Its FINALLY HERE!!!

I have been running around like a crazy women the last couple of weeks. We had an amazing Thanksgiving week! Ryker was with his dad for a few days and Briyler went with Grandma Hall to Wyoming to spend Thanksgiving with some cousins. I was super nervous for Bri he has never been on a trip away from home (I mean he's 3) so I thought he would fall apart after day 2ish but Grandma says he held it together and they all had a great time. I am glad that he enjoyed himself but I am SUPER HAPPY to have him home. He is a wild kid but I'm not ready to let him be a grown up yet:)

Kaj and I headed over to my grandparents house with the 3 little ones and enjoyed a SUPER YUMMY Thanksgiving meal! My aunts and grandparents are seriously the best cooks ever...

Everything after Thanksgiving Day is kind of a big blur for me!! I have been running around like a mad women trying to get things ready for our SEALING THIS WEEKEND!! SHUT THE FRONT DOOR, ITS HERE!!!! I am soooo excited and a little nervous at the same time. I can hardly stand it, ST GEORGE HERE WE COME!!

                               T-MINUS 2 DAYS!!!

                                   
                  until we are sealed for time and all eternity in this beautiful Temple:)

I guess with all the excitement I have been forgetting to do my weekly thankful posts.. I have been keeping up with my list at home just not posting them like I thought i would:) I am going to finish off mine and post dads list today since we are leaving tomorrow;) Enjoy!

Day #19- I am grateful for the holiday season. I love that it seems to soften peoples hearts and bring loved ones together. .

Day #20- I am grateful for laughter and how it can change any mood instantly.

Day #21- I am grateful for the power of forgiveness.. I can go on and on about this topic. I love that my children almost instantaneously forgive me for my mistakes (even though I am not so quick to do the same with them), I love that I have parents who love me unconditionally and forgive no matter what offenses have been made, I love that my husband is always the 1st one to make sure that we dont go to sleep mad at each other. He seriously NEVER holds grudges and I LOVE that about him, and Last but most important I am grateful for the Atonement!! I am grateful for a Loving Father in Heaven and for His Son.. I am grateful that the Savior paid the ultimate price and died for my sins. I am grateful for the gift of repentance and for the knowledge that I know I can and will be forgiven.

Day #23- I am grateful for the gym. It is my time to de-stress and collect my thoughts.. I love listening to church music when I workout, I know it is strange but it totally gets my thoughts wondering and before you know it your 45 min on the treadmill is DONE:)

Day #24- I am grateful for my husbands job and the fact that I get to stay home with our children.

Day #25- I am grateful for MUSIC!! I LOVE listening to genres of music that bring a good feeling into our home. My favorites are of course Church music and right now sounds of the season are totally making me happy!

Day #26- I am grateful for the DISNEY CHANEL:)

Day # 27- I am grateful for story time before bed.. This is a new thing at our house but everyone loves it INCLUDING ME so hopefully it will be around for many years to come!

Day # 28- I am grateful for FAMILY HOME EVENINGS ( even though I've totally been slacking the last couple weeks, ok ok months :-/....)

Day #29- I am grateful for frozen dinners

Day #30- I saved this one for last! I am grateful for the gift of ETERNAL FAMILIES, made possible by temple sealings.!! Yep our big Day is TOMORROW!! I cant believe that it is FINALLY HERE and we are finally going to be sealed for time and all eternity.

Daddy's list

19. For head phones. I can tune out anyone at the gym!

20. For my boys… cuz I remember my whole childhood, every night! DAD, Briyler hit me! Yuuuuup.

21. For strong family connections. Always someone to go to with problems. Whether it’s to whine and moan, get life lessons, or a simple “stop being a moron and your life would be easier”. Tenderness… :) Love brothers…

22. For the knowledge I have of eternal blessings. My wife and kids WILL be with me forever.

23. For Myspace! I found my wife there… true story actually… LUCKIEST MAN ALIVE! XOXO Nikki!

24. For computers. My hands would have cramped 30 minutes ago typing and deleting these ideas.

25. For Christmas! Cuz its only 30 days away now!

26. For the Forgotten Carols, and Michael McClean. I truthfully feel his song helped me get back on path.

27. For my parents. Through my whole life, I couldn’t be me without influence from each of them!

28. For protein powder, cuz eating chicken 24-7 gets old.

29. For the temple. I have an in to go sit and reflect on my life and ponder my direction.

30. That my savior served a mission. Blessed be his name forever.

Thanks honey.

our thankful lists continued:)

Ok so I am starting off with an OFFICIAL COUNT DOWN UNTIL OUR SEALING!!! EEEK I'm sooo excited!!

T-MINUS 13 DAYS!!! until we will be sealed (for time and all eternity) in this beautiful temple!!!

