Merry Christmas!

I got you a present!!! A blog post from me! :) Mom said she was really missing my posts, so I thought I'd write one today, and give you a little update/tour of our house at Christmastime!

I put these decorations up a while back (before Thanksgiving, against Tyler's wishes :p), but today I helped Tyler put up the decorations outside too!

It's not extravagant but it's ours - I'm so thankful to have my cozy little house this winter!

For My Dad...

I know it's the day after father's day, and that I haven't had a blog post for a month, but this is a post of pictures of me and my dad - the BEST dad in the world!

 Christmas 1988

 July 1989

 June 1994

Father's Day - June 1998

 July 2003

 September 2004

 December 2004

Father's Day - June 2004

 December 2005

Father's Day -  June 2006

 February 2009

 August 2009

 My Wedding day - August 2009

 October 2010

April 2011

And this Fathers Day - June 19th, 2011 :)

I am so thankful for my dad - I appreciate how hard he has worked my whole life to provide for the things that I wanted, not just needed.  I'm also thankful that he gave me rules to follow so that I turned into a decent adult (haha)...And most of all I am thankful for the love he has always shown for God and for my mom and for me and my sisters; an example of the what the perfect father should be.  I love my dad more than I could ever tell him!

Mothers, Grandmothers, and Other Mothers, Oh My!

I love Mothers Day.  I love the idea of a whole day to remember how blessed I am to have the mom I have, the mother-in-law I have, the grandmothers I have, and the friends I have that are wonderful mothers to their children.  Also, it's no secret that I can't wait to BE a mom! (Don't worry mom - I'm finishing school first :).....I have a big list of gifts to post about, so here goes!

 It seemed like this was the year of 'picture' presents - My mom has been wanting this picture for a LONG time - every time we see it in a store she just stares at it, and I knew it would make the perfect mothers day gift (my picture isn't very good but I'm sure she will post about it at her blog). It says "Be still and know that I am God" at the bottom...it really is beautiful.

We (me, Tyler, Morgan, and Maci) also got her Francesca Battistelli's new CD, because she loves her even though she can't pronounce her name :)

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Tyler and I got Teresa this picture; It made me think of her right when I saw it:

This one says:

"Mom, you mean so much to me.

More than words could ever say.

No one else could take your place

For even a single day.

From my earliest memories

Your love has always been there.

Even when you scolded me

You were really saying "I care."

You've helped me through the sad times

And shared my joy in the good.

You have given so much for me

As only a mother could.

It's a precious gift from God

To have a mother like you.

Because in your special love

I can see His love shine through."

So perfect for Teresa - she is a wonderful mom and I'm glad she brought Tyler up exactly like she did so that he would make my perfect husband someday!

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Next, I helped Cadyn make a present for her mom (my BFF Jordan).  I got her handprints in paint at church on Wednesday and I framed them.

It turned out ADORABLE and I love Jordan and am so proud of her for being such a great mom :)

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Here is a picture of the 'loot' on the 'Night before Mothers Day' :)

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We also had lots of festivities today - first church, then my great-aunt Janice's for my family's Mothers Day lunch, then Tyler's parents' for their lunch.  I made these cute little cupcakes (I think I had more fun making them than everybody did eating them :p)

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And finally, I'll leave you with a picture of me and my babydoll! :) - my mom will post pictures too, so go look there! Until next year, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY! I love all the 'moms' in my life!

The circus isn't just for kids!

Mine and Tyler's best friends Jordan and Ethan invited us to go to the circus with them and their daughter Cadyn because they had extra tickets.  We thought it would just be a fun and different thing to do, not to mention free (because I'm so cheap), but it turns out we had just as much fun as Cadyn did!  It is AMAZING to watch all the things those people can do - trapezes, tightropes, stilts...just to name a few! We will probably keep going back every year even if we don't have kids to take - haha!

 Watching Cadyn was just as fun as watching everything else....she was in a trance the whole time.  You just wonder what is going through her little mind! Such a doll baby!

 Thank you Jordan and Ethan for the fun evening! :)

I've Found the One My Heart Loves....

 Tyler and I are going to a wedding for two of our friends who live somewhat far away...we don't see them very often, but they are perfect for each other and we can wait to see them be married!  I found a set of mugs at the Christian Bookstore that would have been a perfect wedding gift, and I could have kicked myself for not buying them!  So, I searched FOREVER online to find them, and when I did I found a whole gift set to go with them - AND I had a discount code and got a lot more for the same price :)...God always works things out! I love this gift because it has scripture incorporated into it and it just looks like their personalities:

 The set came with a gift bag, a journal for both to write in, a 'coupon book' (like what I got Tyler for Valentine's Day), and His and Her mugs.

 And I just LOVE the inside of them - my camera is not very fancy, so it was hard to get a good picture, but it says "I found the one my heart loves. Song of Solomon 3:4" - SO perfect for a wedding gift!

And a heart at the bottom of the cup :)

Congratulations Matt and Meaghan! We love you both!

Miss Me?? :)

I know, I know, I haven't blogged in FOREVER for multiple reasons, including heaping piles of homework, a million places to be, and not really anything interesting worth blogging about.  But......I figured since Easter weekend is here, I have a couple things to show you :)

I really have a burden for little kids to get to know what the REAL meaning of all these holidays we celebrate.  Easter is becoming more and more about candy and bunnies and baskets, and the real reason is forgotten.  But I will NEVER forget! I have a lot of friends that have kids, and Tyler and I's best friends Jordan and Ethan have a little girl Cadyn who just turned two, and they are so faithful to always be at church and it's a blessing.  We also have friends Andrew and Christy who have Heidi, and they just started recently coming to our church.  Since I don't have a little girl of my own to buy for, I LOVE buying stuff for these girls :) I went and bought them the Easter VeggieTales DVD and a book with the real Easter story in it, and put them in these adorable little baskets that I painted their names on:

 How cute! They both have wonderful parents and we love them so much!

Anyway, today, I decided to try to make 'Hidden Surprise Easter Egg Treats' - you've probably seen them advertised in magazines lately.  They're simply Rice Krispie Treats in the shape of eggs that are hollow and have a 'surprise' (M&M's) inside.  They were REALLY easy to make and turned out so cute!

I still have to figure out how I'm going to decorate them before tomorrow's Easter festivities! If you want the recipe, here it is!

I hope everyone has a blessed Easter; remember, it's the day our Savior arose - He is a LIVING Savior, and now we can live with Him in eternity! Hosanna!