Merry Christmas

A few weeks before Christmas, Bryce and I decided that we want to start a new tradition in our family; we want to do some sort of service for others during the season and be more mindful of others needs; So, Jacqui and I made Christmas goodies and we took the kids along to one of our local rest homes where most of the residents are in wheel chairs or have ventilators. I really thought the kids would be a little scared when we got there, but they were great and were very interactive and talkative with the people. We sang Christmas songs to some of the residents and visited with them. It was humbling to see the tears in their eyes as our little ones sang to them and gave them treats; one young lady who had on a ventilator and could hardly talk, caught Clayton's eye in the back of the room and she really wanted to see him. I brought him up to her so she could see him up close. She was so excited to talk to me about him. It was neat to see how grateful they were to have us come visit them. But, I think we were the ones that were blessed to spend that evening with them. They are amazing people and it was a great experience for each of us. We spent Christmas Eve over at Jacqui and Jareds home. We ate Chicken Pot Pie for dinner and then we read the story about the birth of Christ in the scriptures. We talked to the kids about the true meaning of Christmas and about why we even receive or give gifts for Christmas. Then we heard some bells ringing and the kids found a note in the tree from Jingle Bell (Santa's elf). He brought them some pajamas for Christmas Eve. The kids were so excited.

Clayton woke me up at 7:30 on Christmas morning. I think he was excited to see what he got for Christmas, so I went and woke up Bryce and Cooper. Cooper ran downstairs, looked around, came back up and asked me, "Did the real Santa come last night?" "Yes, Why? I asked. "Because I asked for baby puppies for Christmas and there aren't any down there." Thank goodness Santa doesn't always give us what we ask for!
Santa brought Cooper a Nintendo DS and some games to go along with it. He also got a Fur Real little puppy that barks from my friend Bekka. He named it Hot Chocolate and thought it was so cute.We went to grandma and grandpa Coopers for lunch and see everyone. It looked like everyone had a good Christmas and that Santa came to visit them all!

My Birthday

On Friday night, Bekka and Jacqui took me out to a movie. We had a great time. The movie wasn't that great but I had a good time hanging out with them! Thanks for taking me out.
On Saturday night, Bryce took me to my favorite Mexican restaurant (in Utah). (And, no, there was no cinammon in the chicken burritos Sherrie and Shayne) The food was great and some of my friends showed up which made it even greater.After dinner, we came home to a decorated house with the sign: "aging to perfection". Some more friends came over and we celebrated with cake and ice cream and presents. It was alot of fun and nice to have everyone over.

On my actual birthday, Clayton decided to wish me an early happy birthday, so he woke up at 4 to eat. He went back to sleep around 5 and decided it was time to get up at 7:45. He just wanted to make sure I didn't miss out on my birthday since it is the shortest day of the year! Bryce got me a pink Ipod Nano for my birthday. Hopefully, I can learn how to use it. It looks really nice and it also takes videos so that with be useful. Thanks Bryce for making my birthday special.

Jocie, Tawni, and Steph drove down from Logan to eat lunch with me, Bekka, and Jacqui at Red Robin, my favorite Burger joint. Thanks for celebrating my birthday with me.

Ward Christmas Party

Hangin' With Grandpa Hatch

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12 WeeksOld

Clayton turned 12 weeks on Monday and we took him to church for the first time. (besides his blessing day) Both him and Cooper looked so handsome in their church clothes.Clayton is continuing to spit up quite often and he is restless some days. He moves alot and can't sit still. But, that is how he was when I was pregnant. He was a very active baby, so I guess I should have known he would be like this all along. He is so funny because he gets extremely angry if we try to put his binki in his mouth when he is not tired or wrapped up tight. He does not particularly like his swing or his chair with lights, so I spend lots of time holding him.

Winter Has Arrived

Last night we got a good snow storm that dumped 6 inches of snow in our yard. Cooper got some new snow clothes, so we had to try them out. The temperature was not too cold so it was perfect for playing in the snow. Cooper wanted to have a snowball fight with me...too bad the snow wasn't packable. He had a great time eating the snow like usual and he stayed warm and dry in his new boots and snow bibs!

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23 Flavors of Goodness....

A.K.A.....Our Trip to Texas

1. If you ask Cooper what his favorite thing was in Texas, he would say that it was getting in the hot tub. Uncle Tyler spent alot of time playing with Cooper in the hot tub. They had so much fun together. We won't know what to do when Tyler is on his mission. I guess grandpa will have to get in with him! 2. On Friday night, we rented Twilight so mom could see it before we went to New Moon the next morning. I don't think mom knew what to think about it. Kind of weird for both of my parents since they are very practical people and we were raised not watching sci-fi stuff. At 1 pm that night, Sean, Kellye, Tyler, Chelsey, Britt, Shaylee and us went to Taco Cabana for queso, chips and homemade tortillas. Yum!

3. Saturday morning, most of us went to New Moon. I thought it was alot better than Twilight. It seemed to be a little more realistic. Mom, Bryce and I had to sit behind some guys who really smelled bad. In fact, we had to plug our noses alot or stick our noses right in the popcorn bag so we wouldn't gag. So disgusting! Grandpa took Cooper to the new movie, "Planet 51". They had a great time.

