Long Overdue...

Yes, I know, it is February and I am barely putting up pictures from Christmas break…but it is better late than never, right? I have so much more recent stuff that I want to post, but it would feel incomplete without this post about all of our Christmas break happenings…

We had a great Christmas break this year down in Arizona. We drove down late in the afternoon on the 23^rd and spent Christmas, Casey’s Birthday (the 26^th), and our anniversary (the 27^th) with my side of the family. Then we went to spend 4 more days with Casey’s side of the family and spent New Years with them. Casey came back up to Utah just in time for school to start again and Brigden and I were able to stay with my family for an extra week for my cousin’s wedding. We have decided that if the rest of our children travel as well as Brigden did, we will be world travelers. We were so impressed at how well he did.

I have decided that I am going to do the rest of this post in a “Top Ten” style, except this is a "Top 20" with no particular order, except chronological. Here are the highlights from our winter break! (WARNING: It’s a long post…enter at your own risk…)

#1 – Christmas Eve with our traditional pajamas and sibling gift exchange. Getting new pajamas for Christmas is one of my most favorite traditions and I think that the pajamas that my mom got for me this year are probably my favorite ones yet. Silky pajamas make me feel like a “grown-up” J I also love the tradition of our sibling gift exchange. It is fun to see the effort and thought that each sibling puts into choosing a gift for the brother or sister that they have that year. It was also fun to have my aunt Leslee there with her boys...

#2 – Santa’s surprise visit…Brigden got to sit on Santa’s lap for the first time and he kept looking at Santa like, “Hey…Don’t I know you? You look like my grandpa…” Classic...

#3 Casey’s big debut as the innkeeper and Brigden’s debut as a not so happy baby Jesus in the Nativity

#4 Like father, like son...I guess this even applies to sleeping positions! I love these two together...Daddy is Brigden's best friend. Thanks Kamrie for sharing your bed with us! (Her bed is seriously the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in)

#5 Christmas Morning...I am ALWAYS the first one awake on Christmas morning. My brother, Jordan, and I had a “plan” every year to be the first ones up. Those are some of my favorite memories of Christmas- our “early riser” club. This year was no different, even as a tired mommy and with Jordan gone on his mission, I was the first one up. I didn’t even try to be. I guess that it is so deep-rooted that it is a habit that's hard to break!

Brigden had so much fun with his very first Christmas! It is so fun as a parent to watch the excitement in your little one’s eyes…

#6 – Christmas Day basketball game…My dad is probably the most selfless and caring person I know. Casey got a new basketball for Christmas and was itching to shoot some hoops. Mid-morning, my dad told Casey to put his tennis shoes on and grab his ball and come with him. (I was curious, so I tagged along) We got in the car and started driving, with only my dad knowing where we were going. We ended up at the house of some family friends who have a son that LOVES basketball. My dad had called ahead to see if we could come over for a game of one-on-one basketball with the pro, Tyler. They had so much fun! Casey loved having someone to play with and I could tell that Tyler was loving it too! Thanks, Dad! That was thoughtful...

#7 – Phone call from Elder Ames!.. .I was so excited to talk to my brother, Jordan, who is serving a mission in New York that I hoarded all of the cordless phones for the hour before he was supposed to call. But I was nice, I let my mom answer it when he called J He sounded so good and is doing great! It is crazy that he comes home in August! We love you, Elder Ames!

#8 – Brigden’s new best friend, Allie the dog…Meet Allie, the dog that my family has had for as long as I can remember. She is a great dog, except for when she is mean to my dad’s chickens, then she is on the bad list for a while…I was so impressed with how well she did with little Brig. She didn’t even flinch when he would grab her feet, ears, or tail! Brigden was enamored with her and followed her around everywhere!

#9 – Brigden loved having stairs to climb…And we sure had to keep our eyes on him!

#10 – We loved helping my dad with his chicken coop additions…and Casey LOVES pictures, as you can tell! Note the sarcasm… :)

#11 – Casey turned the big 2-4!
p.s. We put all of the little parts of his present in separate bags so he had to guess what his one big present was...so it looks like a lot, but it really is one present

#12 – Happy 2-year anniversary! We celebrated by going to the Mesa Temple to do sealings (that is where we were married) and then went to dinner and a movie! It seems like we have been married for so much longer, but I'm so glad that we have many more years to come and then eternity together! Man, oh man, do I love this guy! More to come on him later…

#13 – Birthday Celebration #2…Lucky Casey got to celebrate his birthday twice! Every little kid’s dream! It was fun to celebrate it again with his parents and sisters. The nephews were so excited to help him blow out the candles!

