Toby is 1!

I can't believe our little Tobster turned 1 on Jan. 21, 2011! That year went by so fast! I still remember the day we brought him home! He was so tiny and so innocent...we had no idea what we were in for!

He has continued growing and making us laugh since the day he joined our little family!
I'm not gonna lie, there have been MANY times that I have lost it with him because he does something naughty and doesn't listen to me (especially when he's outside, which is the worse time for your dog to develop selective hearing....you dog owners know EXACTLY what I'm talking about!) but then he looks at you with his little puppy eyes and the ice on your heart just melts! We love that little guy no matter how crazy he makes us!
Toby at 1 year old you have a little more than doubled in size and your color has gone from really dark brown to silver (with more white on your head and a tanish spot on your back!). You can jump REALLY high, seriously, we don't even have to bend down to pick you up you jump right into our arms! You don't chew things up as much anymore (which we are oh so grateful for) but you still can't control pulling the stuffing out of some of your toys. You still LOVE cuddling, which we also love (it definitely helps curb my baby hunger!)!

You love falling asleep under the covers either right between us or down by our feet but after a while you end up out of the covers and I usually wake up to you cuddling against my back while I cuddle up to daddy's back! You love eating ANYTHING that we eat, honestly, we attempted giving you pop rocks once and you didn't even hesitate in taking them and wanting more! You are awesome at holding it until we take you outside at our house, other peoples houses....not so much! You have learned the command "sit" and "shake" which you do very well when there is a treat involved! We love how excited you are to see us every time we come home whether we were gone for hours or minutes, your reaction is the same!

In the last few months you have discovered your tail, which is HILARIOUS to watch you chase and even catch and tug on! You love people and you always make them smile and love you in return! You tend to get these random bursts of energy and run around the house like a little psycho, which is also very funny to watch! I think that you like to hear yourself bark....a lot! You always make such funny noises when you're trying to get us to play with you and you've been nicknamed and Ewock because of it! You're very good at playing fetch even to the point where you'll place the toy right in our hand! You also like to toss things around, like your rawhides, and you're getting pretty good with your distance! You are spoiled rotten, which is okay I think! You are such a great little dog and we love you so very much!
When we were trying to decide between you and your siblings we were drawn to you because of your playfulness, energy and adorable face! We have never regretted our decision in choosing you even though I went puppy searching really wanting a little girl! You have proved that boys are just as fun and we wouldn't trade you for anything! You have challenged us and helped us (or at least me) grow as people. You are definitely helping me to work on my patience, which I like to think is getting better, so thanks! We plan on celebrating MANY more birthdays with you so plan on sticking around!

Prehistoric Adventure!

I got a fun date idea from this Dating Diva's Post and turned it into my own! Marcel LOVES the Jurassic Park movies so I thought it might be fun to use that as the theme of our movie marathon date! I really wanted to get some shirts but didn't want to pay $20 for each one so I decided to get a bit crafty! I printed the logo off of the Internet, used an exacto-knife to cut out the parts I wanted to paint, pulled out a black pj shirt of mine and Marcel's, pinned, painted and viola!

And the best part is that it didn't cost a dime!

I made this invitation and stuck it on the front door so Marcel would get it when he came home from work,

decorated our entry doors like the entry to Jurassic Park (sorta!),

and attempted to make some Pterodactyls!

He got home, saw the invitation, then came and climbed into bed for some much needed sleep. When we finally got up around 11:30 (I was pretty tired too!) I made pancakes (I was going to cut them into dinosaur shapes but Marcel just wanted plain round ones). They were pretty tasty! Next he opened his present with our shirts in it!

Then we watched the first Jurassic Park movie! We haven't seen them in a while so it was fun! After the movie was over we went deer spotting and then came home and I made Hawaiian Haystacks for dinner which turned out to be DeLiCiOuS (sorry no pictures, we scarfed it down pretty fast!)! At this point it was getting late so we decided not to continue our prehistoric adventure and just relaxed watching some regular TV. We needed to get up sooner to get all 3 watched in one day but what can I say, we love our sleep! It was still fun though! Marcel admitted to being a bit hesitant to go into the living room when he saw the door because of what I did to it for the last date I planned but I didn't rearrange anything for this one! I was a bit lame...!

I have fun doing stuff like this to surprise him and I think he enjoys it too' which is good because I have more planned for the future...mwahaha! ;)

2011: The beginning of a new Decade!

For New Years Eve we slept in because we both had the day off! Then we got ready and headed over to Moroni for some games (Austen's awesome Kinect) scrumptious food (steak and shrimp, Mmmmm!) and a good movie (Sorcerer's Apprentice, a must see!)! We then headed home and hung out for a bit before going to bed around 10:30.

