Goodbye 2011~

You have been so good to me.

You have turned this sweet baby....

into this sweet toddler....

and gave me another little one to love.

I am so grateful for my family and friends. It really does take a support team to raise children and I'm glad that I have a great team.

I had a wonderful 2011 and look forward to an even greater 2012. I've set many goals for the new year and will share those with you on Monday.

Cheers to 2011 and Welcome to a new year!~

Top 5 Posts~

It was interesting to see which of my blog posts have been the most popular..according to Blogger.

And here they are.....

Number 5:

Magic Moments

I really enjoyed writing this post. It was fun to reflect on good times and look at old pictures. And goodness, Charlie looks so much like Walker in the picture of him and Noel.

Number 4:

Depressing Movie Endings

I was actually kinda surprised about this one being in the top 5. I think that a lot of people can relate to it, though. Going to a movie and HATING the ending. A movie that has since been added to the list: 500 Days of Summer. Buh. Noel loves this movie. I just don't get it. They don't end up together?!??! How can that possibly be ok?

Number 3:

Top Scenes

Yes, yes, and YES. Still agree with everything I said. Some of the clips have been taken off, but you can still find them on YouTube. I love Ryan Gosling even more now and the Wicker Park scene???? Forget it...I'm getting chills just thinking about it.

Number 2:

Out of the Hood Ballet Program

Classic blog post that illustrates everything that is wrong with the world today. I can still remember having this conversation with my students...and I'm still shaking my head.

Number 1:

Bachelorette Thoughts

Was there even a question? I'm still laughing. And still disgusted that I watched her entire season. Who's excited about next week? (If you don't know what starts next Monday, you're probably not excited) Look out Ben and Ben's concubines...I'm watching you.

2 months of sweetness~

Sweet little Walker turned 2 months on Sunday!

He is so easy going.

And such an angel.

Jazz Hand!

He has started to smile and "talk" a LOT, which is so exciting.

His favorite part of the day is probably bath time. He just learned how to splash in the water.

Walker loves being snuggled and really enjoys watching big brother run around.

He is sleeping really well at night. He goes to bed between 730 and 745, sleeps for about 8 hours, wakes up to eat, and then goes back down until about 630am. He uses this hour or so to snuggle with mommy.

Best friends

Walker with Grandpa

Wouldn't you love to find a sweet little baby under your tree?!

Snoozing away

We love you Walker!~

Christmas!!~

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!

We definitely did.

Handsome boys all dressed up for church.

Christmas outfits provided by Auntie Amanda

Holding hands. Adorable. Walker just had to spit up. on his outfit. 2 seconds before I took these pictures.

Christmas Eve was spent with the Anderson crew.

Charlie and cousin Ande.

Charlie was so excited about opening presents this year!

Interested in the same present.

And Christmas Day was spent with my familia.

Me, my sisters, and my mom

Probably Charlie's favorite toy...a bulldozer!

Auntie Sarah and Jessica presenting Walker with a toy. He loved it, of course.

Walker was snuggled the entire weekend.

More snuggling with Great Grandma Hilda.

Cute moment. Charlie and his cousins William, Ashton, Julia, and Colleen.

Playing with cousin Davis.

Being sneaky.

Showing Great Grandpa Walker his trains.

The boys snuggling with daddy.

Walker living the good life.

I love holidays so much and feel so blessed that we were able to spend it with our families.

Another thing I love?

David Yurman. And his bracelets. And my parents for surprising me with this one!!

I'm a Mormon~

Remember this post?

In our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, boys serve 2 year volunteer missions when they turn 19.

From the mormon.org website about missions:

The Lord's Church has always been a missionary church. Jesus Christ's life was the perfect example of missionary work. During His ministry on earth, he taught the gospel at all times, in all places, and to all kinds of people. Jesus taught the educated men in the temple, the sinners, the faithful and the unbelieving. He also called apostles and other disciples to preach the gospel so more people could hear about the blessings of His gospel. Most of their preaching during Christ's life was to their own people, the Jews. After Jesus was resurrected, He visited His apostles and sent them to preach to the gentiles. He commanded them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

I love hearing stories about people making good decisions.

This guy, Will Hopoate....

is one of them. How sharp is he?! I need to find some contact info seeing that he's around my sisters' ages.

THIS guy we all know, David Archuleta....

I've always loved him. What a beautiful moment when he announces his decision to serve a 2 year mission for our church.

Jesus Christ is the perfect example of missionary work, love, and service. I am grateful that we specifically have this time of year to celebrate His birth.

Have a Merry Christmas dear friends.~

Auntie Love~

"Only an aunt can give hugs like a mother, keep secrets like a sister and share love like a friend."

How true. And how grateful I am that Charlie and Walker get so much love.

Today, I made a visit to my miracle worker and hair stylist, Jordan.

While I was gone, the babies played with Auntie Jessie and Sari.

Charlie followed Uncle Jimmy around all morning too, so we can't leave him out!

♥

Kindness~

I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul.

Maya Angelou

I love this quote and find it to be so true.

I have been the recipient of many acts of kindness this week, and all of them have lifted my spirits.

People have brought by yummy treats, opened doors for me (huge deal with the bus of a stroller I push around), and a lady at Old Navy today gave me a 30% off coupon!

I am constantly trying to be better at service, and have great examples of it all around me.

Have you ever heard of the Random Acts of Kindness website?

This website posts a RAOK daily, has stories and inspirational ideas, and has a place to submit your own ideas.

Some examples of Random Acts of Kindness:

*Offer a couple of free hours of babysitting to parents (!)

*Donate used books to your library

*Give the elderly the gift of music

*Make a new friend

There are pages and pages of ideas. How wonderful!

Charlie performed an act of kindness this week by letting Walker play with his toys.

Walker loved it. :-)

I Hear Ewe~

Charlie is pretty tech savvy these days.

He loves looking at videos and pictures on my iPod, and I even found him scrolling through Facebook the other day.

Noel's friend, Greg, told us about this great, FREE(!) app.

It's called I Hear Ewe and it has 2 pages of animal sounds...

and most importantly, a page of "Things That Go" sounds.

Charlie loves clicking on the icons and hearing (and repeating) what each animal and truck say.

(Driving a motorcycle)

What are some of your favorite Toddler Apps?~

Eat, Play, Love~

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."

What a wonderful weekend spent with family.

Saturday was spent at my Grandma and Grandpa Walker's house and Sunday was spent at Noel's Granny Anderson's house.

We did a TON of eating, loads of playing, and shared in lots of love.

I love being around my siblings and cousins so much. On Saturday, after eating my Grandma's yummy meal, I realized that I hadn't seen my children in a while. I walked around the house and found my cousin Ava playing trains with Charlie, (Santa aka Mimi and Grandpa came with an early Christmas present) and found Walker snuggling up to my cousin Katie. What a great feeling of love!