Christmas lights, OOOOO!

High of 9...WHAT?!!

Today it is only going to be a high of 9 degrees. Right now it is 2 degrees outside! It's getting cold here! The other day I was taking Brian to work and I was complaining about how cold it was in the car. He looked at the temperature gage and said, "It's 19 degrees outside...it's not cold!" Sad thing is, I agreed with him. 19 degrees isn't cold here; those are warm days here in the winter! It's going to be a long one! We love the snow though!

He really DOES love her!

We were a little worried about how Zaiden would react to having a new baby in the home, but obviously he loves her! He asks to hold her all the time and then he doesn't want to let go. He loves giving her hugs and kisses too (a little too much sometimes :)).

What cute kids!
So precious!

Grandma's Fudge...It's that good!

While my Mom was here helping out she made some yummy desserts for us (she also cooked almost every meal for us too, she's amazing)! We started off with fudge one day, then cookies shaped like turkeys, a pumpkin roll, apple pie, pumpkin pie and banana cream pie! All for our little family! And the sad part is that they are all gone except the pumpkin roll which we put in the freezer for a later time! They were all so delicious! Just watch the video...it says it all!

We are so grateful to my Mom for coming to help us. I know it was a huge sacrifice for her and we appreciate ALL she did for us while she was here. I was really sad when I had to drop her off at the airport on Thursday morning. I cried the entire way home from Idaho Falls for a couple of reasons, 1.)Because while she was here she did everything for us, from changing diapers to making meals and cleaning up messes and now that she's gone I have to get back to reality! And 2.)Because she is my mom and I love and missed her so much and I was really sad to see her go even though I know we will see her (and the rest of the family) in a few weeks for Christmas! She really is the greatest Mom and I love her so much! Thanks Mom!

She's Here...

Emree Nicole Mowers

Emree was born on Friday, November 21st at 3:51 am. She weighed 6 lbs 6 oz. and was 20" long. Everything went well with the delivery and mom and baby are doing great at home now. She is such a sweet baby and we are so grateful to have her here now!Alyssa loves having a baby sister to hold. It's like having her own, live baby doll!
Zaiden on the other hand is not so happy! I don't think he gets it yet!
Grandma Mortensen was able to come up and help out. We love her and are so grateful for all she is doing for us! She is great!

Counting down the days

Our kids have been asking us every day when the baby is going to be here. We told them when grandma comes then the baby will come after that. Well, that only made things worse. Now they ask us every day when grandma is coming, so today we decided to make a chain counting down the days.

In 5 days grandma will be here and in 10 days the baby will be here (I'm being induced). Hopefully they will catch onto the concept and the questions will stop!
WE CAN'T WAIT!!!

Flat Stanley

My nephew, David, sent us a little boy called "Flat Stanley" (as part of a school project). He wanted to have some excitement and I guess he thought we would be exciting! Sorry Flat Stanley...we're not that exciting, but here are some pictures of what we did the past few days with him here...

We took a picture by the temple...and it was cold!!! Don't worry Brian is standing behind the kids so they don't fall off the sign! :)

It snowed!!!
Brian, Jordan and Flat Stanley made a snowman! It didn't snow a lot but it was enough to a least build a little snowman!

...And that's about it. Flat Stanley is on his way back to Arizona. It was fun having him here! Thanks David for thinking of us and we miss you and your family!

Love, Aunt Sheree

Halloween Fun

We had a lot of fun on Halloween. We thought it would be cold and snowing but it wasn't! The weather was perfect!

We went Trick-or-Treating with Kindra (Fuentes, from Snowflake) Ulberg and her family. This is her yongest Merick. He was the cutest one out of them all!

From left to right: Zoey, Alyssa, Jordan, and Cloah. I probably spelled thier kids names wrong but we still had a lot of fun! Thanks for letting us tag along!

I love the Fall!

The weather here has been so nice! I almost forgot how much I love the changing of colors and the "crisp air" smell! We spend as much time as possible outside because I know it won't last long and we want to soak it all in!

I couldn't get a really good picture of the kids but you get the picture...they love it too!

They were trying to make "leaf angels" in this picture!

Boys!

I was trying to get a cute video of Zaiden spinning around (it's his favorite thing to do right now!) but Jordan was so wired he kept getting in the video. It's still cute though...I think...and it just shows you how much energy Jordan has even right before bedtime!

Shocked!!!

So yesterday Brian and I were in the kitchen and all the sudden the lights went out. We then heard Jordan start to cry. We looked over and he had stuck a piece of metal into an outlet. He got the shock of his life! He luckily was okay with just one little burn on his index finger but it sure did take a while to calm him down. Here's a picture of what it looked like! Bet he'll never do that again!

Alyssa goes to Pre-School (Again!)

Alyssa started pre-school (round 2) last week. She was so excited (I think because she could get out of the house for a few hours a day) and so was I! I try to teach our kids at home but I just don't have a lot of patience for it. I'm thankful for the one that do have the patience and can teach my kids more than I can! Now if we can just get J.J. into a pre-school here (he wants to go to school sooooo bad!)

She is quite the picture poser too (and thank you DeAnne for the sweater, she loves it and wants to wear it every day which is fine with me because it's cold here)!

Crashed!!!!

A little over a week ago our computer crashed. I'm not sure what happened but we just couldn't get it to start up anymore. We were able (with the help of a neighbor) to save a lot of our files but for some reason I lost quite a bit of photos in the process. I'm really sad because I wasn't finished catching up on some of the posts that I needed to do for the end of August and into September. I guess that's one of the reasons you should procrastinate! Anyway, I will just have to write the events out without any pictures. Sorry!!

While Brian's parents were up here visiting we were able to go to Yellowstone National Park. I know I've been there before but it was when I was young and I don't remember a lot of it. It was really neat to see the different geysers, hot springs and pools. We got there just in time to see "Old Faithful" go off which was pretty cool. We were hoping to see a lot of different wildlife but all we saw were some elk/deer and some duck (or geese I can't remember). We were bummed that we didn't get to see a bear or some buffalo or something cool like that! But we did have a lot of fun and the kids I think enjoyed it too!

The next day we packed up the truck and headed back to Arizona with Brian's parents. Brian had to stay up in Idaho because he had just started his new job. It was really hard to leave without him not know how long we would be in Arizona, but the kids and I had to go back to sell the truck, trailer and a few other things, meet with my doctor and Alyssa's dentist and a few other things. The kids did so good on the trip and I am so grateful to Brian's Dad for driving us all the way and for Brian's Mom helping with the kids. They are so patient and kind with the kids it's no wonder their kids (Brian's brothers and sisters) turned out so good! We love Grandpa and Grandma Mowers!

While down in the Valley we stayed with my parents. We are grateful to them for letting us stay with them. I know it's not the easiest situation to be in when your not used to 3 little kids running around all the time! And then not knowing when the chaos is going to end! It was hard on the kids too not being in their own bed, having a set routine and not being able to see their dad every day. But again, we were so grateful they let us stay there with no questioned asked! While we were there they helped me out a lot with the kids and with the things I needed to get done before going back to Idaho. I'm so glad I got to spend so much time with them before heading back.

We were only in Arizona for a little over a week when both Brian and I had decided it didn't matter if I didn't have insurance or not in Idaho, it wasn't worth being apart. So we bought a few plane tickets and headed back to Idaho the next day. I was really nervous about getting on a plane being pregnant with 3 kids to handle by myself but I think the Lord knew I needed a little extra help that day. The kids did awesome! It was the perfect plane ride! Not even 5 minutes off the ground both Jordan and Zaiden had fallen asleep and Alyssa colored the entire time. I was even able to shut my eyes for a little while and get some much needed sleep! It was great! It truly was miracle! Brian picked us up at the Salt Lake Airport and we headed back to Idaho grateful to be back with him!

The very next day I got a letter in the mail stating I had been excepted for insurance here in Idaho through my pregnancy. I know the Lord is mindful of us and we are here for a reason! There are so many little things that have happened since we have been here that just seem to fall into place for us and I can't help but thank our Heavenly Father for all the small and simple things.

Sorry for the novel but I just needed to write some of the things out! Hope you don't mind! There's a lot more I left out just to spare you from reading all of my thoughts!

Love, Sheree

Celebrating Youth

Brian's parents were able to come up to visit us for almost a week in August! They drove our van up for us (Thank you!). They actually came on our anniversary (the 18Th) and the next day they watched the kids for us while we went out on a date! It was such a nice break for us and we were able to go see a movie. When we got back from our date they had taken the kids to the park and this is what they were up to. I guess every year in August the Town of Rexburg has a "Celebrating Youth" day. They had lots of things going on like...

Several blow-up games and bouncers, a rock climbing wall, free cotton candy and popcorn, and tons of booths that different businesses throughout the town set up!

The National Guard was there with a helicopter the kids could sit in....
And take pictures by...Also, a big tank that they could explore in and sit on!
Free Carousel rides!
Free dinner for everyone (Sloppy Joe's, milk, chips, carrots, orange slices, and cookies)! Can you believe that?!
A fire engine that sprayed everyone! I think this was J.J.'s favorite!

And Zaiden had fun with a good ol' straw and Wendy's cup! Grandma said that he played with this cup for the longest time.

At the end of it all we were able to see the helicopter take off. That was pretty cool...it was loud too! The kids had so much fun and we were so grateful to Grandpa and Grandma Mowers for watching them for us while we went out on a date!

8 is GREAT!

On August 18Th we celebrated 8 years of marriage! I won't lie...it's been a long, tough road...but I wouldn't trade all the trials and hardships for the world. I believe they have made us stronger as a couple and grow together more than anything else. I truly love this man and all he does for me and the kids. He always puts others first and wants to make sure he is doing the right thing for the right reasons. I am so proud of him wanting to go back to school and finish his degree. It has been a tough challenge to get into the school he wanted to (BYU-Idaho) but he stuck it out and wouldn't take no for an answer (I think he was rejected at least 4 or 5 times before they finally gave up and let him in)! I love that he is such a hard worker and he teaches our kids how to work. He has a lot more patience with them than I do! I am so grateful for you honey...I love you!

Fishing the Snake River

The day we moved here after my Dad, Bruce and Brian unloaded the moving truck they all took off to go fishing. Brian had a blast and loves going fishing. Although they didn't catch anything big enough to take home they did catch a few little ones! Brian still talks about this fishing trip and wants to go again (so if you ever read this Bruce, Brian is always up for fishing if you need someone to go with you ;) Here are some pictures of the event:


I think this is the biggest fish they caught all day (you may have to zoom in to see it)!

I know, I know!

I know it's been over a month and I still haven't updated anything. I could say I've just been too busy but that would just be an excuse. I've just been lazy! So over the next couple of days I am committed to updating our blog on the things that have happened in the past month (and there's a lot that's happened)! Since I use this as kind of my journal just bare with me on some of the things (you don't have to read everything :)!

We're here...Alive and kicking!

Well, I'm finally getting around to updating everyone with our move. I guess I'll start from the beginning. My Dad we able to go up with us and help us move. We really appreciate all of his help and we hope his back is feeling better after the long drive and move! It took us about 24 hours (drive time) to get here. We left Queen Creek at 7:30pm on Sunday, August 3rd and slept in the truck the 1st night for about 2 hours (it was actually around 4 in the morning when we stopped to sleep). Then we drove all day the next day and stopped and stayed the night at Bruce and Susan Woods' house in Shelley, Idaho (which is about 30 minutes from Rexburg but we couldn't drive another minute that day!). They were so kind to open their home to us and give us a great tasting dinner that night. Thank you guys so much, we really appreciate it! We woke up the next morning and headed to our apartment in Rexburg. Bruce was there as well to help us unload and we are grateful to him for the help!


















J.J. was Grandpa's driving buddy for most of the trip! He loved riding in the "big yellow truck"!


















These next pictures are for those that I've talked to about how small our apartment is. And yes, our piano doubles as an entertainment center, isn't that funny!


















Here is the Kitchen/Dinning Room. This is as you first walk into the apartment!


















Here is the Master Closet...

...and Master Bedroom!

Alyssa and Zaiden share a room...along with all the toys! This is Alyssa's side...


















...and this is Zaiden's side!


















This is J.J.'s room/deskroom/...


















...junk-that-we-need-to-go-thru-room! Sorry J.J.!























Even though it is small it fits our needs for right now and we are making the best of it. There are many positives to living in a small area. I'll save that for another post later though!




There is a waterpark here in Rexburg that the kids love. It's free... so of course we love it too!


















Yes, Alyssa stays dry the entire time! But she still has a little fun!





















It has been great here so far. The people are so nice and the weather is unbelievable (for now:)! We welcome any visitors that want to join us in this weather! Believe it or not we do have 1 extra bed and some floor space people can sleep on so come on over!