Cousin Ashton's Birthday Party

Oh aren't birthday parties so much fun?? We sure like them. My kids love them! We don't get together as often as we should as a family so it is nice when a birthday comes along because then we get to have a party. We celebrated Ashton's 2nd birthday and my whole family was there. I got a picture of all the little kids (except for Taya and baby Emma) but we still had quite a line, aren't they so fun? Look at all those kids riding bikes, laughing, and having tons of fun, I love it! we had a wonderful weekend. I love being so close to family they mean the world to me.

Uncle Jesse and Kenna

Taya

Jani, Jaden, Maddy, Alyssa, Kynzee, Charlie, Max, Ashton, and Kenna

Kenna in Daddy's HUGE shoes

What is it about kids and big shoes? My little Kenna is always walking around with someone else's shoes on, and usually they are her Daddy's HUGE shoes. I had to get a picture of it today, very fun to have miss Kenna in our home.

Forgotten Carols

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a41wPG6AqeI

We had a very fun Saturday night!!! I bought tickets for the Michael Mclean Forgotten Carols, these were awesome tickets in the fifth row. We decided to bring Maddy and Kynzee this year and it was so much fun for all of us. It is amazing to me how strong the spirit comes to me through music. What a great way to start off the holidays. I think it can be so easy to forget who we are and what our purpose is in life. I hope that we can all remember the way back home and bring others with us on our way. Going to this really made me feel the love that our Heavenly Father has for us. I hope we can all remember what is most important about Christmas this year and we can feel the spirit and love in our homes with our families.

Craft Fair!!

I was so excited this year I got to go to the craft fair with my sister in law Katie. It seems like I am always busy every year when it comes and I haven't been since I was in middle school or something, a long time ago. I always see all the fun things people buy and I always say I will go next year. So I got to go and I came home with some pretty fun things. Of course I am really into bows since i do have three little girls in the house so I bought plenty of very cute bows. Here are a couple of the ones I got. Gotta love big bows, I know i sure do and my girls...they really love them.

Then I bought these cute wooden dolls that have felcro on them and they come with lots of flannel clothes to dress them with. Kinda like a paper doll, only a big wooden doll! I can't wait to give them to my girls for Christmas I know they will love them. I thought it would be a nice quiet activity for church and they come with their own little bag. Fun Fun!!

And then I have a huge addiction and that is buying...home made burps rags. I love them!!! Aren't they so cute. I could have bought tons more because it seems like every other booth was baby burp rags. :)

Anyway I had tons of fun getting away for a couple hours and enjoying myself, thanks for the fun day Katie!!

What is on Maddy's nose?

We were eating dinner one night and Maddy was just enjoying her food like crazy and I looked up and she had butter all over her nose! I asked her what was on her nose and she said nothing was on her nose. I told her to go look in the mirror, she came out of the bathroom with a huge smile on her face and said I think I must have gotten some ranch on my nose Mom. Well we hadn't even had the ranch out, so she took her finger and tasted it, sure enough it was butter. I am pretty sure it came from her toast!! She was so cute about it, now every time we eat she wipes at her nose to make sure nothing is on it. :)

From Mommy to Mom to Mother

My Mom emailed this to me and I had never read it before but it is great!!!

And this is my lovely, very sweet Mom! Always making the rest of us smile :)

Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox..

Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough doesn't come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up.

Real Mothers sometimes ask "Why me?" and get their answer when a little voice says, "Because I love you best."

Real Mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or years or grade...It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother...


The Images of Mother

4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!

8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!

12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.

14 YEARS OF AGE - Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either.

16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned.

18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!

25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it.

35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom' s opinion.

45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?

