A Special Friend...

You know sometimes, every now and then, you meet someone that you just totally "click with". Someone that in a way, you feel like you have known forever, someone that you could talk to for hours and hours.... Well, back in May, I came across one of those people. At work, I was moved departments (ugh, I hate change) but it ended up being such a great experience..and I met a friend that I hope to have forever. Her name is Beth McHale Landgrebe. January 22 was her birthday and I traveled to Tooele with the kids to spend the day with her and her family.

Here is a picture of Lauren and Beth's adorable daughter, Harbor...good friends despite the age difference:

One of the kid's favorite things to do at Miss Beth's house is to play with their cute bunny, Sadie:

Here is a picture of all the kids, their dogs, Beth's husband Josh (even though you can't see him...it was freezing outside), oh and the bunny:

Beth and Harbor:

Beth and Me. Lauren took our picture, we were trying not to laugh:

Us again:

One of the things I gave her for her birthday was tickets for her and Josh to come to a Jazz Game with Matt and I. It was on January 25, versus the Suns and it was packed:

Matt and I had a blast at the game too! Good food, a good game, with good friends. Oh yeah!

Beth and me at the game:

The Jazz Bear was entertaining as always!

It was cool to see Steve Nash in person! My favorite Jazz player is in this shot too, # 24 Paul Milsap! I am often heard yelling "go Milly!"

Here is Josh and Beth, a cute couple!

Sweet Victory! It was a nail biter..but the Jazz pulled off a win! It was probably the highest scoring game I've ever been to! Woo-hoo!

Happy Birthday Beth. I hope it was a good one. Thanks for all you've done for me...for all that you are.
*For Pink Stuff
*For Early Morning Texts
*For always always having a smile on your face
*For being loud and outspoken (I'm not the only one!)
*For Midday Texts, okay..all day texts
*For your zest for life, it is so fun to spoil you as you are so grateful for everything.
*For your honesty
*For you always trying to be helpful, you are always trying to take care of me
*For making me feel like I am a good boss
*For being the shoulder to cry on and the one to celebrate small and big victories with.

LOVE YA GIRL! Hope you had a good birthday!

My Silly Little Ones!

I just had to share some silly pics!

So..Leo and Tina bought this awesome Big Wheel for Jamie for Christmas. He hasn't quite got the hang of riding it himself..so this is what I found the other day! Lauren was giving him a ride. So cute!

AND...then it became Lauren dragging him! It was hillarious and they both loved it!

For some reason the kiddos were acting particular silly and got all jazzed up. Here is cute Lauren...incognito!

Jamie also got dressed up. He thinks he is so tough in this getup...he shoots the gun upside down and uses the screwdriver as a "sword". How he knows the word "sword" amd "kill" and "dead" is beyond me!! I told him no shooting sister, his parents, or any of our pets, so now he makes sure I know he is just shooting "Rarr Mans" and "Bears". Ha! What a sweet boy! He is so much fun now that he is talking more!

And finally one shot of my dog Pepper. She will be 15 this year! She is as sweet and peppy as always..just a little older and maybe with worse hearing and worse vision. Awww...I still love her anyway!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Sunday we celebrated my mom's birthday. Thursday was her real birthday, but Sunday was the only day we could all get together. For starters, my mom made dinner for us. Yup, SHE made dinner for US! She would say it wasn't fancy, but our BBQ sandwiches had all the fixin's..YUMMY! She never misses the little details. On my diet, I don't eat much..so I especially enjoyed my one meal of the day. Our plan was to see the movie Avatar. Matt had agreed to stay back and watch Jamie so that Lauren and I could enjoy the show in peace. I was thankful for the break even though I wasn't exactly excited to see the show. Man, was in for a suprise! First of all, we saw it in an IMAX theatre in 3D and my mom ordered tickets in advance so we had the PERFECT seats! This movie was AWESOME! It was amazing and truly beautiful. I was SO into it...I laughed, I cried, I clung to Lauren because I couldn't stand the suspense. I LOVED IT...awww. So happy just thinking about it. The show was groundbreaking!

