College

I started back at school this semester. I am taking one class, that meets one evening a week. It is a Behavior Modification and Management class. So far, it has been really fun and I have learned a ton. There is so much information to learn and memorize, but I am glad I am doing it. I love being a mother, but it is not always the most mentally stimulating thing. It is nice to feel like I have to really work and think hard again. My brain was in desperate need of exercise. I guess I could take up hobbies that require a little more brain power, but who has the time for that. Anyway, I am extremely excited to be back at school and hopefully I will do great this semester.

Happy New Year

We hope everyone had a wonderful new year. We are looking forward to 2009. 2008 was filled with joy and many trials. We celebrated the birth of our beautiful baby Ben and rejoiced as Jeanne left for her mission. We were saddened by the illnesses of several family members, but are glad to know they are feeling better. Also, the greatest trial of our marriage so far, Brandon getting injured at work. He continues to improve and has been working full time for a while now and loves it. I am so grateful for my wonderful husband and how hard he has been working to get better. There have been many struggles and challenges, but we just continue pushing forward. We are blessed to know that our Savior Jesus Christ is there to help us and that a loving Heavenly Father understands our pain. We know that this next year will be much better.
We are continually surrounded by many loving family and friends.

We had a great new years eve. We again went over to Darrick and Betty's house. Betty made another feast. The kids played and had fun. We watched a couple movies and went home at about 11. I don't think Kaitlyn and Ben could have handled much more. They both crashed on the way home. The next morning we all slept in, and they later that day we went for a drive. We were looking for elk in Woodruff, Utah. Brandon has an elk tag and is getting anxious to fill it.

We hope everyone had a joyous holiday season, and wish everyone a very happy and prosperous new year. We love you.

Merry Christmas

We had a wonderful holiday season. We had a fun Christmas Eve party with Brandon's brother Darrick and his family. Betty sure knows how to make a feast. Kaitlyn also loved playing with Kim. She ate a ton of Hershey Kisses, too many, and woke up at 3 am on Christmas throwing up chocolate everywhere. It was very gross. After cleaning up, Kaitlyn got to cuddle with Mom and Dad. Ben woke up around 6 am for his first breakfast, then fell asleep in bed with Mom and Dad too. By about 8, Brandon and I were ready to wake up. Two kids taking up the entire bed is not fun. We had fun opening presents. Kaitlyn loved ripping the paper off any present she could find. Ben just wanted to eat the paper, so of course Kaitlyn and Dad had to help him open his presents. It was a great morning.

Later. we went to my Grandpa Joe and Grandma Norma's house. These are my dad's parents. We had a good visit and got to see more relatives. I love my grandparents so much and they are always so kind and generous.

Then, we went over to my parents house. I got to talk to my younger sister Jeanne, who is currently serving a mission in Texas. She is an amazing person and such an inspiration to me. We played games on the Wii, and I did pretty good bowling. We opened more presents and had more fun. We also had a great dinner. My mom and sister Jessi made a very delicious duck.

We decided to leave when it started snowing. It was an adventure getting home. The snow was coming down like crazy. The roads were icy and snow covered. My little car did not want to climb any hills, and you have to climb at least two to get to our house. After a long two hour ride, we made it home safely. It was a wonderful Christmas. I love being able to spend the day with family. It reminds me of the real reason for the season.