65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair ... The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul ... It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

The Peacegiver

Have any of you ever read this book? My Grandma gave me this book years ago for Christmas and I am not a big reader, in fact I hardly ever read. It seems like I only read when the world seems to be caving in on me and I need a window to look out of. I am very serious! Anyway I have been organizing my house a little and I came across this book. I had the strongest feeling that I needed to read it. So it has taken me quite a while but I finished it, I finally finished it! It is an amazing book. I learned so much from this tiny book. We have been given so many gifts if we just open our hearts to them and realize they are there. This book taught me how to have peace in my heart and in my life for the people who hurt me. I know we have all been hurt by someone in our lives wether it was a big hurt or a tiny hurt. It is so hard to let go of that and find love for that person again, but if you can do it you will be a stronger more peaceful person. I know because I have had to do it on many occasions. This book is the best by far, I hope if you haven't read it you will.

I found this saying today on a wall hanging that I thought was really neat it says:

"Never Let Yesterday Fill Up Today!"

Maddy's Drawings

Maddy loves to draw! She draws everyday, and she always comes up with the cutest pictures that put a smile on my face. These were her drawings today, can you guess who they are? They are our family! She showed me who everyone was and why she made them look that way. She didn't draw the clothes, she took stickers out of a strawberry shortcake book, she said that Daddy's clothes were the only ones that looked like boy clothes. She is so cute, and can be very creative. I have a soft heart for all the drawings that the girls make and all their school papers, I save all of them in a Tupperware with their name on it. I have a huge collection of drawings!!! I just thought I would share these ones with you.

The Whole Family

Daddy

Mommy

Maddy

Kynzee

Makenna

(with her little fingers trying to steal the picture)

Can you all do me a favor?

I am not sure if I am doing this whole invite to my blog thing correct. So if you get an invite can you leave me a comment so I can cross you off my list. I would hate to leave any of you out! Thank you!

Private Blog!!

I now feel safe!!!! Wow what a relief! I had to make my blog private sooner than I wanted because I have been getting some really weird comments on my blog. It scares me when someone I don't know comments on my blog, and then I go to their blog and they look like some crazy person. I don't care if anyone comments and they are nice people, even if I don't know them. It just scares me not knowing what kind of creep is out there especially where I have three little girls. I have a brother who is a counselor and he has delt with many sex offenders and he told me to be careful about my blog. There was also a thing on the news in Utah about being careful with the information you put on your blogs. So with that being said those are my reasons for making mine private. It might take me a little while to send you all an invite but I will get it done as fast as I can. Thank you to all of you who look at my blog and leave me such nice comments. I know life gets busy and I don't leave comments on every one's blogs but I will try to do better. But I sure love keeping up on your lives and your cute families. Love you all and thank you for all being a part of my life.

The Invisible Woman

Click on the link below!!!
I got this off of Calise's blog and I absolutely loved it! Thank you for sharing Calise. I am going to pass this video on because I think it is wonderful and every woman out there should know that they are not invisible. The most important person out there sees us and loves what we do. I think it is so important that we all feel like someone is watching and loving what we do. That the hours and hours that we put into making and keeping a family and raising children don't go unnoticed. The special things that we do each day for a friend or loved one does matter. I think we all at times feel invisible, but we aren't. Please watch this video it is so important. I love life and I love that I have such a wonderful calling here on earth to be a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a granddaughter, a niece, and a friend. We are all important and we are noticed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YU0aNAHXP0

Another flooded basement!

First of all I just wanted to remind you that my blog is going private in about one week now. So if I know you, don't know you and you just like to look at my blog, or just whoever you are leave me your email and I will send you an invite. I don't want to make my blog private and leave someone out.

