{ christmas }

We were able to have Christmas in Dallas at Katie and Adam's house. They were so nice to host all of us! It was lots of fun to all be together. The holiday was full of all the good stuff- family, friends, good food, ticket to ride, minute-to-win-it games, a puppy, presents, the Christmas Story, and lots of laughing.













This was the first year we had a real sized tree in our apartment and I loved it! I loved having a house full of Christmas music and decorations.

I really love Christmas time! I love that we get to celebrate Christ and the wonderful life he lived for us. I love how easy it seems to make him the center of our home at Christmas time and I hope to try even harder this year to make that last. This last year I was able to understand the atonement more fully and feel my Savior's love for me so deeply. I am so grateful for my Savior.

{I definitely missed my family lots though. I don't think I'll be going a whole December without a trip home to Utah again... I'm a little spoiled I know.}

{ Mouse in OUR House }

One day when Jared and I were taking a nap back in December we woke up to what sounded like someone typing on a computer. It sounded like it was coming from right under the bed. We were certain there was some critter somewhere stirring about. We searched everywhere but didn't find anything. We only heard it once more, and then we'd sort of just put it out of our minds.

Well while I was gone last week Jared saw a little mouse's tail hanging out from under my nightstand. NASTY!!! After he told me I literally had nightmares about mice. Naturally I'm thinking Jared would go buy a trap, clean up the poo, and take care of it before I got home.

Not so lucky. My husband, who usually is not one for emotion, is a huge softie! He kept begging me to give him one more night to CATCH the mouse and let it free outside. He kept saying, "I'm not sure why you are so set on killing the mouse."

He didn't catch it before I got home and I made him go buy a trap! Sorry I don't have a soft place in my heart for a little nasty critter that has been running around my house peeing, pooping, and probably eating stuff.

Last night the trap went off! HOORAY! Jared felt so bad that he could hear the little thing struggling that he took it on the patio and drowned it.

He just informed me that he used to have a PET mouse named Pete. Maybe that's why it was so emotional for him.

I love him. He adds so much to my life every single day.

{ We did something CRAZY }

This story begins back in December when we babysat this little puppy, Oscar, before Katie gave him to Adam for Christmas. We had so much fun with the little thing that after he was gone we started to feel some major puppy hunger.

So innocently we browsed some classifieds for puppies just to SEE what was out there. Nobody just looks at puppies though...
One day I had sent Jared a link to an ad of a cute little maltipoo. (Jared refuses to call it that... it is a mix of a maltese and a poodle.) When Jared got home at 7 I hadn't so much as spoken to the owners of the dog, but by 8:00 I had a puppy on my lap! It all happened so fast. I felt rushed. I was excited/nervous/regretful/in shock- pretty much just an array of emotions. (If I called you frantically in the moment you know I was being a crazy person!)
So we brought home this little girl.

We named her Pippa. She was so worked up the first night and I wasn't a fan of that. She diarrhea-ed on my kitchen floor and I really didn't like that. She cried in the night. I wasn't sure I could deal with that. Jared and I layed in bed that night and confessed to each other that we were afraid we didn't love her. :) We thought it was a bad sign that we loved Oscar more.

So the next day before Jared left for work he told me to make the ad. (He claims that he just meant make it in case, he wasn't thinking I'd actually post it!) He helped me take a few pictures before he left for work and by lunch time the ad was posted!

In those short hours I had her, I realized I had a very NEEDY puppy on my hands. She literally cried if I wouldn't hold her when I was going to the bathroom. When I got in the tub, even though she was right next to it and I was even petting her, she about had a heart attack. She was always right there wanting me to hold her. It was so silly.

( I don't let her get on my white rug, but she LOVES it

So before we sold her we let her nuzzle into it! She was so HAPPY)

Well within hours of posting the ad I had TONS of people wanting her! Again I didn't even really have time to think about it. Before I knew it Jared and I were on our way to meet her new owner with her crate etc. in our hands. Of course the girl wanted her. Who holds a puppy and doesn't buy it?

