Taggart Family Christmas...

Chris's parents had us over for a wonderful dinner and Christmas party last night. The kids had so much fun! It's always great for them to see the cousins and Grandma and Grandpa.

Richard checking Grandpa's blood pressure.

Now Richard is checking the blood pressure of the animals to make sure they are all healthy!

Colby loved to line all the animals up in a row.

Here is Hannah opening the first present of the evening...mini Dr. Seuss books. Each of the kids got 4 of these mini books and they loved them!

Richard and Brielle made silly faces at each other across the table while they waited for dinner. So silly!

When Richard opened his Spiderman pack he said, "I can't believe it!" We immediately took out the mask for him to wear. He slept with the mask and web-shooter in his bed.

Hannah played with this doll house forever. She didn't go to bed until after 10:00 because she was having so much fun!!!

Richard got a new scooter, Spiderman, of course. He has been riding it in the kitchen because it is too cold outside.

I couldn't resist taking this photo. She really did love all the fun toys she got!

And here is your friendly neighborhood Spiderman, is his nice new football pjs.

Donnell knows a lady that makes these adorable blankets and had 4 of them custom made for the grand kids. Hannah got Tinker Bell, Richard got Spiderman, Brielle got Disney Princesses, and Colby got Thomas the Tank Engine. The kids were so excited to sleep with their own new blankets last night.

Thank you Bryce and Donnell for a fun party! It was great to be together with everyone and watch how happy you made the kids. Thank you for your love and generosity! We all love you!

The before & after...

Chris and I love Gray's Anatomy and Private Practice. One day last week Chris told me I should die my hair like Addison Montgomry's so I scheduled an appointment and this is the result. I really like it! Chris likes it too, but has had to get used to it.

Last night at work all I had was compliments. Hope Mom likes it as much as the rest of us! :)

Merry Chrismas to all...

We hope everyone has a wonderful, joyful Christmas!

Cheer Comp.

Finally...

A great snow storm. Richard has been waiting for a long time to have enough snow to play in this year. And now he has plenty.

Hangin' with Bettridges

Monica and Justin and their family came over Saturday for lunch. We were going to all go fishing, but when Chris got up early it was too cold and hailing so we decided to try it another time. We didn't want all the kiddies to be miserable.

So they came over to play here instead. Then we went to Smith and Edward's for a little Christmas shopping. We had fun together. Thanks for hanging out with us guys!

The BEST birthday EVER!!!

My birthday surprises began Thursday when Donnell, Chris's mom, showed up to watch the kids. Chris and I loaded up a bag and headed off to our destination...THE ANNIVERSARY INN in Logan. [I'm sorry I wasn't able to get any photos, these are all borrowed, my batteries died on me as soon as we got to Logan. :(]

We were in the Player's Suite which had nice recliners, a large heart-shaped tub, a putting green, and Foosball table. Very fun and a great surprise!

We had reservations at a fabulous little Italian restaurant that Chris found, LE NONNE (the Grandmother's). The service was impeccable, my water glass didn't even get to half full; the decor was nice, not great; the setting was unexpected; and the food was wonderful.

Chris and I each had a mixed green salad with a Balsamic vinaigrette and I had a wonderful ravioli with cheese and spinach in a light butter sage sauce. The pasta was light and freshly made. I highly recommend this little gem if you are heading to Logan, and we recommend reservations as seating is limited.

After dinner we did most of our Christmas shopping, that was a load off my mind and I am so excited for Christmas now!

Following shopping we went back to our suite for a movie. The tv kept cutting out and pausing itself so Chris called the front desk to see if it could be fixed. The girls said that they would just upgrade us and offered other suites.

Chris chose the Jesse James Hideout because of the HUGE jetted tub and pool table. The tv worked a lot better too. :) It was really cool! (But the moose head was not there last night.)

Once we checked out, we headed down the canyon for lunch, a bit more shopping, and Twilight!!! I really liked the movie. Although some parts were a bit slow and they could have put more money into special effects. Chris was even caught laughing a few times.
By then we were both exhausted and wanted to see Richard and Hannah, so we headed home. Donnell and the kids had made me a birthday cake, decorated the house, and even wrapped me a few gifts. It was all so much fun, but the best gift of all was the hugs and kisses I got from them. As I walked in the door Richard said, "Happy birthday, Mom!" He was so excited to surprise me.

Donnell, thank you for taking care of the kids and for all the fun stuff you surprised me with. It was all very kind and thoughtful!

I also had some great messages and phone calls from many of the people I love. It has been the best birthday I've ever celebrated...31 looks to be a promising age for me. :) Thank you all for you love and support. And Chris, thank you for loving me and knowing me so well. This was a wonderful weekend! I love you!!!

Richard's humor...

Richard is always making us laugh. Yesterday I wasn't feeling well, physically or emotionally, so Chris decided to let me open an early birthday/Christmas present. Richard has been wanting so badly to open his gifts that he was really excited. He thought he would get to open one as well.

Chris told Richard that Mommy gets to open one because, "she is having a bad day." Richard responded by saying, "I want to open one. I've had a bad day, too." We laughed so hard at that. I love that my kids are cute and funny, they can ALWAYS put a smile on my face, especially when I need it most.

Movie Review...Madagascar Escape 2 Africa

We took the kids to dinner and this movie last night. It was a lot of fun! Richard laughed throughout, but not as much as Chris and I laughed. We haven't seen the first Madagascar, but now we want to buy both.

Hannah was wrestless, but she still was good and had fun. The story was cute and well written and there was some great moments of humor. I would totally recommend this for a family night out!

So excited for Christmas!!!

Look at that grin! Richard loved helping me get the tree and lights set up this year. He is really understanding what is coming and has had so much fun helping with decorations. Our tree decorations have moved higher and higher on the tree as Hannah pulls them off and throws them around the house. She is funny, that is why I put my village on my book shelves, out of sight out of mind, right?

Look at Hannah look at Richard. She has no idea what he is so excited about. She was only 7 months old last Christmas and doesn't get all the lights and decorations. She likes them, but doesn't quite get it. This will be a FUN Christmas. I can't wait to see their expressions...although we don't know what we are giving them yet. Ha, ha!!!

This poor little deer next to Richard has been pulled apart and put back together so much lately this season, already. I hope he last for future Christmas seasons.

So blessed!

I am so thankful and blessed for all that I have been given. My wonderful family, my husband who works so hard for our family, my kids that are cute and healthy and smart and funny, my home that protects us helps us stay warm, and for my job for a little extra income.


Last night 8 more people from my project were laid off. That make 28 people since I began on the phones about 3 months ago. I am so grateful that I still have a job. Right now, I am praying that my stats will continue to be good enough to protect my position.


I am thankful to a kind and loving Heavenly Father who watches over and protects me and my family. I am thankful to my Savior for His Atonement and example of love and charity. I am so grateful for this holiday season, it is one of my favorite times of year. I love the peace and joy felt during this season.


I hope and pray we are all blessed this season and that we acknowledge those great blessings we do have and don't focus on what we want.

We watched the new TinkerBell movie. It was on Disney Channel Sunday night. I thought it was so darling! Richard even liked it and Hannah watched it for more than 10 minutes which is amazing for her. She was wearing her Tink jams while watching the show and kept pointing to her tummy.

I'm thinking about buying it because it was so cute, but for now, I'll keep it on our DVR to watch again!