Our Christmas Card!

At this time of year we can't help but be thankful for all the blessings that our Heavenly Father has given to us. This year has been full of happiness, laughter, learning and yes, even a few tears. We recently sent out our Christmas card to all of our friends and family but we thought we would put the family 'update' on our blog. So here we go!

Mitch- Mitch has had a great year. In April he began a new job with a company called Fusion I-O out of Salt Lake. This has been a great blessing to our family as it has provided good insurance, financial security, and an opportunity for daily success for Mitchell. We are also thankful to have Mitch with us today as in August he had a brush with death when a tree top fell on him. This accident gave us the opportunity to see how much love and support we have among our friends, family and ward family. We have also become close friends with our insurance company as they seem to be hearing from us ALOT! Mitch has enjoyed his calling with the 11 year old boyscouts and has become a great role model for the boys in the ward.

Stacie- Stacie has had a liberating fall season as she is FINALLY free from school work. She graduated with her Master's degree from Utah State in Speech and Language Pathology and now works 2 days a week for the School District. Stacie continues to run and has had a great time training for and completing 2 marathons in the past year. She has really enjoyed being home with Ellie and watching her grow.

Ellie- Sweet Ellie is a busy little girl. She is walking, jabbering, and loves exploring everything! She continues to be in the 95th percentile for her height and weight. She loves eating bananas, yogurt, ice-cream, sweet potatoes and come to think of it, I'm not sure there is a food that she does not like! Her parents love watching her learn new things and she greets us everyday with a smile!

At this time of year we can't help but be grateful for all the friends and family that surround us each day. We hope that our friends and family can spend their holidays with those they love and in remembrance of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas!

ELLIE'S FIRST BIRTHDAY!!!

On December 1st Ellie turned one year old! For the big '1' we decided to have a "Favorite Things" birthday party! The whole day was dedicated to all of Ellie's favorite things. We ate all of Ellie's favorite foods including bananas, grapes, goldfish, cereal, waffles (chocolate cake waffles:)) and of course, ice cream! We gave Ellie her very own Banana Cream pie. At first it frightened her but after a while she got her hands dirty and dug right in! Much to our delight, (not hers) she decided to pick the pie up and lick it, unfortunately,the whole thing slid off right into her face! It was CLASSIC! She makes us so happy!

Ellie opening all of her presents with the help of her cousins and dad!
Ellie right after she tried to take a lick of pie, she doesn't quite understand gravity yet.
The AfTeRMaTh
Ellie playing in a pool with two of her favorite things, cousins and balls!
Ellie doing one of her favorite things...eating!

Here are 10 of Mom and Dad's favorite things about Ellie! 1) Her great big smile she gives you when you come into the room! 2) Her high pitched squeals when you tickle her chubs, 3) Her unbalanced walk with her hands up in the air 4) The amount of food she can consume 5) Her pretty blue eyes 6) Her love for everyone around her 7) The way she sleeps with her bum up in the air 8)Watching her explore and learn new things 9) When she lays her head on your chest to cuddle 10) When she sleeps all the way through the night!
......These are a few of our FAVORITE things! Happy Birthday Els!