February Happenings!

We had a great February full of fun and growth. Above is a picture of Samantha dressed up as a ballerina dancing around the house. She then put the TUTU on Hunter but somehow I missed getting a picture or just can't find it or Stephan deleted it! Definitely one of those! a few things said by Samantha the last couple of months. "Mom am I just so smart because I reminded you and your just not very smart cause you forgot?" speaking to a little 18 month old girl that we babysit " Hi Gracie. You can call me Cinderella Sammy Ladybug today. Can you say that?"
Puzzles have always been extra hard for Samantha. I don't know why? Maybe we didn't do them enough when she was younger? Anyways she was pretty distressed when her pre school friends did her dinosaur puzzle and she couldn't so I told her we would practice together. This is Samantha by the puzzle that she and I finished. She was very proud.
Hunter finds no greater joy than to hang out in the office while Dad works. He likes to reach up and type on his adding machine. He loves to run grab Dad's cell phone anytime it makes a sound. He can hear it from anywhere in the house and will stop whatever he is doing and run yelling I wah! I wah! I think he is saying "I want" but I'm not totally sure.

He also loves putting on hats he took to Samantha's pink hat and her Princess Wallet for about a day. He is always putting different hats on and running around the house. The other day Samantha wanted to put lipstick and a headband on because "I just want to look like you mommy." Hunter was not happy and so he found a headband and a purse and we all left the house with both my kids looking like me. Until Stephan took the headband from Hunter. Hunters little antics are pretty funny .
We decorated Cookies for Valentine's Day! Always a favorite for my kids. I just love Hunter's big Brown eyes.
Samantha used a ton of sprinkles and had a blast with her friend who we invited over to help decorate the cookies.
Sorry this picture is sideways. Way to technical for me to fix it. This is Samantha having a "camp out" in our Living Room. She loves camping and asks Stephan every night if it is camping season yet. Funny thing is when we actually go camping she is full of complaints to tired to hike and just wants to eat s'mores. But we do always have a great time. I have had a lot of fun with the kids this month. I feel like my patience has grown tremendously for Hunter and I am truly enjoying him now. It is so nice. This has largely happened since I found a parenting blog that has given me a lot of incite. Here is the link... http://askingjane.blogspot.com/ or just click on my button on the right. I sure love my family and am thankful everyday for them!

Snow in North Carolina!!!

What a fun change of pace for all of us! Everything shuts down in Carolina when it snows because it rarely does. Samantha has been asking about snow for weeks. So the fact that there was a chance of snow was pretty exciting for her. I was just praying that we would get some. Before the snow came she leaned over to me one day and said Mom I need to tell you a secret. Then she whispered in my ear "I really think we should move to the mountains cause it snows there and I love snow." The whole "Secret" delivery of it was really funny and endearing. She had a blast in the snow. Samantha lucked out and was stranded at her Grandparents for a couple of days which meant she had all of the attention and was spoiled rotten. I was surprised she came home willingly!
Samantha loved the snow! She was a diehard! Her Grandparents said she spent literally hours walking up and sledding down the hill in their backyard.

Hunter was not a fan of the snow! He lasted about 10 minutes! I was really surprised because he is such a daredevil.

Christmas Pictures!!!

Oh boy what a fun Christmas this was! Samantha completly grasped the concept and was beyond excited. Hunter just loved all of the decorations and his face was priceless Christmas Morning!!! Here are some pictures of the events. Sam was quite excited that she got the "Pink Princess Bike" she asked Santa for. Although she was not surprised Christmas Morning cause she said she just knew Santa would bring it to her. As you can see Hunter was NOT a fan of Santa!

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow....

This is my Grandma and Grandpa Barnes the first time they ever met Sam. I love my Grandparents smiles. They are truly contagious.
This is my Grandpa Jenson with Samantha the first time he met her. I love this picture. He was such a fun Grandpa!

These last two months have made me realize how fragile life is. I lost my Grandpa Jenson as well as my Grandma Barnes. It has been a couple months of emotion and traveling and just kind of rediscovering where I came from. I love my family so much and losing 2 people in such a short amount of time has been really hard. It has made me realize what is truly important to me in my life. My family and the Gospel. I am so thankful for both and could not have made it through these hard times with out them. My Grandparents have left such a legacy and it has truly inspired me to be a better person. One thing I can say is that with each passing I was blessed with the opportunity to see family that I have not seen in a long time and it was wonderful. The following are some pictures of choice moments from the past couple of months.
Even on our 8th flight I still adore my kids. LOL Not that I wasn't ready for a break!!!
Hunter loves his Dad soooo much! And Stephan is the biggest sucker for his boy! What a great Dad!
This girl was having the time of her life at Disneyland Can you tell :)?!?!?!
This is the family at Deer Lake. One of the most important places on earth to me. I am so happy I could be there with my husband and kids.
This is me and all of my cousins who mean soooo much to me. I truly felt at home when I was finally able to be with them.
Samantha and Hunter and my niece's Kaylie and Layla. Some of the cutest wonderful little kids I know.
This picture leaves me at a loss of words. This is my Grandpa at my Grandma's burial.
Our visit with Granny Gail was cut short due to my Grandmother's passing but the time we had with her was great!
This is my good friend Becca and I after running/walking my first 5K! Becca was such a great support and it was a real accomplishment for me.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! ( by Stephan)

Happy turkey day eve to all! About a year ago I turned this blog over to Amanda, and she has ran with it! Just what I expected so I am pleased. Thus, I think I may have been a little neglectful in posting on this blog and I know Amanda may be getting tired of always posting so here it goes!

Just a quick note to say how much I am thankful for. Of course my family but maybe even more I am thankful for the relationship I have with my Heavenly Father. Now, I am not one to usually "post my religion" but I feel like it is appropriate for me now. I think back to life changing events in my life and reminisce about them. I can think back to the time period that really solidified my testimony into what it is today, my mission in southern California. Now, my 18 year old brother is preparing for his mission. I am hopeful and prayerful that his mission will do as much in making him a man of faith as it did to me.

Hope all is well and that everyone thinks about what they are Thankful for!

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A Spooktacutlar Birthday!!!!

This past Friday we threw Samantha a Halloween Costume Birthday Party. Oh boy was she excited!!!! She said she wanted it to be super scary and she was especially excited to scare her friends with her Pink Dragon Costume. Here are some pictures highlighting this most exciting event.
One of my favorite parts of the party was reading and looking at the cards that the kids had made for Sam. They were so cute! Sam of course loved opening her presants. The night before as she was going to sleep she said "So Mom?!?! Tomorrow is when I get a whole bunch of preasants right?"

This is all the kids playing Monster Mash Freeze Dance. It was super cute and they all took it so seriously. Thanks to my friend Sarah who helped me keep things rolling. She had some super SWEET moves :)

We also did a Haunted Mansion Art project with foam stickers. I played spooky music in the background. Sam's friend Winston came up to me and said "Where are all those cats I keep hearing." He was quite thrown off by the music in the background.