Odds and Ends

Santa brought us a trampoline for Christmas this year and Paul and I finally set it up last weekend.  Hayden is in heaven but unfortunately will only go out with friends, mommy, or daddy, maybe once she gets used to it she'll go out on her own.  Maybe this will give me more motivation to go outside with her and begin to clean up our backyard to eventually lay sod this spring!

 Hayden's been playing at lots of friends houses lately as I've gone to doctors appointments weekly.  She loves to play with her friends and never wants to leave when I come to pick her up.  She is just a social butterfly and always greets her friends with a hug.  I can already tell her love language is physical touch.

Hayden is also obsessed with the movie Dolphin Tale right now. It's about an injured dolphin named Winter that loses her fin.  Here is Hayden mimicking the movie. She lays winter our on this and carries her around and treats her fin.

Hayden also said her 1st prayer in primary today.  I sadly had to go to another ward for my calling, but Paul went to help her and said she did great.  She wouldn't close her eyes, but he said that she said the prayer basically by herself and said it clearly.  I can't believe my little girl is saying prayers in primary, what next?

Happy Birthday To Me!

That's right, as of January 13th I am now 31 years old!  This was a much easier birthday than last year.  I have accepted that I am no longer in my 20's and I'm just trying to embrace the 30's and make them great. I had quite an amazing birthday celebration this year and felt very loved by all my friends and family.  Paul came up with a new tradition and that is that if your birthday falls on a Sunday then that means that you get to celebrate your birthday all weekend long.  So Friday Paul surprised me by first leaving me a note when I woke up that told me something special was going to happen and that I needed to be home at 1pm.  Then later in the morning he sent me a text to go and find an additional card he had written full of funny things.  Then at 1pm he came home and sent me on a little scavenger hunt.  The first stop was to get a pedicure which I haven't done since we lived in Cheyenne.  This was Hayden's gift to me.  Paul asked Hayden what she wanted to get me for my birthday and she immediately and without hesitation said, "toes, I want her to paint her toes!"  It was really nice to sit and relax and read while getting my toes done :)  After each stop I was suppose to call Paul and have him direct me to the next card (which were hidden throughout the car).  My last stop was Costco which was hilarious because I'd been telling him all week that I really needed to go and couldn't find the time, so he built that in as well.

Here's all my cards:

When I got home, Hayden was at our friends the Mendenhalls and Paul had made me dinner!  And not just any dinner, he went on pinterest and found 3 brand new recipes.  Seriously, look at his presentation too!

It tasted delicious!  I was so impressed with his dinner that I couldn't wait to see dessert.  He said, "are you ready to see dessert?" So I'm thinking it's going to be beautiful as well....

Poor Paul really struggles with our bundt pan.  I never seem to have any issues, but he is adamant that the pan needs to go!  Despite it's funny appearance, this was so moist and delicious.  A definite keeper.

After dinner we headed out to see Les Mis and had a great evening together.

Old age decided to remind me how old I was turning because the next morning I woke up at 5 am with excruciating back pain.  I've had some trouble on my upper right back the past year, but this was on my left side and I couldn't even get up.  After lots of IC Hot and heat, it started to get better after a few days, only to move to my right side.  The pain is still there and I actually had to start seeing a chiropractor.  I went 3 times last week and am finally starting to get some relief.  Apparently it is a lot of scar tissue from playing water polo and some other muscle issues.  Not fun, so much for trying to embrace the 30's.

So that night we headed out to celebrate by going to dinner at Henry's which is a Cajun restaurant that gets amazing reviews.  It was amazing as everyone said.  I got the Louisiana Oh La La which has been featured on many tv shows and Paul got the jambalaya.  I only got one picture of our night out and only really by default.  I went and bought some yellow paints and felt so self conscious in them, so I had Paul take a picture of me so I could see if I looked like a fool!    

I think the colored pants look cute on others, but I still feel pretty self conscious!  But I'm trying to branch out a bit :)  The shoes were my birthday present from Paul.  I love them!

The next day was my actual birthday and I got to open a few presents and then our dear friends the Heinholds had us over for dinner.  Seriously, 3 nights in a row not having to cook dinner.  It was awesome.  Paul got me an ice cream cake to share with our friends and we had a great birthday celebration.

Then the following Saturday, all my girlfriends and I went to Macaroni Grill to celebrate my birthday.  We had a great time chatting and catching up, while the dad's had their first Book Club and watched all the kids.  All my friends were so impressed with Paul's efforts to make my birthday special and said that their husbands were open to pointers :)  My friend Carolyn who organized the gathering decided to make me feel extra special and had each person tell me something they liked about me. While it was very embarrassing, it also made me feel very loved and special.

My free dessert!  I don't like being the center of attention, so I started to feel a bit uncomfortable at this point and Carolyn was trying to take a picture of me with my cake, but I wouldn't look at her!  I get a little overwhelmed!

2012 was a really rough year so I think my husband and friends banded together to make my birthday so special and to let me know they were there to support me. I received so many wonderful cards from friends who are far that touched me and was showered with love by all who live close.  Even as I write this I tear up at all the love and support I have received despite things not going the way I've wanted.  Thanks!

"Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam"

Hayden has been singing that song for about two years now, and today she actually became a Sunbeam!  I can't believe my little baby is now going to primary.  All my friends who serve in primary and her teacher said she was great the entire time.  They said she sang the songs she knew loud and sat with her arms folded in her seat the rest of the time.  I was so worried, but I am now relieved to know she knows how to act.  She got to make this crown and was pretty excited about it!

And speaking of "Sunbeams," I am truly blessed with amazing friends.  Throughout my life, highschool, college, grad school, the Air Force, and now, I have always made special bonds with people.  My friend Kim is one of my longest and most dear friends.  She herself has had a horrific year and yet she is still aware of me and the trials I am going through.  She sent me this package the other day and it couldn't have come at a better time.  Thanks again Kim!

New Years

While we are far from most family, we are lucky enough to be about 6 hours from Paul's oldest brothers family.  They live in Oxford, MS and we need to get out there more often.  We always have a great time and Hayden loves seeing her 4 boy cousins.  Their youngest Jett is now 2 1/2 and when Hayden and Jett weren't fighting over who got to ride the tricycle, they actually had a lot of fun together.  We left the Friday after Christmas and stayed until the New Year.  

Here is Paul, the kids always love playing with Paul wherever we go.  Quincy, Hayden and Cooper are piled on him!

Then I made Ozzie join in on another picture!

These 3 played so much together.  I was getting ready and came into the family room and found them like this, how cute are they?

 New Year's Eve we had an awesome dinner and opened those Holiday Crackers.  We have never done these before, but it may become a new tradition.  Hayden loved her crown and ring.  

Aunt Heidi and Quincy

Jett LOVED the sparkling apple cider, can you tell?

Hayden and I getting ready to toast to the New Year

I'm so glad we took a trip out to Mississippi to spend some time with Russ, Heidi, and their family.  They always make us feel so welcome and loved.  Hayden was so sad when we left and cried for quite awhile.  She talks about her cousins all the time and I always hear their names in her songs that she makes up as well as in her prayers.  

Christmas Day

Paul remembers waking up very early every Christmas morning of his childhood.  Well, Hayden is not a morning person at all, so we woke up about our normal time around 8:30 am!  She was very excited when she woke up and she knew it was Christmas morning!  

First we went and checked out our stockings.  Santa Claus left Hayden a note next to our empty plate of cookies and carrot.  He also left her a table and Minnie Mouse Birthday Bowtique.  We videoed this and so I have no pictures!  She carefully looked over each item in her stocking and was excited about each thing she opened.  Our elf Peeta, also let Santa know that Paul left his "cutie" in his stocking last year, so this year Santa had a sense of humor and put Paul's orange in a ziploc bag!

Next we went to our tree and let Hayden open this first, she always shows her emotions clearly doesn't she? Could she be any happier?

 This is probably Paul's all time favorite gift.  My mom found him a really nice copy of Atlas Shrugged, his favorite book.  There are only 800 copies and he got #81 I believe.  He was so shocked as he has looked for nice copies in our price range before without any luck.

Here is Hayden in her Rapunzel dress and toys!

My new favorite quote from Hayden occurred as she opened this present from Grandma Anne and Papa Steve.  When she saw the Belle dress she said, "Dreams really do come true!"  How hilarious is that.  We can't stop talking about how clever she was :)

Paul has wanted these new running shoes forever and I led him to believe I did not get them for him, so he was pretty excited about these as well! 

This may be one of Hayden favorite presents from my Mom and Dad.  She loves being Paul and I's physician and is constantly giving us shots and checking our blood pressure.  

