Merry Christmas!

We hope all of you have a great Christmas!

Love, Aaron, Ashley, Dallin, and Brooke

Happy Birthday Aaron!

Happy Birthday to our favorite husband and dad. We love you!

Friday

Ok, so Aaron and I had a great time on Friday. After we dropped our kids off at my parents, we checked in at the hotel and walked over to Tucanos. We really enjoyed the food there. I would definitely recommend it. Join their club and go during the month of your birthday so you can get one meal for free. The food was great. They had grilled pineapple which was delicious and a great salad bar. All of the meat they served was yummy. We tried chicken heart...not so yummy. The service was great, and we definitely will be going back. After dinner we went to the Kurt Bestor christmas concert. It was fantastic. He is a very talented man. He preformed some of his older, well-known music along with new songs. We enjoyed the concert a lot and we will continue to try and go every year. It was a great weekend getaway, made even better by the fact we didn't have to wake up at six in the morning to take care of our kids who don't know how to sleep in. We are bummed it is over.

Tomorrow

Ok, so tomorrow is going to be an awesome day. Aaron has the day off and we are going to get our Christmas shopping pretty much done. I love to shop. Dallin will be playing with a friend so we won't have to worry about him running all over the stores. Then, when we are done shopping the kids will have a nap, and we will drop them off at my parents house to sleep over. We are then going to start Aaron's birthday celebration. His birthday is a week from today but we are celebrating it tomorrow.

First we are going to dinner at

We haven't been here before, but it sounds really good. Kind of expensive, but we signed up for their club so we get a free meal since it is Aaron's birthday month. Pretty sweet deal.

After dinner we are going to see this guy at Abravanel Hall.

This will be our third time to see Kurt Bestor's Christmas concert. It is so much fun. He does a really good job, and it is the perfect way to get in the Christmas spirit.

After the concert, we are going to stay here...
The hotel is on the same block as Abravanel Hall, so we can just walk to and from the concert. We did it last year and it was so much fun. Plus we don't have to worry about finding a parking spot downtown. It is going to be a fun day.

Snow!!

It finally snowed yesterday! Dallin was so excited, so as soon as Aaron got home from work they went and played in the snow. Dallin loved it.

Here is a picture of the snowman they built.

Look What I Made!

I went to Relief Society tonight and we made pinatas! I made mine fairly quickly so it doesn't look that great, but it was really fun and super easy. I can't wait to watch Dallin and his friends break it open.

Decorating the tree

We decorated the tree on Saturday. Dallin and Brooke loved it. Dallin helped a lot, so now we have groupings of ornaments on the bottom half of the tree. Brooke liked all of the lights.

Fun At the Park!

We decided to take advantage of the nicer weather today, so we went to the park. Here are some pictures. Dallin and Brooke had so much fun!

Why I love my husband

He is very thoughtful. He does little things around the house without being asked, like doing the dishes or cleaning out the fridge while I am grocery shopping so I don't have to do it when I get home. When I was working and it was cold, he would sit out in my car and warm it up for me so it would be all toasty when I got in. He worked hard and endured many horrible jobs to get us to the point where he made enough money so that I could quit my job. He is an amazing father. He took really good care of me after both c-sections, and most recently my gallbladder surgery. He makes me laugh. He is a worthy priesthood holder, and is always willing and happy to give me and the kids blessings when we need it. He is smart. The computer programming stuff he does at work just boggles my mind. When Dallin got sick in the middle of the night, he got up, helped me clean up, and then got Brooke back to sleep while I took care of Dallin even though he had to be up to go to work like three hours later. He is a very talented piano player. He is my best friend. There are many other things, but these are ones that are on my mind.

I LOVE YOU AARON!

Update

I had my surgery today. It went really well and I was able to come home earlier this afternoon. I am a little sore, but other than that I am great. Everyone at the hospital treated me well and they were all very nice. Thanks to everyone for all of your love and concern.

Halloween Pics!

Carving Pumpkins

We carved pumpkins on Saturday! It was a lot of fun. Here are our finished pumpkins.

This is Aaron's pumpkin.

This is my pumpkin.

