February

We've had a busy February celebrating Valentine's Day and chasing down our new-found crawler. Zoe is crawling all over the place and it's definitely hard to keep up!

We had a pretty low-key Valentines Day but luckily that weekend Jesse and I were able to celebrate by spending a night away from the kids. That was probably my first uninteruppted night of sleep in nine months (actually probably longer considering I used to be up all night using the bathroom when I was pregnant). I loved dressing up my kids and giving them Valentines.

Gavin got a new fireman for Valentine's Day which he loved because it reminded him of Uncle James.

Zoe loves to ham it up whenever a camera is around. I think we're in trouble!



Gavin is loving preschool and I am fascinated by how much he is learning. He also loves bringing home all his projects and displaying them around the house.



W Weddings

I have neglected my wedding blog for a long time; I guess that's what happens when you have a new baby. I'm starting up again and the blog will be a little different.  Every week there will be a new theme and I will post photos and ideas that follow that theme.

Feel free to take a look and definitely contact me if you need help planning your big day!

www.wweddings.blogspot.com

 

Source: southernpiphi.tumblr.com via Brynn on Pinterest

The Kardashian effect

I'm a little hesitant to post this because it means I have to admit I watch the Kardashians. But yes, I admit it! I watch their shows, I look at their pictures in the magazines, I follow what is going on in their lives (or at least what they want the media to show is going on in their lives.)

I watched the entire wedding special for Kim and Kris and yes, I wish I had those two hours of my life back. I was not surprised when she filed for divorce; they never really seemed to compliment each other. So of course I've been watching 'Kourtney and Kim Take New York' to see how their marriage played out and frankly, I'm very disturbed by watching it implode.

From what I can tell (and this was highlighted in last week's episode) Kim is a neat-freak! She needs everything to be clean and organized all the time.  Her wonderful husband likes to leave his crap laying around just to bother her. I know we sometimes like to push the buttons of our loved ones but seriously! You are newlyweds acting like college roommates; trying to bug the other person with your habits. That is just strange to me.

However, the biggest problem I have with all of this is I feel like they gave up on their marriage without even trying to fix their issues. People always say 'the first year of marriage is the hardest' and I agree in some sense (until the babies come of course!). When you are first married you are thrown into a situation where you are probably living together for the first time and you are together 24 hours a day. I felt like it was a huge adjustment when I first got married and yes, looking back during some situations it would have been really easy to just quit and get a divorce. Luckily that thought has never crossed my mind. 

If you don't like the way your husband arranges his socks, you don't divorce him! If you can't stand the way your spouse watches TV until 2 a.m. you don't divorce him! All the silly things that come up during those first years of marriage need to be talked about and you need to take the time to adjust to the habits of your significant other. I'm definitely not a marriage expert but I see so many young couples quitting before they even give their marriage a chance to thrive. You can have a fairy-tale marriage but be prepared to be annoyed by your spouse sometimes and that's ok!!!! Don't run to a divorce lawyer the second things get tough.

I'm worried the 'Kardashian effect' may influence young girls to give up on their marriages because it is the easy way out. Yes, I realize there are some circumstances where divorce is necessary and is definitely the better option. But marriage should be looked at as something sacred; not just another stepping stone in your life and not something dispensible. I hope young couples will take it seriously when they say "I do" and please don't follow Kim Kardashian's example!

Christmas Mayhem

Our Christmas break was full of family, food, games, parties, a getaway and unfortunately an ER visit. I'm sad to see the holidays go but at the same time I'm ready for a brand new year!

We love visiting Temple Square and seeing all the beautiful lights.

 

Zoe isn't crawling but she loves doing this bridge/push-up move. I'm not sure when she's going to discover if she puts her knees down she might actually get somewhere.

Christmas Eve at my parent's is always a blast.  We play Bingo and do the bells, which even included kazoo's this year!

Check out my curly-haired girl!

Christmas morning was full of excitement and it was so fun to see Gavin open his gifts.

I loved getting dressed up to go to church but can you tell Gavin is exhausted?

James and Marianne were in town so we spent as much time with them as we could.  Going ice skating was one of our favorite things.

We headed to St. George for a few days which was wonderful. Gavin loves it down there!

On our way out the door (literally) for St. George Zoe grabbed a piece of metal ribbon on our wreath and sliced her finger in two places. A few hours, and five stiches, later we were able to get on the road. She is now constantly flipping the bird.

This little incident made me so grateful for my kids and for their health.  We are extremely grateful Zoe still has all five fingers and it made me realize how fast accidents can happen. It even made me appreciate being up all night with my little one.

We are looking forward to a wonderful 2012 which will hopefully bring lots of happiness!



Holiday Fun

We've been busy! We had our annual gingerbread house decorating last week. This might be the first year I'm actually proud of what our house looks like; usually they are just one big mess!

Jesse had to walk down to my parent's and I loved my little baby all bundled!

Creating the masterpieces.

The finished product.

We also had the Russon Family Christmas party which was so much fun. Gavin said Zoe looked like a ballerina.

The kids had fun making Christmas trees and the adults had fun unwrapping candy kisses while wearing gloves.

And of course there were presents!

I absolutely love this time of year and I hope we can fit in all our traditions before the big day arrives! The only problem with this time of year is all the fun desserts I want to make. Don't these look amazing?!?

The MUSS

The MUSS celebrated its tenth season this year so we did a little something special at the final football game during halftime. I was lucky enough to be on the field with my boss, John, and others who have contributed to The MUSS over the years. We were recognized for our efforts and were presented with autographed footballs.

The MUSS has given me some amazing memories over the years, both when I was a student and in my position as MUSS Coordinator. I have loved watching it grow and I have so much pride when I see the national recognition we are starting to get. The video below was also shown at the final football game and celebrates our ten-year anniversary.

GO UTES!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu_JLnXS2eo

Family Fun

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/EwaVoNWGjeC5utHkvB03

Happy Holidays!

We had a great Thanksgiving and are definitely looking forward to Christmas!

I can't wait for all the traditions and the spirit surrounding Christmas.  I'm actually looking forward to the holiday falling on a Sunday this year.  Even though it will make the day a little more hectic I am excited to focus on the true meaning of the special day.

I hope we get to spend time with each one of you this holiday!

Utah/BYU Food Drive

Please donate to the Utah/BYU Food Drive: www.alumni.utah.edu/fooddrive

Halloween Festivities

Gavin loved Halloween this year and all the parties and fun that came with it. He did great in his preschool program. He LOVES to sing and he was definitely the loudest.

We had our annual pumpkin carving at my parents. There were no Utah pumpkins this year but we had to pay tribute to the Raiders.

And then of course, there was Halloween night. Our mermaid and pirate had so much fun trick-or-treating!

The results of trick-or-treating: