Joy School and an Old Navy Sale

My little girl is growing up, and here's proof! She started Joy School last week! Five ladies in my ward and I all take turns teaching different letters, numbers, shapes, colors, and holiday and have all of the kids at our house two times a week for a couple of hours. Emma was so excited to finally be going to school! When Dave went to school, she'd always grab a backpack, put it on and tell me that she was going to school too. The first day was an "All About Me" day, so everyone was supposed to bring stuff about them. Emma's basket had a picture of our family, a stuffed kitty, dress-up stuff, a song book, and one of her favorite books. Here she is on her first day...

Emma and 3 of her 5 preschool buds (plus little brother, Hyrum). Wesley, Emma, Elisha.

The kids also did a little talent show during preschool. Here they are all (+ Ethan) dressed up for the occasion.

So far, Emma's been loving it, and it's been nice to have a few hours to catch up on things, and spend one-on-one time with Cal. He's getting to be lots of fun! He always smiles, and loves to point to things with his index finger now.

Cal mostly makes noises like a monkey, but has said a few words. So far, he's said: "Mama", "Dada", "Emma", and the other day, when he saw Grandma's kitty coming, he said "Kitty". So he has said something besides people's names now.
And now...a sale! Anyone who knows me knows I'm a cheapo and hate to pay full price for anything. I love couponing, buying things on clearance, and shopping after season. I got some money for my birthday and decided to go buy some clothes from Old Navy. I haven't really gone shopping to buy for myself for a while (we bought a new work wardrobe for Dave, and have most of the kids stuff for next winter), so it was kind of fun. Luckily, it was their 50% off already reduced clearance price sale. Wahoo! I got a hoodie (not pictured), 2 tank undershirts, 2 tees, 2 long sleeved shirts, 1 dress, 1 ruffle shirt, 1 hoodie, and 2 3/4 length sleeve shirts. The actual retail price was $190. I got it all for $34. Plus, Am & Kolb gave me an ON gift card, so I payed $9.

This is not such a flattering picture, but Emma is an amateur photographer and loves to take pics. She takes crazy ones of me all of the time. This is actually the hoodie I got. It was 2.50. Booyah!

A quarter of a century...

Last Thursday, I turned 25, and we had a few great days of celebrations!

We woke up to a normal day, watching our neighbor's kids for a few hours. Dave got some cinnamon rolls, and we made baked french toast with them and hashbrowns and orange juice...yum! Dave had a job interview that afternoon...which he got! Happy birthday to ME! I am so excited for him, and proud of him. He's stuck with it for so long, and now he got the job. It will work out really well, we think. He'll be working at the Orthopedic Clinic on the University of Utah campus with the insurance companies to clear things up to authorize surgeries and stuff or something. Yea!

After the interview, we went to Texas Roadhouse...mmmmm...I had the ribs, they were yum! We brought the kids with us for that and Emma loves Texas Roadhouse. It was fun. Oh, a quick story. I have always told Emma if I raise my voice, hurt someone else, or don't listen, she can put me in timeout. So the other day, I raised my voice more than I should have, and apologized, but reminded Emma she could put me in timeout. So she was glad to take up the opportunity. She told me, "Okay, Mommy, you need to be in timeout for 25 minutes, because you're 25!" She's right, because we put her in time out for one minute per year she is. We compromised on five, but it was pretty funny. After the timer went off and I was done, she came up to me and said "Okay, Mommy. Why are you in time out? Because you raised your voice at me? Yes, that's right." It was pretty amusing, but I learned my lesson! 25 minutes is a long time to sit in time out, so I need to behave myself!

Then, the Ryerse's were kind enough to watch the kids so we could go see a movie. Dave was about to purchase New Moon tickets, but I told him I'd rather see Avatar (and I'm sure he was rather relieved he didn't have to sit through New Moon), so we went to see it in 3D at the Gateway.

Dave is so funny! We went to see Avatar, which I loved! He got tickets I12 & I13, "I because I love you", he said, "and 12 and 13, because that adds up to 25." That's deep, dear! (:

No, we didn't go see the Chipmunks, disappointing, I know, but had to take a picture by this, because Emma loves the Chipmunks!

To finish off the day, we had cake! Emma putting the candles in the cookie dough ice-cream cake. We didn't have 25 candles, so Daddy and Emma put 2 at the top and five at the bottom.

I get co-birthdays on both sides of the family, which is fun. On the Ryerse side, I share a party with Julie, because her birthday is the 9th. So it's double the fun! She is so nice to share her birthday with me, I love Julie! She's great, is now 23 years. We had a princess cake this year...singing "Happy Birthday" Ryerse style is great! Everyone sings whatever they want, whenever they want, in whatever key they want. It's halarious! Saturday night, I was also able to get together with some good friends from high school. It was so good to see everyone!

