One of My Favorite Days of the Year

One of my favorite days of the year is the day after Thanksgiving. I get to finally get out the Christmas music and decorations. The kids get all giddy and I get to act like a 10 year old and it is ok. No one sees it but my family and they already know I am a weird so. . . Oh Well!!

I took some pictures of the process.

Getting out the boxes (keeping the kids out of them until a grown up could get to the glass things was a task. Sad to say we have already had two casualties (Sam thought they were bouncy balls)

The kids putting on the ornaments

The Finished Tree

Our Stockings (we don't have a fire place so they are just "hung with care")

Happy Christmas season everyone!!! (remember what it is all about)

A Birthday Tribute

I forgot to post this on Troy's birthday so I am doing it now. I hope that he will forgive me

10 things I love about you (Troy)

1. I love the way you love me

2.I love your smile

3. I love it when we travel together

4. I love the way you have fun and play with the kids (video games and all)

5. I love that you hold the priesthood and can bless and baptize our kids.

6. I love your loyalty to our family.

7. I love that you work so hard and give so much for our happiness.

8. I love that you are willing to get crazy with me sometimes

9. I love that you will talk to me even after you are too tired to talk anymore.

10. I love you because you are you.

Happy Belated Birthday Sweetheart!!!

Thankful!

I am thankful for so many things this season. I will try to put them to words.


Family: I am thankful for my wonderful husband and for the all the things that he does for me that I never say thank you for. And for his patients in all of my faults. I am grateful that I get to be with him for eternity.

I am grateful for my 4 beautiful children and for the opportunity I have to be their mom. I pray daily that I will be up to the task. I fail a lot but I learn every day ways that I can be better. (it is actually doing things better that I am not so good at).

I am grateful to my parents, and to Troy's parents for their love and support and for their willingness to help us when we are in need. I am grateful to my sisters and brother for their friendship and for all the laughter and the tears that we have shared. I am glad that we have each other!!!

Friends: I am thankful for the friends that I have in my life, for the ones that I have made in recent years and for the ones that have been my friends for many many years. Thank you for your support and for lending me your ear. And not complaining that I talk to much. For being there for me when I am alone. You have made all the difference.

My blessings: I am thankful for a full tummy and a roof over my families head. I am grateful for running water and for a running car. I am grateful for technology so that I can talk to my sweetheart even when he is a world away.

My Heavenly Father: I am mostly grateful for my knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. For my testimony of his gospel. I am grateful for the scriptures and the answers they give me. I am grateful for prayer and being able to talk to my father in heaven when ever I need to. I am extremely grateful to my Heavenly Father for all the blessings that he has blessed me with.
I love the thanksgiving holiday because it reminds me to say all the things that I don't say the rest of the year.

These are just a few of the things that I am grateful for but I cannot say them all. But just know that I am truely grateful!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!!

Husband Tag

1. Where did you meet? In Edda's mustang riding home from Snow College

2. How long did you date before you got married? 5 months

3. How long have you been married? 12 years

4. What does he do that surprises you? Sends me flowers even if they are e-flowers!

5.What is your favorite feature of his? His blue eyes and beautiful smile.

6. What is your favorite quality of his? How much he loves me and our family

7. Does he have a nickname for you? Babe

8. What is his favorite color? North Carolina Blue

9. What is his favorite food? Banana Cream Pie

10. What is his favorite sport? BYU Football and North Carolina Basketball

11. When and where was your first kiss? 1st date on our way out of the restaurant (he was antsy)

12. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Travel (with our without the kids)

13. Do you have any children? 4, 2 girls and 2 boys

14. Does he have a hidden talent? He has a beautiful singing voice

15. How old is he? 35

16. Who said "I love you" first? He did.

17. What do you admire most about him? His loyalty (he will fight to the death for his friends)

18.Do you think he will read this? definitely not

I tag Cuca, Laurie, Jenni, Kelli, Aunt Wendy, Kymber (but she won't do it), Katie, Megan, and Mennifer.

Night With the Vampires

On Friday night I had the unique pleasure of going to see twilight with a bunch of my friends. I had the best time!!! We had dinner at Ruby River (best steak I have ever had) and then to the movie. It was a great movie and even though it had some cheesy parts I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a movie that we will own someday.

All of the fun ladies that were in our group. You can imagine being the waiter that had to wait on us!

Kymber and Jaryn (it was freezing that night and we had to wait outside)

Me and Kymber

This is all of us sitting waiting for dinner.

Me and Jaryn with the Vampires! Isn't Edward yummy looking?! (he's the one in gray)

Jaryn, Me, Mandy and Jenny with the screen behind us!

I do want to thank Heidi for coordinating everything and for inviting me in the first place. I really had the best time!!!

Girls Night Out for the Few and the Proud!

Tickets to New Kids on the Block Concert 1990

$15-$25

Tickets to New Kids on the Block Concert 2008

$50

Going as a grown Women and being able to truly appreciate the beauty

Priceless

I am so grateful to Heidi for getting us seats on the floor in the Center!! I could actually see them! We had a blast and I am so glad that we went. I am so excited that I met Heidi and Cuca and that we have become friends. They are awesome people and very easy to have fun with. I thoroughly enjoyed acting like a 13 year old with them!!! Can't wait for our next great adventure! Twilight!!!!

My First "Business" Trip

Last week Troy asked me to go with him on his business trip to LA. Thanks to the kindness of my mom and dad and my sister Kara for agreeing to watch my kids and get them to school etc. I was able to go. It was so fun!!! During the day Troy went into the the clients office and I stayed back at the hotel and literally sat around all day. It was BLISS!! No one yelling at me or at anyone else around me. No one saying "mom"150 times in under a min. Ahhh I cannot say enough about how relaxing it was. When Troy got back the first day we walked around LA and saw

The Capitol Records Building

The Walk of Fame

Grauman's Chinese Theater

The Hand and Footprints of the "Stars" (this is Humphrey Bogart's)

And we had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory with my cousin Corbin who is in film school at USC. We got to see his finished film and I was really impressed. He made a great movie!!!

On Tuesday night we went to the Los Angeles Temple. Which oddly enough was the only day that they didn't hold a protest outside. It was really neat to do a session there. And I was amazed at how close to down town LA it is. All in all a very peacefull night.

On Wednesday night we went to Universal City. Which is just a nice way to say here is a place that we can charge you a lot of money. Seriously people. It cost us $12 just to PARK!!!
Any way we walked around the "mallish" area,
then ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (a must so that I can get a shot glass)

Where Troy saw the drum set that Tommy Lee played with Motley Crue

And best of all Rick Allen from Def Leppard's Leather jacket. He was in heaven

We really had a great time and I am so grateful to everyone who made it possible for me to be able to go. Thanks Honey for inviting me. I can't wait to do it again!!

80's Throwback

Our friend Katie decided this year to throw her husband Adam an 80's theme birthday party for his 30th birthday (Old man Adam!) We had the funnest time! I have never seen Troy so excited to dress up. He NEVER dresses up for Halloween. As soon as we got the invite he was planning his outfit. To look at it, it really doesn't look like much but it is to a tee what he wore when he was growing up. Down to the unlaced hightops. DI was my new favorite store. I can't believe the ammount of stuff that is back in style that I could have found at the mall. We even had to make Troy's tee shirt because concert tee's are now a very popular item. We had a blast singing Karaoke and playing guitar hero and eating all the things that I did as a kid. (mmmm yummy) Thanks to Katie and Adam for a totally tubular night!!!

Me and Troy all dolled up

The Girls

The Boys (it took a lot to get them to not smile in this pic. I wanted it to look authentic)

Lots of new posts

There was a lot of things to write about so there are a lot of new posts. Make sure that you scroll down and see all of them.

Morgan's Baptism

So my final post for the big events from this week is about Morgan's Baptism. We are so proud of Morgan for making this big desicion. She wasn't really nervous and we made sure that when this day was getting close that she understood what it was about. She has been so mature and so full of the spirit. When it was her turn she didn't pause or hold my hand or anything she walked into the water with purpous on her face, like she knew what she was doing and that is it was the right choice. I am grateful for Troy and for his being able to baptize both our girls. He gave a beautiful blessing. He is such a good father and loves to be able to share in these big days with our kids. I do also have to say that Morgan looked so beautiful in her dress. It made it all worth it.

Morgan and her Dad

Morgan and Me

Morgan, Me and Troy

Morgan and her grandparents

I do have to just add that we finished the morning with a little bithday party for morgan so this is a picture of her with her 2nd birthday cake. It was a Hannah Montana cake. She is now the owner of more Hannah Montana stuff then I have ever seen.

Halloween

Our family for Halloween goes first to Troy's office party where they decorate the office like a (non scary) spook ally and let the kids trick or treat from desk to desk. Then it ends with a hot fudge Sunday and homemade root bear. We love this and look forward to it every year. From there we go trick or treating with Troy's family in his parent neighborhood. This year we had an added treat. Before we went to him mom's house we went trick or treating with Troy's Dad and Cynthia. The kids were so excited to show grandpa and Cynthia their costumes and to spend some time with them. We then went to Troy's mom's house where we had the best chili and cheese potato soup. Oh my gosh was it good. The kids and grown ups put on our costumes and went to get some goodies! The kids got 2 gallon size zip lock bags full of candy. This is the reason we go up there. Not more for the kids but more for mom and dad to steal when the kids are asleep. We ended the night with celebrating Morgan's birthday. She got all the Hannah Montana and High School Musical stuff you could ask for. (or so I thought until my parents gave her their presents) All in all I think the kids had a fun sugar filled day. They collapsed as soon as they hit the car.

Our silly kids

My little froggy

All the Beardall grandkids

Morgan and her 1st birthday cake of the week.

The Annual Pumpkin Carving

Evey year our family and the Farmer family get together and carve pumkins. We have been doing it now for. . . 5 years, I think.

This is our first year carving pumkins.

We love this tradition. Edda (Ryan) and Troy (Dippy) have been friends since middle school, and I met Troy because Edda offered me a ride home. Anyway, we don't get to see them very much so when we do get together it is a real treat. So we get together and have dinner and do pumkins. Every year we all pick some fun designs out of a book and every year Edda picks the most complicated and takes forever to finish. This year to his credit he did pick a very complicated one but he finished it in record time. (he is getting better!) Here are some pictures of our fun night.

All of us getting started

Edda working feverishly to get his done

The finished product

All the kids

(minus Sam he won't sit still)

The Brownies (made by lifesaver Heidi ) that were overtaken by spiders