Getting in the Christmas Spirit!

 We raced home Friday after Thanksgiving to meet up with Kelsey and Logan at Mountain River Ranch. For a canned food donation everyone could go on a wagon ride for FREE! It wasn't very cold but it really helped us get into the Christmas spirit! Fun night!

Thanksgiving in BOI

We decided this year to spend the entire week with my family in Boise. We left on Sunday so we could get there early in the week for Parker to participate in a basketball camp at Capital High School. We stayed at a hotel for the first three nights so we wouldn't overwhelm my parents. It ended up working out really well. We had so much fun seeing friends and spending time with family.
We stayed all day with Perry's on Monday. Bowling, treats, late night laughs, and Nate and Tom went to watch Logan's basketball practice. (To get coaching ideas).

We attended the Festival of Trees with everyone, saw Carter's first place finish in the Kindergarten art competition, and enjoyed dinner at Wok King. Crazy, but later that night the entire resturant burned down to the ground! What are the crazy odds of that?? We were able to meet up with friends at Merritts and we went to a YUMMY dinner at this new place called Fork downtown Boise with the Haskells. It was a really really great trip.

Thanksgiving dinner was fabulous, the girls even snuck out for awhile to get some black Friday shopping done which is always so much fun. We were FINISHED by midnight this year! Awesome!

Picture overload time!

Thankful Turkey

Another year, another gratitude turkey! A few new to this year included: "My booty" (my body), Daniel Tiger, and moody pre-teens! Dallin may or may not have been happy about participating this year. Oh boy.....

Tyguy's First Birthday!!

Happy first birthday my bitty Tyguy baby boy! I am SO overcome with emotion as I think about this past year and all of the JOY and HAPPINESS that you have brought to our family! You have the sweetest disposition and you smile at everyone. I adore that about you. People come up to me all the time and tell me what a darling boy you are. A lot of people think you are a girl (because you are so darn cute!)

Your birthday was very low key. Just your family, a cute cake, and a fun toy (that I bought used online). It is a blow up looking pool thing filled with balls. I couldn't bring myself to spend $60 on it but when I saw it at an online garage sale for $15 I was all over it!

We went over to a friends house to play earlier in the day. Most of the moms there had one or two kids....this mama was feeling really old after I left. It is funny to sit back and listen to new moms stress about the tiniest little things. I didn't say anything out loud but it made me realize how lucky you are little guy. This mama feels so much more confident about being a mom and I have just ENJOYED you this year....as much as I possibly could. I let things go, hold you as often as I can and I savor each second. You are my baby....my last little baby and I have not taken it for granted at all! I thought about how you are 1 and you still aren't walking. All of my other babies were walking by now but I am not worried in the least. Now, if I was a new mom....I'd be freaking out. Nope, you're just taking your time....you'll get there soon enough.

You mushed your cake up worse than any of your siblings. You ate a little but not much. You loved playing with your sissy in the balls all day long. It was a perfect day little man. I was so excited for you and just a bit sad at the same time. It was the FASTEST year of my life. I am so grateful that you are here. I needed you and I didn't even know it. I had no idea I could be so crazy over someone. (Except for your siblings of course!)

I love you to bits. I think I'll go grab you and smooch those cheekies for awhile!

New family pics

Farewell old blog

Well, I have come to a big decision about my little neglected blog. As a Christmas gift to myself and to my family, I am finally going to be having ALL of it published into books. That would be almost 1,000 entries, over the last 8 years!

Putting it off all of these years is going to cost me a pretty penny but I think it will be well worth every cent. I know how much my boys adore going through all of the old photo books that I have make for my Grandma each Christmas and how they love reminiscing about the trips we've taken and adventures we've been on together.

And because no one really reads my blog anymore anyways.....I've decided to make it private. For me alone. I've noticed that there have been times that I have wanted to record something but its too personal and I don't know who is looking. This is my only journal and I want it to be a place of honesty where I can record things that are important to me. I will continue to document my family but just for the Nathan and Staci Starnes Family.

I pride myself on being a very open person but lately I've been feeling the urge to keep things to myself and I'm feeling the need to record the things that are a little closer to my heart....things I don't really want the whole internet blogosphere to know about. Nothing monumental is going on here or anything.....just feeling the importance of recording things for my kids and feeling like they have no say on what I put out there has been kind of weighing on my mind.

It's been a fun adventure and the party will go on.......so follow me on instagram or facebook or pick up the phone or write me a letter or just come to my house. Haha. A very heartfelt goodbye to you all!