In attendance: My mom and dad, my sisters; Ashley and Sarah, my niece; Alysia and her girlfriend Katie, and Lauren and I. Matt and Jamie came for dinner, but left for home when we left for the movie.

Here are some pictures of us singing Happy Birthday!

As usual, I didn't snap too many pictures. I was able to snag one of my mom and me!

I wish that I could be creative and sweet like my friend Misty....instead I will just name a few things that I LOVE about my mom:
*She is a great cook (as mentioned above)
*She is a great hostess, she always thinks of the details (as mentioned above), she makes everyone feel welcome, and well fed!
*She always puts everyone else first
*She is always calm and collected
*She is great at listening to my gripes and she sees every side of the story (even when I am mad and want her to be on MY side)..she is usually right. She also gives the best advice, whenever I am at a loss..never fails, she knows what to do!
*She LOVES my kids, she watches them for us almost every day. I think that my kids would rather be with her than with me
*She makes all of us four kids always feel like they are the favorite kid, I mean I am the real favorite of course, but the others THINK they are too
*She has always been so supportive of me and my endeavors, she never complained about her time and money that she so generously gave
*She is deeply religious and I admire her faith and her steadfastness (I hope that is the right word)
*I love that she texts, she started texting before me! She texts in all capitals, gotta love that!
*I like the quirks like she won't drive on the freeway and that when she drives, she drives with two feet...he he he.
*She isn't lazy at all, never has been
*She loves to plant flowers and plants and has a garden in pots around her yard that she loves to show off
*She always takes care of me when she is around me..even though I don't deserve it, it is nice to be "mommed" every now and then
*We talk almost every day, feels like an eternity if we skip a day
*She is very organized and not forgetful at all
*She has really thick and pretty hair
*She is not materialistic at all, she is the easiest person to buy for as she doesn't spoil herself at all
*As a kid I used to wonder why she didn't have a gaggle of girlfriends, as an adult I see that her large family contains all of the best friends she will ever need
*She is just the best mom and friend in the entire world, well, in my opinion and maybe in four other people's opnion too
***Well, I could go on and on and maybe I will just stop at 20 because it is getting late and now that I took Jamie's bars off his crib, he gets up much earlier..so now must I***

Finally..my Super Long Mega Holidays Post!

We surely had a great Christmas this year. Let's just say that I am glad that it is over! All the hustle and bustle and a million things to do..it just isn't the same kind of "fun" that I remember as a kid! The best thing about Christmas though, is the joy and excitement in my children. Here is Lauren with Santa and Mrs. Claus. She is super happy!

Jamie would have nothing to do with Santa, but took a Candy Cane anyway.



Here is Jamie around Christmastime. He thought he was cute, so did I.

Okay...now for a second here my comments aren't matching up with the correct picture, and I can't fix it, so I apologize for that! Bear with me for a minute here....
















Matt's Dad, Leo and his wife Tina on Christmas Eve. We had a great dinner over there, and opened presents together that night. The kids always love seeing each other!

Lauren was having a ball playing with Maddie. They are both such darling girls!

Three Lovatos!

All the cute kiddos! This year there were 4, next year there will be 5! We are growing! We can't wait for Kristen to have her little munchkin in the gang!

Maddie loved the present I got her! She was laughing and kicking her feet. I adore that little girl!!!

Jamie loved the present that Pa Pa Leo and Grandma T T gave him. He was so excited for the bike that he was actually trying to ride the box! Silly boy!

This was gonna be a Matt and I photo, but Jamie had to butt in! Ha! I do love my boys!

Leo wanted a picture of his wife and grandkids, but

Jamie was having NOTHING to do with it! Go figure!

Here is a shot of my little family. The best one I know!

Matt's brother Greg, his wife Alex, and one of their daughter's Isabella. Our family AND friends!

Matt's Step-brother Steven and his boyfriend Collin.

Most of the Lovato clan. Coolest Peeps in WJ! Check out Lars! Strike a pose girlfriend!

Later that night we went to my parents house to open our Louisiana presents, a tradition that goes as far back as I can remember! Here are my hottie sisters!

So..that night my battery died, so I didn't get too many photos. I was able to snap one with Jamie LOVING the cars (of course) that he got from my brother!

