Good Sunday...

Today at church was our ward conference. We got to church just in time to snag the very last row on the far side. Which happens to be a very small bench. As Kevin and I sat down with  our three kids, he leaned over to me and said I think we are getting to big for this bench. The kids are like to and need to be able to spread out a little. As Cole and Dailey were fighting over there spots of where they wanted to sit (yes fighting at age 5 and 2) somehow Kevin and I ended up sitting right next to each other. Which seems like has not happened in quite sometime. Usually there is a child in between us. I realized how much I have missed not being right next to him.
When we were first married with no kids we would play little games like: while singing the hymns he would cover a word with his finger to see if I would sing the right word or not. We also would try and guess who would be going up to bear their testimonies too. I am sure that is not the best game to play but we did play it.  I know, I know we should be reverent. But it was so fun to have him lean over and whisper to me. Things like at what point would the elderly people in front of us give in and leave the meeting due to our children. Funny thing, we have sat behind them before and unintentionally, keep ending up behind them we have drove them to leave early before not on purpose. Sorry cute older couple. It's hard to remember how it is with little ones around but please remember. Or if you can't we will try to sit farther away!
My kids were yelling, (well it felt like yelling, since I am pretty sure they do not have a whisper voice) things like I go POTTY, Dad, You didn't WIPE me very good, the church's tp is hard, I go POTTY. I think Kevin took them to the bathroom three different times. I am getting better at not being embarrassed and realizing, Hey we all gotta go and they just happen to shout it to everyone. I actually felt like I handled it better than I usually do. Maybe that is because hey we can handle going out to the potty fifteen times. It's the throw up stuff that is the real embarrassing thing. Right?! I also think that sitting by Kevin and being able to laugh about it together really helped. Cole said another really funny thing. He heard them say thanks for the bishop's remarks and he turn to us and said "what? The Bishop's from Mars" it was pretty funny. Through all of that I was able to listen.
We had a member of our stake presidency speak to us along with our bishop. They both gave A-mazing talks. The parts I heard of them. :)
I really LOVE hearing this particular counselor speak. He is just amazing and than I got to hear him speak again in Relief Society too. It was a great Sabbath Day.

Best of 2011/Things to remember...

My sister started a tradition of recapping everything that happened the year before. She includes one or two things per family and we all recap about what things happened when. Here is the list she came up with!


January:
Dad and Mel get off cretches.

February:
Archie is born on Feb. 1st
Dad turns the big 60
The Utah Jazz lose Jerry Sloan and D-Will
Andy changes his first Diaper

March:
Garret turns 1 years old
Mom wins the Bush family March Madness

April:
Girls went to Women's Conference
Bush girls are published in the church news
Andy becomes friends with Dan Pope

May:
Lucy is born on May 25th
Rachel runs the Ogden Half Marathon
Bush Family Garage Sale


Tyler and Ryan both earn Leadership awards at school
Jimmy goes to the re-dedication of the Atlanta temple

July:
Jimmy comes Home!
Albert comes to visit
Creig and Mindy go to Manti Pageant and sell Temple Spires Pictures

Creig and Mindy celebrate 10 year Anniversary and Mom and Dad celebrate 38 years.
Bear Lake Treasure Hunt and Boating

August:
Jacob gets Baptized
Maddie's birthday party with the Giant Slip and Slide

September:
Ben and Rach's Voonami Company hosts BYUcougars.com
Natalie and Morgan start Kindergarten
Madison starts first grade with french and english teachers
2nd Annual Food Fight
Cole learns to ride his bike and starts preschool

October:
Brighton and 1st Annual Talent Show
The Bush family invades Facebook for Contest
The Bush family wins free Lasik for Liz
Mel wins the Best Costume at the Halloween Party
Jim and Brit are OFFICIAL on facebook

November:
Melanie gets settlement from accident
Tyler gets braces off
Mom loses 50 Pounds

December:
Arrival of our Christmas Angel Nathan Parker on December 1st
Baby Owen joins the Winkel Family on December 19th
New Jobs for Kevin and Creig

Weight Loss Challenge...

Hello 2012! Kevin and I are in a weight loss competition. Some of my Mom's siblings and my family members are in it. It goes for 8 weeks. We had to take before pictures and you have to track your food. It started on Monday Jan. 2nd. If you gain a pound you have to pay $1 per pound you gain and also if you don't track your food too. I feel that is pretty motivating.
Here are our pictures. We will have to compare to the after pictures in 8 weeks!

Let the fun begin!

Happy New Year 2012...

Happy New Year! Wow. 2012. That seems so crazy to say. But easier to say than 2011.
Last night we rung in the new year with the Bush family here at our house.

It was nice to be surrounded by family. We ate, and played, and hung out until midnight. Than we all ran out to do some sparklers and bang those pots and pans to ring in the new year. Dailey and Lucy did not make it till midnight. I put them in their bed and crib and they were out.

I am really excited about this new year. I love the beginning of January. I love to get organized, set new goals, and plan. The end of January is another story, but the new year is so, So New and Exciting.

