Merry Christmas!

This was a very memorable and wonderful Christmas for us and we hope it was for you all too. Here are some of our highlights.

Christmas Eve this year was at Kev's grandparents, and yes what you are seeing is one of the highlights. Everyone enjoys a festive enchilada with your choice of egg or no egg. Delicious!

Here are the boys in their new pajamas, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Shaw. Ty loves his! If you can't tell, they have tigers on them and now each morning he fights and cries about taking them off. He would wear them all day, everyday, if we would let him.

Here is the whole Naylor clan listening to the traditional, "Pixie in the Chimney" read by Grandma Naylor. Even Kev's brother on his mission asked for a tape of her reading this, it just wouldn't be Christmas without it.

Christmas morning at the Shaw home isn't Christmas morning without orange rolls and Toaster Strudels.
You would think this was Kev showing Ty how to use one of Ty's presents, but it isn't. Kev gets a Nerf gun every year, this is the one thing that makes it Christmas for him. I think Ty will like this tradition.

Jordan had a great Christmas too. Here he is with his blanket from Grandma Shaw. (Ty got one too.)
This was the fun we had at my parents. My dad gave my mom a lazy boy and the box was a hit. It is still being used more than anything else. We will finish Christmas with my family Friday night when they all get here, so there will be a follow up post about that.

We had a perfect Christmas this year. Ty was the perfect age and Jordo is all smiles. It was great to spend the day with family and have Kev home from work for a couple extra days! Now we can all relax a little a start planning for next year. Happy Holidays!

Four Spectacular Years!

Four years ago, today, I married my high school sweetheart, best friend and love of my life. It is amazing to think it has already been four years. We have done so much, come so far and every day has been amazing. We now have two beautiful little boys who add so much to the perfect life we have together. I know in no time it will be another four and who knows where we will be and what we will be doing then! But I do know that it will only get better.

Thanks to my wonderful husband. I love you more each day. Everday I am thankful we were married and sealed in the temple, knowing that we will not only be together for the rest of our lives, but for all eternity.

The First Snowman

On Saturday when we had a really good snow fall, Ty woke up very excited. So I decided to get over my hate for the cold and take him outside. I started bundling him up and preparing and when he was all ready, so was Kev. I told him he didn't have to, I would go, but he said he would. So they were off and they started building.
Ty helped a little, but mostly he was walking around saying, "Mom, I play in the snow! Dad, I play in the snow!" I should have kept track of how many times he said it. It was so fun watching him take it all in.
Then they were done! We had an accident with the oreo before it could get put in as an eye. Ty was so proud. When it was time to come in, he was NOT ready. I told Kev thanks for doing that, and he said, "Are you kidding? That was the first snowman with my son." He is such a great dad. Ty faithfully checked up on his snowman out the window and anytime we went anywhere or came home. Then Monday after his nap, I heard a yell, "Oh No! My snowman" So I went to see what had happened....

There he was. Ty wasn't sure what happened to his new friend. After a few minutes of talking about it, he felt better, only with the promise that when it snowed again, we could build a new one. Ty might be the only reason I like the snow this year.

The Annual Lighting Ceremony

Every year, the first Monday after Thanksgiving, Kev's parents host a "Lighting Ceremony" in their neighborhood. This has been going on for quite some time now and all the neighbors know that their Christmas lights need to be up by 7:30 that Monday night. After everyone has gathered and the hot chocolate and treats are ready, Kev's dad gives the signal. He lights a couple Whistling Pete's and everyone plugs their lights in. Then you chat and snack and it kicks the season off right. Here are a few pictures of the event.(We haven't figured out the art of flipping pictures yet- sorry) Here is Ty, I think he was headed to try to sneak a mallow meant for the hot chocolate. Do you remember in The Christmas Story when Ralphie's little brother is over bundled and can't put his arms down? Ty does.

Treats, anyone?

