I am so lucky!

Here are three reasons why I am so lucky!

Birthdays and Christmas time!

December is quite the month for the Hammer household. Sweet Ellie turned one on the 22nd and Preston turned three on the 28th. Throw in Christmas and all the festivities, and we have an exiting month, and I love it!

**I do have to document that we have had CHRISTMAS LIGHTS on our house since the beginning of the month!!! Preston absolutely LOVES Christmas lights, and this year he asked Steve if we could have some on our house. All of our neighbors were quite shocked. We are usually ba humbugs about putting up lights, but Preston has completely changed that**

Here is Steve being a trooper and putting the lights up!

Michelle and I decided to take that kids to University mall so they could meet Santa. Preston was so exited to tell Santa that he wanted a Monster Truck Mater for Christmas. After Santa, we went to Build A Bear and let the kids pick out an animal to stuff. We had all finished our animals and Michelle was setting up London's birth certificate. London was sitting on the stool next to Michelle and she wanted to help type on the computer so she got up to help and slipped and split her head open right above her eye! Michelle handled the situation so calmly! She quickly got London cleaned up, we paid for our stuff and then Michelle took London to get stitches! It's always an adventure with two moms and four kids.

Since Preston has a love for lights, we were exited to take him and Ellie to Temple Square. We went with my whole family. The night we went was perfect! It wasn't too cold or snowing.

On December 8th 2001, Steve proposed to me at this very spot! It was MUCH colder the night he proposed...

December 18th was the Hammer Christmas party. We had the cousins exchange gifts and I wish I had my camera! Preston's face was PRICELESS when he opened his gift from Blake. His eyes were as wide as they could go and he had on the biggest smile! After gifts Beth Ann gave each of us our Christmas book and matching pajamas. A fun tradition that I look forward to every year.

Decemeber 19th we had a birthday party to celebrate Ellie's 1st birthday. I can't believe she is already one! She is so sweetand fantastic! She loves dancing! Whenever she hears music she starts rocking out. She will do everything that Preston does. Preston loves playing with cars, so when he is pushing his cars around, she is right behind him. She has learned that the sound of the garage door opening means daddy is home. When she hears it, she runs to the back door to wait for Steve to come in. I absolutely love her!

Look how sad, but still so dang cute!

December 22nd was Ellie's actual birthday so that day I took Preston and Ellie swimming with my friend Becky and her kids. It was so fun! Preston and Alli (Becky's sweet girl) had fun jumping off the wall into the water while Ellie played in the water that shoots from the ground. When Steve came home we had Ellie open a few more presents and then we hung out as a family. A perfect first birthday!

Christmas Eve is my mom's family Christmas party. All the cousins exchange gifts and Santa comes. Preston loved sitting on Santas lap and again telling him that he wants a Monster Truck Mater. Ellie wasn't happy AT ALL with Santa.

This is Preston right after Santa called his name...







Sorry, this is the best picture we could get...

Christmas morning is always my favorite. I made Preston and Ellie stockings this year, and on Chrismas Eve I told Preston that in the morning he will need to come check his stocking for a present. That is the first place Preston went to when he came downstairs. He saw all the presents but wanted to check the stocking first. He was so cute and kept thanking us after each present. And yes, he did get his monster truck Mater. Ellie LOVED open her presents! She loved ripping the paper and then she would hold up the box for us to see. That afternoon we went to Steve's parents house and that night we went to my parents house.

December 28th was Preston's 3rd birthday! We celebrated it with cousins and friends at Monkey Island. It was SOOOO fun! That place is great! Preston was in heaven. So, Preston had been asking for Monster Truck Mater. If you asked him what else he wanted for Christmas and his birthday, he would say "nothing, I just want a monster truck mater." I always have these great cake ideas in my head, but then when it actually comes down to making them, they are a disaster. Well, this year is no different. Monster Truck Mater is a Mater, from the movie Cars, as a professional wrestler. So I wanted to make his cake look like a wrestling ring, and have Monster Truck Mater and Monster Truck McQueen on the top..well from the pictures you can see how it turned out...oh well, maybe all the years of practing will help me make one good looking cake later :0) We had all the kids jump for about an hour and half, and then we had pizza, sang to Preston with the Monkey Island monkey, had cake and icecream, then Preston opened his presents. It really was so much fun!

