TONS GOING ON

I can't believe how fast December goes by. I thought I would get an update of at least the first half of the month. Mostly there are just so many cute pictures of my kids and family that I couldn't not put up.

I came in after putting the kids to bed and this is what I found.

I love watching my kids sleeping, cause they look so peaceful and it helps me

after a long day remember why and how much I love them.

Mason had his hand over his face and it just looked so cute.

And of course he is sleeping with all of his "stuff".

This is how Luella usually sleeps, on her stomach with her butt up in the air.

I just can't ever get enough of this girl!

After the huge snow storm we had at the beginning of December, on Sunday

Ben headed out to snow blow; and of course the kids wanted to go too.

The only main problem was that they didn't have boots and snow pants so they just

wore what they had. They were freezing when they came in, but they had so much fun.

And while Daddy and the kids were out, Lu and mommy sat in my bedroom and

watched from the window. Luella worked so hard to get high enough to see out the window.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!!

December is one of the craziest months, actually it is the craziest month we

have, hands down. We celebrated our 7 year anniversary on the 13th. But seeing how that

fell on a Monday night, we decided to have a really long celebration.

The weekend before we got a sitter and Ben and I headed up to Park City to stay the night.

We had a quiet dinner (without kids), went to a movie and walked around. Then the next day we spent most of the day out shopping. It was so fun to just be out the 2 of us. That is something that doesn't happen too often it seems.

Then on Monday, our actual anniversary, we just hung out with our kids. Then that night my parents invited us over to decorate cookies and make ginger bread houses.

7 years has gone by so fast. Ben and I are both so different now than we were 7 years ago.

We have both grown in so many ways. We have owned 3 houses (and love the one that

we are in), have 3 incredible kids, have cried alot, laughed even more, and have learned so much about ourselves and each other. Ben is an amazing man, and I love him just as much now as I did 7 years ago!!! I wouldn't change any of it, and I can't wait for rest of our lives!!!!!

I love you Ben!

I babysat my cute niece Charly one morning, and she and Lu had fun hanging out. These 2 are only 6 weeks apart. I put on this cute sign language movie and the both of them just started dancing to the music.

WHITNEY TURNS 27!!!!!

That's right, I'm getting old and I can't wait.

I had a really great birthday this year. My sister in law Tiffany, who I just love so much took me out to lunch. We had a great lunch and a fun visit. This girl is always making sure that I have a special birthday. She is the best and I love her!

Then Taylor and Andi had all of us (my little family, my parents, and my siblings) over for a birthday dinner. It was so tasty and fun to all be together.They put so much work into the food and decorations, it was so sweet of them. I love my brother Taylor so much! We have a really special, close bond and I was just so glad to spend my birthday with him. It was fun to be all together at Taylor and Andi's place as a family.

ANNUAL BALLSTAEDT ADULT CHRISTMAS PARTY . . . . plus Sam this year

Nicholas and Rebecca started this adult christmas party a few years ago, and it is always so much fun. This year, my little Samantha just would not stay with the babysitter so she got to tag along with us. We come and chat, have a really good pot luck dinner, and then we do a white elephant. The white elephant is always the high light of the night. People always bring the funniest things. Last year my dad brought a box of stuff that he just collected from around the house to get rid of. As it turns out, as someone was opening it, everyone else was noticing that it was there own personal stuff that was inside the box. One thing that was mine was a little mug with snails on the sides for handles that I had made when I was younger. That was the funniest gift ever. We had everyone there but Matt, Heather and Joe who we missed!

ONE LAST ANNOUNCEMENT . . . . . . .

it's a BOY!!!!!!!

Seeing as how there are rumors going around I thought I would clear up the air. No I am not just letting myself go and eating everything in sight and gaining a ton of weight for fun. Yes I am pregnant, due May 18, 2011 . . . . and it's a boy. I'm 20 weeks so I thought it was about time to announce that we are adding another little baby to our family. Samantha, Mason and Lu (even though she hasn't said it, but I'm sure she is) are so excited. Samantha can't wait to have yet another baby to tote around and act like a little mother to. Mason is so excited to have 2 brothers in the family!!!! And Lu will probably just love that her 2 older siblings will have someone else to "love" (even though she loves every minute of it). Ben can't wait to have not 3 but 4 little ones to wrestle with in church (lol), and Whitney to have all these precious kids here.

We can't wait to meet you baby Chance!!!!!

I'M THANKFUL FOR . . . . . .

Thanksgiving is over, but it's still November so I thought I'd sit and think about a few things that I am thankful for.

Ben!!!! I am so grateful for Ben. I try to tell him as much as I can, but it probably isn't enough. He goes to work day after day long hours and never complains. He comes home late and helps me put the kids to bed. He lets me do pretty much what I want and doesn't ask questions. He has the most even temper of anyone I know, and it is such a great balance for me who tends to lose it every once and a while. His parents did such a great job of raising him, that he knows how to do hard things, finishes projects and just gets things done. He always lets me know how pretty he thinks I am and how much he loves me. He truly loves my family. And last but not least he is such a great provider, father, husband and best friend!

My kids . . . . . . I can't even express how thankful I am for my kids. I love them so much, and I think they are pretty special. I love each of them so much for how unique they are. I love seeing them grow and change and develop their little personalities. I love seeing them play with each other and love each other. I love seeing them put their complete trust in me and Ben, all the time, and never really question it. I love how forgiving they are, never holding a grudge for the mistakes that I as a parent make all the time; instead they just forgive, forget and move on. They are all such great examples of Christ. I love them so much and am thankful for how they have changed my life and are helping me to become a better person in every aspect.

Family . . . . . . I look at my life and know that there is so much that I wouldn't be able to do if it wasn't for family (my family and Ben's family). Ben's parents did such a great job in raising him and I'm thankful to them for that. I love Honey and Poppy and Grandma B and Grandpa B so much. My kids love them and are so excited to see them. They are always teaching them good things and loving them. I am so thankful for brothers, sisters (in laws included). I love my siblings and their spouses and would do just about anything for them. I also love Ben's brothers and sister and their spouses. Some of my closest friendships are with these cute girls that I get to call sisters and sisters in law. I love them and am so grateful for them loving my kids. I get so much help from both families and I am constantly telling Ben how great it is. What is even better is knowing that all of these family members love my kids so much, and my kids love them too. Sam and Mason talk about each of them and remember different times they have spent with them. It is so cute to see. I love family and am thankful Ben and I have 2 amazing families so that live so close to us!

Health . . . . . . I am so thankful for my health. There are alot of people who have sickness or some kind of struggles in their lives, but I am so thankful that I am so healthy. It allows me to be a happy mom, and to get done all of the things that life asks of me. It would be a big struggle to be sick all the time and have to take care of 3 little kids. I am grateful that our little family is healthy and strong.

My Home . . . . I am thankful for our house. Ben and I love it and it is such a comfortable place to be. When we have been out and about and Mason is ready to go, I love hearing him say "I want to go to my house" Our kids love our house and feel like it is theirs. We are lucky to have such a comfortable, warm place to call home.

The Gospel . . . . . I am so thankful for the gospel and everything that comes along with it. Church for 3 hours each Sunday, church callings, visiting teaching, all of it. I am thankful for my testimony that is so simple but based on Faith. Faith that if we do what we know to be right that we will be blessed. If we go to church (even if it is hard to last the whole 3 hours with 3 kids), our kids will learn by our example, will gain testimonies of their own, and will stay close to the gospel. I'm grateful that through the church there are so many opportunities to serve others. It helps me forget myself and lose myself in someone else. I'm grateful for the teachers that my kids have, and the simple great lessons that are taught that my kids come home and are so excited about.

Good Night's Sleep . . . . I'm thankful that after a long day, I can go to sleep in a comfortable bed and have a full night's rest (most nights). I'm thankful that my kids sleep through the night, and that allows Ben and I to get rest so we can be happy parents in the morning.

Jobs . . . . . I'm thankful that Ben has a job, and that I too have a little hobby/job that I can earn some fun money. I'm grateful I got some schooling that I could use even after having kids. When I decided to go to hair school, I wanted to do something that someday I could have a little family and still use my talents. I love doing hair and am thankful that I still get the opportunity to use my talents! That is something that I will always have and will always be able to use with my family.