4. We got to eat at Wings n More twice while we were there. The best hot wings in the world! This is our favorite place to eat while we are in Texas.
5. One the best flavors of goodness is the soft water. I love shaving my legs in Texas because they come out feeling so wonderfully soft.
6. Bryce got to spend alot of time with his boys. Bryce sat Clayton on the counter and it was so cute to watch him try to talk to Bryce. Cooper and Bryce played the Wii Sports quite a bit. Cooper asked me "why is dad better than me". It was nice to see Bryce be able to have that quality time with his boys.

7. Spending time with my parents. Whether it was taking them to work, eating at C&J's with dad, going to the store with mom, watching movies with them, sitting on their bed talking to them, sitting in the front room with everyone while asking mom when she had her first kiss with dad, I just enjoyed my time with them. It is fun to get to know them better each time I am with them, plus I learn more about why I am the way I am! I love you Mom and Dad! 8. While we were in Dallas, we went to the Fort Worth Zoo. My favorite animal to watch were the Apes. Cooper enjoyed looking at all the animals to include the penguins, tigers, elephants, zebras, crocodiles, and big cats.

9. Cooper got to spend lots of time playing with his cousins. We stayed at Sherrie's house and so Cooper and Wesley had a good time together. They played with their Zoo maps and with Wesley's trucks. He also got to go to Shayne's house and spend some time with Ava. They had a great time playing at the park and with Nolan and Ava's toys.
10. Thanksgiving Day. The men went off to battle on the football field. They all played well and had a great time. Shayne pulled some muscles and couldn't play after that, so he sat on the sidelines and heckled Sean about being "Jacob". (Alot of people think Sean looks like Jacob on New Moon, so we teased him alot about it) Mom and Sherrie spent lots of time preparing the meal and we helped Sherrie make Apple Cranberry Pie. The food was great and everyone pitched in to make a wonderful meal. It was nice to have my cousin, Jamie, and her husband, Konrad come for the day. 11. Bucket and Buckets of Bluebell Ice Cream. I think we went through 8 buckets of just Cookies N Cream. I bet Brittney spend half of her money on the stuff and she ate it for all 3 meals.

12. Wellington....Sean and Kellye's dog....he loved Clayton and wanted to follow Clayton everywhere. He would run to the door when Clayton would cry.....he would try to jump up to be next to Clayton....it was crazy...he was kind of protective of Clayton!

13. Dad, Bryce and Brian went to Cabelas one night to spend some "manly" time with each other. Dad asked Bryce all about his new gun.

14. On Thanksgiving night, we all watched the big game. Texas A&M vs Texas. Alot of us wore our maroon and the aggies did a great job. They ended up losing but gave Texas a good game. It was fun to watch as a family. Lots of cheering and clapping and running around giving high fives.

15. The weather. It could not have been any nicer while we were down in Texas. It was in the 60's everyday with sunshine. ...no humidity! It was beautiful.

16. Shopping. We went shopping the day after Christmas. We did not get up early, which was nice. I went with Sherrie, Mom, and Jen. It was nice to be able to spend some time with just the women. Jen helped me pick out some cute jewelry from Sam Moon.

17. We played basketball while I was there. I am so out of shape since Clayton came and I haven't played basketball in 2 years, so it was fun to be able to shoot and run and still win! Me and Bryce's lungs were burning but it was worth it.

18. We went to Grapevine Texas for some fun Christmas activities. Grapevine has a old town feeling with the little shops. The kids got to play with Santa and Rudolph. We spent 2 hours sitting in a Mexican restaurant waiting for lunch. We went on a buggy ride and ate kettle popcorn.
19. Spending time with Shayne. I didn't get to see Shayne as much as I would have liked, but it was still good to see him. Shayne watched Cooper one day so he could play with Ava and Nolan. Shayne, I love you and your family. Your kids are cute and it was nice to get to know them a little better. I had a great time shopping with Jen and I am thankful that I got to see ya'll.

20. Spending time with Tyler. We got to spend the most time with Tyler, even though he has become a social butterfly and left us some nights to spend with his friends! Tyler had fun trying to wrestle me. I enjoyed teasing him and giving him a hard time. Tyler, thank you for spending so much time with us. We love you alot and we will miss you while you are gone on your mission.

21. Spending time with Sean and Kellye. It was nice to be able to see Sean and Kellye so much. When we were in College Station, we hung out with them every night. It is sad that they are moving to Houston, but it will be ok. Good luck in Houston !. We love ya'll.
22. Spending time with Sherrie. It was nice to be able to stay at Sherries house and spend time with the kids and her and Brian. I enjoyed waking Sherrie up every morning at 10 am....just kidding! But, we had a good time singing "Wake Up" to everyone and running errands together. Sherrie, thank you for letting us stay in your beautiful home. We had a great time. Love you!

23. You might wonder why I named this post what I did....it's because we got to go to the Dr. Pepper museum and drink a fresh, real, Dr. Pepper made out of imperial sugar. Dr. Pepper has 23 flavors, so Bryce had the great idea to name the blog 23 Flavors of Goodness! Anyway, the drink was amazing and I will want one every time I go home to Texas.

But wait, I have more than 23...