GOODBYE 2009! IT WAS A WONDERFUL YEAR!!!
I got this shark for Andy for Christmas (we did five one-dollar items for each other). I took a picture of the before, but I can't find it. So here is what the final growth looked like. It tripled in size! I know it's stupid, but simple things excite me.
Tonight was Andy's work's annual Christmas Party, which means White Elephant gifts! Andy & I took a printer (BRAND NEW) and a conch shell lamp thing, and ended up with an Herb Grow Kit and this darling wooden lady ;). Poor Brady & Shawnee ended up getting the conch shell for the SECOND YEAR in a row! LOL! I don't think that conch will ever die!
Our little niece, Molly, was born today! She was born at 1:07 AM. She weighed 6 lbs 12.5 oz, and was 19 inches long. Such a tiny lil' thing, but SOOOO CUTE!!! This isn't the best picture, but it's all I got. Congrats, Nat, Casey, & big brother, Benson!
Tonight was the Haws family Christmas party. We do a gift swap every year that is something I really look forward to. I love spending time with this family! They are all so hilarious! I took a different picture for my picture of the day, but it was blurry so I decided to use this one. This is Cory, Benson, and Brady chillin on the same couch. So precious!
Today was my Kap family Christmas party. We ate some delicious soups and had fun playing some wild crazy games! This is a picture of my niece, Jerzee, just hanging out on the gym floor. She also became a proud big sister today. My brother and sister-in-law had little Jaxon during our family party. Jaxon was born at 1:20 pm. He weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. 
Merry FIRST Christmas to us! Our first Christmas together was wonderful! I would definitely say it has been my best one yet, and it wasn't because of the money that was spent. It was because of the company! I loved spending the entire day with my hubby! He truly is my best friend, and I could NEVER get sick of spending time with him!
I made these cute Nutter Butter Rudolphs for the Barker family Christmas party tonight. They were so easy to make, and I just think they are so cute! The family party was a lot of fun! 
Andy & I went to a live nativity that my really close friends put on every year tonight. It is something I MUST do every year before Christmas because it is the one thing that really gets me in the true Christmas spirit. I adore this pageant so much because of the message!
Today was the last day of work for me before Christmas Break, but I wasn't really looking forward to this day. The principal at one the schools I work at, has been moved to a junior high school, and today was his last day at my school. I have worked with this guy ever since I got hired. He is such a wonderful principal! I really am going to miss having him around, but he is on to bigger and better things & I am positive he will do an amazing job! At the Christmas sing-a-long this morning, Santa came to bring the principal a special gift from the school. It is a picture of all the students and faculty. My friend, Amanda, took the picture for us, and it really turned out amazing! 
Today was the last day of my Math Senior Project! I had to teach a two week math unit to elementary students. It was such a blast! I absolutely love being in the classroom, and I LOVE teaching math. I am so glad that it over though because now I get a break from school work (at least for a little bit). For my last day, the students made me Christmas cards and sang to me. I am going to miss seeing these kids everyday! 
Santa came to visit at my parents tonight. It was mostly for the kids, but this Santa also gave advice to us older ones too. I haven't sat on Santa's lap since I was like ten. It sure was fun having Santa drop by! 
Andy got a new part for his AR-15 but it was black, so he had to paint it to match the rest of his gun. Here is the finished product. Can you believe he painted this entire gun all by himself? It looks pretty sweet, huh? 
Andy & I went to his parents house tonight just to hang out. When we got there, Jan was wrapping the grab bag gifts for the family Christmas party. Since we weren't really doing anything, Natalie & I decided to help out. There were so many gifts to wrap, so we don't do our best wrapping jobs. I must say that this kind of wrapping bugs me because I am too much of a perfectionist. 
Andy's mom took Tami, Shanna, & I to see the Nutcracker ballet tonight. I have never seen the Nutcracker, so it was something completely new to me. A girl in Andy's parents ward was the main girl in the ballet, and she was absolutely amazing! She is such a great dancer! I had so much fun hanging with my family! Thanks, Jan, for taking me! 
My husband is the probably one of X96's (Radio From Hell) biggest fans. He is constantly calling them on the phone and texting them so he can win stuff. Well, a few weeks ago, Andy put in to win $100 from X96, and he actually won!!! He entered online and told them that he would use the $100 to take his wife on a trip (yay for me). Well, he went and picked up his winnings today. Sometimes I am ashamed about the way Andy talks about X96, but it definitely PAID off today! Wahoo!
I took this picture yesterday while visiting baby Konnor at the hospital, but I had to have it for a picture of the day. The hospital gave this lil' Santa hat to Konnor. What a cute Santa! I already LOVE this lil' guy so very much! 
Our newest nephew, Konnor, has arrived! He was born today at 1:43 PM. He weighed 7 lbs and was 20 1/2 inches long. He is so adorable. Congratulations, Tiffany, Sean, and big brother, Keegan! 