The story doesn't end there... Our 24 hour dog turned into our permanent (or permanent for now) dog.

The next day I woke up kind of sad that she was gone. I was regretting that I didn't give it more time. It was this little puppy's first day away from her mom and sisters so I should have given her some slack. When I came home from the gym to an empty house I was really sad. I was thinking a crazy, needy dog is better than an empty apartment all the time. So after talking to my sister, she said I could just text the girl to see how it went. I was sad when she responded that it went well. BUT....
a few hours later she texted me to tell me that she was worried because she works 6 12 hour shifts every other week. We texted back and forth a little more, with me trying not to steal the puppy back but desperately wanting her.

I went that night and got our puppy back!

Ashley LOVES puppies! -Especially ones that love to snuggle-

We love her so much now! We still have to work out some issues with her. She is slightly psychotic. :) Anyone that is pro at training dogs I'd love your advice!

I know we are crazy! Who gets a puppy when they are pretty much 6 months pregnant?!?

My belly has popped & I couldn't be more in love...

Pippa already looks so much bigger and cuter to us after just about a week.

"I wouldn't want to be married to someone smarter than me, or even as smart as me. But I wouldn't want to be married to someone as dumb as a pile of rocks either."

The Husband.

Glad to know he loves me because not only am I not as smart as him (so he thinks), but I am indeed smarter than a pile of rocks. :)

This made me laugh a lot.

Christmas cookies

Wow. I tried telling Jared that just because they were on sale we didn't need 7 boxes of cookies. He disagreed.

{ thanksgiving }

We drove down to San Antonio for Thanksgiving! It was lots of fun! We enjoyed lots of yummy food, games, and shopping. What more could you ask for? Heather is the best host. I just love her.

I made these candy turkeys with the girls. Jared was giving me a hard time that I was taking over the project. :) They were just a little harder to make than I thought. Peyton definitely helped me eat the candy though.

We also made these turkey cups. This was a little more their element.


Black Friday shopping was exciting for us this year! We have been wanting and waiting to make a few purchases in anticipation of this night! We scoped out the ads and Jared headed out to Target at about 6:00 to wait in line. It was so exciting. They only let 30 people in at a time and we were in the first 30! I was the first one to the camera counter, which was pretty thrilling. Jared says he could definitely see himself doing this every year.

This was our best trophy! There were only 7 left when they put this one in Jared's cart. It definitely felt like victory!

{ Halloween }

I LOVE that Heather and her cute family live just 3 hours away. I only wish it was closer, like next door closer; oh and that my whole family was there. Is that too much to ask? We were able to go to her home and celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving. I just love being with her and her cuties! We had fun!


Is he not the cutest? He was not happy that we were mean enough to put him in that pumpkin.


Hallie was a puppy this year. That costume has been in the family a LONG time. Dustin wore that when he was little and so did I. Peyton wanted to be something scary.

Our pumpkins.
Jared is so great to clean out our pumpkin every year. Sharing is awesome. :)

{ am i the only one? }

I noticed I did this the other day.

When I'm in someone else's house that is immaculate I literally tell myself that their drawers and cupboards are stuffed full of crap. :)

This may or may not make me a bad person.

Hopefully it just means I'm a slob.

{ Trip Highlights }

We were able to go to Rome and on a cruise in October with the Meier's. It was such an amazing experience! I still can't believe I was actually in these places. I'm so grateful for a beautiful world full of diverse people and places. It's simply incredible.

Here are just a few sample photos from the trip.

{ Camel Ride in Cairo }

{St. Paul's Basilica}

{ The Garden of Gethsemane}

{ Jerusalem }

{ The Vatican }

{ The Colosseum }

{ The Pantheon }

{ The Sea of Galilee }

{Pyramids at Giza}

{Turkey}

We feel so lucky to have been able to go to all these places!

{ Dear Neighbor }

Dear Neighbor,

Please do us both a favor and quit smoking. I can smell you.

It gives me a headache and makes me want to vomit.

Thanks,

Your neighbor with a pregnant nose.