Dear Santa...

I cannot express in words how greatful I was for the wonderful gifts. I have to apologize for being so snappy when you awoke me from my slumber, for a minute there I thought it was my silly sister but when I realized it was you I was the one feeling silly. As we opened gift after gift I had to keep my head down. A lump in my throat was causing my eyes to water (I'm not sure what was going on) and my legs wanted to run me straight to the bathroom to cry like a little baby but I held it together. Thank goodness for my self control because I would have hated for you & your little helpers to see me like that. Anyway, please thank everyone at the North Pole. This is one Christmas we will never forget thanks to you!!

Sincerely, The Schofieldians

G is for.....

I thought that this might be fun to play. All you have to do is make a list of ten of your favorite things. But there is a little catch. Everything on the list has to start with a specific letter of the Alphabet. That letter is randomly assigned by the blogger who you are playing with! I was assigned the letter 'G' by my sister Melissa at Rowdy Robertsons.

MY TOP TEN IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER

10. Gordmans - I love this store! They have EVERYTHING & it's cheap!! If you ever get a chance to shop there, I highly recommend it.
9. Google - where else would I find pictures of my top ten?
8. Gum - Orbit Gum to be exact......mmmmm!

7. Grease - who doesn't love this movie?

6. Gloves - these come in handy when shoveling snow which I have been doing a lot of lately.5. Glow in the Dark - anything really.....glow paint, glow sticks, glow bracelets, etc. In my old bedroom there is still glow in the dark paint on the light fixture that says CRYSTAL LOVES NICK. My mom tried to get it off but TRUE LOVE never faileth right?

4. Grandparents - This is Grandpa Swede & Grandma Ann. They're pretty awesome.

3. Garanimals - these clothes from walmart are cheap cheap cheap (I'm all about saving a buck these days) and they're pretty cute too!

2. the word "Gosh" - I am from Utah ya know.
1. GOD - Giving & Gracious. Without HIM none of the above would really exist.

Home Sweet Home

I am so EXCITED to be home! We had Thanksgiving with the Schofields this year & my sister in law Josi was an awesome host (as always). I was going to send a thank you in the mail but since she's a blogger I'll just do it here - THANK YOU, THANK YOU ,THANK YOU!! We really had an awesome time and you always make us feel SO welcome. I took tons of pictures but sent the laptop back with Nick so I'll have to post them later. Anyway, Nick flew back to CO on Monday and I headed to Milfy. It's always a whirlwind around here with places to go & people to see so time flies by TOO fast. I went with my mom and Aunt Mary Jo (aka...Jillian) to work out and left Kendra with grandpa. On our way home, I called to check on them and Grandpa was changing a POOPY diaper.....way to go Dad! When we pulled into the driveway, there they were, all bundled up and on the riding lawn mower. She was grinning from ear to ear. What a fun babysitter!
We drove over to CC so I could sub for bunco and it was a blast. We had it at "Hotel Whittaker" and Lynette practically put on a BUFFET. It was D-LISH! Everyone won a prize, even ME, I won towels (are you excited Nick?). I miss my old bunco pals {tear}. We've stayed here for a few nights and Kendra has about 6 bruises on her face and head now. She's fell of the couch, into the granite fireplace and had a ceramic snowman fall on her head. I guess I should have brought a helmet. Now we're headed to town for the StoryBook Parade and to see Santa Clause. Gotta run!

and mother of the year goes to..........

The other day while I was cleaning (must have been really into it) this is what I came across, all except Kendra who was sitting on the floor admiring her handiwork- SCARY! She was having herself a good old time and even handling them all by their handles. What a good girl I have. Take a breath Grandma's, she's still alive!
We also have to give a big shout out to Aunt Melissa for this adorable turkey bow. It's our favorite and instead of matching the bows to her outfits like usual, we find ourselves trying to find things that will match this one. I LOVE BOWS, as if all of you didn't know this already. One day I'll post a picture of our collection, it's quite impressive!

My lucky day!

We went to the mall today so I could get a haircut & while we were there some girls from Kiddie Kandids asked us if they could practice doing pictures with Kendra. My answer was - uh, yeah - so Nick went with her while I got my haircut. The girl was new but they still turned out pretty cute except for one which I didn't include because they made my little super model look like a nerd. Anyway, we got a free picture out of it so lucky us right?

Well my day only got better when I seen the finished product of my new A-Line haircut. I like it. I mean, I always like getting a haircut but this time I "really" liked it so yay for me! A lucky day 'ey?

BYU VS. AIRFORCE

Just got back from the football game & it was so much fun. They opened the show with an airplane & 6 six guys that parachute into the stadium as they announce them one by one. About five minutes later 3 - F15's flew over us & that alone was worth the price of admission.

Of course I painted Kendra's face and as you can tell, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I had big plans for that BYU logo and found out the hard way that 1 year olds can't hold still. She still looked cute, even the airforce fans got a kick out of it.

The stadium was packed and when Airforce scored, the cadets would run out to the field and do a push up for every point. At half time they let a falcon fly around the stadium & do some tricks. The academy sure knows how to put on a show.

