Our Holiday Break

As you well may know, Christmas break for college students is amazing. It's the only break we have between semesters of crazy, and it is possibly the only thing that pulls us through the stress of finals week. This year Dix and I had a wonderful Christmas break. We finished our finals a few days early and flew out to Oregon to be with his family for a few days. We had a great time there (we attended a great concert, ate delicious food, had a party for Aunt Nanette, and went Christmas tree hunting together) and then headed back to Idaho for the actual Christmas holiday. We left Idaho days before our school started so that I could begin a CNA class and so that we could have some time together. It was great to have a break that we were able to spend with family and remember that the Savior is at the center of all that matters.

Here are some pictures from our break:

Dix Jr. and Sr. at the Christmas tree farm. They had to wear garbage bags over their shoes to keep from getting too muddy. It sure made for some cute pictures!

Our favorite redhead boy:)

Chopping down "the one"

BRAG MOMENT: This is my husband single-handedly carrying a Christmas tree! Woot Woot!

The Twins consumed much of our time in Idaho.. they are getting so big and cute!

Gage

I love this picture of my mom... She is so incredibly beautiful.

Emery

Haven

My cute dad rocking Haven

Erin and baby Luke

Brielle... No further explanation needed.

Making Christmas Cookies

My cute husband. I love watching him with babies:)

Alex... this was his sad story for the whole holiday break.

The boys in the back of the car going caroling... So exciting!

Flag football in the church gym on Christmas Eve Day

Alex and I playing "This is the Season" a Christmas tradition for the Ure Family

So excited Christmas morning! This girl could not wait to see what Santa brought

Mom reading Brielle one of her books on Christmas morning.

Porter and his much wanted Wallet

The kids opened their big surprise for the family trip to disneyland in March all together... We can't wait!

As you can see, we had a wonderful time this Christmas. Thanks to our wonderful families for making it great!

Happy Birthday Dear Louisa!

This past Saturday Dix and I hosted Louisa's surprise 21st birthday party. We had such a blast doing the decorating and shopping for it. It was great to get together with the people that love Louisa and share that night with her. She was genuinely surprised and appreciative, which made the whole thing that much better! Here are the top 10 things I love about my sweet sister-in-law Louisa:

1. Her confidence: Louisa is an ambitious, can-do person. She doesn't seem afraid of anything, a quality that I look up to in someone of my age-group.
2. Her creativity: Louisa is always crafting. I once saw her free-hand a peacock with face paint and it was gorgeous! She has skills that I envy.
3. Her cooking skills: Louisa has a knack for creating everything delicious; one of the reasons I love to visit her at her apartment.
4. Her passion: Anyone who meets Louisa knows that she doesn't just live her life going through the motions. She does what she loves, and she doesn't fake it. EVER. I appreciate that quality in a world that seems so insincere at times.
5. Her dimples: I've always been a bit jealous of her cute smile. When she gets really excited or happy, her face lights up and you can see her dimples.
6. Her style: Louisa is always dressed in something cute and she knows how to add a personal touch to every outfit whether it is the addition of a great accessory of tying her scarf in a way that I've never seen before.
7. The way she loves children: Louisa is always holding and playing with a baby when there is one around. It's easy to see that children really like her which makes me sure that she will be a great mother to her own children.
8. The way she gets so excited when she tells a story: One of my favorite things about Louisa is listening to her tell a story. She gets so excited and makes even little things sound epic! I grew up in a family of storytellers and I love listening to people who are enthusiastic when they speak.
9. Her gratitude: Whenever I do something for Louisa, it doesn't go unnoticed. She is always kind and expresses her gratitude. I wish there were more of this quality in others.
10. Her testimony of Jesus Christ: There have been a number of occasions when I have heard Louisa beautifully bear her testimony of the Savior. There is no doubt in my mind that she knows and feels what she says she does (like I said she doesn't just go through the motions). She is a great example to me and I learn so much from her.

We had such a great time decorating for the party. Our theme was yellow; Louisa's favorite color. Everything looked so bright and fun. It was great.

Travis and Katie smiling for the camera... It was so great to see them!



This is cute baby William. He was adorable and didn't cry when I held him... Loved it!

The Boys and Girls teams for our game of OUTBURST. We had a blast (p.s the girls won)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOUISA! WE LOVE YOU!

Thankful.

I know that I missed the "thankful" blogging season back in November, but I've been feeling more grateful than usual today and I want to share that.

Dix and I have been so incredibly busy for the past year and it only seems like things have only sped up since the holidays ended. I'm taking 18 credits and working on getting my CNA while attempting to study for the GRE (I haven't even cracked the book yet), and Dix has been working at 30-40 hours a week while maintaining his status as a full time student. It seems that we only see each for 2 hours each night.

However, when I start to feel stressed to the max and I hear myself complaining, my husband is quick to remind me that there is a bright side. We aren't running dry for no reason. Dix is putting in the hours necessary for us to start up a pest control branch in Austin Texas next year (an incredible opportunity that we are thrilled about), and I am only 2 semesters away from a bachelors degree and from applying to a graduate nursing program, which excites me to the core.

When I remember this, I am grateful.
*Grateful for the amazing opportunities that have come our way
*Grateful for a husband who is willing to WORK to make things happen
*Grateful for BYU (I love school so much)
*Grateful for our capacity to have so much on our plates
*Grateful for the help we get from our Heavenly Father

There are little things that help us to make it through all the stress:
1. No classes or work friday or saturday
2. Our shared calling as primary teachers
3. Living close to family
4. Exercise and the way it relieves stress
5. The love we have for each other and the way we support one another in achieving goals

I'm sure that our situation is not different from most of you. It seems that everyone is consumed with something. However, take time to sit back and think about the good that can be found in the madness and you may just feel grateful to be YOU living YOUR LIFE.

Cousin trip to temple square

Our "Cousin Trip" to temple square was so fun! It was great to have everyone together and enjoy the beauty of the season. I hadn't been to see the lights for longer than 15 or 20 minutes before so I really enjoyed it. Dix had never met Kylie and her family and he thought they were so great and their girls were adorable! It was pretty cold out, but the kids hardly complained at all, and everyone was happy when we went to Abram's after for hot chocolate and treats. This little outing was a great reminder of the importance of keeping in touch with extended family and how they can bless our lives if we let them. Just being with each other was wonderful and we missed the many who couldn't make it.


Porter ran around like a crazy man. He loved every minute of it.



Kylie and Eric's girls were so cute and fun. I don't think I heard them cry once!




My favorite picture of all time of cute Baby Luke. I love that boy.



Stay tuned... I'll be posting about our holiday season with pictures galore!

I'm for real this time!

For those of you who "followed" my previous blog; you know the one that I kept up for a month and a half? Well... I have good news. I'm back! And I'm sticking around for good! Those of you who know me best are aware that I'm a stickler with my school work, so it would be easy to conclude that the best way to get me to commit to a blog would be to make it an assignment that effects my grade which is just what my Management Communication 320 professor did. So here I am and guess what? I'm happy to be here. I'll be posting at least once a week and showing pictures and projects etc of things that Dix and I have been doing, will be doing and much much more. It will be an exciting ride so hop on board and tell all of your friends:)