Holly Jolly Christmas, It's the best time of the year!!

Wow, we must have been really good this year! We had such an amazing Christmas and it was so nice to spend it with our family in Idaho because we'll probably be a long ways away this time next year! Thanks to everyone who made it so special for us! Here are a few pictures, mostly to show off Leighton's cuteness :] Hope everyone had a great holiday!

Happy New Year Y'all!

Leighton's cute Christmas dress!

Santa Claus was good to Leighton this year!

I just love the jeggings on her, I can't help it. I'm such a proud Mommy!

She was hilarious when we finally let her walk outside, it's usually too icy...

Opening her Christmas pajamas from Mic-Mic!

Our little family down by the temple in Idaho Falls, I'm so lucky!

Merry Christmas from the Maxfield's!

Another year has come and gone and once again I am overcome with how blessed our family has been! When we entered 2010, we had no idea all of the changes our little family faced. Leighton was 7 months old and we were enjoying the Christmas break, but Jack was beginning the BYU-Idaho nursing program and we were excited and stressed and nervous for what this chapter in our life would hold.

Jack began the Nursing Program in January and amazed me with balancing school, working 25-30 hours a week and never getting home from work before 3am on the weekends, only to get back up and do the same thing again. He flew through his first 2 semesters with flying colors and then in August we went to South Carolina to visit my family there and made the ultimate decision that when we got back, Jack would return to school unemployed. Between confusion and stress, leaving his job opened a new door for him to be a lab tutor in the nursing lab on campus (a job his teachers highly recommended him for) and where he is able to practice his skills and study with other students. This was such a blessing as we have needed the extra income. So he completed his 3rd semester with all A's once again (my brilliant hubby :] ) and is taking a New Testament class over Christmas break so he can graduate in April with his RN. In April, we will be leaving Idaho for Jack to work a minimum of 1 year in an Intensive Care Unit, which is a requirement for a graduate degree in Nurse Anesthesia. We are not sure where we will be moving or where he will attend graduate school, but we enjoying the light at the end of this tunnel...and freezing a little in the process!! Ha!

Last winter, we also had been praying about a few other things, not the least of which being my hopes to reapply to BYU-Idaho (I had a lot of credits there but no degree yet). The more we talked and prayed, the more we came to terms that: while a lot of BYU-I credits will not transfer to another school, an Associate's degree would. So with confirmation, I reapplied and was accepted to finish school in April with Jack. This has been such a blessing for me to continue learning and growing at the Lord's University. I am so thankful for the friends I've made and the Spirit I've felt being back in school. I want to set a good example for Leighton that education is important and you should learn whenever you have the opportunity, in the classroom and otherwise. I am continuing to work at Horkley's and I'm very grateful to have had this job the last 4 or so years. I will be working Saturdays for my last semester and will probably miss it when we leave, but hope to be an official "Stay at home Mommy" after my Horkley's era ends.

Leighton is 19 months now! I just can't believe how fast she is growing! She is constantly moving and changing. She can count to 13 .. sometimes 15 right now and loves to fill in the letters I stop at in the ABC's. She loves to read, we read anywhere from 10 to 20 books a day together, even when I am in school. She is completely obsessed with Toy Story and can name every character of almost every Pixar movie (Yes, we have a DVD player in the car). She loves coloring and watching her Mickey Mouse Club and PBS. She loves dancing and ANY kind of MUSIC! If she can strum it or tap the keys, she's in heaven. Leighton loves her bedtime, she likes routine and often brings us her book and her toothbrush when 7pm rolls around. She is learning to pray and always says "Heavly Fader, thank you" when we have our arms folded. It is adorable!

She asked Santa for a talking Jessie doll and a play kitchen for Christmas, so we'll see what's here Christmas morning... she has been a very good girl, you know. She can say any word we ask her to, her vocabulary is growing daily. She is beautiful inside and out. I am sad to say that she has had a few diva tantrums this past 2 weeks. But she understands time-out and counting to ten, then saying that she is sorry(which is the saddest thing I've ever seen, but she is learning). She is a lot like her dad, in the way that she is careful and humble and very sincere in all of her words and actions. She is a lot like her mom in the way that she laughs a lot and likes to be a busy-girl. Some say she has my blue eyes and her daddy's eyelashes. She certainly is a daddy's girl. We feel so lucky that the Lord found us fit to take care of his beautiful daughter Leighton and we can't imagine life without her now. We are so blessed to have our "Little L!"

We are very 'braggy' parents :] We hope this Christmas finds y'all all safe and warm! We are very blessed to have such great friends and family, near and far! Hope you are enjoying the holidays and may we all remember the "Reason for the Season!" We appreciate you all and love you! Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Halloween 2010

Our Family at Boo at the Zoo in Idaho Falls

Right now, Leighton is watching Toy Story 3 for the first time since the theater and even when I say her name (3 times in a row) she doesn't so much as blink! She LOVES Toy Story and talks about Buzz, Woody, and Jessie nonstop lately, and Halloween was no different! She got super excited every time she saw a kid dressed as any of the Toy Story characters! We had such a fun Halloween this year! Last year, Jack had to work all night and it was more about me taking pictures of Tinkerbell(her costume), but this year we all dressed up as Pirates and Leighton walked and trick-or-treated all night! Halloween is one of our favorites, as it always feels like the beginning of the Holidays! And it is so much fun as a parent, Leighton loved knocking on doors and saying "Thank you" every time she got a candy. I love October!!

Leighton and Grandma

Leighton and Grandpa looking at the monkeys

Ward Trunk-or-Treat

Us at home before Trick-or-Treat

Happy Fall!!

I love this one of me and Little L!

This is my pre-Halloween post, but do not be distressed! Costume pictures will come on Sunday! I just got excited and wanted to post some Fall pictures! Fall is our family's favorite time of year, all of the leaves changing and the cool(not cold) weather! I love Fall, especially in Idaho! So here are a few cute pictures from me and Leighton playing in the leaves! Happy Fall!

I like this one because you can see the trailer and the 309. I put it in her baby book as her first house because in this one, we make the trailer look good! Hahaha!
The Princess and the Pumpkin!

And here is one of Leighton playing with her friends Brooklyn and Brodie on the playground! Last week was so fun, Kathie and the kids should come stay more often!

WALKIN' ON SUNSHINE!

Leighton took some steps yesterday and we got them on video! (We do have to put her in front of us, but she walks right to us, 4 or 5 steps at a time!) That made my whole week, since Jack will be leaving us for a few days this week :[ I'm glad he was here for it! She can totally walk, she's just holding out on us! Well that's all I've got today!

For now, enjoy this adorable picture of "ol' blue eyes!" (as Byron and Susan call her!)

Our Little Chatterbox :)

Leighton has been doing so much fun stuff lately and although I'm super busy(totally worked 12 hours today!), I just want to write it down somewhere until I have time to catalog in her baby book. She is growing up so fast and I just feel so lucky to be her Momma, I love her so much!

My little girl is so smart :) She folds her arms when we say prayers and has started standing without holding onto the furniture, she upgraded to big girl sippy cups and loves "Buzz and Woody." She likes her big girl books more than any of her toys and is starting to point to things on the pages when I ask her, like babies or Woody. She kisses her baby dolls and pats their back when she hugs them. She sleeps 12 hours a night and has been napping like a champ (usually saving my sanity when the house isn't clean). She claps and high-fives and 'bumps it!' She can now show you where her nose, mouth, tongue, ears, and belly-button are. She is just developing such an awesome little personality and I love to watch her in action!

She has really widened her vocabulary the past month or so and can say almost anything I ask her to say, but here are the words she says when she recognizes things or when I ask her a question:

Mommy

Daddy

Baby

Wowwww!

Buddy

Addi

Abby

Hi

Hello (holding anything long and skinny to her ear like a phone!)

