OLD!

Okay okay, so I may have been whining a little about being "old" for some time now, but really it was all in good fun because I happen to be old-er than a lot of friends but yesterday I was finishing my makeup and smiled at myself in the mirror and was shocked to see that I am starting to LOOK old! AHHHHHH! When did that happen!  I thought it was supposed to be more gradual than that!  I suppose it is time for it to start showing since no one ever thinks I'm as old as I am anyway but still...I"M NOT READY!!!

Decking the Halls!

I'm really excited for Christmas this year.  I think mostly it's the fun of watching Aliya experience things and get excited about it.  We got a tree on Saturday and decorated a little bit. Aliya LOVES it. She didn't want to go to bed that night she just wanted to stand by the tree and look at everything. Even today she has to have the tree lights turned on on the "Crimas Twee".  It's adorable! I think that's the best part of Christmas is watching it through children's eyes. Here are a few pics.  We hope all of you are enjoying the holidays.

Prayers

So, we had a really sweet moment yesterday at breakfast....Aliya volunteered to say the blessing.  We've tried to show her before but it hasn't really worked, but yesterday she said her very first prayer!  It was sooo cute and sweet and just!!!! You mommy's know what I mean.  A very warm fuzzy moment.  I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to share the blessings of prayer with her so that she will always have the opportunity to turn to her heavenly father in her life.

Halloween

Haloween was fun despite that I had to work (bah).  The night before we went to a carnival thing at the rec center, which was actually really cool. Aliya's favorite part was the canoe ride through the haunted swimming pool.  She cried when we had to leave without playing in the water.  We almost didnt go trick-or-treating becuase she fell asleep really late in the evening and almost slept straight through, but she got up just in time so we went up and down the block.  I think she was more excited about running from house to house than she was about the candy. I realize now that we didn't take as many pics as we could've but here's what we got.

 

Our House!

So, I've been promising some pics of our new place, these aren't the best, but at least it's something!

Aliya's new favorite place to play, we finally have grass and she wants to play in the rocks...go figure!

Hooray for a back yard!

Moving!

So, in case anyone has not heard we have recently (Monday) moved to Bountiful. We moved into this cute little duplex just a short drive from where I'll be working. Many thanks to everyone who helped, you are all awesome! The move was exhausting but it's basically done now, just some boxes left and the usual shuffling to decide where things belong. We have lost a lot of storage space so that is making things a little frustrating, but we have more living space, a fenced back yard, and a carport...so I'm not really complaining. I will post some pictures once I'm more satisfied with the way things look, but we are here, well, and happy, though we are missing our good friends in Rexburg and Grandma Susie who we got to spend lots of time with during the move. Hugs to all!
P.s. we don't have Internet at home yet so if you e-mail or something I may be a while getting back to you.

Graduation and other updates

Wow, so I know it has been forever.  We're kinda having issues with our management company, they think the internet isn't working because of our computer but I'm using it right now up on campus, so we'll see about that!

   Anyhow... we are still alive and well in good ol' Rexburg.  Daniel Graduated last month HORRAY!  We are very excited and I'm so proud of him.  The graduation ceremonys were very nice.  We had all the parents and Daniel's grandparents come up and a good time was had by all.  We are planning on moving to the Salt Lake area but our plans have changed many times before so don't be surprised if they change again!  Aliya will be turning 2 on Sunday....(Can you believe it, I can't)  These past two years have flown by in how she has grown and changed...she is wonderful.  Here are a few pics from graduation and some random cuteness.  Hugs to all!

Aliya and her Auntie Bella (we miss you)!

CHEESE!

Look at that handsome graduate!

Update

Not much has changed with us in the last little while.  We are anticipating graduation at the end of July with much excitement, but we still don't have many specifics as to what will happen next.  Here are a few pictures of some things we've been doing lately.

For our anniversary ( a few days late) I took Daniel, blindfolded all the way there from Rexburg, to Cave Falls.  It was a perfect day for it, a little cool with lots of sunshine.  We had a pic-nic and hiked and talked.  A lovely day.

Cave Falls (the water is so high right now you can't really get to the cave part.)

Some friends and I have recently started a little play group, very unoficial, but we meet once a week and hang out, but one week we went to the zoo in Idaho Falls.  Aliya LOVED it.  She knew lots of the animals and got to see some new ones.  I tried to get her to sit on the tiger, no way.  There was crying involved. 

We went camping in Island Park with Daniel's family a few weeks ago.  Aliya fell in love with the four wheeler and wanted to climb on it all the time.  So, we finally let her sit on it. 

We babysit our neighbors little boy in the mornings and he and Aliya have become great friends.  Here, she climbed behind the coat-tree and he followed her.  If I'd been a little faster with the camera it was even cuter, but still pretty cute.

