Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all are ready cuz its right around the corner... I'm sure not! It came so fast, dontcha think? Why does time have to go by so fast? I love the holidays and it will be over too soon this year. We have been really busy this month... maybe that is why! So I thought I'd post about it :
For FHE Zak would say I "made" him make a gingerbread house with me! It was fun... he is too cute watching him do crafty things with those huge hands. He decorated the tree and the gingerbread men. (If you take a closer look, you might see it was all him!)

It was a fun little date... you might be curious what is behind the house... yes, it a firetruck pinata! Where the heck did that come from? Pretty random, I know! I found it at Roberts and got it for Zak for his fire school graduation which is what made Decemeber go by so fast!

Zak was asked to speak at his graduation... he is sucha good public speaker. He had every one of his classmates and both his parents, and me, in tears! He just knows how to get to the heart :)
I am SO PROUD of him! have I said that before??? I couldn't be more proud of him I don't think! He really proved a lot to me, himself, and his instructors. Can I brag about him anymore!?
This is the cool plaque that each class that comes through the school makes for the wall. Their's was the best I think anyone's ever seen! It probably weighs about 40 pounds though... we'll see how they'll keep it on the wall. Those are all his certifications that he's holding along with his CHEESE smile!
CHEESE again! :) He got that cool pinata from me and the album... I went to his school the day before to take a group picture(below) for their plaque and I was able to stay and snap as they worked putting the fire out in the building. It was pretty awesome to see what Zak has been doing all semester. He was the captain so he was in charge of everyone on the radio outside the building. It was so cool! So the album was full of all the pics for memories.
Well, I hope everyone will have a Merry Christmas! I can't wait to see you all at home for New Years! I can't wait to give you guys our presents :) We love you!

Noelle and Zak and little Emrie too!

Christmas Stockings

Here's the other pair, just in case you wanted to see them. What a great dollar store find!

I just thought I would show off Maddie's festive tights from Grandma! She was dressed up yesterday because we had 3 couples over for a little Christmas party/dinner.

What has everybody been up to lately? Emily, are you done with finals yet? Mom, how was Enrichment? Noelle, only 45 DAYS TO GO! I can't believe it! How are the prenatal classes going? Are you feeling more prepared? Dad & Dana, I have talked to you more recently... and Cole, have you ever even looked at the blog??? You should! :) We all want to hear from you.

Graduation!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to post real quick to let everyone know that Zak will be graduating from the Fire Academy on Thursday! I am soooooo proud of him! He has worked so hard and it sure has paid off! I think you all know that he was asked to be the Class Officer half way through the class... he is sucha stud! Also, he is still in the top 3 of his class. They all fight for the number 1 spot... so it changes from time to time. Anyway, just wanted to let you all know he can be a working firefighter from this Thursday on! He is planning on doing a lot of volunteer work and also will be taking a 2-day class in January before little Emrie comes. This is a really cool thing cuz you aren't supposed to go if you aren't on a department, but Zak talked to his teacher and they got him in! It is in St. George... so he might be staying over a night with Lauren and the Maddiekins! Just congratulate him if you talk to him! :)

Love you guys!
Noelle

Ketchup... or Catchup????

I know the title is a little random, but I really wanted to catch up with everyone because it has been a while since I have posted! Also, have you ever wondered why Ketchup is spelled different depending on what brand you buy.... deep thought?????

WELL, Landon and I have been crazy busy lately! I started working about one month ago for Snowbird Ski Resort in the HR/ Recruiting Office and it has been awesome! We have been on the go constantly and i thought i should let everyone know what we have been up to.

We had a great Thanksgiving except for the fact that i got a speeding ticket on the way home from work, forgot the sweet potatoes i made at home (we turned around to go get them and that added 2 hours on to our trip... talk about sweet potato dedication), and we all got sick! Sounds great huh? Well, it really was! I love you family! Thanks for everything. Here are some of the things we have been doing....

I got to play with Ashley and Kinsey!!! I love you guys! You really are the best! I somehow look like a total cheeseball in this picture and like i am slouching???? I dunno.