Four

Five

Bubbles

Pop

Bump-it (we totally stole this from Jen&Dan with Mason)

Minnie

Elmo

Banana

Bite

Apple (usually knocking on the fridge)

Night-Night

Bat-Ti(for Bath-time)

Lub(for Love...but she says it in context)

La-La

Water

Bye Bye

Papa(Joey)

Mic-Mic

Happy

Puppy

Kitty (but we don't see a lot of cats, so this one is rare)

Bella

Amen

Please

(Her own version of) Thank you

Tut-dow(Touch-down, with her arms straight over her head like the referee... do we watch enough football? GO COCKS!)

...And still one of my all-time fave's: "mah-num mah-num"...her own made up word for yum-yum when she's ready to eat!

14 Months

Wow, Leighton is really growing up fast! We will be in SC in a few days and we're getting so excited! I wish I had more pictures to post, but I just snapped this with my cell phone today!

Rexburg Circus and a few things about Leighton

This week we went to the circus in Rexburg! I didn't take a lot of pictures of the acts, but I did get some of Melissa riding the elephant with her girls (and I totally forgot to give you the CD Melissa, I will give it to you next time I see you!) and a few of all of us there! I love spending time with my family and Leighton loves to play with her cousins! I am going to have a lot of catching up to do after this semester, but here are a few things Leighton does/likes right now:

1. She just turned 1 and we had an 'Alice in Wonderland' party with Jack's parents, a few friends, and my Mom, Brandon, Jenny, and Hunter were even able to come!

2. She loves to talk! She just babbles away and we just laugh and laugh because she "knows" exactly what she is telling us! She says 'please' a lot now, as well as 'baby,' 'mama,' 'dada,' 'oooooh!,' 'bella' (her cousin), 'ten' (when we count), and occasionally she will say 'tank you' and 'elmo.'

3. She loves to brush her teeth and sleeps from 7pm-7am! She even points to her crib after reading and prayer at night.

4. She feeds herself a lot now, especially bananas! She's like a little monkey!

5. She is getting a lot better at being "soft" with babies and other kids and understands 'no-no.'

6. Her chronic ear infections are getting a lot better and she doesn't seem to pull at them much the past 2 weeks.

7. She is a total daddy's girl, I always joke with Jack that I have to be the favorite with baby#2.

8. She loves playing with blocks and counting and loves ANYTHING WITH MUSIC... just like Mom and Dad.

9. Her favorite thing to say is "baa-TAH" and laugh her bum off, but none of us can figure out what it means! She says it over and over, so we get a real kick out of it!

10. She has 8 teeth and is teething again and she hates to have a dirty diaper, so hopefully this will come in handy when potty-training time comes!

Well, here is one more picture that I thought was cute... she kept hitting her highchair and saying "baa-TAH"!

Crazy 8's!

Ok... I haven't posted in quite a long time, but just to prove I still read all my family's blogs, Lindsay tagged me in this one, so what the heck! :]

8 TV Shows I Watch
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. 30 Rock
3. Modern Family
4. The Office
5. The Big Bang Theory
6. How I Met Your Mother
7. Biggest Loser
8. Vampire Diaries (Don't ask me.. I'll deny it! HA!)



8 Favorite Restaurants
1. Chick Fil A
2. Olive Garden
3. Garcia's Mexican

4. San Jose's

5. Macaroni Grill

6. Anything JAPANESE
7. Five Guys
8. Texas Roadhouse



8 Things I Look Forward To
1. Having the night off with Jack to RELAX
2. The weekends!
3. Seeing my family when I can visit
4. Blowing Leighton bubbles in the bathtub
5. Idaho Summertime.. if it ever comes!!!
6. Playing games with Jack, board games or on the Wii.
7. Having another baby
8. JACK FINISHING SCHOOL! Shoulda' been #1!!