Happy Aniversary

So, it's time for a little stroll down memory lane.  Today Daniel and I are celebrating our 4th wedding aniversary. I can hardly believe four years have flown by so quickly!  We have had many ups and downs and grown so much since that beautiful day.  I didn't know I could really love Daniel more than I did then, but I do. He is a wonderful husband and father and I'm so grateful that we can be an eternal family.  I love you babe!

Hello and Easter

Hello friends!  Sorry this is so long in coming...I think the world of technology just hates me.  We finally have a computer and now the internet has been down for like a month!  But anyway  not too much has changed with us. I'm now working full time night shift which is actually better than the back and forth of schedules and it seems to be working. You know dysfunctionaly functional Daniel is really enjoying the new semester and has already done some really cool things.    Here are a few new pics from Easter.  Aliya got candy in her basket this year and LOVED it.  She decided to eat about 3 mini cadbury eggs at once before I could stop her and had chocolate running down her face, hence the bib in the pictures, but we had fun. We hope everyone is well and I promise to get back to everyone who has e-mailed, face-booked or whatever as soon as I can. Hugs to all!

Yummy yummy CHOCOLATE!

Stick Figure Family

Make your Stick Figure Family at FreeFlashToys.com

Time

Okay, so I know it's time for a new post, but seriously folks, not much exciting happening here.  I have officially become a zombie.  For those who don't know I've been working  3 1/2 nights a week (night=10pm-7am) at the good ol' Wal-Mart. So, consequently I can't sleep at night, at least not much, on the days I'm not working.  So, you'd think I'd have lots of time to blog, which I do, but like I said, nothing to write.  

Daniel will finish the semester the second week of April, Then start up again a week later.  Aliya has started nursery which is good and bad since we have 1pm church which = right in the middle of nap time.  She is growing up so fast and does so many cute things constantly.  I promise to upload some pictures soon, but in the meantime, if anyone needs a late night phone buddy- I'm totally up for it. 

Hats off Aliya!

So, have I mentioned that our daughter LOVES hats.  She doesn't necessarily like to wear one hat for any extended amount of time but she loves to try each and every hat on for size, and some other things that aren't technically hats.  So, here is a salute to Aliya and her various choices of head-wear.

Daddy's hat

Mommy's hat

Present from Grandma hat

Her favorite hat! (I'm not kidding, this kid loves the bucket...it's a fabulous multi purpose toy.)

Diaper holder crate

Babushka

Cowgirl hat

For all the Mommies

I know a real post is due, but I laughed til I cried over this and had to share. This  is from Parenting magazine, it's been a long time since english class so I don't know how to properly cite it but props to the author.  Kudos to those of you with more than one kid, I don't know how you do it! Hugs to you all, real news will come someday, but for now just know we are well.

Goodnight Mom

 

In the messy green 

family room

There was a telelmarketer

ringing the telephone

And a crying toddler

because his brother 

just popped his

red baloon

And a picture of--

The cow jumping over the moon

(which someone colored on 

with permanent marker)

And there was a missing

teddy bear, and a girl with 

gum in her hair

And one to be scolded

And laundry to be folded

And a very hungry spouse

And something stinky in the house

(that no one else seemed to smell)

And a comb and a brush and a colicky

baby who just won't shush

And a frazzled mommy screaming #*%#@

Goodnight messy room

Goodnight scribbled on moon

Goodnight cow getting out while she can

Goodnight telemarketers and the 

popped baloon

Goodnight lost teddy bear

Goodnight cereal bar smeared all

over the dining room chair

Goodnight spitup

And goodnight leaky sippy cup

Goodnight much- too-little house and 

goodnight grumpy spouse

Goodnight comb and goodnight brush

And goodnight to a certain 4-year-old 

who just needs to hush right now I mean it

Goodnight Elmo

Goodnight toys we'll pick up tomorrow,

or the next day

Hello "coke" and TiVo--

"me" time Finally

--Sarah Jio

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, etc....

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year....no I'm not lost or dead.  I know it has been forever but this whole no computer at home thing is a major hinderance  to my would be regular blogging.   We had wonderful holidays.  We spent Christmas with my family in Pocatello.  It was so fun to watch Aliya experience some of the wonderment of Christmas; the lights and ornaments, tearing into presents, singing carols, and of course enjoying/being terrified by the plethera of Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents and Cousins she saw at the various get togethers .  In the end a good  time was had by all.   Our new years was very uneventful, we fell asleep at ten, yet somehow, I wasn't all that sad about it.  Hugs to those of you we weren't able to see. Here are a few pictures.

Aliya and our home-made ghetto tree- she liked it anyway, everyday she would run to it and want me to plug it in then point and say "lights...oooh!"

Aliya in her adorable Christmas outfit from last year that finally fits!

Aunt Bella, Aliya, and Mommy on Christmas day all decked out in aprons to cook dinner!

Our little family on Christmas Day!

Aliya and the Christmas tree, isn't she cute!

The Kotter clan at Grandpa Kotter's Christmas Party