This is Dallin's pumpkin. The light shines through the pegs like a Light-Bright toy.

This is Brooke's. It has two bottom teeth like she does.

Update

I just had my appointment with the surgeon that is going to do my surgery. I am having it done on November 7th. It will be outpatient, so that's good. I will only have a week of recovery so that's good too. Thank you everyone for your concern and kind words!

Go Utes!

Picking Pumpkins!

On Saturday we went to Pack's pumpkin patch in Farmington. It is a fun tradition we started last year. We each got to pick our own pumpkin to carve. Dallin had so much fun. Here are some pictures.

Thank goodness for health insurance!

I just found out today that I am going to need my gallbladder removed. I have a couple of episodes of really extreme stomach pain so I went to the doctor and had an ultrasound. I have a consultation with a surgeon next week so then I guess I will find out when the surgery will be. There is a chance they can do it laparoscopic and then it would just be outpatient. Let's hope for this! I can't be out of commission for two long with two little kids to take care of. Wish me luck. I will post more when I find out next week.

Look what I made!

I made this no sew tutu for Brooke's Halloween costume. She is going to be a ballerina. It was so easy to make. It probably only took me like an hour. Isn't it so cute?

Manila

We went to Manila this weekend. My sister-in-law's family has a trailer there, so Aaron's family decided to go for a fun weekend together. For those of you who don't know, Manila is a tiny little town by Flaming Gorge. It only had like one restaurant and two gas stations, and a little store. It was a fun weekend. We just hung out and went fishing.




This is the lovely trailer we stayed in. The inside was done in a lovely seventies decor. It wasn't too bad though. We spent most of our time in the garage they had built on the property.



Dallin and his cousin Kaden having a snack.



Aaron and Dallin fishing at Browne Lake.



Brooke taking a nap at the lake. She was the perfect baby the whole weekend.

Thanks Tamee!

My aunt Tamee gave me this award! Thanks Tamee! I would like to award Liz, Maren, Steph, Aimee, Tamee, and Lauren. I love reading all of your blogs. It is so fun!
Copy the award and put it on your blog!

Fives

Aimee tagged me. Thanks Aim.

10 years ago I...
1. Was in 9th grade at Centerville Junior
2. Had the BEST seminary teacher ever.
3. was so excited to learn to drive
4. finally felt like I had some friends after moving 2 years before
5. was excited/scared to start high school

5 things on today's "to do" list
1. Straighten living room before visiting teachers come over
2. Hopefully get some cleaning done during nap time
3. Pick my sister up from school
4. Go to a staff meeting/ give my two weeks notice
5. Get a haircut

5 snacks I enjoy
1. Chocolate-especially Cummings
2. popcorn
3. Keva Juice
4. Dr. Pepper
5. red licorice

5 things I would do if I were a millionare
1. Get out of debt
2. Buy a house
3. Buy a bigger car
4. Go to Hawaii
5. Pay off my parents house

5 places I have lived
1. Salt Lake- Avenues
2. Centerville
3. Midvale
4. Salt Lake -Rose Park
5. Bountiful

5 Jobs I have had
1. camp counseler at special needs day camp
2. driver license examiner
3. driver license accounting tech
4. CNA
5. Night audit

TAG
1. Joe and Liz
2. Stephanee
3. Anyone else who wants to.

I Love Fall!

Fall is here! It is definitely my favorite season. It just doesn't last long enough in Utah. I love watching the changing leaves and the cool, crisp air. It is just such a wonderful time of the year. Everyone get out and enjoy!

I can't believe it's been five years!

It was five years ago today that Aaron asked me to be his wife. I can believe it has been that long. The way Aaron proposed was so cute. He took me up to Silver Lake and had put together a really yummy picnic dinner. He took my hand and slipped the ring on my finger and asked me to marry him. I was so excited. It was so cold up at the lake that we had to finish our dinner in the car. It was a great night. The picture above is from the night we got engaged.