8 Things I Did Yesterday
1. Went to class
2. Made chocolate covered strawberries
3. Went to the Farmer's Market
4. Watched some movies with Jack
5. Played with Leighton all morning :]
6. Visited my friends at Horkley's
7. Let Leighton eat chicken, something kinda new
8. Washed some blankets for my Mom's bed on Tuesday

8 Things I Am Passionate About
1. The Gospel
2. Family and quality time together
3. Education
4. Making time for just Leighton, with no distractions or homework
5. Being outside for the 3 months you can here. haha.
6. Reading my scriptures and praying every morning and night
7. Paying full tithing to the Lord
8. Hanging out with good friends

8 Words/Phrases I Often Use
1. Bye Bye
2. Say, "Baby"
3. IIIII LLOOOVVVEEEE UUUU!
4. Uh-oh!
5. No-no honey!
6. Lalalalala... is it time to sing?
7. Give mama kisses!
8. Let's go change your bum! (Not the favorite)

8 Things I Have Learned From My Past
1. Everything happens for a reason
2. There was a reason for everything my Mama said
3. Unisom is the best for morning sickness (stole this from Lindsay.. SO TRUE)
4. "I can sum up everything I've learned about life in 3 words... It Goes On" -Robert Frost
5. You have to have a good laugh and a good cry sometimes.
6. What goes around comes around.
7. Don't wanna get karma-slapped.
8. If you always pray, you can't go to bed angry.

8 Places I Want To Visit/See
1. SC -- my family! AUGUST?
2. Disney world again in August.. happiest place on Earth :]
3. Europe, everywhere, the Sistine Chapel, the Louvre, I wanna see it all!!!
4. Vegas, baby!
5. The Oregon Coast (where Goonies was filmed)
6. I wanna take Jack to the Biltmore and to Wash. D.C.
7. NYC, me and Sarah's first real vacay after school?!
8. Anywhere with history, I'm a total history geek!

8 Things I Need/Want
1. Laser Eye Surgery
2. To drop like 20 more pounds.
3. A live-in babysitter/maid/personal chef! Yes please!
4. A car
5. A warmer climate and a pool to put in it
6. To find the winning lottery ticket
7. An elliptical at home
8. Veneers! One day!

8 Bloggers I'm Tagging To Do This
1. Momma
2. Ginger
3. Melissa
4. Jenny Collins
5. Jenny Kolb
6. Andrea
7. Bree
8. Connie

KISSES!

Leighton, The Social Butterfly!

Leighton is feeling so much better now and she was so funny during church today! She is very social and loves to talk... especially when everything is quiet.. So of course, her favorite place to babble away is in church. Jack had to let her eat cereal puffs all during Priesthood so everyone else could hear the lesson! She is just a hoot! This picture is from yesterday. This weekend was a blast, I just love being at home with my little girl!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Sunday!!

We have an 8-month-old! Where is the time going?!

Leighton turned 8 months old yesterday! She loves bathtime and making a mess with whatever the can get her little hands on! I love this stage, it is SO much fun!

We love you, Leighton!!

2009 ROCKED!

I haven't updated in months, but now that Leighton goes to bed by herself at night and I'm working a little less.. I think I'll hop back on the blogging wagon! If for no other reason, it helps me remember what we did each month! So here's why 2009 was so special to me and 2010 is only going to be better!!

JANUARY

*Jack and I got sealed in the Rexburg Temple

*My Mom and Addi came to visit

FEBRUARY

*Valentine's Day with Jack at Olive Garden and decorating Leighton's room

*Hand and Foot with the Dexter's everyday :]

MARCH

*Took Jack to a Jazz/Suns game and cabin weekend

*Jack redid the kitchen floor and surprised me

APRIL

*Jack finished the semester with a 3.8

*The Last Shenanigan with the Dexter's

MAY

*We added a Little L to our family!

*Ethan came out for his birthday and stayed until I had Leighton

JUNE

*Cutest newborn pictures ever

*Jack had his first Father's Day

JULY

*My mom came to meet Leighton

*Addi came out for EFY and stayed with us

*The Maxfield family was reunited and we took some family pictures

AUGUST

*Leighton was blessed in SC by her daddy :]

*Jack and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary in Hilton Head, SC

SEPTEMBER

*Leighton got 2 teeth

*Jack got accepted into the Nursing Program at BYU-I

OCTOBER

*I finally got my golden birthday

*Leighton started eating baby food, she loves bananas the best!

NOVEMBER

*We met the Maxfield family in Disney World

*Thanksgiving with my family in SC

DECEMBER

*Our first Christmas as parents was WONDERFUL

*Our first New Year's Eve together at midnight (not at work!)