So Thankful

I just want to write down some things that I am thankful for this year.

I am so thankful to have had my dad in my life for 29 years. Sure, I wish it would have been longer, but I KNOW that he is always with me. I know that he does watch over Charlee.

I am thankful that Charlee knows who he is even though she never met him in this life. I miss him so much but I know that I will see him again someday. I am sooooooo thankful for Lynn. We have had 9 years of ups and downs, but we are still together and I love him more now than ever.

I am thankful that he is such a hard worker so that I am able to be a full-time mom.

I am so thankful to be living close to my family. When I found out I was pregnant with Charlee, I was a little sad that I would be going through this pregnancy with out my brothers and sisters and my parents around. Yes, I have Lynn but I wanted to be around the rest of my family as well.

So I am grateful that Charlee gets to grow up around her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. She even knows all of their names and who belongs to who.

So that brings me to my Ball Baby. I am so thankful to have her in my life. After two years of trying and then finally getting pregnant, I know that there has to be a reason it took so long. We would like to give Charlee a brother or sister but Heavenly Father must have other plans for us right now. I love her more than I could ever express. ( Charlee, 2 months old )I am thankful to live here in Utah, near Erline. She has helped us out so much and Charlee loves her Aunt Erline very much!!! I have also enjoyed being able to spend time with her, too.

I also want to give a shout out to my BFF, Katie Vaughan. Katie, I am so thankful for your friendship. I am so lucky to have a friend that I can tell everything to and not get judged in return. You have done a lot for me. I love ya, Kraft-E.

I am thankful to live in America, for rainy days, for Cafe Rio, for French Bread Pizza, for great visiting teachers, being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, for scrapbooking stores, for Target, for the BOM, for my whole family......................

There is too much to name, but I am so thankful for so much.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Fun With a Black Crayon

Lynn was board one evening and thought it would be fun to give Charlee a goatee and a uni-brow with a black crayon. Ok, it was my idea for the uni-brow, but it WAS funny. Charlee did not think so. It really does not feel good to be drawn on with a crayon, I know this from experience. She is doing the Karate Kid stance here.

This is such a beautiful picture of my daughter. We should use it for our Christmas cards. Ya?

I still think she looks cute.

My Little Flower Girl

In August Charlee was the flower girl for her Uncle Kieths wedding. I did not have a picture but my SIL, Jackie, posted the pictures she took on her blog so I borrowed this pic of Char. She doesn't look too thrilled, but still soooo cute. This was the first time I curled her hair.

My Day Just Got Made!!!!!!

So, in an earlier post I talked about this awsome gift show called Oh! Sweet Sadie. Well their first show is tomorrow, so during the week before the shows they have contests almost everyday to win something that one of the vendors has donated. All you have to do is to leave a comment and they do a random drawing of those that left a comment. I did not win anything during the fall contests but thought "Why not enter all of the holiday ones too?" I think this was the fifth contest that I entered for the holiday show this week. So today when I checked my email I went to http://www.ohsweetsadie.com and there it was, MY NAME. It is a cute childrens bag from Tika Kids that has a special place to hold crayons and it comes with a metal board that you can use anything magnetic on or you can use dry erase markers on it. They also sell games and other things you can buy to add to it. This will be a perfect church bag for Char for Christmas. I saw them at the fall show, but there was soooo much cute stuff to choose from and I couldn't get it all!!! I acually was going to buy a church bag for Char but now I have one!!!!!!!!! Tika Kids has a shop at http://www.tikakids.etsy.com if you would like to check them out.

I am so exited, It also made me in a better mood too. When I got the mail today there was a letter from the moving company saying that our claim was denied on our piano. So we get nothing and the piano doesn't get fixed either. So I was pretty bummed. This just made my day!!!!

It may seem strange to be excited about this, but when you live pay check to paycheck, and with the economy is in the state it is in, and trying to get out of debt and wanting to give your child everything....it is just nice to get something for free. The third contest was for some really cute snowflalke stamps from My Cute Stamps! that I really wanted, and did not win. This is even better,cuz it is for my daughter. Thank you Oh! Sweet Sadie and Tika Kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry Lynn

I just have to post these pictures. Lynn is somewhat of a "holiday party pooper". He was passing out the candy at the trunker treat and looking MISERABLE. So I put my witch hat on his head and after I took a few pictures he started to smile and laugh. Of course the hat came off very quickly when I was done. He has such a great smile. I wish he would do it more often.

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW

It started snowing at 5am this morning. I know this because this is Charlees new wake-up time. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! So I put on her snow suit and we went outside for a while before I had to go to scouts. I only got a few pictures before the battery died, but she had a blast!

Halloween '08

This year I made Charlee a poodle skirt for Halloween. When I put it on her she would swing her hips from side to side. It was a little long but she still looked so cute in it. Here she is showing off her trick or treat ghost. She did not know what to think at first about trick or treating but them she got the hang of it. We went to our wards trunk r treat at 5pm then over to Erlines ward at 6pm. She made a nice haul. Of course Lynn and I will help her eat it all.

Charlee with her most favorite person in the world, Aunt Erline.

Charlee with her Grandma Strader. It was fun to have her here this year.

My little Pea Baby!!!!

Punkin Patch

Jeff and Barbara and their boys, Karter and Karson came down for a visit last weekend. We all went to Cornbellys Pumpkin Patch at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi. It was a lot of fun.
There was a buttload of slides there.

Karson and Charlee.

This is my favorite picture of Karson that I got. He is sooo smiley!!!

More Punkin Patch Pics

Karson, Charlee and Karter

Charlee on the cow train.

Charlee and Karter waiting to get on the cow train.

More Punkin Patch Pics

Charlee and Karson sitting in the large rockin chair. Karter is there too but he is behind them laying down. Charlee running through the corn maze that is in the shape of David Archuletta. Gag!!

Charlee on Lynns shoulders. It is not a photo session unless Char does her "stink eye".

We Also Sing! Performance

Saturday was my chior performance. What an awesome and spiritual experience. It was so cool to be able to sing in The Tabernacle. To sit in seats that The Mormon Tabernacle Chior sit in. To perform in a building where so many great prophets and people have stood and spoke. It was just so neat. It was accually my first time, ever, in the tabernacle and I can't wait to do it again next year. I didn't think we could take pictures so I did not take my camera and Lynn did not bring it to the performance. I really regret that. Some guy did go around and take lots of pictures and I guess our director will post them on the blog so as soon as I have some pictures I will post them. It was just so much fun to be a part of a chior again!!!

Oh! Sweet Sadie Art and Gift Show

Ok, I am still trying to figure out how to do all this fancy stuff on my computer and I think I figured it out! Yay!

Anyway, this is an awsome gift show. There were two fall shows and I went to both of them. They have some of the cutest stuff. I bought Charlee a pillowcase dress and two cute barretts. One had a ladybug made out of ribbon and one was a cupcake made out of ribbon. I also purchased some yummy homemade chicken noodle soup and homemade rolls, home made salsa and some chocolates that were sooooo good. I also got some cute magnets from one of my favorite Etsy shops, Isabells Umberella. Her link to her shop is http://www.isabellsumbrella.etsy.com/. I have several of her prints and stationery and I LOVE her stuff. I also got a cook book called "The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner" by Liz Edmunds. It is a cookbook aimed at getting families to eat dinner together at the table "and reap the benefits of a stronger family bond." Me, my mom and Erline accually met her and her daughter and they were so nice. And the recipes are really good, too. Her link is http://www.thefoodnanny.com/. I also got a thing that holds crayons and rolls up for Char for Christmas and a hand made bib! Whew, that is a lot of stuff.

I guess what I am really trying to say is that there is sooooo much at this gift show, I could do all my Christmas shopping in one place. The add above is for their upcoming Holiday showcase. I can't wait to go and they usually have them in really cool custom homes. Their website has a lot more information on the vendors and links to some of them that you can buy from online if you do not live here. Oh! Sweet Sadie does a lot of contests the week before the shows,too. I entered most of them for the fall shows. I did not win any but it was still fun to learn more about the artists and a chance to win something. There website is http://www.ohsweetsadie.com/.

I would love to go to all three but I don't think Lynn would like that very much.