Christmas 2009

We had a great Christmas this year! We were able to go to Salt Lake and see the lights on Temple Square a couple days before Christmas. While we were there we got to go to dinner with my sister Karen and her husband Nic. And we got to see my other sister Mandy who lives in West Jordan, and her whole family! We also got to go to the Salt Lake temple while we were there.....SO BEAUTIFUL! We stayed in a condo with Reed's brother Jed and his family. Macie absolutely loved being around her cousins for a couple days! It was a a short little trip, but fun to get away.
We spent Christmas Eve at my parents house with most of my immediate family. It's always so fun to see everyone and have LOTS of good food.
On Christmas Macie gave us a nice present and slept in until 9:00! That's really late for her! When she woke up we opened presents and just hung around home until dinner time. We had dinner at Reed's parents house, and spent the rest of the evening there.
Santa was REALLY nice this year and brought me a Canon Rebel! I am SO excited to learn how to use it. When Macie naps I've been reading the manual and trying to figure it all out. So you'll have to excuse my Christmas morning photos....I had no idea how to use my camera yet, but Reed wanted me to use my new one:) I've gotten a whole lot better since, but I need lots more practice. I might be able to take a little class soon, so that should help. I hope everyone had a good holiday! Here are some pictures from Christmas at our house and Salt Lake.......

Santa left Macie a play kitchen that she LOVES!
Opening presents from Mom & Dad

Playing dress-up in her new tutu and hat...Thank you Katie & Grandma:)
Helping me make a salad for dinner at the Dennings
Of course she loves to put the olives on her fingers:)

Random picture of Macie on her phone
Salt Lake City Temple

Seeing the lights...

Catching up on some pictures....

The camera was getting pretty full, so I decided it was probably time for a little catching up....more for me than for anyone else. So keep in mind, some of these are clear from Thanksgiving!




While I was making a jello pretzel salad for thanksgiving, Macie HAD to help, as always. And this time I let her lick the beaters for the first time. Of course she LOVED it, and now I can't make anything without her wanting to lick them....should have known:) Oh, I almost forgot!! When you make the salad(desert) you make the pretzel crust first, then add the cream cheese and whip cream layer, and you let that set up for a couple hours in the fridge. Well, Macie loves to sit in the fridge (with her feet hanging out) for some reason, and I was busy in the kitchen, so I let her sit in it for a couple minutes. I totally forgot that the salad was in there setting up until I hear her little voice saying, "mmmm, mmmm, mmmm." I opened the fridge and found her with the salad all over her face and hands and fridge, and huge scoops made by tiny fingers all over in the salad! I couldn't be mad even for a second because she just kept nodding her head and saying, "mmm, mmmm."


After Thanksgiving dinner we went and visited my Grandma and Grandpa Pike in Basalt. It was so nice to visit with them and here their stories of when they were young and raising kids. We love you Grandma & Grandpa!


I took this after our ward Christmas party. Macie was exausted, and fell asleep in the car. Her Daddy couldn't resist just holding her while she slept. I didn't realize how BIG she was getting until I looked at this picture....she's huge!




Yesterday I was about to stick Macie in the tub, but then I got distracted for like two minutes and Macie comes in the room with pen drawings all over her belly. I don't even know where she got the pen, but I thought it was funny because she was so FAST! I'm just glad she got her belly and not the walls or something....this time:)



The last few days we've been BAKING a lot while Reed is at work. Macie always has to help, so I got some pictures of her "helping". This is her measuring out raisens to dump into her own bowl to keep her busy while I was mixing. But she always loves to help me pour in the ingredients, so it takes a long time, and she gets flour everywhere. But I think it's so cute to watch her, and she thinks she is SO BIG!

Anytime anything is in the oven I have to turn on the light so Macie can see what's cooking....in this case the cookies. She stands there and says, "mmmmmmm."

IT'S A..........

BOY!!! We are SO excited to expecting a baby BROTHER! We went to the doctor this morning and everything is still going great with our new little baby. The Ultrasound Tech said that the placenta is on the back, and that is why I'm feeling so much movement. Whew...that's a relief. I thought this one was going to be wild or something, he already seems to never stop moving! We are so excited and are looking forward to meeting this little guy in the spring!

