Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas all! 

We are spending time with family up in Washington. 

It's so nice to continue traditions as a family. 

I'm pretty sure my family has the best Christmas traditions. 

{But I'm sure that everyone thinks that} 

But really, my family's the best! 

I hope you enjoy this season- and take a quiet moment to soak it all in, it always goes by way too fast!

Merry Christmas, from the Alvey's! 

November (ish)

Sooner rather than later I will be writing 2012- as will you. Are you ready? 

I am SOOO not. I can't believe time goes this fast- is it just a married thing? 

I don't remember it being like this- but man, I feel old. 

Speaking of old-- we had a birthday around here! 

{I'll get to that in a bit} 

I feel like I should be singing this blog- just a quick flash of a picture with a witty comment on what was happening- followed by "and a partridge in a pear tree." I don't know why. 

Maybe it's because I have vowed to listen to Christmas music as often as I can. I mean- I only listen to it after Thanksgiving- which only happens once a year. 

Bad Idea. 

I have 10 or so songs stuck in my head because they are just cycled through on the Christmas station. It is fun to watch PK dance- he'll bend his knees and bounce up and down- and then twirl in a circle until he falls down. {Look on my Facebook page for a video coming soon!} 

Anyways- whether I am ready or not- the end of the year is coming. Which means parties, a trip, service, and continued festive spirit. I love Christmas with my little family. We're reading scriptures focused on Christlike attributes and have special activities that help us live those attributes. It really is a fun and meaningful way to spend the Christmas season. We've also started our service tree and are filling it up with tags of acts of service our family has been able to do this month. I can't wait for our kiddos to get older and to have discussions about the Savior during this month. I hope you and your family enjoy this Christmas season! I think it's becoming my favorite :) 

So here is a quick montage of our November: 

 We went to the Gateway mall in SLC for the tree lighting ceremony.

 PK trying on a funny hat and gloves I picked out for him.

 For Thanksgiving we stayed home and shared dinner with our great friends Lillie and Long and Lillie's family. We had a blast with their family and really enjoyed cooking part of the meal! (Including a TURKEY! giblets and all)

 

 And Pk NOT understanding that some days it's TOO cold outside for a walk. 

We've started to become mall walkers- it's great!

 We headed down to St. George for a quick visit for baby Brooklyn's baby blessing. It was so fun to spend time with family- but stinky that we were quadrupley+ booked that weekend and only got to stay for less than 24 hrs.

 Remember the birthday I mentioned? Yup- Jedediah turned 25!! OH- wow. We spend the day with family and traveling home- but I threw him a surprise birthday party a few days before. It was EPIC. I can't believe he's 25 but I'm so proud of everything he's done in that time- he's a great guy let

me tell ya.

We drove 4 hours each way to St. George (okay 3.5 there and 5.5 back) We were almost home and he was screaming at the top of his lungs and I had to go potty so we made a quick stop. When I got back I was surprised at who was driving the car! What a cute guy :) 

We had a great month and this month we have tons to look forward to. We have applications submitted and will continue a few more submissions and then play the A.W.E.S.O.M.E waiting game to find out where we're headed. We're excited for a change next year- but it's going to be an emotional move for all of us. {Oh gosh. I can't start getting emotional now!} 

Have a GREAT December guys! 

Love, the Provo Alvey's.    

P.S. I forgot about Black Friday!! IT was AMAZING! I look forward to it all year- and after having a very tight couple of weeks after the last 2 years of Black Friday shopping- we planned ahead. We saved money every month so that when November rolled around I had a nice little nest egg to shop with. Remember a few months back when I posted about a very "lofty" goal I had and how I needed a new bra-zier- badly!? Well- I finally did it! Lifted to new heights and no terrible poking wires- it is a MIRACLE! {Did I mention I got them for $15- regularly $70 during Black Friday. That my friends- is the reason I get up early and deal with the crowds. I am one of "those people" and I'm proud of it baby! Did you score any steals?

Our Halloween Adventures:

I love Halloween. 

Thus, Jed loves Halloween {by default.}

(Man, I have the best hubby!) 

We decided what we were going to be for Halloween on Sunday the 23rd. I didn't have very long to put them together, which is why Parker definitely got the shaft on costumes- I just didn't get to his costume early enough. 

Anyways... here we are: 

(Woody, an ailen, and Bo Peep from Toy Story)

 

Here's a close up of Parker's costume

 

 

I had fun putting the costume together. I borrowed a friend's sewing machine and I finally realized that I should have been listening to my grandma when she was trying to show me how to thread the bobbin. (That is the hardest part of sewing!!)

Anyways, we were also able to enjoy a Family Home Evening activity to the pumpkin patch. 

Parker thought he was soooo awesome- 

Well, he really is! We had a lot of fun as a family- here we are: 

That was a fun day! 

Well, we're all sick now- hopefully not for too much longer! I just love spending time with my PK. 

And I love my hubby. 

Happy {Belated!} Halloween everyone!

Just some thoughts

I've had some special thoughts recently. About Provo. About what this town means to me- what this chapter in my life has meant to me.

If you are interested, here is the link. 

I probably won't be putting a link on this blog for everything I post on that blog- 

so go head and become a follower over there so you don't miss anything. 

Because you know everything I have to say is just. that. awesome.

hahahahahahaha.

September mostly...

We've been busy around here. As always.

But things are going to start calming down. 

We are going to get back on a routine-- going to bed before midnight and all. 

Parker is going to eat a well balanced meal, have clean clothes on, and bathe regularly from now on.

I promise. 

Well, anyways- here are some pics of what we've been up to. 

We had a GREAT visit with my brother and his family. I loved having them here SOOO much. Until they left, when I remembered how much I miss being with my family.

 The last few days have been {cold} around here- but at least PK looked adoreable in his hat. 

{And Jed thought buying that hat last summer was a waste! tsk. tsk}

 

We went to the BYU homecoming parade! We got a lot of candy- and a beach ball! This could be one of our last for awhile- so I made sure we were there (2 hours early apparently- but that's okay)

Parker outgrew his rear-facing car seat- so here he is sitting like a big boy!

{He sure loves that! He smiles a HUGE grin every time he gets in there!}

We got to meet baby Reed! Oh man! He's adoreable! 

So was when PK hugged him. 

But I missed it- so we tried it again, and this time he was a bit more apprehensive!

~~~~~~

All in all, it has been a great few weeks/month. Parker has been fussy lately- a mix between staying up late, teething, and a cold. {greatest mom ever, right?}

So, this is how everyday today was: 

But come on! He's even cute when he's crying, Aubrey.

UM. no. :) 

A New Blog: A New Me

On the path to discovering myself, I have decided to start a blog. Another blog. I will post family related things, Parker stuff, just whatever over here- but I will also be posting over at

http://sweetnessoftheeveryday.blogspot.com/

This is a space for me to be creative and quirky, and to learn, love, laugh, and find

the sweetness of the everyday. 

I would love if you went over and checked out my first post over there. It's a big one. 

If you like it- let me know! 

Anyways, happy day friends. Happy day.

p.s. I'm gonna be 22. WHOA!

Happy 22nd, Aubrey!

This post is from Jed this time. Since Aubrey's birthday is coming up on Monday, I wanted to do a special post.

Here are 22 of things I love about Aubrey, one for each year:

1) Her Smile

2) Her laugh

3) The way she kisses me

4) The way Mother she is to Parker

5) Her ambition to be a school teacher

6) Her toughness

7) Her love for other people

8) How she always

9) Her eyes

10) How she makes her own cleaning products

11) The care she puts into our home

12) The way she focuses on the Savior

13) How she loves her family

14) How she cares about people she barely knows

15) The thought she puts into gifts

16) The way she loves being social

17) Her spontaneity

18) Dancing with her

19) How excited she gets playing taboo

20) How smart she is about everything that I'm not

21) Her hugs

22) That she is my Wife! 

I love you, Aubrey.

Product Review: All You magazine

I've been reading couponing/meal planning/frugal blogs for awhile now. I haven't always been interested in couponing or anything like that- but when money's tight, you do what you have to. I decided that I really wanted to jump on the bandwagon full throttle, so I started getting the Sunday paper and the All You magazine because most seasoned coupon-ers will tell you to.

I can't even stop raving about this magazine. I love it. Every time it comes in the mail I pour over it's pages and hang on every last idea within. It's SAD. But, it has TONS of great ideas, coupons, craft ideas, work out ideas, weight loss tips, fashion advice- you name it. 

You can get this on nearly every magazine rack- so the next time you are browsing, take a look. Then, if you are serious about wanting a subscription- look online. There are tons of offers so you aren't stuck paying the $4 for every issue. Get it. And I promise you, you too will squeal every time it comes.

Site Review: Zenni Optical

Being blind stinks. I mean, it's kind of a crucial sense. 

So I wear glasses. Or contacts. But this post is about getting CHEAP glasses. 

Backtracking. 

I have had terrible luck with glasses. You name it, I have done it to my glasses. No joke. I once went in to a Dr. appt. to get my glasses fixed, when my Dr. looked up at me and said, "Man, it looks like you ran into a tree!" When I dumbfoundly said, "Wait, did my mom tell you?" Yes. I had run into a tree. So yeah, I have needed my fair share of glasses. 

A few years ago, my sister told me about Zenni Optical. I'm not sure where she had heard about it, but after looking at the site- I thought it couldn't hurt to order one more pair of glasses. Guess how much they cost me? 12.99+shipping. It was under $20. For prescription glasses. AND, it came with a case and a wipe. 

HOLY COW! I love them! I have gotten 2 pairs of the same glasses- and they have lasted forever! In all fairness, I'm not at a neighbor's playing baseball every day, but I do have a 1 year old. And they have withstood. 

IF you are one of us blind guys walking around- DON'T pay hundreds of dollars for glasses- I know. I've been there. Well, mostly I need to apologize to my poor mother who had to continually shell out the cash for yet another pair of glasses for me.

Go to zennioptical.com. It WILL change your life.

Sa-tur-day is a spe-cial day...

In our house- 

Saturday is a special day. 

A very, very special day. 

When Parker was first born, I was going to school and working from home. I felt very overwhelmed at times but I loved everything I was doing and wasn't willing to give it up. My choice. 

It was also my choice to implement "Saturday is a Special Day."

Basically, Jed is in charge on Saturday. Of basically everything. All things Parker. Meals, decisions, whatever. He runs the show. 

Normally, we do a lot of things together. We enjoy planning things, laughing together, helping Parker etc. 

NOT Saturday's. 

After 21 years- I have learned that I just need a day to be told what to do and to not to anything. 

It is magnificent. And it has saved our marriage in a lot of ways. 

When it comes to Parker, there are specific ways I like things done. I used to nag on Jed that he wasn't holding him right, wasn't changing the diaper fast enough or used too many wipes (really!! in worst cases you only need 2!!) and it made Jed feel like he couldn't do anything right. 

Thus-- Saturday is a Special day. 

Now that Jed has taken care of Parker nearly every Saturday since he was born, he has learned how to do everything, I have gotten the much needed rest that every Mom needs, and Parker gets to spend Q-T with his daddy. 

Win. Win... win.

[Office anyone?]

The Yeast Free Diet