For those of you that didn't know, Andy & I were called to be the Sunbeam teachers in our ward a few months ago. I was so excited to teach this little guys until our first lesson. It is so hard to keep this kids in their seat for 5 seconds! I felt like I barely touched on the lesson I had prepared. Over the next few weeks, things got easier, and Andy & I absolutely fell in love with all of these kids. They make us laugh every single week! We actually have kept a record of the funny things they have said (which I will be posting on mine & Andy's personal blog within the next week, so stay tuned). Andy & I can't believe the year is almost over & then we will have to say goodbye to these cute darlings. We really are going to miss them!
I took pictures for a wedding today. It was snowing like CRAZY, but the bride & groom were still willing to take some pictures outside the temple. The bride is one of my fellow classmates, and she is seriously the nicest girl you could ever meet. She always has a smile on her face, and I have never heard her complain. I am so happy for her & her new hubby! They are such a wonderful couple! Congrats, D & J!
I finally have one of my sisters back to play dodgeball with me! Both Tiffany & Kristina had to go off and get pregnant, so I had to play without either of them, and it just wasn't the same. Kristina has been cleared by her doctor to come play so now the sister team is back on! Kristina & I always grew up playing on the same team in soccer. It was nice having a sister on the team because you always knew at least someone had your back. I am not the dirty soccer player type, but if you hurt my sister, I hurt you. That was just the way it went. Well, dodgeball isn't any different. We are a great team because we look out for each other. You just don't mess with us!
I have finished all of my Christmas shopping! Yay! I have decided that Christmas is a lovely holiday, but I hate shopping for it. It's too hard for me to make decisions about presents, so I think Christmas shopping takes me twice as long as normal. 
Our lesson in Primary today was about belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We had the kids color these badges. Every time the kids color something, Andy colors one too. This is Andy's badge. Do you know where it ended up? It is now taped about our bedroom door. I guess it's a good reminder for us to see everyday when we leave for work. 
This is how I found my car this morning when I was leaving for work. It's thing like this that ABSOLUTELY MAKE MY DAY! I know most of you think he can be pretty mean to me (because we joke A LOT), but he really is a sweetie! I love my husband so very much.
I taught the first lesson for my Math Senior Project today. These are a few of the books that I will be using for my lessons over the next two weeks. My first lesson went great, and the kids are so much fun! I love getting more experience teaching in a classroom.
We had my family's Christmas gift swap tonight (I know it's early, but we had to do it before my sister Tiffany has her baby). Everyone brought really great gifts, but it was too bad the actual "SWAPPING" didn't last long. Anyway, here is my nephew Parker with his adorable Christmas shirt. It says, "All Mommy Wants For Christmas is a Silent Night." So cute. I love this boy!
Andy & I finally brought home our Nativity set that has been at Andy's parent's house for the past year. I am so grateful for Andy's grandparents for giving this to us last Christmas. It is something that I will treasure for the rest of my life! Oh, it's just so beautiful! 
The day after our wonderful trip to see the lights at Temple Square from a plane, we went with my family to see them from the ground. I had so much fun taking pictures because I am finally getting more acquainted with my camera! I love visiting temple square. It is such a fun tradition that I will keep throughout my entire life. 
Andy took me flying tonight. We flew all the way down to Provo and back, so we got to see A LOT of Christmas lights. The best sight was Temple Square. There is just nothing like seeing it all lit up from a plane! I had a wonderful time, but I'm not going to lie, flying stressing me out! I would much rather be on the ground than in the air, but that's just me.
I didn't really have anything big planned for my picture of the day today, so I decided to take a picture of my office (if you could call it that) at one of the schools I work at. My desk is in the student lab at this particular school. Looks pretty exciting, huh? 
I had my exit interview for Level 2 today (which went very well by the way), so after school all I wanted to do was some celebrating. So what did I do, you ask? I went to see New Moon with my hubby, my bestest friend (my sister, Kristina), & her husband! I was so glad Dunna & Evan were willing to go with us because Andy absolutely wouldn't go with me unless there was another dude going. The movie was absolutely wonderful...even better than Twilight, but it left my heart torn in two. Team Edward? or Team Jacob? I love them both for two very different reasons (Don't worry, I still love my husband)! I have read all the books, so I know how it ends, but it just makes me so sad. I wish they could both get the girl, but then that would only make Bella look like a two-timing...you know what! I had such a great time at the movies with my family! It definitely was an awesome way to celebrate! Thanks, Dunna & Evan for coming with us! I had a blast, but I'm not sure if I can say that for Andy.
Oh, Christmas Tree! I finally had time to set up our Christmas tree, and it made me so excited for mine & Andy's first Christmas together! It won't be as grand as past Christmases we have had, but it will be better because we get to spend it together! 