                                 


I don't even know how this week is already over!! I have been SOO busy with planning and getting things ready for the temple that I haven't had much time to do anything else. I honestly prefer things to be a little less hustle and bustle and a little more mellow and jell-o... (ok i don't even know what that means but I was having a hard time finding something other than jello and yellow that rhymed with mellow:) I enjoy the simplicity of my life right now. I know that sounds strange, but since we don't get out much because there are soo many youngins and just me during the day, I am not used to all of the stress and business of planning a major events or outings! (yep this classifies as a major event for me:)  I enjoy just being home and hanging out with these little munchkins, watching movies, and playing trains. I think after this is over I will leave the busy lifestyle behind for just a little while longer:)
Here are a few things I am grateful for this week...

since I left off on Day #14 I am going to start there even though that only leaves me 4 days to write about;)

Day #15-  I am grateful for great friends who are always there to listen to me and to help cheer me up after major breakdowns;)

Day #16- I am grateful for my Sunday school class:) they are a wild bunch (6-7 yr olds) but they are great kids and they have amazing testimonies.

Day #17- I am grateful for my health. Being on bed rest with the last 2 babies and having to have people come in to take care of our family made me sooo grateful for my health!! You never realise just how much of a blessing it really is, until its gone. I am beyond grateful that I can do my own house chores, play with and pick up my children, and get in a few workout classes, all with ease:)

Day #18- I am grateful for Temples. There is no place on earth that has a closer feeling to Heaven. I know that when I go there no matter what mood I start off in or how much is weighing on my mind, I will forget all about it and feel an indescribable amount of love from my Father in Heaven. The temple has a way of easing my mind and filling my heart with love and gratitude:)


Here are Dads gratefuls:

15. For cell phones… cuz honestly, you think I am going to work all day?!?! Scrabble! J

 

16. For chicken. Sorry that I eat 2 of you a day… but you taste amazing and build muscle.

 

17. For good insurance! Tallin was $340 THOUSAND DOLLARS! But we only spent $3800.

 

18. For my amazing smile… how else would my wife have loved me so long?!  

A month to be thanksful!

                                   

I cant believe its already NOVEMBER!! Where has this year gone? What a YEAR, I mean seriously from start to almost finish it has been insane every step of the way. Starting the year off with a crazy pregnancy aka: bed rest, neighbors and friends serving our family in every way possible, then going through all of our struggles with Tallin: NICU-RSV-PNEUMONIA , then having Ryker start ALL DAY SCHOOL (my helper is gone), MOVING (to grandmas and then to our new house), and of course our sealing is coming up at the beginning of next month, and those are just the MAJOR events!! That doesn't include potty training, recovering from surgery, flour and cereal spills, Kaj getting settled at his new job, WATER DUMPING EVERYWHERE, and soo much more... It amazes me how much can happen in just one short year... This will be a year that I will never forget, I have had some serious struggles this year. I can remember feeling sorrow and pain to a level that I have never felt it before, I can remember feeling moments of loneliness that literally left me on my knee's pleading with my Father in Heaven, but I can honestly say my testimony has "DOUBLED" over the last year. I have a LOVE for my Savior that I don't think would have come without all of those lonely nights I spent in the NICU and PICU. I have a testimony of service, and how it can change someones life, IT DID MINE! I never would have made it through this year if I didn't have the love and support from my friends/family members/ward members/ and neighbors. They literally carried the weight of my family (with there own family weight) at times and I will never be able to thank them or repay them in a matter that would even come close to what I owe and the beauty in that is they don't expect me to. I know off of the top of my head a list of 5 people that would tell me they were grateful for the opportunity to serve, because that's just who they are! They are amazing inside and out and I know that it would mean more to them for me to "pay it forward" then it would for me to try and monetarily pay them back.

So all of this got me to thinking I should participate in this "grateful game" as I like to call it, that everyone has been playing. It's where you list 1 thing you are grateful for everyday in the month of November. I have a lot of friends that are doing this and I thought it would be fun to write my thoughts on here so that I can go back and share them with the family at a later time:)  I am going to write down what I am grateful for everyday and then update my blog every week with my list:)

Day #1- I am grateful for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and for its teachings.

Day #2- I am grateful for a wonderful Husband, who puts up with my bad cooking and zumba addiction.

Day #3- I am grateful for chocolate
Day #4- I am grateful for the best helper in all the world Ryker. He always does everything I ask him to do no matter how big or small. I can always count on him to play with the kids whenever I need a break. He is the best big brother anyone could ask for.

Day #5- I am grateful for my super Strong 3 yr old, Bri Bri. He is definitely in his terrible 3's but he still loves to snuggle with me and I love having that time with him.

Day #6- I am grateful for my little Dugi boy. He is such a sweet little spirit, he loves babies and WATER, and he is INTO everything.

Day #7- I am grateful for my Kyn Kyn girl!! She is my only girl what can I say:) She is soo much different than the boys, she is quiet and sweet. She smiles all the time and loves to give hugs. She likes to play by herself (the boys are WAY TO ROUGH for her) and she is super sensitive, which I am totally not used to:) And I don't know what I would do without her..

