Mikes Birthday!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL J. SALERNO!!!!

Mike and I started celebrating his birthday early on Sunday night!!! First we had dinner and cake and ice cream at his parents. Then we went with some of Mike's friends to a karaoke club in SLC. There were some really impressive singers there!!

Thanks to Gary and Kathy for watching our girls!!!

On Mike's actual birthday (Mon. Jan 19th) we took Hali to Nick's (Tori's..aka my stepdaughters.. little brother) birthday party at noon. While she was there Mike, Lexi and I headed to IHOP for a little late birthday breakfast! After we picked Hali and Tori up from Jenny's we headed to SLC to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. It was packed as always and we waited for an hour and a half to get a table for 11...... but the wait was worth it. The food was good and the Cheesecake was awesome! We embarrassed Mike of course and had everyone sing Happy Birthday to him at the restaurant!!

Tori and her Daddy!!

Dad and his three girls!! (it's impossible to take a good picture!)

MAKE A WISH!!!!

THE GIRLS FAVORITE PART OF THE EVENING WAS, OF COURSE, THE CHOCOLATE CHEESCAKE!

THANKS FOR HAVING A BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!

I DON'T NEED A FORK MOM!!

WISHING IT WAS SUMMER....MEMORIES FROM 2008.

So as the new year comes in January..... also comes the dread of knowing that we still have alot of winter to go. All the stores are starting to put out their spring lines and I wander around thinking, summer will not come soon enough!

So to get rid of the winter blues I thought I would share a little of last years summer fun with everyone!!

One of our favorite pastimes (especially Dad's when Mom is at work!) is to visit the duckpond. The girls have shared many stale loaves of bread with the noisY, but oh so cute, ducks.

This particular picture has Hali and my sisters two kids in it. Steph and Trav had gone to a Dallas Cowboys game and I babysat for the weekend. Can I say "CHAOS"! I was "Mom" for the weekend to FIVE kids all under the age of 9... and the last two are only six weeks apart!! This was definately good birth control!! OK.... so they actually were suprisingly good. They all got along well it is just a lot more work getting 4 girls and a boy ready versus two girls!!!

SO HER IS A BLAST FROM THE PAST OF SUMMER 2008!

OUR FAVORITE THINGS THAT WE DID IN THE SUMMER OF 2008:

NUMBER 1 WAS GOING TO THE POOL WITH OUR COUSINS!

NUMBER 2 EATING ICE CREAM! (BY THE POOL OF COURSE!!!)

NUMBER 3 SELLING LEMONADE WITH OUR SISTER!

NUMBER 4 GOING CAMPING WITH OUR FAMILY!

NUMBER 5 HAVING PICNICS AT THE PARK WITH KYLEE!

NUMBER 6 GOING TO THE ZOO!

AND ......HALI's FAVORITE THING OF THE SUMMER WAS SEEING SPONGE BOB IN LAS VEGAS!
I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL SPRING!!!!

ALEXIS' FIRST TIME PLAYING IN THE SNOW!!!

We had a nice little snow storm today. When Mike got home Hali decided she wanted to go out and make a snow angel while Dad did the driveway. I got her all dressed up in her snow gear and sent her out with Dad. Lexi then stood at the window and cried cause she wanted to go out also. So I got her and I dressed warm and headed out to play also. Lexi thought the snow was AWESOME and also thought it tasted great!

Hali also thought the snow was a delicious snack!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!

I hope everyone had a happy new year. I spent the night at work and didn't even notice that midnight had come!!! The girls were able to go with Grandma 'Net to see Grandma and Grandpa Shuler in Soda Springs. Hali enjoyed our old family tradition of banging pans at midnight with Grandma. Mike and I headed to Soda on New Years day to have dinner with the family. It always awesome to be able to see my grandparents. We then came back to Utah that night. Me and the girls (including Sadie) slept the whole way home. Thank goodness Mike can drive for hours!!

As far as New Year's resolutions go I am going to be like everyone else and vow to get in shape!

SANTA CAME!!!!

SANTA CAME! SANTA CAME! TIME TO WAKE UP!

Christmas morning came way to early!!! We awoke the girls early (ie: 7 am) so that Gpa and Gma and uncle Brent could watch the girls open their presents from Santa.

Alexis.... Santa came time to get up!!!!

Hali....Santa came time to get up!!!

Hali got a bike... She said "It is just what I put on my list to Santa!!"

Alexis got a slide from Santa.... she loved it! She also loved the chocolate out of her stocking.

The girls opening presents from Mom and Dad

After we had all the presents open Gma and Gpa headed to my sisters to watch her kids open presents from Santa. We then cleaned up and got ready for Gage, Tori, Gma Kathy and Gpa Gary to come over.

CHRISTMAS EVE 2008

CHRISTMAS EVE 2008

( We took this picture outside Rodizios on Christmas Eve.... Can you see the Christmas joy in all of their eyes? The three on the left are my girls...Hali, Tori, and Lexi. On the right are my sisters three....Madison, Kylee, Braeden. )

We spent Christmas eve in SLC with my sister and her children. We went to the movie at 2:30 and then hung out at my sisters until it was time for dinner. My mom, brother, sister, brother-in-law(and his parents), me, mike, and our girls all went to Rodizio Grill for dinner. It was really good and I think we all ate to much!!!

After dinner we headed home to open the girls Christmas Eve presents and go to bed to wait for Santa to come!!

Alexis and Hali got matching Christmas Jammies.... so cute. Although, they wouldn't sit so "cute for the picture!" Thank goodness it is time to go to bed so Santa can come!

Hali is 5!!!!

HALI IS FIVE!!!!! SHE IS OFFICIALLY "BIG"!

It's hard to believe it has been five years since Hali was born. She was such a blessing in our lives. She definately changed mommy's life for the better!!! I have lots of memories from the day she was born. She had a scary, scary delivery. So, holding my daughter for the first time was extremely memorable as I looked at her through my tears. I think once she was delivered everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. She was, and still is, perfect in every way!!!

So this is the first year Hali has really known it was "HER" birthday all day long. I was awaken by a cute little voice this is how the conversation went...

Hali: "Mom do I look bigger?"

ME: "Why?"

Hali: "Today is my birthday"

ME: "Happy Birthday!"

Hali: "I am 5 now... I am big!"

Later as we were sitting down for breakfast....

Me: "Hali come eat some cereal..."

Hali (talking to Alexis): I get to pick out my spoon because today is my birthday and the birthday girl gets whatver they want!

Are we in trouble or what!!!!

Hali couldn't wait for it to be time to open here presents. Grandma Shuler's present showed up at the door around 4:oo and it was immediately opened before I had the chance to say NO! After she opened it she said: "this is exactly what I wanted!!"

HALI'S PRESENT FROM GRANDMA SHULER

We had both sides of our family over for pizza, present opening and of course cake and ice cream, and Hali enjoyed being the center of attention all night!!

Hali had several ideas on what she wanted this year for a cake. First choice of course was a "princess" cake. I talked her out of that because we had a cinderella cake last year, and a princess castle the year before. She finally decided on a "my little pony" cake.

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY HALI!!!!!

AND HERE IS HALI FIVE YEARS AGO!!!