We watched the ball drop at 10 and counted that as our celebration!

Marcel had to work on New Years Day so that's why we turned in so early. We were then woke up at midnight by the fireworks that they set off here in Nephi! At that point I was too tired to get out of bed to see them but I could spot little glints of colorful light through our blinds! The big blasts from them freaked Toby out a bit so it took a little while to calm him down to go back to sleep! So I suppose, in a way, we were awake to bring in the New Year! Hopefully next year will be a bit more eventful! We still had fun though!

This year sure has gone by fast! I can't believe it's already gone but here's to a new start for a new year. May it be full and prosperous for everyone!

Merry Christmas!

For Christmas Eve we did our usual tradition, for the most part. We went to Uli's house around noon for lunch (more delicious fondue), to play some games and to give out our gifts. Around 4ish we headed to Moroni to spend some time with my family. We hung out for a while, had some yummy pizza for dinner, scrumptious ice cream for desert, and did our gift exchange (which included our traditional Christmas Eve pj's!)! Santa even made a special stop to give Marcel his Christmas presents since he had to work!

Marcel's toppings all fell off when he went to take a bite! :)

Then Marcel had to head home because he had to work Christmas Day :'(. It was REALLY hard saying goodbye to him. It was our first Christmas apart since we met 3 years ago so I was a bit emotional. After watching him drive away I went back inside and my family and I watched "The A-Team" which if you haven't seen it yet, you need to! It's hilarious and action packed to boot!

Once the movie was over us kids headed downstairs to go to sleep so Santa could come! My siblings ended up actually sleeping in this year (yeah I know they're 19 and 13 but they still wake up at like 5a.m. wanting to go upstairs!) until about 7a.m., which was nice because I didn't sleep that great. Toby kept waking up because he could hear Santa sneaking around upstairs and that made for a looooong night! We then headed upstairs to my parents room, just like when we were little like we do every year :) (there's no way to grow out of that!), and headed to the tree as a family! We had a great Christmas and got some awesome stuff! ThAnKs A bUnCh SaNtA ;)!!

After presents we had our delicious Christmas Day breakfast which we all look forward to every year, my mom's amazing crepes! Mmm.mmm.mmmmm, they are finger lickin' good! I stuffed my face until it hurt to breath (that's a talent of mine) and then we relaxed and played with our new things!

I finally headed home around 6p.m. to take care of Storm and Demon. Other than Marcel having to work it was a great Christmas!

HaPpY HoLiDaYs!!!

Our little Christmas!

This year Marcel and I did our gift exchanges for each other on the 22nd. We did it so early because A)I'm WAY too impatient to wait for Christmas (I'm going to be one of those moms that wakes her kids up to open their presents!), and B) Marcel works the 23rd, we'll be with family all day on the 24th and he works again on the 25th (total bummer, I know). I bought these awesome hunting boots for him and got them for a steal of a deal (they're normally around $160 and I got them for around $70)! He's wanted them for a while so he was excited to get them!

I also painted him a picture of "Strike" which turned out pretty good I thought. It wasn't anywhere near what I had pictured in my mind but it will do! He loves it! It doesn't look like Strike but the antlers are the same, and that's the important part!

Marcel surprised me with an amazing new camera! Ours has been dying a slow painful death so it was very much needed! I absolutely LOVE it and can't wait to use it (other than the pictures I took while playing with it)!
Toby got to open one of his presents too! We got him one of those stockings that comes with a bunch of little doggy toys! He was pretty excited about all of his new things!

Storm and Demon got to open their new Tennis balls! Needless to say, Demon was SOOO happy!

{pic of S&D}

I love our little Christmas's together!

25 things you probably don't know about me...

1)Don't call me Jenny...EVER. It is not my name. And for some odd reason when people call me that it irritates me to my core! Odd I know...!

2)I am a HUGE procrastinator. I've had that problem my entire life so I doubt it's going to change anytime soon.

3)Marcel and I found each other on Myspace (long story)!

4)I can't stand having lotion on the palms of my hands. My hands dry out in the winter and so when I put on lotion I rub it in as much as I can and then wipe off my palms. It's kind of a waste, I know this, but I can't help it!

5)I am missing a tooth and have a screw in it's place. Marcel calls me "Jaws" on occasion because of it (some James Bond movie thing I guess). Rude I know ;) ! Honestly it isn't that bad. It's the 2nd to last tooth on the top-left side of my mouth so you won't ever see it unless I show you...which I don't usually do! **Not my x-ray but looks very similar.

