Happy Birthday Daddy!

Chris' birthday falls just 4 days after Braydens, so it is probably fair to say that he often gets the shaft. After throwing a bash for Brayden, I do not seem to have a lot of enthusiasm for Chris on his special day. Sorry babe! We certainly do not love Chris any less, he is just a lot less demanding. This year the kids and I decided to make Sugar cookies instead of cake, because Chris doesn't really like cake. He enjoyed those, and then we put the boys to bed and headed out for a late dinner just the two of us (thanks for staying with them Collin). It may not have been a very exciting day, but I think Daddy knows just how much we really love him. You truly are my sanity and my happiness babe. I can not imagine life without you. I love you!

The Big 5!

My "middle man" turned five on Sunday. Friday night was party central, as we invited the fam over for a spider man themed celebration. Mom and Dad had "fun" spinning a yarn web on the ceiling, and daddy made an awesome spider man cake. Brayden was thrilled to have his cousins, aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandpas and mom dad and brothers in attendance. Thanks to Grammy we had a huge balloon fight and a good time was had by all. Thanks everyone for a fantastic evening. Happy birthday Bray, we love you!

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning is usually spent with Grammy and Grampy, but this year they were out of town, so for the first time ever this bunch of Snellies had Christmas morning in our own little home. What a morning it was! The boys started out sitting on the stairs for the tradition pictures, as they not so patiently waited for Daddy to get up. Each of my boys enjoyed looking through their stockings from Santa, and opening presents from each other. After a new football, skateboard, blocks, and lots of candy the boys figured Christmas morning was through. One final hidden present from Santa brought a reaction that I will always cherish and never forget. The smiles on their faces were priceless! If they didn't before that day, all of my children truly believe in Santa now. Thank you "santa" for making Christmas morning unforgettable!

The Magic of Christmas

One of my favorite things about Christmas is seeing the smiles on my children's faces. Sometimes it is because they are getting presents, but often it is because they are giving a gift that they have worked hard on, or because they are spending time with family and friends. To me the magic of Christmas can be seen in their faces. We had a wonderful, magical Christmas!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is our time to celebrate the Holidays with the Whitmill side of the family. Part of our tradition includes a Christmas Eve devotional. Some years this means a church devotional with one of our wards. Many years we have been invited to participate through spoken word or song. Even when there is no organized devotional the Whitmill family puts on their church clothes and heads to the church to sing and celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. It is a wonderful tradition that I cherish. I appreciate my parents lead in helping all of us to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Thanksgiving 2009

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. Aunt Lisa, Uncle Dustin, and Cousin Cohen were in town. We had so much fun watching little Cohen play with the boys. He is sweet as can be, and he did a great job enduring the endless loving/torment that his 3 cousins had for him. We even took family pictures, and most of us are smiling!

What's in a name

Each of my three beautiful little boys has a name that we love. Their middle names are family names, and their first names seem to fit them to a tee. Well, as you may or may not be able to tell from the pictures, baby boy #4 is on his way. My biggest worry? A name! I am fresh out of ideas! I want his name to be just as beautiful and special as the others, but I haven't a clue! I am hoping that over the next 4 months we will be inspired to find the perfect name for our precious baby boy. Any suggestions?

Halloween!

It was August when I started lobbying my sweet husband for the chance to be something "pretty" for Halloween. Being the mother of three boys I usually end up being something scary or gross in order to fit the family theme. Chris told me I could choose what he and I would be this year, and we decided that the boys could be whatever they wanted. After a bit of looking around for a costume that would fit my ever growing belly, I decided I wanted to be a 1920's flapper, and Chris could be my gangster. When the boys heard our idea they decided that they all wanted to be gangsters. We had a great time as a gangster family, guns and all. Brayden insisted that I was not a flapper, but rather a "gangster girlfriend" with 4 boy friends! So much fun. I do love Halloween!

An October Snow Storm

Three days before Halloween in Colorado means it could be 70 degrees, or you could have 18 inches of snow on the ground. This year we had the latter. Jake enjoyed a day off of school, Daddy spent a lot of time shoveling, mommy got the car stuck, and we drank a lot of hot cocoa! It wouldn't have been my first choice, but we did enjoy some time hangin' out as a family!