There is really so much to be thankful for, and I could probably go on and on. Cell phones with long distance so I can call my sister all the time and chat, computers so I can blog and keep a journal, just so much, but these are just a few things that I could thing of right now. One that I really am so thankful for is Christ. I'm thankful for the sacrifice he made especially for me, so that when I make a mistake (whether great or small), I can repent and be forgiven. That eternal families are a real possibilities if we live the way we should. That I can not only be with Ben and my kids, but also ALL OF MY FAMILY AND BEN'S FAMILY. I am grateful for prayers, teaching my kids that they can be heard and answered. I just have so much to be thankful for and I need to make more of an effort to think about it and remember every day, especially those days when I am feeling sorry for myself and my situation or just having a bad day.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

NOT YOUR TYPICAL MONDAY

I woke up this morning and had high hopes of getting a ton done. Don't we all on Mondays? Well, this was just not my typical day, or Monday for that matter. I had been having some pain consistently since Sunday morning, but definately on and off for the last week. So after calling my mom to get some advice on the matter, she told me to call the dr. When the nurse called back, my kids were getting their hopes up for going to the gym and getting out of the house. Well, after I told her my problem she told me to go straight to the ER. "Really?! Are you sure?!" was all I could ask her. This was not something I was wanting to do or had planned in my day. So I called my mom to let her know what was happening and she told me she was on her way. Well, that was nice cause I was just going to call a sitter and drive myself there. Then my mom called me back and told me that my sister Rebekah was on her way right now to my house to watch my kids. How even nicer. My sister to watch my kids and my mom to come with me. I'm sure this was not what they were wanting or planning on doing today, but it was such a help.

My mom and I got to the ER and I couldn't believe how busy it was. I kinda felt a little silly . . . there were people who you could tell really were sick or had something wrong. I was just there cause my dr was being extra safe. I'll spare you all the details, but lets just say after a chest x-ray, lots of blood work, my legs being ultrasounded and 5 hours later they couldn't find anything wrong. AWESOME NEWS!!! But doesn't it stink when you get to the dr's with a problem and they can't really give you any answers? The only thing they could tell me was that maybe there is some inflamation, or my baby is too heavy, or stress, but who really knows. So after all that and a 100$ copay (I am still kicking myself about that one), my mom and I drove away from the ER. It was however nice to just sit there and be with just my mom, that doesn't happen very often.

I dropped my mom off and got back to my house and my sister Rebekah and my sister in law Rebecca were there with the kids. It was nice not having to worry about them. Rebecca had come over with her little Charly and brought some dinner for us. It was so nice of her to do that.
Thanks to my mom, Rebekah and Rebecca, even though it seemed like a wasted couple hours (always better safe than sorry), I totally appreciated them being so willing and able to come and help me out. I love you all so much.

HOPEFULLY IT STICKS

I am thankful for the teaching moments that I have with my little kids. They aren't all the time, but when they come I hope that the little lessons stick in their little brains.
Last week Samantha brought home a library book that she had checked out from her school library. She was so excited that she got to go to the library, and that she got to bring her book home. Of course she checked out a lengthy book (it was a cute book about the easter bunny), so we sat in bed Monday night and read half of the book before she went to bed. She even got a book marker from school to save her place. This is the real deal, she thought it was great. So we left the book on her bed, cause that is where she likes to have her books while she sleeps. (probably cause then they are close when she wakes up and she can just start looking at them).

Well, maybe a day passed and I asked her where her book was so we could finish the story. She didn't know and we couldn't find it anywhere. We searched and searched and nothing. I told her to tell her teacher we couldn't find it, and see what she said. Sam came home and told me that her teacher said to tell me we need to look for it. If Sam didn't bring it back and couldn't find it she would have to pay for it, and wouldn't be able to check books out anymore.

We searched and searched. We went through Samantha's room . . . . nothing. Mason's room . . . . nothing. For the next couple days we looked and finally on Friday I knew we had to look everywhere because she had to return in that day. So I decided that I would forgo the gym (I;m trying to off set all this weight by going to the gym and running a few miles), and stay home and look for the book. Samantha and I were in her room looking and I had the thought that we should say a prayer and ask Heavenly Father to help us find her book. So Samantha and I knelt down and Samantha said the prayer. She prayed that Heavenly Father would help her find her library book so she wouldn't have to pay for it and so she could check other books out at the library. Very short and sweet but to the point.

