So many Santa's so little time....

A whole new level of hardcore...

There's this movie that just came out. I don't know if you've heard of it. It's called New Moon? Hhhmm. I don't think it's very popular. Oh well, I decided to go ALL OUT for it anyway!!! Talk about being crazy. My husband thinks I am. I'm ok with that! So first, before I say anything else, I need to give my sweet, talented friend Brooke a huge SHOUT OUT! This girl is A-MA-ZING! She helped me with about 75% of this "project" and didn't get any of the credit so with that said... THANK YOU Brooke! You're the bomb!!!

Ok, so back to New Moon.... I hosted bunko this month and thought it would only be appropriate to have a party centered around the movie premier. We had a blast. (Well, I did at least!) I did a La Push type setting with "real" drift wood that Brooke and I went and loaded by ourselves from the river. We had a fog machine and a sa-weet moon with a wolf in the back ground. I hung up blue vinyl to give it an ocean-y feel and then to top it off , the New Moon soundtrack was playing in the background. Home-made pizza was served with a tossed salad and Bri made some awesome wolf cupcakes! I also made "puppy-chow" since Jacob is sometimes considered a "dog"! The top two winners won Twilight themed necklaces from Nordstrom's and the third place was the New Moon board game. Everyone left with the new Twilight scented lotion from Bath and Body that was decorated with a Moon. We also had Jacob covered water bottles and IBC root beer!

After we played our bunko game, we headed over to the theater to catch the midnight showing. We were there for about 2 1/2 hours before it started but had a great time talking and laughing before hand!
All in all, it was a great night! I'm just so glad it's over! ;) Thanks again to everyone who helped... especially Suz, Brooke and Ben! You guys rock!! Oh and hello. My sister Lou came all the way down from Salt Lake to see the movie with me and the bunko gals! Thanks Lauren!! It was so fun having you here!

P.S. I seriously loved the movie. I have always, for the most part been Team Jacob but now I know I made the right choice! ;) But seriously, I cannot wait to see it again!

It was dang good! Fantastic! Um, Edward who?

Now, just how many more days until Eclipse exactly???

To see some more pictures of this awesome night, click here http://allthingsthrifty.com/!

Who doesn't love free stuff??

All right girlies, if you haven't checked out this site yet you need to head over there pronto! The girls at All Things Thrifty are having an awesome give away and you need to check it out. There are some fabulous Christmas decorations, pillows, and home decor. Hurry over and get entered to win!

However, I call dibs on the turquoise mirror! :)

K, go here!

>

This was the first Halloween where everything

actually went pretty smoothly!

We started the festivities off on Thursday

with Benson's school party!

I was able to be a room-mom and help out!

We played Halloween games, made "mud pies" with worms!

They also got to do some trick or treating and then

sang us some sweet Halloween songs!

Friday, we went to the Ulrich's annual Pumpkin Carving Party!

(I totally forgot my camera for both of these events)

Ben carved a sweet pirate pumpkin and the Transformer sign.

They had tons of {DELICIOUS} food

and as always it was a great time!

Saturday, we were really lazy and didn't do a whole lot.

I made pumpkin spice scones and

then we had "Dinner in a Pumpkin" with our neighbors the {P's}!

We headed out early and the kids had a blast trick or treating!

Benson was a pirate and Hiley was a witch!

They both looked totally cute!

I need to give my mom a HUGE shout out for

making Benson's awesome costume

and Hiley's cute cape!

Thanks mom! One day, I will learn how to sew!

Hope everyone else had a safe and Happy Halloween! :)

Ugg...

Oh, how I love you boots.

Maybe one day we will meet but until then, know that I am thinking of you!

Saturday,

Maren, Mel and I went to lunch at Maggiono's and then did some

window shopping at Fashion Show Mall.

Melanie is a manager at Nordstrom's

so we went and checked out the New Moon Line

that B.P. is going to be selling!

I was in {L.O.V.E.} with the life-size Jacob cut out! So hot!!! ;)

Ben decided to join in on the L.V. fun so we picked him up

and went to Town Square where we hit up H&M!

Later that night we went to the UNLV/Utah game!

That was so fun! Ben was in heaven

especially since we got to tail-gate before hand!

We got to meet up with Spencer and Heidi too!

("Speidi"- everyone loved that!!)

Afterwards, we had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory

and then headed over to the Drop Bar at GVR.

Good times!

Vegas Baybeee

So this past weekend I got to go to Vegas!

It was so fun!

You know those friends, that even though you literally haven't

seen each other for years but when you do see them,

its like you're [RIGHT] back to where you left off?

(Does that make any sense?)

Well, that's these girls!

I have been friends with Maren since about the 4th grade.

(Mel and I since the 8th grade.)

They have {A LOT} of dirt on me! ;-)

We grew up in Las Vegas together and have managed to stay

pretty close throughout all this time.

Anyway, this was Friday night. First, we went to dinner at

Dos Caminos where our good friend (and server) Rachel

got us some fabulous hook-ups

and treated us like celebs! So fun and seriously so DELICIOUS!!

Next, we headed over to TAO which is a club in

The Venetian and also got VIP treatment!

(In Vegas, it's ALL about who you know!)

Kim Kardashian was there celebrating her birthday so that was fun,

you know hanging with the famous and all!

We were outta there {pretty} quick though.

Way too many people and I was pretty sure I was going to

end up with the Swine Flu! Haha!

(Seriously though, if you want to really feel your age, just head on over to one of those places.)

Friends

I L.O.V.E bunko!

I know that I have said this before but... it's TRUE!

Once a month I get to have a girls night out. Just the girls.

We eat, laugh, talk, catch up. Swear! ;)
If there is one thing I'm sure of, its that I could not exist without

really GREAT girlfriends!

(This picture is for you Adri... you can sorta get the idea of me with long hair! :))

Happy Birthday Benson!

(I totally suck. I know but I still need to post this right? :-/)

Benson Boy turned four last Saturday, the 19th and I cannot believe it. It seriously seems like yesterday we were driving to the hospital in Cedar City to be induced. Ah, 23 hours later he made his sweet arrival to start our little family. He is such a good boy. He loves to be with his friends especially Lucas! He's a great helper and loves, loves his sister Hiley.

He had a great birthday. We decided to keep it low key and celebrate at Pirate Island Pizza with our awesome neighbors {The P's}. Thanks so much for coming you guys! :) "Brown Grandma" was also sweet enough to come and celebrate with us! Then on Sunday, we met my parents in Fillmore where we had a fun picnic and opened more presents. I think he had a great day and got totally spoiled with all his TRANSFORMERS!! AAHH. The kid is obsessed!!!

Anyway, we LOVE you Benson and are so glad you are in our family! :)

Pre-school

(His facial expression cracks me up!)

I'm a little behind in posting this but Benson started pre-school last week. He missed his first official day the week before due to a random fever but was finally feeling good enough to go this last Tuesday! Well, he was pretty excited until he found out I was "dropping him off". He was so not having that. Miss Katy literally had to pry his little fingers off my arm. I'm usually pretty tough. Not today. When I got in the car I called my mom and we both sat there and cried for a minute. It was REALLY hard to leave him. I don't know what the rules are or even what to expect with this whole school thing. However, when I picked him up, she said he did awesome and only cried for about 30 seconds. Yah!!! Thursday was so much better and when we got there he said, "See ya mom, thanks for dropping me off!"

A different little girl...

So about a week ago, I decided to cut Hiley's hair. It was getting so long and was always such a mess. My cute friend Paige came over and helped us out by cutting it into a cute "bob"! It looks so cute on her! I love it. It seriously makes her look like a different kid, like an actual little girl... No more baby! Anyway, it's darling and she loves it!

The many faces of...

ME!!

Party Time

So on Saturday, we attempted to throw my mom a surprise birthday party. We actually did pretty good considering we were still trying to figure things out until about an hour before the party actually started! :) Anyway, we had a good time and a good turn out. The best part of the party was when we gave my mom her BIG present which is.... A CRUISE! Yahoo! We, as in us 4 girls, are going on a Mexican Rivieria Cruise in March! I cannot wait! :)

Again, Happy Birthday, mom!

Hope you had a good time and were a little bit surprised!!

50 years ago...

August 26, 1959

I cannot believe my mom is 50 today! Holy cow! What an amazing woman she is though! I've never met anyone quite like her. MY mom is hilarious, generous, smart, truthful, strong, devoted, dependable, beautiful, emotional. She would do anything for anyone. I'm lucky to be able to call her my best friend. Looking back, I cannot think of a time when she wasn't there for me, she always had my back. Always.

MY mom never compared the 4 of us. We're lucky that way.

She is the sweetest, best grandma a child could seriously ever hope for. I wish people could see how much my kids LOVE you! They too are so lucky!

Happy Birthday day, mom! I love you so much and I hope that you have an amazing day because you truly deserve it.

Here's to another 50 years!

This and That

Well, summer is just about over. Kids are back in school.

Ben is already substitute teaching . The nights are cooler. NFL pre-season games are on.

(I must admit, I am a little excited for football season!)

Benson will start pre-school in September. I love this time of year. I also L.O.V.E school supplies! I so miss that part about school. I could seriously browse the stationary aisle forever.

Anyway, here's what we've been up to:

Benson and Hiley pretending to be cowboys with some cute hats and lacross sticks. Girls night out in Salt Lake with Lauren, Sam and Paige.

Mom and Lou coming to visit! While they were here we did some SERIOUS coupon shopping. We spent $94.00 but saved $300. Crazy but so much fun!!! I also got extensions which have been interesting... I'm still getting used to them. Its weird to see myself with long hair. I'll try and get some pictures posted. Anyway, things are going pretty good. :)

6 years ago today...

(Sorry this picture is so cheesy. My actual wedding pictures were too big to download!)

I married my guardian angel. No seriously, I'm pretty sure that Ben saved me from a long road of heartache and bad decisions. Most of you reading this know our story. It's actually a pretty good one if I may say so! :) Anyway, I've known Ben for 10+ years and have had the privilege of being married to him for 6 of those. We've had a lot of fun together. He can truly make me laugh like no one else. Don't get me wrong, it hasn't always been easy or perfect, but we make it work. With him by my side, I can pretty much get through anything. He's the logical one in our relationship. He's also the quiet easy-going one. We pretty much balance each other out. We now have two beautiful kids and I can't wait to have a couple more! :) Babe, you truly complete me. I love you so much more than I did on that day 6 years ago. You're the glue that holds our little family together and I can't wait to spend eternity with you. Thanks for all you do for us and most importantly, thanks for loving me back because to me, that's all that matters!

*Our 4th*

Our fourth was pretty hilarious this year.

We ALL slept in. Not one of us wanted to get up for the morning festivities.

My sister Lauren was in town with her b.f. Palmer so that was fun. They went swimming during the day while I worked at Chili's.

That night we went and got some last minute fireworks because I'm such a procrastinator! We then went and got Cafe Rio for dinner and took it over to the Dixie College to eat while we watched the fireworks.

Well, Hiley started crying before they even started. Seriously crying... She was finally ok to be in the car. Then in front of where we were sitting was this tree that we thought wouldn't get in the way... wrong! The fireworks were NOT very high and so we could hardly see them. Anyway, it was pretty funny. That night at midnight, my sis and I with my neighbor Suzanne went and saw My Sister's Keeper. Um, pack some tissues if you venture out to see that one! :) Hope you all had a safe and fun holiday!

Playing catch...up!

So much to catch up on.... Well for starters we've had a really great summer! Kinda low key but that's how we like it! We went to Island Park about two weeks ago with Ben's family. As always, we had a really fun time! We rode four-wheelers, had camp fires, and rolled around in the dirt. :) We went to Big Springs and fed the fish, took a drive into West Yellowstone and had lunch and finally pulled Ben's new .22 out and broke it in a little bit! Benson loved going on "treasure hunts" with his grandpa to find Geo cash's ???? He also loved playing with his cousins Staley and Jack! As always, that's the best part... being able to spend some time with family that we don't get to see very often! Anyway, we had a great time. Thanks to Wade and Leslie who always put so much time, money and effort into making sure we have a good time! We love you guys!

P.S. We sure missed Spence and Heidi this year! Hope you had a great time in Hawaii :)

Lou DID IT!!!

So our {LiTtLe} Lauren Ranae did it!! She finally graduated high school! AH!! She has come such a long way and I {cOuLd nOt} be more proud of her! Lou graduated from Murray High School on June 5th, 2009. It was a really good day! We had lots of family in town and my {amazing} mom made some seriously delicious food! All in all, it was a great day and way to celebrate.