The only way Ty would cooperate was with hot chocolate in hand. I think Jordo was warm enough!

Merry Christmas! We hope everyone enjoys this holiday season.

I've been tagged!

I know this is a bit late, but I thought it best to do it now, or with the upcoming holidays, it might never happen. So here goes, 6 things about me. So please don't judge, six things isn't really a lot when you have so much!
1. Things like this stress me out. I always finish and then can't stop thinking about a million better things I should have put.
2. My family is my life. I love more than anything my two precious boys, Ty and Jordan, and being home with them every day makes me so happy. I am so blessed to be their mom and to watch them grow up each day.
3. I treasure alone time with my husband. With Kev going to school full time, working full time, being the executive secretary in our ward and with myself being over scouting (which is much busier than I would have guessed), two busy boys and all the day to day things, we don't get out much, just the two of us. So date nights, cuddling on the couch, even just drives when both the boys are either asleep or occupied, are very treasured times.
4. I just might be the most indecisive person ever. Which it just occurred to me is why these things are so hard. I cannot decide what to say. Kev will back me up on this. After hearing thousands of times, "I don't care, whatever you want", he deserves a medal.
5. More than anything, I want my boys to develop their own testimonies of Jesus Christ and their Heavenly Father. I believe if they have this, they can and will develop so many important attributes and traits that will shape their character.
6. I love fun things. Family parties, going out with friends, playing with my boys, watching my boys play with their dad and so many other things that make life fun.

Ty's birthday update

Well I got those other pictures of Ty's birthday. Here is our little ball player.

Birthday Buddies

So many of you may know that Ty's birthday is the day before mine, which is fun cause we do just one big celebration, which is really all for Ty. Who needs birthdays when your kids have them, right? Ty also shares his birthday with my little bro Ricky. Get ready for a lot of pictures! (But read on, the end is pretty great!)Just before this picture was taken, Ty was yelling "Oh, boy!" and "Oh my goodness!" He was quite impressed.
Here he is checking out his new ride. His feet can't quite reach the pedals, but that hasn't stopped him yet. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa! Ty also got a T-ball/pitching set from his Grandma and Grandpa Shaw, but those pictures aren't on my camera. When we get them, I will be sure to post a few. He's quite the little ball player. Our boys sure lucked out in the granparent department.

Jordan wanted to get in on the action. He is doing pretty good, huh?

For my birthday, Kev surprised me by taking the day off. It is always great to spend the day together when life is so busy. Then as the through out the day he would give me a rose with a clue to what we would be doing. Here is what one of them said:

We were only 16 and bound for love

As if brought together from forces above

High school lifestyle couldn't be beat

Let's eat at the place where we would first meet.

How great is he?! This took us to Hogi Yogi where we met when we worked there in high school. There were others that took us to other memorable places. Where we first kissed, where we decided to be married, where we had our first date. He constantly impresses me with how thoughtful and creative he is. I am the luckiest girl to be married to such a wonderful guy. He is also such a great dad to our two boys. I couldn't ask for a better husband. Thanks to my sweetheart for a spectacular 25th birthday!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween this year has been the best one so far. Ty is getting to the perfect age to really enjoy all the festivities. After he figured out what the phrase "Trick or Treat" got him, he was using it every chance he got. When other kids came to the door and said it, he thought that meant he could have a treat too. So he was sure to be there whenever there was a knock at the door. We did lots of fun things this year. There was a ward party, a family party, cookies with Grandma, pumpkin carving, trick or treating at Dad and Grandpa's work, and of course trick or treating at the neighbors. Ty is well stashed with candy and now the hard part will be rationing. Thanks to everyone who made this a memorable holiday and I hope you all had as much fun as us!
Though you may think it says Tigger, you are wrong. Ty was a tiger this year, not Tigger.

Thanks to family, we had this adorable Tootsie Roll for Jordan, and he was adorable!!

