OBSESSED......

I have a few new OBSESSIONS lately, stuff that I LOVE and just can NOT get enough of.............I am absolutely OBSESSED with the Pilate's Reformer Machine Classes. I just started taking these classes at my gym this month and I LOVE it! The classes are an hour long and there are only 5 machines in the room so you get lots of one on one training with the instructor. It is so much fun and always different and a good stretching/resistance workout. I take classes now 2 times a week and I get so excited to go I can't sleep the night before! You seriously feel sooooooo good after the class, it feels like you are a foot taller and like you just went to the spa. Its a crazy good workout but so relaxing at the same time. You MUST try this, you will LOVE it, I promise.

Lululemon is my new clothes OBSESSION. These workout clothes are what I live in now, I never want to take them off. They are so comfy to lounge in but they are the BEST workout clothes EVER. The fabric is amazing and it keeps its form forever so they don't stretch out and get all nasty when you wear them or wash them. But like the finest things in life they are NOT cheap. So save your money cuz it is soooooooooo worth it!
My next new OBSESSION is my MacBook that Blake got me for Christmas. I am telling you once you go MAC you NEVER go back........ LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT
My last shoe purchase was a MUST have. These Michael Kors shoes are to die for! They are the most comfy heels I have EVER worn and lets face it, I am already to the age where I choose shoes for comfort. Sad I know........... Anyway they are super cute with the shiny black bottom and little grippers for traction. What heels have that? I NEED more of these for sure. I better start doing more hair to pay for all of this!

Last I am in LOVE with Winder Farm Delivery service. Not only is their milk by far the BEST milk I have ever had but they have great produce, bread everything. And the BEST part is that it is in the cooler on my front porch every Wednesday morning when we wake up. Which means I DON'T have to go to the grocery store with my 2 kids and listen to Jax say he wants EVERY candy and chip in the store AND I save money by not going to the store and impulse buying. Its a WIN WIN situation in EVERY way. Great food, I don't have to go to the store and I save money so I can get more of my new OBSESSIONS!

Meet Boston.......

This is Boston, our newest member of the family. She is a Boggle which is a Beagle/Boston Terrier mix. She is so adorable and playful and Jaxon is OBSESSED with her. After much thought Blake and I decided that Duke needed another buddy dog and Jaxon needed a puppy that would play with him (since Duke won't come within 15 ft of Jax). I found Boston online last night and we HAD to have her. She is nine weeks old and is supposed to grow to be 15-20 lbs. So wish me luck training another puppy!

PS- Tink if you ever make your way back home there is still room for you.............. I hope desperately you do.

Merry Christmas to All.....

Christmas was magical AGAIN! Our celebration started on Christmas Eve when we went to Scott and Suzi's for a party with Wade and Anne's family. Suzi had made so many yummy appetizers and we exchanged all our gifts and spent time just the Hansen family. Then, we all headed to the Wonnacott's for dinner, a little program and MORE presents! It was such a fun night with all of the family!

After that Blake, Jax, Tae and I went Door Ditching! Every year on Christmas Eve my family always got a little box together of presents, treats, gift cards etc for a family in need and we would drop it on their doorstep, ring the door bell and run! So now our little family is carrying on that tradition and we found a single mom with a four year old boy and a four month old girl and man did we pimp out their Christmas!! It was so much fun and makes you feel so good to help a family during the Holidays. We listened to Christmas music all the way home and then opened Christmas Pj's, Jax set out milk and cookies for Santa and treats for the reindeer, we watched the Grinch and went to sleep so Santa could come!

Jax wanted to write Santa a letter to leave with his treats for him and the reindeer, This is EXACTLY what he said..........

Tae got a little Baby Tea Set from Santa. She LOVES it of coarse.

Jaxon's FAVORITE present from Santa was his remote control Jeep.