#14 – Happy New Year! We celebrated by going with Boyd and Jen to the New Year’s dance and then came home and played games! I don’t have pictures for our late-nights with games, but that was a highlight of our trip…it was SO much fun for some of us adults to stay up ‘til the wee hours of the morning playing games, especially Ticket to Ride…We love that one!

(Notice the same outfit as the anniversary pics…that’s the joy of visiting our two families at separate times when we go to AZ…I can wear everything twice because neither family has seen the outfit before...which means less packing! YES!)

#15 – Playing with Cousins…Brigden is so lucky to have 6 little boy cousins just a little bit older than him to play with. (I can see lots of mischief in years to come) He had so much fun watching them run around and play and they were so good and nice to him! I think that he had so much fun watching them go all over the place that he was inspired to start walking himself…(more on that in the next post!)

#16 – Visits with Nana…Casey’s grandma (“Nana”) is an amazing lady and we love to visit her as much as we can when we are in St. Johns. We love to sit and talk to her…Little B loved pushing around her walker

#17 – Fun Times with “Tortillas”…or Tias (Aunts in Spanish) They are SO good with Brigden…

#18 – Visit with “Grandma Helen”…When we first moved down to AZ, I was Brigden’s age. We lived in some apartments and this lady was our neighbor upstairs. She became like a grandma-figure in my life with my grandmas so far away in Utah. She is a hoot! I love visiting with her now. She always has funny things to say. This was Brigden’s first time meeting her…

#19 – Going to visit Grandpa at work…Brigden, or should I say “Baxter,” has a fan club at my dad’s work, so we couldn’t go down to AZ without going to visit! There was even a personalized sign waiting for him just like last time we went when he was just 6 weeks old! He is definitely a loved little boy…

#20 – Sharing a special day with a beautiful bride…My cousin Michelle married our good friend, Neal, the day before I left to come back to Utah. I love Michelle. She is beautiful inside and out. We have become a lot closer as we have gotten older and I love the talks that we have. I cannot explain how happy I am for Michelle and Neal. They make a great couple and will be SO happy together. They really are perfect for each other. I wish I had a picture of them together. It was wonderful to be able to be a part of their special day! And it was so great to be able to catch up with some awesome friends from growing up. I have the greatest friends! Thanks Kyle for making sure Brig was included in the picture, that was a fun surprise :)

Well, needless to say, this was really LONG (and it feels good to be done with it), but I am so grateful for the fun times we were able to have in Arizona. We are so blessed with great family and we miss them already!
Any who, now it’s time for bed!

Silly Sleeper...

I went in the other day after Brigden had fallen asleep for his nap to check on him and this is how he fell asleep...sitting up! He must have been really tired! Oh how we love this little boy...

Attention! Attention!

Now that I have your attention, I just want to let you all know that I am officially done with school! And not even just for the semester...I am done done - like will have my bachelor's degree done! If you can't tell, this is a very exciting day. I felt like this day was taking forever to come, but now it is here and I hardly know how to contain myself...Casey and Brigden will have a wife and mommy again! And I will be a college graduate!

I know that Brigden will miss hanging out in the library every once in a while...Doesn't he look thrilled to be there?

I turned in my last paper today (which, of course, I started last night...not procrastinating and actually doing it ahead of time would be way too easy) and I took my last final today as well. I wanted to shout for joy in the testing center as I filled in the last bubble on the scantron, I'm sure all of the people hard at work on their tests are grateful that I did not :)

Anyways, here is a picture of me on my last day of school. That sounds so weird to say because I have been going to school pretty much every day of my life, except for summer break, for the last 16 or so years...

When I came home from taking my last final today, the house was so clean (much better than how I had left it) and there were signs all over the kitchen (a tradition in my family), and there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers on the table. I love flowers. I have such a wonderful husband. He knows how important this accomplishment is to me...

The first REAL snow!

This is what Brigden and I woke up to this morning and I am surprised to say that it actually made me happy! Being from Arizona, I am not a big fan of living where it snows. I will admit that I thought last winter was miserable! When it snowed last winter for the first time, I was already dreading the coming months. But seeing the snow today was different. Brigden and I went outside and it was so peaceful. I think this winter may be different, I'm excited for the new change...Brigden sure thought it was neat, it was hard just getting him to look at the camera!

Feeling Grateful...

