This girl

This girl is my little shadow. We go everywhere together and I love it. Today, when I picked her up from preschool, she hugged my leg and said, "Mom, sometimes I get sad when you leave me." At first, it was like a bullet to my heart and I thought to myself that I must leave her too much. But, as we drove home, all the while listening to Abby tell me all about her amazing preschool adventures, it hit me that that wasn't what she was saying at all. She was simply telling me that she enjoys our time together.  

Abby's preschool teacher recently did little mini photo sessions with each of the children.  These are the shots she sent me. 
Adore is an understatement.

This photo is typical Abby.  Smiling like she couldn't be happier to be a participant in life.  Posing like she's cute and she knows it.  :)

I absolutely LOVE this one! So different from any photo we've ever had of her. 

This is my girl. 

 My princess. 

My little munchkin. 

My responsibility. 

My heart.   

Micah is 7!

Micah is 7! He is excited beyond belief because now "it's only 1 more year until I get baptized!" As a mother, I am proud that he is excited about that. :)

Traditionally, we celebrate birthday's with more than one celebration. This year was no different. We started off in Mesquite, where we had a pizza and Easter Egg hunt party. We celebrated with my parents, my brother Beau, and my brother Cory, his wife, Danae, and their kids, Zoey and Colston. It was a lot of fun watching the kids run all over the place looking for eggs. They finished with about a gazillion eggs and way more than enough candy. :) Micah got a super cool Lego Ninjago set(from grandma & grandpa), some neat-o Star Wars pod spinners (from Cory, Danae, Zoe7 & Colston), and a certain Beyblade Wii game (from Uncle Beau) that he has been eyeing for some time.

Last night, we went out to dinner, and then came home and had a spectacular darts tournament. Heath recently got an electronic dart board for his office, and the kids had been dying to play, so we made it a little party. It was tons of fun and no one lost an eye. :)

Today is Micah's actual birthday. I had church meetings all morning, so we made Micah wait until after church to open his gifts. That was torture on the poor kid. :) As soon as church was out though, we rushed home to a table full of presents to open. Once again, Micah was spoiled

and received more than his fair share of awesome presents. He got a set of Blendy pens from Abby, some awesome books and some super special pictures of Micah & Popi from Gammy, a bag of his very own chocolate licorice and two more Beyblades, from mom and dad. These were not just any Beys though. They came straight from Japan, and according to Micah, "no one else has them". Not sure if that's true, but what's the harm in thinking?

Once again, I find myself waxing sentimental about my firstborn. Where has the time gone? How did he get big so fast? How did I get so lucky to be his mom? Have I ever mentioned that Micah is an absolute joy? A pleasure. Hilarious. Smart. Creative. Kind. Sensitive. A good helper. A great big brother. Feisty. Shy. Mischievous.

Did I mention, handsome?

Silly.

Cute as a button.

A little self conscious.

Super cool.

And, mine. For eternity. :)

This kid has it all! Love you, little man!

Christmas 2011

I have a love/hate relationship with the camera. I love having the memories that pictures provide, but I hate being behind the lens all the time. I feel like I miss out on things. So, I didn't take as many pics this year. I do feel robbed that I didn't get any pics of the kids opening presents with their cousins, but at least I got Christmas morning covered.

Heath wanted to start a new tradition for Christmas 2011. So, we created our first annual hot chocolate bar and "A Christmas Story" movie night. We got all sorts of fun toppings for our hot cocoa and watched the movie together. I surprised the family with cute little mugs to start off our new tradition. It was a lot of fun and I hope it was memorable for Micah and Abby.

Look at all the fun fixins.

It's always been a tradition to open Christmas jammies on Christmas Eve. Here are the kids all dressed up in their new pj's.
We also open a gift on Christmas Eve. This year, Micah got a remote control Black Widow. It's so realistic, it actually scared the kids. And, Abby got some really cute, magnetic paper dolls.

Santa filled the kids' stockings to the brim.

He also left them this cute table, chairs, and fun game.

I think he was trying to encourage them to play together more. :)

Micah's gifts from Santa.

He was so excited to see that Santa got the exact orange bike that he wanted. He was really worried that Santa might not be able to find it.

Abby's new kitchen. It even has a phone.

That part was very important to her. :)

The rest of Abby's loot from Santa.

Santa even left stockings for mom and dad.

How did he know that mom loves those jalapeno chips?

Looks like Santa just left!

Christmas morning!

Mom and dad got Abby a cute tea cart.

Micah could not have been happier for this little thing.

Thanks mom and dad!

Abby opening her double stroller.

Later in the day, when we went to Grandma & Grandpa's house, she got a Baby Alive doll from uncle Beau, and a Princess Aurora doll from Uncle Cory, Aunt Danae, Zoey and Colston.

Perfect for her new stroller.

Pop the Pig! This is a really great preschool game.

Well, that's it! That's all the pics I got.
Thank you to Grandma & Grandpa for the plethora of other gifts that didn't get documented in pictures this year. And, thank you to Gammy, and Uncle Josh, Aunt Marcy, Ethan and Hudson for the fun gifts that also didn't get documented.

It was another great Christmas at the Garner's!

Missing Valerie

Another year has come and gone. Another year that Valerie is missed. Another year of my children not knowing their aunt.

Another year of strengthened testimonies that families are forever. Another year of teaching opportunities. Another year of treasured memories. Another year of counted blessings. Another year closer to reuniting.

Love you, Valerie!

This Guy

Eleven years ago, something told me that this guy was special. I listened then and know it is even more true today. Not only is this guy handsome, he is also smart, funny, a hard worker, honest, a fantastic father, a valiant Priesthood holder, and my best friend.

I love this guy, and I hope he feels it, not just today, but everyday!

This is What I am Thankful For

This is what I am thankful for...

And the knowledge that we are a forever family.

Jr Jazz Basketball

Micah played Jr. Jazz basketball in October. To say he had a blast would be an understatement. He keeps asking when he can play again. The league was for 1st & 2nd graders and was still sort of an instructional league. The would practice for the first 30 minutes and then play another team the last 30 minutes.

Micah's coaches were very patient and extremely nice. The one on the left is John. The one on the right is Robbie.

One of Micah's favorite things to do was to throw the ball in. He would race to the sideline each time, hoping to be the one who got to throw it in.

Practice time. Taking turns shooting.
I'm open! I'm open!
Shoot it!
Micah got pretty good at dribbling and handling the ball.

He was pretty bummed that the season ended so quickly. They only had eight games. He was so excited to learn that he can play again in January.

Abby and I had fun watching Micah play. She would stand on the sidelines and cheer, "Go Micah!"

We can't wait to start another season of Jr. Jazz Basketball!