Good Times!

We had such an amazing weekend! We were able to go with my family to Vegas and even Randy got to go. He was so excited because it's the first time he's been able to see Pahrump. :) Here, in picture format, are the highlights of our quick trip. Also, I just wanted to point out that just in the last couple of weeks, Ava has decided that it's okay to smile for the camera. I think she finally figured out that if she just smiles, we can be done. :)

On Friday night we went to my dad's hospital party. My little sister also works there. It was such a fun night with great food and good entertainment. We even took Ava and she was the only kid there. She was so good though! Even more exciting is that my little sister got engaged that day! The hospital party was somewhat of an engagement party for them. We are SOOOO excited for them. We love Sam to death and they are just perfect for each other. CONGRATS AGAIN! I didn't get a picture of them, but you can read all about it on her blog. :) Sam and Alecia







We also went to the BYU Bowl Game. I honestly don't want to discuss the game, the outcome, or anything else about it. Needless to say, it was cold, they played horribly, and it was hard to watch. BUT, as it tends to go, we still had a GREAT time!






I just had to throw this picture in there. We stayed at a hotel on Saturday night that Randy told Ava was a princess castle. Needless to say, she was obsessed with everything about it. This is her sleeping in the "Princess" bed. When she woke up the next morning, I took her potty and the first thing she said was, "Mommy, this is a PRINCESS bathroom!" It was so cute!



We had our Warren family Christmas party on Sunday night. We had a GREAT time eating and catching up with everyone. Here's Ava with "the girls" as she called them all night. She had SUCH a blast with her cute cousins. (Yes, Ava LOVES dolls and her older cousins were so cute to play along with her. :)

Here she is with her "My Little Pony". She was absolutely thrilled!

Her new Princess Dress. Seriously, in the eyes of my 2 year old, there is NOTHING better. I'm tempted to tell Santa to return all of her gifts because she is completely content with all of her "Happy Birthdays" as she likes to call her new Christmas Presents.

Watching "Joy to the World" about the Nativity. I'm proud to say that Ava watched the entire story of Jesus's birth. Sure, it was only a few minutes long, but I love that she was interested and loved to watch "Baby Jesus"!

Our family. I love them so much!

Going Strong!

Today is our 4th Wedding Anniversary! I can't believe we've been married for 4 years! We've been through a lot. First of all, 2 College Graduations. I actually graduated a couple days before we got married, but walked the following August. Randy graduated in 2006 - 2 years after we were married. To be honest, for those 2 years it felt like we were both in school. :) We bought a townhome, sold it, and bought our first home. Buying our first home was one of the biggest roller coasters that we've ever been on, but it all worked out and we're so grateful that it did. We've lived in DC, Denver, and Utah, and Randy has been ALL over the place. One of the MOST important things that has happened to us is the birth of our sweet daughter. She was born in 2006 and life hasn't been the same since! (By the way, Randy made it home only a couple days before Ava's birth thanks to one of the before mentioned trips :) Now, we're building our family even more by adding a little boy next May! Life hasn't always been perfect, but through thick and thin we've been together and we have a TON of memories to prove it. I love you baby! Here's to many more years of laughter, love, and great memories!

Snow and Christmas Cookies!!

Today it SNOWED and SNOWED! Ava so wanted to go outside and play in the snow, so I decided I'd go shovel the driveway. Apparently I think I'm in better shape than I actually am. :) I probably won't do that again for a while. I'm hoping it's because I'm 18 weeks pregnant and not that I'm completely out of shape. Let's be honest, it IS because I'm completely out of shape. :) Anyway, Ava had a BLAST and I had to drag her in the house kicking and screaming.







We did a little playdate at our house a little while ago and frosted Christmas Cookies. We had lunch, let the kids play, and chatted. I consider it a successful day because Ava LOVED the frosting! :)

A Few Things I LOVE about Christmas . . . .

Lemon Bread. I LOVE Lemon Bread. My Grandma Stoddard used to make it for me when we were little. She knew how much I loved it so she always made some to bring to our house during Christmas. As I grew older, I told her I really wanted the recipe. She gave me her handwritten recipe straight from her recipe box which I use to this day to make Lemon Bread. It means so much to me now since she passed away last year. I don't claim to make it as well as her, but I do think she's up in heaven loving the tribute!

Focusing on Christ. I know that we all try all year to keep our lives Centered on Christ, but there is something really special about this time of year. It's like His presence is so near; especially with children around. This is a picture of Ava and the Christus on Temple Square.

The Winter Cold. I LOVE when it is cold. As long as I'm bundled up I don't mind being IN it, but what I love most of all is seeing cold and snow outside while we're comfy and cozy inside. The cold just reminds me of this time of year. I love the change of seasons so much!

Holiday Traditions. This is us at Temple Square last weekend. I remember going when I was little and hopefully our kids will remember these experiences years down the road! Not only are the lights amazing, but the spirit at Temple Square is beyond comparison. We got to go with Sam this year and seeing it through the eyes of somebody who hasn't experienced it before is like seeing it for the first time!

Christmas Lights. I thought I loved them, but Ava ADORES looking for Christmas lights. It is so fun to see all of the houses all festive. This is a pic of our house. I don't know if you can see it, but my wonderful husband put up our lights this year and it looks great! I am so proud of him and my lights! I think this year is the start of a new tradition. :)

The Christmas Tree. There is nothing better than putting up the Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. I love having the glow in the house and looking at all of the ornaments with Ava. She knows just which ones are hers and which ones are her favorites.

Lastly - the hustle and bustle of the season. There is SOOO much going on and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love going to parties, seeing friends and family, and getting ready for Christmas day. Plus, it wears out my child which always makes a mom happy!


There are PLENTY of other things that I love about Christmas, but these are a few of my favorite things.

Play Date

Ava had a play date with one of her good friends a little while ago and they had a BLAST! I took pictures because they were just cracking me up. They watched the Grinch, made chocolate chip cookies, and did puzzles. Good times had by all. :)

Here's Ava before Carson taught her how fun it is to stick out your tongue for pictures:

And here she is in every picture thereafter:

Enjoying the fruits of their labor:

Loving puzzles and taking pictures of each other:

Free Concert!

We got together with some friends in the neighborhood and went to the free FM 100 Concert Series a little while ago. We were lucky enough to see Jim Brickman! It was so much fun. The kids actually sat through it really well. He's a pretty amazing artist. The highlight for the kids was definitely playing in the Dinosaur Playland though. Figures. :)

The Performance:

The kids watching (yes - it does look my child has been beat up :)


Playing in the Dinosaur Playland:

Me, Ava, and Jim himself:

Snow College Weekend:

This past weekend we were lucky enough to go to the the Rio Tinto Soccer Stadium (Where Salt Lake Real plays). Lucky for me, it wasn't to watch soccer. :) We went to the Snow College bowl game, which happens to be my alma mater, and my dad's, and my mom's, and my grandparents, and my husbands, and my sister's, and my other little sister is there now. Not only that, but the football field at Snow College is actually named after my grandpa, Robert L. Stoddard. Just a little background - We Love Snow! Anyway, we got to hang out in a suite to watch the game with a lot of family. It was so much fun. It was a GREAT game, with a horrible ending. We lost in double overtime because Snow College BLOCKED AN EXTRA POINT and then Butler somehow scored a touchdown in the same play. Don't ask. I have no idea how that works. Anyway, here are some pictures from our fun day.


My awesome Grandma and Grandpa Warren:



My whole family:

All tuckered out: