decided to have a Christmas party as well. What a blessing it was to see everyone. Andrew recognized that Santa Claus was Uncle Craig. We tried to explain to him that Santa Claus can't be at everywhere at the same time, so he has helpers. I don't think he was very happy about it.
Grandpa and Grandma Walker

My cute little boys

Breelyn. -Doesn't she look cute in her Christmas dress?

Aaron helping Abby open her gift.

Aaron and his siblings (Suzy, Teresa, LouAnn, Kenna, Aaron, Santa, Kari, RuthAnn, Deanna, and Sam)

This picture is really blurry. We were all getting ready for Santa Claus to come.

A couple of Old Farts (AKA Aaron and Kelly)

Abby has always been afraid of Santa Claus. The other day when Abby was fighting with Andrew, I told her you need to be good ...Santa Claus is watching. Do you want him bring you presents? Abby's reply was, "I don't like Santa Claus, I don't want him to come." -I guess I can't use that line with her.

The Dinosaur Museum At Thanksgiving Point

Yesterday, my girls and I got to go the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. My friend Natalie, three of her kids, and her nephew invited us. The museum was so much fun. I'm really glad that we went. The museum had a lot of interesting and fun exhibits, plus it was really great to catch up with Natalie. One of our favorite parts in the museum was the excavation site. The kids get to uncover dinosaur bones in the sand with little brushes.

My baby girls (Bree and Abby)

L to R: Ava, Bree, Noah, Ella, and Jack

Natalie's kids called this shark Brucie (Just like the shark in Finding Nemo). My daughter Abby didn't want anything to do with it. I tried to get her to stand by the gate for the picture, but she refused.

L to R: Abby, Bree, Ella, Jack, Noah, and Ava

This is the only picture I got with all of the kids. Bree was a little upset. I just figured it was because she was tired since she missed her nap. When I looked at this picture closely, I realized she got stepped on. Whoops! Sorry Bree.

Lookin pretty snazzy!

This past Sunday we had a primary program during sacrament meeting. I had to work in the morning, but was able to leave a little early. When I got home, my husband had all of the kids ready to go. They all looked so cute and snazzy, I had to take some pictures. Bree, Abby, Brody, and Andrew
The primary program was so fun to watch. All of the kids were so cute. Andrew said his part really well. Brody held still during the whole meeting. Abby sang along with the "Big" kids even though she won't be in primary until next year. Bree ran all over the place, (but what do you expect from a 17 month old).

Trunk or Treat!

Halloween was sort of crazy this year. We took our kids to two different trunk or treats, (Our ward and my parents ward). Our ward started their trunk or treat at 4:00 and my parents ward started theirs at 6:00. It was a fun evening, and my kids got tons of candy.

High School Tag

1. Did you date someone from your school? I wasn't much of a dater. I liked to hang out with groups of friends.
2. What kind of car did you drive? A pink barbie van
3. Were you a party animal? Only when I drove the barbie van
4. Were you considered a flirt? No. -I'm way too shy
5. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? No
6. Were you a nerd? Yes
7. Were you on any varsity teams? No
8. Did you get suspended/expelled? No
9. Can you still sing the fight song? Yes
10. Who were your favorite teachers? I liked all of my teachers
11. Where did you sit during lunch? Harts or home
12. What was your school's full name? American Fork High School
13. School mascot? Caveman
14. Did you go to Homecoming and who with? I didn't go my sophmore year. 11th grade I went with Tony Nguyen and 12th grade I went with Phil Garrett
15. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Yes. I loved high school
16. What do you remember most about graduation? The party at the highschool. Natalie and Swalz were hypnotized. Natalie yodelled and Swalz was Elvis
17. Where did you go senior skip day? Aspen Grove
18. Were you in any clubs? The Cavettes
19. Have you gained some weight since then? Yes thank you
20. Who was your prom date? Sophomore year was Phillip Beagley, Junior year was Randy Ogden, Senior year was Jared Delergo
21. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? I went. -It was really fun to see everyone

Be There ...Or Be Scared!

Last Friday, we had a little Halloween/Double Birthday party for Brody and Abby. Brody turned 5 on the 24th, and Abby will be 3 on Halloween. Most of the family was able to make it to the party. I think the party was a great success. My kids had a blast, and I just wanted to thank everyone for all of their love and support. Here are some pics from the evening.Jared my nephew (AKA Bill Nye the science guy), Leah my niece (AKA a mermaid), and Andrew my son (AKA Harry Potter)

Abby hitting our "Care Bear in Disguise" piniata

Brody (AKA a ninja turtle) is showing off his new soccer ball


Abby (AKA a princess) unwrapping some new clothes

For dinner we had Chili, homemade potato soup, rolls, veggies and a macoroni salad. My favorite part about our meal was the drink. Aaron bought this container that looks like a caldron. We filled it with rootbeer and a little dry ice. It was foggy and made a bubbly noise. All of the kids thought this was great.

Of course ...I was the first one to eat

Abby blowing out her candles with a little help from Bree

Brody blew out his candles before I could get the camera

Little Bree (AKA Cinderella)

My nephew Haden (AKA Bobba Fet...I think that's how you spell it)

Friday morning before the party, I tried to make bread bowls. My bowls turned out to be more like really big rolls. I decided to make a batch of regular rolls. In the mean while, Brody grabbed a big one and headed out to the trampoline. I think he had a difficult time figuring out how to eat it.

Welcome Home Aaron

Yesterday Aaron came home from a long business conference. He went to Atlanta Georgia, and was gone for 5 days! We're so glad to have him back home. We love you Aaron. Thank you everyone that helped watch our kids while I was at work.

Scenic Alpine Loop

Since we're suppose to be getting snow soon, Aaron and I thought it would be fun to drive the Alpine Loop. We went up this morning, and let me just say, Mt. Timpanogos is beautiful. A lot of the leaves have already fallen off, but there was still plenty to see. Here are some pics from our trip.

Happy Birthday Aaron!

Sunday was Aaron's 33rd Birthday! Kent and LouJean (My Father and Mother-in-law) made Aaron and our family a yummy Sunday dinner. We had roast beef, green beans, tomatoes, smashed potatoes (As Andrew calls them) and gravy. I had to work for most of the day, but I did get to take a break. -Thanks Kent and LouJean. I got home from work at about 10:30 pm. Our kids and I sang Happy Birthday to Aaron. Then we had cake and icecream. Here are some pics from the evening. Aaron's favorite (German Chocolate Cake)!
Abby, Andrew, Me and Brody. I think I was in La La Land when Aaron took the picture
The birthday boy himself
Abby
Andrew

Brody