finally...

My brother has been home from his mission since January 9th, and the doctors finally think they have an answer for the yucky crap he's had since the first month he got out into the field. He saw the infectious disease doctor today who has reviewed all the tests and determined that he has Ulcerative Colitis. It's not something he got on his mission, as it has no "cause", it's something he got just because. It's a disease that you can't ever get rid of, but can be put in remission for periods of time. He will have to limit his activity and stress, as these two things can make it flare up. He will eventually have to have surgery to remove the colon and will also be at a high risk for Colon Cancer. Oh and one more thing, the doctor said that he needed to be completely released from a mission and not plan on going back. TOTAL BUMMER!! I was with him at the appointment, and I really just wanted to cry. He's such an ambitious, smart, and very talented kid and he was very passionate about serving a mission. He and I talked about the mission thing and he just said it was going to have to be ok, and that he this is something he had no control of. I am so proud of him and I know that he is strong enough to keep on going and make the best of this situation. I am really glad that he has answers and that he can continue with life. I felt like it was so hard not knowing what was in the future because none of the doctors really said anything about his mission. This doctor was so good to say things straight up and he was also very compassionate and said how sorry he was that Stefen would have to deal with this disease. I know our Heavenly Father loves us and he loves my brother and he will provide the comfort and strenght needed. I love my brother so much and wish for the best.

what's up

We're havin' fun around here and we were enjoying the nice warm weather until it got cold again. Oh well though, we still have fun and we're doing some fun planning too!! Aniston will be ready for a big girl bed soon, so I've been thinking up and finding some really fun decor for her big girl room. I just decided on colors and I found a really cute craft that I am working on. Once it's done I'll post pictures if it looks cute. We're also trying to decided on some vacations for the summer, and I really can't wait for the warm weather to be here to STAY for a few months!! Here's some pics of our recent adventures!

New hair cuts...thanks Lacy!! Chris has wanted me to "flip" Aniston's hair out, so that's what we did, and it made her look like such a big girl. I think we'll stick to the piggies and bows so I can keep my growing girl lookin' little.

My youngest brother Christain or "Hobar" as Aniston calls him(I'm really not sure why she called him that, but it stuck so that's his name now!!) got his Eagle Scout award and I am so proud of him. He worked really hard and did so good with his project, and I hope he knows just how proud I am of him and how much I love him.

So...I'm NEVER growing up!! I think I had more fun than Aniston did riding this bike around in Grammy and Papa's backyard with Aniston on my lap. Yep that's right I actually peddled this little trike my Grandpa has had as long as I can remember around and around. It was so much fun, and who better to have fun with than my Princess!!

We've been bored inside the last few days with this crummy weather, so I pulled out the markers and ribbon and brought out the stapler and Aniston and I made some Easter decorations for the front door. She was such a good helper and was so proud of our "Happy Easer" sign!!

Spring Breakin' it!!

We headed down to St. George for a little vacation and to see some family we hadn't seen since before Aniston was born. We had a blast!!

Cheese!! Aniston sportin' her green attire at Grandma Cami's St. Patrick's Day Party.


This is the last picture I have of Chris with his long hair. He got it cut while we were in St. George, against my begging that he just keep it long:(

Aniston and her cousin Ali got to ride Grandpa's bike around the yard and they LOVED it!! Aniston likes bikes a lot, so I think that's next on the list of toys to buy!!

We were able to visit Joe and Kalli and see little Madden while we were down there. I wondered what Aniston would do around a little baby, and she really was not to interested and she didn't really like holding him either. We may be in trouble if we decided to go for #2.

Car rides can be miserable with little ones, and Aniston is at the age where sitting still for long periods of time are the PITS!! She was entertained for a bit with my ipod. She LOVES music so she sat still for a few minutes and jammed to the music.

Smelling the flowers at Grandma Shanna's... her face when she smells things cracks me up!!

We love to see the temple!!

We got to go to the Draper Temple open house last Saturday with Chris' family, and we had a really good time!! Aniston has been singing the "See Temple" song lately, so it was fun to take her and let her see the temple. She did so good, and she thought everything was "wow petty"!! Her vocabulary and her ability to express herself is just amazing to me. It was also amazing to be in a place together as a family and to feel the spirit there and know that we can be together forever.

We sang "The Wheels On The Bus" on our way back from the temple, and Aniston LOVES that song!! Her favorite part is the Mommies saying shhshhshh.

Cookie Monster!! She ate them both, just shoved 'em right in!

spicin' up our lives

One thing is certain; when you have children life is not boring...THEY SPICE IT UP!!
Aniston got into the spice rack thanks to my poor judgement, and she dumped out 3 of the containers ALL OVER THE FLOOR!! I'm still finding rosemary, parsley flakes, and who knows what the other stuff was!!
HAHAHAHAHA!!!

We bleed RED

Saturday I woke up and heard Chris saying to Aniston that he was going to try and fix her hair(I worked the night before so I was in bed at 12:30 in the afternoon for a good reason). I decided to just lay there and listen instead of getting up to help. Chirs did something with a bow and then said "WOW that looks silly". I couldn't help it, and I didn't want them going to the U of U basketball game without Aniston's hair done, so I got up and helped. I decided to go with them since I was up, so we packed the bag full of goodies and went to the game. Aniston LOVES games and she totally gets into them. We had fun and the girl's basketball team killed BYU, nothing is better than that!!

Walkin' with Daddy to the game. Thank goodness the weather is getting nicer, I am so ready for Spring.

We had a blast at the game, and Aniston was so good the entire time. She watched the whole game and would cheer and clap for our team!!