Family Pictures and "Thankful List"

Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow I wanted to write down some of the things I am THANKFUL for. There are SO many things I have been blessed with! I feel very fortunate in my life and am very grateful to my Father in Heaven who has given me so much. I am thankful for...

-My testimony of My Savior Jesus Christ who died for me so that I can come and live with Him and my Heavenly Father again. I know he lives and knows and loves ME, and that is the biggest blessing in my life!
-My wonderful husband! He is such a hard worker and provider, but is also a family man. I love him more than I can say, and I am so glad he is mine forever!
-My beautiful little girl...well worth the wait! She brings so much happiness into my life and teaches me everyday.
-My unborn baby...who kicked my hand this morning:) I can't wait to welcome you into our family!
-My parents, who have always given me so much. As a parent I can finally START to realize just how much work and worry and personal sacrifice goes into raising a family.
-Reed's parents, who have loved me and welcomed me into their family like I am one of their own. I am so glad Reed had parents like his to help him become the man that he is today.
-Our Grandparents. We love you and are so thankful you are still in our lives!
-Our brothers and sisters and in-laws...I am so thankful to have ALL of you(there are a lot) in my life, and to know we always have someone there.
-Our Friends! I am so glad that both Reed and I have such good friends who are great examples to us. We really do love you and are so lucky to have you and your little families in our lives.

Ok, so the list is getting long, but there is SO much more!! But these are some of the things that matter most to me, and that I could never put a price on. Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful for all the comforts and necessities in my life too...food, clothing, my home, cars, ext. But that's not what brings me happiness. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

FAMILY PICTURES...This year we had our family pictures taken by Reed's cousin Angie. Thank you Angie! She did such a good job, so I wanted to share some of our favorites...

EASY recipe...

I found a recipe for HOMEMADE GRANOLA that is super FAST and super EASY! I found it on www.cooks.com and then added a couple things. This only takes five minutes, and you do it the microwave! It turned out great, and even Macie LOVED it. And the best part is that it makes your house smell DELICIOUS!

Easy Homemade Granola

2 C rolled oats
2/3 C nuts, chopped
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 C dried fruit
dash of salt
dash of Cinnamon
*opt-coconut*

In a large low dish (8x11") Add oats, nuts, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, salt and Cinnamon. Stir together and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir, and microwave 2 more minutes. Stir, and microwave 1 more minute. Take it out and stir in fruit and coconut (if you have it) and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

*This is good on its own, with milk, or on yogurt. This time I used almonds and raisins, but I think it would be really good with any kind of nut and fruit mixture. I can't wait to experiment:)

HaLlOwEeN...

We had so much fun for Halloween this year! Our friends had a Halloween party the Thursday before Halloween. Macie was Little Red Riding Hood and I was an Egyptian. Reed had to go to his class that night, so sadly, he couldn't come with us. But we had fun anyway, thank you Highs:) On Halloween night we went to a TRUNK-OR-TREAT at the church, which Macie Loved! She had a blast picking out candy and putting it in her bag, which took forever...too much to choose from! But I think putting candy into her bag was her favorite part. She also loved seeing every one's costumes, and she was having so much fun that she started running down the sidewalk and hugging all the kids and legs of the grown-ups! It was so fun to watch! She was a cute little skunk that night, and she did so good not to mess with her costume at all!






This was at Reed's Parents house with her cousins.




I couldn't get a good picture of Red Riding Hood because she kept running away.

Macie's Favorites...

My camera was dead the last time I did a post about Macie, so here are a few pictures of her doing some of the things that she LOVES...





She LOVES horse rides from Dad! Every time he lays down on the floor she climbs on his back and hangs on to his neck.







Playing dress-up in Daddy's work clothes....even his dirty work socks:) I don't know why she thought that shirt was so beautiful, but she was modeling it all around the living room.









This is her playing outside....her favorite thing in the world!





Lately she wants ALL of her bows in her hair at once. These were all the ones she could reach:) I don't think I could ever fit all of her bows on her head.....she has a million!

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Today (Halloween) is my dad's Birthday! So I just wanted to tell him HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We love you and we'll see you later today!

GoInGs On......

Since I'm not the best at keeping a journal, this blog is the next best thing. So this post might bore some of you, but I just wanted to write down what our family is up to, and some of the cute things that Macie does because she is changing SO FAST!