I took so many pictures on Thanksgiving, so I have to use them for some of my pictures of the day. This is one of them. Last Christmas, Andy's mom bought all the boys in the family a nice sweater. Well, Andy doesn't like sweaters, so he never wore it. I asked him the day before Thanksgiving if I could choose what he wore the next day, and he agreed. Guess what he wore? That nice red sweater!!! He actually had to take the tag off. Doesn't he look so handsome? Andy's sister Tami took a few pictures of us with Andy in the sweater, and now I am using them for our Christmas card. Andy will love it! 
We had a date night with my best friends and their husbands/boyfriends tonight. We went to the Ogden Christmas Parade and then went back to the house to play games. We played the games What If... and Ligretto. We played for hours! It was so fun spending time with my friends! I have missed them so much! I love these girls like they were my own sisters.
Casey, Natalie, Andy, & I pretty much spent the night at Target to get some great Black Friday deals. Honestly, I never thought I would be doing this again! I can remember when I was 11 years old, my sisters and I used to go shopping with my aunts on Black Friday. We kids only went for the free door prizes because we thought they were cool. Anyway, we were waiting at Shopko for the doors to open. It was getting really close to opening, and the crowd suddenly started crowding the doors. I distinctly remember grabbing my sister, Tiffany's, hand and telling her no matter what DON'T let go. Then, the doors opened, and the pushing of the crowd got even worse. As we pushed throught the doors, my sister & I got pulled farther and farther away from each other, but we still had a tight grip on each other's hands. Lukily, we made it through the door door safely, but all the free door prizes were gone! I really thought I was going to die that day. I vowed I would never go again after that, but I guess I was wrong! Read the entire story of our Black Friday craziness this year HERE. 
Happy Turkey Day! Our Thanksgiving started with shooting guns. I didn't shoot much because I was taking pictures, but everyone that did really seemed to be having a good time. Andy's new AR-15 was a big hit! Everyone wanted to shoot it. After shooting, we headed to my grandparent's house for some yummy food. We didn't stay very long because we had to get to Andy's parent's house too. We had a wonderful day with our family! We are so incredibly grateful for all them, and the examples they are to us. We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! 
Tonight, Andy & I went to Nat & Casey's house to hang out and watch a movie. We watched Night at the Museum, or at least we tried. Benson really wanted attention, so there wasn't much movie watching going on. Here is Nick entertaining Benson with some stickers. Nick kept putting them on Benson's back where Benson wouldn't be able to reach them. That poor Benson! He has so many aunts and uncles that love to tease him, but I actually think he likes it. Thanks for all the fun, Nat, Casey, Benson, Tam, & Nick! We love spending time with you all!
Andy actually snapped this picture of Benson a while ago, but I didn't have anything to take a picture of today, so I am using this one. I know I say this A LOT, but I LOVE this boy. It is so fun to see Andy & Benson play. They are so cute together! 
Here is Kokanee watching the fish, yet again. I think this picture is awesome, so I just had to use it as my picture of the day.
Tonight was our every other week Sunday dinner with my family. We have such a fun time just hanging out! I sure love my family! They are awesome!
Today was the funeral for my cousin, Brooke. It was such a sweet service. I just love how family comes together during hard times. Being at the service made me realize how much I love each one of my family members! I would do anything for them. Thanks for bringing us closer together, Brooke! We love you and miss you!
I got a phone call from my mother yesterday morning telling me my cousin had died. Tonight, my family & I went to her viewing. Brooke was such an amazing person and artist! I am just sorry that I didn't get to know her better. She will be missed! Love you, lil Brookie!
Andy's netbook desktop has pictures of planes that rotate every couple minutes or so. Benson had so much fun watching the pictures change. I love how close Benson & Andy are. They are so much fun to be around! 
This is my nephew, Benson, licking up the water he spilled because his dad told him too. What a goof!
I got the oild changed in my car today. I was quite surprised to find these nice chairs in the Jiffy Lube lounge! So fancy!
I took some baby pictures for some friends of ours this last weekend, but didn't start editing them until today. This little girl was such a cutie even though she wasn't very happy with us tormenting her ;). Thanks, Mel, for letting me take these for you. I had a lot of fun!
Kokanee sat in front of the fish tank for about an hour or so. She is so enthralled by those fish. Silly Kokanee!
Oh, how I hate the snow, but it's just so pretty! This is the garage/shed in our backyard. Isn't this scene just amazing? As I shoveled the driveway, I just kept thinking this would be a beautiful background for a family picture! So gorgeous!
I took a special visit to Andy's work today. Okay...not really. I had to drive all the way to Bountiful to check out a book for one of my lessons (thanks to Tami), so I decided to go see my hubby at work on the way back from the library. Notice the poster he has above his computer as well as the picture of me in the frame. Only Andy would have a cock pit poster and a picture of me shooting a gun (I think he is so proud of that picture for some reason) in his office.
And here is a picture of the classroom I am doing my field experience in. Pretty exciting, huh?