Here is the 'wrestling ring' birthday cake...



Thank you EVERYONE for coming! and thanks to my mom for watching Ellie so me and Steve could have all our attention on Preston and his party!

This sweet girl is our next door neighbor...She told her mom and dad that she is going to marry Preston! Don't they make such a cute couple?!
Silly girls!
Daddy and Preston ready to head home after a fantastic time at Monkey Island!

It has been so much fun watching Preston and Ellie grow up! I couldn't imagine being anything other than a mom, especially when I turn around and see this...

Here's to another great year!!

October 2010

Preston was SOOOO exited to go to one of the Ute's game with Steve. Here they are before they headed out...

This year I asked Preston what he wanted to be for Halloween. Instantly he responded with..."A POISON FIDER (spider)!! The one with red on it's tummy" (yes, he knows what spiders are poison spiders...because as I mentioned earlier, we have to look at them EVERYDAY on the computer)...so this year he was a poison fider. When I asked Preston what he thought Ellie should be, he responded with "a lady bug wrapped in my web, and then I will EAT her"

So this year, Preston was a black widow and Ellie was a lady bug. I need to give a HUGE shout out to my fantastic and amazing Grandma. Thank you for letting me come over and use all your black thread and sewing machine so Preston could be a black widow.

October 28th Preston's pre-school had a Halloween Party, here he is before school..spray painted hair and all!

Here he is after..I love how he runs with a smile to me every time I pick him up!

October 29th we trick-or treated Steve's office and had the annual Hammer Halloween party

The black widow, his dinner (i.e. Ellie the lady bug) and Daddy

October 30th Olsen's Nursery by our house was having a Halloween Bash. They provided pumpkins to color and a fantastic train ride! Preston wanted to ride his bike to Olsen's with his costume on...his own little parade I guess....:0) That night we went trick or treating around my mom's house. The fantastic Warner's brought their sweet Lion, Jack Jack. They went with us to a few houses. After about 5 houses, Preston told me he had enough candy and was ready to go home! So we played with our cousins until about 9 o'clock then we went home...Preston was so worn out, he fell asleep on the way home



Preston and Jack Jack!

Earlier in the month Preston's preschool went on a field trip to Cornbelly's. It was SO cute watching him!

Preston on the hay ride
Preston's whole class...yes, Preston is the cute boy in the beanie with his hands up :)

After the field trip, each kid was able to pick out a pumpkin to take home

Steve's Grandpa Love passed away the end of September. The funeral was amazing and Steve, along with his brothers and cousins, were the pall bearers. Grandpa will be missed but we are so thankful to know that he is happier and is in a better place.

Here is Preston at the grave site with a yellow rose from the Great Grandpa bouquet. The picture of Ellie is the night before at the viewing walking around with my parents.

September 2010

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September 2010

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I can't believe that October is almost over! We had such a fun summer. Here are a few things we were able to do:
Tahiti Village in Las Vegas

Surprise birthday party for Steve's 30th birthday

Bear Lake

St. George

Highland splash park (on the days we weren't at Farm Country)

Farm Country at Thanksgiving point (on the days we weren't at the splash park)

Heber Creeper

Spider hunting around our neighborhood

Preston started pre school!



A few highlights of my sweet kiddos...

Preston has a fascination with spiders (or Fiders as Pres calls them) and their webs. It is so cute how exited he gets when he sees one. He can spot a spider or web a mile away!

He also LOVES road bumps. Our friend Kinslee gave him a huge toy hummer and that has been the best thing ever. Every morning we would take our daily walk to the road bumps by our house so he could push the hummer over the bumps. Preston and Steve turned our big dirt pile into a mini road bump trail.

Preston is loving pre school! It is so fun to hear all the things he learns about, and to hear about Lexi and Aubrey (his crushes) and Luke and Sam (his buddies) Out of the blue he started saying the Pledge of Alleigance! It was the cutest thing ever!



Ellie is such a sweetheart and she LOVES Preston. He can make her laugh like nobody else. She is starting to walk and is now only wanting to eat "grown up food" . It is the biggest task trying to feed her.

She loves music. When she hears it she will start dancing

She loves her glow worm. She lights up when she sees it.

She is the BEST cuddler! Except no one knows this because she only wants me to hold her:) Something I don't mind because I know it won't last forever

August 2010

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July 2010

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