So the week has just flown by and of course I am just now posting almost a week later, I guess that is just me...perpetually late. Anyways, we had a really good week this week, and I am happy to say that I think my attitude has really changed in regard to working out. I went to the gym 3 days this week and I truly enjoyed myself. I think a huge part of it was that the gym gives you a hour with a personal trainer as part of your membership and I had that first, and he helped me so much to set some really good goals for my workout plan and my nutrition, and he showed me some really good excercises to help me start out. Another good part is that two of my best friends belong to the gym too, and it really is such an encouragement to workout with a friend. It makes such a huge difference to have that person there to give you ideas of excercises, encourage you, and just to talk with so the time goes by faster. So I really want to keep up this commitment to my goal of better health, and I would appreciate any help or advice if anyone has it, and even if it is just a friend asking me if i am finding the time to get to the gym, that would be such a huge help, i know i can't do this alone.

The week ended last night with the Daddy Daughter dance at our church. This is the second year that our church has done one of these, and it is just the cutest and most awesome thing for the little girls. So Rich took Grace.....she has literally been talking about this for over a month!.......and for the second year in a row, my dad has asked my sister and I to go to the dance with him. At first you may think that my sister and I are just a little old to be going to this event......(and she is even a little older than me)........but I actually feel so lucky that I have the opportunity to have a special night with my dad where i get to get dressed up in a pretty dress......(which by the way I got the most AMAZING dress from White House, Black Market and it was.....$24!!!!....I know, can you believe it???).......spend some awesome quality time over yummy dinner at P.F.Chang's, and just soak in the time with my daddy that I love so much. And I know that we probably wouldn't take that opportunity to do all of that if it weren't for the dance. So I know that you are probably expecting me to post some pictures of this event, but unfortunately I left my camera at home, and Rich didn't get any captured either, except one of the two of them at the end of the night sitting in our kitchen, so here is that one, and next year I am vowing to get some better pictures. There is just nothing like a special date night with daddy!

Today was a pretty relaxing day. Cole and Grace are really into playing games right now. They got this box for Christmas that has sets of cards for Old Maid, Crazy Eights, Go Fish, and Memory. Their favorite so far is Crazy Eights, Cole will play that game all day long! It is especially good for me when Grace ande Cole will play during the day by themselves, and it is so cute to listen in on them and hear the funny things that they say to one another while they are playing. Poor Camryn, she just isn't to the age yet that she can play so she gets yelled at quite a bit by the other two for messing up their game. I am sure she will be able to join in soon enough. I am so thankful for how well my kids play together, sometimes I am just amazed at how they will play for hours going back and forth between their rooms and trying on all kinds of dress-up clothes, I really should take more pictures because it is especially funny what the girls can convince Cole to dress in!

So Rich and I are officially members of a gym as of tonight. We have debated about getting a membership somewhere for most of our marriage, but have never done it, mainly because of the financial side of course, but we finally have decided that this is something we really want and we are going to make it a priority to get ourselves into shape. I am really excited, but also nervous. You know when you put off setting goals for yourself because you don't want to fail and you don't want others to know because you just might have to see them through?? Well, I have totally done that with my fitness goals for this year. To be just totally honest I have not really worked out at all my entire life. I just don't really like to excercise. I have always wanted to like it, and Rich is completely the opposite, he doesn't feel like himself unless he is working out, so I have always felt guilty because I didn't like it more. And you know how they say that when you excercise you're supposed to create those endorphin thingies that make you feel all good inside?? Well, somehow I don't think I have those, because it just doesn't happen for me! SO, all to say that this is a big step for me because I really do need to be working out. My youngest child is over 2 now so I really can't use pregnancy or having a baby as an excuse anymore (shoot!) and goodness knows having three kids in five years has done some damage on the body. And the membership is paid for now, so there is no more excuses. I am going to commit to making this a priority!! So if anyone wants to join me in the journey to a more healthier you, give me a holler and we can lament together when we are sore and encourage one another to get back in there!

Last of all I am sooooo excited because I just heard from my best friend Lisa in Arizona, and her and her husband Seth are expecting their first child this June, and they found out today that it is a girl!!!! Congratulations Seth and Lisa I am so excited to meet her!!!

Congrats Baby!

So a few weeks ago I shared with you all about Rich passing his test in order to be certified as an EMT. Well, that was actually the last step in about 2 years worth of school and training. So tonight we had a congratulations get-together for Rich to celebrate all the hard work and sacrifice. It was at Jack Stack Barbecue (Rich's fav) with family and friends. Rich is so driven, and incredibly smart, and he is going to be the best (and hottest) firefighter ever!! I have said it before but I am sooooo proud of him for all that he has accomplished, and I am truly the luckiest woman in the world to get to be his wife. Rich has this personality that just instantly draws people to him, and he is completely unpretentious, giving, and hilarious. I love you so much baby and can't say enough how proud of you I am! Thank you so much family and friends for all your support and all the encouragement and love that you have given to Rich and I. We love you!

I know, almost a whole week.....