**This was my journal entry from last night after Brigden went to sleep...I thought I would share it because it tells a lot of how I am feeling right now...Casey comes home tonight...Yay! I am excited to hear about his experiences!**

Casey left Wednesday afternoon to go down to Mexico with a group to volunteer at an orphanage for a few days. I am so excited for the experiences that he has been able to have the last few days. I wish I could have gone with him! But I am also excited that he will be coming home tomorrow night. Brigden and I sure have missed him! As he has been gone, I have been able to reflect more on my gratitude for him and how much I love him. It has been tough not having him here for a shoulder to lean on when I am tired, a listening ear to listen to my ramblings, or helping hands to play with Brigden when I need a minute to myself. I love him more and more each day for all that he does and all that he is. He helps me to be a stronger person. He is such a great example to me of hard work and Christ-like service.

At the end of this month, we will have been married for 2 years and will have known each other for almost 3. I have learned so much about myself and life in these years with Casey that I know I would not have been able to learn any other way than with Casey at my side. He is my best friend and my confidante. I don't think a day goes by that I don't say to him, "You're the Best..." Usually he shrugs his shoulders or rolls his eyes like what he does isn't that much. But it is. He enables me to become my best self. "He gives me wings to fly." (Sister Hinckley)

This past semester has been really rough with both of us having atleast 15 credit hours, Casey working, and having the sweetest little baby boy to take care of. I would not have been able to do it on my own. But thankfully, I didn't have to - I have had Casey and my Savior to lean on. They both know how important finishing school is to me. They have worked with me to make it happen...I will be finished with my bachelor's degree in less than a week. And it has not happened based on my merits alone. This has been a family effort and accomplishment. WE have done it together - through ups and downs, tears and laughter, faith and hope.

I would feel ungrateful if I didn't also acknowledge our great family and friends who have helped us in this endeavor with watching Brigden, lending a listening ear, or simply brightening my day - I am so grateful for you - Mom & Dad, Margo, Holly, Amber B., Justina, Amber M. - you are the greatest! It is true that Heavenly Father usually meets our needs by means of another...

I love my life. We are living our fairy tale. But our fairy tale isn't made up of fancy castles, knights in shining armor, or princesses in fancy ball gowns. Our fairy tale is made up of a humble home where we learn and grow, a daddy who gets up early and stays up late working and studying to provide for a family that he loves so much, a mommy who is working hard to finish school and who sometimes doesn't get ready for the day until the day is almost over because she has been playing with and taking care of a little one all day, and a baby boy who needs so much love, care, and attention that it is sometimes overwhelming but who brings so much joy and love that his parents never knew was possible. Our fairy tale is written in the ink of selfless service, sacrifice, devotion, struggle, and love. We make it happen. It is not always easy, but that makes it all the sweeter.

BYU Football...Go Cougars!

One of our most favorite things to do while we have been here at BYU has been going to sporting events, especially BYU football! We have gotten the All-Sports Passes both years, so we have tried to go to as many games as possible to make it worth our money...We have had so much fun this year with the home football games and a few volleyball games. We are really looking forward to basketball, too! It has been fun to have Brigden with us at the games this year. It is so fun doing things together as a little family! We really have to make the most of the time that we have together, even as little as it may be sometimes with both Casey and I going to school full-time. Here are some pictures of our fun times at the football games...Go Cougars!

BYU vs. [I don't remember :0]

We got our tickets with our friends (and neighbors) John and Fernanda and her brother, Yuri. We have had so much fun with them at the games. They are great friends. And Brigden LOVES them!

BYU vs. Air Force
Casey's parents came up for the weekend and it was great to spend time with them. They are such a blessing to have in our lives. We love them!
The BIG Game----BYU vs. Utah

This game between rivals was so exciting! The 4th quarter ended with the score 20-20. During overtime, Utah got a field goal so it was 20-23. Then BYU got a touchdown for a final score of 27-23! It was so cool to see the fans rush the field-it was a sea of blue! What a great game to be at!

Oh The Places I GO...

Hi, my name is Brigden. I am almost 8 months old and I love that I can finally move around! I have been crawling for quite some time now and standing too! I am having so much fun...Mommy and Daddy love it too because it is fun for them to see all of the new things that I am learning to do. I'm already fast at getting around by crawling but just wait until I can walk! Mom and Dad will sure have to stay on their toes to keep track of me! They think that it is so fun to play with me and see all of the things that I am exploring, even though I disappear a lot. I love to crawl and stand and walk along furniture. Here are some of the places I love to play:
Well, that's all for now...Mommy says it's time for bed! But I'll be back!