Merry Christmas Everyone!

Have a Happy Christmas Eve!

Ho, Ho, Ho.

For a Friend

I made this mini-quilt for my friend's birthday. I think it turned out pretty.

measures 17"x17"

Kid Conversation

This year we drew names within our family to buy gifts. Steve got Alexis, Alexis got Michael, Tommy got me, Michael got Tommy, and Amy got Steve. This was the conversation between the kids at breakfast this morning.

Tommy: Did you buy my Christmas present yet?

Michael: Yep.

Alexis: Yeah they did, and I know what it is.

Me: Alexis, mind your own business.

Tommy: What did you get me?

Michael: Battleship.

Tommy: I DIDN'T WANT TO KNOW!!! (while running to his room crying)

Michael: (crying) I don't like surprises!

The crying lasted at least 5 minutes from both boys. I took my breakfast into Steve's office and asked if I could live with him. It was all very funny.

Self Portrait

I took these pictures to put on my Facebook profile. I hate taking pictures of myself. I feel stupid. When I look at these, I just can't believe how dark my hair has gotten. They are a little out of focus, but I think that works in my favor.

Mmmmm....

Would you like a doughnut?

Scattergories Tag

My friend Jen tagged me, and I thought it looked pretty fun. I have to answer each question with a word that starts with the first letter of my name. Here it goes.

Name: Katie
Boy Name: Kevin
Girl Name: Karen
Occupation: Kite maker
Color: Kelly Green
Something You Wear: knit socks
Beverage: Kiwi Strawberry Snapple
Food: Kale
Something found in a Bathroom: Kotex
A Place: Kentucky
Reason For Being Late: Kissing
Something You Shout: KRAP! :)

I fudged the last one.

I tag anyone who would like to do this.

Thanks Jen!

Making a House a Home

I've very slowly been adding additions to the house to make it feel warmer. A few months ago I made valances for the family room, so last night I made a coordinating curtain? for the dining room window. I like how it turned out.

Before

After

"Gone Baptizin' "

On November 29th, Alexis Brooke Winn was baptized by her daddy. It was a different experience, actually a little funny. the primary in the ward had set the date for December 13th. We got a phone call on Monday evening from the ward executive secretary asking if we would like to be part of the Stake baptism on Saturday. We said sure, and were told that the stake would take care of the talks and songs. The baptism was scheduled for 5:00pm, so we planned on getting there a little early. When we got there we were surprised to see that it was a missionary baptism, and we told them what we were told. They were very nice and put us and our friends who's daughter was also getting baptised on the program. What's funny is that the girl they were baptising was from one of the Spanish wards. We had a half Spanish half English program. It was funny to me. During the hymns, one side of the room was singing in English and the other half was singing in Spanish. The speakers were bilingual, so they would say a few lines in English and then a few lines in Spanish. It was unlike any baptism I had been too. It was unforgettable.

Alexis with her very good friend, Lindsay.

The Christmas Sweater/ Happy Thanksgiving

Last night I read The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck. It was a very good story about a boy who gets a sweater for Christmas because his mother couldn't afford the bike he wanted. More than that though, this story is about the Atonement of Christ and how we can use it in our lives to help us along our journey and through our storms. I recommend this book to everyone. I think Glenn has laid it all out very nicely.

Also, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! We all have so much to be thankful and grateful for this year. I know I sure do.

Happy Birthday Mimi!

Today is Amy's birthday. We had a family birthday dinner for her on Sunday, and unfortunately my camera isn't working quite right so I wasn't able to get any pictures of her on that day. I am going to post a few from the past two years, though. She is such a sweet baby girl, and I am so happy to get to be her mom.

I Love Being a Mom

I love being a mom. I love that when the kids wake-up in the middle of the night, they come to my side of the bed. I can magically help them and they are alright. I love that as a mom they learn so much from me. I pray that I am teaching them the things they need to know. I love being a mom. I love watching my children grow. I am so happy for my kids when they succeed. I want to be their protector when their feelings get hurt by some mean kid. I can be a mother bear. Nobody better get in the way of me and my kids. I love playing at the park with the kids. Yes, it is a little boring, but seeing how much fun they have makes me happy. I love bath time. I love the smells of the baby wash and how soft my kids feel from it. I love reading with the kids and when they read to me. I love that I get to stay home with them and not miss a milestone. I'm so grateful not to have them with a day care provider. If they do something new I witness it, and if they do something bad I witness it. I am the nurturer and teacher. No one else gets to do my job with my kids and I love it. I love to see the smiles on their faces when they wake-up in the morning. I am who they depend on for all the meals and transportation. I am the chef and taxi. I love it. So much of who they are and will become comes from who I am and how I treat them. I never want them to feel for one second that what I do is not in their best interest. I think of them all day and pray that they are safe. I want them to obey, but I want them to know that when they disobey punishments do not mean that they have lost my love. The hardest part of being a mom for me is making sure that they know that I love them unconditionally. I love being a mom and I think it is the best gift from God. I am so grateful for my kids I love them more than they will know, until they become parents themselves.

Simply a Giveaway

One of my favorite quilting sites is called Simplify. I really love the fabric and patterns of the designer, Camille Roskelly. She has a new line she designed with her mom called Cotton Blossoms. It is really beautiful. Well, she is having a giveaway on her blog and if I mention it on my blog I will get three extra entries. Wish me luck!

Alexis Is Eight!

I can't believe how fast this past eight years has gone. I know it sounds corny but I do remember the day I had her like it was yesterday. It is so fun to watch her grow up and become a little lady. She is so able bodied and so smart. She is a great big sister and a wonderful daughter. I am so blessed to be her mom.

Happy Birthday, Alexis.

A Change in Plans

November 5,2008

Between yesterday and today I went through 26 hours of induced labor to deliver the body of our 17 week old baby boy. We have had complications throughout the entire pregnancy and are so grateful to have carried him this far. We are sad, but feel comfort. I knew there was the possibility of this happening, but after last weeks ultrasound I felt good about formally announcing the pregnancy and everything really looked good with the baby. My body was not cooperative this time. I am more grateful than I can say for the four beautiful children that the Lord has blessed us with and look forward to being able to still be their mom. We are doing well. I'm relieved to finally have closure to this and not have to worry each day that this was going to happen. Thanks for all of the phone calls and words of kindness.

Katie

Happy Halloween!

Tagged Again

Lisa tagged me.

6 Crazy Quirks That I Have

1. I can't sleep if the covers have wrinkles in them, so I smooth out the covers every night before I go to bed.

2. I don't like anything to touch my bare feet, not even my own feet. But walking around barefoot doesn't bother me.

3. I floss, then brush my teeth with baking soda, then I brush them with toothpaste and then I use Listerine... every morning.

4. I can't stand clothes being hung on the hanger facing the "wrong way" and I will rehang them.

5. I don't like when my coffee tables and end tables are crooked, and I am always moving them to be parallel to the couches.

6. I am picky about my kitchen utensils being used by other people. It weirds me out.

I am a control freak.

Halloween 2008

We had our ward Halloween party last night. It was really fun and I have to hand it to the ward activities commitee for doing such an awsome job. The kids had a great time. I wish I'd taken pictures while we were there, but I did get some of the kids in their costumes before we left. I have to say I think they are so cute.

Kids Notice Everything!

I was at Wal-Mart this mornig with Michael and Amy. We were in the magazine aisle because I was looking for a special quilting magazine, and I hear Amy say "Sarah Palin". I asked her what she had said and Michael says "She said Sarah Palin. She's right there!" Sure enough there were two books with Sarah Palin's face on the cover. I didn't think they knew who Sarah Palin was, but apparently they have caught on.

Tag... I'm It

My friend Stephanie has tagged me so here it goes...

8 Things

8 T.V. Shows I Love To Watch
LOST
Gilmore Girls
Jon and Kate Plus 8
Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting
Good Eats
The First 48
Food Network Challenge
Ghost Hunters

8 Favorite Resturaunts
Mimi's Cafe
Native New Yorker
Chili's
On the Border
City Pub
Outback
Applebees
Sonic (for the drinks)

8 Things That Happened Yesterday
We went to Costco
Walked to the mailbox
Took a nap
Had Wendy's for lunch
Picked up the kids from school
Watched Gilmore Girls
Tommy threw up
Cleaned up vomit

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To
My sister Molly and my niece Madison coming to visit next year
Christmas
Thanksgiving
More time to quilt
All of us getting over this stomach bug
Getting my house to feel more cozy
Getting our yard put in
April 2009

8 Things on My wish List
That all of my family will be healthy
Pay off the house early
Have zero debt
Steve retiring at 55
A nice 10x14 area rug
Paint through out my house
A family portrait
A trip alone with Steve

I tag anyone who would like to do this.

Tommy's First T-Ball Game

This was the cutest game I have ever seen. After the batter hit the ball, every kid on the opposite team scrambled for the ball and fought teammates for it. Most kids didn't realize they needed to throw the ball to first base, and there was no score keeping or outs. It was hilarious. I was pretty impressed with Tommy, however. He seemed to take it pretty seriously, and did a great job. Plus he was adorable in his uniform.

Conference Saturday

Alexis read in this months Friend magazine about a family that put up a tent to watch conference in their living room like the story of King Benjamin. She asked if we could do it too and we said yes. It was fun for a while, but they got bored with it pretty fast and after an hour they were using it to play hide and seek, and not to listen to the prophet. I did get some cute pictures, however. We took the tent down after the afternoon session.

We Went To Denver

We were able to got to Denver this at the end of September. It was so fun. My sisters were both there with their families. We have never all been together at the same time with all our kids. We had a great time. these pictures are not in the order they were taken on the trip, but that's ok. The first set are of us at the Littleton Historical Museum. It is a great (free) place to take the kids and let them just run around. It's a 1860's farm replica and a 1890's farm replica. I love it there. One night Steve's mom and dad made a little fire pit in their garden and we toasted marshmallows and had smores. The gluten-free bakery around the corner had gf graham crackers that allowed Tommy to have as much of a treat as everyone else. We also went to the Denver Zoo. I love this zoo. It has a great variety of animals, but it isn't so big that you can't see everything you want in one day. It was Amy's first time to a zoo since she was about 6 months old. She loved seeing the animals. Cindy and Steve also took the three older kids to the Cherry Creek Reservoir to go fishing. We practiced casting in the driveway first and even that was fun. I love my kids and how they love doing new things. Cindy also planned a treasure hunt for the kids complete with hidden map and buried treasure. Inside the treasure chest were lots of pirate dress-up stuff and even some wigs. The kids were adorable putting on all the gear.

The trip was great. The drive up and back was long, but the kids were so good we couldn't complain (much).