[matt & wendy}

Hello friends!

I received an email from my younger brother today. Matt and Wendy are dear friends of his and the family and are asking for a little help. As I read their story in Wendy's own words, on the blog mentioned below, my heart was touched. They truly have been through so much! If you can take 2 minutes of your time please read my brothers message below, go visit the site and leave a quick comment!

Thank you!

FROM MY BROTHER:

Hey everyone,

Some of you know my buddy Matt Ewell, some of you don't but he and his new fiance are asking for a little help. They are finalists in a competition to win free photography for their wedding which would help them a ton! I don't need to say how much they've been through over the years, and how much this would help them. They need everyone to go to: http://amelialyon.net/ and post a vote for them in the comments. If you don't know them that's okay, help me help them! Just takes a second...

Thanks!

{christmas sweaters}

Today at church as we walked in I noticed little Chase had on a darling sweater....it was the same one James had on. I am so glad I had my camera in the car and though James was asleep when we tried to take the picture, they are still too cute!


Then as we were walking out James woke up...here's the boys with their dads

{do you flip 'em}

So how many of you have actually read all the instructions on the back of the fish sticks box? Did you know it says to flip them over half way through the cooking time? Am I the only one who cooks the entire bag for one meal? Seriously what are they thinking? Is it not true that pretty much 90% of the fish stick cookers in the world are mothers with more than one mouth at the table anxiously awaiting these tasty quick fix sticks? And unless I'm totally lost, aren't people who sit around making charts and writing emails to big head hauncho guys telling them who they're main consumer is?

Then who in their right mind decided to put "turn sticks over halfway through baking" in the instruction? Who actually thought any of the consumers they targeted would have the time to sit and turn over every little tiny fish stick on that pan all the while having to explain to the hungry heads at the table that NO they are not done yet mommy has to flip them first?

I, for one, sure would like to meet the person who decided to inflict such a heavy burden upon the mothers of hungry children in this world!

However I decided tonight I would give this technique of theirs a try...so when the time was half over I opened the oven, got my hot dog tongs, and started to flip......then I really flipped! That was seriously an unnecessary annoyance! I was thinking the whole time (even though I knew my thoughts were not in my favor) "these better be the best tasting fish sticks ever!" And after another 10 minutes in the oven you know what we discovered....?

They taste the same!!

so how many of you actually bother to "flip 'em"?

{buddy get the grinch}

Buddy was out to get the Grinch! He growled and snarled and sure showed that Grinch! He was so scared he went right back into the chimney!

{saturday morning cartoons}

{devin}

I am so proud of my baby brother!! (top row left side)

{cousins}

James 2 months old Janice 9 months old

{baby blessing}

Ok so I'm really playing catch up with our family blog! Sorry....I'll get the hang of this eventually!

On Sept 13th of this year my husband gave James a baby blessing in sacrament meeting at church. It was a special experience for all of us especially because it was the first baby blessing Tyler had ever given. We are so blessed to have this new little guy in our family! He has brought so much joy into our home and each of our lives!

sorry it's not a better picture....i was hot and tired, wyatt had ran right in and changed out of church close before we could take a picture and James was so done with all those close on by the time we settled down that he was not letting us take any good pictures...so this is all you get! haha

{one warm coat}

THANK YOU!!!

I want to say thank you to all those who donated coats to the one warm coat drive I did. I don't know your names nor faces but I hope that my Aunt Jeanie will gladly pass on my gratitude! There was a total of 23 coats donated and the look on the guys face when I told him how many there were was priceless!

{october mammoth trip}

We just love this place! It's so beautiful and peaceful and it just seems like everything is right with the world when we are there! Our family as a whole is refreshed every time we visit!

(I love having a tripod!)

Wyatt jumping rocks at Rock Creek

James watching us get all packed up to come home from the last trip of the season
(he looks as bummed as the rest of us were)