{Thanksgiving}

My mom and dad and sister came to our house for thanksgiving this year! This is the first time we have had it here! We had tons of fun! They played with the boys all day, especially papa. He was outside ALL day long with the boys...shooting hoops, riding bikes, and wrestling and playing tag and going on walks. They had lots of fun. We are so glad they came here to spend thanksgiving with us. The weather was PERFECT! Here are some pictures from their time here.

This is the first time i have ever made a latisse cherry pie. The crust was AWESOME and it turned out delicious! We had it all eaten up by the time thanksgiving night was over.
Here is my dad making his special waldorf apple salad.

Here is my mom picking at the stuffing! By the way, this is the BEST stuffing. I love it! All these recipes are one's we have been making since day one of my life! It's tradition and they are all so tasty!

The boys hanging out with papa in our new papasan chair. My dad bought this for us while they were here. The cushion is made of velvet/suede...something like that. And man oh man is it COMFY!

Here i am trying to get a picture of Jaydon, but he doesn't like pausing for pictures, as you can see from this one. :)

Tanner shooting hoops on his own basketball hoop.
Jaydon loves basketball...he calls it "ballball". This is the position he gets in right before shooting it!

Here he is trying to shoot TWO ball in at one time. The big ball AND the little ball.

Gavin playing hoops with papa.

Here is jaydon again trying to shoot the ball in the hoop.

This year for Thanksgiving Holly and I decided we wanted to BRINE the turkey. We have never done it before and we are soooooo glad we did. It was the best tasting turkey any of us have ever eaten! And it smelled sooooooo good while cooking! We also had our famous stuffing. It is so delish and it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it. We made our TO DIE FOR rolls, a recipe i got from my sister -in-law. It is now a staple in this house for each thanksgiving. And we made our DELISH pumpkin pies. It is a recipe we got from a friend and it's the best pumpkin pie i have ever eaten! And of course, what would thanksgiving be without our wassail?!?! I have to have wassail. I always make it. Of course we had other yummy things too, but those are the one's that i have to have each year. Also, i am not a gravy person. I don't really like gravy. I mean, it tastes okay, but i can live without it and always have. BUT we had it this year and it was TO DIE FOR. We used the juices and broth from the bottom of the turkey pan after it was done cooking. Ooooohhhhh man! It had all the flavors from when we brined the turkey in the garlic, thyme, sage, and rosemary and kosher salt. It was the BEST gravy i have ever had and i could definitely eat that over and over again! :)

My parents brought both of their dogs...Olivia and Madison. They got a run for their money this time around. The boys are getting rougher as they get older...well, at least tanner is. Gavin not so much. And Jaydon did pretty good, as good as a 18 month old can do. The dogs had fun though and we all loved having them here with us!

We went out on Friday night, the day after thanksgiving, too look at all the christmas lights in the neighborhoods. We came upon an area here in wichita falls with Extraordinarily AMAZING homes. I don't know what these people do for a living, but holy cow, they bring in the money. The homes were gorgeous, beautiful, and amazing. We saw a lot that looked like country french, some that were brand new and others that were a style you would see in south carolina. And some of them lit up their houses so beautifully, it was a wonder to see. A few times we felt like we were in disney world. We drove around looking at all these lights and we had christmas music playing. It was such a fun memory to create. We used to do that when i was younger when we were at my grandma and grandpa seifert's house for christmas or when they came to ours...BUT we drove around looking at all the christmas lights in my grandpa's motorhome with christmas music playing! We all just laughed, talked, sang, and enjoyed each other while we looked at all the lights. Man it was fun and such a good memory. When my grandpas wasn't there we still did it together as a family. So, i am glad to start that tradition with my boys. We put up our christmas tree and lights on thanksgiving night. It was fun. My family stayed for a whole week and we were sad to see them go. Jaydon woke up the next morning saying "where did they go" and poor little tanner cried, "but i like zsa zsa and papa". It was sad.

Thanks for everything mom and dad! We had fun and we love you! You too holly! :) And we hope you come here again in march!!! :) The boys are counting on it!

