Makeover

About every two months or so, I get a burning desire to re-arrange, re-decorate, re-do something. It probably drives Aaron a little nuts, since most of the time I need his help, but he was in full support of this one! We decided to make the girls room a bedroom/playroom. After situating the furniture every way that we could possibly imagine, we decided we need a little more room. So, WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!!! Ok- just kidding. We bought a set of bunk beds from a nice family on craigslist. And they are perfect! I can't believe how much room the girls have in their bedroom now, and they love it, and so do we, since that means no more toys downstairs. (We'll see how that goes). We are happy that the girls have a bigger space to play, a space that doesn't double for living room, family room, etc. Anyway, we are super excited and wanted to share.

Cherish

I walked into my bathroom tonight and found the puppies lined up in their "house". I smiled and seriously felt all happy inside as I thought about my girls and how they play and leave their mark wherever they go (all throughout my house!). I could have picked them up, but I decided to leave them right there so that when the girls wake up in the morning and go to check on their puppies, they will find them safe and sound where they put them to bed. I thought about something that my mom said the other day. My whole family was at my parent's house for Christmas. After we had all gone and the house was quiet, my mom and dad were cleaning up the kitchen. My mom reached down to pick up something off the floor and saw a perfectly formed, sticky little footprint on the floor. She and my dad decided not to clean it up, but to leave it for a few days to remind them of the sweet kids that filled their house a few days before. I thought about the puppies and how much I appreciate moments like that when I am so incredibly grateful for my children and their presence in my home. A line of puppies to make me thank Heavenly Father that I have three healthy children that are mine, and to send me into their room to give them an extra kiss and squeeze before I came downstairs.

Merry Christmas

We had such a great time visiting family for Christmas! We LOVED being with our families and not doing much, but hanging out and playing games and eating way too much! I am usually ready to head home after a long vacation and get back into the swing of things, but this time I was dragging my feet to come home, (no offense to my Iowa friends, I did miss you and was happy to see you!)I must admit that once we got home, it felt good to be here, but we love our families so much and are so glad that we had the chance to go home and be wih them for the holidays! Here are a few pictures to remember the trip.

Annual Elf Yourself

It wouldn't be the Christmas Season at our house without the annual Elf Yourself experiment! My kids think this is hilarious. They sit in front of the computer and watch it over and over and crack up every time. I love it. And this year, we all fit in! Click on the title to see it , or paste this to your browser. Merry Christmas! http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/lIyvb6wrNxefz360

Thankful

I think it is high time I post a little something to express my gratitude. I feel so blessed lately to have everything I have in my life. I am so thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am thankful for the peace that I feel and the guidance it gives me for how to live and be happy. I am so thankful for my family. I seriously look at my girls and think that I am so lucky! I love their excitement at the simple things in life and their innocence and purity.I am thankful for my amazing husband and all that he does for me and our girls. I am thankful that he is my best friend and that we have so much fun together. We had a great Thanksgiving, our first one with just the five of us. We missed being with our extended family, but it was fun to just be together and start some of our own traditions. I am thankful for our health and our home. I am thankful that we have a safe car that runs and that we are warm during the winter. I have so much to be thankful for and I truly am thankful for it!

Chocolate

Aaron and I have decided to rent out our chocolate fountains. Check out our website(link on the right). If you know anyone in the Des Moines area that might want to rent a fountain, we'd love it if you would point them in our direction. Thanks.

Pray Always

I am posting this for my Mom (she's making Christmas gifts) and as I put it up I thought I would just comment on how much I love this saying. Aaron and I got these blocks when we began this journey to med school and it has become our tagline. Things haven't gone exactly as planned, but we have managed to pray alot and believe that it will all work out. I love having the gospel in my life to help me have hope and be faithful. With God, all things are possible and I really believe that. Hope you all have a great day!

(top block is 6.5 inches long by 2 inches tall, bottom is 8.5 inches long)