Per- requests

I've had a few requests for pictures of TX and the house. So for your viewing pleasure I present...our house....

The best part of the house, the view out the back. The sunsets are pretty amazing. I'll try to get a good shot of one some night.

The family room. Where we hang out a lot right now...especially since we've had sickies since we moved in. Blah. but looks like everyone is one the mend now.
The kitchen...just moving in remember....pardon the mess. But note the newly finished table and how well it fits!
The "den" see how much floor space there is? Perfect for an air-mattress for visitors!
Our room. Again, sorry about the mess.
Ironically the cleanest room and most organized in the house right now....the older boys room.
The younger boys room. Theirs is pretty organized to. Well, when all the toys are cleaned up that is.
So that's it folks. Besides the two bathrooms, anyway. I figured ya'll have seen bathrooms before ;-)

Misc. catch-up.

Some random pictures from December that I found on my camera. Sorry about how scratchy they are.

Todd and I Christmas Eve

Tanner having fun in the snow.

More of the kids having fun. They all loved that day with so much snow!

Tobyn at his school Christmas program. He sang so good and right on the front row!

Proudly displaying his reindeer antlers.

12 years

The first year after my dad passed away my mom and I looked back and said "I can't believe we survived the first year. Just barley, but we survived."

It's been 12 years. Holy cow. I still miss him. It doesn't ache like it did a few years ago, and time does help, but I will always miss him.

We remember in different ways each year. We don't have a set tradition, but we remember. I think that first year it was eating Hamburger Helper with my mom in mine and Todd's new (and 1st) apartment. TC was just little. Some years, when there is snow, we've made it over to the cemetery to build a snowman and just laugh and be together. Some years I take flowers. Other years, like this one it will be a phone call to my mom to tell her I love her and chin up for the day.

I can't believe how time fly's and passes at others, but it does and one day we will all be together again.

Love you dad. You have some awesome grandsons waiting to meet you. Kick them in the butt for me once and a while, and maybe their mom too, when she needs it ;-)

Connie

Happy New Year!

A new house, a new job, a new state, a new school (for the boys), new ward, NEW YEAR!

Man, I read back at my post of the New Year last year and it was a little depressing, but then I again, I was a little depressed. This year is different. The family (Todd's parents, my mom, and the 4 youngest of Todd's siblings) helped move us down here the 27th. It took 2 days of driving to get here, and one night in a hotel waiting for our contract to go through so we had a place to officially live. The process seemed to take forever. But we made it, in one piece, with all our stuff in one piece.

The family stayed and helped for a few days to unpack. We spent New Years Eve watching movies, and lamely yelling Happy New Year about 5 min after midnight. lol. But it was a great way to ring in the new year. I couldn't have asked for better people surrounding me (well some of the family was missing...I guess it would have been a little better with them around ;) ).

The house is awesome. It's kind of a diamond in the rough....or not so rough, maybe more like a lucky find. It is in a good little neighborhood, and the ward seems awesome! It takes a while to get anywhere worth going, like church, school, grocery store, but that's OK. I am working on not feeling too lonely, but have made it through my first couple of nights with Todd out of town and just the boys and I at home. I miss all my family and friends. I got a little used to having constant noise, but looking forward to our new adventure. I am having fun decorating it and making a house a home.

I am happy to be ringing in a new year this way and look forward to a great year! Our doors are always welcome to family and friends looking to come down and visit, or passing through, or here on business or whatever, we would love to have company any time.

Here is to a New Year and hoping it's a great one!!

Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas was wonderful this year! With moving the day after Christmas, I didn't get many pictures. Teresa is supposed to be email some so hopefully I can add more when I get them. We decided with moving, budget and just plain downsizing, to not get the kids a ton of presents. Todd and I had heard from a couple of places about doing only 3 gifts. That is how many the Savior received and we thought it sounded like a good idea to keep it that way.

The boys each got an outfit, a toy, and a book. They all seemed to like their presents and had fun playing with them all day. Titus got Nerf guns, TC got an ipod shuffle, Tate got a Kung-Zhu, Tanner got a Go, Deigo Go! truck, and Tobyn got a "Big" dump-truck. The hit was when Tobyn was given a Kung-Zhu pet (from the family exchange) to match Tates and they played all day.

I love Christmas, I love the feeling I get and I love being around family. I love remembering Christ and the meaning of Christmas! I especially loved being around the family this year because we are not sure if we will get back up there for Christmas this year.

I did manage to get a few Christmas Eve pictures, unfortunaly I cannot rotate one of them.

*ps these were taken in the newly finished basement of my Grandpas house (where we spent a year living)

A lot of my cousins and their families were back in town or have moved back to Utah from out of state and were there. It was nice to have a big variety of little ones to play parts in the Nativity.

My mom came down and spent the night with us at Todd's parents house. We woke up and Nic and Nichole came down to open presents with us. Even Justin and Kim were there. It was really nice to have the whole family there. Have I mentioned how great our family is?!