{Up and Running}

Check out the food blog my sister and I put together! It will have our favorite recipes, new recipes we recently tried that are worthy to eat again, tips, etc.
Check us out here: Savor the Flavor

{Too much Fun}

Seriously, this kid is too much fun. He is extremely expressive. He is very very loud. He has a thing for balls. He just loves balls and loves playing basketball with us. He will not play with the soft little basketball for his little hoop. He HAS TO HAVE the big basketball and tries to throw it in the big hoop. He loves throwing balls. And he also likes walking around holding a spork in his hand. As you can see, it is in his hand in this picture. Also, i now know what it would be like to hate photography. I took about 100 pictures and this is the only decent one i got of him looking AT ME. I couldn't get him to look at ME for ANYTHING! It drove me nuts! He says "Ball", and he has been saying the word MORE, but he says it so funny and i LOVE when he says it. He says it "mow", but the O sound is really deep and drags out and he puckers his lips when he does it. hahaha! He also says "where did it go?" He learned that b/c everday we have to find where he put his sippy cup and i always say "where did it go?" Of course, it sounds slurrish, but i can tell that's what he is saying. It 's too cute. And he is always calling out "MOM!" He also likes to say "uh oh" and "ouch!" He always says "nana" for banana and he says "ttss" for PLEASE. He always has a surprise waiting for me EVERY SINGLE morning...a stinky room filled with his odor from his poopy diaper. Yeah. Every morning. It's so sick. B/c as soon as i open his door the stink floods out into the hallway and fills that entire section of the house. He thinks it's funny. I don't. And he absolutely LOVES shoes. He wants me to put shoes on him all the time. He gets so excited about it. He folds his arms during our prayers and its just so sweet. We love Jaydon. He makes our house that much more exciting! :)

{7 YEARS}...a mooshy long post ahead

Today Shane and I have been married for SEVEN years! I feel like i have known him my whole life, so seven years doesn't seem long at all. As much as we have experienced, things we've been through, our travels, our kids...all of it....how could we have possibly done everything we have done in only 7 years!? It's crazy!

I am going to tell you the story about how we met. First, i had a missionary i was waiting for. When he got home i was available. I was living in Minnesota attending the community college with my sister. He got home and he came to my home a couple times and i went to his. We went down to Florida together to visit our best friends from before he left for his mission. He came home from his mission in November of 2002, i believe. We dated, traveled house to house, and talked on the phone for nearly 9 months. I was convinced i was going to marry him b/c i felt the spirit tell me so. BECAUSE i knew i was going to marry him, i needed to be at the school he was going to attend. He was going to go back to BYU-I where we first met before his mission. So, i applied to go there, and surprisingly i got in! I was surprised I got in b/c i had attended before and didn't do too well. :) So, i went out to BYU-I in June and he was coming out in August. So, i went out 2 months before he did.


Let me tell you this....my Patriarchal blessing always said that "the Lord would LEAD me" to my husband. That always was in the back of my mind. I was waiting to see where the "lead" came into play in our story. So, i got out to BYU-I all excited. I wasn't going to date b/c i wasn't looking for anything or anyone b/c my missionary was the one. I was having fun. THEN i met shane at a basketball game. Before i knew it we had spent every single night out of an entire week together. When i realized that, i stepped back away from that growing relationship. I needed to think and i didn't call shane for two days. He calls it "the two days of heck"....hahha...seriously. He still gives me a hard time b/c i wouldn't return his phone calls for two days. haha! I love it. Anyway, i ended up telling him that i had my return missionary coming out here soon. And i told him i didn't want to just be exclusive with him, that i wanted to date all kinds of people. Well, that didn't happen. I mean, i did date quite a few BEFORE i met him, but i wasn't looking for anything. But after i told him i didn't want to just date him i ate my own words b/c he started to consume all my thoughts and all my time. I told my missionary that i was dating this guy named shane. He needed to know.


So, i met shane for the first time in July but we didn't go on our first date until the beginning of August. My missionary got to BYU-I a couple of weeks after i met shane. My missionary got there, he knocked on my door, i opened the door...the spirit told me he wasn't the one. Any and ALL of those strong feelings i had for him were gone. I didn't feel it anymore. I then realized something....my patriarchal blessing came into play....the Lord had led me to my husband. I wouldn't have gone out to BYU-I, and wouldn't have met shane if i didn't feel that i was going to marry my missionary, if i didn't feel the spirit tell me so. The Lord works in mysterious ways! :) AND the reason i met him at a basketball game was b/c my roommate was coaching a girls basketball team. I went to watch her coach her team to support her. I went by myself. Shane went to watch a girl play basketball on the opposing team of my roomies team. He saw me by myself and at half time when i was still alone he decided to talk to me. When i told him i had just arrived there he was bummed a little b/c he thought i was a youngin, like 17 or 18. He was hoping i wasn't young. Sooooo when i told him i was 22 years old he was soooo excited. :)

We went on our first date in August and were sealed for time and all eternity November 15th! I think we were the quickest i have ever seen or known! :) When i think about how FAST we got married i am still in shock. That was too quick! Holy cow! AND i always told myself i would know a guy for all 4 seasons before i would marry him. Ate my words there too. :)