However, I can have a hard time with TIME (new year) too. Time, it passes so quickly, and than I think, I sometimes don't like things to change. I love the ages and stages of my kids. (Most Days)
I know there is fun in the years ahead too. But Man, these are the Days!

Like today at church. Now here is a story for ya. We are now at the 1:00 time. Just setting it up for you. Our kids are wasted. They stayed up all night, eating junk and playing.
We were on time to church. High Five. We sat mid pew. Not so smart. I had Lucy on my lap and Cole had fallen asleep between me and Kevin, head resting on my side. Dailey was on Kevin's lap. Falling asleep drinking a sippy cup. She starts gagging. Surprise Surprise. I toss over the burp cloth. He catches the first little bit in the cloth. Than I whisper. She's going to do more. Just so he can prep for the second blow. She does more. He catches it and takes her out.
Well I think everything is okay and they are just washing their hands and they will be back in. Right. Nope. Kevin comes in without Dailey. Says, We gotta go. He scoops up a sleeping Coleman and I gather all of our puppets and coloring books.
I go out in the hall and there is puke all over the carpet. Dailey is in the bathroom with more all over her. Kevin's suit coat is draped over the garbage can with puke all over it. More is in the sink too.
Lucky for us. My brother Ben, who goes to the ward ahead of us was out in the hall tending to bishopric duties.  We have him hold Lucy. While I clean up Dailey and the bathroom sink. Kevin is cleaning the hall floor just as the other ward is coming out of their classes. We have my friend Corinne and Rachel helping us too!
This definitely happens to us quite often with our little Dailey. So why the long post. Well I never want to forget how eventful church can be and also this time Kevin and my roles were changed. I have been the one in the hall with throw up all over and wondering why the heck he is not coming out to help. :) So it was nice to see the other side.
Anyhow we all came home changed clothes. Kevin and Cole went back to church. He was getting recalled to the Elders Quorum presidency. He was 2nd counselor and now he is 1st. They were going to set them apart today. So he went back with just a white shirt and some old dress pants. Since his suit did not survive the above casualties.

I thought of another reason I like to write this all down. I do enjoy going back and reading it. And another reason is one day when Cole, Day, and Lu are coming home from church early with their little families, cuz little Cole Jr. puked all over, they can see it runs in the family!

Week of fun...

Kevin has had the week after Christmas off! We have been loving it! We have lounged around playing with everything we have gotten for Christmas. We got several games like operation, perfection, sorry, and two new ps3 and wii game. So we have kept busy just playing!

We went to a Extended Bush Family get together where we ate and played basketball and the kids ran around with cousins! It has been a great time. We can't wait to party it up and bring in the new year. And reflect on the year we are leaving behind.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day...

Christmas Eve morning we woke up and made a breakfast casserole. We than all got ready and did a little wrapping of some of the gifts we were giving that night to family. We than decided we better mail Cole's letter to Santa so we took him to Gardner Village and while the girls were asleep in the car with Dad. Cole and I walked around and looked at the Elfs and mailed the letter that they take to Santa that night. (we were a little late on getting that letter, but lucky for us that one drop mailbox at Gardner Village gets it to Santa Express).

We than went and got some In and Out for lunch and than headed to our church to set up chairs for church the next day. From there we went straight to The Bush family Christmas Eve Party. Where we ate first with our appliances of Christmas pasts. Than we read from Luke 2 and dressed and acted it out. Than it was on to opening pajamas and the gift exchange! We came home and Cole and Dailey left some oreo cookies out for Santa and Cole spread some reindeer food out ( he got it from a little girl in his class) than we tucked the kids into bed. Dailey and Lucy did not sleep well that night. It wasn't because of the sugar plums dancing in their head either. They have had some bad coughs. Lucky for us we got rid of the fevers a week before but those darn coughs like to linger.

Kevin was so cute he surprised me by renting the Help DVD to watch later that night as we got the last minute stuff done.  

Christmas Morning we woke and opened the Santa gifts and our Stockings. Than we all got ready for church. We had sacrament at 9:00 so we rushed over. We only made it half way through the meeting before we headed home due to the fact that all the kids were coughing on the people right in front of us and I just could not take it any longer. Which is too bad because I really was excited to be at church on Christmas. 

So we came home and opened the rest of our gifts.  We than went to the Grandma and Grandpa Dearden's where we had dinner at 2:00 and than did our gift exchange after. It was really nice!

Than we went back to Grandma and Grandpa Bush's for another dinner and presents.

I really enjoyed Christmas this year. I loved having it on a Sunday. It was fun to play on Friday night we even made homemade peppermint ice cream. Than have Saturday to spend all day together and than Sunday. It was a constant Celebration. I am so thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ. What a great time to celebrate!

Cousin party with Uncle Jim and Brittany...

On Friday December 23rd Jimmy and his girlfriend Brittany decided to have all the nieces and nephews over to Jim's apartment so the adults could get some last minute things done for Christmas.
It was really cute of them both. Cole and Dailey were way excited. We dropped them off and they had gotten them Pizza, drinks, Chips, and cookies. They played games and watched a movie and even decorated Uncle Jimmy as a Christmas tree. Boy do I need to get a picture of that one.
I thought it was really cute of them to do that!