Immediatley after we finished the prayer she looked at me and said "well, that didn't work."

I then explained to her that sometimes it takes time for our prayers to be answered, and it also takes faith. I told her that we need to have faith that Heavenly Father will answer our prayers. So we looked for a bit more but still didn't find anything. We did a little homework and then it was time to get in the shower and get ready or the day. Sam and I headed into my room, and even though we had looked in EVERY SINGLE ROOM in our house I had a thought to look inbetween the mattress and footboard of my bed. So I looked and what did I find? THE LIBRARY BOOK!!!

I brought it out and said to Samantha "look what I found?!" Right away she got a big smile on her face. So then I told her that maybe we should say another prayer and thank Heavenly Father for hearing our prayer, listening and answering. We knelt down and she asked me to say the prayer.

It was such a sweet experience to be able to tell her about how Heavenly Father listens to our prayers. That we need to have faith that he will hear us, and answer us. And that to show our love we thank him for helping us. These are the times where it is so precious and rewarding to be a mom. I love Samantha, Mason and Luella so much and am so grateful i get to be able to stay home to teach them these little lessons, little but very important. It was such a great teaching moment and it gave me such a great feeling that stayed with me the rest of the day!

Last Saturday Ben was working. So by the time 5 o'clock hit I was fishing for ideas of what to do for another 3 hours til he got home. Bowling anyone?! Yep, we went bowling. I will be totally honest, I wasn't quite sure about taking 3 little kids to a bowling alley by myself . . . . but what choice did I have.

Mason was so excited. He hadn't ever been bowling (that he could remember). He totally got a hang of it, even though 1 time he tried kicking the ball down the alley. He ended up with a score of 85. Samantha loved it. She would throw the ball then dance around back to me. She was so cute. She ended up with a score of 83. They both loved it, and didn't want to leave. They could have bowled another game. But on to dinner. So I drove out to what I thought was Fazoli's but apparently it is gone. So then we drove out to Smokey Mountain Pizza, but when we pulled up it looked so busy and I didn't want to attack that. So the next best thing that was closet was McDonalds. It turned out to be a fun little outing with my kids. And after all that we still beat Ben home. CRAZY!!!!!

(Mason isn't mad he is just doing a funny cheeser smile)

Oh yea, my baby Luella. I didn't write anything about her. I almost forgot she was there cause she was so good the whole time. She just sat in her stroller, enthrolled, just watching Sam and Mason. This is just how she is all the time. My good little baby.

The other day after running errnads with Mason and Lu, we got home and I put both of them in the basement to play. I went upstairs to get some cookies out for Samantha's snack, then I heard some little whimpering. I came out of the kitchen and turned the corner to go down the stairs and this is what I found . . . . . I didn't even know that Lu could climb stairs. She had climbed 4 or 5 stairs, then somehow turned around and gotten stuck with her bum on the upper stair and her head, hands and feet on the lower stair. It was such a funny and cute sight that I had Mason run up and get my camera. Don't worry I sat there with my hands ready to catch my baby just in case she fell. But I got a picture, then I had to sit her up the right way to show how far up she was. It was the funniest thing to see.

OUR LITTLE COLLECTOR

I had this idea this morning to go through the kids rooms and "dejunk", well Samantha's room was easy but Mason . . . . he doesn't like to let go of ANYTHING. He is one that carries at least one bucket around everywhere with as much in it as he can fit. And he is so proud of all of his "treasures". Just yesterday Grandma B was over and he had a little tootsie roll bucket with a battery, an almond, some glow sticks (that didn't work) and I'm sure some other small things that didn't work. He loves showing everyone just what he has.

When Mason cleans his room, he shoves everything under his bed, in his drawers, or in cupboards. This was a really hard thing for him to watch Ben bringing everything out from their hiding places and going through it. We had a bucket for "junk" (throw away) and give away. Mason was so hysterical that he couldn't even talk. It was so sad for me to watch. He loves all of his things and didn't want to say goodbye to them. I had to have Ben replace all of his "throw away" things from his bucket with some toys that he could keep. Then Ben needed to sit down with him and explain that all the toys that are broken are going to toy heaven, and when we go through and get rid of some of our broken or older toys then we have room for some new toys. Mason was just so worried about saying goodbye to his things. It was a really hard thing to do and watch, but we actually found alot of things that we were missing. Ben found his earphones that had been missing since for a couple months. We filled up his laundry basket with clothes from throughout his room. We also found Ben's heart monitor watch, some DVD's, a work book of Ben's and about 9 sippy cups. I had wondered where they were all going, but didn't think that all of them were in Mason's room.

I can remember when I was little I hung onto everything, and I mean everything. But I think it is important to teach my kids that there is a big difference between toys that work, and just junk. Even though Mason was totally out of control crying and wanting his things (he kept asking me if Daddy would give him his things back, and what Daddy was going to do with his things), it ended with a good movie being turned on to get his mind off of his lost toys, his bucket filled with toys that worked and a smile for Mommy. It is such a good thing that kids are so forgiving!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAYS

Little Luella turned 1! We celebrated Luella's 1st birthday last week, I can't believe it has already been a year. I feel like I just barely came home from the hospital with her. It's amazing how fast time goes. But is has been such a great year, especially since she has been such an amazing baby. She sleeps when it's time to sleep, eats when it's time to eat, and plays and is happy the rest of the time. She has been such a blessing in our family, a little piece of heaven here in our home.

Out of all 3 kids, she is the only one that is really attached to me. It's kinda nice to have at least one that really, really likes you. The only thing that we really understand her trying to say is when she puts out her hands and reaches in my direction and says "mama, mama" way cute. She has 5 teeth now. 3 on top and 2 on the bottom. She is crawling all over the place, and pulling herself up on everything. She adores Samantha and Molly and is still a little leery of Mason when he comes around. She must just know that boys play a little rougher than girls. Out of no where she has gotten the cutest curly hair. It is so cute, and none of my others have had any curl so it is kinda fun. I took her to the doctors the other day and here is how she weighed and measured . . . .

Weight . . . . 21 pounds

Height . . . . 28 3/4 in

Head . . . . 18 in

She is just getting so big. Definately bigger at this age than my other 2. But I just can't get enough of her. She is just such a fun baby, and I love her so much!

I thought I'd put a picture of when she was born and then one from her birthday. She has changed so much.

So I made 2 oversized cupcakes (1 for Ben and 1 for Luella's birthday's) I thought they turned out so cute and so tasty.

For her birthday they only thing we really did just for her was I took her to get some birthday pictures taken. It was so fun! She is kinda a poser, and I also got some pictures taken with her. I did that with Samantha when she was 1 and I thought how fun to get some with Lu.

On the way to pictures I looked back while driving and saw her sucking away at her toes. She was really going to town.

That night we had some of my family and some of Ben's family over for cake and ice cream. Luella was way more delicate and careful than I thought she was going to be. I thought she would just dive right in, but she didn't like getting her hands dirty. Rebekah helped out by holding the huge cupcake so she could get some bites.

I love this snuggle picture of Luella and Grandma B. Snuggle up and chew on Grandma's necklace.

This is one of Luella's famous faces. She is constanly giving us her shock and awe face.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!!!

Ben's birthday was the very next day, I don't know if that was good planning or not, but there it was. He actually had to work, it was so sad to not be able to really celebrate til that night. But my sister Jessica came over after he got off and we went out to a little dinner. It was much, but it was great to not have any kids with us and just sit and chat. We don't get much of that these days.

Ben turned 30 this year! He looks totally hot, doesn't look any older than when I met him (maybe just a few more gray hairs). I love him so much. He works really hard and when he has time, he plays really hard. He helps out with our little family whenever he can, and doesn't ever really complain about it. I feel so lucky that he chose me, and am so lucky that we have such a great little family. He is a great husband, father, and friend. I love you so much babe, Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY McKAY! We have 3 birthdays right in a row in our family. McKay's is just one day after Ben's. We got together at my parents before and opened presents and had dessert. McKay is so great! He is so fun, my kids love him, and he is incredibly considerate. He brings so much life to our family. He spent his birthday in Florida this year. We missed celebrating with him, but I'm sure he had fun. Happy Birthday Mac!