Now seriously you will never believe this!!! Our basement flooded again! You all probably remember in August I left the hose on and flooded our brand new finished basement. We got that fixed and then it happened again! Only it wasn't me this time it was the All American cleaning workers. They were cleaning my carpets and a couch and the hose was leaking water and filled up my window well with water, it ran for over 4 hours. Well we thought it was fine and the ground kind of soaked it up. I watched it for a few days and no water ever came in the house. Well the rain came this last weekend, and it came hard at my house, if you even drove by and saw some of the neighbors swells you would know how much water we got. Well I still never thought anything of it and then about three days ago I started smelling something very bad in the basement. I looked everywhere for the smell, maybe it was a rotten sippy cup or a diaper Kenna ran away with..... who knows! I just wanted to find out what it was, well last night I walked into one of the bedrooms that we don't use and the door just stays shut......well.......I stepped into a huge smelly mess. The floor was completely covered in water in two bedrooms. So it came from the rain... that poured into the window well... because of the collapsed dirt next to the window well...that was caused from the All American Cleaners water leakage a few days before! Did that make any sense at all. Anyway we now have a huge mess because it sat for so long before I finally found it that it has soaked up into the walls and has ruined everything. I just can't believe it, actually I can believe it, it's Natalie we are talking about and sometimes I have really bad bad luck especially with water lately. So the next few weeks we will spend trying to fix our basement that we have had such bad luck with. Maybe I will have some better news tomorrow :(

Kenna playing basketball with the blocks

First of all I have to say I know these are some rough pictures of Kenna. She had just had a bath and the poor girl has the straightest hair in the world and she needs a haircut or something, so unless I pull it out of her eyes she looks a little on the rough side (but we all deserve to have one of those days right?) Anyway so tonight I was in the other room from Kenna and I kept hearing this bang...bang...bang...bang... something was hitting something really hard. Maddy and Kynzee were asleep and Kenna was the only one awake so I called for Kenna and she didn't come. Then I started to hear Kenna laughing so I went into the playroom and this is what I found. Kenna saying "ball" as she was throwing the balls through the basketball hoop and laughing at herself. It was so funny I had to take some pictures. She is so sweet and is the happiest little girl ever!

My testimony grew yesterday

As I walked up the stairs and stood in line to vote yesterday my heart was full. A lump in my throat and a feeling I will never forget. How blessed I was to to have the freedom to vote. What a hard thing it was for me to decide who to vote for. I wished there would have been another candidate. I wished so many things at that moment, I was scared all day of who would win. I have been scared for weeks about election day. I prayed that I might make the right choice in who I voted for. I am sure that I did the best I could. Last night as I sat and watched the votes coming in, my body shook, I was afraid of what was going to happen to our world if the wrong person won the election. There were so many thoughts that came to my mind. Disturbing thoughts of what could happen to our nation, to our families, to ourselves. And then my husband said to me "Don't worry about it, you can't worry about the things you cannot change" and he was right. I had a peaceful feeling come over me and instantly started pouring my heart out to him about the things I can change. I said "I know that if we do all that our Heavenly Father has asked of us we shall have no fear for what is to come. " We have been asked to do so little on our part and he has promised us so many great things in return. I try to do those little things on a daily basis, I find peace and hope when I do good things in my life. Now that election day is over I hope that we all just love each other a little more, hold tight to the ones we love, do good things for those that hate us, make righteous choices everyday of our lives, remember who we are and what we stand for, and love ourselves for how hard we try because none of us are perfect. Faith has never been easy for me to have. I have always thought negative before trying to have faith that things would work out. When I was very sick after having Makenna my Grandpa Fullmer came to give me a priesthood blessing and he said to me "Natalie, how is your faith today?" I will never forget him saying that, I had no faith that day, my faith has grown since. Thank you Grandpa for instilling one of the most important values in me during a time in my life when I needed to learn it. I have always known what faith is but lately I have had to really exercise that faith in so many decisions i have had to make in my life. I have had to rely on the Lord to help me have faith. I have a testimony of faith and my faith has grown because of this election, I will have the faith that President Obama will lead us in the right direction and will do good for our country. I hope that we can all increase our faith together, and hope for the best for our country and for our President.

Going private in 2 weeks!

I am making my blog private please give me your email address if you want to look at my blog. Even if you think I have your email address you can give it to me again just to make sure I add you to my list, thank you. For those of you who look at my blog and don't have a blog like my sweet Aunt Donna or any of you others out there, just sign into blogger.com and set up a name and password so you can look at my blog. Love you all just don't feel safe some days.