After getting a recommendation to a Dr. in Provo (my previous Dr. was in American Fork) I went in for an appointment to get a different type of birth control. I have been on several different kinds- basically everything you can think of- I've tried. Anyways, the BC I was most recently put on made me sick... yet again. The only type of BC I have been on that didn't made me sick is the mini-pill- commonly prescribed to breastfeeding mom's for several reasons. Then after I stopped breastfeeding and running out of the mini-pill I went back to the same BC I used before getting pregnant- one that at the time worked fine- and it made me sick. Yay. OKAY- this post is not about BC. I was just trying to point out that I went to the Dr. for a new prescription. 

Whew. 

After taking a life-long medical history- NO JOKE!- and taking a few tests and doing a physical, the Dr. prescribed a yeast free diet- also referred to as the Candida diet. My diet (many yeast free diets differ) is no sugar or sugar containing foods, no white flour or refined grain products, no cheese, no alcohol, no fruit or fruit juices, no coffee/tee/caffeine containing herbal teas, mushrooms, peanuts and peanut products, all processed meats and lunch meats, artificial sweetener, and vinegar.

Nearly every product on the market has sugar in it!

The list is overbearing at times- like when I'm trying to eat- but I've done some reading and it sounds like it has potential. There are several books, articles, forums, and websites where people can discuss this diet and can help each other with it. It's not easy- that's for sure. I'm on day 2. Of at least 4 weeks. Gosh I didn't realize how unhealthy my diet was until I started reading labels. Wake up call. 

I have always been the "sick kid." My immune system has always been weak and I seem to catch EVERYTHING. I've had strep throat 4 times since being married- not to mention impetigo, a staph infection, bronchitis, pink eye and a billion other things just in the past few years. 

 

If I have to ultimately eliminate some foods from my diet- I'm okay with that. Especially if that means being more healthy. Being a mom is that much harder when I feel like I'm on my deathbed with another bout of strep. ugh. For now I have researching recipes and meal substitutions that don't break my budget. It's not easy- but I know it's gonna be worth it. 

Isn't everything that way?

Parker's Party!

For Parker's party this year- I really wanted to do something duckie related. He loves water and loves to play with his duckie! I thought that doing candy as the main refreshment would save on money and prep time- so that's what we went with. Well... the colors of the candy were so vibrant and pretty when placed in glass candy dishes- that doing blue, yellow,and white duckie themed party just didn't fit. And we already had the candy. So... we did both. It really wasn't the most cohesive and I'm not even sure the guests saw the ducks (or the duck shaped ice cubes that took 4 days to re-freeze) but it was sooo fun! A TON of people showed up, and even a few surprises showed up! All in all, it was a great party. OH, and yes. He had his very own cake. :)

here's where I got my ideas from: the ballon wreath , the yarn balls, and the sponge water bombs (pictured in the pool)

Parker Post- 1 year!

HOLY COW!

I literally can not explain how weird it is that Parker is 1! I mean, am I really old enough to have a 1 year old? Did I really survive one whole year with a child? And he's normal---WHAT!?!

It's CRAZY! Even still. I always just think he's 9 months old. I dunno why. I guess the same reason I still think I'm 18. Who knows?

Anyways-- here are Parker's stats: 

Height: 29.5 inches

Weight: 20.5 lbs
Head Circumference:    (who cares?) 

 {this is him at the DR's and the onesie I made for him}

About Parker: 

He LOVES to: 

-take a bath

-swim

-push things around

-crawl

-chase after anyone who 

leaves from the front door

-play with electronics- a NO NO

-sleep with 1 of 2 light blue crocheted blankets 

(one made by each of his great-grandmas)

-eat... basically everything

-especially meatballs and animal crackers

-playing with other kids

He DOESN'T like: 

-getting his diaper changed

-getting dressed

-being held

-staying quiet during church

-juice

-getting his ears/nose/hands/face cleaned

-being dirty 

(those last two really don't work together... hence the daily battle)

-anything cold

-cuddling

Other: 

-he signs more, all done and is working on please and thank you

-he loves to crawl and is VERY close to walking

-loves to laugh, and he smiles a lot

-he flips the pages while we read

-he claps by holding one hand still and moving just one hand

-he drinks VIT D milk 

-drinks water from a sippy cup

-he takes two 2 hour naps a day

-can climb up and over the couch/pew 

-can stand/squat by himself

{the family at Coney's getting some froyo}

My mom, Morgan (left) and Gabrielle (right) and Alyssa (not pictured) were all here for Parker's birthday! The day before we got to go to a tour of a candy factory! It was a blast! So glad they all could come- even if it was for just a quick visit. 

Parker had a great birthday! Love you, Parker! :)

Erica's Baby Shower

I was able to host a baby shower for my SIL Erica. 

We're excited to meet Eric Reed Alvey Jr.
And his due date is my birth date- so woot woot!! 

I just wanted to share some pictures of the party- it was a blast! 

Thanks to everyone that came and supported Erica and baby Reed!

Ideas came from: cupcake to go