Macie: She is getting to be such a big girl! She is 15 months old, but thinks she's way older than that! She LOVES to play with older kids, and mimics everything they do. She loves to help me cook dinner, bake cookies, do the dishes, and even clean! She has to be "helping" with everything, which I think is really cute, and I'm sure won't last as long as I wish it would.......like when she's old enough to actually help:) Actually the other day she made a puddle with her sippy and she went and grabbed a dish towel and tried to clean it up...so smart:) I chase her with the vacuum and she laughs so hard she can hardly run away. She loves us to chase her and play hide and seek, but she ALWAYS hides in the same spot....behind the chair. Daddy gives her horse rides and she laughs so hard she can hardly stay on his back. She LOVES her dad! When he comes home she RUNS to the door, and she will never turn him down when he asks for kisses, even if she is bawling! She's started to give us hugs too, which I think are even better than kisses. She is already SUCH a girl and loves to wear pretty things. When she has something on that she thinks is pretty she gets this little smirk on her face, puts her arms together, and walks around thinking she is SO BEAUTIFUL! It's so funny. She loves to sing songs, especially ones with actions....Itsy Bitsy Spider is her FAVORITE, and she asks me to sing it about 20 times a day. She thinks she can count, but all she says is, "Two, two, two, two...." Every time she or anyone else takes a drink she says, "Aaaaaaaah!" She loves music and dancing......she's got quite the moves. It's so funny how they just make their own moves, they make me laugh so hard sometimes. She is obsessed with going outside and playing with Jed & Jeannette's kitties. When she wants to go out she goes and gets her coat and shoes and says, "Oooooooooh!" She says that whenever she sees the cats. She is such a busy little girl and I am wondering how I am ever going to keep my house clean when I have a nursing baby and Macie having free range in the house. Any tips? She is starting to open the door handles, especially to the bathroom! She opens the door to the bathroom, shuts it, then opens the bottom drawer, which makes it impossible for me to get in! So I just have to sit there forever and try to talk her into shutting the drawer, which usually takes a while. It is so fun to watch her learn and grow, but it happens so fast! We love her to death, and are so happy that she came to join our family!

Reed: He is really busy lately between work, class, and his calling. He is taking a class at H&R Block this fall and is going to try to do some Taxes for them this tax season. He is such a hard worker, and I am so thankful he is mine:) Macie also loves him to death.

Julie: I am feeling almost back to normal, still just a little tired, but really nothing to complain about. We are really excited for this new baby, and I am pretty nervous too. I've just been trying to stay busy with little crafts and projects while Reed is gone, so if you have any good ideas, feel free to share. Last week I attempted to sew a shirt for Macie....Huge flop! But I'm trying again this week, so hopefully it will turn out better. Nothing huge is going on around here, but I thought I would update, mostly for our own sake.

Our Family......

Of FOUR!!!! We are so excited to let you know that we are expecting another baby at the end of April!(The 27th to be exact) I am 12 weeks pregnant, and feel so blessed to be adding another little one to our family.

FaVoRiTe SeAsOn.....

I LOVE the Fall! I also really love going on drives...I am always asking Reed to take me for drives. Last weekend he was SO nice and decided to take me for long beautiful drives all weekend long! We drove while we listned to Conference and were able to get out and walk around between sessions....PERFECT! On Saturday we drove to Palisades and then back to Swan Valley to Reed's Parents' cabin. Between sessions we went on a 4-wheeler ride that was GORGEOUS! Then on Sunday we drove to Cave Falls (by Ashton) and Mesa Falls (by Island Park). Both were beautiful, especially because of all the changing colors. But even though they were pretty, the drive was my favorite. In the Fall those mountain roads look like pictures on a calandar! It seems like this season is the very shortest, so I am so glad we got to spend all weekend out in gorgeous Fall scenery.

Mesa Falls...while we were walking down the stairs to see the falls there was a really pretty little spot for a picture:)

Mesa Falls

Mesa Falls

Mesa Falls

Cave Falls.....Yes, it is SNOWING!

Cave Falls

Swan Valley 4-Wheeler ride

Reed's Parents on 4-Wheeler ride

4-Wheeler ride

4-Wheeler ride

Up by Palisades

Up by Palisades

Palisades Lake