The story behind this is one day my tooth...how do I put this...crumbled? in my mouth. When we went to the dentist for x-rays they discovered I had an infection that had eaten through the bone and was about to puncture my nasal cavity (in my defense I DO brush my teeth. He said it could happen to even the best brusher!). It was a root canal that had gone wrong. I then went to a specialist who pulled the remainder of that tooth, cleaned the infection, graphed some new bone and put in the screw (it took a few visits and was considered "surgery". I was awake for these). Before my first surgery the specialist had advised that I bring a discman with my favorite music to calm my nerves. I took his advice but my favorite music at the time was the new "Phantom of the Opera" CD, which I brought and immediately regretted! I sat in the chair, put on my headphones and pressed play. The first song started as they were laying me back. Did I mention that I'm terrified of the dentist?! The first song "Duuuun dun dun dun duuuun...." as the chair leans back with the specialist and his assistant leaning over me in their masks, gowns and caps, adjusting the light. I had to close my eyes and skip that song! It was the wrong song for the situation, or the perfect song, I'm still not sure! Anyway all is well and I just need to get a fake tooth! No biggie!

6)I LOVE boating but hate swimming suits, go figure!

7)I HATE tomatoes but I will eat Salsa (even chunky), Ketchup and love tomato soup. Something about the texture or taste of plain tomato...I can't do it!

8)I do NOT do very well with scary movies. I literally have nightmares from them! I love the adrenaline I get when watching them and used to watch them all the time when I was younger and dumber...yes "dumber"... and it wasn't such a good idea (I still have to sleep with the tv on when I'm alone and when turning off the lights at night I make sure the light is on in the next room to run to before turning one off!). I'm a little older and a tad bit wiser so I do my best to refrain from watching them now, which bums Marcel out because he loves scary movies but he understands. Such a good hubby! I have a great strategy for closing my eyes and plugging my ears at the same time if I need too though!

9)I am very much like a fish in the sense that I am very attracted to sparkly things! I honestly can't walk past a sparkly thing without stopping to touch it or slowing down immensely to gaze at its sparkly wonder and beauty!

10)I HATE bra shopping. It puts me in tears. I will change that someday.... :)

11)I have to fill in my eyebrows a bit because I got a bit tweezer happy in high school and they didn't grow back quite right!

12)I LOVE new socks! It's one of my favorite feelings putting on a new pair!

13)I can't wait to be a MOMMY (even if you don't know me you probably already know that)!

14)I love hunting! Mostly because I get to spend lots of extra time with Marcel but also because it's awesome! I used to think I wouldn't be able to do it but after my first hunt I was hooked!

15)I have a serious problem with biting my fingers (yep I'm even doing it now). When I was young I used to bite my nails so short that they would HURT. I've now stopped that and bite the skin around them (gross I know). It drives Marcel CRAZY but I can't stop! There may be some underlying issue there....hmmm...!

16)I broke my left leg when I was really little playing on a water bed. On that same leg I have had my knee pop out of place twice and hair line fractured my ankle.

17)I LOVE being crafty! If I could stay home all day and work on projects I would be in heaven!

18)I have a hard time downing eggs if they aren't scrambled...and I mean SCRAMBLED! No white. I watch people eat hard boiled eggs and wish that I liked them. I even try a bite every Easter expecting my taste to change and it never does. They look SO good and I wish I liked them! Is that normal?!

19)I am SOOO indecisive. Don't expect me to make a quick, on the spot decision because it ain't happenin'!

20)I am a Disney FANATIC!

21)I (along with my husband and family) quote movies ALL THE TIME! There is a quote for anything and any situation! I love it! Plus it's always fun to play the "name that movie" game!

22)I REALLY don't like answering phones, but I'm a receptionist. Hmmm....! Some days are okay but other days I want to rip the phone out of the wall (do you think they would fire me for that?!).

23)Every time I go into a bathroom right after someone I can't help but think as I go to sit on the throne, "their naked butt was just here"! It honestly never fails! I don't think it if I just go into a stall or bathroom at random but if it's right after someone walks out it's guaranteed that thought will cross my mind (not to make any of the people I work with paranoid ;) )! I can't be the only one that thinks this!

24)I used to be able to stay up to all hours of the night. Now I'm a dead beat by 10ish and I have NEVER been a morning person EVER!

25)My husband is my best friend and I love spending all of my extra time with him! People tell me that will change (we've been married a little over 2yrs with no kids) but why should it? It IS possible to stay in the newly-wed phase forever and I will do my best to keep it that way!

**Inspiration from Little Miss Momma Blog!