Landon and I went to our first Jazz game!!!!! We can call ourselves true Utahans now! His company has their own VIP suite and we got to sit up there and feel all important and stuff! It was great.

Have you seen cuter boys???? I sure haven't. Bryce got MARRIED and we are sooooo happy for him. His wife's name is Sarah and she is a beautiful girl! Way to go Bryce. Spencer... we are still rooting for you big time! Landon had so much fun being with old roomies and best buds and I know he wishes he could see them more.

And boy oh boy did it SNOW! Hey, this is called "job security" for me! It was quite the storm and brought about 8 inches to the valley. We were on our way to New Mexico for some baby blessings and Stanton's (Landon's brother) famous Chrismas Party. We got a couple miles up Price Canyon and had to turn around. There was probably about 10 inches on the road and we had nowhere else to go but up... so we decided to turn around. We are so sad that we are not there and love them so much! We can't wait to go down for Christmas and spend some time there.

Some other things that have done but don't have pictures to prove are:

We went to St. George to visit one of Landon's very best friends, Jerry. We love their family so much: Kathryn, Landon, and Lauren. It was soooo good to see them and they were the most gracious hosts. Thanks for the great visit.

Landon also went hunting like 3 weekends in a row! He was hunting elk in New Mexico and deer here in Utah. He didn't get an elk but he got himself a really nice buck! Way to go honey! His dad came to hunt too, his cousin Logan came, as well as Jerry. They had such a good time and made some great memories. I don't have any pictures on my camera of the buck but he is really proud of it and i am so happy for him. He has been working on mounting the antlers and we have had a great time eating the meet. I know i know... yuck. I was super sceptical about it but this one sure is yummy! It really is better than beef to me... well at least this one.

I think that about wraps it up! We are so excited for Christmas and can't wait to go home and see everybody. I love Christmas!!!!! We love you all!

Come get me!

'Member how Maddie wouldn't really crawl over Thanksgiving? I don't know why but as soon as we got home she was all over the place! She follows me like a little puppy! Here is a video of me saying "Come and get me Maddie!" She thought it was pretty funny... she giggles easily lately. Enjoy! (P.S. You can pause the music.)

Family Time!

Zak and I had such a fun time seeing everyone over Thanksgiving! I love getting together as a family and enjoy just spending quality time together. This Thanksgiving was especailly memorable cuz we all got sick! :) We LOVE you, Lauren! Its ok... we are so glad that we got to see you, Mike, and Maddie. I think we all would take being sick over not seeing you guys. Dana and Landon... you'll have to let us know if it skipped you! I think my favorite thing that we got to do was decorate the Christmas tree downstairs. Even though I was still sick and put up like 2 things, it was still fun! I can't wait to see everyone again. I love the holiday season! :)

Anyway, so here are the results of the family pics! They turned out really good, I think. Everyone needs to vote on their favorite and also tell me what you don't like about them and I can try to fix it. I'm not a magician, but I can do some cool things! For example, I can't put a smile on Maddie or make her look at the camera, but if you like one of the pics better with her looking backwards, I can paste her head in from the one that she is looking at Mike :) So, let me know! Also, does everyone just want a CD of the pics? I can e-mail them also and you can do what you want with them that way too.

I love you all!
Noelle

Catching up!