Kev borrowed this costume from his dad, Stake President Shaw, for work. Nice tats!

Here's one of the family!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Let it Snow!

Not really though. I think snow is one of the main reasons I would like to skip winter, but for some reason or another, there is something exciting about the first real snow of the season. This year, the reason is my kids! It was so fun to see Ty's eyes light up at the sight of the snow and rush to go outside to feel what it was like. He loved touching and playing with it, but then quickly realized the down side, it was COLD! He came in the house with his fists clenched and lips pulled tight saying, "I fweezin'!" But within seconds he was ready to go for another round. It looks like I will be out in the snow more than I would care this year, because Ty will want to be out there. But I can deal with a little cold for the sake of my crazy little boy getting some winter fun. Plus, as you can see, he has a great dad and grandpa that will willingly take him out to play too. In spite of the downsides to cold snowy winters, they sure do put you in the mood for the holiday season, and this one will be a fun one with two very energetic and enthusiastic boys!

The Pumpkin Patch

Every year, Bud, a neighbor and friend of Kev's family, sells pumpkins. His whole yard is full of the different piles and sizes, even different colors. It has become quite the popular spot for families to stop for their yearly pumpkin purchases. It is fun to roam through the pumkins, searching for the perfect one, and then give your dollar, or two (depending on the size) to Farmer Bud. We went last year when Ty really didn't understand what was going on. But this year... ..couldn't have been more fun. Ty found many pumpkins that he would have gladly taken as his own. He was running from pile to pile picking up and moving around as many pumpkins as he could carry. Grandpa tried to help him pick the perfect one, but in the end, Ty and his persistent personality, wanted to pick his own.We did take one home that was just his size and instead of putting it on the porch with the others, it sits in the car so when we go anywhere, his pumpkin goes too, right on his lap. Sitting in a pile a pumkins was about all Jordan could do to participate, but he did a pretty good job! Thanks to Farmer Bud and his sweet wife for the Perfect Pumpkin Patch and making this such a fun family tradition!

"A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!"

Whoever said that definitely had kids, or grandkids. Now, doesn't this look like fun. When Kev's sister, Jenny, was down visiting with her two girls, Gracie and Sophie, we attempted to get a picture with all four grandkids. The key word there attempted. We had four very different personalities to try to coordinate and a big pond of ducks as a very inticing distraction. It was fun to see the kids play and watch the ducks, but the actual picture taking was a challenge to say the least. Grandma ended up picking four seperate pictures, one of each kid, and putting those on her wall. Although I think this one was a close second!

Ladies and Gentleman...

The circus was spectacular! I don't think Ty could have had more fun. We started things off with a picinic out front which was pretty much pointless. The kids were too excited to eat and we ended up following Ty around to feed him. He was running around looking for the tigers and clowns. Then we headed in for the pre-show. We were on the front row of the upper bowl, which was so great cause the kids could look over the edge and see perfectly. Ty was doing that the whole night. As you can see, the pre-show was pure chaos, so we are glad we weren't down there, but Ty loved just watching from above and was doing his get the best possible view. At this point, he didn't even know what was to come. After the circus started, all Ty wanted was more. "More fire!" "More tigers!" "More elrant (elephant)!" "More clown!" He loved everything about the circus and could have watched all night. By the end, everyone was tired. The parents were tired, the grandparents were tired and the kids were tired. Everyone except Tyler. We anticipated him sleeping on the way home and even brought PJs along. But he just wanted to talk about the circus the whole way home. We all had a great time at the circus and Kev and I had an even greater time watching a listening to Ty in his pure joy. I think if he could, Ty would tell you that it really was "The Greatest Show on Earth!"

Sorry we are a bit late on the update of our circus adventure. Kev was going to do it, since he sat with Ty most the time and heard all the great things he said. But, for whatever reason, finding time in between work, school, homework, his calling and being with his family was tricky. So you got my best.

Adventures with Grandma!