Paul got me a really cute maxi skirt (I wore it to church today and got a number of compliments.  People were astonished that Paul picked it out all by himself!) and this sewing machine was my highlight.  I'm excited to embark on some new projects when I get some time!

After opening presents I made sweetie hotcakes while Hayden and Paul started watching Brave.  We let Hayden play with presents and we were able to face time with all our family.  Then around 3 pm we went back to our friends the Heinholds and ate leftovers and played games all night.  It was a great time.  I'm so thankful for our "family" out in the south, I don't know what we would have done without them.  Again, I can't believe I didn't take any pictures of the Heinholds, we really do have too much fun! 

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

This is going to be a very long post because my blog has been temporarily out of service the last 2 months!  I ran out of storage and didn't want to delete past posts, but finally found a way to continue writing without deleting old posts.  So I have the whole month of December to catch up.  We had a great holiday season.  It was very busy, but wonderful to watch my 3 year old get excited about EVERYTHING.  So this post will be all about preparing for Christmas :)

We stayed busy the entire month!  We repainted our family room and got new carpet which has been an AMAZING transformation.  I used to hate our family room the most and it now finally feels like a homey place.  I should have taken before and after pictures, but I'll post some soon.  I couldn't have done it all without Paul's help and more importantly my two friends Stephanie and Brittney.  They came over and helped all day.

In the south, it is popular to put wreaths up in your windows.  I loved it so much last year that I bought wreaths when they all went on sale and put them up this year.  I loved the way it turned out and was sad to take them down.

 Hayden was invited to a couple of Christmas parties this year.  Here is her letter to Santa.  She asked for a blue Cinderella dress.

Decorating Gingerbread Houses

The whole gang

Poor Hayden had a cold and it affected her eyes so they were all goopy this day.

Next our task was to put up and decorate our Christmas tree.  This was our first year getting a fake tree (Paul actually got us an awesome deal on Black Friday).  Last year I had tons of allergies associated with the tree, so it was inevitable.  I've had a real tree my entire life, so it was kind of sad at first.  But I did grow to love not cleaning up pine needles all month!

Can you tell how excited Hayden was about this?  I couldn't get any clear pictures because she wouldn't stop dancing around.

This is one of my favorite pictures, why do kids love jumbling all the ornaments into one spot?

When I went to hang up our stockings this year, Paul's had weird black dots on the outside of it.  I was so puzzled and I looked inside and a small, black, wonderfully smelling ball popped out.  Yep, you've got it, Paul left his "cutie" from last year.  It molded the whole toe of his stocking.  This is a picture of the inside after multiple washes!  I was shocked that it still smelled so fruity!  I will never let him forget this one :)

We also went to the YMCA Christmas Party.  They had a petting zoo, crafts (or as Hayden calls them, "crapts") and a train ride with Santa Claus.  

 Here is Hayden and her friend Kyla waiting for the train to come back

 Hayden was terrified of Santa at first, but after she saw Kyla hugging him she decided to give him a try.

She sat on his lap the entire train ride!

We also have a tradition of making homemade gingerbread houses.  We invited our friends the Baggetts over for dinner and decorating. They have a son, Charlie who is the same age as Hayden.  The nursery leaders always tell me that Hayden is going to marry Charlie someday.  They love being together!

My Grandma Cowan always did the 12 Days of Christmas for all her grandchildren and my mom has carried on that tradition.  I love watching Hayden open her small gift each day because it brings back all the wonderful memories I have with my grandma and the special lady that she was.  Here is Hayden in her last gift, Christmas pajamas.  She LOVED the tutu!

We have amazing next door neighbors.  They love Hayden and have gotten her a little gift the last few years. Here she is in her bakers outfit.  She has been whipping up muffins, pancakes, and sweetie hotcakes for weeks now!

Christmas Eve we had a wonderful dinner with our friends the Heinholds.  They had no family in town either so we made the best of it by spending time with each other.  I made my grandma's rolls, a salad, and my mom's Derby Pie.  Stephanie made a yummy ham, potatoes, jello salad, and pie.  We played games and talked for awhile before going home to open our Christmas pajamas and reading the Christmas Story.  We must have had too much fun with the Heinholds because I didn't get a single picture!  I hate when I do that!

Hayden was so excited to put out cookies for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph.  She talked in her room for almost an hour before falling asleep, she was so excited!  

December really flew by, we also went to a caroling party, the ward and Relief Society Christmas parties, and I had several doctors appointments throughout the month (I'll probably blog about this later...) Holidays are so much fun with Hayden!