Now, let me tell you...Shane is not someone i would have ever imagined i would marry. I imagined marrying someone gentle, calm, not a type A personality, someone chill...I just figured i would marry someone who was very chill like me and my dad. Goes with the flow, kind of guy. That's not shane, BUT man i am glad he is the way he is. He is what i need in every way. His personality keeps me going. He motivates me, he pushes me to be better, he keeps my life exciting and fun, he keeps our relationship fresh and new. The Lord led me to a man that HE knew i needed that i didn't know i needed. One thing i am sooooooo grateful for is this....he likes to keep our relationship fun and exciting just like we are still honeymooners. I love that! AND i need someone like that. Without the explanation of why i need that, just know that i do need that. I love it and i love him for making that such a high priority b/c it makes me feel like he cares so much about me and our relationship. He is one of the most loyal people i know. I compliment him in so many ways and he compliments me in so many ways. One thing we both are is stubborn. So sometimes we can butt heads ... through that we have had to learn how to put our stubborness aside and work with each other. We have had so many growing experiences together and i am so grateful i have a man who isn't a quitter. He will do ANYTHING to make sure things work the way they are supposed to. We both have a dedication towards each other, that even through extremely difficult trials/circumstances, etc. we know how to pull together to make it work. We won't accept faliure or defeat. We had some difficult times in the beginning of our marriage....we got pregnant with our first just a few months after we got married, so we were still trying to get to know each other. We had to grow up fast. We had to learn to work together quick. We have lived away from family for 5 years of our married life. That is a huge growing experience b/c you really have to rely and depend on each other. Each other is all you have. Anyway, we have been through so much and i couldn't have picked anyone better to be my husband than shane. We are perfect for each other. I can't wait to see what the rest of our lives bring us. I can't wait to see how much more we can grow together and learn together.

He is so thoughtful. He does things for me that he knows matter to me. You have to learn the language of love...your partner's language of love. He learned mine and he does things for me that he knows I will love. For our anniversary he woke me up at 5:30 a.m.....that's what's so exciting about him....he woke me up that early b/c he was so excited to give me my gift! He couldn't take it any longer! He picked me up out of bed, brought me out to the front room and laid me on the couch. The tv was on with some beautiful music playing, but i couldnt' see it. He went in and got my glasses. I put my glasses on and i instantly could tell that he made a DVD for me....full of memories with music playing. Not only that but he had breakfast for the both of us sitting on the coffee table so we could eat while we watched the DVD. He played it and it was a 35 minute video of pictures from our life the moment we met up until now. He picked good music, he picked great photos, and he had some things written in there that were so sweet. I cried and laughed through the whole thing. He had been working on that for me for months. I had no idea. That's what i mean. He is so thoughtful and he loves to surprise me. I love him so much for that. He is one of a kind. And the most wonderful gift he gives me always is this....I KNOW without a doubt that he would do anything for me. He would do anything for me. And i know he loves me more than i have ever seen a man love a woman. I know it and I love it and i am so grateful for that. I don't like to brag. But i am bragging on my husband this one time. He is the best.

Shane is very in tune to my needs and i love him for that. I really feel so lucky and blessed to have him. I could go on and on about things that i love about him, but it would be too long. All i know is that i wish everyone could know the Shane I know. :) This place would be a little better b/c of it. Yes, he can be a stinker sometimes...really stubborn, insensitive, too sarcastic, too much of a tease. What guy doesn't have flaws, seriously. But those things are so little and minuscule compared to what really lies in his heart and the person he is. When married couples can learn to look past the little petty things and focus on the good in each other they will find it. You will find the good. You will be able to forget and put aside the silly petty stuff that really doesn't matter. When you make the decision to help your partner and ask yourself each day what you can do to help your partner have a better day, and DO IT, you will learn to love more and be happy more. This is a huge reason why we make it work. Shane is a huge reason why we work. He is perfect for ME...nobody else but me. :) I love you hun! Happy 7th Anniversary!

Here are a lot of pictures from our 7 years. These first five pictures are from before we got married. I have so many others i could add, but i only had time for these! Also, the song i have playing is "our" song. YOU RAISE ME UP, by josh groban. We have two songs, but this is my favorite out of the two.