This past week, my sister Pam and her two boys were in town, and Grandma had big plans to make it memorable. We started our adventures with a trip to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving point. This was heaven on earth for little boys, they couldn't get enough. Ty was a bit hesitant to walk under this "long-neck". His cousin, Braden, who was more than happy to be the brave one walked with him and then told him all about it. (Sorry the pic is a bit dark, I am not a skilled photographer.)





Then, the boys were ready to move on. The next stop was the water exibit. As you can see, Ty was pretty impressed by this mega shark. (I don't know the technical name) If you could see what happened next, Ty tried climbing over the railing to get a closer look. This is actually a bit disturbing if you ask me. Sharks these days freak my out, let alone one triple the size of a great white. The boys had loads of fun at the museum. The next place Grandma had in mind, was Jungle Jim's in Salt Lake. This was a mix betweeen a Chuck E. Cheese and Lagoon. They had rides for the kids and token games, but all in one building. Ty is quite the little daredevil and practically fearless, so he wanted to do every ride over and over. He even did some, like a roller coaster (which there is no picture because we were on it with the kids) and the mini swings, that his cousin Braden, who is 4, didn't want anything to do with. The one ride that did make him a bit nervous were the bumper cars. Braden could sense Ty's weakness and immediatly gained a sense of power. He kept ramming into Ty's car. After a few times of that and not being able to fight back, Ty yelled, "No get you! All done!" They have a sign posted at the front, "All parents ride free with children." So in order for Ty to get the full experience of the bumper cars, I took my parental responsibility and said I would ride with him. But that was not as easy as it sounds.
It took a good few minutes of rearraging my legs in ways I am sure they shouldn't bend, and I think I still have the impression of the side of the car in my left hip. But we gave Braden a few good bumps and then after realizing that doing that only shoved my shin into the front of the car, we spent the rest of the time running from him. Which, due to my extra weight, we were going much slower than Braden's quick car. But I think Ty had fun and Grandma and Pam were getting some good laughs. It is a good thing Ty is a skinny boy or both of us weren't fitting in that car. Thanks for everything Grandma!

Our next stop....THE CIRCUS!! We see Ringling Brothers tonight and we will be sure to update!!

A Plea of Forgiveness!

This goes out to me two dear friends, Whit and Megs! Happy Birthday to you both! I won't try to make excuses (although I do have many and they are all legit), I hope your birthdays were magnificent and better than ever. The day is always circled on my calendar and I always think about it everyday until the day. It seems, September 21 may just be blocked from my memory, since I seem to forget all too often. Anyway, I love you both and wish you a very Happy Birthday. Just wait for next year, I will knock your socks off!!!

A Mom's Right to Brag!

So, it may be a little hard to see, but look closely. This picture was colored by Ty, and only Ty. Though it may seem like there isn't much color on the page, notice the precise placement of the color that is there. Ty loves coloring and could do it for hours at a time. He has gotten pretty good, pretty fast. What a testimony of, "Practice makes Perfect"! He isn't even two yet and can already single out a small item and focus his crayon right on it. Needless to say, I am pretty pleased.

I've Been Tagged!

Gee, thanks Megs!
4 Jobs I've had
1. Fan-a-Mania
2. Prestwich Farms
3. Hogi Yogi
4. UCCU

4 Movies I Can Watch Over and Over Again
(This is a hard one, I am not so much a movie person)
1. Dirty Dancing (which I just converted my darling husband to)
2. Down Periscope -thanks Dad
3. The Count of Monte Cristo
4. The Pelican Brief

4 Places I've Lived-let's see if I can remember...
1.Orem
2. our first apartment in Provo
3. our second apartment in Orem
4. where we are now, in Orem
I have got to get out!