Aaron's Job

Aaron got hired on permanently at Utah Retirement Systems! He is now a Web Design Technician. He has been working there as an intern since the end of April, and they decided to make the position permanent. He applied, interviewed and we found out yesterday that he got the job! Yeah! He gets paid well and we will have awesome benefits that will start before the end of this month. This also means that most likely I will get to quit my job and be a stay at home mom before the holidays start. We are very excited and I am so proud of Aaron. It's been a long, hard road full of many crappy jobs to get to this point. Now we get to breathe a sigh of relief that Aaron is now in a job that he likes, and that has really good job security.

Labor Day Weekend

We had a fun filled holiday weekend. On Friday I took the kids and we met my friends at Layton Park. Dallin got to play on the playground with Ammon and Madeline. They also got to feed the ducks and the swans. When Aaron got home from work we met his family at Ruby Tuesday. After dinner we went to my brother-in-law's for dessert. Dallin loves playing with his four cousins. On Saturday, Aaron and I took the kids up to Silver Lake. We had a picnic and then walked around the lake. It was so fun. Dallin and Brooke love to be outside. When we got back we went to my parents house to have dinner. My brother Spencer was in town visiting. He lives in St. George so we don't get to see him that often. On Sunday we had dinner with my family again, and Monday we just stayed at home since the weather wasn't so great.

The Zoo!

On Friday, I took the kids to Hogle Zoo. We went with my friends and their kids. It was so fun. Dallin loved the elephants and the train. Brooke liked being outside and riding in the stroller. I bought a double stroller for the kids and it was wonderful. Dallin can sit or stand and he can get in and out of it by himself. It was great!

Davis County Fair!

We went to the Davis County Fair today. It was so fun. Dallin loved it. They had a lot of fun stuff for kids to do as you can see from the pictures. What made it even better was that it was FREE! What more could you ask for? Four and a half hours of free entertainment. We went to the State fair last year and I think this one was so much better. A lot more geared toward kids.

8 Random Things About Me

Ok, so Tamee tagged anyone who read her blog.
Well, here I go...
1. Aaron and I met on a blind date. His mom and my dad work together and one of their coworkers thought that we should meet. We went out and hit it off right away. We dated for only like 3 months before we got engaged.
2. I had both of my kids c-section, and will have to have the rest of them that way also. It really was not bad at all. Especially with Brooke because it was scheduled for first thing in the morning. I went in and within an hour from going into the OR I was holding her. It was great, and the recovery was not all that painful considering that I had just had major surgery.
3. I work at the Anniversary Inn as the night audit. I go in at 10 pm and leave at 6 am. It is really hard to stay up all night but it is totally worth it to be able to be home with my kids during the day. I really like it there. The work is easy and the guests are usually really happy and easy to deal with. Plus I get to see all of the brides come in all dressed up in their dresses. It is so fun!
4. I love to scrapbook and make my own cards. I can't remember the last time I bought a card. It is such a fun hobby, but very time consuming. Needless to say, I haven't had much time to do it since we had Brooke.
5. Aaron and I were each others first kiss. I was 19 and he was 26.
6. The day Aaron and I got married, I was the only bride for the whole day! It helped that the day we got married was a Tuesday in January as opposed to a Saturday in June.
7. All my life I have been very independent. I would go to nursery by myself. My parents had to watch around the corner to make sure I went because I wouldn't let them take me. My first phrase was "I do it myself".
8. I love interior design. I can't wait until we can buy a house so I can actually paint the walls, and hang stuff on the walls. (We can hang stuff on the walls where we are now, but they are made of solid brick or something so it is next to impossible to get a nail in.) I love black furniture, especially if it comes from Ikea. I play The Sim2, just so I can build and decorate houses. I don't ever really play the game as it was intended. I just build and decorate a house and then move on to another one. I even bought an expansion pack that has furniture and decorations from Ikea. It is so cool.

Anyway, so there are my 8 random facts!

Thanksgiving Gardens

On Saturday, Aaron was golfing with his dad and brothers so I took the kids and met Aaron's mom at the gardens at Thanksgiving Point. The gardens are huge! It is so beautiful there. Dallin loved it, especially the waterfall. Brooke liked it too. She love being outside. If anyone has not had the chance to go there you need to go. It is such a beautiful place to walk around. The tickets are like $10 to get in but it is totally worth it.