The Stoddard side is a birthday party for Kolby & I. Amy threw a surprise party for Kolb on the 1st, his birthday up by Daniel's Summit. Here are a few pictures from that party. Kolb is 26 this year!

Emma having a good time playing in the snow...she loves the snow!The crew that came for Kolby's party! We had chili and cake and ice-cream, went sledding, and snowmobiling.The kids in the large sled being pulled behind the snowmobile. I think there were six in there, including Emma, weeeee!Callahan enjoying the birthday cake and being held by Aunt Amy.

Then we did a party on Sunday night. We had a delicious dinner my mom made, and cake, and great company.

Callahan eating...again! He loved this pop rock sucker! Grandpa has a good time with the kids.

Amy, the blogging queen, taking pictures for her blog. She got a snazzy new camera, so she's been using that a lot.

After dinner, Amy on the violin, my mom on the piano, and I with my flute were able to play some music together. It was so much fun to do that, it had been a while since we had a family jam session. Emma wanted to get out my piccolo, so she was jamming out with us.

And now, since I am 25, I thought I’d share that many things about me. Some of the things you may know about, others you may not. In no particular order, my 25 random things...

1. I won a “Best Lips” contest at a bridal show that Dave & I attended.
2. I’ve never had a cavity, but as my dentist told me, I have the gums from h-e-double hockey sticks.
3. I love the Utah Jazz. I’ve cried over games before and get pretty passionate about it. This year, they took them off “peasant vision” or free TV, which is all we have, so we go to the in-laws to watch games.
4. I had kidney reflux disease as a child, and had surgery to fix the problem. Shortly after my surgery, they stopped doing the type of surgery they did on me because there were too many complications and deaths from it. I was okay.
5. I collect rubber duckies, and have them for all different holidays and events. My favorite ones are probably the Halloween ones, but close seconds are the fairy tale ones, and the jungle safari ducks.
6. I love cheesecake! It’s the best food on the planet, I like to make all different kinds and eat it.
7. I’ve never dyed or bleached my hair (unless strawberry Jell-o counts!).
8. Cooking/baking/cake decorating is something I really enjoy doing. I think it’s a way for me to show appreciation and love for others.
9. I want to start up my own business someday, probably a wedding business of some type or a PR firm.
10. I used to be very afraid of heights, and would get terrible anxiety getting up high, until I took a neurolinguistics programming class and was cured.
11. I love children and babies, they make me happy! (Especially my own two little cuties, Emma and Cal!)
12. I can’t wait until I go on a mission when I’m old and gray with my Dave!
13. I feel so incredibly blessed to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life – it makes all the difference in the world.
14. I want lots of children…probably between 4 and 6.
15. My dream vacation is a Disney Cruise somewhere warm…let’s do it! Who’s in?
16. If life is a box of chocolates, I want a Mindy Mint.
17. My favorite color is yellow, such a bright and happy color.
18. I love to read – read anything, well, almost anything...I just wish I had more time!
19. My love language is words of affirmation.
20. I bleed purple – I love Weber State University!
21. I want to learn how to play the oboe someday. (Flute teachers have always said “no” because it would ruin my embouchure for my flute playing!)
22. I hate cleaning and feel like I can never stay on top of it. But I do the best I can. I want to hire a maid someday so I can spend more quality time with my family and do the things I like to do.
23. I wish I sang well enough to be in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Someday, I’ll try out anyway.
24. I have lived in two states, Virginia and Utah, and have visited at least 25 of the 50 states.
25. I think I’ll live to be old…it runs in the family. My great-great grandmother lived to be 107 and met all of the prophets from Joseph Smith until her death. Cool, eh? My great-grandmother was 99. But I hope I’m not that old when I go to the next life...But I guess it's really not up to me, when I finish my mission here on this earth I'll go.

We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Our Christmas was amazing this year! We had a special treat during the first few weeks of December. My brother Adam, and his sweet wife Meghan and little boy, Steven (who I've never met in person) came in town from Michigan! It was so good to see them and be back together again!

Steven, Adam's baby and Callahan. Actually, Steven, who is 6 months weighs more than Cal, which was funny. He was such a cute little guy with a big open smile and the Deibel ears!

We were able to all go to the temple one day to do sealings on family names. That was such a great experience to have my family all there! It was a special day! I am grateful for my family and the good lives they all lead.

My mom and dad had the best time with all of their grandkids together. Emma loved Steven and couldn't stop asking if we could go play with him again. Cal and Steven liked to grab each other's faces.