Love you Kenna

I have always told my girls that I love them both morning and night. It is something I have never forgotten to do and I am proud of it. I think so many children get pushed aside and don't get told that they are loved enough. My thoughts are you can never over do saying I love you to anyone. Maddy and Kynzee tell me they love me all the time and they give me sweet hugs and kisses when they tell me they love me. So I have been waiting for Kenna to copy me and say I love you back and she never does. She repeats just about everything else I say but that. So to my surprise this morning after telling my sweet love able baby girl that I loved her, she very softly said "luf you" and I looked at her and said O my gosh you said it, you said it, you said love you. Kenna grinned from ear to ear and knew she did something so good. I felt so much joy and was so grateful for the precious girls in my life who tell me that they love me everyday. I love each of them more than words can describe. I know without a doubt that I will always be loved by them.

Our Happy Happy Halloween 2008

Wow we had a wonderful Halloween this year! The girls had a fun, and very busy day. I decided to start earlier in the day than we usually do because it seems like we never have enough time to make all our visits. We did pretty good on timing and everyone had a great day. This is what we did....

This is my princess snow white, miss kitty, and witch Maddy

Witch Maddy

(I tried to put a wart on her nose with mascara but it didn't stay on for very long)

Princess Snow White

Princess Snow White and Miss Kitty

Miss Kitty

(and she was not thrilled with her costume but she sure looked cute in it)

Uncle Jesse

Our first stop was to Uncle Jesse's work (cooperate express) He wanted to show the girls to everyone and give them some candy. We thought Jesse was dressed up for Halloween but really he wears this bright orange shirt to work everyday, doesn't he look great in orange! Anyway the girls loved to see where Jesse works and the treats in the buckets were a bonus. Thank you Jesse!

The colors outside Jesse's work were amazing so I had to stop and take a picture.

Great Grandpa and Grandma Fullmer

My mom always took me to see my grandparents on Halloween so I have kept up with that tradition (for the ones that live close anyway) The girls don't get to see them as often as I would like so it is always fun to visit them on Halloween.

Great Aunt Regena Fullmer

Great Grandpa Fullmer

The Andersen Family

In the old neighborhood that we use to live in we had some great neighbors that we became really good friends with. Their girls have always been so good to babysit for me and we sure do love them. When we stopped by to see them Dana had her face painted green and Maddy wanted hers green so Dana gave her a green face with a wart on her nose. Maddy was so excited all night and showed everyone her big wart on her nose. I am so glad I got a picture of them together, aren't they cute!

Whitney Andersen

This is one of our great babysitters!

"Grandma Teresa"

Grandma Teresa is actually Grandma Fullmer (my mom) and all the grand kids call her Grandma Teresa. Grandma gave the girls Halloween pez candies and they loved them. Thank you Grandma. We were sure sorry that Grandpa had to work and Auntie Katie had a date, we missed you both.

Trunk or Treat

Next we made it over to the church and did trunk or treating which they actually did inside the church in the classrooms and it was so nice because the kids didn't get cold at all. Our cousins Jani, Jaden, Alyssa, and Taya were there and we had so much fun seeing them on Halloween. Look at all those little people aren't they cute!

Daddy was so nice to take work off so he could spend Halloween with us and help us Trunk or Treat. Thank you Daddy!

Uncle Justin and the girls

Grandma and Grandpa "Willy" Williams

Today was actually Pa Pa Willy's birthday Happy Birthday Pa Pa! The girls had fun seeing scary uncle Justin and Grandma and Grandpa.

They even had a kitty for Kenna to play with, she loved that Kitty!

Trying to get a picture of Kenna's cute tail

Great Grandma Williams

Always fun to see Great Grandma Williams!

Playing on Great Grandma's tiger, I was surprised the girls had any energy to even play after such a long day.

Grandma is famous for her rice crispy treats, she makes them all the time and we sure do them them especially Miss Kitty who could not wait until she got home to eat hers. Thank you Grandma!