Hi Family!
It has been so long since I have posted ANYTHING here on the ol' website! I have to apologize about that... I guess I feel like I have nothing exciting to say. But, I realized the other day that I am pregnant with your niece or grandchild and maybe you'd like to know what is going on! So here is an update:
Little Emrie is moving a TON! She is having so much fun in my tummy right now. We call her our little jumpin bean :) She moves mostly after lunch when she is awake and fed! Sounds like Maddie! She also likes to move a lot at night when I laying in bed or when I am sleeping. She wakes me up a lot of the time. Sleeping has gotten to be a little harder these days. I toss and turn a lot and am "restless" Zak says, which wakes him up too. Oops! We went to the BYU/TCU game last Thursday night with Apx friends and she must be Zak's little girl because she was dancing to the drums and getting excited when BYU would score! It was pretty funny!
She is about 15 inches long now and a little over 2 pounds. So, long and skinny! I am still trying to figure out how she is laying in there. She likes to stick either her bum or her back out a lot so I look lopsided! She is has a regular sleep pattern and is awake some of the time. I want to try to figure it out so I can understand what she likes for when she gets here. (I on't know if that helps.) She has most of her hair and even her eye lashes and eye brows have grown in. I hope she has Zak's long eye lashes! She also has her fingernails all grown in too.
She is just going to be here in no time and Zak and I are so excited! Thank you for all the gifts that you gave me at the baby shower. I LOVE every single thing I got! You should all be receiving your Thank You cards soon! :) I have everything now in the closet all ready to go! I just need the crib, dresser, and paint the shelf to get it looking ready. Also, we are starting our prenatal class this week!
As for everything else... Zak is doing REALLY well at school. His instuctors rated him in the top 3 in his class. I am really proud of how well he is doing. Work is going good for me and we are so excited to come home for Thanksgiving! Don't forget your outfits for pictures! Also, we just got back from Rexburg this past weekend. I got to see Emily, Ashley, and all our friends. It was really fun and needed! Em, call me! I hear we need to talk! :)
Well, sorry I don't have any pics to post... BORING! But, I just wanted to update you all and tell you how much I love you! :) See you all VERY soon!
Love, Noelle, Zak, and Emrie

More images of Halloween

I thought I should hurry and post the silly Halloween pics. off my camera. Enjoy!
We had a silly fairy fashion show... cute belt Landon!

Emily, you bad panda!

Here's the other group of farm animals....
Maddie found a tractor her own size.
Daddy is soooo funny

Cole (Mr. Ice cream cone) and asst. friends are off to trick or treat. Yes that is a tele tubby in the back!!

The fallen angel got her cowboy
Some more silly fairies etc. Zak, who would have guessed you had a soft side!
Is that rocky racoon or a flying squirrel? Oh... it's just Noelle being squirrely
Dana is the sassiest fairy queen
Isn't it fun to get together! I'm so glad that you all enjoy the silly side of life. May it ever be so!

Noellie ( and Emrie) get spoiled

We had a great time on Oct 27th having a party to welcome little Emrie. Now Noelle has lots of cute baby stuff to look at and dream of her sweet bundle of joy!!

I learned the hard way that you should post the pictures you want last first, as it is you have to enjoy these backwards!!

Daddy came to see all the stuff and entertain Maddie and Kensie (Ashley's baby)
Come on Emrie, hurry up so we can take you for a walk!

Grandpa Murray picked out a cow toy
Yup... that's to hide under... Good thinking Aunt Lauren!
Auntie Dana made sure they would have all the nessessities to hit the road
Aunt Emily got crafty and made this cute magnetic board

How big is the tummy???
The spoils.... that's sure a lot of loot!

Merissa made a cute towel

A little peek...

I had to try all Maddie's costume parts on for size and the result was too cute for words! I thought I would tease you with a little peek until you see her in person! I was also looking up things we could do on Saturday afternoon/evening and I have always wanted to go to the corn maze that you pass at Pleasant Grove on 1-15. They also have a Haunted Hayride , a pumpkin patch, and good food. Look here: http://heehawfarms.com/info.htm. What do you think?

Trading old for new

They did it! Zak and Noelle traded in the old Honda(sad!) for a beautiful 2004 charcol grey Accord! It's big and roomy, with plenty of room for Emrie and grandma in the back!!

A new and improved version, you just can't beat a Honda!

While they were here Zac treated us to a glimpse of his day at the Fire Academy. They have to get into their fire suit in 45 seconds or less. Watch the master at work. He made it in 42 seconds!

Cant wait to see you all next weekend!

The Maddie Show--Live!

Grandma & Grandpa came got to come see her in person! It has been so fun to have them here. Mom and I made a slideshow of the trip for you all to enjoy. It's kinda long, so make sure you watch the whole thing!

weekend in utah

Hey...I am just posting some pictures from this weekend that Noelle and Dana wanted! So here they are! It was great to see them. Emrie is getting so big...I can't wait to meet her! Love you all!