The Stoddard family. Yea!

Of course we went to go see the lights at Temple Square. It's always so beautiful, I love how the whole place glows!

Tayla and Emma doing...um...concrete angels? Emma took a break to eat a candy cane a youth group gave her.

Postcard worthy pic?

Callahan enjoyed the lights, but enjoyed getting into the warm cara again even more.

Emma and Mom by the twinkling lights and the water fountains, which she almost fell in once, so I had a tight grip on her.

Emma and Callahan the Sunday before Christmas in their Christmas garb.

"Oh, you look so handsome, little boy!" is what Emma said when I put his new Sunday-before-Christmas outfit on him.

Tavin and Emma trying on their new hats Tavin's grandma made for them for Christmas - so cute! So Emma was just about to get in her jammies when Calena, Tavin's mom called to see if they could bring their gifts over. I said that would be fine, and so I told Emma he was coming over. "I don't want to put on my jammies then, I want to wear my Christmas dress so Tavin can see it!" I thought it was halarious she was out to impress, and even more funny, Calena said she wanted put Tavin in his pajamas before they left, but Tavin wanted to keep his suit on for Emma.

Christmas Eve now! During the morning, we woke up and went outside to make a snowman! It was a little one because this snow was hard to pack! But it was pretty cute and we had a fun time throwing snowballs, making crunchy snow angels and making our little snowman.
We have dinner for my dad's side. Here are some of my favorite people...Grammie at the head of the table, Aunt Christie taking pics, some of my cousins, Callahan (my mom behind him) and Uncle Marko.

Santa came to town! Emma was sure to get down to business and ask him for a baby and a stroller and a crib. And she also remembered to say thank you.

Emma made sure to cling to me the whole time, and Cal liked the beard, but didn't care about the rest of the Santa stuff. We also had a talent show. Emma sang "Jesus Wants Me for Sunbeam", I played my flute, and Dave and I did a "Night Before Christmas" word game for everyone we came up with.

The magic of Christmas was definately alive this year, and I loved it! I was so excited Christmas Eve to help Santa out a little I couldn't sleep, and I loved to see Emma's face on Christmas day! We tried to focus on the true meaning of Christmas the whole month, and always tried to tie everything in with the birth of the Savior, including Santa, and how he does what Jesus would do and how he represents so much.

Time for the Ryerse family party! Aunt Julie and Callahan. He loved the pinata we do for Christmas Eve/Brian's birthday party!

Emma whacking that Sponge Bob. I love how we always ducktape it up to make it harder to break! Emma loves the candy!

Dave's dad, Dan is halarious! After everyone had gone several times, he went to get his "secret weapon" and was spearing Sponge Bob! We were dying!

For Dave's Christmas present, I gave him a copy of the "Gift of the Magi" story by O. Henry. If you haven't read it, it's really great, and doesn't take long to read. http://www.auburn.edu/~vestmon/Gift_of_the_Magi.html Here it is if you're interested. So the present I gave him went along with that a little. On Christmas Eve, I snuck down to the basement with my sister-in-law Stacy. She cut my hair for his present. He loves my hair short, so I cut it to surprise him. I pulled it back before and after so he wasn't able to see it that night and I was so sneaky to keep it a secret until Christmas morning! Here's the before shot...

And after...

He was very excited and liked it. I made him open my hair that I cut also, that was funny. I got him a watch for his main present, which fits in with the story. He really liked it!

Emma had a great time and got spoiled! She got her baby and crib and stroller. She named her baby Rose. Here she is at Grandma Sue's, opening present after present. Kaison, Emma, Cal and Tayla having fun together.

Callahan in his Super C cape! I made those for the nephews, and little tutus for the neices.

Cal liked riding on the gifts the best!

We went over for Christmas dinner at my parents house. Emma got an art easel and supplies from Grandma and Grandpa. She loved it!
The day after Christmas was busier than the rest! We had the Wheelwright (mom's siblings and their families) Christmas party, where we had breakfast, did a short talent show, and tied quilts for the Pregnancy Help Center in Ogden. Then we had a lunch and party for the Curran's (Grammie's siblings and their families). And then we went to see the lights at the Ogden Christmas Village with the Millers. Here's a picture of Emma and Tavin that Dennis took. He is starting up a photography business, and does great work! He does families, kids, anything, so if you are in need of cute family pictures, he'll do a session for $40!

Emma checking out one of the buildings
Welcome to O-Town, folks!

The Ryerse's and the Millers - merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you all! What a wonderful time to celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ! I'm so grateful for His life and love! Hope 2010 is a happy, healthy and prosperous year for you!