I know, it's been almost a whole week since I posted. I am really, really going to try to stay more current on my posts. It has been a pretty quiet week this week because Grace and Cole FINALLY went back to school! I know that I am new to the whole school schedule, but I am really feeling like that Christmas break is soooo long! Especially that last week after New Year's when there isn't all the family get-togethers and such, and it could be that it's just my kids, but they both love school so much, and they do really well with the routine of it all, so it is so nice to get back to that. It is also really nice to have two mornings a week with just Camryn. She is so different than the other two, she has so much attitude and is sooo outspoken with that attitude. She has had like twice the amount of spankings since she was about 18 months than the other two did. I know it is so good for me to have one on one time with her right now. So last Friday we started bible study again, and it has just been so amazing already. We are doing Beth Moore's study Jesus the One and Only, and this is my second time doing it. The first time was a couple of years ago, and at first I was hesitant about doing it again, but watching the first video changed my mind, and I am so excited to go through and do it again at a different time in my life and see what God has for me this time. And anyways, you can never get enough of studying Jesus' life, right?? And this week we are starting MOPS back up, YES!! Talk about a long Christmas break, our last meeting was on December 3, and I miss it so much.

So over the Christmas break my parents got me a this hutch that my friend Emily was selling, and so we got rid of our huge desk that was taking up so much of our family room, and my amazing husband set up and organized the whole thing after I went to bed one night with all of my stamping and scrapbooking supplies!!! It looks so amazing, and there is a desk that slides our for me to work on, and the best thing is, the doors can close and it just looks like a beautiful cabinet! Oh, the things that get me excited! Anyways, because of this new workspace and organization I feel compelled to make and post some more cards, and I also just got a bunch of new supplies with some Christmas money. So here is the first card that I made the other day. I got the textured cardstock for the first time, and I just love it so much. And Amy thanks for the tip about groovy guava and tempting turquoise, it looks so good. Peace out!!

Thank you God for Amazing Girlfriends!

i am so blessed with such amazing friends. last night we had a farewell dinner for emily because she is indeed moving away this friday. as i was driving home (and crying) I was just praying out loud in my car and thanking God for the amazing friends that He has blessed me with. I know that my friendship with emily is far from over, and i am so excited to go visit her in orlando, and I also know that God will provide new amazing friends for her there. i know that the next few weeks for her will be exciting and scary, and sometimes lonely, but I think it will also be a time of growing closer to God and leaning on Him for strength. Love you Emily!

So, because I took a break from blogging over Christmas break, I thought I would share with you some pics of the good times that we had with all of our family. The kids received more gifts than should ever be received and I am still trying to organize all of them, but it was so much fun and we are so grateful to our family for how gracious that they are to us. These first few are of the Saturday before Christmas when we had our celebration with the Hansen family. It is an all-day affair but it is always such a special day with lots of memories (and presents...goodness!)

This is my grandpa Hansen and his wife, Marilyn, aren't they such a beautiful couple??

Camryn has this HUGE thing for my brother-in-law, Joe, she just won't leave his side, much to the disappointment of my sister, Aunt Lindsay, who always wants to hold her!

Camryn got this awesome tricycle from my parents, I can't wait till the weather is warmer outside so she start riding it!

Is this toy for Cole or for daddy??? Grace made this smowman at school for my parents and she was so proud of it!

And here are some pics of the kiddos in front of the tree on Christmas Eve

And finally, Christmas morning we spent here with just us, then we headed over to Rich's parents for a wonderful meal and some great family time. There are 12 grandkids on his side, the oldest is 20 and the other 11 are ages 10, 10, 9, 8, 7, 5, 5, 4, 3, 2, and the newest addition is one week old tomorrow! It is soooooo much fun to get all the cousins together, they have such a blast!!!

Another Year Gone....

Happy New Year everyone!! So it has been a very relaxing couple of days for us. I love having Rich home for a few days. Yesterday I did something that I have wanted to do for awhile, and my friend Emily finally convinced me to just do it.....I got my nose pierced! Yep, Em and I went down to Westport and I did it, and it was really fun, and not TOO painful. Then last night we went out to dinner with two of our favorite couples, the Cheneys and the Andersons, to one of our favorite restaurants, Texas Roadhouse! It was delicious food, and even better company. I can't believe it is getting so close to when the Andersons leave us :( .......when she told me they were moving it seemed like we would have quite a bit of time, but it has really gone so fast! Rich and I came home last night and cuddled up on the couch and watched a movie together to ring in the new year. I have been really trying to come up with some good resolutions that are realistic, but are also going to challenge and stretch me. Cause that is what it is all about right? How can I grow as a mom, wife, friend, child of God in the next year? So I will give a resolution for each of these roles, that are really only a few of the many that I fill.

1. As a mom I resolve to do much better at listening to my children, and really hear what they are saying-they have such an amazing perspective, and really good senses of humor too! I know how much they value my attention and opinion right now, and I know that that isn't going to last forever.

2. As a wife I resolve to do everything I can to support Rich in this new journey that he is starting on. First of all to just constantly be covering him in prayer. And then to strive to create a home that is always a safe and fun place to come home to so that no matter what kind of day he has had, he is excited to come home.

3. As a friend I resolve to open up my home and inviting new friends as well as old friends over more often. Growing up my parents always invited people over for dinner, especially after church on Sunday, and I really want to reach out to newer people at our church and make some new friends, as well as having lots of get togethers with those really close friends.

4. And finally as a child of God, the most important role that I have here on earth, I resolve to stay committed to spending time with God, especially in the Word. I am pretty good about reading when I am involved in a bible study, but outside of that I am not reading like I should, so I am going to do the plan where I read through the Bible in a year so that I have a plan outside of a bible study.

These are my resolutions for 2008. I know that you all who are my friends and family that I see often can help me keep these.