"A house does not have to be perfect to be a home of joy, a child does not have to behave perfectly to love and be loved, and every moment of life does not have to be perfect to be of value. Too often, I realize, we fail to see the glorious reality of the simple joy that abounds in the seemingly mundane routine of day-to-day living. Instead, we tend to idolize the past, idealize the future, and devalue the present.... What better way to show our appreciation to Heavenly Father for what we have than to embrace our lives, albeit 'ordinary' and 'unexciting,' with joy?"

--Winnie Dalley; Ensign, March 1998

Friday, December 26, 2008

Cooper's own heaven...

Other than to occasionally eat or drink, Cooper hasn't seemed to leave his room much today. It is like his own slice of heaven on earth.


Thursday, December 25, 2008

Santa came...

And boy did he spoil...




We had a very, very merry Christmas and hope you did too!

Monday, December 22, 2008

We've been filling our time with:






When the children are asleep...

Their daddy will play! Justin and Chloe started making an igloo yesterday afternoon and after the kids were in bed he headed back out to finish it up!


I never though that living here in the Seattle area, that I'd have a huge igloo in my front yard- but I do!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Lazy, relaxing Sunday



Due to the weather, church was cancelled today. That left us with nothing to do except hang out at home and enjoy (most of the time) each other's company!








The much anticipated Santa visit

Friday night, with chains on our tires, we trekked down to Factoria Mall to see Santa Claus. Chloe was sooo excited to visit Santa, though she did have a little performance anxiety while on 'the big guy's' lap. When he asked what she wanted for Christmas, all she could squeak out was, "I can't remember." With a little help from Justin, she was able to tell him what she was hoping he'd bring. Cooper was unsure of Santa, but did ok. He had a very serious look on his face for the entire encounter!

(a photo of the photo)


Afterwards, Chloe got to chose where we went to dinner. She chose the Old Country Buffet and we agreed it was time for our annual dining experience there!




Where else, other than a buffet, could you have both a taco and spaghetti for dinner?!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Tired of Snow Posts Yet?!

If the forecast holds any truth, there will be many more snow pictures and posts to come...

Tonight, playing in the snow with Justin: