New Year New Beginnings

Well it has been a very long 5 years since I last posted and much has changed. We have now been without Steve for a little over a year and we are still adjusting to all the new things that are happening in our lives. We have moved to Utah and bought a home in Syracuse. The kids and I are loving our new home and being closer to family. Our new ward is wonderful and we could ask for a better neighborhood. The kids are all doing good in their new schools and we continue to work on moving forward in our lives without Steve. This holiday season has been a little hard but very nice and relaxing being able to enjoy each other and having Austin visit with us and being surrounded by wonderful family and neighbors who have made us feel so loved. I am hoping to start blogging again on a more regular basis with my new years goal of being at least once a month. We look forward to a new year full of endless possibilities and adventures. I hope that you will all have a wonderful New Year and that we all remember the love of our Savior and with him we can be okay with any trials that come our way. Love Cheralyn

Sienna's Birthday

Sienna had a wonderful 5th birthday this year. On her birthday Grandma Suzanne made her pancakes and cut up Kiwi (a new fruit to Sienna that she really likes. Grandma Kris send her a beautiful blue dress with butterflies on it that she made for Sienna as well as matching socks and blue butterfly hair assessories. Her birthday was on a Sunday so she got a special breakfast and got to open her gift from both her grandma's. Grandma Suznne gave her a necklace and a tithing box that has a lock and key. The next day on Monday the 28th we had her birthday party. She decided she wanted a ladybug party for her birthday this year so I got to work printing ladybugs and decorating everything all up. She had 4 friends come to enjoy the fun. We were able to have some fun outside since the weather decided to give us a good day. We went on an egg bug hunt, wrung flowers with hulahoops, had a ladybug flower beanbag toss, pinned the ladybug on the flower, and we also did musical bugs. I made her ladybug cake and little baby ladybug cupcakes. She got lots of great gifts including the dolphin pillow pet from mom and dad that she has been wanting since Christmas time. She is growing so fast and its hard to believe she is going to be going into kindergarten this next year. Boy how time flies. We love you Sienna!

Sienna's 5th Birthday Party

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Flowers

My birthday was December 20. The kids and my mother-in-law put together a wonderful dinner and had these beautiful flower and balloons for me. They were so nice to have around for my birthday and the holiday.

My sweet husband got me these beautiful poincettas for Christmas. (What a stinker we were not suppose to get each other anything but I was really surprised and greatful beacuse they are wonderful).

Crochet Along Afghan

Most of you know I love to crochet and in September I came across on one of the sites I follow what was called a crochet along. A crochet along is when you are given pieces of a project each week until it is done and you don't know what it will look like until the end. All I knew about this project was the colors and that it would be an afghan so I decided I would try and do this for my mother-in-law for Christmas since she would be here and I knew she would love something like this. It was a lot of fun to do and see pieces of an afghan slowly coming together week by week. I almost finished it in time for Christmas day. I had the whole thing put together to wrap for her other then the border. I was able to finish the border before she left and this is the finished Afghan. I am very happy with how it came out and so was she.

Christmas Decorations 2010

Here is our beautiful Christmas Tree.

We have a potpourri tree a little of everything from my hope of a magazine tree bows and beads, kids handmade ornament, lighted ornaments, wood, metal, glass and plastic as well as stuffed animal ornaments. We just love our tree.

I got many wonderful Christmas cards yet again this year which is one of my favorite things about Christmas, getting mail in the mailbox. Don't you just love when you get something in your outside mailbox!

Here are a few of the Christmas art projects on display from years past.

We have a wonderful fireplace which made for fun decorating and hanging of stockings!

Our advent calendar house and some of my village pieces. I haven't had my village out in probably 6 years because of little people. I was glad to have it out this year even though a few pieces were broken Sariyah really enjoyed getting it out and the kids all loved looking at it all month long.

A few more village pieces and my big snow globe tree!

I just love Christmas decorations!

Christmas Morning

Santa must have loved the goodies the kids left because as you can see it is all gone as well as the milk.

Santa left wonderful gifts by the tree!

The stocking were all lined up in front of the fire place all stuffed with Christmas joy! Austin even got his own quart of Chocolate Milk (boy does Santa know him well).

Blaize was so excited to see his red present from Santa of which he was sure was his Chow(Lightning McQueen) Computer!

A little bit of the wrapping paper got torn so he could see into the gift a little and couldn't wait to open it.

The kids all got what they wanted for Christmas from Santa and enjoyed seeing what each other got from Santa and everyone else. We really had a wonderful Christmas day and hope that everyone else was able to enjoy their Christmas day as well! Merry Christmas 2010!