Santa came to our house. This is what awaited my kids in the morning. Lauren was up a mere 1.5 hours after I finished it all. Whew! I always say I won't do all my wrapping the night before, but every year I do!

Jamie was THRILLED to get the "CARMACK" that he had been begging for three months. The smile on his face made everything worth it. What a cutie pie!

He was also thrilled to get to ride his assembled bike!

Lauren was EXCITED to see the Barbie house that she had been longing for. It really was nearly as big as she was as her dad told her it would be!

Christmas Day at my parent's house. My sisters..Sarah and Ashley and her boyfriend Victor..and my two little monkeys. There will be another monkey in this picture too! Can't wait for another munchkin!

This WOULD be a nice family Christmas Day photo..if Matt wasn't pulling an "Earl". Well, I guess that you will just have to imagine what it would look like if his eyes were open!

My little sister Sarah is prettier than she thinks she is! I love to have her as a sister, a co-worker, and a friend.

Victor and Ashley. Ashley, or SKIPPY as I call her...is also a great friend. Love to spend time with her...she is determined and brave and also prettier than she thinks she is!

And here are all of the kids. What a MOTLEY CREW...he he he.

Oh, and FINALLY a shot of my parents. They are the best parents and grandparents! My kids LOVE going over there. Thanks for all you do for us!

Sarah and Lauren, the posers.

Merry Christmas! Sure love my little kiddos!

The next day, the kids loved playing with their Zhu-Zhu pets. These were courtesy of our renters, Chris and Pam Crouch...so thoughtful of them! These hamsters are sure neat! More priceless smiles.

Here is Jamie in some new threads. I love going to his closet and finding all these new clothes! It was badly needed! He is not a baby, but a boy!

A couple of days after Christmas..it was Matt's sister's birthday, the kids loved playing with Uncle Dave.

Happy Birthday Kristen!

A couple of days later, I met Alex for lunch. We thought it was hillarious that our daughters were dressed IDENTICALLY! We didn't plan it, we didn't even know they both owned the same shirt. SOO cute! They love each other! I am so glad Lauren has a cousin close in age, they get along so well.

For New Years Eve, instead of the traditional party at our house, Alex and Greg hosted the shindig at thier house. Here is Alex and her mom, Claudia.

This picture looks so wrong! I promise though, that is sparkling cider NOT champagne! Nobody needs to call DFS!!

So, on Christmas Eve Jamie got a super-bad black eye. This picture was taken a week after the incident and you can still see how bad it was. Good thing he is so cute, you almost don't notice.

Three muskateers! The cute kiddos!

Greg and Alex and a "smiling" Dakota!

Gee whiz, can Matt take a normal picture?! I guess not! Oh well, I guess I will keep him anyway.

Kristen and Dave! Hopefully next year when they have a baby, they will still be partay animals!

Me and the best little girl and buddy I know!

All of the girls....I hate when there are three people with cameras taking pictures at the same time! No one is looking at the same camera! Oh well...

Jamie's first car-nap of the year! He made it to midnight and about 5 minutes of 2010! HA!

The next day we upheld another tradition. We went to Red Lobster with my family. I didn't take many photos that day (my camera battery died again!)...but I did get one of my mom holding Zoe like a baby. I think she may be ready for another baby.....BUT man, Zoe kinda has crazy eyes here!

My mom and Sarah. (my mom posted more photos on Facebook of this day, if you are wanting more)....

Jamie cracked me up when he came out of his room looking like this...hmmm...guitar, black-eye, hard-hat, and dirty face. Yup...all BOY!

Too cute!

A suprise for New Years is that my brother came into town for a visit. Jamie was excited to see his Uncle John. (ps..I think John has his hat like that so he would look taller than me, because I am really taller than him!)

Okay...rule of thumb...don't take pictures against a bright backdrop. Well...I am still glad to have gotten a shot of me and my favorite brother.

Well..that is my super long mega post! I hope you enjoyed it as it took me only a few hours to create it. Awww....hope you all had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope you are all as relieved as I am that it is all over! The holidays AND this post! HA!