{Fellow Military friends...take a look}

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Restaurants
Arby's, A&W, Back Yard Burgers, Burger King, Captain D's, Chick-Fil-A, Cotton Patch, Denny's, Dunkin' Donuts, Farmers Boy, IHOP (20 percent discount with military identification),Java Café, KFC, Long John Silver, Pancho's Mexican Buffet, Pizza Hut, Quizno's, Sizzler, Sonic, Taco Bell, Whataburger

Services
AT&T California Cryobank Geico Jiffy Lube Meineke Sears Portrait Studio
Travel and Leisure Blockbuster Movie theaters Ripley's attractions and museums Professional Sports teams

Products
Apple Computers AutoZone Barnhill's Bass Pro Shop, Bath and Body Works, Big 10 Tires, The Buckle, Champs Sports, Copeland's Sports, Dell, The Discovery Channel Store, Dress Barn, The Finish Line, Foot Action, Footlocker, Gadzooks, GNC, Goody's Great Party, Happy Harry's, Home Depot, Hot Topic, Jockey, Lerner, Lowes, Michael's, NAPA Auto Parts, New York & Company,Pac Sun, Payless Shoes, Play It Again Sports, Pure Beauty, Sally Beauty Supply, Spencer's Gifts, Suncoast, Timberlan Outlets, Wilson's Leather

Cell Phone Service Discount – All Federal employees are able to get a 15% discount on their personal cell phones by calling their carrier and mentioning the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 - Discount to Federal Employees Past and Present. You will need to know the Military Members supervisors name, phone number, and full address, so that his or her military status can be verified. Use the following contact numbers:Cingular - 800-319-6393Sprint - 877-812-1223T-Mobile - 866-646-4688Nextel - 800-639-6111Verizon - 800-865-1825Note: Lowes and Home Depot offer military discounts all year long.You must present your ID Card to qualify

{Our Day Today}

Today Tanner and I and Jaydon went for a bike ride. I strapped Jaydon in his seat on the back of my bike. Tanner road his big wheels bike. We went there to feed the ducks, but unfortunately they were not interested in seeing what we had. We could see them about 50 yards away, but they didn't come. So, we watched the Crane try to catch some fish. While we sat there by the water we all ate some Starburst candy. They loved it. In this picture tanner is eating and not paying attention to anything but his candy....

Ohhhh...Tanner found these vampire teeth that were daddy's for halloween. He has been wearing them EVERYWHERE. He was riding his bike with them on...he has been wearing them ALL day, BUT i refused to let him wear them in the store.

Daddy bought a Basketball hoop. Gavin is in basketball right now and he was able to escape work early(that's a first) to watch Gavin practice. He got so excited about him playing ball that right after practice we went to the sports store and bought a basketball hoop and a basketball. We spent 4-5 hours getting that darn thing all assembled. BUT we were ALL up bright and early at 7 a.m. playing ball. I know, we are nuts.

While we were out there i thought i would take a few pictures of the sunrise b/c the color is so beautiful here when the sunsets and rises. It's a golden, firey, orange color. It's like no other color i have seen AND these pictures don't show the color like we get to see it. AND i was able to get a sunflare in my photo. I have never tried and i did it. I was excited about that! :)

Today was a fun day. Jaydon and Tanner, both, had a good nap. I was outside with Tanner for an hour playing basketball with him. I was teaching him how to throw and dribble and catch the ball. He is catching on! :)

ON TOP OF THAT....i FINALLY found my motivation again to get back into working out. So far this week i have done my spinning and i have done INSANITY. Some of the things on Insanity are a bit uncomfortable for my ankle still, but i take it easy and do what i can. For those of you who don't know. I seriously lost my motivation or any energy at all that i had for working out. I tried. I tried making a schedule thinking that would help. It didn't. I haven't worked out consistently since over the summer and as of recently it was really starting to get to me. Working out relieves my stress and helps me feel good. Lately i have been breaking down, feeling upset, wondering why i couldn't, for the life of me, find the energy to workout. I HAVE NEVER had such a hard time trying to make myself workout. Ever since we moved here it's been HARD. Anyway, that plus other things were adding up. I had my husband give me a blessing on Sunday night. I LOVE receiving blessings from him b/c they speak to me in everyway. When he speaks with the Spirit it's so lovely. :) I could listen all day long and never tire of it. I am so grateful for him. Monday morning i woke up and actually felt like i could find the energy to get on the bike and workout. WOAH. I was shocked. So, i worked out...boy did i. I had lots of stress to release and i took out my stress on that bike! I have been great since then. I can't tell you how grateful i am for the Priesthood. It's such a blessing. Not all blessings i receive work quickly, but this one did. Just like prayers...not all come right away, while others do. It's wonderful. I think the Lord knew i needed his strength and this time it couldn't wait. He won't give you more than you can handle AND he knew i couldn't handle much more. :) (which is weird b/c i feel like i have been through a lot harder trials than this one)