Just a few random pictures of Brenna and Braelynn. Whenever one wakes up from her nap first, she anxiously waits for her sister to wake up, going into their room, calling her name until she wakes up. On this particular day, Braelynn had been awake for almost an hour before Brenna, which for Braelynn was a very long time. She was so happy to see her and just wanted to give Brenna a kiss, which they usually do when they wake up, but that day Brenna was not in the mood, as you can tell.

They are so close and such good friends that it is hard to imagine that some day they will probably fight like normal siblings but I know that they probably will so right now I just plan to enjoy it!

"Tagged"

I've been "Tagged"

I don't really think of myself as exceptionally interesting, not in a bad way, but I'm just.....me so I don't usually do these. I have been tagged, though, so why not join the fun, right?

How long have you been together?
We have been married eleven years now, but we met in December, so we have known each other for over twelve years!

Who said I Love You first?
I am sad to say that I don't really remember. I am pretty sure that it was Joe but by the time we got to that point we were already so close and so comfortable with each other that it just kind of came naturally.

Who is smarter?
Definitely Joe. He can remember numbers and facts like you would not believe. He is also amazingly good at figuring out how to do things that he does not already know how to do. He can look at something and play around with it then figure out how it works, and then he remembers how to do it the next time.
He is also book smart, especially the longer he goes to school. I am good at spelling and punctuation so I check his paper and he is really good at what he is getting his degree in.

Who pays the bills?
It depends on how you look at it. He is the one who earns the money but I take great pride in the way I can budget our money, pay all of our bills on time, clip coupons, find deals and keep our food budget down so that we can provide for our family without going into excess debt and still be able to stay home with our kids.

Who cooks dinner?
I do, usually because I am the one that is home and that is what I enjoy doing. Joe is always really good to volunteer to help with whatever needs to be done, though. Joe loves to grill so he is the one that does that. Oh, and I absolutely HATE to fry anything and will avoid it at all costs, and don't particularly like eating fried foods, so if he wants anything fried, he has to do it.

Who drives when you're in the car together?
Joe. He likes to drive and I am more than content be the passenger.

Who is the most stubborn?
I would have to say me, although not in the usual way. I am more "silently stubborn" and will stand my ground if it is something that is important to me.

Who wears the pants in your family?
I have never really thought about it before because it is not really a concern to me. We both consult each other before making a decision and work together to make our marriage and house a happy one. If something needs to be done, whoever is free or best fit to do it, that person just does it.

hmmm....some random things about me:

*I love to clip coupons and match them with sales to find great deals. I love the rush that I get when I go shopping and get something for free or really cheap. I look forward to Wednesdays, the day the new sales start, and Sundays, the day I get the coupons in the paper, so that I can see what kind of deals I can get that week. It is my "high"!

*I am not afraid of the dark...when I am in my house, but I am terrified at going out in the dark by myself, whether at night or in the morning when it is still dark. If I have to go somewhere in the car in the dark, I glance in the windows to make sure no one is in the car, then get in and lock the door. No matter how stinky the diaper or whatever, if Joe is not home and the kids are asleep, it can wait until morning. Silly, I know, but you never can be too careful!

*I love to exercise, especially walking. I try to make sure I walk or do an exercise video at home at least 5 days a week. I love the way it feels put Brenna and Braelynn in the stroller and spend an hour and walk 3 or 4 miles. Especially if I can go with a friend. Joe and I call it my therapy.

*Most of you know how I feel about chocolate, one of the best things on earth, and I love fruit but when the two of them are combined, ugh!

Well, thats it! I honestly don't know anyone else who blogs besides those that Matti tagged, except for Christie "tag" so those of you (you know who you are) that haven't done it yet, go ahead. Diane, this could be your first blog if you decide to do it!

Pinewood Derby Fun

Oh, the traditional Pinewood Derby! This, of course, was Tyler's first Pinewood Derby although he had been to a few before because of Joe being in scouts a few years ago, so he was extremely excited about this.

Because our scout troop is so small it was decided that the leaders would make cars also so that the boys could race against their leaders afterwards, just for fun. Tyler, being the boy that he is, was talking about what color his car would be and was wondering what color Joe was going to make our car. Just in joking I told him that since I did all the work in scouts that I was going to make the car and paint it hot pink or purple. His reaction was so classic Tyler that Joe and I decided that we would do just that. We even decorated it with hearts and bows, it even had hearts for the headlights and taillights. I won the award for the most girly-girl car (of course!).

Tyler worked very hard on his and planned out every detail very specifically. It turned out great and he won 2 place!

My friend took some pictures at the Derby since I forgot my camera so I will post better pictures when I get them from her.

We are apprehensively counting down the days until Joe (and the kids) start school again on the 7 th. The day is creeping up on us faster than we would like so we took the day yesterday to drive to St. George and spend the day as a family. There is an amazing Dinosaur Discovery Site there that was discovered about seven years ago. It is strictly run by volunteers so that they can keep the admission at a very low rate. We had the opportunity to talk with one lady who had worked for 40 hours to almost completely unearth some fish fossils smaller than the plam of my hand, strictly on a volunteer basis. Here is a link telling more about the discovery site.

http://www.sgcity.org/dinotrax/indexmain.php

We spent some time window shopping at the mall, then went to the dollar theater to see "The Bee Movie", then finished the day off by going to dinner, which is a special treat for us.

It was a wonderful day spent in the sunshine, being able to wear short sleeves insted of hats, coats, and mittens after not being above freezing for way too long!

My Girls

Grandma Smith made the girls Christmas dresses and today was the first time they had a chance to wear them. They looked so pretty that I had to take a picture.

We had a nice Christmas, my Mom and Dad, Neal and Cory and Melissa and their cute kids, Hafen and Hudson came over for the afternoon and had dinner with us, played games and visited. The highlight for the kids' presents were a pogo stick for Veronica (which she has quickly mastered), a Skateboard with pads, etc. for Tyler and a Digital Littlest Pet Shop for Samantha. We even had a white Christmas which is always a little magical.

My mom and Neal were very kind and came over on the day after Christmas to watch all of the kids for a night, giving Joe and I a very much desired night away, the first since the twins were born. Thanks again!

Sledding

We finally have snow!!! We woke up on Friday to about 5 inches of snow. Bliss to the kids and I who have been anxiously awaiting it, not so much to Joe, who does not look forward to it as much as the rest of us.

We took advantage of it on Saturday and invited some friends to come sledding with us. We all had a good time. Tyler is a little daredevil who will try anything, it is a good thing that the hill we sled on is a small one! Even Brenna and Braelynn had a good time. I was nervous about letting them go down the hill, and even about bringing them. They love the snow but little ones get cold fast. Joe convinced me to let them ride down with him a few times and a few times with me. After one time, they were hooked! At the end, they were even going down the hill by themselves. When it was time to go, they tried everything to not have to get in the car but when Brenna finally realized that we were going to go no matter how much they fought, she resorted to pointing down the hill crying "please, please, please".

Fun, fun fun...

My side of the family is just getting too big to fit into anyones home and we wanted to have a little Christmas party since we wouldn't be together for any of the holidays this year my parents were kind enough to rent a vacation home in Parowan for two nights. We had a great time, I always have fun when the whole family is together. It is always entertaining to watch the cousins play together as well as the big boys (brothers and brothers-in law). Here are a few pictures!