Here are just a few reasons why I absolutely {LOVE} this girl:

*She can make me... well anyone, laugh SO hard

*She's 100% genuine
*She would do anything for {aNyOne}

*She has proved A LOT of people wrong

*She is drop-dead gorgeous

*She loves Benson and Hiley so much
*She is the {BeSt} Aunt

*She is the {bEsT} sister

*She can text like no one I have EVER seen! :)
*She works SO hard to get the things in life that she truly wants

*If only you could see this girl {DANCE}

Lou, I love you and I look up to you more than you will ever know! You have accomplished so much and I hope that you continue to make goals and keep on the path you're on!

I Love you, Annie ;)

Grandma and Grandpa Swensen and Kirkus
Friends since elementary school: Kelsey and Lauren

The Siblings: Me, Carter, Lauren and Lindsey

Me, Lauren and Ben

One of Lauren's BFF's: Alexis

*The Whole Gang*

LOL. Man, I am cute!

Proud parents with their Little Lou

Grandma and Grandpa Bradshaw

{FAR OUT} 80's PaRtY!!

We had such a blast at this {TOTALLY AWESOME} 80's Party!!

Our good friend Brooke threw it for her husband's 30th Birthday!

We played some [RAD] games and had some [SWEET] food!

Seriously though, the best part was trying to find our outfits!

The D.I. truly has some gems!!!

Ben went as {Miami Vice}!!

I think I was a mix of Madonna circa [Like a Virgin] and whatever else she had going on at that time!

Ben and I actually won {best dressed couple}

and I won {Best over-all outfit}!!!

Anyway, we had a great time! Thanks you guys for such a fun party!! :)

rAndOm.

So here's what we've been up to...

We are lovin' summer here in St. George. The weather could not be better right now! We've been spending a lot of time at our neighborhood pool and it's been great! Oh and the kids love it too! ;) Ben just finished up his last day of subbing and is currently looking for a job. Lame! Hiley is a MoNsTer with a capital M!!!! We recently decided to put a lock on our fridge because it is so not worth the fight. (we've had a lock on our pantry since she could walk!) Anyway, she really is ALWAYS eating!!! Oh, so the reason behind locking the fridge, she opened three things of yogurt last week at 5 a.m. and ate only one of them.... with a fork!!! AH!! Benson is getting so big and is always making us laugh! He is obsessed with Cars and loves Frank so we went and got him one the other day because he was so good while getting his pictures taken. ;) My most favorite thing though is how MUCH he loves Hiley. They are the best of friends and I seriously L-O-V-E it.

I have picked up two new hobbies!!! The first one has actually been a lot of fun. I started making watches with the sole intent to make them for myself and it has sorta just escalated. I've probably made around 50 of these babies since I started. It's been fun though!!! The second one is COUPONING! Who would of thought??? It's been a challenge for me to get this down because it does take a little time but it is SO worth! Big shout out to Brooke who has held my hand through this learning process. The thing is, is there are a bunch of methods and ways to do it, so you just have to find one that works for you. It is seriously awesome though! Oh, and I also won the BIG prize at Bunko... for the third time in a row!! Gotta' love it! :)

Peace...
Below are pictures that document our happenings!!

If you look closely, you can see Hiley in the background getting into my Bunko treats. Weird...

Ok so I know I am a TOTAL nerd for taking this picture but this was my first SOLO shopping trip and I was really proud of what I came away with. So here are the results:

(Pictured here is my Wal-mart shopping only but I also went to Albertson's that night...)

So.....

I spent a total of $128.94 but I SAVED a total of $137.77!!!! Holy crap that's awesome!

Look @ these...

Happy #2, Hiley! We love you!

This last one is my {favorite}!!!

Thank you Brooke for taking such darling pictures of Hiley!

You did an awesome job!!

Here is Brooke's link if any of you are interested in having an amazing photo session:

http://www.snatchandsnapphotography.blogspot.com/

{BRING IT ON}

Miss Hiley Jo turns {2} today!!! AH! Although, the "terribles" have long ago started, I can't believe my {LiTtLe GiRl} is already 2! As a matter of fact, at this very time, two years ago Miss-miss was beginning her arrival! :) What would we do without this little...

{sassy, feisty, funny, charming, little PrIncEsS?}

She seriously makes us [laugh] so hard!

Anyway, we {LoVe} this little girl so much and are so glad that she came into our lives two short years ago!!

**HaPpY BIrtHday, HiLeY! We LOVE you!!! **