Kendra was mostly naughty & wanted to get down but the bleachers were wet from yesterday's snow storm. That red-headed temper definitely shined through today, I tell ya what! She finally fell asleep after half time & I'm pretty sure I heard angels singing HALLELUJAH.

I can't forget about the cheerleaders because they're mostly what I watch anyway. Nick & Mitch didn't mind watching them either which I'm sure was strictly due to the squads SKILLS. Anyway, BYU won the game. Falcons 24 Cougars 38. Way to go BYU!!

What we've been up to

This week Kendra started swim lessons. It's the cutest little class where they do little songs & nursery rhymes with actions for the water. Then we practice kicking & splashing & going under water. I was a little worried about the "going under" part but no reaction is good right? She just comes up, wipes her eyes & is ready for the next game. SHE LOVES IT. They also give them all a squirt toy to carry around. She picks the same one every time....a yellow penguin.....and if she can't hold it in her hands she carries it around in her mouth. Do you think she picked that up from the dog? They do spend a lot of time together.In NICK NEWS lately, he continues to have a severe case of buck fever. He often calls me on his way home from work and tell me about the deer he's seen. This is one of his latest finds, if you can see. The one in the middle is pretty big.

This last picture is K & her daddy watching THE WONDER PETS . Everytime the opening song comes on, Kendra starts to hyperventilate so we're pretty sure it's her favorite. Anyho0 - there's nothing cuter than these 2 having a little cuddle time. It melts me!

LOOK WHAT I CAN DO

Here's my latest creation - A TUTU! Isn't it cute? Kendra didn't think so, in fact she hated it. I think it was the scratchy material, she's a silky girl. Next time I'm feeling crafty, maybe I'll reach for something in the satin aisle. Oh & picture #2 has nothing to do with this post, just a fun picture of our little miss.

Requested by Grandma

Here is a picture of your little red head. Hope it's to your liking. She definitely isn't camera shy. We love & miss you tons!

a GoOd NiGHt aFteR aLL

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

We had a great Halloween even though we didn't do the usual trick or treating. Instead we had a going away dinner for our friend Jordan at the Sunbird Resturaunt (which was awesome). He's going back home to Iowa tomorrow & we're sure gonna miss him. In the spirit of Halloween I dressed Kendra up anyway & took some pictures for her scrapbook. These guys are always a hoot. I never did blog about poker night last week. We had it here on our patio & when Nick ran out of chips he came in the trailer & I went out. Frank loaned me some of his chips & I won back $6 for Nick. Better than nothing right? Anyway, dinner was fun & it turned out to be a great night! Hope your Halloween was spooktacular!

It's a good life!

Today was just a normal day. I woke up to Kendra's babbling. I layed in bed listening for a good 20 minutes before going to get her. When I opened her door she greeted me with her usual "Hi" and then proceeded to play our morning ritual game, Peek-a-Boo, where she squats down in her pack'n'play and presses her tiny hand against the mesh for me to kiss. It's after I've done this that she jumps up to finish the game. She does this over and over until her little heart is content. Finally, she reaches up for me to signal that it's time to pick her up for some loves and binky-breath kisses. I'm smitten!

She's such a happy girl, that Kendra. So happy that even I cannot stay sad for a second. She's contagious! When we go to the store, for a walk, out to eat, we get stopped because of her. I couldn't count all the old ladies that have grabbed her cheeks without warning and laid one on her. It's that red hair and pagent wave I guess.

I've had a rough week, maybe not rough but a little lonely. I could go into detail but it doesn't matter. What does matter is that I'm here with my little family. I married the best guy in the world. I have a healthy happy baby. I've met some awesome people here & overall my life is great. I'm not trying to convince myself but I am trying to remind myself of all the good things in my my life. So when I get homesick or tear up after talking with Lynette (yes, I miss you) I have to remember the most important things in life and wishing we were back home is not on that list. Wanna know what's near the top of my list? Binky-Breath kisses of course!

Leelou Launch Party

Annual Emma Crawford Coffin Races

Emma Crawford lived in Manitou Springs at the turn of the century, arriving with the hopes that the famous drinking Mineral Springs would help with a cure for her tuberculosis. Sadly, in the summer of 1890 Emma died quite young, just before she was to marry Mr. Hildebrand, an engineer on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. Her wishes were to be laid to rest on top of Red Mountain. Her heartbroken fiancee and eleven other men began the arduous task her carrying Emma's coffin up to the top of Red Mountain. It took them all day, working two shifts to scale the 7200 foot Summit. After years of stormy weather on the granite mountain the granite gave way and Emma's remains were washed down the side of Red Mountain. Emma was later buried in the Manitou Springs Cemetery in an unmarked grave. An official grave site was granted to her in 2004 to honor her life. Now every year in late October, Manitou Springs remembers this beautiful young woman who loved her town and her Red Mountain with this unique festival.

Little did we know that this was a HUGE event! Take a look at the crowd in this picture, there were thousands of people. I waited all week for this and then we couldn't even see that well. Then Kendra wasn't even interested in the costumes or the parade, all she cared about was feeding some stupid dogs her cheeseburger.
Anyway - It was still pretty fun to watch plus we got one more use out of Kendra's costume. I love Halloween!!