Christmas morning was perfect, Jaxon was soooooooo excited to see what was in his stocking and to open all of his presents. Blake had my big red Santa bag full of presents again and spoiled me rotten! I am a LUCKY girl on Christmas! We had Scott, Suzi and Peggy over for Christmas Casserole and Sweet Rolls and the FEAST continued later at Scott and Suzi's where Peggy had her Christmas Buffet that was to die for!

Once again Christmas is over and for some reason this year I am not sad I have to wait a whole year for it to come again. I think its because I was thoroughly satisfied with truly the PERFECT Christmas. Family, friends, parties, shopping, food, music, crazy good presents, music, decorations, gingerbread houses, lights, and of coarse the spirit of Christ. I LOVED every second of it. Till next year....... Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas in Seattle

Our Christmas in Seattle was sooooooo much fun! Lots of time with the Family, way too many great presents, amazing food, time with best friends, the Vestus Christmas party, tons of Norsdstrom shopping, a much needed hair coloring, I can't think of anything that would have made our trip better. (except I got sick the last day and I am trying desperately to get better before Christmas!) My parents made a Thanksgiving Feast for our Christmas dinner celebration! YES a FEAST! Not to mention they did it all while watching my two kids! We had everything that would be in a Thanksgiving dinner including 2 pies, sparkling cider and egg nog. It was incredible. And leftovers the next day were perfect. We opened all our presents from each other since sadly we won't be together on Christmas day but it truly felt like Christmas. Jaxon LOVES going to Grandma and Papa's house. He always goes straight to the toy box and doesn't stop playing for one second while we are there.

Nordstrom was NOT a let down. It lived up to ALL of my expectations and more this year. I LOVE always having something to count on.

Dinner at Brix with my Salon Girls was a blast. I miss Lydia, Amy, Tara and Amanda sooooo much. I was sad Lauren couldn't go... I miss you desperately!

I went to Amanda's house for a brow wax which if you are in the Seattle area you should totally go to Amanda for all your waxing needs. You can't beat her prices and definitely can't get a better wax! Amanda had done the cutest thing and set up a cookie decorating table for Jaxon. The little Stinker WOULD NOT wake up and when he did was totally delirious and couldn't decorate his cookies. So AMANDA made one for him with a "J" on it to take in the car. I gave him the cookie driving home and through his tears he said "Oh Thank you Mommy, this is the best cookie I've ever had!" and fell asleep again mid-bite. Plus, Amanda gave me the cutest snowflake necklace that I LOVE. I haven't taken it off. I will take a pic soon and post it so you can all see.....

Tara and Ryan put an offer in on their first house while we were there and it got accepted!! So CONGRATS to them and I hope as soon as they move in they get my room ready.....seriously.

Shopping and lunch with Tara and Lindon was just like old times. When I am with them it feels like we are back in the day again with no kids and no responsibilities. I love these girls. I got to see Elisabeth for .5 seconds which clearly was not near enough time. I miss her and love her so much!

The VESTUS Christmas party was a hit! It was seriously a blast but I was missing my girls Danielle, Mindy and Aubrey! Vestus rented out a banquet room in Maggianos (Blake's favorite Restaurant) where we had an incredible dinner and casino night. It was so much fun! Then we all went to the after party upstairs at the Parlor where we played pool and partied the rest of the night til they closed down around 3 am! Man does VESTUS know how to throw a party! They even got us all incredible rooms at the Hyatt where we spent the night and Blake and I didn't wake up til 10:30. We had a blast!
PS. I just want to say how proud I am of Blake, Jeff and Eric. They are finishing out the year again #1 in all of Coldwell Banker Utah. They work so hard and have been so successful this year. Not to mention they couldn't do what they do without Aubrey! They are such a good team and I know Blake feels so blessed to work with such great people. You guys are amazing!

Tahni, Tara and Taelin Jean....

So after an incredible girls night at Brix with the Salon girls, Tara, Tae and I were messing around taking pics. We were DYING laughing cuz every time we tried to take a pic Tae would do THIS........

Loving EVERY second......

December is going by WAY too fast but I am loving EVERY second of it! Of course we have had the decorations up since before Thanksgiving but it finally starting to really feel like Christmas!

Last week we went to This is The Place with the family. The kids got to meet Father Christmas (that's what they call Santa there) and Jax asked for a green truck. We rode on the train, saw the live Nativity, had a hot chili and cornbread dinner and felt the coldest wind of our lives. When we got home we made hot chocolate and all crawled into bed under the covers to watch Rudolph until we thawed out!
On Friday Jax, Tae and I went to Jen's new apartment and decked it out for Christmas while she was at work! Jax loved it and kept saying "We're bringing Jen Christmas Mommy!!" It was so cute, he was such a good little elf.
Tonight Bry and Nat had us over to make Gingerbread Houses! Nat is a serious professional when it comes to these. She wasn't messing around with the kits, everything was homemade. I was so impressed! Jaxon LOVED putting the candy on and building his house. I hope we do this every year!
We have our Christmas lights up outside, the inside of the house is decked, Christmas music is
playing nonstop, shopping is almost done, tree scented candles are burning since I refuse to clean up after a real tree but I HAVE to have the smell, egg nog is in the fridge and I am officially in heaven, its Christmas time!
Off to Seattle in the morning for Christmas with my Family, CAN"T WAIT! Oh, and Nordstrom.......... I"M COMING!!!

Mary

This time of year especially we think about Jesus and celebrate his birth.

Tonight I had a Relief Society dinner at church and they asked me to read the part of Mary in the program. I really didn't think anything of it but as I read the part it hit me. I have always thought of Jesus and what his life was like, his purpose and all of the things he went through. But I have NEVER EVER thought of Mary and what she went through. I have thought oh Mary gave birth to Jesus but I never thought about how incredible she must have been and what it would have been like to know that your son was the Savior of the World. I have never thought of what it would have been like to raise this little boy and watch him grow up into a perfect man. Or what it would be like to watch your son be crucified on the cross. Now being a mother, I have a whole new appreciation for Mary. Sorry, its kind of long but especially if you are a mother it is worth the read..........

MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS
Yes, I am Mary; and yes, Jesus is my son. Indeed, blessed am I among women. My story is an old one, told and retold from before time began, and once again, here, today, by these women whom I love so well.
I am a woman, much the same as you, gifted with the opportunity of forming a partnership with God in providing a mortal temple for the spirits of his children. It is a sacred thing, motherhood, whether it concerns the Christ or any one of the infinitely precious spirits sent to each of you. For in the pure and beautiful love of a mother for her child, mankind comes closer to appreciating the love of God, than at any other time.
Like you, I hoped, dreamed and prayed for the benefit of the child I loved. I prepared meals, straightened beds and picked up toys. My relationship with my child was in so many ways no more mystical than that of you with yours. With him I sorrowed, wept, learned and grew. He taught me of life, and of love, of this world and the next, partly because He was the Christ, mostly because he was a child.
To me, his mother, he was especially in the beginning often just a child reaching and becoming. It was so true, what Luke said of me, that after the birth of my son, after the shepherds had come, born witness to the divinity of my babe and then returned to their flocks, I sat quietly in the soft light and kept all these things and pondered them in my heart. I was the only mortal alive who knew how I had come to conceive and bear this son of the most high. I had been told who He was, and what He was, and what He would become. And yet, as I looked at Him, lying in the manger, He was a child, a tiny baby, needing food, comfort and care. I did ponder, for many years, long and often, and sometimes painfully; and finally came to a full understanding when I stood at the foot of His cross.
For on that evening in a lowly manger was born more than a child. There was born a way of life, the personification of love, the hope of the world from the beginning until the end of time. I…I…who conceived him, who carried him, cared for him, and watched him live and die, give you my solemn word that he was indeed blameless and pure, that he lived to teach and died to save each of us, that he was and is and always will be the Son of God. I, Mary, know it to be true! Amen.