4 Favorite TV Shows
1. Regis and Kelly (which I haven't seen since Ty learned to care what is on the TV)
2. The Nine- which I don't think is on anymore, but loved it while it was
3. What I like about you (not a favorite, but it is on during naps)
4. Everybody Loves Raymond
(I know, I'm not really with it, but we don't have cable, so you do what you can)

4 Places I've been on a Holiday
1. Las Vegas- for my big bro's soccer tournaments-The Turkey Shoot
2. Home
3. Home
4. and Home (nothing like a holiday at home)

4 Favorite Dishes
(This is a cruel one, because with Jordo's issues, I can't eat any of these now!)
1. shredded pork salad at Costa Vida
2. Fajita Quesadillas from Chilis
3. marinated pork loin and potatoes at the in-laws on Sunday
4. my mom's famous Oreo, caramel and ice cream pie!!

4 websites I visit daily
1. Yahoo mail
2. friends' blogs
3. Travelocity or Expedia- working on a cruise for our 5 year anniversary!
4. UCCU- I'm OCD about balancing the checkbook

4 Places I'd rather be right now
1. Hawaii with my hubby
2. on a cruise with my sweatheart
3. on a shopping spree with unlimited funds -not my funds of course
4. doing something fun with the fam that would light up Ty's eyes

Here are 4 people I'm tagging
(I don't know 4 new people with blogs, so if you are here, do it and email me, or start a blog!!)
1. Emily McGuire
2. Pam Howard-hint, hint sis
3. Cassie Gay
4. Kara McArthur

Hello Boys

We have been trying to give Jordo tummy time so that he'll learn to move around and entertain himself. Most the time he just gets mad that he can't get to something he sees. But of course, Ty can't just sit back and watch, he has to be right there in the action. I make sure to stay close so that he doesn't casually roll on top of his little brother. After many attempts at trying to take a picture, this is what we got. Ty was usually moving to try to look at the camera, saying, "I see it!", and then, "Oh, tute." Since Jordo can't get around much, he was just enjoying having the whole family down on his level.

Noni Gras!

This past week we had the Noni Summer Party. We were lookin forward to this because last year was so fun for Ty. Right when we got there, Ty noticed the 5 blow up slides and the ponies. He was a little hesitant with the blow up toys but got used to them. He was really excited for the pony rides they had for kids. When he got on the pony, he said, "Yee Haw" as if he was riding off into the west.


Besides the kid toys, we got to eat amazing food, play carnival games, and make Mardi Gras masks. Once Ty got his mask on, he ran through the crowd and kept crashing into people because the eye holes weren't that big. Ty was having too much fun.
Finally it was time for the prize giveaway. Before we left for the party, we made sure our karma, fung shui, and lucky pair of underwear were on so that we could win the big prize (a complete home theatre with laz-y-boys, projector, and surround sound). In spite of mentally trying to have Kev's name pop out of the rest, we left once again empty handed. For those of you keeping track of our winning streak, we're 0-5 (kind of like Michigan's football winning streak if they keep it up).One good thing that happened was that Kev's team won the volleyball inturmural championship and was invited on stage to get a medal. (I'll be honest, I was expecting something a bit more exciting) He would keep it under his pillow to sleep on each night, but copper makes his skin turn green. We had a great time this year and were especially greatful that no one flashed 'noni's' at the Noni Gras Summer Party!

A Splice of our Life

The Shaws have joined the blog club. Just as a little update, Kev is working hard as ever at Tahitian Noni and then still manages to squeeze in four classes at UVSC. Aubrey is home with the boys and sometimes thinks she should change places with Kev. Just kidding. She loves it and wouldn't have it any other way, but it is busy. Ty will turn two November 5th and has entered the "Terrible Twos" just a bit early. He has learned he likes things his way and demands to do it himself. He is full of energy and loves to run and jump, and is a daddy's boy to the full extent. He cries when Kev comes home, probably more out of joy, but waits all day for him to walk through the door. Jordo is coming up on four months and is all smiles, well most of the time. We are busy, but happy and loving life.