Day #8- I am grateful for my little miracle baby!! TUI*** He is the light of our home right now. He has grown SOO MUCH over the last couple months, you would never know he was a 3lb NICU baby just a couple of months ago. He loves to hear his name and he laughs every time you say it without fail. He is awesome with a schedule, he eats and sleeps exactly when I want him to during the day and that is SOO HELPFUL!! He doesn't love to cuddle as much as he used to but if I'm lucky he will let me rock him to sleep and enjoy those precious moments more than anything.

Day #9- I am grateful for Roman noodles and cheese sandwich dinners.

Day #10- I am grateful for the men and women that serve our country.

Day #11- I am grateful for Sunday FAMILY dinners !

Day #12- I am grateful for Wednesday nights and our new favorite show Duck Dynesty!! Never laughed soo hard in my life..

Day #13- I am grateful for the amazing examples I have had in my life.. my parents, my bishop growing up (Bishop Hargrave) touched my life more than he will ever know, my young women leaders, my last bishop who did everything he could to help us get our papers in to be sealed, my WONDERFUL visiting teachers ( Sis Jones, Sis Martinez: she is soo much more than a visiting teacher to our family & Sis Jensen), and AMAZING relief society presidents CHERYL SMITH!! They have influenced me and changed my life for the better!!

Day #14- I am grateful for TIME OUT FOR WOMEN! I am still on a spiritual high from this years event and I cant WAIT to get the DVD!!

When Dad heard about the game he wanted to play too, so here is Dad's list that I copied and pasted from the email he sent me:)

I am grateful for several things…

1. That my cell phone has a flashlight! Tripping at 3 am for baby feedings is horrible!

2. That my daughter smiles every time she sees me!

3. That my father taught me the value of hard work…

4. That I am employed and can provide for the family

5. That I have a family

6. For sidewalks! Serious, cause in the mission you walk in muddy streets!

7. That my office changed the dress code to shorts and flip-flops! I tripled my wardrobe!

8. For Rockstar energy drinks! Cuz seriously… after 11 pm, 3 am, and 6 am wake up calls/feedings… enuf said!

9. That I live so close to my in-laws… they truthfully help with so much!

10. For being “large in stature”. Honestly couldn’t have moved without it!

11. For the gym! I need the out and glad I am addicted! It’s like my heaven… away from home, and church!

12. For my loving wife, who urged me to think about this… its making me understand all my lifelong blessings.

13. For scars. They all have a meaning and remind me of lessons of life… but wow they hurt at the time!

14. For the gospel, to give direction, focus and direction in my life.

I seriously love this MAN!!

I  am going to have Ryker and Briyler list something that they are grateful for every week,  (start off small, right:)

Ryker is grateful for: Snow boots, we had a huge storm last night/today so that's a good thing to be thankful for.

Briyler is grateful for: Hot dogs, yep that's it.

halloween 2012

So today is Halloween but before we could get to the fun we had to do the NOT so fun... This morning I had to have a root canal!!! :( I have had the WORST pain in my mouth for the last few days.. I decided it was time to see the dr and he said I needed a root canal STAT!!) So we set it up for this morning and I'm not gonna lie IT WAS PAINFUL!!! Even after 5 different shots to numb the area I still felt it when he was drilling and I cried my eyes out, I felt like such a wimp but it hurt that bad:) Needless to say I AM GLAD THATS OVER!.... After I got done at the dentist we checked Ryker out of school so we could go trick or treating at Dad's office, the boys LOVEd that they got to see where Daddy works. The office actually had a few crafts set up this year and the boys sat down a few times to attempt to make the projects, (much to my surprise because they arent the crafting type for the most part). After we finished at dads office we headed over to the mall to let the older boys get in as much trick or treating as possible before they headed out for a "GUYS NIGHT" to the jazz game. The mall was a total BUST! There were a ton of people there and EVERY STORE passed out tootsie rolls, good thing the kids didnt care what kind of candy they were getting. :O)

Tui, Pipa, and Dugi had been a little sick all morning but by the time it came around to go do everything they were full blown TOTALLY SICK, with CROUP!!! ( I HATE croup, just in case your wondering!!) Kynlie was feeling the worst, she had a crazy high fever and could hardly move because she was so drained and tired. Since I was holding at least one sick baby all night I got absolutely ZERO pictures of the kids.. My mom went out with us and she did attempt to take one picture of us while we were at the mall and this is how it turned out.....

the only picture that we had of everyone was blurry:( looks like this is as good as it gets!

 

The 3 babies hanging out while we trick or treat at the mall.

 

Yep not so pretty:) After all was said and done mom and I took the sick kids home with us and Dad and the boys headed to the game. They deserved it with all the moving and everything that has had to be done it was about time that THEY got to have some fun;) I pestered dad all night long and he finally took a picture of him and the boys:) Thanks honey!!


 YEP those are MY BOYS... love them

the boys super excited for the game!

GUY'S NIGHT OUT:)

Dad and Bri hangin out

Dad and Ryker eatin candy:)