Still Thankful......

Life has been so crazy busy that Thanksgiving came and went and I didn't even have time to blog about it! We had the best Thanksgiving down in California. Good food, ALL of the Hawkins Family, beautiful beach, perfect weather, we couldn't have asked for more!
Aunt Maris hosted the most amazing dinner at her log house for Thanksgiving. We had Turkey, Ham, Duck and of course all the side dishes. Followed with pie of course.
Uncle Roger and Lee caught us some Humbolt crab the day we got in and cooked it up for us that night. It doesn't get much better than all of us cracking fresh crab around Grandma and Papa's table. Its the BEST!



I have sooooooo very much to be thankful for, but this year I am mostly thankful for my little family. I am so lucky to have Blake, Jaxon and Taelin to share my life with each day. They bring me so much happiness and I don't know what I would do without them. I don't think our life could get any better....................

Just the two of us........

Blake took me to Vegas for the weekend and it was HEAVEN!!!!
We LOVED every second of it! We left the kids at home and spent 3 days just the two of us. I am so mad I didn't take any pictures of us all decked out when we went out at night! We did soooooooo much it seemed like we were there forever. Shopping, a day at the spa, Cirque de Sole, INCREDIBLE food, 3 card poker, craps and relaxing in our spa suite with an AMAZING view of the strip, including a huge hot tub! (which we got for the price of a regular room cuz when I came back from the spa to take a shower the maid was watching Jerry Springer and smoking in our room! Can you believe that??!!!)
PS- You HAVE to take a steam shower sometime, it will change your life!

I had BLAST partying it up in Vegas, there's just soooo much to do, but the best part was being with Blake the whole time. I am truly so lucky to have such an incredible husband and BEST FRIEND. Thanks babe for the best weekend ever! Back to reality.......

Just a few......ok more than a few

Jen and I had WAY too much fun last weekend having a photo shoot with Tae. She was loving it and totally posing for the camera. Have I said I am OBSESSED with this girl??

The BEST Halloween EVER!

Blake was the best Dad in the whole world and dressed up as a pirate with Jax. He was so excited to be a pirate like his Dad!

I LOVE Halloween! I love the costumes, candy, parties, cold crisp air while trick-or-treating, decorations, pumpkin spice candles AND it means that Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. I have ALWAYS loved Halloween but I think this was my favorite year so far..........

We went to Wade and Anne's so Jax could Trick-or-Treat with his cousins. Anne made us the CUTEST Halloween dinner with chili and cornbread before we took the boys
out. It was sooooo yummy and totally got me in the Halloween spirit!

Scotty and Thomas taught Jax how to Trick-or-Treat and he LOVED it! He got the hang of it after the first house and ran from house to house after that saying "I NEED MORE CANDY!"

This was his very first house and he was so excited! Look at his face! And yes, Jax does have a black eye! He hit it on the corner of the table right before we left. I guess it sort of matched his pirate costume.... poor guy!

After we were done Trick-or-Treating we went over to Chris and Amy's for homemade cinnamon rolls. Which were AMAZING! That pretty much topped off the BEST Halloween EVER!

Murder at THE JUICE JOINT

On Friday we threw a Murder Mystery Dinner that was to die for! I decked out the basement and turned it into a 1920's Speakeasy. Everyone got soooooo into their characters not to mention the costumes were fabulous!
We had so much fun.......can we do it again??

The Fellas:
Cheif Cameron, Hal Hollywood, Mugsy Malone, Bernie Booze,
Southside Sal, Cy Ramsey, Nick Nemetz

All the Ladies:
Kitty Cocktail, Dina Diva, Natalie Nemetz, Molly Moll
Flora Gadora-Nemetz, Rosie Marie, Cindy Butt

EVIDENCE

These are just a few of the pics, if you want to see more check out my facebook. There are so many good ones!