Par-tay!

We had a birthday party for my cousin, Karen, and my sister, Margaret, last Thursday at my Aunt Anne's house. There was good food, lots of laughing, and even more screaming (with that many little girls in the house, you can count on that, right?) Here are a few cute pictures of the kids.

Then Saturday night, we had a big party at our house with a bunch of the couples in our ward. If you can't tell, I love throwing parties, and we're lucky to have enough room to fit a lot of people at the same time. After everyone scarfed down Christine's amazing home-made salsa with chips and other yummy snacks, we played a few games of "Werewolves" (a twist off the game "Mafia"). So much fun!Then we all took a turn playing "Rock Band."

Wade was a natural at playing the guitar! :)

But I didn't even try the guitar or the drums this time, because I was having too much fun rocking out on the vocals!

The party was such a blast, and I can't wait for the next one!

You're going to love this!

After singing time and sharing time in junior primary today, one of my favorite little Sunbeams, Jonah, enthusiastically volunteered to say the closing prayer. This was his prayer...

{Dear Heavenly Father,

We are sooooooo thankful for Sister Reed! (That's me! I peeked and saw all the teachers looking at me, silently laughing because we all thought it was so cute! But wait, it gets better...)
And we're so thankful that the DINOSAURS weren't destroyed by the VOLCANOES and that the BOY DINOSAURS didn't eat the GIRL DINOSAURS.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.}

Wow, I was pretty flattered that he mentioned my name in the prayer along with the dinosaurs, knowing he's obsessed with dinosaurs. I must be doing something right in primary. :) Honestly, I feel so blessed to serve with the primary children. It was a good day today, and I'm still on a spiritual high from singing songs about our Savior with those sweet little ones.

My friend...

My baby has been in so much pain because his 2 year molars are coming in, so this sweet little product has become a good friend. He's still miserable, but it relieves him of some pain I can tell. Emily never had it this bad, but Jon just won't stop crying. He's been waking up every few hours in the middle of the night, and will not be comforted! His gums are swollen and red, and he keeps touching his face and says, "Oweee!" We've tried teething tablets, rotating the Ibuprofen and the Tylenol, and of course my other friend, Popsicles. That seems to comfort him for a few minutes or at least it distracts him from the pain.

It breaks my heart to see him in pain, but because he's so ornery, it's also making me ornery, too! He's is constantly whining and crying, and wants to be held every second. In fact, I'm holding him while I type this, because he won't let me put him down. Aggh! I wanted to go to my piano lessons and the library this morning, but I don't want to take him anywhere because he's so miserable. I just want to see my baby happy again. How long is this going to last?

Kangaroo Zoo

Since my friend, Brynn, moved and had twins, we haven't seen much of her, and we've been missing her and her sweet kids! So she and Traci planned a play date for a bunch of us to meet up at Kangaroo Zoo in North Salt Lake. I really wanted to spend time with my friends, but I was hesitant to go when I found out it would be $8 for Emily and $5 for Jonathan, and I didn't want to pay that much and then have one or both of them not like it. I called my friend, Kathy, in St. Louis because I knew she had taken her kids to Kangaroo Zoo when they used to live here. She told me if I went, I would be so glad that I did. And man, was she right! This place was awesome and worth every penny with inflatable bounce houses and slides that the kids went nuts over!

Jon, Emily, and Holden all geared up to go down the slide.

Jon's always been my little monkey. I think he learned to climb when he was 6 months old. ;) He was pretty much in heaven climbing up and down everything that day!Here's Emily just before she climbed to the top of the 3 story slide. She was so brave! I even freaked out when I went down it with Jon!

Salote, Emily, and Sammie all found another slide, a little less intimidating, but still fun.

Wahoo!

What a fun day! We can't wait to go back!

Healthy Lifestyle Changes

I continue to be inspired each time I watch The Biggest Loser. It's one of the things that keeps me going with the healthy lifestyle changes I've made. I recorded last night's show and after I watched it this afternoon, I thought it would be fun to give you an update on how I've been doing with those changes.

Here's me when I was 11 years-old. I have always struggled with my weight, and as much as I love this picture of my dad and me, it also makes me sad remembering being that chubby, freckle-faced red head. My mom said I had a "cute shape," and always told me how beautiful I was. Because of her, I developed some self-confidence, but it was still easy to compare myself to other girls and feel insecure at times. I'm sure some of you had a similar experience.

Here's a "before" picture of me in 2006
My goal was to lose 20 lbs by Dec. 2007. I surpassed my goal and lost 36 lbs and have kept every stinkin' pound off for the last year!!! That feels awesome to say. I'm still working out 3-4 times a week, drinking lots of water, watching portion control, and just eating healthier in general. I'll run my 3rd 5K this spring and want to run a 10K in the fall. I would love to hear your stories, too!

I have a Sunbeam?

I have been serving in the primary in our ward for 3 1/2 years, since about 2 seconds after we moved to Salt Lake, when I was still pregnant with Emily. And now she's a Sunbeam in Primary. Holy cow, I can't even believe I have a Sunbeam! My little girl is growing up!
I don't know if anyone told her that she wouldn't have toys and snacks in Primary like she did in Nursery, but for some reason, she did NOT want to go to Primary on Sunday. I led the singing with her by my side during most of opening exercises, but then she seemed to enjoy her class and was more comfortable with singing and sharing time after class. In Nursery, Jon kept asking, "Where's Emmy?" It was really cute. They're seriously the best playmates, and I think he missed her, but I feel lucky she gets to hang out with me now. I even spent extra time making my poster, knowing I was now teaching Emily the new song, too. It was really fun watching her sing along. I just can't believe how big both my kids are getting!

College Married Ward Party

Wade and I organized a reunion for our old college married ward on Saturday, December 27. Whenever we're in St. George, we only get to visit a few friends each time, so we organized this party so we could see a bunch of our friends all at once. It was so much fun! Wade and I prepared BBQ pork sandwiches for 40+ people and Brandi, Jodi, Kayla, Kelly, Sister Frei, and Sister Campbell all brought a side dish to ease my stress. The party was held at Bishop Nick Frei's home, which was a beautiful atmostphere.

There were still some who couldn't make it, and we missed you guys! But thanks to those who came and helped make the party a success. It was awesome!